Loghome Up North

Peter's New Apartment

2012-01-27T09:09:00.000-06:00

So Pete has a new apartment! He moved in yesterday and on one of the trips Jackie went along to hold the doors. I told her to bring her new camera (a gift from my dear friend) and take some pictures. These are what came back to me :)

Once a Month Cooking at the End of a Crazy Week

2012-01-21T13:39:00.000-06:00

On Thursday I took a cold, cold, cold trip to the big town to get ingredients for once a month cooking (except I am only doing 10 days to see if it is something that I want to spend time at and if it is really that much more convenient in the long run). While I was there, I decided to get my haircut at this cheap-o place in the mall. I have had my haircut there before and it was always fine, so imagine my surprise when I was on the receiving end of a haircut from HELLo kitty :( I tell you I have NEVER in my life had such a HORRIBLE haircut. I did not make a fuss, or cry over it as I sat in the car looking at my hair (what was left of it). I drove around to the other side of the mall (geez I hate the mall) to the expensive haircut place and dismally inquired if they thought they could help me. The nice girl said, "Oooh! Was this a home cut or salon?" I said salon and she said again, "Ooooh... oh my. well..." The right side of my head was nearly shaved. The left side somewhat longer, the top longer but terribly uneven and the back looked like I was going for some kind of mohawk (or as Tony says, "mohog" which might actually be more appropriate). Obviously she had to match everything up with the shaved side of my head, and now I have very little hair. I have so little hair that my hair does not curl anymore... sigh. So I bought a hat with a kmart gift certificate I had, along with a tube of mascara so as to allay any suspicions regarding my being female (though Kat reminded me later that in this day and age that would not be an automatic guarantee of gender ) sigh... Oh well, it will grow and from here on I feel the expensive place will have to be the way to go, with the same stylist every time. In the meanwhile, I guess I will just stay home and hide... it is too stinkin' cold out at any rate.

Well here are the beginnings of my attempt at once for 10 days cooking. Meatballs. Last night I made meatballs and sauce for spaghetti and froze it. I stewed two chickens for black bean and chicken burritos and chicken noodle soup. I baked several chicken breasts for Teriyaki stir fry. Today I will put together four large homemade pizzas, some marinated chicken, some spicy sausage penne, chili, chicken cacciatore, and something else which I forget at the moment. And yes, that is a glass of wine next to my chopping area. Might as well make a pleasant time of it ;)

Something Accomplished... Finally

2012-01-20T12:19:00.000-06:00

I did not take a before picture. It would have been too mortifying for me to show the world my clothing disaster zone. Suffice to say it was a minimalist project I did not think I could tackle and I felt guilty downsizing my kids clothes.... seems mean somehow. But in the end my desire for organization and a more manageable amount of clothes won out. I know for us that if a person has 16 shirts, that is how many shirts will be dirty at one time before the laundry situation reaches the "URGENT MUST WASH CLOTHES TODAY" stage. If you take that same 16 shirts and multiply them times 12 people (we actually have16 people here right now but 4 of them pretty much do their own laundry) and add in the underwear, pants, socks, towels, bedding... well you know what my laundry area looked like. Once every couple weeks I would spend a marathon two days in the dungeon catching it all up (I know, shameful.)

These two shelving units were previously filled top to bottom and side to side with cardboard boxes containing summer clothes for 10 kids. Every spring, as a changing of the seasons ritual, we would sit down in the dungeon, take down box after box and sort out and try on clothes to be divided between all the kids. In front of these shelving units I had other shelves (bookcases really) where 10 kids had their clothes. My younger kids are especially challenged in the area of keeping their clothes neat. After several attempts at dressers, I abandoned them altogether and the shelves in the dungeon (with a lock on the dungeon door) became my solution to that particular disaster.

I was ruthless as I downsized, keeping only what was really useful, and in very good condition. Notice that the shelves in the front are no longer there. And summer clothes, beach towel, swimsuit, sandals, baseball cleats, for 10 children are in those plastic bins on the right, each with the name of its kiddo on it. :) No more giant clothes sort in the Spring. And I can see at a glance who may need a shirt or two or perhaps who DOESN'T need a shirt or two.

On the other wood unit are winter clothes for 8 kids (I let two older, hopefully neater-by-now kids take their clothes to their room). Each bin is labelled with the child's name. Every piece of clothing (except outwear) they need is in this bin. Each kiddo has several pairs of pants, several shirts, sweaters, socks and underwear. If something new comes along, and their bin is full to the brim, said child can pick something to pass on or say goodbye to.

At the end of the winter season I will have 10 more bins. Into each will go each child's coat, snowpants, boots, mittens, hat, scarf, ice skates and ski boots for the NEXT winter. No more searching through boxes and boxes of winter stuff to see if there is something for each child. --Perhaps most of you are already this organized. If so, God bless you and please keep it to yourself ;)

I ruthlessly went through the blankets and sheets and used one of the old shelves for matched sheets and an old TV cabinet thingy for blankets and mattress pads. The purple sheet you see in the background is covering a rod filled with hanging type clothes, girls dresses, boys dress shirts, etc.

And now my laundry area looks like this:

And that is truly all the laundry I have had at the end of the day for this whole week. Now to see if this plan has staying power...

Minimalizing Part 369

2012-01-13T13:11:00.000-06:00

After I did Tamira's hair, she wanted to do mine. All the kids know I am a sucker for a head massage and will say to me things like: "Mom, can I give you a hair scrub for a cookie?" But Tamira just likes to do my hair because she says I "look adorable" in these ponies :)

No time to blog this week... My kids gave me SEVEN DAYS WITHOUT KIDS for a Christmas present! And while it is tempting to sleep in every day, have a champagne breakfast in bed, stay in my pajamas and read my kindle while munching bad-for-me salty snacks all.day.long, I requested this gift to give me time to minimalize the basement, especially the out of control clothing situation (YIKES!) I have eliminated TONS of stuff and can't wait to blog about the results... but for now I have to get back to it. I only have two and a half days left and I was hoping to get something done besides the basement. We shall see...

Tom College!

2012-01-09T08:21:00.000-06:00

And we now have a college man in the house! Today was Tom's first day at Ely Community College. He is finishing his senior year of high school in the PSEO (post secondary educational options) program. He will graduate from high school this spring with half a year's college credits under his belt :) I am very proud of Thomas. He has been a good student here at home, a great athlete at the "real school" playing baseball every year and football last fall. He has been a great example in Sunday School, the oldest one there with Reuben being the only one near his age, and he does not complain or balk about going. And most importantly he knows where his Salvation lies and, as everyone around here has heard me said a thousand times, there is NOTHING more important!
So HOORAY FOR YOU, TOM! You are taking those first steps out on your own in becoming the man God wants you to be :) I am praying for you, as always!
NEVER FORGET where your Salvation lies!

35th Anniversary Cruise

2012-01-04T09:38:00.002-06:00

Ballyhoo

Me looking like a lure and ballyhoo.

Some kind of parrot fish, trying to get away from the Old Guy :)

Can't find my fish book, but whatever this is, it was off St. Kitt's.

Spiny Urchins also off St. Kitts.

More fish I cannot ID right now because I do not know where I put my fish book!

The Old Guy and I took a Southern Caribbean Cruise for our 35th anniversary. This was back the last of Oct, first of Nov 2011. I did not sit down and blog it at the time, and it was a wonderful adventure so I need to record it! We visited 6 islands and snorkeled off 5 of them. We surely should have bought more underwater disposable cameras. It was a fabulous, fun trip that I dearly hope we can repeat! I do not believe we have been alone for this amount of time (9 days!) since Kelly was born (34 years ago!) And Oh. My. Gosh. We really enjoyed the snorkeling! We saw rays near St Thomas (Christmas beach I think?) Ballyhoo (so cool!) near St John; we found beautiful paper thin sand dollars off St. Kitts, did a mud bath thing and braved HIGH seas (7-8ft swells) off St Maarten, saw a volcano area (much like Yellowstone) and some beautiful deep blue/black fish with yellow spots (still no fish book and did not take pictures at our first snorkel spot, so...) on St. Lucia. We could NOT find a good place for saucy red beans and rice on Puerto Rico (anyone we asked said, "My mamma's place!"), but we did enjoy a long walk and a nice lunch in Old San Juan.

