The Griffin Family

Christmas Morning

2009-12-25T20:45:00.002-06:00

They've been begging and begging...

2009-12-24T15:27:00.002-06:00

I don't get what the huge draw is, but Daniel and Hannah have been begging and begging to sleep in the tent that Aunt Sheri gave Daniel last year (2 years ago maybe?) for Christmas. It's intended to be used as a one man sleeping tent outdoors, but it stands up on it's own without being staked down. And the kids LOVE it! It takes up most of the living room floor and drives me crazy, but I put up with it during special times like Christmas break. Daniel and Hannah have both slept in it the last 2 nights, and Sarah has played in it during the day. I guess it's like their own personal playhouse. I'm making them take it down tonight, though, since we'll need the room in the morning to finally be able to open the presents that have been taunting the children for the past week! Sarah wakes up every morning wanting to know if this is the day she gets to open presents. I can't wait to see her reaction when we finally get to tell her "Yes...It's Christmas morning!"

Finally a successful gingerbread house!

2009-12-24T15:08:00.004-06:00

The finished product!
Daniel can be such a goofball at times, and this expression definitely shows that!
Sarah doing a great job cleaning up all the extra candy...
No gingerbread house making would be complete without the gingerbread man apron from Aunt Suzie and her guys last Christmas!
What the house looked like before we started decorating it...

We have tried to make gingerbread houses in the past, and they have always been disastrous. We have always purchased the Wilton kits, and no matter how determined I was, they have always failed miserably! I could never get the royal icing to set up hard enough to hold the pieces together. The difference this year is the glue. My friend, Susan Smith--God bless her for this wonderful tip--told me to melt sugar and use that as the glue--and lo, and behold, it actually worked! I had found a wonderful recipe for gingerbread cookies a couple of weeks back so I used that along with the dimensions for a house "form" online. I'm still in shock that it actually worked! It started off as just Hannah and I working on it, but I pulled Daniel and Brent in to help smoosh the marshmallows for the roof shingles. It turned into a great family activity when Sarah joined in. Her main job was "clean up." She went around to every pile of candy and helped clean up that pile! It definitely turned into a fun time--very unlike previous attempts!

Our very first Jammie Drill

2009-12-21T23:01:00.005-06:00

We had our first Jammie Drill Monday night. We put the kids in bed rather early for a Christmas break night. Brent went in about 5 minutes later blowing a whistle and yelling "Jammie Drill! Everybody in the car! Go! Go! Go!!!" The kids had no idea what it was all about, and their reactions were quite funny. We found out later that Daniel thought it was a fire drill and even thought there might be a real fire...that's my boy...always creating a catastrophe in his mind if at all possible! We ended up driving to Arby's in town (about a 25 minute drive) and got milkshakes for everyone. We then drove around looking at all the Christmas lights and then it was back home and in bed for the kiddos. What a great time we had...and we definitely plan on doing this "Jammie Drill" thing again. Check out my facebook page for a hysterical video of the start of it all--I couldn't figure out how to get the video to be smaller and couldn't wait for gazillion of hours for it to load both places!
This is what Hannah did for every picture I tried to take...not sure why, but maybe she thought she looked too bad for film being in her jammies and all!

Notice Sarah's Jammies...the zipper split while she was trying to get them off in bed so she ended up running through the house trying to get them done up before she could be part of the jammie drill.

Brent ordering milk shakes from Arby's for everyone.

Sarah realizing that "Jammie Drill" is a synonym for "Milk Shakes at night!"

could make for an interesting evening and day tomorrow...

2009-12-08T16:13:00.001-06:00

...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY
NIGHT...
...WINTER STORM WARNING IS CANCELLED...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREEN BAY HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
THE WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

* SNOW WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE IN INTENSITY THIS EVENING BEFORE
BECOMING HEAVY WITH NEAR WHITE OUT CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT AND INTO
WEDNESDAY MORNING BEFORE DIMINISHING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE
HEAVIEST SNOW SHOULD FALL BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND NOON ON WEDNESDAY.

* 10 TO 14 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED.

* THE COMBINATION OF SNOW...WINDS THAT COULD GUST AS HIGH AS 45
MPH LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...AND NEAR ZERO
VISIBILITIES WILL LEAD TO BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT TIMES AND MAKE
THIS A DANGEROUS WINTER STORM.

Sarah's been having bad dreams...

2009-12-08T08:31:00.002-06:00

Sarah's been obsessing recently over some bad dreams that she's been having. She's quite the imaginative one, so I didn't think much of it until yesterday when I spent the day ~~filling trash bags~~ cleaning the kids' rooms and came across this doll in Sarah's bed that Grandma and Grandpa Griffin gave her for Christmas while they were here over Thanksgiving. It has little plugs that you can push into holes in the doll's head to give her "hair extensions" The extensions have not held up well at all to a 2 year old's playing...as you can see! I looked at the doll and it's actually a bit scary looking to me! She loves it, but I'm wondering if this might be the cause of her bad dreams! I'm not being serious, just wanted to share how scary looking this doll has turned into. Am I the only one thinking it's a bit scary here?!?

Jammie Drill

2009-12-03T09:04:00.002-06:00

here's a fun idea that I hope to try this Christmas Break. It's called a "Jammie Drill." It might prove a bit challenging and will have to be more thought out since we live half an hour from the nearest fast food restaurant and the winter roads can be a bit challenging at times, but should prove fun, nonetheless. The idea is to get the kids tucked into bed in their jammies, wait about 5 minutes, then run into their room and yell, "Jammie Drill!!!" Pile into the car and head out to the nearest fast food place for milkshakes. I'm thinking it could really be a lot of fun...especially the first time since the kids won't know what's going to happen...but after that, it'll be fun since they can look forward to the milkshakes once a jammie drill has begun. I'll be sure to post pictures if I can sell Brent on how fun it could be!

Visit with the Griffin Grandparents over Thanksgiving Break

2009-11-29T22:03:00.005-06:00

Here are some random pictures from our time with Brent's parents over Thanksgiving. I didn't get too many pictures taken, but here are enough to give you a good idea of the fun we all had. I wish I had thought to take pictures of the adults playing Monopoly Deal, the card game. We played a couple of nights after the kids went to bed...it really brought out different sides to all of us that we're not used to seeing! It's a fun game--and not nearly as long as the Monopoly board game!
PLAY DOH!!! Both Hannah and Sarah love to play with play doh! Grandma Kelley bought them a whole bunch of new cans when she was here at the beginning of November, and then the Griffin Grandparents gave Sarah the ice cream play doh factory for Christmas! They loved it!

All of the Griffin men are looking thrilled here...obviously, they are looking more tired than anything! They gave Daniel an erector set for Christmas, and he and Grandpa set out to put one of the 30 motorized options together. Daniel chose the crane which took a very, very long time to put together! Daniel was the parts man--gathering all the parts together for the next step while Grandpa put the crane together. It's a great set, but it might turn out to be a better Daddy/Daniel activity rather than a Daniel-figure this out by yourself-activity for a while!
Praying together before opening Christmas presents. Grandma and Grandpa wanted to see the kids open the Christmas presents they bought for them which meant getting to open them early since we won't be able to be together for Christmas. Sarah squealed and screamed with delight when she saw her play-doh ice cream factory and cabbage patch doll baby. Hannah got a neat little art/drawing toy and a Lee Middleton Collectable doll (I'll get pictures of her with that soon) Daniel received the erector set and a Star Wars computer game that he wanted.
More play doh! Sarah could play with this stuff for hours at a time!
Wednesday was Grandparents Day at school. It was such a treat for the kids to have their grandparents there. This is the first time in 3 years that it's worked out for any of them to be here for it because both sets live so far away.
Daniel's imaginary castle they had to build to wrap up their study of C.S. Lewis' Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. Notice Sarah had to get in on the action!
A funny thing to notice about this picture...Daniel's pens in his chest pocket. He LOVES to wear shirts that have pockets at the chest so he can be like Brent and keep a pen in his pocket. Interestingly, Brent's dad does the same thing (not so he can be like Brent, though!) It's funny how something so little can be such a big deal to Daniel! I guess it makes him feel grown up?!?

playing catch up with the blog...

2009-10-13T08:38:00.004-05:00

I've posted several of these things on Facebook, but have neglected putting them on the blog so now I'm playing catch up.

Hannah went to Artist Series with Brent October 2. My sister, Sheri, had given us a dress Claire never wore which was a perfect artist series formal for a 7 year old. Brent had never seen the dress, and Hannah had a great time playing it up to him about how beautiful she was going to look in it, and how surprised he was going to be by it. I must admit I had a few pangs as she built it up to him, and then as I helped her dress and fix her hair. I thought about her wedding that seems so far off...I know the time will fly by and I wondered if I would remember getting her ready for her date with daddy when she was 7 as I help her get ready for her big walk with daddy down the aisle...sappy, I know, but a bit of a pang in my momma's heart none the less!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the evening.

Brent refused to make a silly face knowing it would end up here on the blog...this is as silly as he would get!

Love those eyes! They were blue until she was about 18 months old...I was sure she was going to keep her blue eyes and dark hair, but they changed to a beautiful shade of green which is still quite stunning in my humble opinion! :-)
Can you believe the eyelashes on this girl?!? I'm so thankful that both my girls have very long eyelashes. Brent has really long lashes, too, but Hannah reminds me of my sister in these pictures, especially pictures of Sheri about this same age. I've always been envious of my sister's lashes...at least my girls got that Kelley gene since I couldn't have it show through on my eyes!
She loved getting all dolled up and was quite patient as I put ringlets in her hair. She was THRILLED when I put a bit of lip gloss on her, too...real make-up!!! A 7 year olds fairy tale dream come true

SNOW!!!

2009-10-13T08:25:00.003-05:00

Yep...it snowed all day yesterday! Big white pretty flakes...all day long. The ground was warm enough that it pretty much melted as soon as it hit the ground, but about 3:30 yesterday afternoon, it started to accumulate, and then it froze. I was trying to figure out why this first snow looked so different than other snowfalls we've had the last 5 winters here in the Northwoods. I realized it's the first time I've seen snow on leaves! We've never had an accumulating snow before the leaves have fallen off the trees before. Most of the time I look at snow as it sticks to bare branches, but most of our trees still have leaves on them, so the trees are really pretty with the beautiful yellows and reds showing through the white snow. We've never had snow this early here before...I hope it's not a foreshadowing of the rest of our autumn!
The kids had to wait for Brent to open the car door since they were frozen shut. Hannah got a kick out of wearing her snowflake dress from last winter.
There's been heavy frosts several times already, but this is the first true ice and snow accumulation Brent's had to scrape off.
It was beautiful when it started yesterday about 10:00...but it was also sad...so very sad to think that we're already facing the snow. Winters are very, very long here...but add another month to it by starting so early is really, really sad...:-)

Some really helpful thoughts

2009-10-13T08:03:00.002-05:00

I follow the blog of a friend from college who is quite a remarkable mom. They homeschool 9 children and she seems to do with grace! Some of my favorite posts of hers are called "Not Me Mondays." Each Monday she recaps events from the past week that are somewhat surprising, and she words them like, "I did not let my son eat earthworms" or "We would never allow..." It's really entertaining and encouraging to see someone being so transparent and admitting to things that others would never admit to. Here's a part of her post this morning that was a really good reminder to me and gave me some things to meditate on:

If I believed, really believed, that God is in control then I wouldn’t worry about tomorrow, I would be content to wait on His timing.
If I really believed that He loved me, I would not ask “why me?”.
If I believed that He rewards obedience and punishes disobedience, I wouldn’t be tempted to take things into my own hands, I would be content to be obedient and faithful and allow Him to deal with others as He sees fit.
If I believed that he was all powerful, I wouldn’t be tempted to fight for His honor and glory through means that He has not ordained.
If I believed that He was all that I needed, I wouldn’t ask for more.

