Kathy - mom of many

Jamba Smoothies

2011-10-24T13:10:00.014-04:00

We have a Jamba Juice smoothie store less than two miles from our house and we've been there several times either on bike or by car. So, when I received these frozen mixes in the mail, I was happy to try them out. What could be more convenient than making it in your own home? I know many of you are thinking the temperatures outside are getting too low for smoothies. I propose to you that maybe a little tropical drink might help you feel like you're in Florida, like I am.

They arrived packed in a syrofoam cooler with dry ice. Three packs in all and each one makes two 8 oz. servings. And, they're so simple to mix up.

The Caribbean Passion packages have a coupon on the back for $1.00 off a Jamba Juice store visit. I'll be using that soon.

I was most interested in the Caribbean Passion flavor because it has mango, strawberry and banana. We have a dozen mango trees in our yard and we freeze a lot of mangos in the summer. The other flavor they sent was Strawberries Wild. The smoothie kits come in three other flavors, too - Mango-a go-go, Razzmatazz, and Orange Dream Machine.

The pouch contains all the fruit, some non-fat yogurt and milk as well. You can read the nutrition facts here. Just add 8 oz. of apple juice and blend.

Pulse your blender for about 20 seconds and you're done. I love how the frozen fruit negates the ice you might normally put in a smoothie. I poured it into these two tall glasses for the picture, but then divided it up into smaller portions so my children could have a taste.
I liked the flavors of both packages. I'm probably partial to the mango in the Caribbean Passion, delicious!

You can check out the retail availability here. Just click on the link that says "click to see our retail carriers." I was disappointed that they aren't available in my grocery store. But, it does say that Target and WalMart carry them as well as many other retail stores around the country. They're a quick option for healthy fruit smoothies.

The amount of fruit you get fills this cereal bowl. This pouch is the strawberries and banana variety, called Strawberries Wild.

Matthew likes it.

And, so does Mark.

All in a Day: Kitchen & Dining Room

2011-05-20T12:09:00.005-04:00

All In A Day - Welcome to my home - Part 2 - The dining room and kitchen.

This is the second part of the tour of the participating bloggers in All In A Day. We'd love to have you join in, just follow the directions at the end of the post. Now, come on into my home for the tour of the dining room and kitchen...

We have a formal dining room that is located to the right of the front door. It's a fairly good sized dining room because it is large enough for our china cabinet and an upright piano. The table itself is only large enough for eight so we no longer use it on a daily basis. We did use it daily up until a year an a half ago. We would just pull up extra chairs on the corners of the table to squeeze in all twelve of us.

This is the view from standing in the kitchen. You can see the piano on the right. I also keep two book cases on the far wall that holds most of our schooling materials. The three oil paintings were done by my late mother-in-law.

The wall-hanging over the piano is a puzzle of Noah's Ark...done by some dear friends of ours who put it together and had it framed for us. I love this new tablecloth we recently received from Iranian friends.

This is the kitchen and informal dining area. The two tables hold twelve and we have the four additional seats at the barstools.

From this view, you can see the formal dining room through the kitchen door.

This is one side of the kitchen...two of my favorite things are on this wall. The quilted art hanging over the cabinets was done by my daughter, Allison. And, the portraits on the wall are of my twin boys when they were about 3 years old. That was a great photo shoot done at JC Penneys. They cooperated nicely and I love how the pictures came out.

Another view, this is the other side of the kitchen.

The main work area of my kitchen, the sink, counters, etc.

This corner has the stove and double ovens. The refrigerator is on the right camouflaged with the same type of cabinet front as the rest of the kitchen.

A better view of the refrigerator, the kitchen door in the middle (you can see some of our aprons hanging on the back of the door), then the pantry is on the right.

Check out the other All in a Day Bloggers...

Carrie @ Our Full House

Christi @ Where the Creek Meets the Lake

Elizabeth @ Yes They're All Ours

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen

We would love to have you link your blog with us, at All in a Day. Here's how it works:

1. Copy and Paste this banner to add the All in a Day banner to the top of your post

Banner:

2. Copy and paste the list of the "All in a Day Bloggers" into your post.

3. Put your name and a direct link to your post into Mr. Linky below.

Bible Bee - Don't miss out

2011-05-12T00:17:00.000-04:00

Have you heard of the National Bible Bee? This year marks the third year in existence. We participated last year and will again this year. If you are unfamiliar with it, you can check out their fantastic website, read testimonies, and see all that is offered to families who want to get into God's Word together. A brief overview of the Bible Bee is here. Here is an excerpt from the overview...

"Youth who will be 7 to 18 years of age as of November 13th, 2011 can register as official contestants of the Bible Bee. They will compete in one of three age divisions: Primary (7-10 years of age), Junior (11-14) or Senior (15-18). They can choose from three levels of competition difficulty: the National Track which is the most challenging and competitive; the Timothy Track which focuses on encouragement along with light competition as a motivator, and the Supporting Sibling Track for those who don’t wish to compete at all (or for siblings out of the official age range) but still want to use the Bible Bee materials and enjoy the Bible Bee experience."

Tommy, who was 7 at the time, did the Timothy Track, Kayla was a Supporting Sibling and the others did the National Track.
Here they are at the local competition just two hours from our home.

Then, less than three months later they were on their way to the National Competition in the Windy City.

On the plane to Chicago

Stephanie did so well, she ranked in the top 100 and was invited to compete in Chicago. My husband and Stephanie flew there along with Allison, Steve, and Carolyn.

They had such a good time. The organizers REALLY know how to put together an impressively well-run event. It is something they worked hard to make special for the whole family, not just the competitors. I watched the final rounds via live-streaming. Stephanie didn't make it into the top 15 but I was so incredibly proud of her. She memorized 800 bible verses in the KJV. She also had a written test on Colossians. She had previously studied Colossians Chapter 3 and held a Scripture Memorization Challenge on her blog so she was mildly familiar with that book. The devotional materials helped a lot with learning more about Colossians. It takes a commitment and a desire to hide God's Word in your heart. What could be more profitable for life?
This picture was taken on the night of the banquet.

Enjoying deep-dish pizza in Chicago.

They don't call it the Windy City for nothing.

The beautiful hotel they stayed in.

Stephanie with Ellen who won 3rd place the first year of the Bible Bee. She is now a college classmate of my older daughter's.

If you're interested in participating in the Bible Bee there is still time to sign up. You have until May 23 to sign up if you want to receive your materials by June 1st which is the start date. But, registration is open through May 31st. You'll just get your materials a little later. You won't be disappointed if you join...you can't lose when hiding God's Word in your heart.

All In A Day - Welcome to my home

2011-05-11T16:31:00.000-04:00

I'm not doing very well keeping up my blog, I'm thinking of taking a sabbatical...but until then, I'm going to participate in this week's All In A Day post. We're giving tours of our homes, a room or two at a time. This week it is the entry way. When I walked into this house for the first time 14 years ago, I stood just inside the door and looked all the way through the back doors to the backyard. It was while standing in this entryway, that I knew this house would be ours.

Here is a view from the front of the house...
Our oak tree in the front and lots of palm trees. Notice the hurricane shutters on all the windows. They are accordian style which are so much easier to operate. Saves about ten hours of labor, too.

Our front door

The other side of the front door.

A close up of the sign above our door "Jesus is the head of this House'

A print of a Charleston home that is displayed in one of the two art niches. I bought this piece of art in 1988.

Another print from Charleston by the same artist displayed in the opposite art niche. When we moved to this house, I had to find a second piece by the same guy so it would match.

Check out the other All in a Day Bloggers...

Carrie @ Our Full House

Christi @ Where the Creek Meets the Lake

Elizabeth @ Yes They're All Ours

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen

We would love to have you link your blog with us, at All in a Day. Here's how it works:

1. Copy and Paste this banner to add the All in a Day banner to the top of your post

Banner:

2. Copy and paste the list of the "All in a Day Bloggers" into your post.

3. Put your name and a direct link to your post into Mr. Linky below.

All In A Day - Family Unity

2011-04-27T10:24:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the All In A Day Series. There are several bloggers participating, you'll find their links at the bottom of this post and a link where you can join us. This week's topic is "How to encourage unity and closeness in the family."

When thinking about family unity and closeness, I like to examine what the opposite of that might look like...having your children focused on the outside of the family...peer dependence, everyone going in different directions without much time for reconnecting. The family should be a safe base where they are welcomed and refreshed, a place they want to return to rather than run from.

Some of the ways we do this is by...

1. simply doing activites together. This can be as complicated as camping or as simple as a regular game night. Anything that can intentionally get everyone doing an activity together...even working out in the yard, washing the car, cleaning the house.

Camping will develop a comraderie among people working together, playing together and spending uninterrupted time together. I suggest first doing it with just your own family several times before inviting other families. This will keep your children close to you rather than off with other children. It also allows your family to pitch in together doing all the things that have to be done while camping. We use two tents. We set up tents together, cook together and clean up together and take down the tents together.

Playing games together is not so much for the fun of it, but, depending on the game, it can allow you a peek into your children's heart. When we have some children involved in sports at different times of the year (basketball or soccer), we all attend the games as a family. We support each other as a unit. The exception is when someone is out of town.

2. homeschooling. This is much more than teaching reading, writing and arithmetic...homeschooling is discipleship. It is teaching life skills. It minimizes peer dependence and promotes family closeness. It encourages bonding among the siblings, acceptance of different ages and abilites, and a degree of family centerdness that is hard to come by otherwise.

3. a regular time of family prayer and bible study. Sharing needs with one another, having prayer requests we are all seeking God about brings a closeness with each other. Rejoicing in our circumstances together, praying for missionaries around the world, sharing answered prayers...all of these things help us to be a more united family.

4. having inside jokes. All families have their little inside jokes, but it bears mentioning that these things create bonds that are easy to underestimate. The same with having traditions. Do you have a special place you go to celebrate something? A special meal for birthdays?

5. observing the Lord's table with your family.We do this from time to time before a meal and we set a place at the table for Jesus. God originated the practice of a covenant meal at the Passover feast in the homes (led by the father) of the children of Israel. Jesus, Himself, observed it in a home (Matthew 26). It was designed for families even though most churches do it corporately today.

It allows us to be of one accord. Sin will separate you from God and will separate you from the people affected. The power of sin is in its secrecy. Therefore, when we come together for the Lord's table, we confess to one another wrongs we have commited against each other. Why do it in front of each other? What if only one person was hurt? Well, others in the family may have heard the offense or know about it and they need to know you have made things right. You don't want the other people in your family harboring resentment because of something you did to someone else. So, publicly (among your family) confess and ask forgiveness.

Keep a short sin account and clear things up quickly when they occur. I have witnessed an increased closeness as a result of confessing and forgiving. I need to humble myself more and be more open with my family about my own temptations and struggles. When the walls of sin are broken down there is a oneness.

Examples of broken oneness is Achan in the book of Joshua in the Old Testament and of Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts in the New Testament.

Check out the other All in a Day Bloggers...

Carrie @ Our Full House

Christi @ Where the Creek Meets the Lake

Elizabeth @ Yes They're All Ours

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen

We would love to have you link your blog with us, at All in a Day. Here's how it works:

1. Copy and Paste this banner to add the All in a Day banner to the top of your post. Actually, I can't get the html code for the banner to work so you can right-click on it and save it as a file, then upload it to your post as a photo.

2. Copy and paste the list of the "All in a Day Bloggers" into your post.

Banner:

3. Put your name and a direct link to your post into Mr. Linky below.

Happy Easter to you!

2011-04-24T14:13:00.005-04:00

From my family to your family, Happy Easter. We had a nice worship service this morning and then took a few pictures at home afterward. May God's gift of eternal life be freshly evident to you today.

Our church orchestra playing Crown Him With Many Crowns...Stephanie and Steve are on the far left and Carolyn is on the far right.
My family...everyone at home at the same time...thankful for spring break bringing my oldest daughter home.

A nice weekend all around

2011-04-14T20:20:00.013-04:00

A few weeks ago, my husband and I attended a mission conference in another state. Usually, we fly to this event, but not this time. The conference was wonderful as always. Beautiful setting, fantastic service at the hotel, delicious food and, best of all, testimonies to God's faithful work in the lives of people. On the way home, we stopped at a fellow blogger's house...I got to meet Marcy from Six Olive Plants. She and her family were just getting ready to leave the house but they were gracious enough to wait a bit so we could stop by and say, "Hi." You know how it is when traveling, you never can guage the exact time you'll be passing through. I was glad we connected because I think our families will enjoy spending more time together next month when we are in that area again. Our children will be with us then.

With a dear, sweet friend from Texas. Another sweet friend from England. I love all the colorful flowers and trees blooming.

Here on the grounds of the hotel, a beautiful setting for spring.

On the way home, we stopped at a fellow blogger's house...I got to meet Marcy from Six Olive Plants. She and her family were just getting ready to leave the house but they were gracious enough to wait a bit so we could stop by and say, "Hi." You know how it is when traveling, you never can gauge the exact time you'll be passing through. I was glad we connected because I think our families will enjoy spending more time together next month when we are in that area again.

While we were gone, the children had a grand time. Something along the lines of, "When the cat's away..." They ate homemade waffles with strawberries and sausage. They walked to the park for a picnic and kickball. They had a "Quelf Fudge Night" which is when they make fudge and play a round of Quelf (a board game).

Playing kickball...

A nice day for a picnic at the park

Playing Quelf while eating fudge, a tradition.

A Sweet Treat

2011-04-13T04:23:00.007-04:00

If you like sweet and salty combined, try out this simple and quick recipe.

Saltine Toffee Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 sleeve saltine crackers

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts, optional

In a single layer, spread out saltine crackers covering a jelly roll pan. (A cookie sheet won't contain the liquid.) Melt 1 cup of butter with 1 cup of dark brown sugar in a saucepan on the stove. Bring to a boil and let boil for 3 minutes. Pour over the crackers. Put pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes at 375 degrees F. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let the chocolate melt for a minute or two, then spread the softened chocolate evenly with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top. Refrigerate until chilled. Then you can break it up like bark or cut into squares.

Warning: This recipe may be hazardous to your waistline. Please don't blame me if you suddenly start making this on a daily basis or put on a few pounds :)

Who broke the camera?

2011-04-11T09:04:00.003-04:00

One day last week, one of the cameras was found to be stuck with the lens open. It was totally off center, like it had been banged into that shape or, worse, dropped. Trying to shut the lens was not working. It gave me a "lens error" reading each time. So, I took it to my husband who tried banging it the other direction and he fixed it.

Downloading the photos gave me the evidence of who was playing with the camera and broke it...

The Fair

2011-04-09T21:01:00.007-04:00

Our county fair just took place and we ended up going three times. Once for Stephanie to play the violin in the performing arts category, one time with my dad to see the exhibits, and one time all of us with my husband to ride the rides. It's a good thing we get free passes to enter. Even though there are fewer attractions each year, the prices keep going up.

Here are some pictures...

Stephanie and Charity on the slide. Charity started crying "He won't let me go" when the ride attendant told her she had to ride with someone 18 or older (Carolyn was with her at first). Then, Stephanie decided to go with her. When they walked to the top, she started crying, realizing how high she was. Stephanie got her on the mat quickly and they went down with Steph having to hold onto her arms to keep Charity from flailing about. Look at the expression on her little face. Sheer terror.

We indulged in a fried onion...

and an elephant ear. Stephanie playing the violin. She received a blue ribbon. Matthew on the motorcycles. Kelly and Mark on the teacups. They make quite a pair on the rides because they both like it fast and dizzy. Matthew and Tommy were in the teacup behind them. Allison, Carolyn, and Kelly on the ferris wheel.

Carolyn and I are taking a break on a bench in the exhibit hall.

The brown corduroy purse on the left was made by Allison. It's so much prettier in person. She lined it with turquoise fabric that matches the polka dots. It has metal rings on the shoulder straps, and an inside pocket. Carolyn made the multi-colored purse on the right and lined it with a coordinating fabric. Both purses were made without patterns, just out of their creativity.

