joy of 9

Whoops

2011-06-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

This tire swing has been hanging from our tree for 17 years - one of the best, ever play things!! The rope to hang that old tire was one of the best investments we made. That old tire has provided hour upon hour of fun for all the kids - regardless of age - I've even seen, in the not to distant past, my 21 year old hitch a ride on the old thing!!

And the amazing thing - we've NEVER had an injury...

Until last Friday night...

When Sam took a tumble and his wrist could just not handle the whole weight of his fall...

And now the poor guy's summer is now looking vastly different than what he was thinking it was going to be... And to make things just a bit more complicated the wrist he broke was his right one - I guess his left handed little brother will have to teach him how to get things done!!!

The blessing for me in the stressful time of injury is that my parents were in town - meeting their newest grand baby - having them here really helped me to keep calm (I don't do very well when ER visits are part of the day!!). Thank you Mom and Dad!!! (I knew there had to be a way to sneak a picture of baby into this post!!!)

We still love our old tire swing and I'm very sure it will see lots more days of wild and crazy fun (Sam will probably be back on it himself in a day or two!!). Although, the mama in me wants to remind them to hang on tight when when going for a ride!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Babymoon

2011-06-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

We have been so enjoying our babymoon!! Time has gone so fast and now sweet baby is two weeks old!! Hubby is going back to work tomorrow.

I feel like I'm recovering slowly and feeling a tad frustrated over it. Headaches and sore hips warn me when I overdo. Hubby reminds me that I'm not getting back to "normal" as our family has changed (again) and we are finding a new normal (again) - and we don't need to be in a hurry!

I'm soooo sleepy, Mama!

He just loves his new baby sister!!!

A few minutes of snuggling before bedtime

So we're not - in a hurry - that is. I want to savor every moment. To sit in the summer sunshine (rare as it is here :0)!!) and watch the kids play and enjoy the tiny one in my arms!! To wrap wee one in my Moby and pull weeds in my garden with her next to my heart. To take walks with the kids looking for treasures and having adventures while feeling Naomi's tiny breath on my neck. To listen to the rain on the roof (and I'm sure there will be plenty here!!) and smell bread baking while I nurse sweet babe and the kids play Lego's on the floor!! These are my hopes for the summer - to spend time soaking in the time with my family - to not feel hurried or stressed but the remember to enjoy these long, sweet days and not to wish them away in my rush to "get back to normal"!!!

Happy First Day of Summer,
Blessings,
Christine

Changes

2011-06-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

She's here!!! Our newest addition has finally made her appearance and changed our family forever!!! Naomi Martha arrived a week ago today. I had planned on posting her picture right away but somehow snuggling and healing took over and I ended up being away from the computer far longer than I anticipated!!

She is a joy and a delight and we are incredibly blessed!! I will write more about her arrival soon but for now my life is filled with warm puddles of curled up babies, two year olds who fall apart super easily, eager visitors and pure joy!!!

Blessings,
Christine

P.S. Did you notice I changed my blog name to Joy of 9? I have been so excited to make that change!!! :0)

Maybe...Maybe Not

2011-05-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

In an effort to distract myself from the world of Maybe?!!!! ...maybe not

(by that I mean - the constant - or almost constant contractions that make me wonder every day if It's Time for Baby)

I decided to make up a cake recipe.

I used some leftover homemade yogurt, blueberries, and steusel topping (well there were other things too but these items were my inspiration).

And yes - those are little feet on my counter - probably not very clean either - and there were probably little fingers in the batter when my back was turned :0)

But I could not leave my baker's helper out of this cake baking party!!!

I layered blueberries and streusel in the middle of the cake...

Ans put more sweet streusel on the top...

Put it in the oven and waited to see what would happen...

And ta-dum!!!

I made up a cake recipe that was a success!!! I was advised by the hungry hordes in my house that this recipe was a definite do-again!!!

Off to find some more distractions....and eat some cake with a cup of tea :0)!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Herb Garden

2011-05-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

We are starting to get a few more days of sunshine and dry weather and I am finding I just have to go outside - the housework just has to wait!!!

I planted a new herb garden the other day and I am so excited!! I can't wait until these little starts are big enough for us to run outside and pick a bunch to season my breads, soups and all kinds of yummy things!!!

I planted oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley, chamomile, marjoram, chives and sage. Mmmmm - all gonna be so good.

It's been lovely to see our shadows again after so long without having them around - for sure this shadow is going to be looking slimmer in the next couple of weeks :0)!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Spring is Springing!!

2011-05-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

After a much colder and wetter than normal Spring things seem growing much slower than usual. We've only had a very few days of sunshine. I've found it hard to not complain.

This morning after waking up to clouds once again - after hearing a prediction for sunshine that didn't show, I decided to take a walk around the yard and try and find Spring. And she was here - I just had to look!!

A little clump of violets - so sweet!!

English Daisies - hoping they will spread around my garden!!!

My faithful old Pie Cherry

a lone Welsh Poppy - another one I hope spreads around my garden!!!

I used to call them Bluebells - now I know they are Wood Hyacinths

I'm hoping for more sunshine but seeing a few cheerful blooms did lift my spirits and remind me that God's plans for the seasons continue - in spite of rain and chill!!!

Blessings,
Christine

After a Break

2011-05-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well, after a much longer than intended break I'm back, I think :0)!! With a pregnant mush brain and the chronic icky weather this last month here, I have to confess to simply having nothing to say!!! Silly as it may be, that's really only reason for my blogging break.

Life has been happening- birthdays, anniversaries, garden plans, children's activities have all gone on and I've enjoyed every bit - but - I just haven't felt inclined to write it down. Maybe it's been the extra cold and rainy weather or the sweet babe growing within has sucked my brains dry - I don't know!! But I am trying to be back and to record my days once again :0)!!!

I thought I ought to include a picture of myself (minus the tired face hahaha)

This is the main project I've been working on lately!! It's getting quite close and the midwife says I've got to get ready NOW as she thinks the wee one will be arriving sooner than later. So in a few short days I think it's off to the store to get those last few tiny necessities. We're getting excited!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Baby News!!!!

2011-04-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

So I had a baby on April Fool's Day!!!!! A Sweet Baby Boy - 7 lbs and 8 oz. !!!

(okay - the birth was 19 years ago!!! A good April Fool's trick don'tcha think?)

When I called my family to let them know Daniel Scott had arrived it took all my powers of persuasion to get anyone to come to the hospital to visit!!

Dan is such a Godly young man and we are sooo proud of him!!

Dan and his brother talking with other youth on his missions trip to Hawaii

Happy Birthday Daniel!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Spring in the Hen House

2011-03-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

My chickens are truly excited about the idea of Spring arriving. While they do stay dry and warm in their lovely home my hubby built for them - we can't do much about the lack of sunshine around here in the winter. They are thrilled about the lengthening days!!!

My hens are doing a great job of eating up the weed seeds and bugs in my yet-to-be planted garden

This young hen in particular is especially excited about Spring. She has it in her head that she is going to hatch a few eggs!! She isn't, as there is no Daddy around (roosters would be most unwelcome to my neighbors!) But that fact does not stop her from her broody ways. She has plucked all the feathers off her chest to make the eggs she is sitting on even warmer.

We have to kick her off the nesting box to get to our eggs and to make her eat and drink - silly girl. I am contemplating getting a chick from the feed store and stuffing it under her wings so she has a baby to care for.

This never fails to give me a thrill - a wonderful source of healthy food for my family!!!

Mmmm mmmm good!!!

During the brief day of sunshine we had I got out and cleaned the food and water dispensers for my ladies - see, nice and clean - do you think they will appreciate it?!! Next stop at the feed store will give them new straw to scratch in too!! Spring in the Hen House is always good!!!

Blessings,
Christine

A Sunny Day

2011-03-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

We had a sunny day this week - a truly sunny day with warm, yellow sunlight streaming in the windows beckoning me outside. It was amazing!!!

So out I went with one of my big boys at my side to man the shovel (big belly syndrome, again :0)!!) My blueberry bush has been lonely all winter so we got busy...

And dug a few holes....

And planted a couple of baby blueberry bushes...someday we will have an abundance of those luscious purple berries right out of our own yard!!! I can't wait!!!

We also planted a rhubarb crown - oh such a yummy thing to grow - pies, cakes and sauces oh my!!!

What lovely things to do on the rare, sunny, spring day in my neck of the woods!! Happy Spring!!

Blessings,

Christine

Birthday!!!

2011-03-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

We had a birthday!! Young Miss Abbie turned eight!!

She has officially has moved from the "littles" to the "mediums" in our home :0).

(Her cake was supposed to look like a slice of watermelon - my baking abilities were severely limited due to the lack of full sized oven so it turned out lopsided and not at all what my vision was - but the kiddies liked it so that's all that mattered hahaha).

Abbie is such a source of joy in our home - something I could see in her from the time she was born. She surely fulfills her middle name of Joy!! Happy Birthday sweet Miss Abbie - Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!!

Blessings,
Christine

New Friends

2011-03-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

After several weeks of having a non-working oven and me nearly going crazy not being able to bake much for my family we finally found what we were looking for - a new-to-us oven in good working order!!!

Yahoo!!! I am able to bake again - and I sure have been enjoying my new friend in the kitchen!!!

Mmmm and the kids sure have been happy too!!!

The first bread made for my family in the new oven - yummy good!!!

The other new friend is this lovely new-to-us refrigerator we found at a scratch and dent store. And there certainly are some scratches and dents but it is so nice to have a fridge that fits what we need in it and to have our other old, far too small fridge in the garage to store extra milk and stuff!!! What a delight!! We've never had a fridge that makes ice and give us lovely filtered water - oh my - such fun!!!

My weekly menu posted for all to see

Isn't this just the cutest cup ever?!!!! I found it for a dollar at the local grocery store and fell in love with it's pretty spring cheer. Since I have had trouble drinking enough water and my puffing ankles are telling me to get going on the fluid intake I decided that this sweet cup would be mine - to cheer me on in the water drinking endeavor. And it's working - along with the lovely cold water and ice from my new friend I am doing tons better getting that water down!!! Yahoo for new kitchen friends!! We are so blessed to have found both of them at very inexpensive prices - love shopping used!!!! Happy Spring!!

Blessings,
Christine

Yay for Digging!!

2011-03-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

After many, many, many days of dreary rain in which we more than doubled our rain average for the entire month of March we have a break!!!!!

In spite of the mud I just could not resist the lure of the dirt!!

Out came my pitch fork and grubby shoes and into the garden I went. Oh, how good the earth smelled!! How wonderful the crumbly soil felt under my fingers!! Bliss!!

I got most of my veggie garden turned over until big belly syndrome took over and I just could not do any more - then I made my big boys go out and finish for me while I tried to soak away the aches and pains of digging while pregnant :0)!! But truly, all the achiness was worth it!!!

So now that the turning part is over we will add some compost and hopefully get some early spring veggies planted very soon!! I can hardly wait - my mouth is watering for my own homegrown veggies!!! Happy Spring!!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Mischief Maker

2011-03-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

Sometimes even the littlest ones get into mischief!!!

A few minutes in the corner is just the ticket to remember why it's important to obey mommy!!!

I have to confess, I thought she looked stinkin' cute sitting there so seriously - thinking about her naughty behavior. An "I'm sorry, Mommy" and a hug and she was back on her merry way! Hopefully with a lesson learned (I kinda think not though - she is one busy, busy two year old!!! She keeps me hoppin').

Blessings,

Christine

P.S. Thank you all for your encouraging comments about being over 40 and pregnant!! They all were soooo encouraging!! I really felt uplifted when I read them all!!!

A Tidy Corner

2011-03-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

Somehow with the snow and other fun weather we've had around here I lost control of the entryway in our home (well, I wish it was only the entryway - but we'll talk about that later, lol!!) But the entry was getting to be a terrible disaster - then the shoe rack broke - and with 10 people leaving their shoes there...well, you get the idea.

Ugh...not a good impression when you walk in the house!!!!

So after looking at this mess for a while I put my thinking cap on and came up with a solution:

Better - don't ya think?

I have four baskets - one for hats, mittens and scarves, one for Sunday School shoes, one for Tennis shoes, and one for Boots. I am hoping the winter gear and boots basket won't be needed for too much longer - I will turn the boots basket around and the tag will say flip flops and sandals (I can't hardly wait!!!)

It was so nice to come out to the living room this morning and see that nice tidy area!! I do want to come up with some other ways to make that place look pretty but for now the tidiness makes me very happy!!! Tidy corners and non-mussed places in my home bring me peace!! Sorta like when my heart is not mussed with ungodly thoughts there is calm in my life!! You know what I mean?!!!

We are into our fourth week of germs making their presence known in our house!! Yuck!! We are kinda going in slow motion - every week another person or two comes down with a fever and a bad cold. Funny bug that only wants to infect one or two at a time instead of the whole clan at once!! Oh well, if we have to do this slow motion thing - now is the best time - while the weather is still grey and before wee one has arrived!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Projects and Babies

2011-03-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I started a new project - a scarf that I was super excited about:

Remember this picture?

Well here it is all finished - I am very pleased with the results - the scarf is soft and comfy (and will be longer next winter - when the baby bump is gone :0)!!)

I really loved this design - I was kinda sad when I finished the yarn off 'cause it was just fun to do!!

Two new projects are in the works - both for Christmas - getting a head start because I know there probably will be a spell where crocheting is the last thing on my mind - snuggling wee one will take over!!!

Working with these bright colors has been fun these last days of winter!!

On the baby front my friend Cinnamon (who just had a super sweet little girl a couple of weeks ago) has reminded me that I have not mentioned my due date. Well, our little one is due to arrive June 3!! All is going well and I am feeling pretty good. I am tired in the evenings and being that I am vertically challenged (very short) baby is already starting to crowd my breathing space so that is sometimes uncomfortable - but all in all we're doing well!!