I'm especially convicted by the first one and the last one!

(Marsel...you would love her blog...it's full of great ideas for homeschoolers and unique ways to implement schooling into every day life!)

She loves to help me cook!

2009-10-06T08:18:00.002-05:00

Sarah has taken to "helping" me when it's time to cook...anything...or she thinks I'm getting ready to cook...anything...somehow she manages to squeeze in between me and Hannah and get her chubby little hands into whatever it is I'm making...every time I'm in the kitchen...any time...it's not because she loves to cook. No, she has no interest in actually making the things to eat. She simply wants to get first dibs on the spatulas or beaters that I hand out for licking! I made peanut butter pie for Brent's birthday Sunday and she managed to snatch the whip cream spatula before I realized it. She also managed to get it all over her face. The picture's not the greatest, but it sure captures that mischievous glint we're seeing way too much of recently in her eye!

A Great Sense of Fashion

2009-10-06T08:07:00.002-05:00

Sarah came to me the other day wanting to go on a trip. She was all ready for the adventure. She had her favorite things all ready to go: her bug boots (hand-me-downs all the way back from Daniel at this age but are still a couple sizes too big), her Dora back pack full of match box cars (her latest infatuation to keep in her back pack) and her baby doll on her back in it's special back-pack style carrier. She was quite the sight!

Can he really be 10?!?

2009-09-26T20:53:00.003-05:00

I can't believe my boy turned 10 today! It dawned on me the other day that if he leaves for college at 18, our time having him home is already half gone. That's quite the sobering thought. How I beg the Lord to give me wisdom in knowing how to train him to be a godly man who loves the Lord with all his heart. My friend said something the other day that struck a chord with me as well. She said in reference to me rolling my eyes because I had to have Daniel pick up his clothes and things he left out when he left for school that morning, "His wife will thank you!" That wife is still years away, but I'm starting to get a glimpse of just how fast that time will fly! Oh that I would see each moment with Daniel as an opportunity from the Lord to disciple him and train him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

First day of school...

2009-09-02T09:45:00.004-05:00

Hannah yawned right before I took a picture, and I laughed. Sarah decided she wanted to make me laugh, too, which is usually her response when someone laughs at anything. This is such a typical thing for Sarah--she is definitely our family clown!
Before the yawning episode!
Hannah loved her first day of school dress! I found it on clearance at Lands End. LOVE that site!!!
Sweet Mrs. Norris. We are so thankful to have her for another great year! She's one of my all time favorite teachers because she so clearly loves her students and instills God's Word in them consistently.
Such a pretty girl! and she's a bit on the sweet side, too, for the most part!

Such an ornery 5th grader! He hates to show his teeth when he smiles so I am always trying to get him to laugh so he'll have a genuine smile. He is just stubborn enough to try not to laugh no matter what I say!
Daniel's teacher, Mrs. Raught. She is the daughter of our pastor from Chicago. It's quite uncanny to watch her because she looks so much like him and has so many of his same expressions! We've not had her as a teacher yet so I can't mush and gush about her...yet! :-)
He's growing up so fast! He's really starting to mature in his thinking and his sense of humor. I loved teaching 5th grade because they could really think and carry on deeper conversations without having that 6th grade know it all personality. Definitely one of my favorite ages for kids!

A prayer request for sweet friends of ours

2009-08-31T18:33:00.002-05:00

Please be praying for Adrian and Susan Smith. Adrian is the head of technology here at Northland, and they attend church with us in Norway. Susan was 38 weeks pregnant and found out that their baby died sometime this last week. I don't have any other details, but I can only imagine the grief and pain they are experiencing. I know the family would appreciate your prayers. And please pray for us as a church--we are really experiencing some tough times right now--all in the Lord's providence, but tough none the less!

Sunday Picnic

2009-08-31T12:02:00.004-05:00

Brent had to head in to work right after church Sunday, and I made the executive call to skip the church picnic/baptism service at one of the area lakes. I choose my battles carefully these days. I decided I did not want to take a 2 year old who LOVES playing in the water to the lake to watch other people get in the water knowing full well I would not allow her to play in the water and battle that all afternoon by myself! The fellowship might have been sweet, but I'm convinced I would not have been able to enjoy it! So the kids and I took our lunch outside and had a picnic of our own under our weeping willow tree. We had a great time telling stories about when I was little and talking about school starting this week. Here are some of the better pics from that great end to the summer. BTW...it did officially end this morning about 5:00 when Brent finally came home from work and had to wait for the defrosters to melt the ICE off his windshield. Apparently he did not have an ice scraper in the car with him. That'll teach him, heh? We will now be carrying ice scrapers in the car starting in August. CRAZY!!!

A quick update on the database system

2009-08-30T22:04:00.002-05:00

Not that anyone really cares much about databases and whatnot, but I thought you might like to know the Lord worked out some kinks for Brent, and they are planning on going with the new system. This is a huge praise, but a huge prayer request at the same time. They are working like crazy now to get it so they can be ready to register the students as they begin arriving this week. Please pray for wisdom for Brent to be able to see the problems, the solutions to them, and the understanding to deal with things quickly. This week is the culmination of 6 months of work on this project. Please be praying especially for this week.

You've got to be kidding me!!!

2009-08-30T22:01:00.002-05:00

COOL AIR ACROSS THE REGION...COMBINED WITH LIGHT WINDS AND MAINLY
CLEAR SKIES...ARE EXPECTED TO LEAD TO WIDESPREAD FROST ACROSS
NORTH-CENTRAL WISCONSIN TONIGHT. CLIMATOLOGICALLY COLD SPOTS COULD EVEN FALL BELOW FREEZING FOR A FEW HOURS.

This is the actual frost warning for tonight. Yes...you read it right, but you might want to go back and read it again to make sure you read it correctly. It's August 30, and it could get below freezing tonight. Let's just think hypothetically here...if it were to get below freezing and there was enough moisture in the air...it could snow. Just looking for a bit of sympathy here, folks. that's all...just some sympathy over the loss of the summer that never was...

I will gladly clean up her messes...

2009-08-29T16:00:00.002-05:00

Click Here for an amazing story of a family who is really going through the fire right now. I must say that I don't have a clue who they are. I didn't take the time to research his doctrinal stand. I'm not endorsing anything. I found his website through a blog of a blog of a blog...you know how it is. They have a beautiful 5 year old little girl who is battling a rare and agressive form of brain cancer for the past6-9 weeks or so from what I can tell.

As I sit typing this, Sarah came up to find her blankie to snuggle with while she watches Curious George. I, of course, was bawling like a baby, and she just looked at me strangely. I asked her for a hug, and she so sweetly obliged. I know that I fume and fuss quite a bit about the trouble she gets into, but I just want to go on the record as saying that I have so much to be thankful for. I will gladly clean up her messes and give her a gazillion baths a day after reading about this sweet girl and her family's godly response to the trials they are going through. Thank you, Lord, for the good health you have chosen to bless my children with. It is more than I deserve.

Something to pray about

2009-08-29T11:59:00.002-05:00

Just a quick note to ask you all to pray for Brent and the implementation team he's leading right now at Northland. He's been working since before January to get to this point he's at now--actually today! The school is switching to a new database that involves any and every sort or record and tracking they do for any and every one involved in any and every sort...all that to say it's a really big deal...HUGE!!! They took the old database off line on Wednesday and today is the day they take the new system live. Brent will make the decision this afternoon/evening to stay with the new system or go back to the old system (if there are too many hitches with the new system, they'll go back to the old and have to start all over)

Although Brent doesn't do much with the technology department anymore, he's the one with the most experience in this sort of project management so he's been leading this one. It really is crunch time right now and for the next week. Brent has this amazing ability to look at situations and see potential problems that could arise, and that's exactly what he needs right now. Please pray that he will be able to foresee any difficulties that would be show stoppers when the students arrive. He's been working incredibly long hours this last week, and he needs the Lord's strength and help now. Your prayers on his behalf would be greatly appreciated.

all is quiet...is that a good thing?

2009-08-19T22:20:00.002-05:00

Not much has been happening on the Sarah frontier as of late. Unless you consider her dumping an entire box of powdered laundry soap all over the carpet in the basement exciting. Or perhaps you think it's interesting that she also pulled out a great deal of clothes that I was storing in rubbermaid totes and strew them all over the laundry room. She has finally stopped covering herself from head to toe in washable markers that are not actually washable after all--next time I'm going for the cheaper kind since neither of them seem to come off her squishy arms! She went into the church nursery for the first time since June without screaming and having to pry her fingers off the door jams. That was exciting--dealing with a screaming 2 year old every time we went to church for the last 3 months...but that behavior has stayed away for 3 church services in a row now. Sarah's vocabulary is definitely increasing and she is able to tell her brother and sister exactly what they are doing that is annoying her. She shook Hannah's hand tonight in the car and very clearly said, "Good to meet ya!" She gave us an ever so slight glimmer of hope when she put her "stinkies" in the commode for the first time a couple of days ago (is that too much information?!?) that's ONCE in the last 2 months of potty training--I'm starting to view the big girl panties as cloth diapers...at least they're washable and saving us money over regular disposable diapers. Daniel finally stopped sleep walking after 3-4 times a night for 3 weeks straight. Yep...it's been pretty boring around here the last couple of days. Suffice it to say that I'm holding my breath for what she's storing up for us...I can pretty much assure you it won't be nearly as cute as you all think it is!

An all-time record for me!

2009-08-17T23:05:00.005-05:00

I went to Kmart tonight to shop the sales taking advantage of their double coupon event. I am so very excited about all that I brought home. You can't see everything in the picture so let me just list it all--it makes me feel so good to take so long to type such a long list! :-)
2 jumbo pull-ups
2 mega easy ups
2 containers of lotion
2 containers of window cleaner
2 furniture polishes
4 huge containers of shampoo
2 bottles of men's body wash
2 men's deoderant (I'm getting tired of typing...I'm starting to take short cuts!)
barrettes for Hannah
toothbrush
large bottle of dish soap
1 hand soap
dryer sheets
1 laundry soap
2 toilet bowl cleaners--will last for 12 weeks if I use one a week as suggested
8 rolls of tp
4 boxes of fruit snacks (legos!!!)
jar of jelly
4 big boxes of poptarts (12 each)
4 mega size pringles
6 boxes of cereal
2 boxes of baggies

Now for the exciting part... I added up the retail cost (not the sale prices, but what the actual price tags said) and it was $199.38 before tax. The sale prices after tax was $179. After the sales, the coupons, rebates and Kmart credit towards my next purchase, I ONLY SPENT $54!!! I came home with $200 worth of merchandise for only $54!!! I'm just a bit excited, can you tell?!? Couponing takes time and a great deal of effort and organization, but after a night of shopping like this, it is so worth it! (all the extra exclamation points are just for you, Pastor Albert!!!) And when you think about it this way...$26 of the $54 I shelled out was for the pullups/training pants for Sarah. So I only paid $28 for that entire list (minus the diapers). There were many items that I wanted to purchase, but couldn't because our Kmart has a very limited grocery section and doesn't stock some of the things I had coupons for and was hoping to get for free after the double coupons...so it could have been even more! Gotta love shopping nights like that--and gotta love a great husband who's willing to keep the kids even after a very long day of work so I could focus on the coupons--what a guy!

You'd think I'd figure it out by now...