A dress Stephanie made for me...all in one day. I love it so much, I'm making a second one in spring colors.

A needlecraft project by Steve, for which he won a special purple ribbon.

I found it!

2011-04-04T19:59:00.002-04:00

After two years of not being able to get into my china cabinet, I finally found the key. It was always kept on my husband's key ring (for safe keeping). No one else is trusted with it, for good reason, it seems. One time I took it off before he went off to work because I needed to get something out of the cabinet. Well, before I knew it, the key went missing. Probably taken by some sticky fingers around here. I prayed it would turn up or that God would tell me where it was hiding. The children all claimed not to know where it was.

I even scheduled a locksmith to come out and make a new key, but, by 5:00 pm, he didn't show up so I called and said, "Don't bother." I definitely didn't want to trust the job to someone who cannot even call to tell me he's running late and won't be coming to my house that day. Then, the other day, I was looking for something in the desk. It's a secretary with a lid that folds down. The desk is part of a matching set that goes with the dining room table, chairs and china cabinet.

Under the lid, in the space that allows the lid to open and close, is where I spotted it. First, I noticed all the pencil shavings and shiny confetti. I thought to myself, "I need to brush out all that gunk." Then, lo and behold, I saw a key like the one that fits the china cabinet. I didn't allow my hopes to get too high because I know there is a different key that locks the desk and they both look similar. I set about trying to extricate the key from its tight quarters.

I had to unscrew the lid on both sides in order to lift it out. I went right to the china cabinet and IT FITS!!! I'm so happy.

All In A Day - House Cleaning

2011-03-30T08:21:00.021-04:00

All in a Day - House Cleaning (Daily or Weekly) How we did it with only little children Years ago, when I was pregnant with my third child, I hired a cleaning crew just before I was to give birth. I wanted a fresh, clean house to come home to. I hired one of those companies who sends out two or three people and spend just two hours. Not the best way to go, at least not for me. They weren't thorough enough. I later found a woman who cleaned homes and I started having her come every two weeks. She talked too much and didn't get enough done. So, I let her go. It was a few years before I hired anyone else. I began praying for someone who was capable, hard-working and reliable. Emerita entered our lives. She was recommended to me by my Bible Study Fellowship leader. I started having her come every two weeks. Then, I bumped it up to every week. We paid her like an employee, withholding the normal taxes so she will later be able to collect Social Security. It was wonderful to have the whole house at the same level of cleanliness at least one day a week. She would also watch my children if I needed that. It was a wonderful relationship. But, as my children grew up, their abilities increased and their responsibilites increased. I let Emerita go after six years. I had her return once right before the twins were born and again right before Charity was born. I'm all in favor of hired help or bartering for help, or however it can be done to get outside help. But, for us, it was for a season in our lives and now we do the cleaning as a family. How we do it now The best motivator to getting the house clean is to invite people over. Yes, it's true. That is when the most thorough work is done. My house is approximately 3,400 sq. ft. Five bedrooms and four bathrooms. It's tough to cover it all in a day, even for several people. (I don't know how Emerita did it, she is one hard-working woman!) I will say, that we typically don't have a schedule for cleaning. We do it several different ways.

We start at one end of the house and begin in one room (only the older six or seven children with me). We will set the timer and get to work, giving ourselves only 15 minutes per room. If we are finished with, say, a bathroom before the timer goes off, we add the leftover minutes to the next room. It all evens out in the end.

With the floors - we have tile throughout except for the bedrooms. I have several brooms and several mops. I'll assign one child to start at one end of the house and begin sweeping. Another child starts at the other end of the house with another broom. Sometimes, a third child sweeps in the middle of the house, which is the living room. Then, the same thing is done with mopping. We can get the floor done quickly when many people are working on it simultaneously. We also have two vacuums, a central vac and an upright.

Another method we use is the number system. My older girls make a list of what needs to be done and assign a number to each task. Then, each person who will be cleaning picks a number. Whatever that job is, is the one that person does. It keeps people from only doing the jobs they prefer to do, ie. the easy ones. It's random and adds a little element of surprise :)

Lastly, we sometimes just clean as needed. Whatever is bothering me at the time will get the attention. I'm getting ready to do all the windows, inside and outside...for this job, I've assigned one -two windows per day over the next couple weeks.

I'm much more relaxed about housecleaning than I used to be. There are more important things to take care of...relationships, schooling, fun bonding times. My husband is also more relaxed about what he expects, which helps a lot.

If schedules work for you, then that's the way to go, but be flexible to allow for those appointments God injects into your life that we sometimes call interruptions.

Check out the other All in a Day Bloggers...

Carrie @ Our Full House

Christi @ Where the Creek Meets the Lake

Elizabeth @ Yes They're All Ours

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen

We would love to have you link your blog with us, at All in a Day. Here's how it works:

1. Copy and Paste this banner to add the All in a Day banner to the top of your post

Banner:

2. Copy and paste the list of the "All in a Day Bloggers" into your post.

3. Put your name and a direct link to your post into Mr. Linky below.

Misuse of Objects

2011-03-24T09:00:00.005-04:00

Please excuse the wonky things my blog is doing. I don't know how my sidebar ended up under my posts, but I'll try to figure out how to fix it.

Okay, onto today's post.

Do you have any idea what this is?

I don't either. Here's another view.

What I do know is that it isn't the proper use of a tennis racquet and it isn't the proper use of a dog biscuit. Around my house it's called Misuse of Objects. I find them all over the place. Or see them being played with all over the place. When my children take an object and don't use it in the manner for which it was intended...I go crazy. Well, usually, but this time with the tennis racquet, I just shook my head.

Sometimes, it's a game piece being thrown like a Frisbee. Or whatever...
I'm not talking about the blankets and chairs being made into a fort. That's not Misuse of Objects. It has to be something that is going to result in a lost or broken item or an injury if it is continuously used that way.

But, the tennis racquet...? I hope this thinking will parlay into a creative, lucrative career.

Do your children ever have these moments or is it just mine?

All In A Day - Quick Family Meals

2011-03-23T09:27:00.013-04:00

Where does the time go? I've been so preoccupied lately. My husband was out of town for 10 days. My oldest daughter left for a trip to Israel. She's there through the 31st so I would appreciate your prayer for her. I've pretty much had my mind on things other than my blog.

But, it's Wednesday again and time for another installation of All In A Day. Can't pass that up. One of these days (maybe next week) I'll have my act together enough that my post will go up first thing Wed. morning. Ha! We'll see.

This topic is Quick Family Meals.

We've all been there. You get so engrossed in something, next thing you know, it's 5:00 pm and you haven't any idea what to fix for dinner. Or, you've been out all day and come home just in time for dinner prep and it HAS to be fast or the children will start helping themselves to something sugary.

This happened to us recently. We went to the Everglades all day, got home at dinner-time and I had not set out anything to thaw or put anything in the crock-pot. On the way home, I stopped to buy some chicken breasts for this recipe. It's fairly quick and the children can make a salad while it's cooking.

Chicken Parmesan

6 large chicken breasts, boneless, skinless (sliced in half through the middle so you have about 12 pieces)
1-1/2 cup dried bread crumbs (can use packaged or homemade)
1 cup parmesan cheese
1-1/2 tsp. oregano
1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. basil
1-1/2 tsp. parsley
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup butter (salted)

Mix dried ingredients for breading. Melt butter. Dip chicken in butter, then in breading. Place in buttered baking dish with edges touching. Bake at 350 degrees F until breading is nice and browned and crispy-looking, approx. 20-25 minutes.
This recipe is from the MOMYS Cookbook. I contributed several recipes to this book and I bought one for each of my children way back when it was published. It is one of my favorites. (But, I think it was about half that price when it first came out.)

Another good, quick meal is omelets. You can use the packaged sausage crumbles and some diced vegetables for added flavor. Breakfast for dinner is always quick and fairly simple.
Pancakes is also a quick fix and popular.

One of my family's favorite pasta dishes is an alfredo sauce with penne. Here is the recipe. My children refer to it as Green Sauce Noodles. Sometimes I add cooked chicken to this, mix it all together and bake in a casserole dish.

Pasta with Alfredo Sauce

A box of your preferred pasta, penne or rotini work well
For sauce:
Three jars of prepared alfredo sauce
Two packets of dried pesto mix (McCormick is one brand)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a pot and heat on the stove. Boil the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta and serve the sauce over it. I usually fix this with a salad and garlic bread.

Check out the other All in a Day Bloggers...

Carrie @ Our Full House

Christi @ Where the Creek Meets The Lake

Elizabeth @ Yes They're All Ours

Kathy @ Kathy Mom of Many

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Baker's DozenHere's how it works:

1. Copy and Paste this code to add the All in a Day banner to the top of
your post.

2. Copy and paste the list of the "All in a Day Bloggers" into your post.

3. Put your name and a direct link to your blog post into Mr. Linky, below.

All In A Day - The Sunday Morning Rush

2011-03-17T12:38:00.010-04:00

My apologies to you if you came to my blog yesterday expecting to see All In A Day. I wasn't aware it was continuing.

I see the topic is Sunday morning rush. I have to say I'm extremely blessed with a great helper on Sundays. This is the only way I can get through the Sunday morning preparation with any amount of sanity left.

My 16 year-old daughter, Allison, is the first one up. She gets the younger three children dressed (often in their sleep). This is a huge help and saves so much time. Sometimes I will choose the clothes the night before, but more often than not, Allison does this and has it all laying out before Sunday morning. She blesses me so much in doing all this.

She makes the coffee also so when I drag myself out of bed, I can pour myself a cup.

With the three youngest ones dressed and ready, all I really need to do is get myself ready and occasionally call out, "Brush your teeth, get your shoes on..." or "Did you eat breakfast?"
Our church service starts at 9:00 am. That's early for us. It takes about 20 minutes to get to church.

Oh, and I don't mean to make you jealous, but Allison is also really good at doing hair, so she does mine on Sunday mornings, too. Charity's hair doesn't need much done to it at this stage. At three years old, all the other girls had much longer hair and I would braid it or put in barrettes. Charity's hair is low maintenance. Kelly and Carolyn often get Allison or Stephanie to do theirs. So, there really isn't much for me to do on Sunday mornings except make eggs.

Visit other All in a Day bloggers here...

Carrie @ Our Full House

Elizabeth @ Yes They're All Ours

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen

Congratulations

2011-03-17T10:05:00.002-04:00

Marcy from Six Olive Plants will be receiving the book, "Unstuff - Making Room in Your Life for What Really Matters" by Hayley & Michael DiMarco. Congratulations Marcy!

I'm so psyched.

2011-03-10T09:36:00.010-05:00

On the heels of my post about clutter, I have to show you the load I took to Goodwill at about 4:45 yesterday, just in time before they closed. I have another load but it includes a coffee table and a 13" TV which I need to take to a location that accepts furniture. Plus, I have two portable cribs, more clothes, and who knows what else I'll find by the time I make another Goodwill run. I just love my newfound ability to make decisions that will give me freedom from so much clutter.

Some of these things (wheel chairs, coffee table) were given to me by my step-mother-in-law to sell in a garage sale. I loathe garage sales because I really take the dickering personally, especially when it is rude, and it takes me months to get over the cumulative hurt feelings from a sale that lasts hours. Case in point, a few weeks ago, I attempted to have a garage sale (since my s-mil asked) and had to end it after just a few minutes due to rain. In the 15 minutes I was open, a car pulled up with two women in it. I don't even think they put the car in PARK. Here is how our dialogue went...

One woman yelled from the car, "Do you have any shoes?"

I replied, "Just this one pair" as I held up the shoes for them to see. ..a nice-looking pair of gently worn (twice) shoes.

The next thing that happened shocked me. The woman said, "Lemme see." Yes. She. Did. She didn't bother to get out of the car, didn't even ask politely. Just, "Lemme see." So, being a nice person, I walked over to the window of the car with said shoes in hand.

She asked me, "How much?"

I answered, "One dollar."

She asked, "Will you take fifty cents?"

Then, making the quick decision not to sell to this customer, I said, "No."

As the proprietor of the garage sale, I reserve the right to refuse to sell to anyone I want, especially people who are less than polite or people who lie to me about what they are going to do with the items they are buying. That was probably my last garage sale. I'd rather haul it all to Goodwill and take a tax deduction.

All In A Day - Clutter in a large family

2011-03-09T17:48:00.010-05:00

Well, I'm making progress in this area but I still have a long way to go. I'll share with you what I've learned.

Clutter can result from...

1. an improper attitude toward stuff, therefore, accumulation occurs. By improper attitude, I mean an unreasonable attachment. Do you love the things of this world that you cannot take with you into eternity? I'm trying to learn to think of things as belonging to God...and if I'm not using it, I should pass it onto someone else who can use it. In God's economy, He will provide me with what I need at the time I will need it. I can trust Him for that. He hasn't failed me.

Matthew 6:26-34 says,

26Behold the fowls of the air:
for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly
Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27Which of you by
taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28And why take ye
thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil
not, neither do they spin:
29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon
in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30Wherefore, if God
so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into
the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall
we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32(For after all these
things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need
of all these things.
33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34Take
therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the
things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

And this passage is also pertinent...

Matthew 6:19-21 says,

19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also.

2. a bad habit like procrastination. If you postpone putting something where it belongs, eventually you have a mountain of things in the wrong places. You'll spend way too much time looking for things like keys, shoes, and eye glasses. And, in a family with a lot of children, don't count on anything staying where you last laid it.

3. poor time management. If you don't allot enough time for picking up and putting away, you end up with clutter. This is closely related to procrastination but it is slightly different in that you can be doing too many things in your life resulting in a lack of time for the really important things. Are you stretched too thin?

4. having too many things. Even if you have a place for everything and everything in its place, too much of it will still amount to clutter. You can organize clutter but it will still weigh on your mind, you still have to inventory, insure, protect, clean and care for it. And, when you die, your children have to sort through it.

Have you ever stayed in a rental condo or a time-share resort where everything is in your unit...the kitchen, laundry room, living room, etc. You stayed a week, maybe more...and did you notice how easy it was to keep clean?!? That's because you didn't have a houseful of stuff.

People today have extra buildings for storing things. Sheds. Storage units rented on a monthly basis. Garages that aren't holding the vehicles. Basements that are used for stuff rather than living space. I, myself, have a guest bathroom that holds extra paper towels and toilet paper (in the shower because we don't use that space unless we have overnight guests). And, if I have something that is in holding until the next trip to Goodwill, it gets stored in the guest bathroom, temporarily.

So, what can you do to help reduce clutter or get a better handle on it? I'm just going to address a few things here. I'm sure the other ladies who are participating in All In A Day will have some great tips to share on their blogs.

Paper - I find that the mail can quickly gather into a mountain on my kitchen countertop if I don't get aggressive with it. I used to save everything for my husband to look at, thinking I was being respectful of the fact he might want to see it all. But, then he'd look at it and leave it there, regardless of whether it was junk or not. So, I started throwing out the junk and just giving him the important pieces. Some junk mail can be eliminated by requesting your name be removed from their mailing list. And, to think I used to be a Direct Mail Coordinator for an insurance company...I was responsible for overseeing the production of those mail pieces, the word processing of those letters, the printing of the letters, the inserting, sorting, and final mailing of hundreds of thousands of envelopes.
Toys - If you can devote a room to toys, that is my preference. You can keep better control of the amount as well as the condition of them if they are all in one space. For some families, just an area of the family room might be enough. I don't like toys in the bedroom because then several rooms become untidy instead of just one (due to toys). Rotating toys is helpful if you don't have a wide range of ages in your children. Children will play more with the few things they have than if they have an overwhelming amount at their disposal.
Clothes - Again, we have a room devoted to clothes. Just the six girls' clothes. The boys clothes are in their closet and one dresser. I also keep all the "out-of-size" clothing in the clothing room. We don't have "out-of-season" clothes, praise God.
Crafts - If you really do crafts, then knock yourself out. Just don't hold onto things for "someday."

