~January Goals~

I never posted my goals in the beginning of the month but here are my goals with what I accomplished.

1. Read one book a month - I finished Grace for the Good Girl... review coming... I need to go through a lot of notes!

2. One big craft project a month - I finished a quilt top... photo coming

3. One small craft project each week - 1) Christmas cards/photos, 2)bracelets, 3) glass display in living room, 4) verse holder for 2012 church verses... photos of bracelets and glass display coming

4. Spring clean one room a month - I was supposed to do the bathroom this month but never got to it...oops! I guess I'll have to double up next month.

5. Keep up with devotions - I scheduled each week with different studies I want to do this year. I finished "A Holy Influence: Be the Crowning Touch in your Husband's Life" (two weeks) and started studying the book of Ephesians (12 weeks).

6. Health goals - My goal for January was to get back to walking. I didn't walk much in Dec and gained back a few pounds that I lost last year. My goal was 3 miles a day 5 days a week. I generally split my 3 miles into 4 mph, 6 mph and 5 mph. I didn't hit my goal of the number of days since the stomach bug came for a week. I'm still pleased with my results!

7. Projects for when I am doing school with Eric - I sit with Eric for about an hour... I like to keep my hands busy. This month I did a very small amount of crochet (still working on my ripple blanket). I spent one week working on leather wrap bracelets (see #3). I spent over a week working on my digital scrapbooking program. All my digikits were deleted when I sent my laptop out for repair. It is taking hours and hours and hours to reload them.

8. Memory work
a)Two verses in Romans 6 every month - I learned verses 1&2
b)James 2 & 3 with the kids this year. (We did James 1 last fall) We are up to verse 12!

9. For others - One note sent to Secret Sister, one note sent to a new mom, put effort into making Eric's birthday special

10. Misc projects that pop up - This month was cleaning out the boys clothes
Now, I'm off to write my goals for February!

~Funnies~

Aaron measured himself on our height chart and must have not stood right. He comes out and declares "I'm shrinking."

Nathan replies "Just read your Bible and pray every day and you'll grow"

~Shopping and Lunch Out~

What a fun day! Yesterday, Kiersten and I spent some girl time doing girl stuff:-)

The boys were all in need of new jeans and some other wardrobe basics. After breakfast, I packed up Kiersten and a bunch of coupons and headed out. We were in no hurry to get home (Gregg was taking care of lunch for the boys) and just wanted to enjoy the bargain hunting!

We hit Kohls first and found some good deals and added a 20% off coupon to make them great deals. I got a beautiful winter white wool coat...love it! I got a bunch of other things for the kids and in total I saved75%!

By now it was after lunch and we were hungry. Kiersten had a snack in the fitting room but we were both read for a sit down food fest! We drove across the street to Panera! Oh, yum! We split a sandwich, drink and bakery item.

We headed to Target (across the parking lot) to get some good coupon deals and to look for the items I couldn't get a good deal on at Kohls.

I found some great grocery deals... boys jeans on clearance for $5... and beautiful glass cups on clearance (that I hope to use for pudding/dessert dishes).

I was going to hit Aldi and Michaels afterward, but Kiersten had a mini break down in the checkout so I figured she needed a nap.

We were almost home and stopped at a bent & dent grocer for food to get us through the weekend. I did not get groceries this week since we had special services at church.

I look forward to many more shopping trips and special lunches out!

My favorite moments:

*Watching Kiersten pull things off the rack exclaiming how "pretty" they were. She loved anything with sequins.

*We were in the fitting room. I was trying on clothes and Kiersten was eating her snack. She finished her snack just as she saw a sweater in the cart that I was buying for her. She started taking all her clothes off to try on the sweater:-)

*She was busy making friends with everyone at Panera.

~Thinking Thoughts~

My Saturday post filled with thoughts I've been thinking on:


1. Beauty for ashes... it is a promise from God for those mourn. BUT I have to give him the ashes (the ruined, burned up, worthless leftovers of a disaster) in order to get the beauty. Isaiah 61:3 Hanging onto the ashes isn't worth it! Give it to God! (from Sunday's sermon)


2. Beauty for Ashes... my husband wrote it on my white board for me... he put it in the pray for section. I first thought, that is not where that goes... then I realized there was no more perfect place!