2009-07-28T17:52:00.003-05:00

When Sarah wants to get out of bed she usually yells, "I done!" meaning, "I'm done sleeping and want to get up." We dont' let any of our children when they are this age get out of bed unless we give them permission...well, that's the goal at least! We want to have some sense of security that they aren't running around the house in the middle of the night when we are sleeping. Sarah has yet to learn this lesson. I should have learned by now to get up and go check when I hear something unusual, but I clearly have not. All the windows are open since it's in the 70's here and is quite breezy. I thought I must have heard the neighbor or someone on the highway since there is construction along 141 right now. But no...the noise I heard was the one and only Sarah getting into the pantry to get Triscuits to eat in bed, or maybe it was her getting into her sister's markers or her coloring sheets, or maybe it was her getting cups of water to pour back and forth into each other while sitting on her bed (so thankful we purchased that waterproof sheet for her bed for multiple reasons!) I am amazed at times by how loud a 2 year old can be...and today am equally amazed at how quiet she can be when she's sneaking around the house. Speaking of...it's awfully quiet now...I'm really hoping there's nothing eventful to post about now!

I'm just wallowing in the green pastures...

2009-07-17T22:06:00.005-05:00

and that's a good thing. Let me explain. I'm finishing up my study on the names of God by Kay Arthur and have been so struck by some thing she included in her section about the Lord as our Shepherd. One of the things that a good shepherd does is leads his sheep to green pastures to feed until they are completely satisfied. The sheep can lie down in green pastures and not desire anything else because they are completely full. I know that is what the Lord does for me continually, but have been convicted by my attitude. It's very easy for me to look around and see my life as anything but "green pastures." I've been so convicted about my lack of contentment recently and have been asking the Lord to show me in such obvious ways how He provides so that my heart is reminded that I truly am lying in green pastures (or am I laying in green pastures...I can never get that grammar rule straight!)

The Lord reminded me in amazing ways this morning that He has led us to the greenest of pastures and provides for our every need. We had a clothing exchange at church this morning. As I was talking to one of the ladies, I looked down and noticed some really nice men's leather loafers. Brent really needs shoes for this fall...these were L.L. Bean tan leather loafers in a size 13 in practically brand new condition. The bottoms barely scuffed--maybe worn once! I was also able to find some clothes for Hannah for back to school--a beautiful Sunday dress from Land's End for this winter that is in brand new condition as well. I also found several tops for myself and a jacket for Daniel for this fall. It's been amazing to see the Lord provide for our needs in such over-the-top ways--much more than we need or could even have hoped for--I love LLBean and Lands End things (but Elissa and Esther...you know I love Lands End more than LLBean and always will, right?!?)

But the Lord did something else for us, too, this morning. Our kitchen sink has not been draining for several days now. Brent has tried everything imaginable to fix it. (do you know how very disgusting a kitchen drain pipe can be? If not, trust me when I say you do not want to know!) Brent's been running things by his dad, who is a master of all trades, and neither one of them could figure out why the drain would not, well...drain! Brent spent all evening Thursday working on it and all morning today as well. He decided to run the snake through the pipes one last time even though it has not done anything to resolve the problem before. But this last time, something was different and the drain was clear. There's no human answer...he's run the snake through the pipes (quite a nasty thing to have to do, let me say it again!) countless times to no avail. But this time something changed, and the water now runs freely. I am convinced it was the Lord's doing, not the snake...but the Lord who cleared our drain for us. And we are praising the Lord for not having to call a plumber to come out and look at it. The Lord truly provides, our Jehovah-Jirah, and as our Shepherd, He leads us to such green pastures that we can't help but just wallow in the lush grass!

What we've been doing this past week..

2009-07-17T21:53:00.004-05:00

We've been going to one of the local church's Neighborhood Bible Time each evening this week and having a great time! Tonight was the final program, and it was really enjoyable. (Said in a way to do my best to hide the surprise in my voice) The kids both worked very hard this week memorizing verses (some of them were really, really long...I even had trouble with them!) and came away with a load of ribbons and some other awards, too. Hannah said the most verses for the second graders and had the second highest amount of points, and Daniel said the most verses for fifth graders and had the highest points. They were both very proud of their work and the rewards given for memorizing God's Word.

Dave's Falls

2009-07-13T15:44:00.002-05:00

So we may have a shortage of good shopping around here, but we definitely do not have a shortage of places to go and things to see. With 13 waterfalls in Marinette County, there is always something to go explore. We headed over to Dave's Falls which is about 15 minutes south of us for some good family bonding after getting Daniel back from his first week of summer camp. We took a picnic lunch and then enjoyed the hike. The nice thing about Dave's Falls is that it's very easy hiking, and that is key when taking a toddler to a water fall! Much of it even has steps and bridges. It's not the most spectacular falls in the area, but still a fun thing to do with the kiddos. Did I mention I love where I get to live...on most days! :-)

The many faces of Sarah

2009-07-13T15:28:00.003-05:00

Sarah is definitely unlike the other 2 kiddos the Lord has given us! She is a bundle of non-stop energy. Her facial expressions are enough to endear her to everyone who spends any amount of time around her. It takes her a bit to get warmed up, but once she does, she loves being the center of attention. Brent would insert here that she is just like her momma! While driving to church Sunday, I said something to Brent that sums up exactly how I feel about Sarah..."How did we ever think we would be happy with just 2 kids!?!" By the way...Dawn dish detergent is the only thing that gets a 7 year old's dollar store glitter hand lotion out of the hair of a mischievous, get into everything, 2 year old...ask me how I know...

Where's the Momma?

2009-07-06T16:25:00.004-05:00

"My daddy came home from work Monday, July 6th, and pulled into the driveway. He honked his horn, and Mommy sent me out to see what daddy needed. When I went out there, Daddy said, "Go inside!" For some reason Daddy did not want me outside. I did not know what was out there. There were 2 baby raccoons by our garage. Then Mommy went outside, and she looked at the racoons, and then she and Daddy said I could come outside. So I did. Daddy didn't want me there at first because we didn't know where the momma raccoon was. We did not know if the momma was killed or if she would come back and hurt us. I think they were cute!"

Written by Hannah Griffin

Bowling!

2009-06-25T07:59:00.002-05:00

Brent took Tuesday off since it had been so long since we had been together as a family. We took advantage of our free bowling this summer and had a great time! Even Sarah bowled the first game...but snuggled down and fell asleep while I was holding her during the second game. Let me tell you, I'll give up just about any type of recreation to be able to have my baby fall asleep in my arms! It was a perfectly sweet way to enjoy being together again--Brent playing with the older two while I got some amazing snuggle time in with Sarah!
Sarah enjoyed playing around on the floor...the alley was nearly empty so she could run around without getting into too much trouble...except for the time she set the reset button after Brent had thrown his ball. His ball bounced into the guard that wipes the pins away. The owner was very kind and said it happens all the time. Watching her go-go-gadget arms is a full-time job--and I'm out of practice after having 2 weeks off!!!

We had fun reminding Daniel and Hannah that they both had to use this ramp the first time we came bowling at this alley...they had a hard time with the fact that Sarah beat them both because of this ramp!
You can see it here--she's starting to wind down--she also loved to watch the balls come up the return--and played with the spot that blows air to dry your hands.
Daniel did pretty well...he and Brent had a pretty stiff rivalry going on...well at least a verbal rivalry...it'll be a long time before Daniel is able to do more than trash talk with Brent!
Hannah had a great time, too. She's funny to watch bowl...she just takes off running and then drops the ball...she is so much like me, it's scary at times!

They're Home!!!

2009-06-25T07:49:00.002-05:00

I picked up our kids Saturday afternoon, and we stayed in Michigan with my parents until Monday morning. It worked out well since my sister's kids were visiting with my parents, too. Our kids love getting together--Bobby is Daniel's age and Lauren is Hannah's age. Claire is now 13, so she is able to tag along with the adults or have fun playing with Sarah. We missed Fathers' Day with Brent, but we will celebrate it this weekend instead. We arrived home around 3:30 Monday afternoon. The kids were so excited to see Brent when he came in the door! I love it when they get giddy with excitement over seeing him. They played and wrestled forever, too! It was great to have them visit with the grandparents, but it's good to have them back home, too!

School's Out!

2009-06-18T14:51:00.003-05:00

The kids had a half day of school the last day...actually less than half a day...they were able to leave after the awards assembly at 10:30. To celebrate we went home, grabbed a quick lunch, changed clothes and headed to town to get Frosty's since I had buy one get one free coupons. We stopped at a way side off the highway that has this beautiful waterfall. There are 13 waterfalls in our area, but they are all pretty rough hiking with a 2 year old. This waterfall was perfect since it's been built up for tourists--complete with a bunch of stairs--Sarah can do stairs no problem! It wasn't hot or cold, just comfortable so we were able to stay a good while playing in the water and just enjoying the great outdoors.

Getting Ready for the Spring School Concert

2009-06-18T14:11:00.004-05:00

We had a few minutes before it was time to leave for the kids' Spring Concert for school what seems like a gazillion days ago, even though it was just a couple of weeks, so I decided to get some pictures of the kids all dressed up.
"Yes, she's still standing there waiting for me to smile! When will this lady stop trying to get a good picture of me!"
Sarah shows her stubborn streak most when she comes up with a better way to do what you are asking her to do. In this case, it was her idea to hug Hannah instead of just standing sweetly next to her. I let well enough alone since it was actually a better shot!
I learned that even though the kids are almost 10 and 7, it is too much to ask them to stand in the sun no matter how much better the lighting is there!

These are quite too funny!

2009-06-16T10:09:00.001-05:00

Spring Classes for Women at
THE ADULT LEARNING CENTER

REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED
by Tuesday, June 20, 2009

NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL
OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM.

Class 1
Up in Winter, Down in Summer - How to Adjust a Thermostat Step by Step, with Slide Presentation..
Meets 4 wks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hrs beginning at 7:00 PM..

Class 2
Which Takes More Energy - Putting the Toilet Seat Down, or Yelling About It for 3 Hours?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.

Class 3
Is It Possible To Drive Past a Wal-Mart Without Stopping?–Group Debate.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between a Purse and a Suitcase–Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.
Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.

Class 5
Curling Irons–Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Bathroom Cabinet?
Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning
at 7:00 PM

Class 6
How to Ask Questions During Commercials and Be Quiet During the Program
Help Line Support and Support Groups.
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM

Class 7
Can a Bath Be Taken Without 14 Different Kinds of Soaps and Shampoos?
Open Forum.
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.

Class 8
Health Watch–They Make Medicine for PMS - USE IT!
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 9
I Was Wrong and He Was Right!–Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined .

Class 10
How to Parallel Park In Less Than 20 Minutes Without an Insurance Claim.
Driving Simulations.
4 weeks, Saturday’s noon, 2 hours.

Class 11
Learning to Live–How to Apply Brakes Without Throwing Passengers Through the Windshield.
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined

Class 12
How to Shop by Yourself.
Meets 4 wks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

Class 13
How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy–Remembering To Take a List To The Store, Avoiding Separate Trips for Each Item Needed.
Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered.
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 14
The Stove/Oven–What It Is and How It Is Used.
Live Demonstration.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, location to be determined.

Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors.

Our picnic at Lake Michigan

2009-06-12T16:26:00.005-05:00

I actually managed to get them all looking at me at the same time! Amazing feat for sure!
I'm not usually one for just scenic photographs. I usually try to put a person in the foreground and use the scenery as background, but this was a beautiful time of evening at the bridge. I was wanting to stick around to see the sunset become more vivid, but it was going to be midnight as it was before we arrived at my parents so I didn't stick around.
I told them it was cold, and I would not get dry clothes out of the suitcase for them if they were fussing about being wet when we got back in the car...it didn't deter them one bit! All of us love playing along the lakeshore of Lake Michigan at the foot The Bridge.
I didn't even try to get Sarah to stand up and look at me for this shot...She was loving playing in the water more than anyone else!

