~Enjoyable Evening~

Everything came out of the oven just in time! What fun it was to watch them eat and enjoy :0)

Clounter clockwise from plates...

Little Smokies wrapped in bacon
Pepperjack cheese bread
Grape jelly/chili sauce meatballs
Crackers & Hot pepperoni pizza dip
Stuffed mushrooms

and a plate with sardines and oysters...yuck! But many of them tried it!

~Party at my Place~

We spent the evening working together on some food prep...

We are expecting 20 teens to stop by tomorrow night...

They are having a progressive dinner...


We are serving the appetizers...

Looks like there will be plenty...

I'm so excited! Does anybody want to join the party!??!?!

~Smart Shopper, Sharp Shooter~

The boys enjoy BB guns. When they prove themselves responsible, they are able to purchase one with their own money. Jordan has been wanting something more powerful... and Aaron is ready to purchase his first.
Jordan did some shopping around and decided on the gun he wanted to purchase. Gregg searched the net for reviews and found all good ones. They searched together and found a refurbished gun. Jordan also decided on a fair price to sell his gun to Aaron.
I am proud of the way he saved his money... I'm happy he spent time looking around... I'm thrilled he wanted his father's input. When the gun arrived yesterday, I was truly excited for him.
These are glimpses of how he may handle himself as a man. Glimpses of what he has gleaned from his parents. Glimpses that bring me to my knees in thankfulness. In spite of us... our shortcomings... God allows him to glean some good.

~Running and Resting~

We all did a bit of running over the weekend. Gregg and the boys enjoyed a trip to some sort of car show. Kiersten and I hit the mall looking for some sale racks to stock up for winter clothes for next year. I also attended a Ladies Night Out with friends from church.
We all fit in a bit of resting too. I am in the midst of sewing/recovering pillows! I can't wait to show you how they turn out! I caught up on my cleaning and did a bit of sewing over the weekend. I snapped this cute shot Saturday afternoon...

~Take Two~

So, here is my second try at a tag blanket...finally...

This time I used black and white butterfly fabric on one side...pre washed.... and fuzzy white stuff on the other side...pre washed :-) (if you don't remember - I forgot to prewash the black fabric and had a baby with black lips! I washed it but then all my ribbons were black too.)

Kiersten loves it!

I also kept looking at my mantel and didn't like it....

I like this much better...but is it too busy now? What do you think?

I'm working on some pillows now!

~Crochet Snow~

Posting three days in a row...I'm on a roll!!!

I saw this tutorial for making snowflakes and just couldn't resist! I had a lot of white yarn and was anxious to try out my pattern reading skills. I made one but felt like it was missing something. A few days after Attic 24 posted the tutorial she showed a picture of how she finished them off! Buttons and ribbons...yes!!!!

Something is still missing up on the mantel... not sure what it is yet. Something tall and branched out maybe?!?!?

~Thoughts Worth Thinking About~

Your children are the greatest guests in your home.

~Guest speaker at our church this last Sunday

God's provision does not mean I am faithful...it means He is faithful.

~my Pastor around the New Year

~Bargin Shopping~

I've missed a whole week somehow! Lest you think I've done nothing this past week... haha!... I can't imagine that! I thought I'd share some things I've done...like shopping!

Love those 75% off racks...12 month clothes for next winter!

J o*ann has their clearance fabric 50% off this week...can't beat $2.00 or $2.50 a yard!

Thrift shopping...Don't you love when you find EXACTLY what you are looking for!

Besides shopping, I fit in a bit of crafting..

I have been wanting one of these since Monica made one awhile ago. I thrifted the glass almost a year ago... I've been waiting for the stand. Not bad for $ 3.00 total! and I didn't even have to paint:0)

I've got several more projects going and can't wait to complete something. For now life continues at a fast pace...oh for the lazy days of summer!

~An Afternoon Off~

What a surprise today! Jordan and Jared were signed up for a field trip this afternoon...My mom called yesterday to see if she could have Eric and Nathan for the afternoon! What's a girl to do with some free time!?!?!? I had a hard time deciding if I was going to clean or play! I have been cleaning so much lately but haven't even touched the toy room...soooo many toys in there! I was feeling too practical to splurge on fun so I split up my time.

I took Aaron out to lunch. We had a hot dog and little doughnuts...yum! We got back in time for Kiersten to take her afternoon nap and we started cleaning. I am so not joking when I say you couldn't walk into the play room. I like to keep the downstairs clean (all our living areas and bed rooms are on one floor) but I really let the upstairs go (craft room and toy room). So, we cleaned and cleaned until Jordan and Jared got home. I had them help us for another half hour. So many tiny pieces needed to be sorted. We are not done but at least you can walk around now! The boys also found things they have been looking for:-)

After Kiersten got up I started on my fun project...

I think I scrape the windshield twice each winter. Gregg is normally home and does it...or the boys go out for me. A few weeks ago I had to do it myself and my glove got all snowy and wet...yuck! A few days later I saw this tutorial. Yes!!!! I *need* that! It took maybe 15 minutes and I used what I had on hand. I used fleece instead of cotton and didn't bother with the batting. I would make it an inch or two longer if I made another one. Even if I never scrape another windshield I will still see this cheery scraper in the van and smile:-)

Yay! Let it snow!

~Birthday Boy~

Eric turned 5 today! He has been looking forward to this birthday for a long time! He told me a few weeks ago what shirt he was going to wear today too!

I totally forgot to ask him what he wanted for his birthday dinner before I went shopping last week. I can't believe I did that! Anyway, he was happy to have meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn! We even had soda! The rest of the family was loving the meal as well!