I like what Andrew J. Mellen says about "someday" in his book "Unstuff Your Life! Kick the Clutter Habit and Completely Organize Your Life for Good"

"someday, that mythical land where time stands still and you're an
avid scrapbooker, baking ten dozen cookes for the church bazaar, sewing your children's clothes, and finally learning to fly-fish on the Colorado River. That day doesn't exist. Even for Martha Stewart. It's useful to remember that she has staff. And since you probably don't, it's time to surrender "someday." "Someday" doesn't exist. But today does. So welcome it. Grab it, seize it, cherish it, and make it your own..."

We recently reduced our scrapbook supplies and we try to use fabric we have before going to the store for more.

If you enjoy the adrenaline rush from running around looking for your keys or your purse, then you aren't desperate enough for a lifestyle change. I'm to the point where I need the change. I have a long way to go, but I'm finally on the right track.

Clutter within a large family is difficult to manage due to the wide range of ages and never being able to get rid of the baby stuff, toys, clothes, etc. The best way to combat it is to not let too much of it come into your house in the first place.

Years ago, I wrote a letter to both my mother and my father (they're divorced). I sincerely pleaded with them not to give so many things to my children, but to consider, instead, giving them experiences. They actually laughed at me and did not understand my desperation nor my seriousness. They tried to comply but I think that lasted about a year and then they were back to giving them things. But, in that time, my children were able to have sleepovers at Grandma's (something she would have never initiated), times of baking together which were all "gifts" for them. I love the list of Clutter-Free Gifts listed on the Flylady website. Making memories are much more valuable than the things that will eventually get broken, fought over, and tossed away.

To help you get a proper perspective on stuff, I would like to give away a book I've recently been reading. It's a different book than the one I mentioned above. "Unstuff - Making Room in Your Life for What Really Matters" by Hayley and Michael DiMarco. It is written from a Christian perspective and helps you determine if anything in your life is coming between you and your relationship with God. If you want a chance to win this book, leave a comment telling me two things...1)What have you tried to do to eliminate clutter? and 2) let me know you want to be entered to win this book. Please don't forget to leave a way to contact you. Giveaway will end on Monday, March 14th at 10:00 pm.EST.

Read about other moms in All in a Day here...

Carrie @ Our Full House

Elizabeth @ Yes They're All Ours

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen

All In A Day - A Typical Large Family Day

2011-03-02T09:14:00.008-05:00

Wednesday brings another post in the series All In A Day.

I wanted to post about a day in our week leading up to today but we've been sick so it definitely wouldn't be a typical day for us. We are hardly ever sick. So, since I'm on the mend, I'll be writing about today as the day goes on. Come back later and see how the day went.

Read about other moms in All in a Day here (as they put up their posts for today)...

Carrie @ Our Full House

Elizabeth @ Yes They're All Ours

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen

We have a winner!

2011-02-26T08:18:00.002-05:00

Using the Random Number Generator, the chosen winner is.... Sarah

sarah said...
We would like a nice spice rack!
February 23, 2011 3:28 PM

Congratulations to Sarah! I have emailed you and hope to hear from you soon. Thanks for participating.

All in a Day: Laundry, Laundry & More Laundry

2011-02-23T11:15:00.007-05:00

Wednesdays mean another view into our lives in the series "All In A Day"

I don't get a lot of questions about laundry. I mean, it's not rocket science...you sort, wash, dry, fold, put away. But, there are some particular things that can be done to help the process go a little smoother. I have found that if only one person in the family handles the laundry, then it is pretty easy to find any given article of clothing you might need. I know when it is Saturday and I need three little boys' basketball uniforms, I can ask Stephanie where to find them. She will know if any of the pieces are in any of the stages of wash/dry/hang.

It wasn't my idea to assign the task to one person. I have a wonderful daughter, Stephanie, who volunteered to take on the monumental job of being our laundress. She's a blessing in so many ways. I'm going to let her tell you how she handles the laundry in our home.
___________
As laundry is my favorite chore, I asked if I could take charge of it three years ago. Most of the time it's a no-brainer kind of chore, so it works out well, freeing my mom up to do things that require mom knowledge. =)

Part of the reason the idea appealed to me was because it would simplify things -- instead of having 5 different jobs, I'd have one area. Plus, doing laundry is flexible. It doesn't have to be done at a certain time each day (although sometimes I feel like it needs to be done 24/7). ;)

Actually, I typically do 3 loads of laundry a day, which isn't a horrifying amount. It's only scary if I miss a couple of days. That fact is a great motivation for keeping on track on the weekends. =)

We're blessed to have this little laundry room, which contains the washer/dryer set, our cleaning supplies, a sink, a hanging area, and an ironing board, plus our freezer. We keep two hampers outside the door -- one for clothes and the other for towels. When I put laundry in the washer, I usually alternate between taking from the clothes hamper and from the towel basket.

Folding is done in a different room -- I usually just take the basket of clean laundry into the family room and work in there. One reason I love folding laundry is that I can listen to audio books and/or Scripture passages that I'm memorizing at the same time. I download free books onto my iPod from Librivox.org. You can tell that my current selection is a good one when I'm completely caught up on laundry. =)

Read about other moms in All in a Day here...

Carrie @ Our Full House

Elizabeth @ Yes They're All Ours

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen

It's fun being a girly girl.

2011-02-19T07:13:00.005-05:00

I couldn't resist sharing these pictures from a December Mary Kay session I hosted for my family and my daughter's college roommate. When you have as many daughters as I do, you don't need to invite any other outsiders.

CSN Stores Giveaway

2011-02-18T09:10:00.003-05:00

The time has arrived for a giveaway. CSN has provided me with a $25. gift certificate and you can be the fortunate recipient if your name is chosen by the random number generator. For $25. you might like to choose one of thousands of products available at CSN Stores like this

chess set

or this baby swing... spring is coming, you know.

How about these cute baby shoes?

or this chic lunch box...

Maybe something for the kitchen?

Or, you can put it toward something more expensive that you've been waiting for just the right time. Anything you choose. Just to note: the gift certificate does not cover international fees, if they should apply.

How to enter - Leave a comment on this post letting me know something you'll be shopping for at CSN Stores and be sure to leave me with a way to contact you either by tracking back to your blog or an email address. You can disguise your email address if you like to avoid spam by doing something like this - "me at yahoo dot com"

Giveaway will end midnight on February 25th. I'll announce the winner sometime Saturday morning on the 26th.

All In A Day - Spending time with your husband

2011-02-16T07:38:00.015-05:00

It's Wednesday again and this is part of the series All In A Day.

For a family with many children, it can be a challenge for the parents to get together for any alone time. Just trying to carry on a conversation without being interrupted can be difficult.*

As a homeschooling family, we have the luxury of starting our day when it is most convenient for us. My children sleep late which means my husband and I have time in the morning to catch up on any matters that need discussing. He doesn't leave for work until after we've had breakfast and family devotions which might be around 10:30 am.

Years ago, our children had an 8:00 bedtime and that provided us time to wind down, and talk about the events of the day. You have to do what works for your family.

If it's a night out you want, let's face it, babysitters might not be up for the task of caring for a lot of little ones. We have always lived in the same city as our families, so grandparents were available. However, we didn't want to call on them too much so we did hire babysitters a fair amount of the time. We had various people we could call on, some older single women, some college students and some high school students.

If finances are tight, you could spend the money on a sitter and just go out for coffee or dessert. I used to be able to stay up pretty late, but the older I get, the harder that is. Waiting until the children go to sleep and then having a sitter come over might be an idea to try if you have many little ones.

Or, you might try to eat your dinner outside on the back porch, while your children play just inside the house. You can still see them, but they cannot hear your conversation.

I had a friend who once organized a babysitting co-op in her town. She sent me the guidelines and "how-tos" but I never got one going. It seems like a good idea though. There are a lot of resources on the internet to help you with that if you have a good base of families you trust. It operates on using points, so you don't need to have the same number of children as everyone else.

Often, couples who develop separate hobbies or interests will set themselves up for disaster. If you are choosing to spend significant time away from each other in the company of friends, opportunities can arise for the enemy to come in. I'm not saying that it's wrong for a mom to go to an occasional "Mom's Night Out" but be careful that the other moms are edifying and encouraging your relationship with God and with your husband. Don't let it become a time of comparing or tearing down your husband.

If you can find something that the two of you enjoy doing together, invest in that and you will see your relationship grow.

We were fortunate to be able to go on a second honeymoon when we had three children.

We had a rotating schedule of three different people stay with them over a period of a week. One was my mom, one was a very close friend, and the third was a college student. I didn't want to wear any one person out. Getting away and making memories like that is worth the cost (I only had to pay the college student).

As our children starting getting older, we had them take a Safe Sitter course so they would have the knowledge of caring for children, especially the knowledge of handling an emergency. So far, four of ours have been through the course and I'm looking for one scheduled for Carolyn to take.

You will reap the rewards for all your hard work, eventually. Now, my husband and I are able to travel out of state with no sitter needed.
*If you really want alone time, lock the door and block it with chairs.
Read about the other moms in All In A Day below...
Carrie at Our Full House

Elizabeth at Yes They're All Ours

Kristy at Homemaker's Cottage

Lori at Happy Busy Mama

Monica at Natural Mama

Renee at Bakers Dozen

Now, I'd love to know how you find time to be with your husband, post and link up with us.

Getting ready for Valentine's Day

2011-02-11T08:51:00.007-05:00

We love Valentine's Day around my house. When my children were very young, I had to make a decision about how I wanted to celebrate it or not celebrate it. Since they aren't in a traditional school, they don't have the usual classroom parties or exchange of Valentine cards with 25 other children.

I recall, fondly, my own experiences with Valentine cards. My mother would take me to the store so I could choose the ones I wanted to give to my classmates. I would read each one and decide which message was appropriate for each friend. Back then, you could buy nice cards that didn't have a licensed character on it. The messages were more varied and cute.

So, if there was a particular person for whom I had a special liking, that person would get a special card. Even at a young age, I remember that romance and special feelings were emphasized at Valentine's Day. Sometime during the day, the teacher allowed everyone to walk around the room distributing cards. Some years the teacher would have us make little pockets from construction paper so the cards could be tucked in there.

I would read my cards from friends over and over, paying particular attention to the ones from boys. Did they mean what the card said, "Be mine"? Seems silly today.

In junior high school, a student club sold carnations to be given out during the first period of class. A student could buy a flower, attach a message and it would be delivered by the club on Valentine's Day. My friend, Cindy, received one from her mother. I thought that was so thoughtful. I didn't get any and it made me very sad. I felt unpopular, unloved.

I wanted to spare my children the focus on boy/girl feelings at such a young age. They have plenty of time to unlock those types of emotions when the time is right and when God has shown them who He has designed for them to marry (if that is to be). So, I decided early on that Valentine's Day would be special in our family every year no matter if there was a boyfriend or girlfriend to celebrate with. They don't call it Singles Awareness Day for nothing. I don't want them to go looking for love in the wrong places.

We emphasize our love for each other and our love for God. We show our appreciation for each other. It's not hard to make cards for each person in the family using construction paper, lace doilies, scrapbook paper, markers, crayons, whatever you have on hand. You could use yarn or fabric to decorate the cards, too.

We write special messages on each card telling the recipient something we appreciate about them, a particular memory of them, or anything encouraging they would enjoy. Often, they are so funny we can't stop laughing. We read them aloud around the dinner table in the evening.

Another way we make Valentine's Day special is with the color red. I prepare something red to eat such as lasagna, or spaghetti. This year, I think something with strawberries for dessert will be in order since my dad brought me a whole flat of them. The table will be decorated with red accents and maybe some dark chocolate. Sometimes, I buy a gift for each person. Just another way to make memories in our family.

This is the first year we will be missing a member of the family. Kayla is away at college. I mailed a box to her so she can participate across the miles. Each child made a card for her. I made one and my husband made one. Eleven cards to read from people who love her bunches.

Allison and Carolyn have been making cookies this week, using this recipe from Blonde Designs.

I can't end without telling you that in my senior year of high school, once again, a student club sold Valentine cookies to be delivered during the first period of class. Since I was new in the school, I didn't have a lot of close friends. But, a guy sent me one anonymously. And, it made my day. I found out later the guy who sent it wasn't someone I was interested in, but the momentary pleasure of receiving that Valentine was very special.

Make sure your children feel loved this Valentine's Day. How do you celebrate? I'd love to hear your ideas.

Coming up...

2011-02-10T16:18:00.003-05:00

Hey, four blog posts in three days calls for a celebration...the giveaway kind. Stay tuned for a giveaway from CSN stores later this week! CSN has everything from swingsets to kitchen gadgets to strollers and beyond.

My experience with a professional organizer

2011-02-10T11:39:00.010-05:00

After my first call to Beth, The Closet Queen, more than three years ago, I finally got the courage to hire her. That's how nervous I was about the whole process. I kept telling myself I could do it alone, I could organize just as well without spending the big bucks. But, in truth, I am a procrastinator. I rationalize about keeping things... you might know the dialogue that goes on in my head - "I will use it in a few years. It was a gift from my mom. My daughter made that when she was little." All of these arguments can be valid at some point, but I need to learn to reduce the amount of these items to the very most important to me. Everything can't have equal value.

Beth called on Monday to confirm our appointment for Wednesday. She charges a client for cancelations so this was the point of no return. I confirmed with much trepidation. Now, I really went into panic mode. I had to organize before the organizer could come over. Like cleaning before the cleaning lady comes.

Tuesday night, my daughters were asked to visit a girl in the hospital and play music for her. This request came unexpectedly, so that meant I was on my own for making the house look presentable for early Wednesday morning. (The boys can often do more damage than help.....(although I have to say my 14 year-old son is doing a good job at mopping these days.)

I wanted to start on the toy room because what good is a toy room if the contents are inaccessible? If a child cannot even get into the room to play, what kind of childhood is that? I'm including "before" photos in this post that were taken last year. I had cleaned it up on and off since that time, but never to the extent that we did yesterday. I took out a lot to get rid of and some I threw out in this morning's trash. Yay for me!!

Eventually, I want to put a guest bed or futon in this room for times when Kayla brings home a friend from college or we host a missionary.

You'll notice boxed furniture in here...we bought an eat-in kitchen set for 12 a year ago and that is our extra table and chairs for when the children are too big for bench seats and/or if we need extra seating in the future. I had already put the huge boxes into the closet which gave me much less room in the closet for toys (which isn't a terrible thing btw).

"Before" pictures (taken last year - I didn't take any "before" photos yesterday) I know it looks bad, and it depressed me everytime I looked at it. Believe me, it doesn't take long for a room to become this messy when there is too much in there.

When Beth arrived, I started showing her a bit of the house and told her of my anxiety. I started tearing up because for a long time I've felt like a bottle whose contents are succumbing to the pressure and is about to bubble out in an explosion. She promised me the process wouldn't be bad but, instead, fun. I was counting on it. I was praying it would be so.

We got to work right away. Beth moved fast and kept us on track. We began with books - I sat and she handed me books to divide into piles of Keep, Get Rid Of, and Trash. I, keeping in mind I'm paying by the hour, made the choices rather quickly. It's amazing how procrastination goes out the window when money is involved. My husband's hard-earned money.

"After" photos, a couple items have been placed on the shelves that don't belong there. You'll have to ignore those. And, that cylindrical object on the third shelf is a rock tumbler.

The closet with the boxed chairs inside. Toys are much better arranged. A few months ago, Kayla put some of the most used games in the coffee table drawers in the family room. That's why you won't see all of them in here. We used to keep VHS tapes in the drawers but we got rid of the majority of them.

I love how now my children are able to sit in there to play a game or read.

Toys that had been forgotten are being played with again.

After finishing the toy room, we moved to the kitchen cabinet that hold our plates, mugs, bowls, and saucers. It also holds our coupons, medicines, bandaids, miscellaneous supplies that I like to have closeby like tape and scissors. But, with all this in there, it was a mess. I can't believe what a difference it is having it cleared out and organized. The tape and scissors were moved to the secretary desk. The coupons were culled and expired ones thrown out. Same with medicines.