On Barbados it took so long to debark that we missed our "snorkel with the turtles" trip, and the snorkeling was not too good at the hotel beach where we stayed. Still, we got these beautiful conch shells to give the kids from an old guy who was missing teeth and really needed a bath (!!) Worked out perfectly to get everyone a shell on the last day. I did not spend any time hunting for presents, since I hate shopping and so do not usually buy souveniers even for the kids (I know, rude... but my minimalist self does not want to bring home useless stuff, and my cheap self does not want to spend money on stuff to bring home that will only get lost or tossed.) These shells will look great on my someday to be finished whirlpool tub edge :)

St Lucia.

Towel Creations every evening in our stateroom.

St Kitts, Atlantic Ocean on the left, Caribbean on the right.

St. Maarten mud bath.

St Lucia

St Lucia remote beach resort.

Shipwreck Beach Bar and Grill... We had the place pretty much to ourselves for the better part of the day!

Captain Kimmie of St Thomas (John and I were the only two people on this snorkel trip!)

Mongoose at the Shipwreck Beach Bar on St. Kitts.

Fireworks for Christmas

2012-01-03T14:41:00.000-06:00

Christmas 2011 was not exactly a fabulous celebration of the Lord's birth here in the Loghome Up North. Where last year we had no adoption related holiday unhappiness, this year we were overwhelmed with it. What should be fun filled family times can often cause a lot of grief over abandonment and losses felt by older adopted children, and that is what we had happening. The fireworks were both literal and figurative. We all much perferred these beautiful ones that the Old Guy set off on Christmas Day evening. (Taken with the fabulous camera given us by my dear cyberfriend, Mongoose :) ) The kids are back to school today and in one hour they will be rushing through the door, hopefully full of tales of a happy day, and thus leaving the trials of the holidays behind them.

2011 Children's Christmas Program at Church

2012-01-02T09:53:00.000-06:00

Joshua and Tabitha Engaged!

2012-01-01T16:14:00.000-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Today we "met" Joshua's fiance, Tabitha, on Skype! That is where this picture came from, and so that should explain the quality...

They are planning on a Summer 2012 wedding here in Minnesota and we are all very excited!
Congratulations Joshua and Tabitha! God be with you both in this exciting New Year!

Fireproof

2011-12-28T09:44:00.001-06:00

Watch It.... It would be pretty much Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (the Bible following Lutherans!) if I did not know that Kirk Cameron is a rapture kind of guy. At any rate :) Just a great movie... Sure the woman is at fault too, but oh boy... How I have long wanted my boys to see how they need to lead in their family.... OUT OF LOVE for their spouse, not because they want to control.

"All things work to good for those who love God and are called accord to His purposes." Romans 8:28

Petey...

2011-12-28T09:38:00.000-06:00

...still a baby hogger :) And isn't this one a sweetie pie?

Today's Devotion... As Always a Good One:

2011-12-28T09:33:00.000-06:00

http://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions.asp?date=20110603

Puppies :)

2011-10-22T12:54:00.000-05:00

About two and a half weeks old :)

Milk Drunk :)

The Soldier's New Camero

2011-10-22T12:44:00.000-05:00

Bought while he was on leave, the first thing that happened was a lady backed into him as he was leaving the dealer's lot :( It is all fixed up, though, just waiting for him to get back to the states. Here are some pictures for SPECIALIST (got promoted! Congratulations!) Bonk:

Such Fun...

2011-10-16T12:37:00.000-05:00

Found this unfinished post when looking for picture for Mary's school project. This was over a year ago now, before Josh left for A-Stan.

The Lord Bestows a Blessing on a Sad Day

2011-10-08T10:14:00.001-05:00

On the day the Old Guy, Reuben and a friend from church buried Starfox, the Lord sent Hildy's puppies. They were a week or ten days early, but the Lord knew what we needed on such a sad day. She also had a HUMUNGOUS sized litter for her little self. Seven pups... the little runty one did not survive, but the other six are healthy and sweet.
Don't they look like a little herd of Holsteins? :)

Thank you Lord, for a ray of sweetness in the sorrow!

A Good Horse Dies :(

2011-10-07T08:56:00.000-05:00

When Starfox first came home, he was pretty lean. In no time at all, though, Jackie fattened him up and his coat was beautiful too. Having never been a pastured horse, it was a real treat for Fox to have lots of nice green grass to graze on.

Unfortunately, last Sunday Fox apparently grazed on something toxic, which could have been pretty much ANYthing according to vet. Not being a pastured horse previously, some plant or leaves that both horses probably ate did not effect Banker, but could not be tolerated by fox. He was pretty lethargic by Sunday night so on Monday morning we called to have the vet come out and look at him. She said he was toxic, said we needed to keep him drinking, and gave us some meds for him. By Tuesday night Starfox had died :( Oh the sadness around here was awful...

Such a nice horsey... sigh...

2011-09-29T08:27:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking for a couple of years that I would like to plant a garden of just beans for shelling/drying. This year I finally did it. Well I did not plant a whole garden, but half of a good sized one. Since the organic seed beans were so expensive, I decided to try just buying a bag of black beans at the grocery store. I did a germination test and got 100% germination, so I decided to go ahead with them (only $1.49 a pound, which I consider a horrendous price when buying for food, but wow, a bargain for seed?!)

So far I have harvested maybe a quarter of the plants and have about 5# of beautiful black beans. There are a few red beans thrown in there, too, since I ran across a handful of them in a baggie in the cupboard at planting time(? no idea why I would save a handful of beans).

At any rate, shelling beans is a wonderful way to pass the time while sitting on the deck on a warm fall day.

Onion braids done by Katherine :)

The Cone of Shame

2011-09-27T12:44:00.000-05:00

Walter went in to get "fixed" yesterday and so now is subjected to the Cone of Shame.

I was not really too worried about Walt getting Hildy in a family way, seeing they are still little pups, 10 months old, and Walter has this undescended testicle problem.

Unfortunately, Hildy is not a fat lard as this picture suggests. No, she is a pregnant lard... rats... Yes, I am duly embarrassed that I let this happen. Perhaps I should be wearing the Cone of Shame. Or maybe the problem was that I had on blinders in the first place?

AND Molly Got Braces!

2011-09-26T08:46:00.000-05:00

Soon she will be even more beautiful than she already is :)

First Day of School 2011

2011-09-26T08:39:00.000-05:00

The first day of school for these eight was while Josh was home on leave. The Old Guy was swell and did all the dropping off, picking up, and checking in with every teacher two times a day. (He is still doing this and it has been soooo helpful)
Tony has surprised us by doing pretty well at school. He had been saying he was NOT GOING TO GO, but turns out he likes it :) I am thanking and praising God for that. I had imagined myself having to go down to school 4 or 5 times a week because of him melting down there. His meltdowns can be exhausting to say the least. He has not exactly been the picture of fine behavior, but they have been able to work it out without calling me, so far :D

Zups Grocery Store, Babbitt, MN Burns to the Ground

2011-09-24T19:51:00.000-05:00

This will likely not mean much to those who do not live in our area, but since Zups Grocery has been a part of this community pretty much as long as most people can remember, I have to post a few pictures. Not quite sure about the details, but sometime after midnight the fire was noticed, called in, and soon after heavy equipment was used to cut the store off from the rest of the businesses (it is a sort of strip mall) to contain the fire. The drug store was a total loss and it sure looked like the other businesses in the center will sustain enough smoke and water damage to make reopening unlikely. wow. There will be a meeting of local clergy and community people (Lions, etc) to make a plan to get meals etc for the older and/or disabled people, since this was the only grocery store in town and a lot of people are not able to get to the big town for food.

Some Pictures From Josh's Leave

2011-09-23T12:46:00.004-05:00

Lots of love and happy faces at the airport when he arrived!

What a great two weeks we had. Josh came home on Sept 2nd and we tried to keep activities to a minimum and then again have lots of fun family stuff while he was here. The weather was great the whole time. I find I did not take nearly enough pictures, though. Here are just a few from a wonderful R and R. Oh how we miss our soldier...

Jackie made the soldier an 88 Mike cake :)

Doing a little target shooting

the aftermath

Throwing Jaime in the pool

A little horseback riding...

A Pig Roast with family and friends

eeewwww...

Many games of cards, some on the sunny deck

A nap or two :)

His brand new car (chevy camero with t-tops)

We had a fire almost every day and night :)

Tinder dry conditions kept us from having more than just a few fireworks...

Opening grouse season and the soldier gets one day of hunting
before he has to leave

One of the best opening partridge hunts ever!

We tried to make as many of Josh's favorite foods as possible!