The Mackinaw Bridge is the halfway point between our house and my parents' so we usually make that a stopping place when we travel. When the weather permits, we pack a picnic so the kids can get out of the car and play, and we can save some money, too. We managed a stop at dinner time when I took the kids down last weekend, but it was rather chilly so we didn't stay too long. No one ate much because they knew they had limited time and chose to spend it playing along the lakeshore...or in Sarah's case, chasing the birds. She LOVES birds and had a great time with all the seagulls that were hovering around us waiting for us to feed them. We have learned from experience that you should not feed the couple of birds around you lest you get swarmed by a gazillion more that appear out of nowhere once you start feeding them. I was telling my kids about the ol' Hitchcock film, "The Birds." Somehow they weren't as freaked out about it as I was even just telling them about the movie!

On a sweet note...we did arrive at my parents around midnight. Sarah had not taken a nap at all in the car so I expected her to sleep quite soundly once she gave in to sleep. And she must have for those 3 hours from 9-12 because she was WIDE AWAKE when we went into my parents' house. She made a bee-line for the toy room and wanted to see the dog, too. We all tried to head to bed since I had a long drive the next day, but Sarah was very much awake. She kept calling for me, and then she'd call for Hannah, then I'd hear her playing with the stuffed animal in her bed, then she'd call me some more. I finally went in and "laid down the law" one last time and gave her some definitive and "measurable" incentives to stop calling for "Mamma or Ya-Ya (Hannah)" I went back to bed and after just a few minutes I heard "Snuggle me, please." She obeyed the letter of the law, but not the spirit--she didn't call Mamma or Hannah, but still got her point across. And I, being the great disciplinarian that I am, gave in and went in to snuggle with her. I couldn't resist, knowing I wouldn't get any sort of hugs or snuggling in for 2 whole weeks! :-)

We finally got them outta there!!!

2009-06-12T09:09:00.004-05:00

Our children are spending their 2 weeks with the grandparents like they do every summer. Brent and I are doing our best to get some of our bigger projects done while we can without having to stop to change a diaper or stop to see how bad the fall was since it's impossible to really tell just based on the screams.

One of those projects is getting rid of the bushes in front of our house. They have been with the house from the beginning, and it is quite obvious! Critters have taken up residence in them along with some poison ivy from time to time so it was time to get rid of them. The more Brent cut into them (thanks, Dad, for lending us the chain saw!) the more obvious how old they really were. The main trunks were so big and the branches were so twisted and mangled together that it really took some doing to get them out.

I personally was so thankful our neighbor came over with his pick-up truck and helped Brent haul the cut shrubs away so I didn't have to get all poked and yucky! (How's that for girl talk!!!) I did have a really nice visit with our neighbor's wife while the men worked. We're doing our best to build a relationship with them--they are the epitome of Yooper folk--they'd do anything to help with little or no expectation of anything in return.

I'm having trouble with the pictures so they are going to have to stay all out of order for now. Hopefully you can figure out what's going on here. Now I have to decide if I'm going to put a flower bed where the shrubs used to be or if I'm going to just grow grass--or in our case more dandelions! :-)

She's smarter than I think...

2009-05-26T09:49:00.005-05:00

So I have a couple of things to say about Hannah in this post. I often neglect her and Daniel because Sarah provides more brilliant stories, but somethings happened this week that made me chuckle. Last week was the last week of school which included a special field day on campus. Hannah is definitely not into anything athletic whatsoever and spent most of the day bouncing in the inflatables and socializing (she is my girl!) Brent was able to get away from his office for a bit to spend some time out on the field as well and we both got such a kick out of this because it is so "her!"

The kids were playing the game where you have to pass a bucket of water over your head and fill the big bucket at the end of the line. The bucket also has holes in the bottom of it. You can see Hannah's thought process from the progression of these pictures

"You mean I have to take that bucket and put it over my head?!? Let me think about it..."
"Yikes! Not enough time to find a way to get out of this...think fast!"
"Hey, If I take it and hold it up high away from my head, it still counts! Mission accomplished--the bucket was passed and I stayed dry!"

Something else happened that took both Brent and me by surprise. Hannah had the highest GPA in her class! I have to say I was really surprised when her name was called at the awards assembly on Friday morning! I don't want to sound ugly in the least, but I have never thought academics were one of Hannah's strengths. She's a very quick study when we're working together in the kitchen or around the house, but apparently she's alot smarter than I give her credit for. Daniel received the same award for his class, but that didn't surprise me as much as Hannah. I'm thinking she lets Daniel take the lead when they are playing together and lets him do all the thinking (see...she is smarter than I give her credit for) So we don't see the intellectual side of her as much as we see the creative, crafty side of her. Thankfully, there is a bit of Brent mixed into her as well :-)

And please indulge me for one last moment to beam about her...most importantly, she received the "Esther Award." This is the character award for the year. That is so much more important to us than any academic award. Her teacher had some very kind things to say about her...I was in tears just thinking about any first grader being so sweet, but then to hear my baby's name made me weep! I mean...weep, like a baby, weep! I'm so thankful to see God's Word taking root in her heart and changing her life. I tend to focus on the negatives and all that I see that needs to change. Brent and I were both so thankful to be reminded that God is working and changing her in spite of our weaknesses as parents that sometimes sabotage that!

In case you were wondering...

2009-05-15T14:08:00.004-05:00

...this is what a bathtub full of water with a full bottle of shampoo dumped into it looks like. How does one let a 2 year old dump an entire bottle of shampoo into the bath water? There was a time I would have asked that same silly question. However, I now understand that anything is possible when the mom of said 2 year old is standing in the kitchen trying to figure out how to clean up the bottle of vegetable oil that the innocent looking little mischief maker dumped on the kitchen table, chair, floor and herself. How does one let a 2 year old make such a mess...if you have to ask that question, it is a sure sign that you have no children or that your children have not yet reached the age of 2. Any thoughts of how to get all that vegetable oil cleaned up?!? I must call my friend, Robin, who once figured out how to get vaseline out of her twins hair...all the while managing to keep sane...yes, I must call Robin...either that or I'm waiting for Brent to get home...he's the one with the engineering mind...he'll figure something out...I might just let him share in the joy of spending all day with a 2 year old...how I need the mall right about now...

This is not funny!

2009-05-14T21:41:00.001-05:00

WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-151000-
VILAS-ONEIDA-FOREST-FLORENCE-NORTHERN MARINETTE-LINCOLN-LANGLADE-
MENOMINEE-NORTHERN OCONTO-DOOR-MARATHON-SHAWANO-WOOD-PORTAGE-
WAUPACA-OUTAGAMIE-BROWN-KEWAUNEE-WAUSHARA-WINNEBAGO-CALUMET-
MANITOWOC-SOUTHERN MARINETTE-SOUTHERN OCONTO-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...EAGLE RIVER...RHINELANDER...CRANDON...
TOMAHAWK...ANTIGO...KESHENA...STURGEON BAY...WAUSAU...
WISCONSIN RAPIDS...STEVENS POINT...APPLETON...GREEN BAY...
ALGOMA...WAUTOMA...OSHKOSH...CHILTON...TWO RIVERS...CRIVITZ
810 PM CDT THU MAY 14 2009

...COLD AIR MASS TO INVADE THE AREA THIS WEEKEND...

IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT FRIDAY NIGHT...A COLD DRY AIR MASS WILL
WORK INTO THE AREA THIS WEEKEND ON BLUSTERY NORTHWEST WINDS.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON HIGHS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM THE UPPER 40S
NORTH TO MID 50S SOUTH. CLEAR SKIES AND DIMINISHING WINDS ARE
EXPECTED SATURDAY NIGHT AS A COLD HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM SETTLES
INTO THE REGION. SATURDAY NIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL INTO THE 20S OVER MUCH OF NORTHERN WISCONSIN...AND NEAR THE FREEZING MARK OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

BE SURE TO MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND PREPARE TO MAKE PLANS THIS
WEEKEND TO PROTECT SENSITIVE OUTDOOR PLANTS.

Why I don't get out much...

2009-05-13T13:45:00.001-05:00

This list one of my friends put up on facebook cracked me up so much! I have to say I'm quite tempted to try some of them...and that my friends is why I stay home with the children...Brent is afraid of what I might do if I get out! :-)

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice. !

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that.

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write 'For Marijuana'

7. Finish All Your sentences with 'In Accordance With The Prophecy'.

9. Skip down the hall Rather Than Walk! and see how many looks you get.

10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go'.

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You have a headache.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won! I Won!'

18. When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!'

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.'

20. It's Called THERAPY!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T22:29:00.003-05:00

Just some fun pictures taken this morning with my new camera Brent bought me for Mother's Day. He (and the kiddos) fixed me breakfast in bed...well...he fixed it in the kitchen, and then they served it to me in bed, but I think you knew what I meant. He then surprised me by getting Sarah ready so that gave me extra time to get my makeup and hair done. Sunday mornings tend to be really busy around our house, and I usually end up doing my makeup in the car on the way to church...hence the severe lacking of me in any of the Sunday pictures!
Love this man! The message today in church was about the qualities the older women are supposed to teach to the younger women in the church. I truly don't struggle with loving Brent because he makes it so easy! He is a wonderful example for Daniel of how to care for his wife and treat her with love. I especially appreciate how carefully he dwells with me according to knowledge. I'm not an easy case to crack, but Brent has worked very hard at figuring me out. When we met, his job entailed going into different departments, watching them and their processes, and then writing computer programs to automate those processes--all that to say, he's incredibly analytical and often knows more of what I'm trying to do than I do! But like I said, I'm a tough case to crack and sometimes leave him scratching his head. I'm so thankful that he takes the time to work through issues with me. I often tell Daniel to watch Daddy carefully because he will show him what a godly husband and father acts like. I could go on and on, and often do, so I'll stop now...
My favorite kiddos in the world. It's encouraging to see some fruits of our labors with the older two...and we're working very hard with Sarah right now. She is SO VERY strong-willed...and a little OCD we're thinking. Brent and the kids fixed lunch for me this afternoon. Brent left the oven door open to let the heat out (because it was a bit chilly in the house today!) She got up from her chair (she's no longer in a high chair either) and went and shut it. It bothers her terribly if things aren't quite right. If something she's playing with breaks or comes apart...her world stops. She's definitely going to be our perfectionist! On a side note...we were driving home from school on Friday, and Sarah started counting. She's done this a lot lately-usually making it to 3 or 4. But Friday, I promise it's true, she counted to 11!!! The kids and I kept waiting and didn't say a thing, and she just kept counting. I'm so glad I wasn't alone with her or I might have second guessed what I was hearing. She counted to 7 for Brent this morning...we're in so much trouble with her...I'm going to start praying for her school teachers soon because with her OCD tendancies and her quick study of things...they are going to have to be on their toes!
Sarah got bored sitting for pictures so she decided to stand behind the kids and put her arms around them. She definitely has her own way of doing things!
This is the first shot...before she got tired of sitting still...

Why Sarah loves it when I bake

2009-05-08T13:01:00.005-05:00

Is there any wonder why Sarah loves to see me bake? Brent has to stay through work this evening for the Spring Concert on campus so I baked him some chocolate chip cookies (his favorite forever!) Sarah was so excited and started yelling, "Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!" I shushed her and told her they were for daddy and it was a surprise. She ran to Brent and said, "Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!" I think she realized that she would get to lick all the beaters and bowls herself since the kids were at school already. Needless to say, she enjoys her cookie dough!