I had to leave to pick someone up at the airport when Beth still had a small amount of time on the clock. She kept working with my daughter, Stephanie. They finished the cabinet and moved to the secretary, organizing the pull-down section better. They got rid of yellowed stationery and I don't know what else. I was already gone and I trust them with that area. It looks a whole lot better.

It was a good experience, one I hope to repeat again soon, possibly in my bedroom and closet. Beth is professional, doesn't talk too much, keeps the focus on organizing and she even brings her own label maker. Thanks Beth.

All in a Day - Grocery Shopping

2011-02-09T13:11:00.008-05:00

It's time for another installment in the series All In A Day. If you've been reading, you'll quickly see I'm the one that will make you feel like you're doing great, 'cause I'm not as organized with shopping as Carrie is.

"You have your hands full." I've heard that line so many times, it's as common as a bad pickup line in a bar. Unfortunately, it falls equally as empty. If only someone would offer to help when that baby in your arms is crying and you are trying to push a loaded grocery cart with the other hand, while seemingly every eye turns to watch how you will manage. Add to that a toddler, a preschooler and a couple elementary aged children who may or may not be following you, riding in the cart or helping you.

Let me just say, I empathize. If I see you in the store and you need help with that baby or cart, you don't even need to ask, I'll help you. I rarely go to the store with little ones now, I'm surprised my grocery store employees recognize me. These days, I enjoy the privilege of taking a big person who is armed with a list of items to get, who doesn't need to hold my hand when going to the restroom and who is capable of pushing a cart without knocking down displays or colliding with other shoppers. And, by big person, I mean anyone who is 12 or older.

If you cannot leave your younger ones at home, then grocery shopping is more of an event that must be carefully planned to maximize your time out. Because you know you only have a certain amount of time before somethng happens. If you are in this category of mothers, my advice is to learn how to use a sling, and learn how to push one of those huge carts that hold two other children in a sitting position. You might need to beef up your biceps first to do the latter.

Then, make sure your grocery list is complete, you don't want to make a return trip anytime soon just for the two items you forgot. This will involve meal planning.

I'm a creature of spontaneity and I cringe at pre-planned, scheduled stuff...much to my disadvantage. But, I have occasionally planned meals to make my life easier. I have a list of favorite meals that I go to for inspiration when I have the "what should I cook?" blahs. I keep it taped to the inside of one of my kitchen cabinets right here...

This post is supposed to be about how our family handles grocery shopping and cooking. Our grocery shopping is done at just one store, Publix, with the addition of fresh organic produce I buy from a co-op twice a month. We don't have a Sam's Club and I'm too far from a BJs or a Costco to make it worth my time and gas. Plus, I'm afraid I might end up a hoarder buying such large quantities of food and trying to find a place to store it. We have just one refrigerator (with an additional small freezer in my laundry room).

As for coupons, I only cut the ones for which I will truly use the product. We used to clip all coupons and get the free items regardless of whether we would use them. That's great if you know of a food bank or a shelter that can use the items you won't need, but if you have problems getting things out of the house like I do, then, it's a waste of energy. I have to know my limits.

I used to do the Extra Care Bucks at CVS a la Money Saving Mom but I'm now free of that feeling that prompts me to rush out and get all the free stuff CVS is offering. Crystal at Money Saving Mom holds garage sales to sell the items she won't need. That's another headache I don't want. She has a great blog, though, so if you can use some tips in saving, spending less so you can give more, that's the place to go to. She also has a feature spotlighting people and their testimonies about spending cash for something for which they saved up, ie a car, a vacation, etc. We have always paid in full for everything, even our house.

Back to grocery shopping. I like to keep a running list on the kitchen cabinet of things I need at the store. I add to it until I decide to go shopping. I sometimes check their sale ad in advance and plan according to what is cheaper this week. I take advantage of the many of the Buy One Get One Free deals. We try to eat healthy, meaning less processed food, less high fructose corn syrup and less refined sugar.

I invite one or two of the children to go with me and we tackle the shopping together. If it is very crowded and I don't need a whole cart-full, I will give out the little carrying baskets to my helpers. Skip the cart. They will go get half the list of items we need and then meet me when they are done. We get in and out faster this way. Three people shopping for the list is so much better for me. Fortunately, I don't live far from Publix, so if I leave something out or forget those couple items my husband asked for, I can easily go back another time.

By this time in my life, I am getting pretty good at whipping up something for a meal that doesn't involve a ton of planning. There are several great websites we love to go to for meal ideas.

All Recipes includes reviews of their recipes and also has a feature where you can type in the ingredients you want to use and it will provide you with a variety of dishes.

Tammy's Recipes has a lot of tried and true recipes with reviews.
Joy the Baker has what you need for a sweet tooth.
Tasty Kitchen also has some recipes that we have loved. She's got a featured recipe (#1) right now for Mushroom Risotto that looks yummy. Those mushrooms in my kitchen that I got at the produce co-op last week might end up in that.
I'll also throw in Kath Eats Real Food, a food blog my oldest daughter reads.

I like to allow my older children experience in the kitchen. They take turns planning a meal and cooking. The younger ones help me when I cook, but I just love it when the older ones do it all by themselves. It's better than eating out.

Our other sources of food are co-ops. I belong to a produce co-op and a bulk foods co-op. I buy grains and beans at the bulk foods one but that is only three or four times a year.

You might have to look up locations in your area. Many co-ops let you split a share so if your family isn't very large, you can still take advantage of the organic bulk buying and not have to spend so much. Lately, we've been getting carrots and I've been making this delicious Creamy Carrot Soup. I thought I had my own photo of it, but I can't find it. Trust me, it's really good...I've made it four times since November.

Co-ops are a good way to learn about unusual foods you may not normally think of trying.

My dad lives in an area of town with lots of farms and fresh fruit. Yesterday, he stopped by to bring us a flat of strawberries and some cinnamon buns from a farm run by German Baptists who live here just six months of the year during strawberry season.

I'd love to hear how your grocery shopping and cooking is done. Read about other moms of many right here...

Carrie at Our Full House

Elizabeth at Yes They're All Ours

Kristy at Homemaker's Cottage

Lori at Happy Busy Mama

Monica at Natural Mama

Renee at Bakers Dozen

One of my many struggles...

2011-02-08T19:30:00.007-05:00

Well, if you read my post last Wednesday, you know I'm participating with several other bloggers in a series called All In A Day. We all have large families and are writing about different aspects of managing our households. Tomorrow's topic is grocery shopping and cooking. So, come back for that one if you want to know the way we do it.

A misconception about mothers of large families is that they have it all together. Many mothers experience stress and anxiety over the pressure this puts on them. I'm no exception. I feel some sort of obligation to maintain the persona. Why? I don't know exactly...maybe I don't want there to be a negative picture portrayed of large families. I want people to look at my family and say, "Hey, they look happy, I want what they have." The truth is I want people to want Jesus, not some large family mentality or anything else. Conversely, I don't want someone to see us having a real life moment like a toddler meltdown and think, "Well, Lord, please don't give me that many children."

There has been a book published called "Large Family Logistics." I would love to look at a copy but I don't know anyone near me who has one. I have entered a few giveaways but haven't won yet. Well, I have another chance to win at She Looketh Well. I'm know if I had that book, I'd surely get it all together :)

My biggest struggle is with the stuff that seems to multiply in my home. Things like momentos, toys, and clothes. I rationalize that the toys and clothes will be handed down to the next child. The problem is we have more clothes and toys than we need. And, the stuff is taking over my home.

I've been reading some interesting books lately. One is called Unstuff - Making Room in Your Life for What Really Matters by Hayley and Michael DiMarco. It has been helpful in shifting my thinking about stuff. Anything that gets between me and my relationship with God is something I should think about living without. The stuff in our lives takes so much time...organizing, cleaning, insuring, protecting, and so on. I'm working on that, in fact, I have a professional organizer coming tomorrow to help me reduce. I realize I need help in this task for my mental well-being. Clutter does more damage than just to the house. I'll let you know how it goes.

Another great read, which I've just begun is called "Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things." by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee. While I am not a full out hoarder and I don't think I will turn into one, I do see some similar traits in my thinking with that of hoarders. If someone took everything on the top of my dresser and threw it out, I'd panic. I know there are important things there. Along with some bonified trash. I'd think about the missed opportunites in that pile of stuff which is something that hoarders think about when they save magazines. The magazine might contain something important they want to remember. I don't have a problem with magazines or newspapers. Just sayin.'

The authors in this book delve into the philosphy of acquiring and owning stuff. Plato thought everything should be shared. Others have thought the extreme. You know, get all you can, can all you get and sit on the can. I just read in our school books today that the early church sold their houses and land, pooled it together, and distributed it to everyone according to need. I'm not saying it should be one way or another, I'm just finding it all very interesting how some people attach themselves to possessions and others don't.

So, check back to see how my organizing goes. And, pray for me.

All In A Day - Introduction

2011-02-02T09:35:00.027-05:00

Welcome to "All In A Day" - A Wednesday event with seven blogging mothers.

Like many of you, I find large families interesting. When I was young, I had only one sister (found more later, but that's another story). I had a BFF who was one of six children. I just loved that she had so many people to love and be loved by. I think the fact that her family exhibited Christ-like character qualities had a lot to do with it even though I didn't understand any of that at the time.

Fast forward thirty-plus years (uh hum) did I just say thirty-plus years? Where does the time go? God has blessed me with ten children and now I'm in a large family myself.

I'm often asked "How do you do it?" Well, here is a chance to find out how several moms of large families do grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, homeschooling, etc. I'll share my experiences here and you can visit these blogs below to meet other moms and read about their methods in the madness.

So sit back with your cup of java or tea and enjoy the peek into our lives. You can participate too, just join the link below by putting in the URL of your post. Introduce yourself and let others get to know you.

Carrie at Our Full House

Elizabeth at Yes They're All Ours

Kristy at Homemaker's Cottage

Lori at Happy Busy Mama

Monica at Natural Mama

Renee at Bakers Dozen

Kathy at Kathy - Mom of Many

A little about us...

I'm Kathy, married to Steve for 24 years. We met through church and started dating when I was 18 and he was 29. We live in South Florida, where we both grew up. Steve has had a long, fulfilling career with the government. In his retirement, he now works as a consultant for a government agency on a contract basis. We have ten children who are educated at home.

I didn't start out thinking I wanted ten children but I eventually became open to whatever number God wanted to give us. Having wonderful pregnancies helps in that regard. Now, a quick introduction to my children.

Kayla is 20 and is a college student. People describe her as a typical first-born.
Stephanie is turning 18 tomorrow. She never says a bad thing about anyone.
Allison is 16, is very creative and thoughtful.
Stevie is 14 with a changing voice and growing stature.
Carolyn is 12 and is witty and full of sweetness.
Kelly is 10, very independent, loves to cook and plays the harp.
Tommy is 8, is learning to read better. He plays basketball.
Matthew is 5 and loves for me to hold him.
Mark is 5 also and loves to wear a hat at all times.
Charity is 3 and insists she is a big girl but still allows me to call her "Baby."

Join Us!

That's my family in a nutshell.

Now, tell us about yourself by linking your post in the box below. You can find the banner for "All in a Day" HERE.

Visiting the Pink Snails

2011-01-26T08:22:00.002-05:00

We drove around looking for 22 pink snails which are part of a local art exhibit. We had fun trying to find them using a not-so-accurate map. One of them remained elusive. They are made from hard recycled materials and are supposed to inspire us to, according to their website, "re-examine existing perceptions of urban life, and inspire us to play with our cities, as well as to mentally and physically rejuvenate them, in other words, to REgenerate them into more healthy, vibrant, animated and loving environments." I agree with the play part, as we certainly did that. I wouldn't mind having one in my backyard or my front yard for that matter. They sure are a cheery lot.

I added a video at the bottom of this post showing how they are made.

Pasta Fagioli

2011-01-21T18:02:00.004-05:00

I love a good recipe that everyone will eat. This one comes from my grocery store. I went in one late afternoon right before the dinner hour and, lo and behold, they had samples of Pasta Fagioli. I love it when my visit to the grocery store coincides with their cooking and handing out samples.

I grabbed a recipe card and made the soup up within a couple days. I use the crock pot so I can prepare it whenever it's convenient in the day and just forget about it. It was so delicious I have to share the recipe. I always ask the cook if she made any changes to it...she said she didn't but she did say that you can use leftover chicken or any other meat instead of the salt pork. I used chicken breasts.

I made the Romano bread recipe listed with it too, but didn't take a picture of it.

Children are a blessing

2011-01-20T15:02:00.004-05:00

A new film, Children Are A Blessing, made it's debut at the San Antonio Film Festival this past year. If you'd like to know more about the Moore family and their ten children, you can enter a giveaway to win this video here.

I missed the funeral

2011-01-11T08:10:00.008-05:00

My father-in-law had Parkinson's disease and was rapidly failing in health. He had a heart attack in early December which no one detected until he was at the hospital. A routine doctor visit resulting in a trip to the ER with suspected pneumonia, but his heart enzymes were elevated indicating a heart attack. He didn't want a stent or open heart surgery. He was not talking much and not really able to swallow a lot for fear of aspirating. The medical professionals recommended hospice care at home. He had caring people round the clock look after him until he died just before Christmas.

He was a civil engineer and was the project manager for several landmarks around our area, including the zoo, a large bridge and the rapid transit system. He traveled to over 125 countries and he served God and his church for many years.

My daughters put together a slideshow of his life to be shown at the funeral and three of my children played music during the service. The woman who sang at my wedding sang The Old Rugged Cross. I wish I could have been there to see my father-in-law honored, but Matthew got hurt just a couple hours before it all started. I had to take him to the ER and get stitches.

Proverbs 27:1
"Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

This was taken right before leaving home for the hospital. I put a bib on him to catch the blood since he was already dressed up for the funeral.

The hospital took care of us quickly and we made it in time for the procession to the cemetary. Here is Matthew at the reception after it was all over. He's all stitched up and trying to sip a lemonade.
Almost all the cousins together. 14 out of 15 - one had already left the church. You can tell which ones are mine.
One photo from the gravesite. It was simply a beautiful December day.

Large family pitfalls

2011-01-10T08:36:00.001-05:00

One of the things about having a large family is the difficulty in getting out information to everyone at the same time. There are simply more people to tell in the house. The biggest thing I feel like my house is lacking is an intercom system. Well, that and a full-time maid, but that's not going to happen.

Case in point...the other day, we were going to decorate some gingerbread houses that my uncle sent to us. We had constructed them on one day and let them set. The decorating was going to take place at a more convenient time. The younger boys kept asking me so I finally gave the go-ahead and asked Allison to help. Well, next thing I know, Kelly is crying because she didn't get to decorate any. I hadn't gone around the house to let everyone know it was decorating time and I didn't ask who wanted to participate. Sometimes it's hard to remember who really wants what. Some care and some don't.

Well, I felt badly for Kelly. I should have been more sensitive and known she wanted to decorate the houses. So, what would you have done? Would you have said, "Sorry honey maybe next time. That's life." I really dislike when one of my children is disappointed. I know life will not always be rosey and there will be hard times. But, the softie in me wanted to make things right and produce a brand new gingerbread house for her to construct and decorate. That, and I wanted her to stop crying.

So, since it is only two weeks after Christmas, I thought maybe the stores would have the houses still on the shelf at a discounted price. At least I was hoping they would. Allison, Kelly and I got in the car and drove to a large store, headed right to the back where all the leftover Christmas stuff was being kept. Low and behold there were several shelves of all different kinds of gingerbread houses and trains. And, they were 90% off. So, we picked up undamaged ones and headed for the check-out. I can't turn back time and let Kelly decorate the original houses, but I can give her more houses to work on for less than a dollar a box.

Maybe I should look into how much a home intercom system costs.

Matthew, Tommy and Charity after decorating the village.

The new kits for less than $1.00 each. Now, everyone has plenty to construct and decorate.