Time for a haircut before the army sees how long it got ;)

Goodbye at the airport. Only the big girls got to go as
the Old Guy had church,
Reubs had to do the AV for it,
Pete was working midnights
and
Tom stayed home with Jaime (who was sick)
and the rest of the littles who tend to sabotage family outings ;)

VERY hard to say goodbye... We sure miss you Josh...
Stay Safe and Don't Ever Forget Where Your Salvation Lies!

A Real Summer

2011-09-22T12:04:00.000-05:00

I wrote this back in August, but never added pictures or posted it... 'til now :) I am hoping to add blogging back to my daily routine now that fall has slapped us hard in the face.

Fishing at Big Hook in Canada (185 air miles north of Red Lake Ontario)

These five guys together caught ONE METRIC TON! of fish...
most of them caught and released
but some did make it home to the dinner table...delicious

Such a wonderful summer, weather-wise. June was sort of a wash as far as warmth goes, but July and August... oh my. Just one nice day after another. People up here are not as thrilled as I am. Seems a lot of people live up north to escape the heat (meaning any temp over 65). I have kept my resolution to stay off my computer as much as possible and read, read, read! The house has been clean for three months now (!!?). Wish I could say the same thing for the laundry... bleh.
We have been eating beans, pea pods, tomatoes etc fresh from the gardens. Also we have made salads from nasturtiums, sorrel and other garden greens.
The guys went fishing in Canada, the rest of us have been in the pool pretty much daily. The horses have been wonderful and who'da thought, the boys are riding just as much as the girls! Kelly has been up most weekends for bonfires and horsey stuff, and that has been fun too ;)
Pete got a full time job, Tom and Reuben have started football practice, and soon the soldier will be home on R and R (hooray!).
I am finally facing the fact that school is starting up soon and I need to begin serious planning. Today, though, the sun is out and the wind is blowing so I need to get some clothes on the line :D

Pete after his first day on the new job :)

You can get a couple of boys too do pretty much any chore if
you just let them use the riding lawnmower to do it

Tom doing some trick riding

Take a Look at This Lunker

2011-07-14T10:33:00.000-05:00

Good one, Pete :)

Baseball

2011-07-10T09:38:00.000-05:00

We have six kids in coach pitch baseball this summer. Yes we are nearly the whole team. The coach mentioned that if we were ever not going to be at a game would we please let him know as they would obviously have to forfeit ;)

A Few Birthdays Went By

2011-07-09T14:05:00.001-05:00

Since I last posted:

Reuben turned 16!

Kelly is now 34!

And Tytiana celebrated #9!

Canoe Trip

2011-07-09T13:44:00.000-05:00

This year, since Tom had baseball games scheduled, Jackie got to go in Tom's place on the annual canoe trip with Dad :) Here are some pictures of their trip which actually took place back in June:

Good Bye Timberwolf Lodge

2011-06-03T09:03:00.001-05:00

We have had many good times at this lodge :( staying here several years for our Palmer vacation.
Joshua worked here for a summer and Tom and Reuben had just applied to work there this summer, but Doug already had enough dock boys for the season.
Just an awful thing to happen...

Baseball and New Camera

2011-05-31T12:53:00.000-05:00

I was able to use the new camera for a short time on Saturday at Tom and Reuben's baseball game. These shots are from WAY across the field :) woohoo! They are not the best, but I am just figuring everything out, so I am hopeful for improvement!

Then the kids took the camera with them to Erica's open house, and they also got some good shots with good friends :D They had a great time... sure sorry I missed it. Hopefully we will get together in the next couple of weeks?!

It's Like Labor

2011-05-30T10:37:00.000-05:00

That is what I was thinking in the middle of the night last night, about raising kids with issues. You are in all this pain and anguish, just wanting to get through it, and then the terribly hard stuff is over and you forget about the pain and stress. Here you are with a baby you love and you just want to be the best Mama you can be. When you are raising high maintanence kids you go through these times of exhausting work and pain and stress and you just want to get through it and move on. And then you realize you have had several days relatively stress free, and you all of a sudden have energy again and are anxious to do those things that will bless your kids and make your home and your family a great thing.
I am thankful to say that I am in the "Gosh maybe it wasn't that bad" end of things right now.

Praise and thanks to God, Jaime has not had one severe or violent incident for the last FOUR DAYS! That is HUGE for her. Suddenly I have energy for other things... regular things.
I fixed the top of my chick pen yesterday so the pheasants can't fly out now and the cats can't get in. I grazed a horse for well over an hour on a picket line (I was the picket, and man is that relaxing to sit in a beach chair, hold a lead rope and listen to a horse munch grass with the sun shining on your face... yes there was sun for a bit yesterday... what??!) I was the one who made lunch yesterday (yes... I have foisted that off onto others every chance I have gotten). I watered and grained horses, watered and fed chicks, chickens, dogs and cats, picked ticks off dogs, worked on a VBS sign for church and took 8 high maintanence kids (and Pete!) to church and was only about 1 minute late :)
We are having some big obedience issues with a few of the high needs kiddos at home AND at school, but with Jaime's behaviors under control for the moment, I am actually coming up with ideas and plans to implement over the summer to get some better habits formed in that area. As is usually the case, I need to start with myself. I find that I have been saying WAY TOO MANY TIMES whatever it is I want done. I am saying, "Please pick that up" until I am crabby and then I am yelling: "I KNOW YOU HEARD ME!" So the first thing to change is this: "I will say it once, if you do not act at that time I will not say it again, you will get another job." And yes, lots is getting done over this Memorial Day weekend as I try hard to break my bad habit of giving kids too much opportunity NOT to comply ;)
Five of the big help kiddos are gone this weekend, at a graduation open house for a dear friend who lives a state away. That leaves John and Pete and me (the adults here) and the 8 kids I took to church yesterday (the ones with the behavior challenges). Still it was a very good worship and aside from the fact that the Old Pastor made me cry with his Memorial Day observance video, church was relaxing and behavior event free :D as was most of Sunday.
Ahhhhh... thank you Lord for a break in the action. Help me accomplish something worthwhile during this down time!

A Festival of Dysfunctionality OR

2011-05-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

Just Another Day

Lest you think our Adoption Day celebration was all sweetness and light, I give you the faces of dysfunction and sabatoge.

This sweetie pie (and she really is a sweetie pie) started off the evening with a sure fire "ruin the family fun" technique: check out her pants. Ah, the old "Wet My Pants and See If I Can Make Everyone Crabby" ploy... talk about Niagra Falls. Yes, she missed the eating out and so did the Old Guy who ended up staying in the van with her. FYI this kiddo hasn't wet her pants in almost a year. She has found several other ways to sabatoge important family events, however.

In the interest of privacy I will not go into the varied and entertaining ways the others contributed to the family fun... Let's just say "Good times, good times!"

PS: These photos are NOT from the new camera as I was unable to wrestle it away from Kat who kept playing with the macro mode to get pictures like this:

A Wonderful Gift!

2011-05-27T09:57:00.001-05:00

From my cyber friend Mongoose! Thank you so very much! I am going to take this camera for a trial run this afternoon at the Old Country Buffet where we will be celebrating our M's Adoption Day! Here's hoping I can take pictures as great as yours!

And I will be heading out to the greenhouse to get these started directly after I hit "publish post" :)
Thank you, thank you Mongoose!

Singing Lessons Recital

2011-05-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

Molly and Jackie have been taking singing lessons for the past three months! Today was the end of the lessons and a short recital. They have learned a lot about how to be good singers: posture, breath, etc. They are such beautiful little girls and it was fun to hear them sing today :)

A New Day... A Better Outlook

2011-05-26T09:01:00.000-05:00

Melissa at her year end choir concert :)

I am feeling more optimistic today. Sometimes I feel so sad and sorry for myself it is embarrassing. Usually, and I thank God for this, I rally and say to myself, "Ok, this is what it is... what am I going to do with it?" I am so thankful for all the prayers that were offered on behalf of my Jaime after I posted yesterday. Jaime had a good day for a change, and I was inspired to persevere with the challenge of working with her behavior. I believe we will still get a run down of all the new services and possibilities available to her, but will hold them in reserve as needed.
Yesterday Jaime started another new med and we have had almost 24 hours without a severe behavior... Thank you Lord, for that, and for the sun... and for the end of the school year. I am tired of trying to keep up with "real school" and homeschool in addition to everything else!

DARE to Behave?