I have to say that the one thing I am not liking so well is that even with seeing a midwife people seem to be acting like this is a higher risk pregnancy - seems funny to me that when I had Esther just 2 years ago I was also over 40 and no one blinked - but now...

I know everyone is suggesting all these tests etc. because they believe it is best but on top of making me feel more stressed and anxious than I want - I believe that God planned and created this tiny babe and He will take care of things!! Time is going fast and we are really looking forward to meeting little one face to face!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Procrastination

2011-02-25T14:38:00.000-08:00

After one more blast of snow last night that dropped about 4 inches in about an hour we woke up to this:

And since the kids snuffles were so much better we spent most of the morning getting dressed like this as it was a toasty 19* outside:

The day has turned out beautiful - with amazingly blue skies and bitingly cold breezes.

The kiddos are thoroughly enjoying the day of sledding!! Even though I said today was the day to get back to laundry and housekeeping I have not yet begun. Mainly since it is so cold, little ones come in to warm up frequently (and have the necessary hot cocoa and marshmallows) and then want to go back outside. Which means Mama is spending a good portion of the day yanking boots on and off, zipping and unzipping jackets, opening and shutting doors for mittened hands. All fun stuff for sure - but I did decide to just give up on the housekeeping - the pile of snow gear is just too big and the mud brought in with snow-covered boots is never ending :0)!! So once again I say - tomorrow - the laundry and housekeeping will resume. Is all this a good excuse for procrastination?!!

On a side note - I am praying my blueberry bush and clematis vines that were all ready for Spring make it through this cold snap!!! They really thought warmer weather was here to stay even if it is only February!!

Blessings,
Christine

Winter is Still Here

2011-02-24T13:35:00.000-08:00

Well, winter is still here!!

This is what we have been having the last couple of days!

Along with feverish, snuffly kids (and a husband) for the last two weeks!

While it is beautiful outside I have a bad case of the winter blues (or more likely, hormones - ugh) that have made me feel tearful and anxious the last few days - blah!!

So today - I got tired of worrying about all the right foods to put into my body and made some comfort food - warm, yummy rice pudding (of which I plan on having more than my share!!!). And I plan on snuggling warm, sticky babies on the couch and watching silly cartoons with the kids!!! Sometimes you just gotta go with it!!! Tomorrow back to the laundry and housekeeping!!!

Blessings,
Christine

My Favorite Cookie

2011-02-10T07:54:00.000-08:00

A long time ago when I was a little girl my mom would have me make cookies for the family - a job I loved!!

But she finally banned me from making chocolate chip cookies (my favorite to make!) because I ate way too much dough (which is still the best part!!!)

She had me make a different kind because she thought I would not like the taste of the dough quite so much - she was right.

I didn't like the dough so much - but they turned out to be my favorite baked cookie ever!!!

Snickerdoodles!!!! Mmmmmm golden crunchy on the edges and chew yummy in the center!!! Oh my!! Thank you mom for teaching me to bake such yummy stuff!!!

Hope your day is filled with yummy blessings!!

Christine

Spring Fever?

2011-02-08T12:18:00.000-08:00

Wow!! I can't believe it's been so long since I've visited!!! We had house guests for almost a week and we had a lovely time - but with all the visiting I think I ran out of words!!

That mixed with the general dreariness that seems to afflict me this time of year - writing anything down seemed like a big task!!

But - I'm back!! I decided to come up with some activities that will help combat the awful greyness that covers this part of the world this time of year.

Here's what I came up with - some ideas so simple that I can't believe I had to think about it - but with the dreariness comes a foggy grey brain at times too :0)!!!

We (the kids and I) made a fairy garden in a big jar! Tons of fun - made a big mess on the floor - got to plant things - which did my gardening heart such good - and ended up with something pretty!!

See the pretty sparkly rocks we put in there?

A view from the top

And then - feeling on a roll - I found some other jars I could plant things in - some vintage canning jars - with glass tops - so cool - I went down to the woods - found some neat rocks and peeled up some moss and made moss gardens!! The bright green makes my heart happy!!

Another view from the top

Then - I did the simplest thing of all - I went outside and hunted around until I found some hopeful signs that the grey days won't be around forever!! I found several clumps of my mini daffs making their way through the damp soil - so pretty!!

And of course - one thing that always helps is chocolate!! But this.... this chocolate is special!! When I saw the display of these spheres (well - almost spheres) of delight - I confess - my heart did a little dance!! Seeing these in the store made me sing a tiny little song in my head, "Spring is coming!! Spring is coming!!! Yahoo!!!" It's a good thing I didn't sing it out loud - people wouldn't want to hear that - but my heart was singing - and I have since enjoyed some yummy chocolate treats!!

Blessings,

Christine

Pride Goeth Before a Fall

2011-01-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at church a friend commented on how smart my children are. I modestly thanked her - but- inside I was as proud as can be!!

Fast forward to today...

I spent the day...

shining a flashlight up my five year old's nose looking for a toy he stuffed up there...

patting my seven year old on the back because she tried to drink a glass of water upside down and nearly drowned...

telling a group of older teens to stop far..ahem...passing gas in my kitchen while I was preparing dinner (gotta love teenage boys!!)

having my children look at me blankly when I said it was time for school...or time to pick up...or anything else that didn't involve Mario bouncing around on a screen.

Sigh...

Pride goeth before a fall - not sure if that phrase is exactly Biblical - but I know Proverbs covers it quite well!!!

P.S. Don't tell the kids but I'm hiding the Wii controllers for a while - I've had just about all the Mario music I can handle!!

P.S.S. I still am crazy about all of them - and wouldn't trade this job for the world :0)!!!

Where I would have sent the kids to spend a lot of time today - if it wasn't pouring so hard!!

Blessings,

Christine

A Recipe and More

2011-01-13T13:41:00.000-08:00

Our day of being (pretend) snowbound is over and we are back in the swing of things - meaning school is going full force and Mama is attempting some clutter control (except that my yummy new yarn and pattern that I LOVE keeps calling me to add a row - or 2 or 3!!)

I've been asked for the recipe for these delicious treats!! You won't believe how easy they are - or how very naughty they are if you are counting calories - ugh!!!

Saltine Cracker Treats

Line a cookie sheet with saltine crackers (I like to line my pan with parchment paper - way easier clean-up - more time to eat sweets hehehe!!!).

In a sauce pan melt:
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
bring to a boil and and boil for 3 minutes - pour over crackers and spread

Bake at 400* for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with 2 cups of chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate. You can top with chopped nuts, sprinkles or crushed candy canes (I like mine just plain!!) I find that I need to put the pan in the fridge to get the chocolate to harden enough to break into pieces - but that may be because I am too impatient to wait!!

If you are like me and LOVE salty, sweet treats these will most certainly satisfy!! In fact these cookies were calling my name all afternoon yesterday (and to think I made them for the kids!!!) - and I think I hear them faintly from the closed pantry right now!!!

Oh dear, with my super cool new yarn and these treats I have shown a distinct lack of self control - I wish I could blame it on my pregnant state but I don't think that would be quite truthful!!!

Blessings,
Christine

The Snowstorm...

2011-01-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

that didn't happen!!

For days the weather man has been predicting a once in a generation snowstorm...you know...the kind you tell your grandkids about..."I remember when there was 20 inches in one day!!". That kind of storm. And yes, they were thinking around 20 inches!!! That's huge around here!!!

Well, the snow started last evening...beautiful, sparkly snowflakes whirling out of the sky!! The kids were giddy with excitement at bedtime. Sweet hubby and I took a lovely walk and enjoyed a chat with the neighbors (everyone seems to come out in weather like that!!).

But when I awoke this morning the first thing that registered in my brain was the gurgling in the rain gutters :0( !!! Our epic snowstorm had turned into a yucky, slushy mess of rain and wind. And the rain is scheduled to last for days...the kind of rain that makes Seattlites have to take Vitamin D in tablet form to survive!!!

So in the mourning our loss of sledding and snowman building we decided to pretend we were snowbound:

We built a fire and got out all the Lego's:

We turned saltine crackers into:

these yummy delights (these go a LONG ways in comforting sad kids!!!):

I got out my new yarn and started a fun new project:

And we did NOT go outside since every step in the snow turned into a muddy puddle right under foot (last night before we turned out the lights we had 6 lovely, fluffy inches of snow on everything - the roads were covered and every tree branch had a beautiful sparkly coating):

So many people around here get so upset at the predictions of snow. They go crazy thinking that they might not be able to make it to work or out to run their errands. I keep thinking that maybe snow is God's plan to slow us down - to make us step back and enjoy His creation, to enjoy the family that He blessed us with, to connect with and serve our neighbors and just to take a deep breath every now and again!!! I can't help but wonder why so many people don't like it - 'cause really, when we get snow around here - we are pretty much guaranteed that our weather will turn back to our normal rain in just a few days :0)!!!

So all the grown-ups and kids in this house are praying for another chance at an epic snowstorm. I would love a great snow story to tell my grand kids!!!!

Blessings,
Christine

A Fun Chore

2011-01-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

There is a chore that I just love to do!! Can you guess? Yep - washing windows!!

Crazy - I know, but there is something so nice about the light streaming in sparkling clean windows!! Now, I don't get to this job very often - especially the outside part - but it seems like I am overcome by the urge for clean windows about this time every year. I think it has to do with taking down the Christmas tree and needing as much light as possible for the rest of winter.

This last week we were blessed with snow and then bright sunshine - which made every bit of dust and every fingerprint show up!! That urge to shine my windows was overpowering!! So I got out my handy window cleaner and paper towels and went to work!!

I did decide that given my pregnant condition teetering on a stepstool in freezing temps outside was not for me - no matter how much I love the job - so I handed it off to my big 18 year old. He did a mighty fine job!! Now I can enjoy the light so much better!!

Just in time for the snow to melt and the very dark and dreary rain to return (it's really, really dark and grey here now!!!) But my windows are clean and shiny and I am enjoying them!!!!

(I am thinking that this is a really weird post - window washing?!!! Really?!!! Oh well - I just gonna go with it - it's raining and I haven't had any coffee yet :0)!!

Blessings,
Christine

The Box

2011-01-04T11:04:00.000-08:00

A delivery man came to the door with a box just for me yesterday!!! Why did I get a special package? Well, a few weeks ago my friend Becky over at Junk to Joy had a give away and to my huge surprise my name was drawn. The funny thing is - I had not meant to enter the contest - I meant to leave Becky a note on another post. Silly me!! But anyway my name came up and Becky sent me a delightful box full of goodies. What came in this box of sparkly paper?

A beautiful card with such an encouraging note - it cheered my soul!! (The darling detachable tag will be on my Christmas tree next year!!)

This adorable felted pear has made itself right at home on my mantle - so sweet!!!

This beautiful wall hanging - a reminder of one of my goals for this new year - JOY - is now hanging in my bedroom where I can see it every morning!!

This darling mug (that I am using this very minute) makes me think of lovely Becky in her warm and sunny Florida - and the yummy chocolates are an added bonus!!

And at the bottom of this fun box were these beautiful decorations - I know just where they are going to stay in my living room - I am just looking for the perfect bowl to display them in - aren't they lovely!!

What a wonderful surprise to open my door and have that delivery man hand me this box filled with charming gifts.

If you get a chance go visit Becky! She is such an encouragement to me. She meets life with such joy in the Lord and is a reminder every time she writes to see the world through eyes of blessing!!! (Becky also has a darling etsy shop!!)

Thank you Becky for your lovely box - I had such fun opening it and ooooing and ahhhing over every gift!!! You bless me every time I visit you!!!

Blessings,
Christine

A New Normal - In a New Year

2011-01-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

Time to get back to normal in a New Year

Time to get back to work :0)!!

This holiday season was very different than I had imagined or planned. A heart-wrenching tragedy within our church family and a sudden change in plans that I didn't understand made Christmas look far different than the ideas dancing in my head. I had to work hard to maintain the joy of the season.

But - those things happen. Both were out of my control - both were difficult to fathom - actually I still don't understand. The wonderful thing is...this celebration we just engaged in is about the fact that God is in control!! He has a plan - I don't have to understand - He's still with me - even when joy is elusive!! Oh, what a comfort!!! In reality - our holidays ended up being beautiful - just different than what I had hoped.

And now...it's time to start fresh. Normal life begins again - in a New Year. I have been thinking about what I'd like to do different this year - what I'd like to change - along with the calender. A NEW normal - in a New Year!!

Our pastor said something that grabbed my heart and this is what I'd like to see in my life...He said "Jesus always acted with Eternal Intent". I'd like to act with "eternal intent" If I did, anxiety would not be such a big part of my life, having a servant's heart would not be so difficult and time robbers would not be so hard to put aside!!! Well, I'm not making it a resolution (I don't really do resolutions) but I am keeping those words close to my heart and I have purposed to make prayer and Bible time a bigger priority so that I can more easily "act with eternal intent".

A Challenge for sure!! It's already been hard - hehehehe - I'm not surprised!! With some relaxation under my belt (homeschool holiday) it was difficult to wake up this morning - earlier!! Wow - kinda like lifting extra heavy weights to get my eyelids open - just to be honest :0)!!! And the sweet kiddos didn't wake up so sweet this morning!! Somehow - getting back into regular routine isn't easy for anyone. Ears filled with whining sorta makes it hard to act with eternal intent - makes me really want to climb back into bed and pull the covers over my ears!! Oh well, God will be my companion and He will help me - the wonder is....I don't have to do this all by myself!!! Praise Him and Amen!!! What a joy to know!!!!