I know, I've been MIA

2011-01-06T13:11:00.003-05:00

Well, so much has been going on lately. More on that later. But, for now, here are some great photos taken by my young friend Christian, age 16. He aspires to be a fashion photog. I'm adding a watermark with my name for this blog. He has given me permission to use them, (just sayin'.)

One of the little ones didn't want her picture taken so she isn't in one of the group photos, and she's hiding her face in some of the others. There's always one isn't there? And if you said, "No, my family ALWAYS cooperates" you can kindly leave now :) We did some with just the boys, just the girls and some solo portraits and others with all of us. It was a beautiful day.

Steve and me.
Charity crying into my shoulder.
All of us.

Another one of the whole family, just not as relaxed.

All the children, with the youngest hiding her face.

A silly face photo.

The boys together.

The girls together.

Kayla

Stephanie

Allison

Nine of ten.
Stevie

Carolyn

Kelly

Tommy

Matthew

Mark

Matthew and Mark, twins

Charity

New pictures

2010-12-20T10:01:00.007-05:00

We just had new family photos taken yesterday...by a professional photographer...a 16 year old. I didn't want to spend a ton of money but I wanted someone who is good enough. We'll see how the results turn out soon after he's done editing them and gives them to me on a CD. We originally planned to do the shoot on Saturday but rain prevented that. Charity didn't cooperate, she's only three and not into having her photo taken by a stranger. He said he'll try to take her picture when he drops off the CD and then just give me her photo later. She'll be in our backyard, a familiar place and maybe more willing to be captured. Hopefully...at least I am praying for that.

In the meantime... we took a few photos after church yesterday just because. My husband isn't present because he's at his dad's bedside awaiting his departure of this earth. He's being taken care of by hospice nurses and isn't expected to live much longer. Doctors thought he would be gone more than a few days ago. We will miss him, but he's had a good, long time and will be in heaven soon, free of his ailments. He says he's not in pain so we are thankful for that.

Here are the pictures from the impromtu shoot after church and one of three of my children playing music during the service. They played "Oh Come All Ye Faithful."

Fall Table Runner

2010-11-10T13:42:00.002-05:00

I entered several blog giveaways during the first week of October. I came upon the "Fall into Fall Quilt Blog Giveaway" Lots of (over 150) blogs were giving away something crafty, fabric, handmade goods, quilt supplies, etc. I entered Mary Grace's giveaway for her fall table runner. I was thrilled as we don't get a "real" fall here in South Florida. I just get to pretend we do. So, part of that is decorating with beautiful accessories like this table runner. Right now it's on a sofa table in my living room with a couple pumpkins on it. For Thanksgiving, it will be on my dinner table.

She did such a nice job on it. It's so well made with several different fabrics blending beautifully. She has more for sale in her Etsy shop. She also included a neat matching pot holder/trivet. Thank you, Mary Grace, I love it! Visit her at her blog Hooked on Needles for more crafty fun.

Childhood friends

2010-10-20T07:47:00.017-04:00

Krisia, Kathy, Diane and Vanessa

Our safety patrol group, 6th grade.

I got together with some childhood friends recently. Diane and Vanessa are from the neighborhood I grew up in and we went to elementary school together. The three of us were in 6th grade together but were friends way before then. Krisia joined us in 9th grade, it was junior high back then. Vanessa is Colombian/American, Diane is Jewish, and Krisia is Cuban/American.

It'a amazing how much we can remember, details about things said or done, or special interests we had. I remember Diane's mom made the best chocolate chip cookies and we would have one after school. My mom worked so I was alone for hours everyday. The other moms were at home. Maybe that is one reason I need to be at home with my children. I longed for that while growing up and I think children really benefit from it. We talked about how it was a different time when we grew up, we walked to school, we rode our bikes everywhere.

We're all so different as adults. Krisia is an architect, married with two children. Vanessa is single, no children. Diane lives in Seattle, clear across the country, married with one child. But, when we get together, the differences melt away and we're there for each other.

My day of celebrating

2010-10-14T00:11:00.005-04:00

So, I woke up today knowing that I wasn't restricted by my 30 Day Sugar Free Challenge. I was free to eat whatever I wanted and what did I choose? First, I made an omelet with spinach, mushrooms, and scallions. And, I made one each for Stephanie and Allison. Then, I took out the cookie dough I mixed up last night and popped it into the oven. Out came the most beautiful-looking cookies I've ever seen. Look for yourself. Yeah, that's them with the glass of milk. I thought I'd be ready to eat a whole plate of them, but I only ate one. After going so long without sugar, I really didn't want to destroy that good, healthy feeling my body has gotten used to. And, I knew putting all that sugar into it would make me feel sick.

Tip: If you are going to eat a cookie or cake, eat it with protein or good fat. It helps bind the sugar so it's not so high on the glycemic index. Another example: a baked potato is better with the sour cream and cheese instead of plain.

Stephanie, Allison and I planned on celebrating by going to see You Again at the movie theater. I don't usually recommend movies to anyone because I rarely go and there isn't anything I would say, "Go see this." Not even the little kiddie movies are worth recommending. But, I laughed out loud at this one. I say, take a couple girlfriends and go see it when you want to take your mind off things. It's a nice break away. Jamie Lee Curtis cracks me up.

After the movie, we went to Panera Bread. I had a Sierra Turkey sandwich, Steph had soup and salad, Allison had soup. I had been missing sandwiches during the whole Sugar Free Challenge so it was very satisfying. Oh, and the McDonald's frape they said they wanted, they changed their minds. They are choosing healthier foods too. I love it.

Today is the last day

2010-10-12T09:19:00.007-04:00

The last day of my 30 Day Sugar Free Challenge. My goal was to go 30 days without eating sugar or foods that act like sugar in my body. I had a couple exceptions where I chose to go off that regimen (to not be rude at a dinner party) but, for the vast amount of time, I was sugar-free. The foods that act like sugar in your body and are high on the glycemic index are pasta, rice, grains, bread. Even some fruit are high on the glycemic index and are to be avoided during the challenge...watermelon, bananas, dates, raisins.

It has been hard with the temptation of M & Ms in my cabinet and vanilla wafers which I bought before doing this. I missed the simple things like corn chips, drive-thru French fries, cereal in the morning, and ooohh, the baked goods. I missed the baked goods the most, cookies, muffins, breads. Though, I did partake in some cheddar bay biscuits at Red Lobster on Carolyn's birthday. But, I didn't order the alfredo pasta that night.

I have lost five and a half pounds. I thought it would be more, not that I really was trying to lose weight. But, you hear people talk about cutting out sugar and losing much more than that. I think I loaded up on so much other "good-for-you" food that I made up for the lack of calories that way. Plus, I rarely exercise so that would have made a difference had I done some walking or the exercise videos we have. Still, I have learned a lot.

Mostly, we can have a very improper attitute toward food, an addiction even, especially to sugar. Yes, we NEED food and God has given us so many varied foods to choose from. But, we are also supposed to be responsible for keeping our temples well-cared for. While I will not go hog-wild tomorrow and binge on all the foods I've been missing out on, I do plan to make some of these tomorrow morning. My daughters, Stephanie and Allison, also participated with me in this challenge and their desire is for a McDonald's frape. I'm looking forward to adding some grains back into my menus. I'll definitely not waste sugar calories on packaged, junk food.

I feel better physically from not eating so much sugar. That counts for something. There are so

negative effects from eating sugar. Just read this article here.

Oh, and one thing I did about three weeks ago is the spit test for candida. I did it one morning and my saliva threaded down to the bottom of the glass within 15 minutes. I tried it again a couple days ago and it stayed on the top of the water for more than 3 hours until I poured it out. Wow, that made a big impression on me. It's too bad our food has been so altered in the past 40 years. With the widespread use of high fructose corn syrup and many other additives, food just isn't what it used to be. All the more reason to be careful what you eat.

Chicken Florentine Linguine

2010-10-09T05:15:00.014-04:00

While in Indianapolis this summer, I had the privilege of staying for two weeks on the Verity Institute campus where my daughter is attending college. The awesome chef there made this chicken dish for dinner one night and I'd like to share the recipe. My thanks to Jordan.

The amounts here will feed a group of 12, or double it for a few families and use two separate baking dishes to hold it all like I did.

Boneless chicken breasts
3/4 cup butter
4 TBSP garlic, chopped
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 large family size can cream of chicken soup (I used 26 oz can)
1 large family size can cream of mushroom soup (I used 26 oz can)
3 TBSP Italian seasoning
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups parmesan cheese
1 -2 bags fresh spinach
1 package fresh mushrooms, chopped
3 - 4 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 - 2 lbs. linguine

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the chicken on a baking dish and let cook for about 20 or 30 minutes until juices run clear. Remove from oven and set aside. Fry the bacon and set aside. Saute the garlic in butter on the stove using a large skillet, add the lemon juice, both cans of soup, Italian seasoning, and heavy cream. Crumble the bacon and add to the skillet, then add the parmesan cheese. Stir together well.

Lay the spinach evenly over the bottom of a large baking dish (9 X 13). It cooks down so don't worry that it is fluffy at this point. Add the cooked chicken breasts on top of the spinach. Then layer the mushrooms on top of the chicken. Spoon the sauce over the mushrooms. Save a little sauce to add to the linguine just to keep it moist. Lastly, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.

While the dish is in the oven, cook the linguine according to package directions. Drain linguine and add the reserved sauce. I did this because I made this meal for a gathering with three other families and it was going to be a few hours before we ate. I didn't want the linguine to dry out and get sticky so I tossed it with a little sauce.

The spinach will look like this when you lay it in the dish, fluffy, but it will cook down so don't be afraid to add a lot of spinach.

The sauce cooking on the stove.

In the midst of pouring the sauce over the chicken.

Birthdays

2010-10-07T08:07:00.007-04:00

We've celebrated several birthdays lately so here are some photos to catch up.

Stephanie and Carolyn at Red Lobster for Carolyn's 12th birthday.

The waiter brought cake and ice cream when they found out it was her birthday.

Can't forget Coldstone Creamery on birthdays...free ice cream.

Carolyn and Allison made this doll cake together.

A new pair of jeans as requested.

Charity also celebrated a birthday recently. She is now three years old, a "big girl." Here she is ready to help make her cake.

Getting ready to blow out the candles on her butterfly cake.

Opening a card made by some of her siblings.

A set of Fancy Nancy colorforms.

We went bowling for Stevie's 14th birthday. Here, he's helping his 5 year old brother, Matthew, get the ball down the lane. It was Matthew's first time bowling.

Some scores.
Some of us posing for a photo.
Stevie with his Lego brick cake.
A new button down shirt and a pullover sweater, perfect for the upcoming trip to Chicago.

Three more musicians

2010-09-29T19:15:00.003-04:00

We have been blessed to add two more instruments in our home. Kelly started playing the harp in April after many years of wanting to learn. It has really been God's provision in how we found a harp teacher and a harp to purchase. Way back in January when Steve and I went to Dallas for a conference, we met a couple who have four children who all play the harp together. They arrange music for the four of them and have recorded CDs. They gave us a CD and talked to us about how to purchase a harp. We continued to be in touch with them via email as prior to this, we had absolutely no knowledge of harps. They are quite expensive and I didn't want to make a mistake and regret my purchase.

We ended up with a one year old harp from a very well-respected company. This harp was turned back in as part of their bounty program where you can upgrade to a bigger harp. It was in perfect condition.

We found an instuctor through an acquaintance who plays in a symphony, She recommened the harpist who in in that symphony, a young Thai woman who is working on her doctoral degree in harp performance. She's the sweetest girl and has been a joy to know.

Then, Carolyn, who has been wanting to play the flute for a long time got the opportunity to start lesson in June. We have a new family at our church who moved here from Michigan. The young mom is a flute player. (I don't say flautist because of this article.) She was excited to teach Carolyn when I asked her. And, her husband bought her a new flute in May, so we were able to buy her old one which is in very good condition and is a good name flute. Carolyn has already played at church with her teacher and a violinist in a trio.

Tommy received a guitar from my dad recently. It's a little large for him right now. Stephanie started teaching him and he's a happy camper.

Sugar-free half way there

2010-09-27T07:32:00.005-04:00

I began a 30 Day Sugar-Free Challenge two weeks ago. You sign up for encouraging emails and try to avoid the higher glycemic foods like pasta, potatoes, rice, grains, and obviously, sugar. I've been doing pretty good, with a few violations. I was at a birthday party for a friend with a small group at an apartment. We all sat at the dining room table together. The choices were lasagna, brussel sprouts and garlic bread. I ate a small square of lasagna and the sprouts. No bread and no cake or ice cream. It would have been rude of me to refuse the lasagna.

Then, several of my own children are having birthdays this month and next. I have chosen to eat their cake on these special days. In general, I've done really well avoiding the off-limit foods. I can eat grapes, oranges, apples, pineapple, peaches, berries and many other kinds of fruit. I avoid bananas, raisins, and watermelon which are higher on the glycemic index. We've gotten used to eating salads, soups, nuts and the allowed fruit.

I got into this at the encouragement of my oldest daughter who noticed she had gained seven pounds at college. Several of us are on the band-wagon, my three oldest girls, my husband and a couple friends. When I am done with the 30 day challenge, I know I'll add some of the foods back in, but I'm going to make sure, when I do splurge and eat sugar, it will be something really good. It feels good to not eat as much processed food.

Buying used clothes

2010-09-23T07:03:00.010-04:00

I don't have much success in consignment stores. Am I too choosey when it comes to my kids clothes? I didn't think so. But, it doesn't deter me from trying. The other day, my persistance paid off... I found three little skirts for Charity. I love them. It wasn't what I went in looking for, of course, but there they were. Skirts are so practical for a growing girl, she can wear these much longer than having a pair of pants or capris.

Yesterday, I went looking for a suit for my 13 year old son who is growing like a weed. We have one consignment store in particular that resells high quality, good condition stuff. They had lots of suits, lots of separtate dress pants and sport coats, just not a suit in the color and size I wanted for him. I'll keep looking and keep praying for that one. I did end up buying him a pullover sweater he'll need for a trip north in November.

I left my name and number for them to contact me when they get a suit that meets my criteria. Some stores keep a log of what their customers are looking for.

I guess her two thumbs up means she likes it. This is a little denim, tiered skirt with a border.
A cute purple corduroy skirt with a ruffle.

A gauzy pink skirt with pintucking and a ruffle.

Here is a closer shot of two of the skirts.

And, just because she looks so cute in her pigtails, I had to share pictures...she's been

growing this hair for three years now.

A storage solution

2010-09-22T09:00:00.010-04:00

I know summer is over for many of you, but it's never time to put away the sunglasses for good. You folks up north still need them for the winter too, right? I have a storage solution to share that will help keep those sunglasses from breaking. If you're like me, you've bought countless pairs for your children because of carelessness. They simply break too easily.

My dad gave me a bunch of these clear, plastic sandwich cases. But, they aren't watertight so sandwiches can get soggy if you have them in a cooler with ice (ask me how I know). I didn't want to ditch them so I came up with the perfect use for them. Keeping my family's sunglasses protected and in one place...or in my case, two boxes are needed. Now, when we're going somewhere, I can toss the case in the car and we're off.

My brave boy

2010-09-21T19:26:00.006-04:00

Today, one of my boys got a splinter in his palm from the computer desk. I tried to get it out, using magnifying goggles (don't laugh) but I couldn't get it. It had gone into the skin and the end wasn't sticking out at all. I tried backing it out the same hole it went in, but to no avail. And, I was causing him more pain. It was a job for the doctor. So, we quickly went to the pediatrician where the nurse got it out in about 3 minutes. First, she sprayed it with a cold numbing liquid. Then, she used a needle to open the other end of the skin where the splinter was. She was able to grab it with tweezers and pull it out. Yay, success. And, Tommy was so brave the whole time. Not wimpering or crying at all.

I couldn't get a good close-up in focus.

You can see the splinter on the gauze.

A Snoopy band-aid makes it all better. That plus a stop at BK for a treat.