Our new car

2009-05-08T11:53:00.003-05:00

So for those of you who haven't heard, we had our first "deer incident" several months back. A deer ran out in front of Brent while he was driving on an icy patch back near campus, and it took out the front end of our '97 Blazer. Because of it's age, our insurance declared it a total loss. The Lord taught me personally much about trusting Him and His sovereignty through it all. This was the first time in the 4 and a half years we've been here that there wasn't something we could do to fix the situation. It's what we looked forward to when we talked about going into ministry--being put in financial situations where we were utterly dependent on the Lord to provide. We were aware of our dependence on the Lord in Chicago, but it was always just a matter of writing a check and that was the end of it. We were excited to show our kids that the Lord provides and answers prayer...and He did! We made it a real matter of prayer with our family, and we were able to find a car that is 2 years newer than the Blazer and much less miles on it than the Blazer had, too...all for the amount the insurance company gave us for the Blazer. It's a 99 Pontiac Bonneville and the ever important girl point is that the color is silver with a semi-cool spoiler on the backend! It's really comfortable--I like it much more than our minivan, and it seems to get better mileage than the van or Blazer did--but Brent's the one figuring that out. God is truly good to be so faithful even when my faith is so weak.

Outside shots

2009-05-08T11:42:00.003-05:00

Posing for pics with the new camera. I thought Sarah was engrossed in playing with her dishes and kitchen, but she snuck out. She came out with Hannah's shoes on and no pants...we only had a short amount of time left so I chose not to fight that battle at that time. With Sarah, there are no shortages of battles to choose from!

I'm back!

2009-05-08T11:38:00.002-05:00

My camera died right before Easter so I haven't been able to take pictures let alone post them. It's been really hard to be without a camera this last month or so. Brent gave me my mother's day gift early...a camera! Yay for such a great guy! (He'd be great without giving me a camera, but it's still a great reminder of how wonderful he is!) I've been working with it trying to figure out all the ins and outs of it so I'll have a lot of random shots to post coming up...

random shots

2009-03-22T21:21:00.004-05:00

One of Sarah's favorite toys...puppy. (actually 2 of them here in this shot, but the smallest one of top is her favorite!) She often takes it to bed with her, but she doesn't sleep with it. She puts it under her crib with it's own blanket for it sleep with. She'll say good night to it, kiss it, and put it to bed where she can see it. My mom put it on top of one of her birthday presents as an after thought, but it turned to be one of her favorite things!
Yep...she has a stuffed snake wrapped around her neck, pushing a stroller, with Ariel in it while trying to wear Hannah's shoes...what does go through this girl's mind? It might be just a bit troubling if I knew!
Sarah loves blankets, too. Its the only way to get her to snuggle with even then it lasts only a minute or two at best. If she gets hurt, she wants to sit on your lap with a blanket to help her feel better...any blanket will do.

trying to stay cool...

2009-03-22T21:16:00.002-05:00

I came into the kitchen the other day and found Sarah standing in the fridge. The camera was sitting right there so I took this without her knowing it and managed to keep a straight face as I disciplined her for doing something she knows she's not supposed to do. I know she's too young for hot flashes and in an effort to save some money we keep our thermostat turned down pretty cool. I'm fairly certain the girl was just testing her boundaries...like she did the day she dumped the brand new box of honeycombs on the floor--in it's entirety...and there wasn't even a prize in it!

some recent pictures

2009-03-22T21:06:00.003-05:00

h

I have an idea for some new artwork for one of the bare spots in our living room. I had something there, but took it down for the holidays and never put it back up. It needed to be updated anyways to include Sarah. I'm wanting to do something artistic with these pictures that include the meaning of each kid's name and a Bible verse that shows the character traits that made us choose that name. For example, the verse that talks about Daniel purposing in his heart not to defile himself with a portion of the kings meat, etc. I'm still working through how to do it in my mind so it doesn't look homemade and cheasy. I think these pictures I took this morning will work well for what I'm thinking. We'll see!

A video for Daddy who is on a business trip to Philly

2009-03-21T20:30:00.002-05:00

A great give-away!

2009-03-18T15:46:00.001-05:00

Here is a link to a great give away from my friend Trisha's blog. I'm sure you won't want to go there and try to win, it's really not that cute of a dress, and my odds of winning are much better if no one follows this link to this free dress from Carolina's Cuties--the name is really quite deceiving...don't bother going to look at this sweet dress--love me enough to want Sarah to have it, okay?!? :-)

Look at all that I was able to get for less than $8!!!

2009-03-06T15:53:00.003-06:00

My friend, Trisha, has started a blog to explain her hobby of clipping coupons to save money and get things free. I put her blog in my google reader so I always get her updates. I've been following her advice for many weeks now, and it is really starting to pay off! This picture is just a sampling of what I've been able to get for so little! There's over $50 worth of merchandise here and I spent less than $8! There's 2 packs of diapers here that normally coast $15, but I only paid $5 for them (that's $2.50 each to clarify that!). The Starbucks chocolate run $6 each, but I only paid $1 for each of them. I stockpile these kinds of things for when I need a quick "thinking of you" gift or something nice for the teacher for Thanksgiving or Easter...something I don't want to spend a lot on, but who doesn't love chocolate!?! I was thinking as I took this picture that I forgot to include all the makeup I've gotten for free the past few months! I have over $30 worth of free Revlon products from Walgreens that I didn't want to dig out of my makeup bag. I also got a free video rental since I'm going out tonight and leaving the kids with Brent. I'm totally loving this! It helps Trisha out to get more hits to her site, so you should go check it out and put her in your google reader, too! You can find her site here.

Happy Birthday, Great Grandma!

2009-03-05T19:58:00.002-06:00

This is just a bit too funny!

2009-02-28T21:50:00.002-06:00

This is the link to this hilarious bumper sticker! Brent and I have talked about this mortgage bail out plan and how unfair it is to those of us who didn't buy a house we couldn't afford and have not been negligent on our payments. I had to chuckle when I saw this actual bumper sticker on a friend's facebook wall. The Tennessee GOP is selling them for $5 or 3 for $12.

Hannah's 7th Birthday

2009-02-23T11:41:00.003-06:00

It's hard to tell from this angle, but this is a princess crown cake. It's a 2 layer cake with special shaped sugar cookies all around it to make it look like a crown. Hannah insisted she have a crown since she's not only our princess, but God's princess, too! Have you seen the little girl movies in the Christian book stores about GiGi? There was one for $5 around Christmas time at our local bookstore so I picked it up. She loves it! There are several of them available. And don't tell too many people, but Daniel even likes them...because it's not just a girlie movie, mom!!!

It's so hard to believe she's 7!!! I remember so clearly the day she was born. I was supposed to be at the hospital at 6am since I was being induced, but the nurse called to say they were full and there wasn't a place for me to have her so we had to wait. Brent and I went out for breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then came home and went back to bed. We called around 11 and they said there was a bed for me and to come on in. My epidural worked like a dream, and she was born around 3:00 that afternoon. Her labor was so very easy for me--I remember asking the doctor if I was pushing because I could feel NOTHING!!! She came so quickly, and she had so much hair that Brent and I laughed when she was delivered after 3 pushes. I'll never forget thinking when I saw her for the first time, "That's it? That's all I have to do to give birth to a baby monkey?!? Who knew it could be so easy?!?"

We have this tradition in our house to decorate with streamers and banners for everyone's birthday. It was progressed to the kids' rooms, too. I put the streamers up when the kids are sleeping. Daniel and I laughed as Hannah tried to get out of bed that morning. I told her that if she tore down even one streamer she couldn't have her presents. She managed to get out without tearing one down!

Love this girl so very much! She's truly a sweet young lady who loves God and sincerely wants to please Him. How thankful I am for her sensitive heart. She's always with me in the kitchen or at my crafting table asking what we can do together. She's always saying, "Mommy, can I do something to help you?" I am so challenged to spend more time with her, training her to be godly, and working to instill in her the principles she'll need to be a godly grown lady doing the Lord's will, wherever that may be! One sweet thing she said the other day while I was doing her hair..."Mommy, wouldn't it be fun if I lived really close to you when I grow up?!?" "I can't think of a better thing," I told her, "if that's what God wants!" Secretly I asked the Lord to give us that desire if He so wills.

2009-02-10T11:24:00.002-06:00

I took this video of the kids during our family devotions last night. We're working with Sarah in hopes of training her to sit still for Sunday School a bit better. She LOVES to sing, and as you can clearly see, she has her Momma's coordination. I think she was getting dizzy about half way through. Father Abraham, I could understand, but who gets dizzy singing Deep and Wide?!? Only MY girl for sure!

Does anyone know what this is?!?

2009-02-10T11:16:00.002-06:00

I saw this in our yard yesterday, and I'm quite puzzled by it! It looks strangely like grass, but it's been so long since we've seen grass in our yard that I'm not quite sure if that's what this is. It is over our septic tank so it would make sense that this would be the first place for grass to show up...but I'm just not sure! :-)

It's supposed to be in the mid 40's here today. We are far from spring yet here. We have at least 2-3 more months of snow, but the past few days of seeing snow melt instead of forming huge drifts is such a sweet thing!

Something we just don't get enough of anymore!

2009-02-09T08:51:00.003-06:00

I loved the teeny tiny newborn baby stage of all of our children. Looking back now that it's gone, I loved it even more than I knew at the time! They were so snuggly and cuddly, never squirmy, always on the go, and constantly wanting down. We just don't get enough snuggle time with our baby these days. So when we do get it, we stop everything and soak it in. Sarah fell asleep on the way home from church yesterday, and let me tell you...she was OUT! I couldn't resist taking this picture because it is such a rare occurrence nowadays. Brent brought her in from the car and she was so content resting in her daddy's arms. It was such a reminder of when she was a newborn. Brent took each of them the first several nights and slept in our recliner with them sound asleep on his chest. She's grown so much since then...her entire body used to fit between Brent's arm and shoulder! Brent could tell I was getting antsy and wanting the special time with her, too, so he eventually gave her to me for my turn. I held her close and just smelled her sweet little head--every parent knows what I'm talking about--I hope to never, ever forget that precious scent of my babies!

If you give a 2 year old a cookie...

2009-02-04T11:23:00.002-06:00

she'll smear it all over herself, the counter, the floor, your pant leg she held on to to steady herself as she struggled to get up on her red stool while holding, I mean, squooshing, her cookie between her fingers. And then she'll whine and whine until you pay attention to her...
and then while you have your back turned, she'll snatch a cookie that is cooling on the counter. And she'll have little to no regard that college students do not understand nor appreciate the humor in getting a half eaten cookie in a care package from their campus parents, no matter how good the rest of the remaining cookie tastes!and when you think it can't get any worse, she'll climb up on what is becoming your worst nightmare, that goofy little red stool that allows her to reach anything and everything on the counter which used to be the only safe place left in the house, and snatch the beater out of the kitchen sink and run downstairs before you can stop her to enjoy a snack while watching her favorite show Dora.

The moral of the story is...wait until naptime to try to bake cookies for the campus kids next time!

A new look for my sweet baby

2009-02-02T09:51:00.003-06:00

When my mom was combing Sarah's hair recently she commented, "It's just like yours was! You'd comb it and the curls would just spring right back up!" I remember looking at my baby pictures and thinking, "Why didn't my mom do something with my hair?!?" Now I understand! Sarah's hair is really thin and curly...the perfect combination to make her always look disheveled! No matter what I do, it comes across scraggly...but it's so thin, going shorter won't work either. I'm just going to have to wait until it thickens up a bit. I did manage to get her hair up into pig tails yesterday and trim some bangs. I think it might be the best look yet. I'm sticking with this look until it thickens up...which for me was around 6th grade...think she'd mind sporting this do in upper elementary!?!