Blessings this first week 2011!!!
Christine

Happy Camping

2010-12-16T12:03:00.000-08:00

This:

Into this:

Makes my Hubbie into a very happy man!!!

Sweet Daughter doing this:

And making this:

Makes me into a very happy Momma

I will admit - this:

Gave me pause - then I got busy with my green scrubbie (and licked the fudge pan) and I was a happy camper again!!

Oh yeah - smashing candy canes to make this:

Made the littler kids into happy campers too. (I confess to forgetting to take pictures - but they really did have fun!!!)

I hope you are all camping happy too - in this wintry season of joy!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Sweets

2010-12-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

One of the best parts of Christmas is the sweet treats!!!

So we're beginning to create those yummies!!

The biggest challenge is keeping the big boys (especially Hubbie) out of them until the proper time!! :0)!!

So much to their dismay - I have hidden the tin - such a meanie I am!! But be assured - the cookies will be eaten up with gusto - just not before the celebrating starts!! :0) (I'm not too much of a meanie - I did leave out a plate of treats for everyone to enjoy :0)!! )

Blessings,
Christine

I Never Want to Forget...

2010-12-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

...My little man's Goodnight routine...

After bedtime prayers...

Jacob: "Mommy, did you have a good day?" (pronounced "dood day")

Me: "Yes I did, Honey. Did you?"

Jacob: "YES!!!"

Jacob: "I love you infinity and beyond, Mommy!!"

Me: "I love you infinity and beyond, Jacob!!"

(Can you tell which movie he really loves?)

Jacob: "1, 4, 3 Mommy"

Me: "1, 4, 3 too, sweetie"

(our "secret code" for I Love You, used by us since our 20 year old was a tot)

If Daddy is at work:

Jacob: "Mommy can you tell Daddy all those things for me?"

Me: "Of course I will Honey!!"

This conversation happens every single night - and it NEVER gets old!!!

Blessings,

Christine

A Birthday, a Praise and a Celebration!!

2010-12-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

We had a birthday recently. Our third born - Matthew turned 17!! Crazy how fast the time has gone!!

Matt is going to firefighting school and is turning into a fine young man with so much potential!! We are so proud of him!!

He is crazy about his tiny sister and she is crazy about him!! She just had to help with his cake - cutie-pie helper!!

On another note - a couple of months ago (when I wrote about one particular no-good, very-bad day) I wrote that my hubby's company had announced that they were selling and Wayne would no longer have a job after Christmas. Well, Hubby began the job search and put out lots of feelers and resumes and while we've had lots of encouraging comments - the hiring process has been very slow (like everywhere around the country right now!!). My sweetie has been very confident and sure of God's plan (unlike me who struggles with fretting - ahem!!). He has been my rock during this time, for sure!!! Anyway, Wayne called me from work the other day with an exciting announcement - the doctors that own his company took a final vote and the result was to NOT sell!! So Hubby was told his job is secure and the decision was to reorganize from within instead (which I'm told will be very good)!! Oh my, my heart has been praising God!! He has a plan - Wayne is sure God put him in this position for a reason and sees his job as a mission.

In celebration my sweetie gave me an early Christmas gift. It came in the mail and when I opened it - this envelope was inside:

Tickets to go to the Handel's Messiah!!! I cried!!! I have always wanted to go to the Symphony and this is possibly the best thing to ever see there (in my mind anyway!!!) I can't wait - I get to dress up - go to dinner with my prince and listen to a chorus of beautiful voices raised in praise to the King of Kings!!!! What could be better?!!!!

Hope your day is blessed!!!

Blessings,
Christine

A Christmas Outing

2010-12-06T15:29:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful afternoon and since the rain is predicted to come back we decided to go get our Christmas tree before the mud gets too deep!!

The sun kissed the gorgeous jagged peaks of our Cascade Mountains. The air was chilly but with cookies and chocolate milk packed in the car with us we were ready to tramp all over the Christmas tree farm and find the perfect one!!

After hiking all around we finally all agreed this little tree was the one. Everyone helped with the sawing and soon it was down!

Now for the long trek back to our car

A very pretty farm right next door - there were darling black faced sheep dotting the field - so nice - I want to live there!!!

As we drove through the farmland we came upon several flocks of swans in the empty fields. They winter here and spend their summers in the far North. They were very noisy - trumpeting at us as we stopped to take their pictures. They are big birds and very magnificent when they fly!

Oh, it was a lovely day - hiking around in the crisp, cold air and then warming back up while we drove all over the countryside - snacking on cookies and singing Christmas songs!! As blessed day with the family making memories!!!

Hope your weekend was wonderful too!!

Blessings,
Christine

A New Season

2010-12-02T10:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day is a memory (except for maybe those extra calories I consumed!!) but not the thanksgiving in my heart!!

A new season is beginning - the celebration of the birth of our Savior!! What an amazing time of year - to go from a time of thanksgiving to weeks of celebrating Jesus' birth!!

Truly an entire season of celebrating God's provision - from our daily needs - to the deepest needs of our souls!!

Our Advent calendar is up

Only one lonely sheepie so far - but before we know it - it will be filled with all the characters of the true life story of Jesus' first hours here as a man

And as for our celebration with gifts to our loved ones - my crochet hook has been busy!!! I have quite a bit more to do - and as a surprise a couple of my older boys have suggested homemade gifts from me (I thought they were not wanting things like that anymore) - so my hands and hooks are zooming along - trying to take advantage of every moment to add rows!!!

I love this season - the excitement is building - preparations are in the works - sweet secrets are whispered about and hiding places are guarded. Festive decorations are being unearthed and yummy treats are anticipated. All to remember what God has done for us!!!

Can you imagine what heaven was like as the day drew near for Jesus to be born? The breathless silence as Mary labored and birthed that amazing baby? The burst of joy as that sweet puddle of a newborn gave His first cry? The angels swept down to earth to sing their hearts out - heaven wanted to share their joy at the fact the God's plan was in motion - to bring us to a place of close communion with HIM!! My heart is overwhelmed at the thought!!!

So when I get stressed at the busyness and obligations of this time - I want to commit to remembering what this is really all about. HIS plan to bring me into a relationship with Him was born that day in His Son. Amazing Joy!!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Thanksgiving Morning

2010-11-25T13:13:00.000-08:00

The Snow is falling again

I am busy preparing for our Thanksgiving feast

The kids are out sledding

And snowman building

And I am so happy to have this day set aside to thank God for His provision for us!!!

Blessings to you and your families as we all reflect on the goodness of our great God this day!!!

Christine

18* and Gorgeous!!!

2010-11-23T12:14:00.000-08:00

My home today:

The sunshine just making her appearance

Fun, fun, fun!

Sled Parking

Mitten dryer

Comfort Food!!!

Snack time

And after they warmed up they all went outside and started over again!!!

Hope your day is warm and cozy!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Before Thanksgiving Day!!

2010-11-22T12:56:00.000-08:00

Snow before Thanksgiving!!!

Look what we woke up to this morning!!!! Snow before Thanksgiving!!! I am racking my brains but I honestly can't remember a time when we've had snow sticking before the great Day!! I've lived here in the Puget Sound area for about 32 years so I may have missed a year - but I honestly don't recall. And every flake is sticking too - at 28* and the thermometer dropping throughout the day! This will not be a long snow event but here in Western Washington any flake that falls is an adventure! With our hills and valleys and curvy roads people get pretty emotional about the whole idea. As for me - my pantry is stocked - the kiddos have new mittens and the fireplace is set so we are enjoying every minute!!! And I confess - with this wintry weather even though it's a tad early we've been listening to Christmas music and loving it!!

On the maternity front I am excited to find several days in a row where I have felt pretty good!! I am able to bear the whole food issue without feeling like a bad case of the stomach flu has hit!! Yay!!! And what better timing than right before the season of feasting :0)!!!

God is so good and I am reflecting on all the things I have to be thankful for (I have to start now - one day isn't long enough :0)!!)

Blessings,
Christine

An Excuse

2010-11-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

Oh dear, but it has been a long time since I've been here (again!!!). I do have an excuse - I really do!! To all you friends who guessed my news - you guessed right!!!! Yahoo!!! Baby number nine is tucked in under my ribs and we could not be more excited!! What an amazing blessing to know that there is a sweet new life being formed right now - a new little baby to snuggle and cuddle - a baby planned by God!!

The one thing is - it is very common for me to feel really pretty sick during the first few months of pregnancy so there is my excuse for not visiting blogland much in the last couple of weeks. I haven't even picked up my camera lately :0(!! Thankfully my sweet hubby and older children have jumped in and are picking up the slack while I sit on the couch or run off to the bathroom (sorry if that's TMI :0)!!!) Hopefully this stage will pass soon and my energy will return and my tummy will not be so traitorous!! In the meantime, my crochet hook is busy, busy, busy!! I have decided to use this time to get a big jump on Christmas gifts so I don't feel too unproductive!

I hope to be better at visiting blogland while I go through the early parts of baby growing as well as remembering to pick up my camera :0)!!

But in spite of feeling ill most all the time we are so incredibly happy with this change our family is going through - God is good!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Catching Up

2010-10-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

Goodness - it's been a while since I visited my own blog! We've had a busy last week or two! Hubby went out of town - to Dallas - on a business trip all last week. I have to confess that I don't function all that well when my sweetie is gone (I don't know how you do it Cinnamon!) It's just sorta survival mode around here when he's away! I will say that usually do better but this time I went into his trip not feeling at all well!! Something about feeling very queasy most all day and very, very in need of a nap (or two) during the day...can you guess :0)?!!!! But home, my honey, came on Friday night and we got to pick him up at the airport with hugs all around - it was a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday!!

We had a lovely weekend just being together. Ruthie and I got to go to a wonderful vintage craft type fair together and had so much fun being inspired towards making homemaking into an art!!! The things people can do with buttons, bits of fabric and string!! :0)!!

Our weekend was topped off with a beautiful, Godly fun wedding of a young man my boys have grown up with. Oh, the bride was so beautiful - the ceremony was simple, lovely and God filled and the reception was so much fun!!! Then our family went for a Sunday afternoon ride - to see all the fall colors and the snow dusted peaks of our Cascade Mountains. Fabulous!! The only downside to this whole weekend - I FORGOT my camera the whole time!!!! Silly me!!!

So now I enter the week with my senses filled to the brim with lovely things and I'm ready to face this new week - wanting to glorify God with the job he has given me (with a few naps spinkled in :0)!!!)

Blessings,
Christine

Rejoicing!!!

2010-10-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness!! I just can't believe it is Monday again!! Time goes by so fast!

This last week we had some joyful news in our family. I am an Auntie again!! Yay!!! My sister had a beautiful baby girl on Tuesday morning. This sweet little girl has been a miracle from the very beginning and we are utterly delighted that she is finally snuggled up in her Mama's arms! My sister and her dear husband have waited for years for a baby of their own and God surprised them with this sweet little girl when they least expected it!! He is so good!!!

I have been working madly on a baby blanket every chance I got and except for a bit of trouble on the border (which my dear friend who taught me to crochet - and blog :0) rescued me from) I finally finished it and it will be in the mail tomorrow!! I can't wait for my sweet new niece to be snuggled all up in it - it will be a hug from her auntie since I can't be there in person to give her a little cuddle!!

I had enough yarn to do a tiny hat to match

Oh I so hope to meet this wee one before she gets too big!! I am rejoicing today for my sister and brother-in-love!! God is so good!!

Blessings,
Christine

Monday Stuff

2010-10-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

For this Day...October 4, 2010

Outside My Window...A cloudy day, my little maple tree is still beautifully green.

I Am Thankful For...God's provision!! My pantry is full of good food to feed my family well this week!

I Am Remembering...the lovely "date" my hubby and I had yesterday. We ran down to the grocery store - got a soda and sat in a nearby parking lot with my notebook and planned our schedule and menus for the week. No interruptions - just sweet conversation with my honey!! A funny kind of date - but really - to start the week knowing each other's plans and thoughts sure makes life easier!!!

I Am Creating...Still working on my sister's baby blanket. I'm so close to being done I can taste it!! Having a little trouble with the border but I think it'll be okay.

I Am Reading...my Bible and a sweet book by Grace Livingston Hill - love, love, love her books!!!

I Am Hoping...the colds in our home go away quick!!!

On My Mind...All the little things that need my touch on this Monday!! It's going to be a busy day!!

From The Learning Rooms...We are starting Geography today. I am excited - I love maps and such and enjoy teaching it to my kids.

I Am Pondering...honestly, not much!! I am actually trying not to think too much this morning. My heart is anxious and I find if I think too much instead of "just doing the next thing" my silly old heart just gets to stewing!

From The Kitchen...I need to make yogurt today, make a double batch of bread and for dinner tonight - Potato Soup, Salad and Bread - yum!

Around The House...General tidy and get going on a deeper clean on the kitchen after all that canning - there are some sticky surfaces that need my attention (I did do a good cleaning but really, I need to do more)!

One Of My Favorite Things...Ever!!! is going to the thrift store. I hope to go today for just a few minutes - I saw a bag with fun yarn and bright green knitting needles. Ruthie was all over getting new pair of needles (especially bright green) so we are going to run over and pick them up!!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...Not much, just a fairly regular week - which I like - not to much running around - Yay!!!

A Picture to Share...

A Few of my Autumn decorations.

For more Simple Woman inspiration go to http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Blessings,
Christine

Applesauce!

2010-10-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

We spent a few days making applesauce.

Gala apples ready to cook

Using my grandma's Foley Food Mill - this mill has seen many, many, many bushels of apples in it's years!!

Stirring in the spices

My tiny taste-tester

Bottling up the yumminess!!