Book Review - The Boy Who Changed the World

2010-09-08T16:00:00.004-04:00

I have a confession to make... this book went missing in my house before I could read it. Soooo, this is a book review by two of my children who read it before I could get my hands on it. It's still MIA and I'm praying it turns up soon because the illustrations are warm and happy, just as a good picture book's illustrations should be.

Kelly, age 10, told me the book begins talking about a boy who wanted to feed hungry children, then it goes on to describe a U.S. vice president, then George Washington Carver and others. Each person had an influence on another. Carolyn, age 11, told me about a ripple effect...how one person taught another and that person taught another and so on. Both of my girls said it was a well-written book and was interesting. They both recommend it as a good book for children.

I've heard Andy Andrews tell this story in person and it can be life-changing just thinking about the way everything you do, every choice you make has an effect on others. As a mother, it makes me think twice about many things. It makes me realize that God put me in the lives of my family members specifically because I will make a difference for them. Same with you. You can make an impact on others with your words, encouragement and help...or by withholding your encouragement and help. The choice is yours.

I was proveded this book free of charge by Book Sneeze in order to review it. I was not asked to give a positive review.

The winner is announced

2010-06-03T09:09:00.002-04:00

Sandra is the winner of the book The Heart Mender. Congratulations Sandra!! I think you will enjoy reading this book. I have emailed you.

Book Review/Giveaway - The Heart Mender by Andy Andrews

2010-05-26T13:50:00.013-04:00

Although I've never been a fan of fiction, preferring biographies and recounts of heroic adventures, The Heart Mender and other books by Andy Andrews makes me a convert. His mix of truth and fictional storytelling results in a compelling book, one that elicits emotions of surprise, grief and elation.

A book for both men and women, The Heart Mender volleys back and forth between a German U-boat and a seaside Alabama town in 1942. This alternating, at times, had me thrown off balance because just as I would become immersed in the WWII activities on the U-166, I'd be directed to Mobile, AL and become just as deeply immersed in the life of a young woman named Helen Mason. A lot of us should be able to relate to Helen, just swap out her tragic life experience for yours. Andy Andrews makes it clear that a person can choose to be eaten up by bitterness or make the liberating decision to forgive. This is what motivated me to read his book -- the concept of forgiveness. To read the product description at the publisher site, go here.

Mr. Andrews' descriptions are not superfluous, rather they are appropriate and amusing. A couple examples..."The rain had stopped, but the southeast wind had built the waves along the shore into big rollers that fluttered the bodies in the water like a housewife shook out a rug." and...

"He was six feet tall in his socks, which was how they measured him when he took the county exam for deputy."

I expect a book to teach me something new and this one doesn't disappoint. Did you know Lucky Strike cigarettes used to be in green packaging? During WWII, green pigment was needed for dyes and paints so Lucky Strike switched to red and white. A few new words have been added to my vocabulary, albeit military ones. Good luck to me trying to work those into conversation :)

My favorite quote from The Heart Mender: "To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you."

I plan to re-read this book to catch what I missed while I was trying to figure out which parts are fact and which parts are embellished for the story. That alone will shock my children who know me to be someone who laughs when they re-read a loved book.

A picture I took of Andy Andrews while at an IBLP Christmas conference in December 2009. If you ever get the chance to hear him speak, please do. He is down to earth, gets among the audience and talks like he's sitting at your kitchen table.

Giveaway: Thomas Nelson generously provided me with a second copy of this book to give away to one of my readers. If you would like a chance to win this book, please tell me in a comment, on this post, the title of one of your favorite books. Giveaway will end on June 1st. Please leave a way to contact you. I will give the winner 72 hours to respond.

I recently joined Book Sneeze and received a complimentary copy of the book "The Heart Mender" by Andy Andrews from publisher Thomas Nelson for review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

To read more about The Heart Mender on the Book Sneeze site go here.

Lessons from a yard sale.

2010-05-18T08:52:00.004-04:00

I have never been a very good yard saler. I stop at them occasionally but not regularly like the real pros. I'm not good at haggling either. If I think the price is fair, I pay it. I don't insult the person and put on an act to get the price down. If I'm satisfied that the price is less than I could buy it at the lowest sale price or at a thrift store, I go for it.

And, I REALLY don't like holding my own yard sale, though I've done it more than I'd like. Twice I've gone in with friends and participated at their houses. Twice I've had Girl Scout yard sales, you know, for the good of the troop. And, I've had three full-blown estate sales at my mother's house, complete with strangers traipsing through opening drawers, cabinets, and closets.

I thought I'd list my lessons learned from having these sales. Hopefully, I'll never have to do it again.

1. The only time you see really low prices at yard sales are when you hold the sale yourself. Maybe it's just me, but I rarely run into that awesome buy. Somehow, I end up being the one to provide that awesome buy for someone else.

2. If you hold an estate sale, lock the doors to the rooms where you don't want people to enter. Even a sign on the door that says, "No entry" will not suffice. People will be nosy and enter, then go through the stuff in there and say, "Oh, sorry." Ask me how I know.

FYI, it is only a true estate sale if you are selling off mega amounts of stuff, like the whole household. A moving sale is not an estate sale. If you are leaving the country and want to start over completely, I'll let it slide. But, you'd better be selling everything. If you are moving and want to make things lighter on yourself, call it what it is, a moving sale. If it is a multi-family sale, call it that, not an estate sale.

3. People think if they buy more, the prices go down more. Wish that worked at the stores where I shop. Must be some law of adding in reverse that I've never heard of.

4. People can be extremely rude and insensitive, commenting on your goods. Develop thick skin so you don't react when people carelessly handle your things and then toss them aside in a heap. Pray that you don't cry and that you can hold your tongue.

5. People can be extremely nice and sensitive, complimenting your goods.

6. Assign a person to be a security guard at your sale. You might not think this would be necessary, but there are people who will take advantage because they think they need it more than you do.

7. Clean up your items and display them reasonably well. As a buyer, when I see nicely displayed yard sales, I'm more apt to stop and shop.

8. Enlist some friends to help. If the sale goes poorly or you feel insulted, at least you had a good time with friends.

9. Stock up on water because it gets hot out there and you don't want to end up dehydrated. A box of doughnuts helps too at 7:00 am.

10. Make sure you have lots of small bills and change. You will inevitably have someone pay with a $50. or a $100. (I'm not kidding) and expect change for a $3.00 purchase.

If you've read all that, my hat is off to you. I'll share some good finds I have come across in my time. Way back when I had two or three little girls, circa 1994, I prayed for a Little Tykes Playhouse. I wanted one for the backyard, but didn't want to pay full price. A used one would work just as well. So, one week I mapped out the garage sales I would visit hoping to find a playhouse. When Saturday morning, I was so tired, I didn't get up and ready until 9:00 am. I heard myself saying, "It's too late, all the good stuff is already sold." Then, I heard the Holy Spirit say, "Go anyway, you'll find that playhouse." I decided to go, drove to the first location and there it was. MY LITTLE TYKES PLAYHOUSE. I was so excited and told the seller right away that I wanted it. I narrowly got it right before someone else was interested in it. I just love the way my heavenly Father provides for us.

This past week, Saturday was my birthday. I decided I wanted to go shopping at yard sales just for fun. Three of my girls came, Stephanie, Allison and Carolyn. I wasn't looking for anything in particular but I did pray beforehand that I would find something I wanted. At this stage with my children of various ages, we have accumulated sufficient toys and I don't need any baby gear like I did in the early days.

We drove around, went to several duds, stopped at a church flea market, bought nothing. Then, I ventured a little north and stopped at another house. I got out and immediately noticed how nicely they had things displayed. There was a man, his very pregnant wife and female friend all working this sale.
My eyes landed on this little work bench complete with all kinds of tools and accesories. Jackpot! Sold to me for $20. I knew my youngest four children would love it. I didn't expect that the next three older ones to be just as excited. My daughter, Kelly age 9, said she has always wanted one of these. I also bought some play outfits for my 2 year old, and a couple pairs of croc shoes for her. I went home a happy camper. My birthday was off to a good start.

The set is in like-new condition. Stickers are intact, batteries work. A great find. Thank you God.

Mother's Day

2010-05-13T12:53:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted about Mother's Day yet. Here is our annual photo with all the children.

We went out to dinner together on Saturday because I didn't want to fight the crowds on Sunday trying to get a table for twelve. The children put together a lovely scrapbook with letters written to me by each child...well, the little ones dictated. It is decorated so pretty. I was able to relax and enjoy the day. This was the first Mother's Day without my own mother, but I tried not to dwell on that and just be thankful for the time I had with her.

What I've been up to

2010-05-12T07:09:00.007-04:00

So, I've been absent again. I have been in a class to become an American Red Cross Water Safety Instuctor Aide. This is my second year. I have to take it twice consecutively in order to volunteer with swimming lessons at a local pool. One of the benefits is that my children get to take lessons for free. And, these aren't just any ole swim lessons. Believe me, we've been there, done that. These are lessons taught by fabulous swimmers, many of whom have swum competitively. (I don't think I've used that word "swum" since 4th grade when we learned, "swim, swam, have swum.") It's a great international mix of people. There is Juan Carlos from Mexico, Madaline from Cuba, Valerie from France, Anne from Germany, Magdalena from Poland, Berit from somewhere in Europe, Joan who just moved here from Ohio, Fernando from Spain, Dallas and Christine from Australia, Beatrice from Switzerland, Inna from Russia and many other people from different places. I don't want to get a reputation for asking, "Where are you from?" They might get suspicious as if I'm up to something sinister. The mixture of people is what I love about South Florida. And, these are all first generation Americans, (except for Joan).

Another benefit is that it's a great workout for myself. We had a new guy start yesterday and at the end of the class, he said, "I didn't know this was boot camp." Last year I found muscles I didn't know I had. This year, I'm in better shape and it's not too bad. I'm working on my butterfly stroke. A tip for you...teach it to your children when they are still young because it's difficult to get the movement of the kick down when you are an adult. Trust me.

Another reason I've been absent from my blog is that I've been trying to touch up painting. The thing about touching up is that once you get started, before you know it, the whole wall looks like it needs repainting. The fresh paint looks so good, you can't stop. It takes me a little longer when I have my helpers working with me.

Matthew, Mark and Charity painting or waiting for their turn to paint. I insist on old t-shirts to protect their clothes.

Fun Mom and other miscellaneous things

2010-05-04T16:26:00.006-04:00

Do you ever feel too spent to say "Yes" to your children? Too tired or not in the mood to do whatever fun thing they are begging to do? I feel that way far too often. Like when paint or play-dough are involved. I'm trying to remember to say "Yes" when I can.

Fun Mom came to visit the other day. I cleaned out the plastic pool and let the little ones play in it. We hadn't done that in many months. I thought it would be hard to clean, but no, it only took a little scrubbing. And, look at what fun they had.

I planted caladium bulbs with Allison and Tommy. These are bulbs we found at my mom's house last summer after she died. I think it will be nice when they start blooming.

Oh, and for those of you wondering, my t-shirt says, "Before you ask, I charge $20 per nosey question." I won it a couple years ago and I never wear it out. But, I think it's funny because I do get asked a lot of questions, as any mom of ten does.

The boys have been wanting me to make popscicles. I grew up on Kool-aid but we rarely buy anything to drink that would make a suitable popscicle. So, I bought apple juice for them.

I was going through a bunch of disorganized recipes (of course) and found one for banana bread that uses cream cheese. I decided to make it and it was wonderful. The cream cheese added more flavor. Much better than my usual banana bread. Maybe I'll type it up for you later.

Lastly, have you seen THESE in the store?? I mentioned how much I love coconut and the next thing I see is M & Ms with coconut in the store!! Can you believe it? And, not only that, but there are Pretzel M & Ms too. Double wow!

What fun thing can you say "Yes" to today?

My apron arrived!

2010-05-03T16:46:00.005-04:00

I was thrilled to see that the sender was none other than Shawnee herself, the organizer of the apron swap. Yes, I am the fortunate one to be on the receiving end of her special wares. Look at all the dotty goodness. Polka dot socks, polka dot oven mitt, dish towel, and pot holder, a shortbread cookie mix (with polka dots on the packaging) and a cute card in a polka dotted envelope. But, of course, the pièce de résistance is the reversible apron she made. One side has brown and aqua colors with loads of embellishments including jumbo ric rac in brown, white ric rac and a striped trim on the pockets. The second side has the cutest fabric with little children cooking! Isn't it adorable? More trim in red on the hem, top and pockets. Look at the great cookbooks she sent me...one for salads (with gorgeous pictures I might add) and a cookbook titled "The Everything Sugar-Free Cookbook." Shawnee, I appreciate your thoughtfulness in getting me books for healthy eating. Can't wait to try out some recipes. I'm so spoiled. Thank you, Shawnee, for the fun swap.
First, the polka-dotted wrapping tissue.

All the goodies laid out.
The brown and aqua side.
The red, brown and aqua side.
A close-up of the fabric.

Apron swap done

2010-04-30T09:04:00.006-04:00

I'm guessing my apron swap partner will be receiving her apron in the mail today so I'm going to go ahead and post pictures of what I sent. The theme was polka dots. And we also had to include a cookbook. When I read my partner's blog, I found she has a definite style, country French. I wanted to use toile but there aren't polka dots in toile. A fabric store near me has the prettiest toile in pink and blue. It has scenes of children all over it. So pretty. I went with the blue and made it a reversible apron to incoporate more polka dots on the other side.

My secret partner had a baby a couple months ago, a girl after three boys. I just had to include a little matching version with the leftover fabric. Here is Charity modeling it for me. I know it looks like she has nothing on underneath, but she does...it's a fancy, dress-up dress with a ribbon halter strap.

Here is the adult apron I made. You can't see it very well, but there is tiny ball fringe on the top of the apron for embellishment.
The other side with the blue toile. I should have ironed it before the picture.
The cookbook I picked out that includes a couple wooden spoons, a folio of post-it notes (with polka dots), and some leftover fabric. Hope she likes it all.

Take your child to work...

2010-04-29T09:06:00.003-04:00

Steve started his new job just in time for "Take Your Child To Work Day." It just happens to be in the building right next to where he worked this time last year so the children got to do all the same activities they did before. To clarify, he worked for one gov't agency last year and this year, he's working for a different gov't agency. So, while one agency really hosted it all, both agencies participated. We decided we'd all go since he was new to this group and I wanted to meet the people.

They had raffles of toys for the children. We won a big play-dough set. The lunch was tasty, choice of hamburgers or hot dogs, chips, cookies, cupcakes, drinks. So crowded...when it was two minutes before eating time, I asked where the line would start and promptly started forming the line. One estimate was that there were 500 people there.

The downside is that children might think that Dad gets to win door prizes, get his face painted, eat cotton candy, snow cones and popcorn or use Super Soakers all day.

Here are some pictures...

Stephanie and Carolyn behind a shield.

Stevie, Matthew, Carolyn and Kelly lifting fingerprints a la CSI.

The helicopter landing.

A dog that detects agriculture in suitcases at the airport, looking for insects that would harm US crops.

Matthew and Allison in the Hummer.

Mark in the Hummer. My boys like Hummers. I wanted to get inside, but didn't. You can see Charity and me on the other side.

On a Coast Guard boat.

Stephanie with the play-dough set we won.

Inside the helicopter.

Mark at the controls of the helicopter.

Tommy fighting off the red-man.

Matthew climbing the rope.

Most of us in front of the helicopter.

Steph with cotton candy.

Charity with her snow cone.

Matthew getting a spider painted on his face.
Dad with the children.

I love coconut

2010-04-22T15:00:00.005-04:00

Stephanie has made these bars from Tasty Kitchen a few times recently and they are delicious. Anything with coconut goes over well with me. These are delicious.

When Stevie was about 2 years old, he was in a store picking out a Mother's Day card with my husband and one or two of the older girls. He was just going up and down the aisle, not paying attention to the decision-making process of what to get me for Mother's Day. Or so it seemed.