Sunday Pictures

2009-02-02T09:37:00.004-06:00

I found these great coordinating/matching outfits online for an amazing price! They are very high end outfits--I only subscribe to their newsletters to give me ideas of things to sew for the girls--I have never purchased anything from them. However, when they sent me an email saying they were having a massive clearance sale, I went and checked them out, and I could not believe what I found! These dresses would have been $150 each, but I got them for less than I would paid for dresses at Walmart! I LOVE GREAT DEALS!!! And Daniel's sweater is coordinating so it's not too sweet for him yet. I asked him if he minded matching, and he said no. I'm going to take advantage of these times while he's still okay with it! I added a few extra pictures here so you can once again see the difference in personalities. Daniel and Hannah cooperating sweetly...Sarah's up to her normal shenanigans!

If you can't see it here, Sarah's contemplating how high the bench is and how quickly she can jump down, make a run for it, and get away from me! She's ready to spring now!This is probably the 4th or 5th attempt at a good picture...you can totally see that in Daniel's expression, too!

Birthday Cake--Fit Sized

2009-01-30T09:01:00.003-06:00

Yep...he's wonderful, that's for sure! So thoughtful and kind! It was truly the Lord's goodness in bringing us together. I never did a thing to deserve such loyalty and love from an amazing guy like Brent, but I praise the Lord for working in spite of myself and working in ways that are too wonderful for me!
Purposefully small cake--enough to satisfy the kids' needs to have cake and ice cream for a birthday, but not enough for a ton of leftovers to eat for days! Brent's such a good thinker!

I had an amazing birthday! Brent took the day off, and we spent it together just relaxing and being together. That was the best present a girl could ask for. So I have a story to tell about something else that made it wonderful. I'll try to keep it concise, but you know me...read on at your own risk:

My friend, Carissa, and I had a real burden for the ladies of our church. Last year we formed a ladies' fellowship, and I was the go to person for it. Carissa got together and organized the ladies and collected money for my birthday. They set up and paid for a babysitter and gave me money so Brent and I could go out on a date as a thank you for the effort last year! We hardly ever get sitters--it practically doubles the expense of an evening out these days--so it was such a special thing! While it was GREAT to go out with Brent, I was so blessed to see the ladies show their love and care for me in such a sweet way! The Lord is so faithful, and He encouraged my heart so much through this! He is our God, El Roi, the God who sees. He knows what our struggles are and loves us so much to send such sweet blessings our way to encourage us at the absolute perfect time! And yes, I boo-hooed like a baby when I realized what Carissa and the ladies had done and read their sweet notes! So I was able to spend the entire day with Brent, and have an amazing date and dinner with him, too!

That wasn't too bad, was it?!? Even I surprise myself sometimes at how concise and to the point I can be...yeah right! Anyone who knows me can now pick themselves up off the floor and stop laughing!!!

Sarah gets to go to her first Sunday School Class

2009-01-30T08:50:00.003-06:00

We have to figure something out! Every time Sarah sees the camera, she puts her "happy face" on. The poor girl is only going to have pics of her with a wrinkled up face at her wedding reception if we don't figure out how to smile sweetly soon!
At our church, kids stay in the baby nursery until their second birthday. Sarah turned 2 on a Sunday, so she got to go to her first real Sunday School class that day, too. Here she is with Mrs. Carpenter, her new teacher. Mrs. Carpenter is a favorite with all the 2 and 3 years olds in our church--and there are a slew of them!

Sarah's second birthday--take one

2009-01-30T08:36:00.003-06:00

I hope to get more pics of Sarah's birthday posted, but the other pictures are on the kids' camera, so these will have to do for now. The personality oozes from these pics...

More matching dresses

2009-01-30T08:13:00.002-06:00

We'll start with the best one first, and then you can read on to see the many faces of my darling two year old who was less than endearing this past Sunday morning when we were running late, but I insisted on getting pictures! Oh yeah...leave it to me, the wise one in our family, to insist on getting pictures when we're running late. Notice I didn't even bother trying to get Daniel in it--he's somewhere in his room looking for the ever elusive belt (the boy has 4 belts--seriously--4 belts! And always has a hard time finding one...I tell him everytime, look in your backpack--there's always a belt in his backpack--makes perfect sense to me--let's keep it in your backpack instead of in the dresser drawer clearly labeled belts, socks, and t-shirts!)
For some reason, "Smile" meant, "Show me your surprise face" this morning!
This really does epitomize my girls. Hannah sweetly sitting, patiently putting up with my ever present photographing while Sarah goofs off and refuses to cooperate! I love how the light on Hannah's face makes her look like an angel...look closely, I'm sure there's a halo somewhere in there! :-) Yep...those are horns over Sarah, too! It looks like a bow, but those are horns!

I'm back!

2009-01-30T08:02:00.002-06:00

My camera has been out of commission recently--I've been taking pictures, but having trouble getting them onto my computer. But the Lord helped me find a work-a-round this morning and now I'm spending the rest of my morning catching up on blogging! Well, assuming Sarah isn't her typical self. Yesterday, I went into the kitchen and saw the box of Honeycombs on the table. It was a new box but was more than half gone. My first thought was, "Wow!!! Daniel and Hannah can go through the cereal--that was a new box!" (Insert a rolling of my eyes here at my naivity) I went to put the cereal back in the pantry, and there it was...a nice neat pile of Honeycombs on the kitchen floor! Yep...half the box in a nice neat pile...at least she's neat about her messes lately! And of course I did want any germ conscious, neat freak of a mom like I am(insert another rolling of my eyes here at that hysterical thought) would do and put the cereal back in the box for her to eat (and dump out again) another day. I console myself with this thought, "If this is the worst thing she ever eats, then we're doing really well!"

And just for the record, I don't usually keep the cereal out on the kitchen table for her to get...she's figured out how to get into the pantry--can't tell you how many times I make her put the fruit snacks back each day! I'm seeing a "discipleship opportunity" coming my way!

Update on the new legislation targeting children's clothing

2009-01-26T16:13:00.002-06:00

Erin just posted a comment on my previous post which reminded me that I need to update this. It does appear that second hand shops and consignment shops will be exempt from this legislation according to the CPSA website. However, one post I read said that the ramifications are still unclear depending on how it is interpreted and enforced. It really applies to the manufacturer of items for children under the age of 12...you can still be held responsible if the items you are selling or reselling contain lead however. It's a mess...not sure how it will end up, but at least Goodwill and St. Vinny's won't have to close down.

2009-01-04T08:18:00.002-06:00

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story This link is to a story about a new law taking effect this Feb 10. It really is quite amazing. I have seen another blog explain it this way--no more selling used clothes or toys anywhere unless they've been tested for lead. It's unclear how strictly this will be interpreted, but the ramifications could include no kid's clothes on ebay, craig's list, consignment shops Good Wills, garage sales! Anything not tested after Feb 10 will be considered toxic and sent to a land fill! While I appreciate the desire to protect my children from lead poisoning, this is going to kill our pocketbooks! Not being able to get things at Goodwill or garage sales is going to more than kill our budget! Just thought I'd get my shock out here and spread the news at the same time!

Clearly wanna be a bear!

2008-12-28T20:20:00.001-06:00

What we gave

2008-12-18T10:59:00.003-06:00

It's hard to see me, but you can tell Brent bought me some great things. My favorites are the hair straightener (I killed mine a while back!) and the Martha Stewart glitter and glue for card making.

Brent got an alarm clock/docking station for his ipod and 4 books from his list.

Hannah got a stamping gift made up of stamps and stickers, a cooking gift complete with her own pink measuring cups, pink spatula and kids' cookbook, some chapter books, and a few smaller things. My favorite gift we gave her is the potholder loop loom that every little girl has at one time or another in her early crafting career!

Sarah received several books that do things like make music, have flaps or finger puppets, a baby doll that cries, a little pop-up thing-a-majigger, and her very own "blueberry"-fisherprice's baby version of a blackberry!

Daniel received a football, a DS game, a set of Nancy Drew Mystery computer games, and a few other small things as well.

We all had a great time sharing with each other. Now I'm off to put Sarah down for an early nap because I want to play with my new toys, I mean she got up early and is very sleepy!

Opening presents at our home

2008-12-18T10:47:00.003-06:00

Brent reading the Christmas story with the kids. Daniel informed Brent that the Christmas story was in Luke 2:1-20. Brent teased him about the reading the entire chapter--all 50 some verses!

This is an unusual Christmas season for us. We are travelling to everyone this year! This means we have 4 different times we get to open presents. We're still trying to figure out the best time to leave for my parents' home because of the big snowstorms heading our way. So we went ahead and opened the presents we have for each other this morning. Sarah was still asleep even though Daniel and Hannah were raring to go, so Brent woke her up. She was so cuddly! We never get to cuddle with her anymore. She snuggled up with Brent for a good long while. I think she sensed my jealousy over not getting to snuggle with her, because just about the time I could stand it no longer, she came over and snuggled up to me! Brent read the Christmas story and then we opened our presents. It's the first time Sarah was able to understand opening presents of any sort, and we had a good time. By the time the holidays are over she will really have the whole gift thing down!

about my dad...

2008-12-16T12:40:00.003-06:00

One last post for today...thank you to those of you who have been praying for my dad. He is now home from the hospital without surgery. He has had diverticulosis for several years, which is not as serious as diverticulitis. Diverticulitis involves infection, the "osis" kind only involves large welts along the walls of your colon. It was quite strange. He was never in any pain, but had a great deal of internal bleeding. His hemoglobin count was affected, but he now seems to be fine. If this happens again, the specialist said they will definitely be doing surgery. They had no idea what caused the welts to begin bleeding so it could happen again tomorrow or not again for another 30 years! He does seem to have an extremely bad case of the Diverticulosis but this is the first time in 7 years he's had any problems. Thanks again for praying!

Something funny a friend sent to me

2008-12-16T12:37:00.001-06:00

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's the holidays!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a holiday party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it.

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted holiday cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Have a great holiday season.

I never realized how mild my other children were!

2008-12-16T07:46:00.003-06:00

I never knew that Daniel and Hannah were such mild-mannered children when they were toddlers. The biggest struggle we had with both of them was getting them to talk with others and not be so shy. They seemed afraid of everyone. Hannah was afraid of every man that came near her. Sarah on the other hand is the complete and total opposite! Let me just say that again...Sarah is the complete and total opposite! She is into everything and everyone everywhere! It was literally all I could do yesterday to keep up with her--and I had 2 extra sets of hands helping me since Daniel and Hannah were home on Christmas break.

Brent had a check-up last night in town so he brought home Papa Murphy's pizza for us--you order it and bake it at home. He had a coupon for free garlic bread or free cookie dough, which he LOVES. He made the ultimate sacrifice and brought the garlic bread home instead of the cookie dough knowing I would prefer that. So Hannah and I made him chocolate chip cookie dough last night (and a few cookies were even baked, too!) Hannah and I were at the microwave softening butter because unlike Martha I never remember to soften my butter ahead of time and always just zap it in the microwave. While we had our backs turned, Sarah pulled her red stool up to the counter and grabbed the bag of opened chocolate chips and sat down and started eating them. I took them away from her (which she did not like one bit!) and kept on baking. Just a few minutes later, she jumped back up on her stool, grabbed the chips, but this time took off running with them and started scarfing them down as she ran knowing they would soon be taken away from her! The girl is not yet 2!!! She brought me the entire gallon container of snack mix I made the other day. She had gotten up on her stool so she could reach them at the back of the counter, pulled it down, taken the lid off, and was carrying them around the kitchen so proud of herself. She wasn't so proud when I took care of the issue for sure!

The pics are of Sarah and how she looked after eating her spoonful of cookie dough that I gave her. The second one is of her on her little red stool--I didn't let her get the cookies--I just took the pic so you could see her little red stool that has become the arch nemesis of our family!

On a different note...the actual temp here this morning when I woke up around 7:00--is negative 12--that's the ACTUAL TEMPERATURE!!! (and yes, I meant that to be all caps because I was yelling!) We'll be staying inside today for sure. I think I used up all my creativity occupying Hannah yesterday...could make for an interesting day for sure!