2011-05-25T10:28:00.001-05:00

On Monday Jaime graduated from the D.A.R.E. program at school. Too bad they don't have a program that would actually be useful to Jaime. Not that I have any problem with DARE, it is just unlikely that Jaime will ever in her lifetime be unsupervised to the extent that she will be tempted into drugs, alcohol or smoking. What she could use is a DARE TO BEHAVE program... not that I think it would do any good. Frontal lobe damage (traumatic brain injury) makes it impossible for Jaime to choose to behave well. I have nearly called 911 dozens of times in the last week. Today I have had to face facts I have not wanted to face, and I called our county social services. They will assign Jaime a social worker, who will come out to the house and assess and give us a run down of our options. The thought of putting my little girl in a residential facility has me filled with sadness. My head is aching from trying not to sob. But her behavior is becoming dangerous. Oh my heart is breaking at the thought :( I do not know how I will face that.. ugh... Lord Jesus intervene... please.

A Good Minimalist Link

2011-05-24T12:51:00.000-05:00

This is the third time a bear has visited my bird feeders... Dang... He wrecked three of them this time, all Mother's Day presents replacing the last feeders he/she/they trashed.

I subscribe to several minimalist feeds, and this morning I clicked on one that ended up addressing JUST what I have been thinking. I have been spurred on in my minimalist thinking every time I stayed in a hotel. There is nothing there to mess up, if you pick up your clothes (ahem... that would be the key, children). Every time I challenged myself to pack light enough NOT to check a bag at the airport, I have really wanted to transfer the same thinking to life in this house. I am not alone in this type of thinking as I see This Person has also been inspired to minimize by traveling. Not only do I think she is spot on in what she is saying, but there were several ideas in her post I will be using. The biggest one is this:

1. Choose what to keep. My first instinct when I set out to declutter was to choose what to toss. But then I reasoned: why not start with a blank slate—like an empty suitcase—and choose only what I wanted to include in my life? I outfitted my household as if I were packing a bag, choosing things carefully and deliberately, and getting rid of the excess.

I have considered this before as I moved to my summer bedroom and back down again. Empty the room and ONLY PUT IN IT WHAT I REALLY WANT TO KEEP! That is exactly how I am approaching this new attempt at minimalism. I am so inspired and so psyched to keep moving forward with this! Stay tuned :)

I AM Doing This Large Family Minimalist Thing

2011-05-23T10:57:00.000-05:00

My dream of a minimalist home hangs over me... I revisit the desire often, give a try at making something happen and let it all go just as often. When mulling it all over recently I realize that I have "muddied" up the dream by actually adding things in an effort to be minimalist... what?! Yes, there is not a real lot of minimalism that goes along with horses, dogs, cats, chickens, pheasants, six huge gardens.
When sorting out the how's I have been thinking a lot about the why's and I see that I actually have two dreams competing with each other here: I do not want this mess to maintain any more (If I don't own it I don't have to clean it, fix it, organize it, replace it) and I desire to live a simple, organic type life. Well, living a simple, organic life requires some stuff, I am here to tell you... chickens need a place to sleep and be safe from predators and the coop is going to need maintanence. KIDS need a place to sleep and dishes to eat from and a roof over their heads, and that is going to require maintenance. I don't want to give up my pool or my computer, both things needing maintanence... The greenhouse, a main source of our organic food items... needs maintanence. Roofs need repairing, fences need fixing, land needs looking after. When you live in the country, you don't just get rid of EVERYthing because in order to avoid buying stuff every time you turn around, you often will say, "What do we have that we can make work for this particular need?"

So I think it comes down to this: I like living in the country and the mega gardens for food. And I like canning and freezing, drying food (and by the way you are going to need some "stuff" to do those things). I DO want to live on WAY less money than we do right now. I want to be debt free.

What I do NOT like is constantly being sidetracked from living that life by the ever present and growing disaster in this HOUSE. And there is my prime reason for getting back at the LARGE FAMILY/MINIMAL HOUSE dream. I am going to pare down this living space to only what we need. My reasoning here is simple: If there are 12 pans in the cupboard, people will dirty up all 12 pans before they will wash one. Yes, I could stand over people, screaming again and again, "WASH THIS STUFF BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!" but sometimes I have OTHER THINGS I WOULD RATHER DO! If a kid has 4 pairs of pajamas, that is how many he/she will get dirty and how many pairs I will have to wash. Yes, I could stand over them harping, "DO YOUR LAUNDRY!" But I don't want to do that!! What I want to do today is go out to the greenhouse, listen to the rain on the roof while inhaling the beautiful smell of dirt and tomato plants and read a book, or write a letter, or plant some heirloom seeds, or just sit there and be quiet. And when I come back in the house I do NOT want to be discouraged and disgusted by the amount of things that need to be picked up, put away, washed, dried, vacuumed, sorted, blah blah blah.

So... here I go, again!

End Of The World...

2011-05-20T12:51:00.000-05:00

Not going to post any sites that will direct you to "the scoop" ...no, you can google that if you want. Honestly, if I had not seen a couple billboards on my way home from Kentucky with our "new to us" car a few weeks ago, I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN!! the world is coming to an end tomorrow. When I saw the billboards I thought it was some kind of promotional deal for a new movie, or cell phone, or ???
As a member of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, I have a much different view on matters of eschatology. If you are at all interested, you can look HERE for more info.
Suffice to say that tomorrow, I will still be trusting in the Lord Jesus' redeeming work on my behalf, His Death to pay for my sins, His resurrection and His promise to save me from sin, death and the power of the devil. And believing is nothing I do for myself, but the Holy Spirit believes for me, my faith is a gift from God.
Bottom Line: No one is going to be saved by believing that the Lord is returning tomorrow (or tonight or next year).
So with that in mind, tomorrow we are going ahead with our plans to have a "Pool Opening Party" where I will likely remind everyone (as I do continually at any rate) "Don't EVER forget where your Salvation lies! There is NOTHING more important!"

New Saddles

2011-05-19T16:58:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of mom and dad and a big brother in Afghanistan :)

I Take Back

2011-05-18T09:51:00.000-05:00

all my optimistic thoughts from this post. Every. Single. One. I am oh.so.discouraged. with Jaime's traumatic brain injury induced Oppositional Defiant Disorder... Oh Lord Have Mercy...
Yesterday was one of MANY times I almost called the police to help with Jaime. She ran away from me in the Big Town because she did not want to come home. She was in her swimsuit, running down the hill behind a hotel screaming at me, "NO NO NO!" (that is the short and sweet version of an ordeal I do not wish to blog). I was pretty certain someone was going to call the police on me as I am sure it looked like an abduction was taking place. The only thing that prevents me from calling 911 is that I just do not want to go there... the reprecussions and fall out and stuff to deal with from calling the police... dang, I don't want to go there.

It was an end to a ridiculous day in Mpls at Brain Tumor Clinic appts at a brand new hospital and clinic facility that clearly needed a little more fine tuning before they opened. Same doctors we have had, and that was great, but the procedures were just messed up. MRI scheduled at 9am and we did not even get in until 10:30, and that was just the beginning of it. UGH. What a day...

I tell you my favorite way to see the city is in my rear view mirror.

(Jaime at an Adaptive Phys Ed field day where she apparently did well all day long??! the heck?)

A Picture for My Cyber Friend:

2011-05-16T11:48:00.001-05:00

This little group of pheasants and Cornish X chicks made this mess in about 12 hours. I am publishing this for Mongoose who might be tempted to hatch chicks:

So, are you over it?

Spring MUST Be Here

2011-05-16T11:33:00.000-05:00

because I have moved to my summer bedroom :) This year I am being terrible minimalist, even more so than last year. The only things in my room this year: Two chairs, one round coffee table (that my computer is on right now), two small tables (one by each chair for coffee), bedside table with Bible, devotion book, bird books (Sibleys and Kaufman) and two pairs of binoculars (in case the old guy wants to see too!)
Oh I also have a portable land line phone, my above my bed lamp (I got from my Grandma's house... I love this little lamp) and plants (I have no limit on how many of those I might bring up).

Total Hatch: 6 out of 15

2011-05-16T11:22:00.001-05:00

Not a great hatch percentage, but then we do not know what percentage was even fertile, so...

I love how new chicks swoon under the heat lamp... They close their eyes, sinking lower and lower to the ground and eventually lay flat out as if dead :) ...until another chick comes by and steps on their head or something. I am the same way out in the sun... until a kiddo (Or three or four) comes around tattling until I am forced to open my eyes ;)

Hatching Barred Rocks

2011-05-15T09:43:00.000-05:00

The first chick started hatching Friday night. The guys sans Matt were at the Twins game, but Kelly was here to work with the girls and their horses, and we all stayed up late with our eyes glued to the two 4 x 8 inch hazy, blurry plastic windows of the incubator (those are getting replaced for the next hatch!). This is the first time we have done this that we actually got chicks to hatch and it is amazing! The kids were just mesmerized, and so were Kelly, Kat and I. The way our God has ordered things is just sooo cool. This early hatcher was alone until Saturday afternoon when the second hatched (equally as amazing, and Pete was here to see that one!), followed by four more over the course of the day and last night. That makes six out of 15 so far... I will take pictures of them later today.