After we ate, we sent him on a scavenger hunt. He was receiving one big gift that I didn't feel like trying to wrap. The older boys have always enjoyed scavenger hunts, so I figured he would like it too!

This is what he found at the end...

Eric requested chocolate cake with peanut butter icing...I don't think my family knows there is any other kind of cake! He did add something to his cake though...he wanted cherries on top!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Eric!

~Roller Coaster Break~

Overall I'd say we had a very nice Christmas...I am wondering if I will ever be able to enjoy the Christmas celebrations without all the down sides...cooking, cleaning, traveling, more cleaning, falling behind because of traveling, no one getting a good nap, spreading germs, catching germs etc etc etc! Is it just me or are you other moms wishing for a child like Christmas!?!?!?

Enough of the downs... here are the ups...

My boys swap gifts with their cousins. This year we decided to swap their favorite treats! My guys certainly enjoyed that swap!

Gift giving is always enjoyable! I made this blanket for my cousin. It was the first real pattern that I followed. I had to call my mom once to walk me through the first step but overall had no problems!

My grandparents live very simply and don't ask for anything. I decided to make them two different kinds of granola, some peach jam, tea, dish cloths and chocolates...I also include a photo book ~ 45 photos of our year.

Most of our other gifts were bought this year. I've started a list of things to make for next year! I am excited to begin...I even have an idea for the guys!!!

During the week between Christmas and New Years Gregg and the boys spent a lot of time painting Jordan's race car that was his birthday gift). One day we took off to a Lego Store...It was a long drive and so not worth it. The boys were very disappointed in how small the store was. Oh well! We did see something else fun on that trip but I'll be sharing that later!

New Years Eve was spent separated...I stayed home with the three littles and Gregg went to our church service with the three biggies. We all had a good time. We had our own New Years Eve fun on New Years Day. I made popcorn in my new popcorn maker.

And had shrimp, bologna and cheese and homemade pickles while watching a movie.

The last week of our Christmas break was really up and down. The stomach flu came through. After that we did fit in some painting...
Here they are finished...

They played with these little things...I forget what they are called:-)...

and Jordan used Eric and Nathan as weights...

The boys also had a great time watching people fall on our neighbors pond across the road...boys!!!

I was a little overdone yesterday and frustrated with the mess around here. I don't do well seeing everyone just sitting around while I run circles around them trying to get things done. So I proclaimed today was cleaning day! We normally do "door to door" on Friday. That means we start at one end of the house and work through to the other end cleaning up everything in between. I give out all the jobs and they have to keep coming back for more. It generally takes us an hour to do this...this morning it took us 4+ hours! No kidding! The boys worked very well and did a great job...I have to brag on them because yesterday I was about crazy with all their fighting and crying and mess making. We took a lunch break and finished cleaning at 2...they were all happy to have all afternoon off. I have several things on my list for tomorrow but I really am pleased with how far we got.

So that was our up and down roller coaster break... I'm anxious to get back to my goals...I haven't been doing very well yet!

~Pretend Play~

I wasn't planning on taking this week off of school but because of a stomach bug and feeling so far behind...I am. I am enjoying the down time. No, the last two weeks were not at all restful, nor did I feel like I spent any time with my family. Last night I built several puzzles with the little men. Today we will be painting some of their Christmas gifts...after I get the table cleaned off.

Nathan: "Mom, you better get in the boat...there is water all over the floor"

Nathan starts making the sound of wind and waves :0)

~New Year ... New Goals~

Luke 2:52

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature,

and in favor with God and man.

I often use this verse to pray for my children. It helps me to think of a greater variety of requests and then that normally leads to trying to help them in those areas. I decided this year I would list my goals according to this verse...making sure my priorities are right!

Increasing in Wisdom

~What would I like to learn!??!?! There are so many things to enjoy! I spent a lot of time in 2009 learning more about sewing and learning to crochet. This year I'd like to learn a lot more about gardening. I have a book I'll be going through! I would also like to get a little more involved in our local government. Yikes, I know. Big thing with all these little people. Not yet sure how that will work but I'll be looking for opportunies! One last area would be doing better with budgeting.

Increasing in Stature

~I see stature as my health. More excersise, more eating right...yep, the normal stuff! More specifically I'd like to do more with beans and rice (I'll be working through a cookbook for this one)...so that my family loves to eat them! I'm also looking forward to real popcorn (thanks to my men for buying that for me for Christmas!) and real tea (thanks for the money gift Dad E!) I made so many changes this past year with grinding my own grain, yogurt, granola, and pressure cooking that I need to just get better at those things instead of adding something new. The only other maybe would be making our own icecream!!!

Increasing in favor with God

~I would have to say my Quieting a Noisey Soul study in 2009 was excellent! This year I plan on going through Proverbs every month...yes, every month! I think there is so much in there and while I have read through Proverbs here and there, I think the repetition will be great! Any ideas of study books I could use? I also hope to read 4 books to challenge my walk with God. I've already got my first two! Four books in one year doesn't sound like a lot... but I have to keep these goals attainable and also leave room for other things to jump in! I'll also be memorizing. Our church is doing 1 one another verse each month, I learn one verse each week with the boys for school and I'd like to learn one passage for myself. I am not sure what that will be yet.

Increasing in favor with Man

~I am excited about the idea of this! The one another verses we will be learning in church will be put into action at home. More of our family visiting the elderly. More of me reaching out to new people at church. More of me talking to strangers at the park, grocery store, library etc. More people into our home. The only catch with this would be fighting my desire for people to like me... that is not the idea here. I want them to see Christ living in me. The hardest part will be at home... I desire to be a more pleasant mom at home.

I'll be sure to share specifially about these things in the next few weeks!

Happy New Year!