After putting up 125 lbs of apples I have no more jars for anything else this year!! I will be looking for more jars in thrift stores so that I can do even more next Fall (home canned food goes fast around here!!). So the next preserving project is pies - for my hubby. The girls and I, on some rainy Saturday (not difficult to find around here :0)!!!) will spend the day making and freezing as many pies as possible. So nice on a chilly winter evening to pull a pie out of the freezer and pop into the oven!! I love this time of year - putting up the harvest in preparation for winter!!!

Blessings,
Christine

My Morning Prayer

2010-09-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Teach me to number my days

aright,

that I may gain a heart of

wisdom

Satisfy me in the morning with

Your unfailing love,

that I may sing for joy and

be glad all my days.

May the favor of the Lord my

God rest upon me

Establish the work of my

hands for me-

yes, establish the work of my

hands!

Psalms 90: 12,14,17

Simple Monday

2010-09-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have done this!!

For Today...September27, 2010

Outside My Window... Clouds and showers with sunbreaks - but oddly warm and muggy for our area!! It feels funny - I think I'd like a storm to roll in!!!

I Am Thankful For...My husband's cheerful spirit!! He is such a hard worker and is always glad to do whatever is needed! He inspires me!!

I Am Remembering...The fun time we had at the fair last week. We were given tickets by a friend who wasn't going to use them and we had a fabulous time - especially in the Hobby Barn where we got to see all the neat things people do and create in their spare time. (I was sad to realize I had forgotten to bring my camera!)

I Am Creating...A baby blanket for the new little one that is soon to join our family and make me an Auntie again. Can't wait to find out who the little sweetie is (and whether to trim the blankie with pink or blue!!) I am excited to find that I have enough yarn to crochet a matching hat. Yay!! I love to make hats.

I Am Reading...My Bible of course, along with His Utmost for His Highest. I am also reading a Lord Peter Whimsey mystery by Dorothy Sayers. A charming detective story - such fun!!

I Am Hoping...For a very snowy winter like we had two winters ago!! Looking forward to the excitement and joy that comes with kiddos waking up to snow!!! Last winter was a disappointment in the snow department - but on the upside we had plenty of sunshine!!

On My Mind...Thinking about how I can support my husband through the job searching he will be doing soon.

From the Learning Rooms...We are studying Astronomy in science this year - notebooking style - I just love notebooking!!!!

I Am Noticing...the trees beginning to change color and the spiders that are busy building webs EVERYWHERE!! Ugh!! I like them outside eating bugs in my garden but not across the doorway when I go out in the morning!!! :0)

I Am Pondering...God's plans - how His timing for things doesn't seem like the logical way to do things to my so very human mind!! He certainly is filled with surprises!!

From The Kitchen...Lasagna and homemade bread - thinking about whether I should slip the spinach I have into the main dish or prepare it as a side dish. I think I'll decide as I make it. I'm making two pans full - one for the freezer.

Around The House...After I'm done here I am tidying up my bedroom and bath - our room is always last on the list - not today though!!! The clutter is bothering me - so it's first this week!!!

One Of My Favorite Things...Okay I know this is silly - but - taking of my shoes after I exercise!! I exercise everyday - and I just can't wait to take off my shoes when I'm done. I don't wear tie-up shoes most of the time and my feet feel cramped in my runners so it feels awesome to take them off when I'm done!!! :0) Silly huh?!!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...We start our school co-op this week. We go to classes on Fridays - so I gotta start thinking about packing the picnic basket for lunch at school - the kids are jazzed - they've missed their friends over the summer!!

A Picture To Share:

Bread for dinner

For more Simple Woman inspiration go to http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Blessings,

Christine

Autumn Arrives

2010-09-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Autumn!!! This is what it looks like in my neck of the woods on this first day of Fall:

Chilly and wet but still lush and green - the colors will be coming soon.

Indoors we have a sick kiddie :0(

Poor Sweetie!!

But fun is still being had:

Blanket forts - the best kind of indoor fun!! I love to hear the kids say, "Mom, can I build a fort?" I have lots of quilts lying around (partly) for this purpose - (the other part is for Mommy to snuggle under them on those nippy Autumn evenings with my crochet hook!)

The day before yesterday a nice man saw me with my kids and asked me if I was out with the grandkids!!! Ummmm!!! Not really sure how I feel about that - maybe I need to get some hair color - I am seeing some grey hair :0)

Well, I'm off to tidy the house and light my spicy candle - mmmm!!! Happy First day of Autumn!!

Blessings,

Christine

Back to More Cheerful Subjects!!

2010-09-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here watching a darling chickadee in my sweet maple tree outside my window and thanking God. He is good!!

One thing I'm thanking Him for is all of my bloggy friends. I used to be very scared of the internet because it seemed to be so useful to spread evil. But once my friend persuaded me to check out blogging I found out differently. In our crazy mixed up world where things seem so backwards especially when it comes to things like family I discovered a whole community of women who are dedicated to their husbands and children and who are joyfully living out God's plan!!

I want to thank you all for your lovely encouragement and prayers!! There is something so nice about knowing there are people praying!! I know God is in charge and while my wobbly old heart and feelings sometimes want to act like we're alone in the world - I know differently. I'm so glad this journey is no surprise to God!!!

Life is getting sorta back to normal - I always have laundry to fold but at the moment I am avoiding impossibly high mountains of folding :0). Oh well - it'll get done.

I still have some canning to do, but have gotten a good amount of food put up.

We came home from our trip to Eastern Washington with 100 lbs of peaches, 80 lbs of pears and 150 lbs of apples!!

From empty to full in just a few days

My smart Hubby set up my canner pot outside for me on a propane burner next to the picnic table. I did most of the preparation inside since Fall has arrived early here and it's been raining lots - but doing the actual canning outside has been such a help and is really better since I have ruined several burners with my heavy canner in bygone years.

So far I have put up 56 quarts of peaches and 33 quarts of pear sauce (mighty good on a pork roast in the winter, mmmm). I also made several huge peach crisps (Oh so yummy!!!) and we ate quite a few of those delicious tree ripened pears. (I forgot to take a picture of the pear sauce on the counter - I had to put them away quick because the teenage boys in the house were threatening to open and eat up jars full almost as fast as they came out of the canner!!)

I still have applesauce which I plan to start tomorrow and corn which I hope to go pick and freeze later this week.

There is something so satisfying about opening the pantry door and seeing those gleaming jars all lined up - knowing I have wholesome, homemade food for my family!!

Again, I want to tell all of you who encouraged me thank you!! Your virtual hugs have meant so much to me!! I am sending {{hugs}} back to all of you!!

Blessings,

Christine

The Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

2010-09-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Can I vent for just one post? I promise it will only be this one time - I don't like being whiny - but in this case I just need to for a short time.

I want to run off to this calm and quiet lake near where we were camping last month!!

Or be in Hawaii watching the sunrise!!!

Yesterday my sweet Hubby shared with me the news that his new job with a small pathology group is going away!! He's been there four months and just loves the job, but sadly quite out of the blue the doctors who own the company decided to sell it and so shortly Hubby will be out of work. I will admit to doing a bit of whining to God (okay, more than a bit). Doesn't He know there is a recession going on? Doesn't He know there are 8 children to feed in this home? I hope to come to the place of peace soon but I am confessing to not being there yet.

The day wasn't quite done yet though - after hearing that lovely bit of news I then discovered the plague that had stealthily entered my home - oh the horror!!! I learned that the itchy scalp that my daughters had been complaining about was NOT the allergy to the new shampoo as I thought (they and I are very prone to skin allergies and itching is just a part of our life). That itch was from something far worse - you guessed it!! Oh dear - I can hardly say it - gasp - LICE!!! There - I said it. Five kids and myself have them. Sigh - whoever heard of a 40 something lady having lice? I thought it was something for 7 year olds. I feel like crying like a kid though. Well okay - since I've confessed already - I have cried like a kid today (and eaten far more Mint Milanos than anyone should!!)

There - I've shared my terrible, no good, very bad day. I've got to go back to the laundry (and there is GOBS) and to the combing. And to the comforting of my husband. Sigh.

I will go back to writing about my canning and other things. I'm done whining. I think.

Blessings,

Christine

A Family Jaunt

2010-09-16T12:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we went for a drive over the mountains to the east side of our state. A very different environment exsists over there and it's great fun to drive for just a little while and find ourselves in a completely different habitat.

It's very dry and desert-like. The main occupation is farming (my kind of place!!). We has such a fun time.

Enjoying our picnic lunch

We did have a destination in mind - this was fun day with an agenda :0). So after our picnic we set about business - getting our fruit for the winter.

Blueberries for Abbie

Kerplink, Kerplank, Kerplunk!!!

We gathered more yummy fruit:

Then we headed home over the beautiful Mt. Rainer. Such a beautiful drive!!!

Beautiful - even for the chicken-hearted Mama who hated driving next to very steep cliffs!! I'm quite sure I left imprints of my hand on the door handle - much to Hubby's amusement :0)

An alpine meadow we stopped to hike through

We are so blessed to be able to do this - fill up our van with fruit to prepare for the winter!! It's one of my favorite things to do - fill up my pantry with delicious homemade foods to see us through the months when fruit is difficult to afford. And build family memories at the same time!! What could be better?!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Birthdays!!!

2010-09-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

Oh dear, I have been busy, busy, busy!!! I can't wait to share what I've been working on but first I have some belated birthdays to blog about!! Well, we celebrated the birthdays on time but I didn't share about them on time :0)!!

Both birthdays are my August babies. The first birthday of the month was sweet baby Esther's, who is really not much of a baby any more. This sweet pea turned two near the beginning of August!!! In the last year she's turned from a little crawling bundle into a walking, talking independent toddler (although my heart is so happy that my tiny girl is still nursing - I'm not quite ready to let that go and neither is she!!) I'm so happy God placed her into our home - she is such a sweet blessing - and I know God has her path is laid out to bring Him glory!! My sweet little funny face!!

Happy birthday sweetheart - Mommy and Daddy love you soooo much!!!

Our second August birthday was Samuel's. He turned 11 years old - I just can't believe how time is going so fast!!! It's crazy to know that my gentle, kind little man is 11. I just know God has big plans for Sam. He is such a kindhearted, gentle and loving boy!!

He got the pleasure of celebrating his birthday while we were visiting Fort Stevens and the ultimate boy dream of being the powder boy for the Civil War cannon shooting event at the fort on his big day - a birthday I'm sure he will always remember!!!

Waiting for his turn to walk forward with the gunpower (which was real!!)
Doing his very important job!
He had to approach the cannon crew backwards just in case he got shot - the bullet wouldn't hit the gunpowder he was carrying and blow up the whole crew - he'd just take the bullet in the back instead (a comforting thought for all the mothers of powder boys during the Civil War - ugh!!) Anyway - since this was not the real thing this Mama was thrilled he could do this!!

Happy Birthday Sam!! Mom and Daddy love you so much and are so proud of you!! We are sure God is going to use you for His good works!!

So now we are in September and the month is just flying by already!!! I have been so very, very busy!! I can't wait to share what we've been up to!

Blessings,

Christine

Vacation!!

2010-09-06T18:20:00.001-07:00

We did indeed camp near a real shipwreck - a ship that grounded here in 1906.

We are home and had a marvelous, restful and relaxing trip. Getting ready for school and laundry sorta kept me away from the computer for a while. We had so much fun and did so many things I can't begin to tell all - so I'll just let some of my many pictures speak for themselves :0)! Our humble house on wheels - a camping delight - if I may say so! I am now a wussie camper and proud of it - not being cold and scared all night long in a tent was awesome!!!!

Beach play - as you can see - we were blessed with unusually wonderful weather for the coast!! (the Oregon coast that is) it was nice enough to even get wet!!
Tide pools
The fabulous Oregon coast rocks!!!

Sam got to be the powder boy for the Civil War re-enactment they had at the fort (on his birthday no-less!!!)
Cannon fire Sunset on the beach
Kite flying on the Washington coast - note the amazingly blue sky - a rarity on this part of the Pacific!!!
The rain came creeping in on our last day - Goodbye coast - we had fun!!
We were indeed blessed with amazing weather, a gorgeous location and fabulous fun!! We were blessed with safety and good health! We came home rested and relaxed and ready to start the new season that is fast approaching.

Blessings,

Christine

Adventures!!

2010-08-21T21:13:00.001-07:00

We are off to see what's around the bend. Off to make memories. Off to have some fun and relaxation. Off to rough it - cooking outside, eating outside and for the first time ever for this seasoned camper - NOT sleeping outside!!! Yahoo!! This tent camping family has broken down and is taking along a little "house on wheels"!! The mama of this family has been tent camping since she was a mere babe in arms and is delighted at the prospect of not freezing her toes off all night long.
The story of our humble little trailer will have to wait until our return - but I will say this - all the elbow grease it took to get this temporary home ready makes this trip a well deserved rest!!

So for the next week we will be at the misty, foggy, rainy coast looking for sea shells, flying kites in the brief afternoon sun and warming our toes and fingers by the fire in the evening while we fill our tummy's with golden marshmallows!!

Have a blessed week!!
Love,
Christine

Heat Wave!!

2010-08-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

Non-stop pool play,
Clothes on the line (or swim-suits), Long naps on cool sheets, And iced mochas, are how us northern folk here in the Pacific Northwest handle the rare heat wave. We are expecting our third day in a row (and only our 5th day all summer) of temps around 90*. This girl is likin' all the sunshine - although the temps are a bit higher than we're used to!! We only have about 58 sunny days in a year so I'm all for soaking up the sun and warmth when I can!!! Back to clouds and sweatshirts later this week so I'm off to hang out more laundry and water my garden (which is loving this weather). Hope your Monday is a blessed one!!