FREE CYCLE!

2011-05-14T10:57:00.001-05:00

It has been a couple years since I have had a flock of laying hens. I have been planning to get layers again eventually, and after watching Food, Inc a while back, I felt compelled to get at it. To start it off I had Jackie do a project for the homeschool education fair. Using an old incubator we got as a present for Rebecca many years ago, Jackie started incubating 15 barred rock eggs 3 weeks ago today. In the meantime, last week I got a FreeCycle email offering a flock of laying hens who were already laying! WooHoo!

Aren't these gals gorgeous?! I am naming them, of course, though I cannot tell a couple of the reds apart: Babs, Ginger, Edwina for starters :D I love watching chickens wander around, pecking and scratching :)

And how about Rocky here? Coloring so much like a Columbian Wyandotte, but what about those feathered legs? Some kind of a mix I suppose, but boy he is a looker!

AND PLUS: Even though they must have been stressed to some extent ( 35 miles in two large cages in the back of the Suburban), we got 5 eggs on Thursday and 5 on Friday! Today we had fresh eggs for breakfast which a couple of the T's were very hesitant to eat, not quite believing that the store eggs came into being the same way these did ;) (aside from the fact that the store eggs come from chickens that are in a terribly unhealthy environment and are fed chemicals instead of bugs and such).

Did You Ever Have One of Those Days?

2011-05-13T20:50:00.001-05:00

Where you say to yourself: "I LOVE my life!" They are few for me during a dismal spring like we have been having. But I had one on Wednesday :) True, it was 75 degrees and the sun was shining like nobody's business, making it a whole lot easier to ride on the crest of a positive outlook. I had clothes on the line, chicks on the way, and hens, too. Molly was mowing the lawn... oh does THAT smell good! The sun was shining. The winter cover came off the pool and as usual it was clear and beautiful, with but a few leaves to scoop out. My little dogs, bless their hearts, were staying in their bolstered up fenced area. The balmy breeze, warmed by the sun was too good. The laundry was down to one load. The dishes were done... did I mention the sun was out??
I really held on to that feeling all day, wanting to blog it, but not wanting to spend any time indoors (except to get a load of laundry to hang).
By late afternoon, things were going the way of so many good days when you have several kids with issues... Oh I had to hold on tight to my "I love my Life!" thankful feelings. With Tony and Jaime leading the way, the evening went spiraling downward. But I just moved everyone on to bed, went to bed myself determined to commit the happy day to my blog in the morning. Only the day dawned dark and dreary, and we had to go into town for a homeschool education fair (where Thomas and Reuben did just great, btw). And when I got home blogger was down. So I held on to the "I love my life!" feeling... clung to it really, as Jaime had some extreme behaviors all late afternoon and evening. And I headed everyone to bed, and went to bed myself. Then today I woke up, and it was dreary and rainy, and blogger was STILL down. And the "I love my life!" feeling had faded tremendously.
So, even though I have come down (way down) from the mountain top, I am reminding myself how swell all seemed on Wednesday, and how when people were hell bent on flushing themselves and the rest of the family right down the toilet, they somehow found themselves in front of these chicks, unwittingly being calmed by the peep, peep, peeping in the warm glow of the heat lamp. Kat asked me if she should haul them out of the basement and bring them up to face the music. I said, "No... let them sit there. Watching baby chicks can be very therapeutic." And Tamira chimed in, "And plus they're cute!"

Petey likes the chicks, too. I personally could sit in my lawn chair (which is parked right beside this little pool of chicks) and watch these little guys pecking and peeping all night long... I really do love my life...

Several Fun Thing to Blog

2011-05-13T11:39:00.002-05:00

And blogger has been down since yesterday! Well, now is not the time, Kato. I will have to catch up later ;)

Matt Splits His First Log

2011-05-11T09:36:00.000-05:00

With supervision from Dad, Matt finally got to do something he has been dying to do for quite some time: wield an ax! (a kind of 'rite of passage' around here) He was quite proud and rightly so. :D
As is the case with almost any coveted chore of this nature, I am sure the glamore will be short lived. Alas, the day quickly dawns where the begging to split wood will turn to whining and complaining at being "forced" to do it! ;)

The 2011 Clothesline Season Opener

2011-05-11T08:39:00.000-05:00

Was actually last week, but still deserves a mention. The first couple clothes hangings of the year usually pull the posts in toward the middle because the ground is still pretty soft with the frost freshly out of it. I am not deterred, however... I LOVE my clothesline :) Oh the warm sun on my back as I hang one days worth of bedding (yes... the bedwetting goes on...and on ...and on) and a load of towels.

I felt obligated to get a chair and watch my clothes dry, because if the sun is out so am I, don'tcha know. We brought our school outside to make the time a little more productive ;)

I made dear little Walter and Hildy a play yard! Aren't they sweet? They have since learned to hop the fence (little rats) and so I am needing to do some revamping there...

Horsey Homecoming!

2011-05-10T16:55:00.002-05:00

A couple dreams came true here this weekend. Molly and Jackie have been hoping, praying and pining for a horse for several years :) This year, courtesy of our tax refund, their dream was realized!
Jackie's horse is named "Star Fox" and is part Quarterhorse and part Arab (see above) Molly's horse is "Banker" and he is a Quarterhorse (see below).

The younger set has been less than careful about how close they get to the electric fence... Still, none but Matt has been zapped and that while he was working with his brothers getting the fence up. Says Matt: "That made my butt pinch!" Now that there's a healthy zap! YOUCH!

Jaime (whose behavior has been WAY less than stellar practically since I hit "Publish" on my post about her last Saturday) got a chance to ride with a little help from Pete:

And here is Kelly, horsey person extraordinaire, who has been instrumental in picking out the horses, getting all the stuff we need for them, and giving lessons galore to all her brothers and sisters :)

Indigo Bunting

2011-05-10T13:50:00.000-05:00

It has been many years since I have seen one of these around here, but this morning Molly spotted this guy out in the grass by the feeders! Oh they are such a beautiful blue you just can't appreciate it in this photo. So, so gorgeous!

And lest you think we burned a perfectly good piano, THIS is our new piano... a deal from Craig's List from someone who was moving. The big piano has been in the garage for several years. The kids and John have been after me off and on to let them burn it, but even though it was of little (really No) value, I could not bring myself to say, "OK! Burn that piano!" In the end it was a burden lifted from my decluttering soul to see it go up ;)

Meds Adjustment

2011-05-07T09:13:00.000-05:00

...that might be working? Jaime has had a real time of it the past few months. Which mean this whole family has had a hard time of it. Here we see her taking off down the road, after screaming her head off at everyone, swearing, growling and totally non-compliant over some likely unimportant thing. She is not going to live here any more, she hates this f'n family, she DOESN'T CARE that it is 25 degrees and she is not wearing shoes. She refuses to get up for school, refuses to go to her therapy appointments, refuses to give up whatever she might be holding in her hand, taken from a sibling or parent or teacher at school. She will not hand in her papers at school, holding them tight in two hands with her head bowed, she will shake it "no" and remain immovable.
Until recently... Two weeks ago I had a talk with her therapist because we were having incidents like the one above several times a day. I asked him about the possibility of our taking Jaime totally off ALL her behavior meds, stealing ourselves for the fallout, and then starting over from scratch.
We began weaning her off at the rate of half of one of the doses of one of the meds at a time, for three days and then going down again for another three days and so on. From day one the difference was OBVIOUS! And in an unbelievably good way... The incidents have decreased in number and severity daily! I am excited for her psych appointment next week to see where we might go from here!
Now there is likely no way, with Jaime's frontal lobe damage, she will ever be able to control herself enough to be without constant supervision. As I type this she has swiped something out of the refrigerator and is hiding in the bathroom with it. However, when Pete went and got it from her it only took her about 5 minutes to come out and say she was sorry. And she did not scream and swear and try to beat in the windows of the van to try and get in, start it up and :O threaten to drive away!
Oh Lord... Just when I am feeling desperate, like giving up, when I think we are needing to look at residential treatment (I cannot bear to bring myself to consider that... I just can't do it) you turn things around and remind me it is all still in your hands, not mine. The seemingly impossible IS possible. Thank you so much for your hand in Jaime's life. Thank you for reminding me that Your Grace is sufficient for her and for us.