Snow Day!

2008-12-13T14:23:00.003-06:00

The kids and I made ornaments to decorate the garland around their bedroom doors this past week when they were off of school for a snow day. You can't tell it from this picture, but each snowflake is sparkly from the glitter paint we used. It's a great mess-free way to get a very fine sparkle that isn't all goopy with that typical messy kid glue and glittered look. It was a spray can of glitter I found in the Walmart craft section. It's something we'll definitely use again!
The finished product. They are thrilled to have their own decorations complete with lights.
We punched the snowflakes out using my ancient Sizzix die-cutting machine and my new Martha Stewart snowflake punch. The kids got such a kick out of being able to do these things on their own.
We put the painted snowflakes on drywall scraps and painted them with out glitter paint. Then we glued a white and red one together with a little gold flake in the middle. They really turned out nice, I must say! Some of our attempts in the past have been less than stellar, but these are actually worth packing up carefully for years to come!

more of her shenanigans!

2008-12-12T14:08:00.003-06:00

Trying to get a good shot of a two year old is worse than pulling eye teeth!

Playing peek a boo with mommy and the camera...yeah that's it! She wasn't being stubborn and not wanting me to see her face...no, it was peek-a-boo!!!
Okay, we'll try it sitting down...still no good! We'll try it with Hannah holding her--definitely not a good idea!

Try to snap a shot while she's walking towards me...no good here, either!

Last resort still didn't work! Trying to get a shot while she's kicking and crying hoping both feet will land on the floor at the same time while she has half a frown/smile on her face at the exact time the camera goes off--not likely! You can tell Daniel was less than thrilled by this point...I gave up and went with individual shots of each of them instead.

The kids' Christmas Program

2008-12-12T13:50:00.004-06:00

The kids had their school Christmas program last night. Here are some of the random shots we took during before and after.Daniel's on the top row in between the fifth and sixth graders. He's only 4th grade...that's why he looks so little!
Hannah got to be one of the angels. Not too many angels I know wear pearls with their costumes, but then again, Hannah's not an ordinary angel, that's for sure!

Hannah with her teacher, Mrs. Norris. Mrs. Norris is tough on her students and sets the bar high for them, but that makes them strive harder. I'm a firm believer that students will rise to meet your expectations of them. What I appreciate most about Mrs. Norris is the love that balances everything with. She loves her students, and they know it, and they love her in return!

Daniel with his teacher, Miss Jansma. Daniel has had Miss Jansma for 3rd and 4th grades. She's the perfect transition from homeschooling to the traditional classroom. She's laid back and fun, but still manages to get the kids to learn. She's young and energetic which is perfect for this age--especially the boys!

2008-12-11T17:18:00.002-06:00

Sarah loves her bath so much she'll do just about anything to be able to play in the tub! I was doing Hannah's hair for their school Christmas program tonight and Sarah decided she wanted to play--in the tub--in her clothes--with water in the bucket leftover from Hannah's shower! Yep...she's pretty much soaked and not caring one bit! She's still in there in fact and we've all been long gone from the bathroom! I have a gazillion pics to post from the last couple of events around here...probably will get to that tomorrow after the school festivities wind down!

A quick prayer request

2008-12-11T10:06:00.003-06:00

Please pray for my dad...he's been in the hospital the last several days with some internal bleeding. He began hemorrhaging Tuesday night, and they took him to the ER. The bleeding is a result of diverticulosis that he's had for about the last 7 years. While the bleeding has slowed, it has not stopped. Our family doctor is calling in a specialist to see how to proceed. Surgery is not likely, but is a possibility. He just turned 69 this last week and is starting to really feel his age. We're not overly concerned at this point, but would really feel better if the bleeding stopped--obviously! Thanks for praying...I'll keep you posted on how things are going.

Twins?!?

2008-11-28T01:04:00.002-06:00

As you'll read in my first post today, my family is here with us this weekend. My sister went and helped out a ton at the fellowship for our church after our praise service. One of the ladies asked another lady if she was my twin!!! Now I realize we definitely look like sisters...and we act even more like sisters, but twins?!? We got that all the time growing up, but now I'm several inches taller than she is and much younger looking than she is, too! :-) hee-hee!!! What do you think? Do we look like twins?

One of the best things about family is laughing and reminiscing about all the family jokes from the past. It was amazing how quickly my food worked through my system when were growing up. As soon as supper was over and the dishes needed washing, I always had to go to the bathroom--and the dishes were always almost done by the time I came out. So of course that was brought up today when I went to print coupons off the computer for our shopping trip to Green Bay on Black Friday while my mom and sister were washing dishes. It was totally unintentional...this time! And we can never get together without calling each other "Sh-De-Bobby" a combination of all 3 of our names (Sheri, Debbie, and Bobby) that my mom used on a daily basis while she was trying to get one of our names out.

Fun times with the Fam!

2008-11-28T00:39:00.006-06:00

My family is here for Thanksgiving this weekend, and we have been having so much fun! No stress in getting Thanksgiving "Lupper" ready because my mom, sister, and I just slid back into our old routine of working together in the kitchen just like old times--even after all these years! (Lupper is a cross between lunch and supper since we ate around 1:30...like Brunch, only later and better since we had yummy, yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast--well, I had the icing, others actually tasted the cinnamon rolls!!!) And to make it even better, my parents bought each of our families a Wii and gave it to the kids this morning so they could play while we putzed in the kitchen. It would also keep everyone out of the kitchen so we could snitch all the food ourselves--superior planning on our part, I must say!

Sarah has been warming up to everyone being here quite nicely. She's fighting a cold so she's getting a bit tired and cranky at bedtimes, but all in all she's doing her best to charm everyone's socks off!

One of our favorite things about the Wii is the "Mii" that you can create for yourself. You can pick out different facial characteristics and hair color even your "thin or thickness!" We got such a kick out of the Mii that Brent created for my dad. The likeness is uncanny right down to the really thick Kelley brows that are so characteristics of my dad!

And of course, after the kiddos went to bed, the adults pulled out the Wii and had a hilarious time bowling and playing tennis! Who knew 6 adults could have such a fun time with a video game! It provided some of the best laughter we've ever had for sure--I'm sitting here laughing out loud as I type remembering it all! Hence the reason for my posting this at 1:00am...the men are boxing where I'm supposed to be sleeping! And laughing so loudly I'm not sure how anyone in the house is sleeping at all! :-) So much to be thankful for these days! Family is so near the top of my list!

Sarah actually cooperated!

2008-11-24T06:56:00.002-06:00

I had a few extra minutes after I got the kids ready for church so I snapped another quick picture. I was shocked when Sarah stood between Daniel and Hannah exactly where I told her! No squirming, no fussing, just stood there! She did get a bit distracted when she heard Brent come up the stairs (right behind her), but she went to see him, and then came right back and stood where I had told her! Perhaps she's getting used to it since I've been doing this every Sunday for the last several weeks. But I did notice something different about it this time--she's standing, not sitting and no one is holding her. She's an independent little one so I'm wondering if she enjoyed the freedom of not having to submit to her brother or sister by sitting in their lap!?!

Another reason for taking this picture...this is another outfit of Hannah's my sister had saved. Hannah gets such a kick out of seeing Sarah in her outfits. Sarah's gone through a growth spurt recently and I'm not sure we're going to make it through the winter in her current size! I noticed yesterday when I was working in the nursery that she's the tallest of all the kids in there. Hard to believe she'll be 2 in January!

2008-11-17T19:47:00.002-06:00

This is one of my favorite things about our house--our laundry chute! I loved it when we moved in because of the convenience of it all, but I love it now so much more because of what Sarah does with it. The laundry chute goes down to the downstairs bathroom that Brent uses to get ready each morning. One day he was singing in the shower while I was doing Sarah's hair for church. She figured out that he was down the chute and would not stop calling for him until he came and talked with her. It was the start of something that happens all the time! If she hears Daddy anywhere downstairs she will run to the chute and call for him until he comes and talks with her!

It makes me sad to think...

2008-11-12T08:47:00.003-06:00

This article is a sobering reminder that people are dying and going to hell today...and many of them don't care. When I was at Bob Jones, Dr. Bob would get up in chapel and say, "The most sobering reality in the world today" and the student body would respond, "is that people are dying and going to hell today." It never soaked in then, and I'm sure I still don't get the soberness of this reality today. But I see articles like this one that came across my homepage and am saddened by the future reaction of these people, who now deny the existence of God, when they stand before the Lord. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow--whether they acknowledge Him now or not, their knee will bow. And to think of the sheer terror and horror they will feel as they realize that it is too late. Now that, my friends, is a sad thought--people are dying and going to a very real hell today.

a few pics for the family

2008-11-10T11:13:00.003-06:00

nothing special here about these pics...well...except that they're adorable children of course! Just something for the family who lives far away.

Our date

2008-11-08T08:01:00.002-06:00

Even though we're going away next weekend for our anniversary, we wanted to do something on our actual day. We were able to get a sitter and go for dinner and a play at the college. It was so nice to sit and talk without being interrupted, and the play was wonderful as well. Brent surprised me by bringing home flowers. There are no flower shops between campus and our home...there's not much between campus and home when you think about it...someday I'm going to take pictures of our little town to help you all understand where we live (but I digress, again!) So this meant he took time out of his busy afternoon to make a trip to town. I'm on a bit of a sappy kick about Brent, but I'll leave it at this--what a guy! :-)

On a funny note, the sitter, who is a college student at Northland, asked Hannah what her daddy does at the school. Hannah's answer: He goes to work and has lots of meetings! We got such a kick seeing it from her perspective. But in thinking about it, He just came back from the big Northland Board Meeting, and when we talk at dinner about his day, it's usually about the meetings he's had that day! Still funny to think that's all he does at work--meetings--there are days when he feels that way, though!

The flowers Brent brought home for me--such a bright spot in a really dreary and potentially snowy Saturday--1-3 inches are forecasted for today! And to think that it was 72 on Tuesday!

I can't believe it's been 10 years!!!

2008-11-07T08:17:00.005-06:00

10 years ago today I was so blessed because the man of my dreams married me! I was amazed then that he had chosen me from among all the girls around, and today I stand in awe at how the Lord has worked through Brent to bring me here. I was thinking the other day about one word that would describe Brent's character best. The word I came up with is integrity. He's a man who thinks carefully through a situation and is able to come up with the best answer. The integrity part really comes into play because he's willing to do the right thing no matter the cost. He's willing to say the hard thing to someone. He's willing to put his neck out there and state what no one else is willing to say. He's willing to stand alone and do what is right even if he's the only one standing. The amazing thing to me is that he's usually able to do it in a way that is not offensive. The Lord knew that I needed a man like that because I am by nature such a follower...one who takes the road with the least amount of confrontation. He's helped me learn to figure out what is the right thing, to think Biblically about an issue, and live by the principles gleaned from God's Word that pertain to the situation--regardless of the cost!

Another thing I love about Brent is that he truly dwells with me according to knowledge. He can look at me and truly see me and know something's not right--whether it's an emotional struggle or most importantly a spiritual struggle. He's been my iron sharpening me even when I didn't want to be sharpened! The Lord has used Brent to challenge me because of his example and outright exhortation to get in the Word.

I could go on and on about how amazing Brent is, but then again, most of the people that read my blog are people that know him and are just as amazed that he chose me as I am! How I praise the Lord for bringing Brent into my life--he's a man worthy of honor who loves the Lord more than he loves me, and I would have it no other way!

These last 10 years have flown by for a number of reasons. The Lord has been working and moving us around. He's given us 3 amazing children to train for Him. But I think the biggest reason they've flown by is because we've just had fun. I'd choose to spend time with Brent over anyone else. Thanks for making it this far through my emotional musings. Brent would get on here and say, "We've been happily married for 10years--praise God!" but I had to mush a bit more than that (no surprise there, heh?!?)