3. “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” thought from here


4. I was half way through my walk Thursday when I remembered I was supposed to be listening for something to stoke my fire. I came across this Cd and the song "All are Welcome":
*come and lay your burden down, you have no reason to hide... accept his grace, let him take control...He will take away your guilt and shame, lay it at his feet... - I'm in the midst of reading Grace for the Good Girl. This ties in perfectly!
*Let his healing begin - also from Grace for the Good girl - I just read the chapter about the difference between closure and healing. I would have never picked up on this had I not been purposefully listening!


5. In reading Grace for the Good Girl she mentions "beauty for ashes"... just like the message on Sunday!


6. Blog post by Monica talking about the Prov 31 woman... extending grace. Hadn't seen it that way before.


How cool is that that the message from Sunday, my book, and my music all were working together! I would not have known it without purposing to listen and to stoke my fire.

~Busy Week~

We had special services at church all week. I felt like I was on fast forward... trying to get everything done before supper that normally takes me til bedtime to finish.

The speaker was very good... a Marine. We have heard him speak before and were looking forward to hearing him again. There were several great messages but his first one on anger was my favorite. It was a "Family Conference" so he spoke on communication in the home, Husbands role, wives role etc.

We purchased some new music Cd's and some Patch the Pirate for the kids.

We have had playmobile (mess) out for a few weeks so I finally packed that away for a few months. They love to play with it and it works best to put it away for a little while.

Nathan has been building wonderful towers with books. He often builds one and wants it to remain standing til Dad gets home to show him... it isn't always still standing, but we try to protect it as much as possible!

I have tried several new recipes lately. Two were really yucky. My family was very gracious.

This one was excellent! Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls...


Kiersten did make the week a little more interesting. I was talking to someone after church and left her in an empty classroom to play. I came back to get her and she was choking with a red face... I could smell hand sanitizer. She had pulled over a chair and climbed to get the bottle. She put some on several plates (she was having a little tea party) and ate a spoonful. It must not have tasted good. Anyway, we called poison control (again!) and they said it happens all the time not to worry. It would have done damage if it was in her eyes but to just eat a spoonful was ok.

Tomorrow I take my girl out for some shopping and lunch... wonder how that is going to go!?!!??!

~Thinking Thoughts~

One of my favorite verses is Luke 24:32. "And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?"

I want my heart to burn like that... but so many days it doesn't. If you think about it this way... you have a 15 hour day and if you only fill yourself with 20 minutes of fuel... you are not going to burn real long or real hot. How can I change this to not only sustain me through the day, but to give warmth, heat and light to those around me?!?!!?

Lets use the example of stoking a fire. When you get up in the morning you need a good pile of wood to heat up the house. As you go through your day you need to add a log here and there. Some days when it is really nasty... you have to add extra logs.

So, to make this idea a part of my life this year, I am going to make an effort to stoke my fire throughout the day.

7 am personal devotions
9 am Bible with the kids
12 noon Memory verses over lunch
3 pm walk with good music
8:30 family devotions
10 pm one chapter in a good book

I have been doing most of these things but I don't always get something out of it... and when I do get a great thought to think on, I often forget what I wanted to remember. I am going to try to keep a running list of things so that I might have a better chance of remembering.

I am going to try to make a Saturday post with the major thoughts I was thinking each week.

Here is my first post:

My Saturday post of what has made me think this week:

1. This blog post was very encouraging. You don't have to love every moment of mothering to be a great mother.

2. I ran across these verses in devotion time with the kids:

1 Peter 1:3-4 (KJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope
by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

It gave me a sigh of relief and strength for the day!

3. I forget where I read this but... I want to raise adults... not children!

If there is one thing our society is lacking these days, it
is Responsibility. Responsibility for our own actions.
Responsibility for our own consequences. Responsibility for our
behaviors, emotions, and reactions. All too often it is someone else’s fault
or someone else’s job. In fact, so many people have outsourced their
responsibilities to the point there is no one left to take responsibility for
anything.