Blessings,
Christine

Backyard News

2010-08-11T17:27:00.001-07:00

First from the Hen House:

We're getting anywhere from 4 to 6 eggs a day!! Yay!! Go chickies!!
We are hoping that soon we'll be averaging 7 to 8 a day but for pullets they're doing great!!
Some days it's more brown eggs:

And on others we get more blue:

And from the garden:

For late planting and a rather dreary summer it's doing better than I expected - a bit small but the last two weeks have seen a huge growth spurt!! Maybe I'll get a harvest after all!! Yay!! Go Garden!!!

In front of my zucchini there are tiny baby cabbage making their way up for a fall harvest.

And that's all for backyard news!!

Blessings,

Christine

Beauty

2010-08-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

A few evenings ago a quick glance at the sky assured us there would be a spectacular sunset. So we jumped into the car and left our home nestled in the hillside and drove away from the large trees that surround us. At the top of a neighboring hill look what we found!!!:

Isn't God an amazing artist!!! All for His Glory!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Yarny Fun!!

2010-08-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

Every summer I plan to sit in the backyard and watch the kids play in the pool and knit summer into dishcloths to use all winter:

This summer though there has been very little pool play:

This weekend my clothesline was not in use - but my knitting needles and crochet hook were!!

I finished up my wrap:

And I'm pleased with the results!! I think I'll be enjoying it lots the rest of the summer !! :0)
And I started a new project:
For my sister's baby that will be making his or her appearance sometime in early October!! I can't wait to meet the little one - but until then I will be praying for the sweetie with every stitch on this lovely green blankie! And - oh my - the pattern I picked is already giving me fits!! I hope I get the hang of it soon!!

And even though there is not much sun this summer I knitted away this weekend!! There is something so nice about taking out a pile of bright new washcloths on a dreary, dark winter morning with the scent of summer still clinging to them. I get a little burst of joy when I bring those cloths out to tidy up my kitchen!!!

Blessed Monday!!

Christine

July Birthdays

2010-07-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

We celebrate two birthdays in July. The first is for my charming daughter who turned thirteen this month. She is turning into such a beautiful young lady. I am so delighted when I see what a Godly young woman she is growing into!! God did indeed bless us when he put her in our family!!

She is such a great big sister - and a huge help to her mommy!!

The second birthday is my beloved hubby's!! I am blessed with such a kind, loving and Godly man!! He works two jobs so that we can homeschool our children - he is a wonderful Daddy and really just the best!!! I love him so much!!!
Who doesn't love a Daddy who will dress a dolly for his little girl!! :0) Happy Birthday Honey and Ruthie-girl!! I am so blessed by both of you!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Weeds

2010-07-28T10:02:00.001-07:00

Even though we've had less than a stellar gardening season here I still need to get out and dig in my garden - it's an urge I just can't resist. Although my garden is very late and puny for late July - I still feel the need to take care of it.

I noticed the weeds were taking root the other day - lots of them!!
So I got out my handy dandy weeding tool and went at it:

And it began to look tons better.

While I weed my gardens my mind almost always goes down the same path. I usually think about how - if I don't get the weeds while they are small they will be much more difficult to get later and how they will multiply if I ignore them and how they will choke out the good veggies I have planted.

Then I think about the "weeds" that grow in my own life - the sins that want to grow in my heart - "weeds" of anxiety, worry, discontent, gossip etc. I think about how they will grow (and in some cases have grown) until they are difficult to remove. How they will choke out the good things that God wants me to grow. Then I end up praying in my garden that God will show me what nasty things are growing in my life and that He will help rid them and replace them with His goodness.

I used to think that weeds were awful and they served no purpose - but now I think otherwise - at least in my garden they serve to remind me of the state of my heart and they drive me to Him. That's a pretty neat purpose in my book!!!

Well - in my walk through my garden beds this morning I noticed some weeds I missed last time are getting bigger fast and it's time to plant some Fall harvest crops - broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Swiss chard - so it's out to the garden for me.

Oh, before I go - an update on Daniel: He did see a neuologist for his seizure and the results were pretty much what we expected - the cause is not known. There are probably many different factors when all put together caused this brain to react. He did recommend further testing which we have decided to pursue - beginning next week. Dan is also not allowed to drive for 6 months per state law (which is probably the hardest thing EVER for an 18 year old boy!!!) So for now we are just hoping this was a one time event and praising God that he seems just fine!!

Blessings,
Christine

A Summer Weekend

2010-07-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we visited a very beautiful part of our state.

The gorgeous Mt. Baker National Forest.

We found a pretty place to spread our blanket.
We ate good food.
We played and played and played!

We drove a longg time.

We admired the wildlife (even when running away from it!!)

We found creative ways to entertain ourselves in the van:
We drove through several small towns in the midst of amazing beauty:
We relaxed:
Enjoyed God's creation
And came home by the light of the moon.
What a fabulous day spent with (most) of our children!

Hope your weekend was wonderful too!!

Blessings,

Christine

My Closet

2010-07-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

When I reorganized my closet a few weeks back I was so happy with the result! I had a clean, uncluttered space that had a door that I could shut - with unused floor space (how often do you find that in a smaller house crammed with 10 people? :0)!! )

The next day - ~~hiding from the kids~~ needing a break - I found myself in my closet with the door shut and I had an inspiration. I have always wanted a place to have my devotions. A quiet place where I can be alone. And here it is - in my closet!!!

I got a big puffy pillow to sit on - a pretty smelling candle for the shelf and a basket to hold my pens, highlighters and my glasses and Tu-Dum!! My very own prayer closet!! Now I am more thrilled than ever with my closet reorganization!!

And I am making good use of it these days!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Eggs!!!!

2010-07-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

My chicken coop is one of my favorite things!! I love my chickens. They are so quirky and goofy!

Each chicken has such a unique personality - just like people. They aren't the smartest creatures on earth but that just adds to their charm and there is a reason the phrase "you're a chicken" refers to being afraid!! They are so flighty it's funny!!

But we have chickens for another reason besides entertainment - and my girls have grown up from cute little chicks and are now doing their job!!!

I'm so happy - we are now getting eggs!!! Not 9 a day yet - just one or two as each hen is learning how to do it. But soon we will be having an abundance of yummy, wholesome organic eggs!!

I think that's why I love my chickens so much - and why I love my garden too - knowing my work is making our backyard a place of provision for my family. All the digging, weeding, feeding, watering, straw pitching, seed planting, composting is actually feeding my children. It is such a great feeling to put a salad on the table for dinner that was grown in the garden or to pull some green beans from the freezer in the winter that came from the back yard during the summer. Going out to the coop and getting eggs and bringing them in to scramble for breakfast or put into some baked goods is so wonderful!! And to know it was all grown without hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, or chemicals is the very best!! I can't help but praise God every day for the satisfying job he has given me!!

Update on Daniel: He seems to be doing very well since his seizure. After a day of every muscle being very sore and a very bad headache (probably from banging his head very hard on the pavement repeatedly) he is back to normal. He is seeing a neurologist tomorrow morning - so we will have more information soon. Thank you for your prayers - they are so appreciated!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Curve Balls

2010-07-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

I had a completely different post planned for today. But...life is unexpected. Last evening quite out of the blue, Daniel (our 18 year old) had a grand mal seizure. It was a long one - and he experienced quite a long period of amnesia afterwards. The fire truck and aid car helped out and after a trip to the ER and lots of testing he was sent home with a referral to a neurologist.

We know there is no brain tumor or anything of that nature - we don't know if there is anything else - so the specialist will let us know about that. We do suspect it may be a combination of lack of sleep, an energy drink he had with a friend and maybe some other factors that just made his brain go crazy. The thing with seizures is that there is no real way to tell what causes them sometimes.

Because this happened in front of several of our younger kids there has been lots of comforting and snuggling going on today. Grand mal seizures are very dramatic and scary to witness and since it happened at church there were lots of panic stricken teens about. The event actually was pretty chaotic.

We strive to lead a quiet life. I tell my kids the goal is to stay off the 6 o'clock news (which thankfully we did last night :0)!!!) I don't really do well with drama of any kind. The last few months we have become too acquainted with the ER - yucky stress - but last night was ickier than we've had - Hubby and I very worried (of course) - scared kids at home (of course) - but on top of that was a bunch of hysterical teenagers milling around. Wowie!!!

There is lots to be thankful for - Dan wasn't driving when it happened, that he wasn't alone, that there is nothing but his weird teenage boy brain in his head and probably many more things I can't even see right now!!

God is good and He is in charge and I'm so glad! But I am wondering...When does this Mama get a rest?!!!

P.S. Energy Drinks are forever banned for my kids!!!!!! :0)

Sew Busy

2010-07-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's funny how one thing leads to another. I rearranged my closet and my sewing machine became more available which put me in the mood to sew. I sewed new valances for my kitchen windows and now I'm sewing for the girls.

Little play skirts are a snap to make. I went though all my fabric and grabbed a bunch I thought they'd like and away I went.
For a few days I just stayed at my machine - but began to get behind on other stuff - so now it's just as I have a few minuted here and there.

The girls love these little skirts and I love making them!!

After this it's on to pj pants for those who need new jammies (which is nearly everyone -
they just keep growing!!)

I don't know about you but summer is keeping me busy!!! I feel like I have less time to be on the computer than in the winter!! But it's all fun stuff I'm busy with!!

Blessings,

Christine

If I had been blogging.....

2010-07-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

Our computer received the lovely "Blue Screen of Death" since the last time I blogged which caused an unplanned blogging vacation. After much fiddling around with it my hubby has me back on the computer - not completely sure it's fixed but at least all is backed up so that if this silly thing goes really bad I haven't lost my pictures!!

So...If I had been blogging the last couple of weeks I would have mentioned the number 273. Why is the number 273 significant? Well...back near the beginning of my bloggy break we finally got two days that reached the 75* mark. It had been 273 days since we had temps outside get to 75*!!! Those two days we went and celebrated by doing this:
and this: Yes, the weather got a bit warm and we had to dig up my garden and plant. I just couldn't leave it :0) So we'll see how it does - the latest we've ever planted - for sure!!!

The weather went right back to rainy and cold - so if I was on the computer I would have written about the closets I cleaned and the sewing I've done:My new kitchen windows - I'm so happy with them!!!

All the crocheting on my summer project would probably have made it on the computer as well:

The lovely blue jars I found at a garage sale to add to my collection would most certainly have been posted!!

And since I'm back I will mention that all of a sudden the weather has gone from rainy and low 60's to the eighty's in a day!! The pool is getting put up and my lawn chair is out, ready to spend some time playing and soaking up some much needed Vitamin D!!!

We have had so much fun playing and enjoying this summer so far!!! But having the sun out now will make the celebration of summer that much more fun!!!!

Why a Mama's Hair Turns Grey

2010-06-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

A certain young man in our home made a phone call home this week that made my heart drop!!

"Mom, I've been in an accident!! I really messed up, Mom!!!"

He's fine. Passengers are fine. Other driver - fine. Other driver's car - not so good - but fixable. Our car on the other hand...it no longer runs - it will never run again. :0( Something inside is broken beyond repair.

Our insurance.... Our finances.... My mental state....- all questionable!!!

A moment of inattention. A second of eyes off the road. It happens. We still love him - we are still proud of him!!

But...I don't want anymore phone calls like that - it's making me turn grey!!!

(I didn't show all the damage because I don't know how to blur out the plate number - which is something a friend advised me to do)

We are going to play this weekend - nothing fancy - no place to be on time - no schedules - no noisy crowds - just peace and play!! All the chaos of the last few weeks has been fun - but we need peace and quiet and play!!!

Hope your weekend is blessed!!

Christine

A Day of Celebration!!!

2010-06-16T08:56:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful day!!! The launching of our second young man into the adult world!! It was a wonderful graduation ceremony with the focus squarely on the purpose God has for each of these young people!! It was inspirational to listen to the talented students speak about the role God plays in their lives. This day gave me hope for the future!!

And after the Pomp and Circumstance hubby and I got to hand Daniel his diploma - which was an honor!!
(sorry for the fuzzy pic - it was the best my little camera could do)

At the reception (hoping my makeup was still on my face - there were some tears!!)
Then the party began - lots of friends, family and food!! We were blessed with fabulous weather (finally something over 65*!!) so picnic it was!!

Except for the teens who wanted to sit closer to the food :0)

For dessert I tried out the chocolate fountain that was given to us for Christmas - a festive way to end the day!! It was a hit!! Especially with the kids!! (and teens!!)
Messy but fun!!
All in all - a lovely, memorable, fabulous day spent celebrating the launch of a Godly young man into the adult world!! This is why we homeschooling parents keep doing what we are doing - passing on the things of God (with His help of course!!) Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Getting Ready!!

2010-06-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning we all woke up to this!!!:

Waking up to sunshine - at last!! I ran around my garden to see what was going on:

We are back to rain today but very nice weather is predicted for the weekend and we are sooo glad. Excitement is building for a very important day in our family. Commencement exercises for our second son are on Saturday!!! Yay!!! We are so proud of him!!!

The Cap and gown are out - getting de-wrinkled and preparations are going on for a big family celebration following the big event. Dan is graduating with 56 other homeschooled kids in our area. It promises to be a wonderful event featuring the talents of these amazing kids and speeches by some very Godly men!!
A busy, busy week preparing for the launching of our young man into the adult world!! Wow!! I can hardly believe it is time!! (I'm also making sure I have a box of kleenex ready :0)!!)

Blessings,

Christine

Not Quite Summer

2010-06-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

We've had storm after storm roll through our area lately. Nothing like the storm that my friend Cinnamon blogged about but the typical Pacific Northwest storm that looks like this:
all day long for many days!!! Very chilly, grey and wet!!