When my husband and the children got in the car (I was waiting in the car), I asked Stevie, not expecting a real answer..."Stevie, what did you get me?" He said, "Hmmm...coconut." Everyone busted out laughing because they bought me some kind of chocolate-covered coconut candy. They had no idea just how aware he was. We still joke about that whenever we have something with coconut. "Hmmmm...coconut."

Look at what she whipped up...

2010-04-21T14:31:00.007-04:00

Allison churned out this little number in a few sittings. She saw a picture of one like it on a blog and copied it, just like that. I love the soft, corduroy fabric she chose. It was a leftover scrap we had from a skirt that Kayla made. The inside is lined with coordinating fabric.

You can see the metal rings she used for the straps.

And the inside lining.

This is what happens...

2010-04-16T08:19:00.004-04:00

This is what happens when a princess encounters the edge of a dresser, while playing with her brothers on Wednesday.

And, this is what happens when a princess encounters Mommy's purse that has lipstick in it. The black eye hadn't reached the peak of "blackness" in the above photo. It's much better today (Friday).

Figuring myself out

2010-04-14T07:39:00.014-04:00

I think I've learned something about myself. Kind of dangerous to psychoanalyze yourself, I don't recommend it. Here it is... I have noticed that I start to panic if too many things are crossed off my to-do list. It's like I HAVE to have a huge mountain of stuff that needs to be done. I think I've been living in the land of impossible for too long that it is out of my comfort zone to actually have some things done.

I have been accomplishing things around the house lately...well, with the help of the family, but still, it's getting done. Kayla finished painting the guest bathroom. I painted the first half more than a year ago, but the shower area (separated by a door which we kept shut) was still a plain white. I ran out of steam, I guess, no pun intended.

Well, Kayla finished it with a little instruction from me...sanding, first coat of light tan, second coat, a glaze, ragged on in swirls. Looks great. And, the bonus is that she learned a skill she will use her whole life.

Another accomplishment is the toy room is organized. Okay, there is still TOO MUCH in there, but it's at least usable. Not like this anymore.

View from the door of the room.

Looking to the left of the door. Looking to the right.

More of the floor just inside the door.

Yeah, those are real pictures of a real room in my house. You see, I had let the little ones in there unsupervised...big mistake. They go from one thing to another and before long, it is too discouraging to even step foot in there. Seriously, it doesn't take long to get like this. The problem is that we've cleaned it up over and over. I need a lock and key and a check-out system with fines in place. Half-joking.

The big boxes are extra chairs and a dining table we bought in January. I first had to find a better storage place for them. Then, I had to start with the sorting of all the millions of little pieces of toys. Stephanie helped me until she couldn't stand it anymore. Then, I begged/asked Kayla to give me a hand. After about a week, it was organized. During that week, we had about half of the contents of the room spread out in my family room and the bathroom next to the toy room. It was too tempting for the little children to stay out of the stuff while organizing, so we had multiple setbacks.

Now it looks like this. Disregard the carpet which has taken quite a beating over the past 10 years.

Way too many stuffed animals in those garbage bags, and on the rocking chair. You say you didn't know there was a rocking chair in there, huh?
Noodles on the bookcase, where else would they go? And, the twins' high chairs which I'm reluctant to part with because, well, what if I have another baby or two? Those of you with basements, I understand the value of a good basement. Unfortunately, with the coral rock foundations here in South Florida, basements are almost non-existent. I say almost because I know there are one or two.

The closet, which needs a lot of culling and reorganizing. I just wanted to get it all in there for now. I had to remove at least two shelves and move some up in order to get the chair boxes in there. I love Elfa shelves.

I know some people will be shocked to see this room look as bad as it did. Honestly, I have a nice house, you wouldn't think it could get this bad. Just that sometimes other things take priority. Or is procrastination?

More of the fair

2010-04-10T13:18:00.004-04:00

Just some photos of all of us at the fair.
This is a family called Everything Fitz. They are from Canada and they are fun to watch. Playing the violins and dancing Irish-style, they are extremely talented. Look them up on youtube.

The ubiquitous bloomin' onion. It was a little too much this year because we
got two and couldn't finish them.

A bunch of my children were on this caterpillar roller coaster when it broke down. In this picture, the employees are helping the children out of their seats to walk down the ramp along the track.

Charity riding with Carolyn in a long train of monster trucks. Charity doesn't look too thrilled, but I think she liked it.

Hopefully, this is as close to motorcycles as they ever get. Cool dudes.

Tommy and Kelly on a car ride.

Bumper cars kiddie style. I think the riding surface should have been much bigger. Hard to enjoy bumping if you can't get around.

Carolyn and Matthew on the carousel.

Stevie and Kelly going down the slide. In the olden days, when I was a child, the slides had real steps to walk up. This one had a "skid-proof" surface that was a flat incline. I could just see everyone falling like dominoes on that thing. Yikes!

The county fair

2010-04-06T18:24:00.010-04:00

Each spring, we enter exhibits in the county fair. It is something I did from a young age until high school. In 10th and 11th grade, I was in a high school course where the teacher emphasized this. It was a home economics class, yeah, the kind that isn't taught anymore.

I made needle craft projects, baked goods, sewing projects, and all sorts of things. I still have a stuffed dachshund and a stuffed doll that I won special awards for. So, it was only natural that I pass on that tradition to my children. Here are some photos of their projects, some in the making and some pictured on display at the fair.

There is a competition called Grand Champion Homemaker. A friend in my 10th grade class won it back in 1981. This year, my daughter, Allison, won. She received a trophy and a $100 prize money. She had a total of 18 entries.

A bunch of us at the petting zoo. The animals weren't too hungry. So many people were feeding them all day. They were kind of sluggish.

All of us together. Allison is holding her trophy and ribbons for Grand Champion Homemaker.

Yay for Allison. We're so proud of her. Tommy's model Hummer on display. He earned a red ribbon for it.

A small purse with applique on it...Allison got a special purple ribbon on this one.

Most of the projects on this display are from my family. Two formal gowns that Allison made, a swim suit she made for Carolyn, a blue doll outfit that is on the floor, a little apron Allison made for Matthew, an apron Stephanie made for Charity, an apron that Kelly made for herself, the pillow is made by Carolyn. Oh, and the purple skirt in the middle is made by Carolyn.

Allison crocheted this little, purple baby hat.

Another view of the sewing projects. Sorry, the pictures are in their own order.

Carolyn made this purple, tiered skirt from a plain denim skirt.

Allison painted this t-shirt to look like the person wearing it is a ballerina. She added ruffles on it to simulate a tu-tu. It won a special purple ribbon too.

Here is Allison working on the t-shirt.

Kelly is sewing her apron here. It was her first sewing project.

Here is Tommy turning in his Hummer model car.

Easter happenings

2010-04-05T08:45:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, our church had a special baptism service at a church member's home. There were five young people baptized. It was a beautiful day to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.
I hope you had a wonderful day, too.

Just a few photos...

What fun I won...

2010-04-03T23:17:00.002-04:00

I just received a great big box of goodies compliments of Oscar Mayer through a giveaway that Lori hosted on her blog, My Wooden Spoon. If you're not familiar with Lori, aka A Cowboy's Wife, check out her blogs. She cooks, shares all things related to food and more.

I didn't expect this package to arrive for several weeks but it came overnight via Fed-Ex and I had just given my shipping info on Wed. That's some fast prize-shipping. Look at this stuff...a great big white basket with PINK GINGHAM. You know I love gingham and pink is the best kind.
There are cute dishes with colorful eggs, a bacon press, an egg timer, coupons for free bacon, a gift card, lots of little colored plastic eggs, and a very large skillet. I felt like it was my birthday, just a bit early. Thank you, Lori and thanks to Oscar Mayer too!

Some funny travel stuff

2010-03-25T22:19:00.003-04:00

Because I'm flying tomorrow to Atlanta, I'm posting this for your enjoyment. I've been traveling a lot more than usual the past four months. Indianapolis, Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta. This video of Brian Regan makes me laugh everytime.

Then and Now

2010-03-23T08:19:00.002-04:00

My twins are growing so fast. Just look at these pictures and you'll see what I mean. The jackets they are wearing in April 2007 (first two photos) were a size 18 months. They were almost two years old at that time. I loved the jackets so much, when I saw them in a store two years later in a size 4T, I had to buy them. The last two pictures were taken in January 2010, nearly three years after the first photos.

Matthew and Mark, age 20 months.

Matthew and Mark, age 4 -1/2 years.

For Mothers

2010-03-22T19:28:00.005-04:00

I want to share something written by Christianna Reed Maas, wife and mother, and the person who was most instrumental in organizing the COMMIT Conferences which I have attended with three of my daughters. See my previous posts on March 11th and 12th about the conference.

For every Christian mother, what she writes in this prose is powerful truth and you should never allow the enemy to convince you of lies that say otherwise. Pull it out whenever you feel overwhelmed or defeated.

"My willingness to carry life is the revenge, the antidote, the great rebuttal of every murder, every abortion, and every genocide. I sustain humanity. Deep inside of me, life grows. I am death's opposition.
I have pushed back the hand of darkness today. I have caused there to be a weakening tremor among the ranks of those set on earth's destruction. Today a vibration that calls angels to attention echoed throughout time. Our laughter threatened hell today.
I dined with the greats of God's army. I made their meals, and tied their shoes. Today, I walked with greatness, and when they were tired I carried them. I have poured myself out for the cause today.
It is finally quiet, but life stirs inside of me. Gaining strength, the pulse of life sends a constant reminder to both good and evil that I have yielded myself to Heaven and now carry its dream. No angel has ever had such a priviledge, nor any man. I am humbled by the honor. I am great with destiny.
I birth the freedom fighters. In the great war, I am a leader of underground resistance. I smile at the disguise of my troops, surrounded by a host of warriors, destiny swirling, invisible yet tangible, and the anointing to alter history. Our footsteps marking land for conquest, we move undetected through the common places.
Today I was the barrier between evil and innocence. I was the gate keeper, watching over the hope of mankind, and no intruder trespassed. There is not an hour of day or night when I turn from my post. The fierceness of my love is unmatched on earth.
And because I smiled instead of frowned the world will know the power of grace. Hope has feet, and it will run to the corners of earth, because I stood up against destruction.
I am a woman. I am a mother. I am the keeper and sustainer of life here on earth. Heaven stands in honor of my mission. No one else can carry my call. I am the daughter of Eve. Eve has been redeemed. I am the opposition of death. I am a woman. " By Christianna Reed Maas

Picnic at the Everglades

2010-03-16T07:53:00.012-04:00

We spent a beautiful afternoon in the Everglades, walking trails and taking pictures. First, we stopped by a lake and ate a nice lunch. The weather was gorgeous, not too windy and not too hot. And no mosquitoes. We realized it had been 11 years since the last time we took a drive there. I know, shame on me. If my friend, Mylinda, reads this, she'll be appalled. She goes to the Everglades regularly. Her husband hunts all the time and they have a swamp buggy.

The little ones loved seeing all the wildlife.

The last couple of photos show the many alligators that we saw. They kind of creep me out. I have an aversion to them, for sure. I had my hands on my little ones so they wouldn't climb completely over the boardwalk rail and fall in.

Quilters

2010-03-15T08:55:00.004-04:00

I've come across a quilt-related giveaway at a blog called Jaybird Quilts. I've been a lurker at her blog for just a month, but she's inspired me to pull out my old attempt at a small quilt. I'm determined to get it finished. One of her new sponsors, Burgandy Buttons is giving away a jelly roll and 2 yards of coordinating fabric. A jelly roll is a collection of fabric, usually 40 strips that are 2.5" wide by 44" long. The giveaway ends on Thursday and you can enter up to six ways. So, check out Jaybird Quilts and then click on the links to Burgandy Buttons to look at all the goodies she has.

I'm swapping again

2010-03-13T11:17:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time since I joined a swap and I thought it was time to do so again. Shawnee came up with a good theme that I couldn't pass up. I love polka dots and so I'm joining her apron swap. You have until April 1st to register. Packages need to be mailed by May 1st. If you can sew and you like to wear aprons, you might like to swap too! Click on the button on my sidebar and it will take you to her blog where you can sign up.

Love languages

2010-03-12T07:33:00.003-05:00

I'm not a real fan of skits. I'm not sure exactly why. Overacting? Lost meaning? Maybe because I took acting lessons as an 11-year old and all that self-consciousness and embarrassament comes back. For some reason, when I see the COMMIT teams do skits, they don't bother me. They are poignant, very funny, and they demonstrate a truth loud and clear.

One such skit portrayed the five love languages (if you're not familiar check out Gary Chapman's book of the same name). We were encouraged to get to know the love language of our family members and respond accordingly. In the skit, a farmer had five favorite trees and he took care of them lovingly, tending to their unique needs. One tree, named Dewie, loved to have his leaves raked from around his trunk. Another tree, named Friendly, loved when the farmer climbed up into his branches to spend time with him. A third tree, named Know-me, loved when the farmer brought birds to nest in his branches. The fourth tree, Huggie, loved getting big hugs from the farmer. The fifth tree, named Affie, loved when the farmer would talk positively and praise him.

One day, the farmer went away, leaving careful instructions for the neighbor-boy to tend to the five trees. The neighbor-boy only watered the trees, thinking that was all they needed. He treated them all alike, not paying attention to their unique differences. The trees started to wither. They weren't standing as tall and they didn't grow. The neighbor-boy didn't know what to do. So, he started spending time with each tree and he realized they each needed different care.

He began to rake the leaves around Dewie's trunk. He climed up into the branches of Friendly, he took birds to Know-me, he hugged the big trunk of Huggie, and he told Affie how wonderful he was. The trees began to flourish and grow again. They just needed different care.

Isn't it like that with our children? And with us? I know that my love language is acts of service...I'm Dewie. If someone does something for me, particularly around the house, it say's "I love you." Conversely, if no one is helping me with major tasks like organizing or decluttering, I feel very alone. Alone in a house with 12 people sounds unlikely, but it's true.

Love languages are typically not defined until a child is about 8 - 10. Before that, a child can, and usually does, need all five shown toward him or her.

I challenge you to identify the love language of each of your family members and do something to say, "I love you."

Pictures from the skit...
The farmer and one of his favorite trees.

Three more of the trees with the farmer.

Mother/Daughter conference

2010-03-11T10:39:00.002-05:00

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a COMMIT conference, I highly recommend it. I have been to two now and they are so worth it. It is aimed at girls 12 - 15, however it is really applicable to girls much older. I think I get more out of it than the younger audience. We arrived in Oklahoma City on Wed. afternoon and just settled in, ate dinner and ironed our clothes for the rest of the week. We wanted to get enough rest for the next busy, three days.

On Thursday, we had free time because the conference wasn't to begin until noon. So, we walked to the Myriad Botanical Gardens. It's a really beautiful property, albeit this is winter and it was mostly brown, but I could picture it in it's summertime glory. There is an indoor greenhouse called the Crystal Bridge, divided into sections, the tropical rainforest and the desert. We walked through it and took lots of pictures. It was warm in there compared to the outdoor temps in the 40s. Here are some of the photos in the Crystal Bridge.

This gorgeous plant with the white flowers is grafted to the palm tree. It's amazing.

A butterfly perched on some petals.

Allison next to one of the many beautiful orchids.

Allison.

Oklahoma City

2010-03-06T13:56:00.003-05:00

I'm enjoying a few days in Oklahoma City with my third-born daughter, Allison. I'll get back home late tonight and maybe post pictures tomorrow. It's been a worthwhile time and there is a lot to absorb.

My other two basketball players

2010-03-02T11:47:00.002-05:00

The other day I posted pictures of Tommy and Carolyn playing basketball. Here are Stevie and Kelly in their games. This is Stevie's last season because he's a 7th grader. Hopefully, he'll get to play soccer in a couple weeks...they are short some players and may have to cancel that age group. I'll be okay with that. I wasn't looking forward to the games in the heat of the day and we haven't had a game-free Saturday since September.