And I refuse to be a part of the problem.

No more finger-pointing. No more sitting around making
excuses. I want to raise adults. Real adults. Adults who are
responsible, discerning, and purposeful.

4. I read this quote from Martin Luther while in my personal devotion in the book of Eph:

The law says, “do this,” and it is never done. Grace says, “Believe in this,” and everything is already done.

So, there we have it! Let the burning begin!

~Sick Week~

I didn't post anything this week because there really wasn't anything happening... well, except for the stomach bug that came to visit. We all ate dinner together Friday night for Eric's birthday... it wasn't until this morning that we all ate together again.

I've been feeding those that are sick, those that are recovering, and those that are going to be sick. Not a fun or easy task!

Gregg was home several days... one feeling well and helping, two feeling sick, one feeling like he wanted to be well.

A few boys missed one day of school but we really didn't get behind.

I do have one cute photo of Nathan recovering on the couch, but I can't find my camera card so I'll have to add that later!

Here it is... so cute!

~The Big Seven~

Eric turned 7 years old this week! We really spread his birthday out too!

Monday night I took him on a Birthday date. He wanted to go to Chick fil-A:) Yum! We also walked through the toy section of Target so he could tell me what he might like to receive for his Birthday. I let him choose an early gift... Cars 2!

We had a little play time with friends on Tuesday that made that day special!

Wednesday was his birthday but with Gregg at work all day and church in the evening he decided we could move it to Thursday... but Gregg had a meeting Thursday night so we moved it to Friday! We watched Cars 2 Thursday night instead (we also watched it Friday afternoon and Friday night).

Eric was a lot of fun this year... so excited! He opened his gifts as soon as Gregg got home.
Then we ate the birthday dinner. He requested "Nathan" hot dogs, mac 'n cheese and red beet eggs.

After supper they played! The three older boys got these tops for Christmas...

Eric really, really wanted one for his birthday... so, of course we got him one. I wasn't too impressed with these things. The boys were using my nice stainless steel bowl and it was loud!!!

Gregg picked up this orange bowl that they are supposed to play in. I liked them much better this way! I even got in on a few rounds!

Eric requested mint chocolate chip ice cream with brownies and hot fudge sauce... with whipped cream and a cherry on top...

Looks like Dad got a little crazy with the whipped cream!

There we go!

Happiest Birthday wishes to my little man! This guy is a gem.... I can't wait to see how God uses him!

Here is a video of the tops!

~My Egg Trick~

Fresh eggs every day are wonderful!

Twenty one fresh eggs every day are a lot!

I have had to come up with new and exciting way to serve eggs. My guys love deviled eggs, red beet eggs and egg salad... but, I hate peeling fresh eggs. I tried to let them sit for a week in the fridge but that still didn't work... not to mention the fact that 8 dozen eggs take up a lot of room!

I was reading about eggs and read that they do not "need" to be refrigerated... once they are refrigerated, they need to stay refrigerated though. One day without refigeration is like one week in the fridge.

So, I tried leaving my eggs out for 3 days on the counter and then I hard boiled them. They were still a little rough to peel. I tried 4 days and they were perfect! I have been doing this for two months and have only had 2 eggs that were rough to peel! (I'm guessing someone put them in the wrong basket.)

Every morning I tell the boys where to put the eggs... in the fridge or in a basket. I keep three baskets on my counter with sticky notes. The notes tell me what day the eggs were laid and what day I need to boil them.

I have waited 5 days to do two days of eggs together and haven't had a problem. I'm not sure I'd leave them out in a heat wave, but for now, it is working well!



They peel so nice that Kiersten often helps me!

~Organizing Christmas Cards~

I am so excited about some of the projects I have scheduled for this year... lots of goals to work towards! Most are about cleaning out and organizing!

One of the first things I wanted to do was figure out what to do with all the Christmas cards, letters and photos. I usually just stick them in a file in a drawer.

I saw this idea and thought it would be perfect!