The sun came out for a few minutes yesterday so I ran out and took a few pictures of my garden:
Yep - nothin'!!! It's just too wet!! :(
After talking about it with hubby I decided to let my garden lie fallow this summer - and spend the time amending my soil. I'm going to try and find a friendly farmer to share some of his animal manure (probably won't be too hard to persuade him!!) and add that and other goodies to my dirt to make it all nice and rich again!!

So what to do for someone that must get their fingers in the dirt? Well, I'm going to concentrate on my flower beds. They look pretty nice right now - from a distance:

But really, they have icky things like fungus problems and slugs - you know the kinds of things that like wet weather!

Thankfully, I have something new to keep me happy in the yard:
My new chicken coop:

And the ladies that live there:

Aren't they cute? We have nine chickens. Mrs. Chicken, Daisy, Stripey (pronounced Dripey by little man) and Brown Betty all live here along with five other lovely ladies that would be named if we could tell them apart :0)!! We are expecting eggs soon and we are so excited!!!

I would like to put up a sign on my coop but I am stumped when it comes to thinking up a cute name for it. I am looking for ideas - so if you have a cute name for a chicken coop just leave a comment.

Have a blessed weekend!!!

Christine

Pretend Monday

2010-06-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a Daybook in a long time - Thought it was time to start again :0) Even though it's not Monday is sure feels like one around here so we're pretending it is - then we'll be pleasantly surprised when Friday rolls around sooner than expected!!

For Today...June 1, 2010

Outside my Window...My little maple tree is in full summer leaf and it's sooo pretty. The skies are dark with heavy rain clouds - we're having another January storm - here on the first day of June - crazy I tell you!!!!

I am Thankful for...our military men and women who are serving and have served to keep this country free!!!

I am Remembering...the short but lovely visit I had with my parents last week when they came for my niece's graduation.

I am Creating...a very pretty mobius style scarf with the yarn my son gave me for Mother's Day (he gave me a gift certificate to a local yarn store) Still making wintery things since the weather seems so wintery still :0)

I am Going...to finish up formal school with the kids this week (I hope!!!)

I am reading...the Psalms

I am Hoping...the weather clears up soon!!! We are just itching to spend more time outside - we have been dodging rain squalls to get out now!!!

On my mind...All the things I need to do for Dan's graduation

From the Learning Rooms...finishing up the Civil War and we just finished our science book today - yahoo!!!

I am Noticing...That my chicken's voices have changed - they no longer peep - they cluck!! I'm expecting eggs sometime in July.

From the Kitchen...I am in the worst menu slump!! I need help thinking up meals - if anyone has good ideas - I'm open!!!

Around the House...just general cleanup - the bathrooms need my attention and I need to do some decluttering.

One of my favorite things...loooonnnnggg spring evenings when the kids go out to play after dinner and hubby and I walk around the yard together and visit - ohhh we need this rain to stop!!!

A few plans for the rest of the Week...get end of year paperwork done for the school district (so they know I'm a responsible homeschool mom :0)!!)

A picture to Share...Es playing in the sand a few weeks ago - she LOVES sand play - we're going to come up with a sandbox for her - she'll sit for hours playing in it!

For more Simple Woman inspiration go to http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

An Amazing Girl!!

2010-05-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

My family is beginning the rounds of graduations we are celebrating this year. My second born is among them!!!

But last night belonged to my lovely and amazing niece. I am so proud of her!!! She graduated last night from her small Christian school with all her family and friends cheering her on.

She gave a speech that gave all the glory to God for how He has turned her life around. Tears were everywhere.
You see my beautiful niece was born to a mother who loved drugs more than she loved her children and she let them all slip away from her as she focused on her next high. For many years this sweet girl made the rounds in the foster care system until God brought her to my brother's home. This was where God began to do his mighty work in her heart. And now she is firmly His child and firmly anchored in out hearts as well!!!

Eight years ago my niece joined our family feeling like nothing but "leftovers" in her words and now she is a child of the KING!!!

Last night I wept with sadness at what my niece had to endure as a mere baby and with incredible joy at the amazing, beautiful, poised and vibrant young woman she has become. God has great plans for this young lady, I'm quite sure!!!!

My brother and my sister-in-love with their lovely girl:

My brother praying a blessing over his daughter:
What a fabulous evening it was!!!

Congratulations sweet girl!!!!

Blessings,

Christine

A Special Find

2010-05-25T16:59:00.001-07:00

I did a little garage sale/treasure hunting this weekend. Honestly, I do much better treasure hunting at thrift stores instead of garage sales but every once in a while I give garage saling a try. I had heard that there was a HUGE community sale in a fairly wealthy area in a neighboring town last weekend. I decided to give it a shot. Well, Ruthie and I drove around and didn't find the Huge sale but we did find plenty of regular garage sales. We found some good clothes and some pretty baskets for cheap - but still no great finds. After an hour of getting in and out of the car we decided to call it day.

We saw one more sign and agreed to drive by. As we slowly made our way past the driveway we both gasped at the same time and I made a quick stop. We looked at each other and dived out of the car and quick stepped right up to the home. They were packing up but welcomed us to look around. We knew exactly what we wanted to see!! The ladies were selling their Depression Glass!!! Depression Glass still for sale at the END of a busy garage sale day!!!

So for a few bucks I got two new special treasures!! I love depression glass - especially the green and pink and I ended up with two pieces that I have never even seen before - complete with bubbles in the glass!!! So pretty!!!!

Hope your day is filled with treasures!!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Life

2010-05-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Boy, I have been away from my computer for a long while!!! I have been occupied with ...well...Life!!! Every day just slips by so quickly.

Life has been both wonderful and difficult lately.

Some wonderful stuff...

My sweet 4 year old little man turned into a sweet 5 year old little man:

He is a little man just filled with joy and love - every day he tells me "I love you infinity!!!" And I love him infinity right back!!! He is a true gift from God to this family!!!

We've had some lovely family outings:

And some fun times at home:

We have also had our share of storms:
Literally - Essie is enjoying the recent snow and hail storm we had:

And figuratively - you know - the regular ones - gray days, rowdy kids, busy schedules, bills, broken cars etc.

Then there are the bigger ones - Hubby going out of town for a week and the stomach flu sweeping through the family while he was gone.

And others a bit more traumatic - another ER run - yes!! another - making up a total of three in three weeks!! This is so out of character for us!! This time Abbie had symptoms that were very, very similar to our friend Gunnar over at Knights and Maidens Gathering when he had appendicitis so after watching her for a while we felt like we should not mess around - so in she went. After much poking and prodding it was discovered that she did not have what we feared but she indeed did have a nasty infection. So home we went with antibiotics that cost $300!!!! So while we are so very glad she did not need surgery we are kinda standing here scratching our heads - after many, many years with fairly good insurance (which we rarely needed to access) we had to make a change to less than good and now we are holding the bag to some very large medical bills.

Through all this I wish I could say that I have rested with peace and joy in God's gracious arms. But to be honest - I really haven't. I am ashamed to say that my old evil friends - fear and anxiety have grabbed ahold of me and won't let go. Oh how I hate these terrible emotions!! They are robbers and thieves!! I know how I should live - I know God is much bigger than my circumstances - that not one sparrow escapes His loving gaze - so - why 0h why - do I fret?!!! One thing is certain though - God is a forgiving, loving God who cares for me in spite of my sin and even when it doesn't feel to me like things are going well - He is in charge!! And I am so glad He is!!!!

I have done some rearranging of my schedule (again :0)!!) to allow me a bit more time on the computer - yay!!! I have realized my computer time for the last year and a half have been while I've been nursing a baby. Nursing a toddler is a bit different and it's not easy to blog at the same time!!! :0)

Nursemaid's Elbow, Kidney Stones and other stuff

2010-04-24T12:55:00.000-07:00

Life around here has been CRAZY!!!

When you've got these type people living at your house there is a certain amount of angst and drama:
Well, at least at our house that seems to be the way it is - I sure hope we're not the only ones that experience the sometimes draining aspects of raising teens!! And with four of them living here, well...... (and yes my son will probably never forgive me for posting this picture - but since he thinks blogs are for weird people - and I'm weird - he may never notice :0)!!!)

And then there are the small people living here - little whirlwinds that create messes where ever they go!!! This little sweetie got her arm dislocated this week (big sister was rescuing her from being plowed over by some fire doors at school and swooped her from danger a bit too fast!!). Poor baby - it involved a trip to the ER to have it taken care of. A lot of tears appeared both for sweetie and me!!!

A couple of days later after dealing with more teenaged angst and drama (well...discipline issues really) my dear hubby doubled over and announced he needed an immediate trip to the ER due to extreme pain (can't be still kind of pain) - the result - a kidney stone!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!
The laundry pile is OUT OF CONTROL!!!!

But blessings happen in the midst of craziness - my lovely sister gave me this beautiful blue and white plate she found at a thrift store!!! What an amazing find!!! And she shared it with me - what a sweet sister I have!!! I adore transfer ware, especially blue and white!! The scene on this plate is so sweet and calm - little sheep, a tiny church steeple in the background and a rustic wagon!! I love it!! It gave me so much cheer in the midst of chaos!!!To keep myself from going crazy - which really, is a distinct possibility - I have been trying to keep up with my handwork. There is a major need for new dishcloths here so that has been the direction of my creating - these colors are just yummy!!!

My hubby is fine now and sweet Es is also better - but my anxious heart is struggling!! When things seem to get out of hand (And two trips to the ER in a week - plus all the other stuff seems out of hand to me!!!!) fear and anxiety stalk me. I hate it. I know it's not how God wants me to live. I am daily, hourly and by the minute hanging on to God's mercy and grace!! He is good!!! And I am blessed to have the creator of the stars listen to my pleas for peace!!!

Out to Play

2010-04-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

Enjoying warm sunshine seems to be something enjoyed by many creatures!!

Little girls:
Big girls:

Medium girls:

And this creature that I almost stepped on in our backyard yesterday!!! :
And yes my son is wearing it around his neck!!! Amazingly enough, this beautiful creature was greeted with joy (after my initial shriek of alarm that caused my husband to drop his hammer and come to see what all the noise was about!!!)

The snake is well known to us and loved by us. Her name is Delilah and Daniel has raised her from the time she was the size of a small earthworm.

Over a year ago she escaped her glass home and we never saw her again - much to our dismay - some of which had to do with the idea of coming across a large snake unexpectedly (like at the bottom of my bed when I jump in for the night) or smelling her from some unfound corner after she met her demise. Ewww!!!

Anyway we never found her and we sadly assumed she was dead - after all a snake raised on non-living (okay - dead and frozen) mice can't really go hunting for herself right?

Wrong!!! There she was - sunning herself in the back yard - perfectly healthy and bigger!!!

She was gently caught and put back into her glass home - for I am not keen on that kind of surprise again!! Us Western Washington natives are not at all used to coming across large colorful reptiles unexpectedly - and I hope to keep it that way!!

Welcome home prodigal snake - I am happy you are home - and I like you very much - IN your glass house. Please stay there!!!!

And yes, I do keep little mice in the freezer - the things we do for our kids!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Twenty Two Years

2010-04-16T09:32:00.001-07:00

Twenty two years ago today at 2:00 in the afternoon Wayne and I began our journey together as husband and wife. It is official today - I have lived with this man more than half my life!!!

To say our life together has been perfect would not be truth - we have been impatient with each other, we have hurt each other, we've said and done things we shouldn't. But still, we have grown together, build each other up, encouraged each other and been there for each other.

It has been clear to us that God brought us together and has been the driving force in our marriage. It was our hope 22 years ago that people would see Him in us and it is still our hope that our marriage would be a testimony of His love!!!
April 16, 1988 I walked down the aisle and said "I Do" and twenty two years and eight children later I say "I Do, I Do, I Do"!!!!!

Thank you God, for 22 years with the wonderful man you blessed me with and Thank you Wayne for all these years of blessing!!!

Happy weekend - Wayne and I are celebrating!!!

Learning to Sing

2010-04-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

No, I am not taking voice lessons - although if you were to stand next to me at church during worship you might think it was a good idea :0)!!! I was reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers the other day and this captured my heart:

"Neither will I in any wise forsake thee." Sometimes it is not difficulty that makes me think God will forsake me, but drudgery. There is no Hill Difficulty to climb, no vision given, nothing wonderful or beautiful, just the commonplace day in and day out - can I hear God's say-so in these things?
We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing, that He is preparing and fitting us for some extraordinary thing by and bye, but as we go on in grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, in the present minute. If we have God's say-so behind us, the most amazing strength comes, and we learn to sing in the ordinary days and ways.

Wow!! When I am sweeping the floor for the third time today, cleaning bathrooms, making lunch, correcting spelling papers, changing diapers, giving history lessons, doing laundry and all the other ordinary things I do God is glorifying Himself. I don't have to have a dramatic testimony or an amazing story!!

I have been thinking about this devotional so much lately - I am "learning to sing in the ordinary days and ways"!!

By the way, if you own this book and want to read the whole devotional it is the June 4th page (yes, I always read these out of order - don't know why - I just do :0)!!!)

Blessings,

Christine

Spring Cleaning 101

2010-04-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

I was asked by my friend Becky over at Holiday in the Sun for some tips on how I get stuff done - time management she called it.

Hmmm - this is the thing - I don't have any answers for Becky!!! Honestly - some days I can really buckle down and get a goal completed and others I just fly from one thing to another like a dizzy bumblebee!! Some days the little ones are very needy and it seems like nothing on my list gets checked off except getting out of bed (and some of those days I kinda wish I didn't have too :0)!!!) - and then there are days that they are all happily doing something on their own and I get my listed completed and then some. But most of the time I have big ideas and then I have to trim my goals to fit real life!!