Their last game is this coming Saturday. I'll be out of town and I'll miss it. Allison and I are going to Oklahoma City for a mother/daughter conference. Should be fun. I'll tell you about it next week.

Stevie in the background.
Stevie foreground.

Kelly foreground.

Kelly, center in orange.

Kelly getting ready to pass the ball into play.

Mark

2010-02-26T19:08:00.008-05:00

Mark participates in a study. This is an excerpt from a video taken of him. Funny. My favorite part is when he tells her that her job is not going to be a cool job.

You'll have to pause the music at the bottom of the blog to hear it.

Disclaimer...my son does not sit with his feet on the table at home. Oh, and I have spoken to him about saying, "duh" - unacceptable.

Valentine's Day at our house

2010-02-26T09:35:00.007-05:00

Valentine's Day is always a big deal at our house. I know some people really downplay the day because the focus is traditionally romantic love between men and women. Or because it is reportedly a day that the card companies thought up. Well, not being the traditional family is our specialty. We focus on our gratefulness to God for each other. We show our appreciation and love for each other and the love that God freely gives to us.

I like to decorate with red...make red foods like lasagna or spaghetti... and make a special dessert. Some years are more difficult to celebrate because of conflicting events. We also like to make valentines for each other and read them out loud at dinner. We always enjoy laughing at the written sentiments.

How do you observe Valentine's Day?

Psalm 73:25,26

25Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

26My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

After church on 2/14/10

Reading our valentines...

Laughing at all the funny notes.

An array of the handmade valentines.

Origami valentines that Stevie made.

Basketball

2010-02-25T05:32:00.004-05:00

These days, we've been busy with four of our children playing Upward Basketball. They practice one hour per week and then play on Saturday. Here are a few photos of a some of their games and the spectators.

My blonde son, Tommy, left of center. He's come a long way in his playing skills. I'm so proud of him.

Carolyn fighting to keep the ball, far right. She's tough on the court.

Carolyn again, dribbling. Kelly also plays on this team...pictures of her another time.

Charity in the bleachers.

How some of the little ones pass the time sitting through three games.

Our church's missionary conference

2010-02-24T10:03:00.007-05:00

Our church has an annual missions conference in Feb. It's a great time of refreshing for several of the missionaries* we support. They are all invited to attend, but not all of them are able to attend. This year, we were privileged to see and hear missionaries from Canada, Spain, Honduras and Croatia, plus a local one here in South Florida. Our keynote speaker was Dr. John C. Whitcomb. He spoke about not succumbing to popular false doctrines, being aware of ecumenical (wrong) thinking, and standing firm in the truth. Very good to hear a strong message that is rare in the church today.

The event started with a banquet on Friday night. Two of my children played in a strings ensemble. We had Saturday morning and Saturday evening sessions where the missionaries were able to present their ministries to us and give us an update on what God is doing in and through them around the world.

Sunday, we hosted Mr. Heaton from Croatia for lunch. He is an American who has been living in Croatia for 11 years with his wife and seven children. He teaches men to be pastors, oversees the translation and printing of Christian literature, among other jobs.

The strings ensemble playing at the banquet.
Our table at dinner.

Here is a photo of John Whitcomb in the center with our pastor and his three brothers surrounding him.

Allison, Kayla, a friend at church, and Stevie...all during a break.

I took this photo, so I'm not in it. My husband is on the left. Walter is the gentleman on the right side, next to Stevie. I take no responsibility for the way my three little ones are dressed on that day...they picked out their own clothes while I was getting lunch on the table :)

Steve, Walter, and me.

Kayla, Walter, Allison and me. Allison made this skirt for one of Walter's daughters...we are going to make several more to send to Croatia.

Using the term "missionaries" here, I am referring to people who are working full-time in ministry, typically as their main means of support, either teaching, training, or pastoring (or various other tasks) with the purpose of furthering the gospel of Christ. I realize we, as Christians, are all called to be missionaries where we are, in the capacity God has given us.

Matthew 16:15-16
15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Our trip in January

2010-02-23T15:57:00.004-05:00

In January, we took a trip to Dallas, just my husband and I. We attended a wonderful conference called, Noble Partners Couples Conference. Here are a few pictures of our trip.

On one evening, our dinner was a picnic basketful of goodies, wraps, chips, brownies,

coleslaw and sparkling grape juice. We went to a park across the street from the center and spread out a blanket to sit and eat on. It was a little chilly outside but nice.

This was the entreé for the formal banquet one night. Salmon, asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. One neat thing is that they gave us a little recipe booklet containing all the recipes from our meals that weekend. A really good one is the French Toast Soufflé that they served on our last morning there. I made it for my family after returning and it is a hit.

Here we are at the banquet.

This song

2010-02-18T09:09:00.002-05:00

I realized I never mentioned anything about the first song playing on my blog playlist,
You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins. I first heard it on the finale show of The Apprentice. Trace Adkins was a finalist and he performed it at the end. I didn't think much of it because I guess I didn't catch all of it. Then, I saw a portion of it as a facebook status of a friend of my oldest daughter's. This girl was leaving the college campus she had just spent a semester at to return home and do the rest of her courses there. You're Gonna Miss This summed up her feelings.
I searched for the song and played it online. It really sums up so many stages of life. I remember life as a newlywed, then life as a new mother, and now I'm in the stage where I have children of all ages. I am in a good place. Life is good. Each time is precious. And, I miss them all.
I don't have an affinity for country music, I prefer classical and hymns. This song just happens to be sung by a country music artist and has a "country" arrangement.

My lack of posts

2010-01-20T17:00:00.003-05:00

It never fails that when I try to get on the computer to post something on my blog that I get interrupted and can't finish the task. It makes me not want to post. But, I know I want to keep it up. Just know that I haven't forgotten.

That's what big brothers are for (well one thing anyway).

2010-01-20T16:38:00.005-05:00

With Charity's closest sister being seven years older, it only makes sense to have her brothers
play games with her. She had the game Pretty, Pretty Princess out one day and I asked the boys to play with her. Well, first I asked Stevie and he obliged, albeit with a laugh. Then, the twins, Mark and Matthew, WANTED to play. I couldn't resist taking a couple pictures. How cute!

Stocking stuffers

2009-12-30T21:09:00.014-05:00

Do you agonize about what to put in your children's stockings without having it cost an arm and a leg? Sometimes, I feel like the stocking should be the ONLY gift because I put so much money into it :) I want to give them things that are either useful, practical, consumable or fun...not some knick knack that will break or just add to myriad other piles of stuff.

One of the things I have done in the past and did it again this year is give the children silly string, well, all except for Charity. I didn't think she'd be able to hold down the nozzle. I bought them at the dollar store and I think they were worth the purchase. The pictures show proof.

This is the crew all lined up ready to aim and fire.

In action...

Matthew with string all over him, after he declared, "I hate this." This is so funny because he had been wanting to spray it ever since he opened his stocking. I made them wait until the day after Christmas because we had other things going on. He got into it a little while after this photo was taken. I think he'll enjoy it more next year. I think he just didn't know what to expect as the recipient of the "ready, aim, fire."

All out of string, time to do pick-up.

Some more Christmas projects

2009-12-29T16:34:00.011-05:00

In the spirit of trying not to procrastinate...I've been wanting to make these projects for some time and this seemed like the perfect time to do it. What's better than homemade gifts at Christmas? Made from the heart and made with the hands.

One of my favorite crafters, Jill, posted some photos of felt food on her blog a while back. I was inspired to make some for my littlest of cooks, Charity, age 2.

While I was immersed in other projects, my oldest three daughters took the reigns and made these pieces...aren't they just the cutest? The possibilities are endless.

Here is Charity on Christmas day with her felt food, her apron made by Stephanie, and a set of dishes with utensils. I really tried to fix the first picture but it wouldn't cooperate. Can you make out the food? A fried egg, a piece of bread, sliced oranges, lettuce, strawberries, bowtie pasta and sauce, potatoes and gravy, ice cream cone, quesadillas, pancakes with syrup, and a chocolate chip cookie.

We also made a game of memory using fabric scraps, wooden squares, and Mod Podge. It's the first time I've used Mod Podge, not sure if I like it or not. I need my junior high-school friend, Debbie, to give me tips. She designs for JoAnn's, Michael's, and Plaid and she uses it by the boatload.

I cut out the fabric, and glued it on the wooden squares. Several of the children helped. They did most of it after they saw what I was doing. I just love it when they come and say, "Can I do that?" and it's actually something I can turn over to them.

Sewing projects for Christmas

2009-12-26T23:24:00.007-05:00

Have I ever told you I'm a procrastinator? I probably never got around to telling you. Yeah, I'm working on that.

Years ago, a sweet old friend of my mother-in-law's made Christmas stockings for my children. She died after my fourth child was born so the other six didn't have the pleasure of receiving her handmade works of art. I went in search of some kits to make stockings just like she made. They are needlepoint on canvas. I found one and bought it to make for my fifth child. Well, you know how it goes...another baby was born and another baby was born. I never found the time to work on that stocking. We ended up using various ones we had received over the years, one that my grandmother decorated for me when I was a teenager, some that my dad gave us, etc. But, I always felt guilty that my six younger children didn't have a lovingly handmade Christmas stocking just for them.
I still plan to complete that one I bought so many years ago, but in the meantime, to take the edge off my guilt, I decided to sew some. I found this tutorial online and followed the example. I made six in less that a few hours.
On Christmas Eve. Yeah, I'm working on that procrastination thing.

Here are a couple pictures. And the link to the youtube tutorial in case you want to make some. Don't wait too long.
Just so you know, it took me until the fourth one to make it perfectly. The tutorial, while very good in some ways, leaves out some helpful tips. I had to undo some seams and make adjustments. One good thing to know, if you add a loop to hang up your stocking...lay the loop down after the lining layer of fabric (when you layer the outer fabric, cuff, and lining...the loop goes between the cuff and the lining). Trust me.

I made three with the plaid fabric as the main one and the cuff is a different matching fabric. Then, on the other three, I reversed the fabrics using the plaid as the cuff. The inside is lined with a nice, soft flannel. I'm going to take them to a local embroidery shop to have names put on them.

Our trip to Indianapolis

2009-12-23T12:56:00.011-05:00

I survived the freezing temperatures of Indianapolis. It was in the teens the first day and warmed up to the 30s by the time we left. A noticable difference and much more comfortable the last couple days.

We had a good time exploring Indianapolis before the conference started. I did some shopping. Found a wonderful children's consignment store called Once Upon a Child. We used to have one here but it didn't last long. I was happy to find this one thriving with some great clothes and toys. It was so well-organized and arranged; it was a pleasure shopping there. I got some shorts and tops for Tommy since I've had a very hard time finding shorts for him here. You'd think I would be able to buy shorts anytime of the year here, but it's been impossible to find simple, elastic-waist shorts for him, size 6/7.

I also bought some fleece pullovers for my older girls at a different store. The selection in colder climates is incredible compared to the choices we have here. I guess stores don't want to put out too much merchandise that won't sell since it doesn't get very cold.

I bought some things at Target and then accidentally left the bag in the rental car when we turned it in. I realized it on the plane before we taxied out to take off. Too late. Funny, because as we were in the terminal waiting to board, I heard an announcement on the loudspeaker calling a customer to come pick up items left in a rental car (different company). I thought, "Well, if we leave anything, I guess they'll find it and make an announcement."

When I got home, I phoned the rental car company and they said the car had already been rented to another customer. They had to contact the customer and ask him to look inside the trunk. Sure enough, my package was there. They will be mailing it to me.

One thing we enjoy is trying different restaurants when we are traveling. We found a BD's Mongolian Bar-b-que restaurant. Unfortunately, there aren't many in the south. I think there are two in Florida but mainly they are located up north. If you ever get the opportunity to go to one of these places, do go.

We had the pleasure of hearing a wonderful speaker/author Andy Andrews. I have read one of his books and my husband has read a different book of his. He has a powerful testimony of the Lord working in his life and he continues to grow daily as a Christian husband and father.

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to visit the campus of Verity Institute where my daughter is a student. It was fun to see the same places she has mentioned and those that I have seen in photos.

We enjoyed so much great music at the conference. A family from Canada played instruments and sang such beautiful songs. Gil and Kelly Bates sang with their 17 children. The Indianapolis Training Center Bell Choir played and the choir from Headquarters sang. I hope I can visit Indianapolis again and get to know that city better.

This is a seating area at the Indianapolis airport. It is made to look like luggage, how clever.

The view from our room on the 12th floor after a night of snowfall.

This was taken at Verity, where my oldest goes to school. It is the room she stayed in before the winter break. The girls had to pack their belongings and put them in storage until next semester. It was neat to see where my baby stayed.

This is a gazebo on the campus. Very nice.

The formal banquet on Saturday night.

With Bill Gothard.

Me and my husband.

This table of candles was a surprise to celebrate Bill Gothard's birthday. The table rotated and it was so beautiful all lit up.

Out for a few days

2009-12-10T13:24:00.004-05:00

I'm in Indianapolis for a few days. It's snowing. You know, I think this is only the fourth time I've seen snow in my life. I'm definitely a Florida gal. I think there must be some secret to staying warm that hasn't been shared with me...maybe I don't have the right layers or the right fabric or something. Or could it be that my blood is too thin and I don't have the right coat of skin to withstand the freezing temperatures? Whatever it is, I am really appreciating my warm climate at home.

Be back with pictures when I'm in Florida again.

2009-12-08T23:13:00.002-05:00

Carolyn has noticed she cannot see far distances very sharply. A visit to the eye doctor resulted in a pair of glasses. She loves them and I think she looks cute.

Our cold, wet camping trip

2009-12-07T16:30:00.009-05:00

Well, we knew that there was rain in the forecast, but we went anyway. You can never be sure how accurate it is, right? We've been waiting for a long time to go camping and the time was here. This campground has been having some construction and repaving going on so they weren't taking reservations for the past few months. We missed camping last year because of another trip we took instead.

We stayed four nights. The first full day was beautiful and we were able to take a walk, play on the playground, and visit the CCC museum (Civil Conservation Corps). With no rain that day, we cooked on the fire. The next two full days, it rained pretty much all day, so we went to town. Ate out and did some shopping. We also like to visit libraries when we go on vacation. One of the libraries was showing the movie "Up" and had popcorn too, all for free. We enjoyed that.

Hot chocolate faces. Kayla and Charity.

Allison and Stephanie warming up by the fire.

Hamburgers on the grill.

Carolyn trying to keep Charity warm. This was at a roadside picnic table where you can launch boats into the lake. We left the campsite in the morning before breakfast because it was flooded. So, we went in search of a place to have our breakfast of cereal and milk and whatever else looked good in our cooler.

Our flooded campsite. Both of the tents are ours. The green tarp kept us dry. We only had a little bit of water inside. I think it seeped in from the ground.

The water drained from the right side where you see the flood of water, into our site on the left. It was a steady "river" of rain flowing across the street to our site.

Tommy showing his shells that he found.

The first day when we had nice weather.

On the playground.

On the boardwalk to the playground.

Going camping

2009-12-02T10:08:00.002-05:00

I'll be camping the next few days, so don't expect any new posts until afterward. Plus, upcoming photos of Carolyn with her glasses.

More photos of the sewing projects

2009-12-02T09:33:00.011-05:00

Kayla needed a formal gown for a banquet at Verity so Allison made that one first. Once the pattern is made from your measurements, the bodice is sewn together. Then you can be really creative and make whatever kind of sleeves you want to have. Kayla wanted a little jacket, so her gown has tank straps, sleeveless.

This jacket is from a store-bought pattern. Here are photos of Kayla at the banquet. See the previous post of photos of how Allison made sleeves for her own dress. It's really very easy. At least, Allison makes it look easy. I've learned to let her do her own thing when it comes to sewing because she has surpassed me in skill.

This is Kayla with one of her roommates right before going downstairs for the banquet. She's gotten very close to this young lady, a sweet, godly girl from Kansas.

Kayla and another one of her friends.

A group of girls in the same graduating class with Kayla.