The Ultimate in Recreational Fires OR...

2011-05-07T08:38:00.000-05:00

EXTREME BURNITURE...

While we wait for Spring...

2011-05-07T08:29:00.000-05:00

Peter helping Jaime fly her kite :)

Happy Birthday Melissa!

2011-05-07T08:24:00.000-05:00

Melissa is 14! Happy Birthday Mel, We Love You!

New Vehicles

2011-04-22T08:10:00.000-05:00

This pretty little red Suburban is one The Old Guy has had his eye on for a while. Now it is ours :) It has a hitch on it for towing the boat to the lake or for using the trailer to pick up a piano!

Another white van. I was determined NOT to own another WHITE van. Alas, I saw this one on Ebay (this is our 6th vehicle from Ebay... all have been great rides) and after checking it and praying about it, we decided this was the one.
I flew to Brunswick, GA and stayed on St. Simon Island where I got a whole day at the beach before driving back home in the new van. Two days on the road, all alone with my thoughts and also got two calls from my soldier/son in A-stan and a couple of calls from my beach vacation buddy so it was a fine trip :)
Thank you, Lord, for two "new to us" vehicles.

Roof on Last Year's Greenhouse Expansion

2011-04-19T19:05:00.001-05:00

This guy is probably the hardest working guy I have ever met. I am a lazy bum compared to him, and that is no exaggeration. You will not find many people that work as hard as he does, and he has been that way since I have known him. This guy at one time worked three jobs at the same time just to feed his family and pay the bills. A lot of men would have just filed for welfare benefits, but not this guy. He drove a milk truck, did part time pastor work and after midnight worked for Service Masters cleaning. Those were hard times, but he did not give up. He still built this huge house we live in, planted trees by the hundreds, got several big gardens going, and still starts seeds every year. He now pastors two churches, who, God Bless them, are pretty easy going so he can still do way more parenting of this large crowd than a lot of dads do with just one or two kids. And he has been that way since we had just the two kids. I remember back in the early '80s when he was the only dad at Early Childhood Family Ed with our oldest son. Every week he was there, with all those women yakking about parenting, so he could be involved in his son's little boyhood. He finds us wood for the winter, bargains for the freezer, and harvests untold pounds of produce from plants he nurtures from seeds in the spring to compost at the end of the season. He has many times done projects I wanted to see happen and then done them over again when I didn't quite like my original vision. Since I have known him he has honed dozens of skills he did not possess when we first met, from running a chain saw to plumbing a house... from a guy who would never stand up in front of a crowd to a man who is quite a public speaker. God has really worked in him, and I don't say often enough how proud I am of him. So here it is, Old Guy.... I could not be more proud of you and thankful that God brought us together! I love you :)

This was a couple of weeks ago now, but yes... we STILL have snow on the ground :(

Some Birthday Updates

2011-04-19T18:57:00.000-05:00

The old guy gets older...

Molly turns 12!

Tom is 17?!

And Matty, proud owner of a new gerbil, is now 11 years old!

Seventeen Years

2011-04-17T00:34:00.000-05:00

It has been a very eventful week or so, and I am too tired to blog it tonight...
Before I shut off the light though, I just have to say: It has been 17 long years since my mom went to heaven. I still miss her...
Thank you, Lord, for saving my mom. Tell her I can't wait to see her again.

AND While I Was Gone:

2011-04-07T11:44:00.000-05:00

First I must Thank You Lord, once again: EVERYONE IS OK! And yes, apparently we had to have yet one last dive into the ditch during the 2010-2011 ditch diving season.
This one was of the caliber that Moms worry about most: Reuben was driving the kids in to school, having gotten his permit a week earlier. The Old Guy was in the front seat, but had just unbuckled to turn around towards the back of the van to do some face to face crowd control... As they rounded the curve, a patch of black ice sent the van slinging across the road into the ditch on the other side. It rolled two times, busting out most of the windows, slinging the tire iron past Reuben, sending his and the Old Guy's glasses (as well as the Old Guy himself), cell phones and backpacks flying. John tells me he was thinking "God, this is not a good time for me to go..." and all he could do was just wait it out until everything stopped moving.
The kids, predictably were pretty shook up, Matt fainted, Tamira and John hit their heads and so those three went by ambulance to the hospital where they checked out ok. The rest went in, too, taken by friends from church to make sure they were ok. There were a few cut hands as some of the kids tried to get out through the broken windows, while John and Reuben tried to calm everyone down... a near impossible task.
Nine members of my family were in that vehicle, 7 of them high emotional needs kiddos. John tried to call me on his cell phone... (and this aside to Verizon Wireless: NO WE CAN'T HEAR YOU NOW EITHER!!) and all I got was: " ... everyone... van... rolled... Reubs... hospital..." all the while I am yelling: "GET TO A REAL PHONE! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING TO ME? I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU!!"
I have been praising God, Thanking Him continually since last Friday. It is a true miracle that no one was seriously hurt, that the Old Guy was not thrown from the vehicle, that he did not get thrown on or land on any of the kids, that everyone but the Old Guy was buckled, that the roof of the van buckled but did not smash in, that glass was not rifled into anyone, that no one else came around the corner and slung in after them, that the tire iron did not hit anyone, that no one seems to have whiplash or back/neck problems, that God sent angels to surround my family. Poor Reuben, what a way to start out his driving career! But it was no fault of his, and he got back behind the wheel and indeed, the kids all have been back in a vehicle several times and no one seems to have any lasting trauma from the ordeal.

The van is toast, but my family is not. Once again I say: Who are we, Oh Lord... that you are mindful of us? I praise and thank You from the bottom of my sinful heart for your protective Hand on the Old Guy and the kids.

Road Trip to MoMYS Retreat

2011-04-07T09:47:00.000-05:00

I do not have a picture yet, but last weekend I went to Branson, MO (what?!) I know it... You are wondering what I would be doing in a town dedicated to country music. Well, thankfully I spent the time NOT taking in the local flavor, but with 17 other adoptive moms whose kids are a little more high maintenance than most "normal" people's ;)
Between the 18 of us, we have 225 kids!! Of those, 126 are adopted! And on a more somber note, of those adopted, 51 children are diagnosed with FASD (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder). Also on the ABC diagnosis list: ODD (oppositional defiant disorder), RAD (reactive attachment disorder), ADD (attention deficit disorder), Bi-Polar, IED (Intermittent explosive disorder), CD (conduct disorder), OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), MR (mental retardation), TBI (traumatic brain injury) to name a few. There were also plenty of physical disabilities that these wonderful MoMYS (moms of many young siblings) deal with on a daily basis.

I was both humbled and rejuvenated to be with these beautiful ladies, living out the plan God has put before them. A large number of them are 'back to the land, organic minimalists, just like me :) The one thing we all had in common though: Christian women with adopted children who challenge us daily to stretch in ways we never dreamed we could or would.

I thank God for leading me to this group of people who truly "get" the life I live!

Rebecca Graduates from AIT

2011-03-27T09:56:00.000-05:00

Rebecca graduated from her Advanced Individual Training last Thursday. Since she is National Guard, she will be going back to the civilian life except for one weekend a month, two weeks in the summer and of course will be back in the full time Army if her unit is deployed.

Congratulations Becca! HOOAH!

The Soldier has Skype Again!

2011-03-24T09:47:00.000-05:00

So Proud of this son of mine :) So thankful he gets internet occasionally and we can see his good lookin' face every now and again!

Oh Who Am I, That God Is Mindful of Me??

2011-03-23T11:49:00.002-05:00

There was not one day of my vacation that I did not thank God for providing such a wonderful, peaceful, gorgeous, sunny, peaceful, secluded, quiet, calm, peaceful Gulf of MEXICO (what?!) island vacation for me. On the very first day, as we walked out to the pretty much UNOCCUPIED beach, I said to my dear friend and her husband --we let him come out for the day ;) -- "Oh this is tooooo good! Oh who is Linda that God is mindful of her?" Indeed, as we slung out of our little driveway in our golf cart every day, we could be heard saying, "Oh THANK YOU GOD!" As we sat on the beach, watching dolphins go by, almost within reach, EVERY DAY! again we would say, "Oh Thank You, God!" When we sat staring up at a treetop nest through our binoculars, at 3 baby osprey (ospreylets?) with one parent feeding and the other standing guard, again we said: "Oh Thank You God!"