The theme of our wedding was, "This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes." And now
after 10 years of wedded bliss, I must say now even more emphatically, "This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes--now more than ever!"

Great shopping deal at Kohls!

2008-11-04T08:34:00.002-06:00

For those of us who don't live near a kohls...deals like this are almost as good as walking into the store...almost! But honestly, even if you do live near a Kohls, you probably can't drive to it for less that the 99 cent shipping! And the online selection is often better and the most always have a better size selection...just a few perks I've found living in the middle of nowhere!

Use code ELECTION15 at Kohls.com from 11 am to 4 pm (EST) today only and get 15% off. 99-cent shipping per item.

A new dress and a new boy

2008-11-02T19:31:00.003-06:00

Made a new dress for Sarah. I found this blouse at the Hartstrings outlet last year for $2!!! Can't pass up anything Hartstrings for $2! I made a big deal out of Sarah's new dress when I tried it on her after sewing it--when I put it on her today she walked around with it on saying, "pretty...pretty...pretty!" She's quite the ham--but still won't stay still long enough for a decent picture!

So there's a story here...We always keep the half door to our basement closed since it's in the main walkway and Sarah could easily tumble down them since she's blessed with her Mamma's gracefulness. Ever since she's started crawling around we have grilled it into our kids to "lock the door" We are forever asking, "Is the door locked?" Sarah has picked up on this and is terribly bothered if the door isn't locked. This morning it wasn't and she could NOT STAND IT!!! She could think of nothing else until someone shut the door! She's definitely our spit-fire, but she's showing signs of being our stickler for the rules, too!

I also gave Daniel a hair cut tonight since school pictures are tomorrow. You can tell by the before and after here that it was a long time in coming! That's his super cool airplane on the microwave behind him. We gave him the Klutz airplane book for his birthday. WAY WAY WAY TOO COOL! It shows you how to make a ton of different paper airplanes that really fly well. Most Klutz books are good, but this one is GREAT! It also comes with patterned paper to make so your planes look cool with fancy designs and such. It was about $16 at the teacher's store--if you're looking for a good gift for a 7-10 year old boy this is definitely it! Brent and I had to help him at first, but he's got the hang of it now and loving it! Unfortunately our house is overflowing with paper airplanes and one never knows when she'll get hit with one. I've banned them from the kitchen while I'm cooking supper because I'm tired of getting hit with them while I'm working!

I Love You cake

2008-10-31T15:29:00.005-05:00

One of the things I do from time to time is make what we call "I love you cakes." There's no special occasion, just wanting my kids to know I love them. I made one today while they were at school in honor of the beautiful fall weather we're having these last couple of days. It's 65 degrees here right now which is a warm welcome from the snow that we started the school week with. We've got about 5 more days of this weather according to the forecast and then we're back to snow...real snow! I got this idea for the pumpkin cake from the internet --it's a bundt cake with a frosted ice cream cone in the middle--so simple and turned out great!

Arghhh Matey!

2008-10-29T18:15:00.002-05:00

Tonight is Pirate Night at Kids' Club at our church. The kids loved having pirate costumes. Well, the littlest pirate wouldn't keep her hat on, but it really wasn't for the nursery kids. They were all running around the house yelling, "Arghh, Matey" and seeing what cool things they could do with their hook. Of course it didn't take Daniel long to figure out he could use his hook as a stylus for his DS.

A fun thing the Lord did for us...Daniel tore the knees in his only pair of jeans that fit. I've been looking for his size, but since he's a slim, they're very hard to find around here. I even looked when we went to the ladies' conference and couldn't find anything on sale. I had talked with the Lord about it and asked Him to give me a pair at the right price and help me know what was the right price. I found nothing! BUT, the next day our pastor's wife walked up to me at church and said, "What size pants does Daniel wear?" I told her 10 slim...she handed me a pair of jeans that her son had outgrown! Talk about letting me know!!! The Lord literally dropped them in my lap! Little thing I know, but still a wonderful reminder that the Lord is so good and provides for our needs and the extras like jeans!

for fun!

2008-10-28T09:36:00.002-05:00

I was reading something on FB this morning and got a kick out of it. I'm not one to usually post much about politics, but I couldn't pass this one up:

On television today a Democratic operative pointed out that when Obama holds a rally 25,000 to 30,000 people show up, whereas when McCain holds one, he only draws 10,000 to 15,000. The Republican spokesman replied, "That's because McCain's supporters are at work."

Here's another random fact that showed up on my google homepage:
A woman can consume 6 lbs of lipstick in her lifetime.

miscellaneous pics

2008-10-26T15:19:00.003-05:00

We went outside to play the other day, and Sarah took off like a shot! I couldn't figure out where she was headed, but soon realized it was the fire pit! She had such fun down there the other night that she wanted to go back!
For some reason she could not understand the idea that we were NOT going to start a fire. She insisted someone build a fire! Needless to say, she was quite determined, but we still did not have a fire!Sad to think about, but cold weather has arrived in our neck of the woods! We celebrated by getting out the winter church coats. I was relieved to see that Hannah's still fits from last year's Ebay find. And she was thrilled to get to dress up like Little Red Riding Hood again this year.I'm so thankful I gave some of my favorite things of Hannah's to my sister for her daughter...she held on to them so I still have some of them for Sarah. It brings back such memories to see Sarah in Hannah's things, and Hannah loves to see how small her clothes used to be! Unfortunately, Sarah hardly stands still long enough for a picture so I can't get good shots of many of the things for you to see. Much to my surprise, Sarah loves her hat, too, and wants to leave it on. Now if she would only leave her hairbows in!

One of my new favorite verses...

2008-10-21T13:29:00.003-05:00

I've been working on a Bible Study we're doing with our Ladies' Group soon...It started out as a study on Dorcas--she was a disciple and a servant to others. It's morphing into a study on Dorcas, Mary, and Martha--not sure how it's all going to come together quite yet, but I've got a couple of more weeks yet! I've been scouring commentaries and taking notes for a couple of days now. I've also gone back to Joanna Weaver's book, Having a Mary Spirit in a Martha World. This book is such a blessing to me (probably because I suffer from the Martha syndrome and spend way too much time in the kitchen and not enough in the Living Room with God!)

As I skimmed the book this morning, the Lord reminded me of a verse that is such an encouragement to me! As a mom, I struggle so much knowing what is the right thing to do with my children. As a wife, what things do I take to Brent or what do I figure out on my own. As a friend, what do I say to this lady who is hurting or needs help. What do I jump in and volunteer to do or what should I leave for someone else to do? LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Isaiah 30: 21, "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left." I don't need to stress about what to do! If I'm walking with the Lord, He's there telling me what to do and where to go! Decisons that need to be made? The Lord wants to help me, but I must make sure that I align myself with Him daily so that I can hear Him say, "This is the way, walk in it!" What a blessing this is to me!

On another note...Sarah's completley better today! Well...not completely, but I haven't even had to wipe her nose one time. Her fever's gone and she's hardly even sniffled. I'm wondering if this might be the fever that preceeds her bout of Fifth Disease that the other 2 had. There are 4 other kids in school that have it now. I guess I'll be looking for a rash to appear on Sarah's face soon--Fun times for sure!

My poor baby!

2008-10-20T15:57:00.003-05:00

How pathetic is this face? Sarah has a bad cold, and her eyes and nose are faucets! She's miserable you can tell just by looking at her. She's been in my bed watching cartoons for a good part of the day. She's letting out a moan every once in a while...it's so sad! The worst part is they've taken all the over the counter medicine off the shelf so there is absolutely nothing I can give her. The fact that she's being still is enough to let anyone who knows her realize how badly she must be feeling.

I might just bust!

2008-10-15T08:16:00.002-05:00

Here at Northland they have what is called "Works of God chapels" on Mondays. It's an opportunity for the studnets to stand up and share what they've seen the Lord doing in their personal lives, extensions, families, etc. While I've never been able to attend one, they are among some of the Northland Alumni favorite things to recollect. I just have to share some of the neat things the Lord's been doing for me lately--it's like a mini Works of God Chapel coming your way!

Our 10th anniversary is coming up and Brent and I were hoping to get away for something special to celebrate. It was really looking like it wouldn't work out and I was so discouraged to the point of tears yesterday. I was so convicted that my first thought was not to talk with the Lord about it, but the Holy Spirit worked in my heart and I spent the rest of the day pouring my heart out to the Lord asking Him to help me get over the disappointment and even for Him to maybe work it out if that was best. (I know...such a flair for the dramatic!) But you know what...He did! We're going to be able to get away the weekend after our anniversary! Such a simple thing in the light of eternity but what an amazing reminder that as our heavenly Father, God delights in doing good things for His children. He's promised to meet our needs, but what a special way for Him to remind me of His love--giving us so much more than just our needs!

I've been praying about some paper crafting things that I wanted to get to use for Christmas gifts--a couple of stamp sets in particular. I went to teach piano lessons last night for a friend of mine who is AMAZING in the card industry--get this--she makes cards for HGTV!!! That's impressive, even to someone who doesn't stamp or care anything about it! She has been so very generous in the past and the Lord has used her to encourage my heart countless times. She and I were chatting about her latest projects and whatnot...had not said a thing to her about what I was praying about. She sent her son downstairs to get some things...I walked out with exactly what I needed for one of the projects...exactly what I had been talking with the Lord about and then some! And it was free! Again, did I need these things? Absolutely not--total want--even above what I would have thought to ask for! (Let's see if I can use any more exclamation points, heh?!?)

And then I came home and checked blogs on my google reader. I missed one of the online events I had been hoping to get to, but there were a ton of blog posts about the event. I have been praying for wisdom to know when to buy something I want to use to make Christmas gifts. The thing (I can't give it away...too many people who will be getting the "projects" are reading this!) was $24 and not exactly what I was wanting. The company released a second edition of it--perfectly meets my needs for the project with nothing extra I can't use--for only $15! I'm telling you...God has been showing me so much about His love and genuine care for me that I might just bust! Talk about overflowing! Poor Brent...he was asleep when I got home (it was a late night by the time I got my grocery shopping done and put away) I waited until this morning to tell him...talk about rambling on and on in a stream of consciousness sort of way! But he just patiently listened and smiled as I got more and more excited and remembered more and more things to tell him about how the Lord was working! And there's several other things the Lord has been showing Himself strong to me about but I won't bore you any more!

I could have just written that God is good and is doing some neat things for me...(Brent would be much more concise and to the point)but anyone who knows me will understand the amount of constraint I'm using to stop going on and on even longer after this novel I've written! God is so good and does so much more for me than I could ever come close to deserving...oh that I would learn to hope in God who is the help of countenance and my God!

Trying...trying..trying for a good shot!

2008-10-12T22:56:00.000-05:00

Our bon fire from Friday Night

2008-10-12T22:48:00.000-05:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2008-10-12T19:12:00.003-05:00

This is a link to an amazing blog of friends of ours. They are going through a real trial with their new baby. I'd encourage you to take a few minutes and read through their journal entries starting with the first one to help get the complete story. There are not that many and they are short. And then please pray for them. I know they will appreciate your prayers for them.

They're growing up so fast!

2008-10-09T18:07:00.000-05:00

I can deny it no longer...Pictures don't lie!

2008-10-09T18:01:00.002-05:00

As I was looking through these pictures I took this afternoon with the kids outside after their jogathon, my first thought at this one was, "This one's not too bad!" I pulled it up to look at it closer and was amazed by the crows' feet around my eyes! I've never noticed them before! But I have to say pictures don't lie...they're really there! I am getting old! Sad but true...it's time to start acting like a grown up!