Spring break was last week and I really had plans to Spring clean my whole house - but reality set in and I got about half of it done - the rest was tidied and decluttered by the end of the weekend. So really even though I didn't reach my goal I am satisfied with what I did get done!!!

I started by treating myself to some pretty smelling cleaners. Normally I don't buy this kind of stuff - instead making a lot of my own - but I knew I would be inspired to keep going with the pretty, clean scent filling the house - I even treated myself to some ironing spray - a real luxury!!

Then I started moving around furniture and taking off slip covers and taking down valances and generally making a bigger mess!!

Then I started taking things off the walls and taking every thing off my little tables: And got busy washing walls and shining my pictures, washing my pretties, polishing furniture, washing and ironing valances, slipcovers and throws, shining windows!! Phew!!!

I gave the kids jobs to do and believe it or not - most of the time they thought it was fun!! When it got to hard too keep them happy I sent them outside to play or set them up with a game in their room.

Then the fun part: putting it all back together - everything smelling so nice and pretty and sparkly clean!! I even cleaned my light fixtures so at nighttime everything still looks brighter!!

All in all - it worked out pretty well. I didn't get the whole house - really, that was kinda a silly goal considering the small people that need lots of care still - but I made a very nice dent in the Spring cleaning!!

So that's it - my plan for getting stuff done - just setting my mind and doing it :0) - nothing fancy - no charts or day planners or anything. And if the truth be known - I probably missed something important while I was washing walls - but I had fun doing what I did!!!

Blessings,
Christine

He is Risen Indeed!!!

2010-04-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

I am late to post something about Easter - but the wonderful thing about being a Christian is that the celebration of Christ's Resurrection is something we can celebrate everyday!!! His saving grace isn't just a one time thing but something we experience with every breath we take!!!

The gift of His forgiveness is not experienced one day a year on a holiday called Easter but is received every evening when we review our day and repent of our sin! He gives us grace every time we breathe a prayer throughout the day!! What an amazing, glorious thing - to have a relationship that close with the Creator of the world and His Son!!!

He is Risen!!! He is Risen indeed!!!

The younger half of the kids all in their Easter finery - not liking the picture taking hubs was doing - we had a few moments of sunshine - and their eyes were not used to it after a long period of rain!!

We are on Spring break and I am spending the week spring cleaning the house. Washing walls, windows and linens, plumping cushions, polishing furniture, taking ashes from the fireplace and removing clutter after a winter indoors. What a refreshing way to start the long days of spring and summer!!!

Blessings!!

Christine

April 1st!!

2010-04-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged much lately. We've been ever so busy!! Life has been so good - but a whirlwind just the same!!

While we are busy with all our children - one in particular has been using much of our spare time. He is at the stage of life where there are a ton of activities and momentous changes in his life. Today is that young man's birthday. Daniel is 18 years old today. All those years ago when I called my friends and family to let them know he had arrived they all laughed and said "April Fool's!!"

He has been anything but a fool, though!! He is a wise, Godly young man with a passion to share Jesus. We are so proud of him. Our time has been busy because this young man is graduating high school in a few short weeks and that has required many meeting with our homeschool co-op. Big changes!! Daniel has also needed counsel and guidance to make it to Eagle Scout!! Yay!!! He did it!!! Our family now boasts 2 Eagle Scouts - what an accomplishment these boys have done!!!

Anyway, I'm rambling - but I wanted to say Happy Birthday Daniel!!! We are so proud of you and I know God has great plans for you!!!

Change

2010-03-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

I will admit this morning to a great deal of disappointment over the change in direction our country took last night when Congress voted!! I have a lot of doubt that our tax dollars won't be funding the deaths of tiny babies!! I am fearful that the new taxes and higher insurance premiums will directly impact our family and make life very difficult for our children in the future!!

But I have faith that all of this is no surprise to our Heavenly Father!! He is my assurance!! My shepherd!! My real leader!! He will take care of us - far better than any government can!!! I can rest in that!!!

by the Newsboys

Father, blessed Father
Lead and guide us for Your name's sake
And keep us in the shelter of Your presence
'til we see Your face

Let us hear what You say
Let us know Your voice and all of Your ways
Take our hands, lead us home
To the refuge that we find in You alone

All adoration
To our Lord Redeemer
To our Shepherd
Who carries us forevermore

A picture of quite a few years ago - before sweet Essie - A picture of childlike rest!!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Birthday Girl!!!

2010-03-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

My sweet, toothless 6 year old had a birthday and now she's a sweet toothless 7 year old!!

A butterfly cake for my butterfly girl!!

And then a trip to Build a Bear for her very own build-a-bunny! She is crazy in love with her birthday bunny. What a fun time - letting her pick out her own squishy baby to love!!

Our Abbie girl is such a gift from God - with all her she mommy traits she already has. I know God has a wonderful plan for sweet Abbie!!!

Happy Birthday Honey-girl!!!

Mommy and Daddy love you so very much!!

Counting My Blessings

2010-03-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, what a week it has been!!! It feels like this week has lasted three weeks and it's only Wednesday!!! Hubs and I had a huge decision to make - that while a blessing to have to do - was complicated and difficult. Naughty little children and sassy big ones (yes, my kids do have their moments - gasp!!) coupled with lack of sleep have made my days long. I have struggled to bring my stress to God and have been threatened with overwhelming anxiety. Sigh - I wish I was better at handling the crazy times!!

So because I have struggled to have something nice to say I decided to post pictures that would remind me to count my blessings!!

A future veggie garden - ahhh!!! The joys of playing in the dirt!!!!
A new project (although in the store with bad lighting these colors looked so much better together - I took that blue row off after I snapped this picture). So, even if the colors aren't working just yet - keeping my hands busy is good for my churning brain!!

My baby weeping cherry tree is enjoying her first Spring in my front garden!!

An adorable puppy we took care of for a couple of days this week - so cute!! And she did cure my urge for a puppy - for which my husband is very grateful!!! Abbie was enchanted with her until she pottied in the house and then commented that puppies are a lot of work :0)!!! She was a wonderful, perky distraction!!!

Did you get yours? My, the government wants a lot of information!! This will keep my busy for a while!!!

A new mug to sip my coffee (for only $1!!) Why does my coffee taste so much better in a pretty mug?
Making cookies together - what a great team!!!!
The resident, assistant pastry chef. We have a birthday coming up - so I needed this critical help with the cake decorating!!
Well, these pictures have certainly helped me count my blessings!!! My life is so richly blessed!!! God is good and I am able to go to sleep every night knowing my children have full tummies and a warm place to lay their head!! When I slow down and take a breath and put myself aside and God first (where he is supposed to be) I know without a doubt He is good!!!

Blessings,

Christine

P.S. And as I sit here at my computer typing this out, I am being serenaded by the most wonderful frog songs - Spring has arrived!

A Field Trip

2010-03-01T19:25:00.001-08:00

A field trip to the local feed store was on the calender for today:

To check out these sweet creatures that just arrived:

We added a few to our family - three Araucanas and three Red Stars to be exact. Aren't they cute?!!!

They are already well loved!!! Names will be announced (at the moment, I am vetoing names like Batman and Iron Man - they are girls after all!!!)

After several years without chickens I am super excited to be having them back in our family! Homegrown eggs are the BEST!!! We will be adding six more as the feed store gets more varieties in over the Spring for an even dozen!!

A Good Purchase

2010-02-23T17:06:00.000-08:00

Nearly 22 years ago hubby and I bought this bird feeder. It was probably one of the first "non necessities" we purchased together - we were so poor back then!!! It proved to be a good investment though - it's still around and in fact it has hung in this very same spot for over 18 years!!!

I don't fill it now as I feel badly about luring sweet finches, juncos and chickadees to my yard only to have the kitty cat chase them - someday I will be catless and I will fill it again. In the mean-time I love looking at that rustic bird feeder hanging in my pie cherry tree.

I love the collection of mosses and lichens that now adorn the roof!!

It's like a little world all in it's own!! God is so creative!!!! And yes - the winter rains did return to our neck of the woods - but my little daffs are blooming away!!

Spring is on it's way!!

Blessings!!

Christine

A New Week

2010-02-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

For Today...February 22, 2010

Outside My Window...A bright sunny morning - what a mild February we've had!!! I have heard that the rains are returning this week though. I better enjoy it today!!

I Am Thankful For...Major chores that were bothering me are now out of the way - feels good to have those off my plate!!!

I am Remembering...The very cold and snowy winter we had last year - when the icicles were as long as my arm hanging off my roof!!!

I am Creating...a new throw for my living room. My old ones are getting tattered with heavy use. Time for something different!!

I am Reading...A Louis L'Amor western that I got from the thrift store for a few cents. I love old westerns - fun reading!! And of course my Bible - I am rereading Matthew.

I am Hoping...We hear good news of a new opportunity this week from my hubby's interview last week!!! He's thinks it went well but it's all up to God!!!

On My Mind...too many thing that I really shouldn't be worrying about!! I HATE anxiety but sometimes it just seems to come a make a home in my brain!!!

From the Learning Rooms...Getting back into it after a break. Getting restarted is sometimes challenging especially when the weather is so nice - but by tomorrow the rains will be back and the kiddos will not be staring out the window longingly :0)!!

I am Noticing...my kids seem to be far more cheerful with their siblings when they are sharing tidy rooms with more room to play!!!

I am Pondering...the words to the hymn I heard yesterday (the one I posted yesterday as well) I KNOW my Redeemer LIVES!!!! Praise His Name!!!!

From the Kitchen...Smoothies this morning and chicken wraps for lunch. I'm thinks Spaghetti for dinner.

Around the House...a huge tidy up and getting caught back up in the laundry - I got behind with all my other big projects last week.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...Company for dinner tomorrow, regular school activities this week. Back to a regular running around :0)!!!

A Picture I am Sharing...Playing with our pretty rocks

For more Simple Woman inspiration go to http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
Have a blessed Monday!!!

~Christine

I Know That My Redeemer Lives!!

2010-02-21T16:50:00.000-08:00

I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever living Head.

He lives to bless me with His love,
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed,
He lives to help in time of need.

He lives triumphant from the grave,
He lives eternally to save,
He lives all glorious in the sky,
He lives exalted there on high.

He lives to grant me rich supply,
He lives to guide me with His eye,
He lives to comfort me when faint,
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears,
He lives to wipe away my tears
He lives to calm my troubled heart,
He lives all blessings to impart.
(I LOVE this verse!!!)

He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend,
He lives and loves me to the end;
He lives, and while He lives, I’ll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.

He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives, and I shall conquer death:
He lives my mansion to prepare;
He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives, all glory to His Name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same.
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives,
I know that my Redeemer lives!

Samuel Medley, 1775
lyrics from http://www.nethymnal.org/

No Search Party Needed

2010-02-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

Nope, no need to send in a search party!! I got the job done - and I decided to take advantage of my cleaning frenzy and move on to the kids rooms!! Ahh - now there was an opportunity to get lost in a mess forever!!! But in spite of the very, very tempting warm and sunny weather outside, I stuck to it and got the job done. And not to pat myself on the back too much - I must say that I am proud of myself for persevering!!

Our room - all neat and tidy - my place of refuge!!:

The boys room - Every lego, k'nex, hotwheels, and toy soldier in their place. Every nerf dart and baseball has a home!!

Sleep tight my little men!!!

Every polly pocket, littlest pet shop, hair bow, bobby pin and piece of clothing all tucked away. Every dolly and her dresses and teddy bear snuggled in their beds!!

Sweet dreams my little ladies!!!
Oh this was a big, big job, but boy, do I feel good!!! I rearranged furniture to create more room. I made special places for the bigger kids stuff so that little fingers can not pry anymore. And put things in new containers so that everything has a home. I think the rooms will be so much easier for the kids to maintain and so much more fun to play and sleep in!!!

Now to go and sit in the sun with my crochet hook and a ball of yarn - I need a rest!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Dirty Toothbrushes and Other Stuff

2010-02-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

So why is my toothbrush soaking in soap and boiling water? I wish I could say it is because I'm so together that I wash all toothbrushes after we've been sick (a good idea!) but really this toothbrush cleaning comes as a result of a busy little toddler dropping my toothbrush into the diaper pail - YUCK!!!!

It's things like that all day long, that may be the reason why the top of my fridge gets to looking like this:

Since it's mid-winter break around here for all the schools I decided to take some time and get those long needed tasks done - with help of course:

Better - don't you think? Now to keep those taller people in my home from putting stuff back up there!!!:

While I was in the kitchen I decided to empty my pantries and get them back in order:
With more help:
Tu-dum - back the way I like them:
By the way - do you see that jar of Smuckers Raspberry Jam at the bottom of my canning pantry? For the life of me, I can not figure out why my sweet husband bought that - we have a pantry full of raspberry jam made with berries hand picked by him!! Must have been a tiny senior moment - or he was really hungry!! This is the danger of having a second job at a grocery store in the evenings :0)!! Today it's my room and closet - if you don't hear from me send in a search party!!!

Blessings!

~Christine

Around the Next Curve

2010-02-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

Our family loves to take long drives - to travel down country roads we've never been on before. The unusual sunny February we have been having just begs us to go and see what's around the next curve!!

Some scenes from yesterday's jaunt:

Away we go:
Oddly enough the further North we traveled the more advanced Spring became - I found this beautiful tree at a park where we stopped to play.

I love "snooping" - looking in people's yards - sometimes you see cute things like baby goats or big fat brown pigs or old trucks that have been left behind!!