And lest I forget my wonderful vacation too soon, here are some pictures from the second week when my two oldest daughters came down to enjoy the beach with me:

Such a blessing it was to spend two whole weeks here. And how mindful God IS of me that this is nothing compared to the eternal home He has prepared for me and all believers, all because He loves us:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

Jaime's Birthday

2011-03-22T22:06:00.000-05:00

Our dear Jaime is 14 Yrs Old! Wow, how did that happen?

Jackie, Molly and I went to have lunch with her at school :) Turns out, some kids are being unkind to her again/still, and when she sits down for lunch they all get up and leave :( I tell you I feel so crabby that kids can be so cruel to a child with obvious disabilities. I am so very thankful for all her teachers and aides that care for her and understand how hard it is for us all to have that kind of stuff happen. Her LD teacher arranged for Jaime to be a helper at lunch, handing out milk. Jaime is thrilled to be able to do that and I can feel a little more at ease knowing that she will be surrounded by adults who like her and just their presence will keep most kids from being so rude... Thank You Lord, for these wonderful people!

Vacation Recovery

2011-03-17T11:44:00.000-05:00

Catching up is proving an elusive goal for me. Got all the hair braided and now of course it needs it again before I even got to the laundry back log...sigh... So much to blog, but I am starting with vacation pictures.
I got TWO WHOLE WEEKS at the beach this year, on a secluded island I hate to name as we were nearly the only ones on the beach for the entire time. It was more than wonderful and made me realize I really do have a recessive snowbird gene. I would really love to live down there for 2.5 months of the winter.

Week one was with my dear, dear friend from college days... it is our 30th year of being friends and let me tell you, there is nothing better than a friend in Christ to share your beach time with:

And our vacation place was just too great! Four sets of french doors opening on to the decks, two of them right off our bedrooms! It was more than swell :)

See That Dark Mass

2011-03-02T10:01:00.000-06:00

that looks like a big bunch of weeds washing in? It is a giant mess of fish as big as a car! I have not taken time to ID them yet, but each fish seemed about 18 in long and 2 or 3 of them at a time would continually launch out of the water and plip back in. And yes, I could still talk myself into putting on my fins and getting back in the water after they went by ;)

How Time Flies

2011-03-01T08:17:00.000-06:00

Seems my boys have matured quite a bit in the time I have been gone. I got this picture via text while I was on the beach:

This Pretty Much Says It All :)

2011-02-27T09:36:00.000-06:00

Water Park Fun with the Homeschool Set

2011-02-11T06:33:00.000-06:00

More on the Twins:

2011-02-06T15:31:00.000-06:00

Since blogger would not cooperate and upload my pics in a timely manner, I did not elaborate on my Twins Birthday post. But now with all this free time I have (3 kids down with strep, two more possible, the Old Guy leaving for a Super Bowl overnight with his pals, Kat, Tom and Reubs going to Kelly's for the Superbowl... yes I am up to it in free time) I can put a few stray thoughts to e-paper.

How can I even start with these two kids? I love them so, I can hardly find the words to describe it. When I first saw them, back last April, playing together at the DFPS in TX, my heart just melted. I had a HUGE lump in my throat (surprising my own, I don't cry about much, self). Oh my... that God would bless me with such beautiful, sweet children as this?
When he first came to us, Tony had a habit of biting people and calling them a bi***. I mean he just let it fly whenever and wherever. We have not heard that for quite a while now, but what we do hear is "Good morning Dad! I love you Dad! I am sorry Mom (ok, when pressed)" and a host of other friendly, 5 yr old boy phrases :)
Tamira... well she is oh so cute. She ends a lot of her sentences with "even." As in: "For my birthday.... I want a doll... and a baby bottle.... and a purse even!" or "When you tucked me in last night? I had my doll... but I did not have BOTH my dolls even."
Oh these kids are sweet... Even though if she opens her mouth Tamira is likely lying (more than likely). Tony can NOT to save himself, use the toilet. He is STILL likely to flip out and say "I want a different house!" But when he calms down he really wants a hug.
Tamira lies about EVERYthing. But she still just wants to know: "Can you tuck me in even?"
Oh how blessed I am :)

Our Twins Turn 6!

2011-02-05T23:05:00.000-06:00

Think They Miss Baseball?

2011-02-04T10:40:00.000-06:00

And If You Have To

2011-02-01T01:34:00.001-06:00

turn on the lights to bring someone a frosty 7-up slushy in the middle of the night, these shades definitely help keep their tired eyes from too much light:

Aw... Everybody's Gettin' Sick :(

2011-02-01T00:56:00.001-06:00

So, John was kinda sick when I left for Ft. Jackson... turns out he has pneumonia. Jaime stayed home from school on Friday, not that sick, but by Sat afternoon... oh boy was she sick.

Tonight poor Molly is down, Reuben is sinking, Mary is a likely follower.

Tamira went in to ER tonight because she has a finger that is swollen to twice its size (school nurse figured it needed antibiotics) from a sliver that was removed over a week ago. Tomorrow Tony has an appointment for a weird callous type owie on the bottom of his foot that has caused him to walk on tiptoes. Wow... when it rains...

These guys are just fine, though :) Oh how I love these pups! They are so very adorable!

White Friday

2011-01-30T22:10:00.000-06:00

Well, everybody and their brother went in the ditch last Friday. John took the big van in, Thomas took the mini van in and Kat took the same mini off the edge of the driveway. All of them needed to be pulled out; one (the big van) by a tow truck and Kat's mini lost a bumper in the removal :(

But that was the only casualty and for that we are thankful.
Thomas maintains that he was not in the ditch but merely "kissing the snowbank" ...yeah, right ;)

I Am A Blue Star Mom...

2011-01-30T00:46:00.001-06:00

...times two. This week Becca graduated from BCT (basic combat training or boot camp). I was so thankful to be able to travel to Ft. Jackson, SC for the ceremony.

Rebecca is somewhere in the left group of the three, 1-34th Regiment, Delta Co, 4th Platoon.

Scan as I did, I could not pick her out of this crowd, but she IS there :)

And the keynote speaker? First Lady Michelle Obama, who spoke on nutrition(?) and made a plug for her husband's provisions for the military and (according to Five soldiers I had in my vehicle) messed up on several of the words in the soldier's creed. But still, I hope it is true that she and her husband will make some real efforts to support our troops and their families. There is NO WAY to fully repay these soldiers for their sacrifices on our behalf.

Pass in Review.... I CAN find Becca in this picture. She is the 2nd full row of four your can see, on the top (head in the grass area).

And here is our Becca with one of her friends (battle buddies) from her platoon. We had a nice time with him and his mom at the Golden Corral Buffet (now THAT is a place to take soldiers for food!).

I went down on Tuesday and enjoyed a wonderful "meet and greet" with lots of other army families the day before family day. On Wednesday, Family Day, I had a great time seeing Becca again. We went out for pizza, stopped at the PX, and then went bowling. I watched Becca get her bowling groove back and had a good time bowling and meeting so many of Becca's battle buddies, their spouses and babies and their folks. Wow... God bless our troops. Knowing full well they will almost certainly be deployed, they willing volunteer to serve on our behalf. MANY THANKS to them and their families! HOOAH!

A Funny Blooper Video

2011-01-23T19:42:00.000-06:00

This guy is such a hoot!

Walter and Hildy

2011-01-22T19:45:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness I love these little guys :) They are absolutely adorable and so much fun. They play and chase each other, run and jump and wrestle. And at the end of the day they sit in my lap and sleep, sleep, sleep. I am so happy I got them.

The Official Low in the Nation's Cold Spot Is:

2011-01-21T08:18:00.000-06:00

-43

By No Means the Coldest It's Been Here, But...

2011-01-21T00:35:00.000-06:00

...EXTREME COLD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CST FRIDAY...
(this picture is a look out my bedroom window at 12:30am and the temp is dropping by the minute... Look at that smoke going straight up. It is cold out there!)

AN EXTREME COLD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CST FRIDAY.

* TEMPERATURE: TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP TO AROUND 40 BELOW...WITH SOME ISOLATED COLDER READINGS...ACROSS NORTHERN MINNESOTA OVERNIGHT AND THEN GRADUALLY IMPROVE FRIDAY MORNING. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME CALM OVERNIGHT. AT 11 PM...INTERNATIONAL FALLS HAD DROPPED TO 41 BELOW ZERO.

* FROSTBITE TIMES: FROSTBITE AFFECTS EXPOSED SKIN OF A HEALTHY ADULT IN 10 TO 20 MINUTES. THE ELDERLY AND YOUNG CHILDREN ARE ESPECIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE COLD.