It took me all week to get it done (school and my little girly were not cooperating!) but I'm so happy with it. I have everything in one 1 1/2" binder for 2001 to 2011! I do have a handful of photos that do not have dates so I'll be playing detective to see if I can find where they go.

I also put my letter in there with the extra copies. I save them to give to the kids "someday" when they move out.

I only kept the photos and letters... the Christmas cards that were simply signed were used in this craft...

A friend of mine sells creative memories and shared this idea! Use your tag maker to make tags for gifts for next year! I absolutely loved punching these out! My family will be impressed next year too... I never remember to get/use labels... I almost always label the packages with a black sharpie!

Now, my filing drawer has a bit more room, I have tags for next year, and my Christmas letters and photos are in a wonderful album that I can actually page through!!!!

What do you all do with your Christmas cards?

~Yikes, what a Day~

Monday was a fun day... Tuesday was a day of routine. The kids did great getting back into their chores/school. Wednesday... well, that was another story.

Morning school went very long... like, I walked into the kitchen to make lunch close to 1pm. I heard my cell phone ring and chose to not answer because everyone was hungry and lunch was my first priority. When the house phone rang I knew Gregg needed to talk to me, so I answered. I had to leave the room to look at something to answer him and was being bugged by Nathan. I quietly reminded him that he was not to talk to me while I was on the phone. He insisted he had to ask me something.

"Mom, can I eat some of those green things Kiersten has?" "Um, let me see" was my answer as I continued talking to Gregg and walked back to the kitchen.

I saw Kiersten popping rat poison into her mouth and scream "no!!!!" I hung up without even saying anything to Gregg... Kiersten spits out the pellets. All were hole... no bites taken. Her teeth were clean and her tongue was clean too. Thankfully, the poison was still in the original bag and I could call poison control (number was on bag too!) and see what I needed to do. They didn't answer right away so I was barking commands to the boys. Jordan, call dad and tell him what happened. Jared make sure everyone has shoes on... we may need to leave.

Someone FINALLY answered and I told the very calm lady what happened and gave her the information from the bag. She informed me that rat poison (this type, anyway) wouldn't take effect for 4-7 days. If she has any symptoms just take her to the doctor for some vitamin K. Symptoms would be blood in stools/urine, bleeding, bruising easily.

Ok, breathing again... I had Jordan finish making lunch while I called Gregg back and washed Kiersten's hands.

I was thrilled when nap time finally arrived!

~New Years Day Out~

We spent New Years Day at church with our normal routine. Sunday night Gregg and I both wrote a to-do list for Monday (he had the day off).

We both woke up Monday morning and decided we'd rather do something "fun" and let the lists wait for another day! One of us normally talks some sense into the other one in times like these... but we were both senseless and packed up the gang and headed out.

Our first stop was Cabela's. It is about an hour drive so I packed some snacks for the trip. The place was mobbed, but since we never buy anything there, that was ok. We looked at all the animals... the fish, deer, bear... and then we went to shoot! Jordan shot several rounds on other people's tokens. He found the jammed guns and used his pocket knife to loosen the tokens... haha!

Nathan was especially fun to watch!

We found this poster of Bear Grylls...

My guys loves to watch his adventures... they just are not allowed to tell me about them!

After Cabela's we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch... but the wait was 40 minutes so we tried an Asian Buffet. It was mostly Chinese with some sushi and American food. Jared tried squid. The boys said he looked like he was chewing an eyeball...uck! I couldn't watch him eat it! I was full on my Chinese when I finally asked about the hibachi grill. I couldn't resist so I filled a plate with my choice foods and watched him grill it for me! That was soooo yummmmy! I can't believe I ate it all!

Kiersten fell asleep on the way home and my guys let me stop at Joann's Fabric! I got 3 dress fabrics for Kiersten that were 50% off! I also got a great price on big skeins of cotton yarn! Kiersten woke up before I got back so we did some other shopping before coming home.

It was a great day of getting along and being out. My house is a wreck and nothing got done... getting back to school/routine isn't going to be easy!

~Happy New Year~