Some swans wintering over - waiting for their northern homes to defrost so they can raise new families. We have many flocks of swans and snow geese winter in the fields here:
Mount Baker - one of the gorgeous mountains surrounding our home:

Some pretty barns:

Sleeping babies:

More sleeping babies:

My dream home with accompanying barn and fields - wouldn't it be a wonderful place to raise kids?!!!
Even though I dream of raising my children in a place like that, I am truly content with my home in the suburbs - we have a big yard in a very old neighborhood that has a real country feel - so I can sometimes pretend we live way out in farmland :0)!!

God knows what we need and has placed us where He wants us - and I am so thankful we are close enough to real country that we can go anytime we like!!

Speaking of God knowing what we need: My husband has a job interview this week with a company that approached him. He has worked for fourteen years with our local hospital system - working with their computers. Lately though the job has felt less secure (not surprising!!) and the politics have gotten pretty intense. Sooo - with all this taken into consideration we are hopeful that this will be a new opportunity for him. We would appreciate prayer that the interviews will go well (he has two on Thursday) and the financial needs of our family would be met etc. We would love prayer for wisdom if this turns into a time of decision making!!!

Thank you and

Blessings,

Christine

Evening

2010-02-11T22:40:00.000-08:00

This is how I spent my evening - until long after the kiddies were in bed - this is one way I show them I love them:

Hubs also likes it when I love my family this way:

Packed up to share with the kid's friends at co-op tomorrow:

And so the festivities begin!!!

Valentines - the holiday of love - may your weekend be filled with lots and lots!!!

Blessings,

Christine

A Touch of Spring

2010-02-09T09:06:00.000-08:00

I know other parts of our country are still in the throes of winter but here in Washington State we are experiencing a touch of Spring. I have heard that Winter will be returning soon so we decided to take advantage of our mild weather and plant a couple of bare root apple trees:

Our helper:

Baby tree:

Yummy Gala apples coming soon:

And the pretty little Fuji:
Oh, I am looking forward to the yummy fruit we will be harvesting someday!! Planting a tree is really looking ahead isn't it? Planning for a delicious future!! I am hoping to plant a plum and a pear tree this Spring also. Taking advantage of our Springlike moment is really pretty fun!

Blessings,

~Christine

The Big City

2010-02-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a person has to get out and have an adventure - to get out and go where they are not accustomed to go!! That for us is the city. We live near a very beautiful city but we don't go there often at all - we're country folk and when we go out we tend to go north to the country - not south to the city. But on this particular day last weekend hubs decided we needed to see something different - so off to the city we went (with much trepidation on my part - I am sincerely not a city girl!!)

And so we arrive - cars and building galore:

And off we go on our adventure:

Out of my comfort zone - but willing to see what we could see:

This is a gorgeous theater - very, very fancy on the inside - I see they are playing South Pacific - someday I would like to get all dressed up and see the Phantom of the Opera there - sounds very romantic!!! Don't you just love those old street lights?!!!

Looking in the windows - isn't that a beautiful gown!!!!

Not my style but very fancy none-the-less!!!
A Valentine display - The girls and I had fun looking in these windows for sure!!
But this charming model was far prettier than anything in the windows :0) !!!
A very interesting ride - we saw the man driving this creation and he wore an ancient Roman style helmet - covered with flowers - very strange. We saw lots of strange and interesting people that day!!!
In our earthquake prone city I was fascinated by this building:
A very beautiful square - a nice resting place if it was dry and sunny - which it wasn't - but the pigeons didn't seem to mind.

All in all it was a wonderful day - seeing what we could see in the big city. Adventures are good things every now and again!!!!!

Blessing,
~Christine

Food Labels

2010-02-03T18:09:00.000-08:00

I just read an article about food labels and how misleading they are. How food companies disguise things like sugar, salt and other things on their labels in order to make you feel better about buying their product. How they make health claims that are really quite untrue to make you feel that you are doing a good thing for your body when you eat their stuff.

All the information was really very interesting and reconfirmed my idea that homemade is best. I know exactly what I am feeding my family when I make things from scratch. Now, I am not anti-sugar, salt or anything, really, but I like to know how much of the stuff I am feeding my family. More importantly I am happy making homemade because I know what chemicals and man made products are NOT going into my family's food!!! I believe God-made food is best!!

So to that end, it was homemade chicken-veggie soup and homemade garlic herb baguette for dinner. Soothing for healing tummies too (we are on the mend!!).

Mmmmm:
Unfortunately it is impossible to stay on my diet when this homemade stuff is around!!!

Any yummy homemade recipes out there that you'd like to share?

Blessings,

~Christine

A Change in Plans

2010-02-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

I went to bed last night with my week loosely mapped out in my head - but in the middle of the night something else came up (pun intended) that cause me to change my plans.

I staggered out of bed long enough to snap this picture and post - then it's back to bed to join my beautiful daughter where we'll take sips of Gatorade and moan a little. I am so thankful that my husband has been able to stay home and take care of things. I stepped out of my room earlier and the whole house smells like bleach - my big teenagers are frantically cleaning things hoping to contain this bug (there may be a silver lining!!)
My time is up - the shakes have started - back to bed for me.

Blessings,
~Christine

The Wonders of El Nino

2010-01-27T16:16:00.001-08:00

With apologies to anyone who may still be up to their necks in snow and frigid temperatures east of us and south of us who have received all the winter storms we normally get and are soaking in rain:

Normally this time of year we have storm after storm roll through and the idea of going outside to work in the yard is unthinkable. But this year is different - thanks to the warm ocean current "El Nino" that visits our coast occasionally, this is how I have been able to spend my afternoons this week. As we have had an extraordinarily balmy and dry January, Spring Fever has hit early for me this year.

Yesterday afternoon was spent digging up my front perennial bed - cleaning it all out and pruning back the roses.
And today my helpers and I hit the vegetable garden:

Don't let the praises of balmy weather fool you though - after a little while my helpers made a beeline for the house - it's a bit chilly to stay out too long for the little ones!! (although I know that our weather would seem like the tropics to anyone living in the east this year!!)

WARM Blessings,

~Christine

Seating

2010-01-26T17:27:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to Costco and now there is enough seating for everyone!! :0)

Blessings,
~Christine

Monday!!

2010-01-25T08:47:00.000-08:00

For Today...January 25, 2010

Outside My Window...Overcast skies with little silvery, drippy drops hanging off my little maple tree.

I am Thankful for...my Husband who keeps such a level head when dealing with hormone laden teenagers!!!

I am Remembering...last Spring - working in the garden with the air warming and the smell of the dirt - I am looking forward to Spring coming again!!

I am Creating...a scarf - for me this time. I'm teaching myself a new stitch so this is practice so that I can make one for my sister!

I am Reading...Seed catalogs!! And my Garden books. Spring is coming and I must get ready!!!

I am Hoping...these coughy little colds go away soon - they are just bad enough to make us feel kinda yucky but not bad enough to call off homeschool and just read :0)!!

On My Mind...Same as last time and probably will be on my mind for some time - the raising of teenagers and how to encourage them to a life of Godliness without sounding like a nagging mom :0)!!!

From the Learning Rooms...We are doing a study of the Underground Railroad - it must interest the kids because Abbie and Jacob were playing "Railroad" the other day - but it wasn't a choo choo train game it was about saving runaway slaves!!!

I am Noticing...that Esther is talking lots and lots more!

I am Pondering...the blessings of living here in the United States - we had some missionaries visit our church yesterday from Malawi, Africa and they shared the wonders of what happens to a village when a well is installed. We are so blessed to have fresh, clean water!!!

From the Kitchen...I'm not quite sure. I am making yogurt today and after school I will be making up my menu for the week.

Around the House...today is kitchen day and I really need to get my pantry organized again - it's crazy how fast a pantry gets messed up - must have something to do with hungry, teenage boys always in it looking for food (of which they always say there is none - even right after a trip to Costco!!!)

One of my favorite things...sitting in front of the fire with a stack of seed catalogs on a rainy, winter Sunday afternoon with a mug of tea at my side . Sitting there turning down pages of seeds I'd like to try and daydreaming about the yummy veggies I'll be growing in a few months!

A few Plans for the Rest of the Week...Choir rehearsal on Thursday and Choir Concert on Friday. I must confess I never really like these events (isn't that awful!!!) They just seem to be stressful no matter how hard I plan ahead!!

A Picture to Share...Winter!

For more Simple Woman inspiration go to http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
Have a blessed Monday!!!

~Christine

Groceries

2010-01-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

Grocery shopping for a family of ten is no small task - keeping the bill down is definitely a challenge!!

I have tried coupon clipping in the past but I find it doesn't really work for me - I don't generally buy name brand items and I rarely, rarely buy anything ready made. Our area does not do double coupon days so getting a few cents off items that I don't really use or need seems silly to me. I do shop sales though and try to plan my menus around sale items. My husband's second job is at the neighborhood grocery store so I always know what the good sales are for the week. One really good advantage to not buying ready made foods is that if there is ever a reason to not shop for a week it is not too difficult to live out of the pantry - I can make bread, cook up some refried beans, make tortillas (thanks Cinnamon), and use whatever home canned goods we like (especially applesauce :0)! )

I try to keep our bill down to about $100 a week. I love the challenge and try to make it a game for myself. This grocery trip came out to about $106 I think and my daughter and I figured (if our math was right :0)!) that it was about $4 a meal. Not bad for a family of ten.

So what are your ideas for keep the grocery bill reasonable?

(we are living out of our pantry this week after deciding to donate our grocery money to Haiti relief - our church lost three dear missionaries in the earthquake and several more are seriously injured - we are praying for these special families and for all the others so seriously impacted by this tragedy. If you are looking for a good place to donate our Free Methodist denomination has had a mission field in Haiti for many, many decades and is a safe place to contribute

http://www.fmwm.org/give/help_haiti_heal.php )

Blessings!!!

Christine

I Blinked

2010-01-18T10:10:00.001-08:00

Twenty years ago I gave birth to my first sweet baby. What an amazing journey I was starting that day!!

Then I blinked...

And he grew to a wonderful, Godly young MAN!!!

Happy Birthday Timothy!!!!

Esther's New Hats

2010-01-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

Essie needed a new hat so I got busy and made two. I think they look awfully cute - but it may be the baby under the hat that makes them look so good :0)!!!

Hope your day is warm and cozy!!!!

One of Those Days

2010-01-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

After days of dark, rainy deariness things are starting to go crazy around here!! Kids cooped up, stinky dogs stuck in the house, cats unwilling to step a toe outside - this old woman in a shoe is going nuts!!

Well, that may be a slight exaggeration but I am definitely feeling the need for comfort - especially in the food department. Which is a no-no right now as I am trying to shed some stubborn baby pounds (I'm not sure they can really be called baby pounds anymore - but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it :0)!!!)

Somehow a carrot is not doing the trick!! How bad can can two (thinly sliced) pieces of homemade bread lightly toasted with a dollop of homemade grape jelly be? The seconds I'm wanting on the other hand....

Hope your day is sunny (in your heart if not outside!!!)

Monday Morning

2010-01-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

For Today...January 11, 2010

Outside My Window...A very dark, breezy and rainy morning!! We accidentally slept in because it's so dark out - it will look like dusk all day today.

I am Thankful For...My church family!! We had our yearly congregational meeting this weekend and it was so neat to be able to discuss family business and not so fun things like budgets and cut-backs with good spirits, humor and joy!!!

I am Remembering...what it was like to have a household of much smaller children. In so many ways the job of mothering was harder - not being to go anywhere without taking them all with me, wrangling all the kids through the store if I needed to go etc. Some days the job now seems easier as I have babysitters so I can run an errand without taking the littles or grab a shower without too much disturbance - but teens provide a whole new challenge to my sanity!!!! So my days are still sometimes difficult but different than a few years ago!!

I am creating...a new hat for Esther. I finished my Christmas gifts and feel kinda footloose and fancy free without any deadlines for my crafting :0)!! I posted a picture of my Christmas gift for my parents at the end of this post.

I am going...to coffee with my husband and our pastor this afternoon to talk about the youth ministries at our church - I am praying about this - we have some good ideas and also some concerns. I'm hoping this can be a good conversation with results that are pleasing to God!!!

I am reading...not much right now - kinda between books. Of course my Bible is an ever - ongoing reading!!!

I am hoping...the little virus we have going through our home stays little!!!

On my mind...the raising of teenagers and how to encourage them to a life of Godliness without sounding like a nagging mom :0)!!!

From the learning rooms...Oooo I am liking this year of science with the littles - we are studying marine biology - a super subject to do when you live so near all different kinds of water - Grandma and Papa so near the ocean - we live very near the Puget Sound and lakes and streams everywhere around us!!! (and with all the water falling out of the sky for the next few days we probably will have our own little lake in the front yard :0)!!!)

I am noticing...that I need to change the Christmas music off my blog - I just love it so - it's hard to send it away :0)

I am pondering...the words of my pastor from yesterday's service. They were so profound - but too long to put up here - maybe later this week I will share.

From the kitchen...beef stew and homemade bread for dinner. Yay!! I remembered to set a sponge for the bread last night so it will be more sourdough type which hubby loves!!!

Around the house...tidy up and concentrate on the kitchen today

One of my favorite things...feeding my kids and hubby homemade hearty dinners on a cold rainy night!!!

A few plans for the rest of the week...tomorrow I have a graduation meeting for my second born and I have the possibility of going to the opera later this week (yes the real opera!!! A friend has a free ticket - I just have a few arrangements to make to make it possible to go!!!)

A picture to share...this is the throw I made for my parents for Christmas - I really enjoyed making this and I think the colors turned out good (their house is blues and browns with cranberry accents):

For more Simple Woman inspiration go to http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Have a blessed Monday!!!