* IMPACTS: FROSTBITE CAN LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. PETS AND LIVESTOCK ARE ALSO AFFECTED BY COLD TEMPERATURES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

AN EXTREME COLD WARNING MEANS DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY LIFE- THREATENING EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME. FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA ARE LIKELY IN AS SHORT AS 10 TO 20 MINUTES IF YOU ARE EXPOSED TO THESE CONDITIONS WITHOUT PROPER PROTECTION. MAKE SURE YOU DRESS WITH SEVERAL LAYERS OF CLOTHES DESIGNED FOR EXTREME COLD CONDITIONS... AND AVOID SWEATING IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS AS THIS CAN LEAD TO A FASTER ONSET OF HYPOTHERMIA.

First Ever...

2011-01-19T23:58:00.000-06:00

...soak in a whirlpool tub :)

Doing Hair

2011-01-19T23:48:00.000-06:00

I spent most of Sunday and Monday braiding hair. Mira's hair is just finally getting long enough for braiding :) When she came to us her hair had been straightened every day and looked very cute, but the hot iron had damaged it so that it was thin and crispy :(

In these photos you can see that these kinds of braids are ~~all I know how to do~~ my speciality :) French braiding has always alluded me... I am unable to make my long fingers with large and somewhat arthritic knuckles be able to pick up hair and tuck it in as I go. I am taking hope in the fact that soon these girls will be able to do their own hair and do it much better than their mom.

Tom and Reubs Haircuts

2011-01-02T12:08:00.000-06:00

These funny guys gave each other a haircut the other day:

The Calmest, Most Relaxed Christmas in Recent Memory...

2011-01-01T21:05:00.000-06:00

...I kid you not!

Christmas Video for Joshua

2011-01-01T12:20:00.000-06:00

This is the video we put together for Josh for Christmas...

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T11:10:00.001-06:00

The scene from my bedroom windows on this first day of 2011.

Introducing:

2010-12-30T10:07:00.000-06:00

Walter and Hildy:

Named after the characters in the old Cary Grant movie, His Girl Friday ~which is a "play it now" on Netflix, btw :)

Skype... We Love You

2010-12-22T10:09:00.000-06:00

Gosh do we miss our soldier. Boy do we love Skype. I feel so blessed to live in a time where I can hear my son's voice and see his face, even though he is on the other side of the world in a war zone.

It is a strange Christmas coming up here. I do not know when I have felt less Christmas spirit than I do this year. It seems like another event to get through... sigh... Not sure I am going to feel like myself again until Joshua gets back on US soil. Of course the kids are all excited at any rate, and I am putting on the Merry Christmas attitude for them.

Thankfully God's mercy does not depend on my ability to feel happy, thankful or festive. God loves us enough that he came into this world as a man to save us... And, "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). There is nothing more important than that.
They shall call his name EMMANUEL which means God Is With Us...

A Night In Bethlehem 2010

2010-12-18T16:42:00.000-06:00

Our church put on Group Publishing's "A Night In Bethlehem" again this year. What a wonderful time and what a great job everyone did. I was the wardrobe person and should have had time enough to take some pictures (above is Kat putting on some angel glitter), but for whatever reason I just forgot to do it!?

Here is Tamira, this year's littlest angel (along with her twin brother who is a few minutes younger than she)

Jackie was a shepherd, as was Matt below on the left.

I just HAVE to get one of these. I have wanted to have a spinning wheel for several years now. I can just see myself, sitting and spinning. I can almost feel the calming effects of the wheel going around and around as I work the pedal and pull the wool... someday... In this picture is a dear friend showing Jaime how to spin.

Melissa, aka the Tax Collector, is trying her hand at weaving a rug on this loom (another thing I would so love to have... I would get nothing else done if I owned a loom and a spinning wheel, I'm sure). The same dear lady owns this loom and showed all visitors to Bethlehem how to use it.

And to the left is Petey, our homeless beggar. He actually inspired a few visitors to throw some coins (and paper $) in his basket :o

The Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest! Enter to Win!

2010-12-17T12:50:00.000-06:00

Go to Kari's Blog and enter to win a Barnes and Noble gift certificate by voting in their family's Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest!
What a great idea... I think we should do something like that around here next year :)

Tree Decorating 2010

2010-12-17T12:01:00.000-06:00

The newbies did very well at the tree decorating. They were happy and had a great time. The M's were kinda sad this year. Mary even took her ownself to bed before decorating was over. They (our M's) are having quite an adjustment as there is a lot of attention on the new kids and naturally they are a little unsettled and are needing reassurance of their secure place in this family. We scrapped plans to do a Christmas getaway at a waterpark in the nearest big town, figuring it would be best for everyone to have a low key, at home holiday with Mom and Dad.

Adoption Day

2010-12-16T11:59:00.001-06:00

Tytiana Gabrielle
Tinia Julia
Tamira Tabitha
Anthony Asher

Adoption Day:
December 14, 2010

Judge Aronson was just great! He blessed us hugely by telling us how privileged he felt to be able to be part of our adoption. He was kind and personable. He had obviously gone over our entire file before the hearing and was fully informed about our family and the children. He really made our day special!

Adoption Day presents! Just like the M's before them, we got the kids Keepsake boxes with their new names on them. We took pictures of each kiddo with Mom and Dad and will put the photo's in the frame in the lid of the box.

After the hearing we went to the China Buffet. All the kids were so well behaved I could not have been more proud.

Maija! Adoption worker EXTRAORDINAIRE! And that is no exaggeration! She has gone above and beyond and then some for our family. There is no way to thank her enough! God Bless You, Maija! We love you!

Stephanie: Wins our award of Texas Adoption Case Worker of the Year! She also went way beyond her job description for our family. We will not forget all you have done, Stephanie! You are fantastic!

Many thanks to all our friends and family that supported us and prayed for us these past months. We have truly appreciate all of your encouragement!

And most especially do we Thank and Praise our Heavenly Father! He has called us all to be His children through adoption into His family through His Son. The Lord has truly led us and enabled us to do things we never thought possible. We acknowledge Him as the One who brought all our children together to be one family and we thank Him for the blessing each of them has been. We look to Him for the wisdom and strength to parent this big family. Thank you, Lord, for all the blessings you continue to impart~

Never Before Published Photos

2010-12-15T11:05:00.001-06:00

I have not been able to blog about sooooo much, because of privacy issues with our T's, but now that they are legally our kids, I thought you might be interested in some pics of the fam... Some of these I uploaded just so you could see how crazy it is to try and get a family picture when you have a ~~hundred kids~~ large family :)

TURNS OUT....

2010-12-01T09:12:00.000-06:00

...when your son is in a war zone you cannot think of much else. Sorry lack of blogging, and a sorry lack of motivation in daily life.

Scary Signs From My Recent Road Trip

2010-11-16T10:34:00.000-06:00

It's Here... Ugh...

2010-11-15T10:04:00.000-06:00

Fun Profile Pic and Updates Coming!

2010-11-14T11:38:00.000-06:00

I love this fun picture :) We had family pictures taken last month when Josh was on his predeploy leave and we did lots of fun ones, too. Our dear friend took as many pictures as we wanted and there are so many good ones.

I have titled this one "Me and My Gang"

Kat, Kelly and my favorite (and sadly ex) daughter-in-law

and of course me with the gun :)

Don't Mess With Us

This one is a lot closer to reality. We also had "Early Thanksgiving With the Soldier" this same day, after the picture taking.

16 Plates, 16 Cups, 16 Bowls... Large Family Minimalist Kitchen

2010-10-12T10:44:00.000-05:00

Getting down to a manageable amount of kitchen items when there are sixteen people here is pretty challenging. I have had the same ideas as this inspiring guy, right down to the silverware, but that is easier said than done when you have a hundred little kids running off outside with your forks and spoons and then of course blaming one another left and right when confronted. Still, we have kept it down to just one cupboard for dishware for years now, and pared down to 3 drawers for utensils (one for silverware... which of course is not really silver, one for utensils, and one for knives), one cupboard for pots and pans, 4 cupboards for crockpots, tupperware type stuff, mixing bowls etc. I will be posting pictures later today when it is all clean :) For the past couple days I have been busy busy busy, combining decluttering and re-minimizing the kitchen with a very thorough fall cleaning (dusting beams and logs and washing light fixtures). Today we move on to the upstairs, which has already been decluttered for the most part and just needs a deep cleaning of bathroom, ceiling fans, and clearing of cobwebs etc.

For the first time in about two months I am about to have empty laundry baskets!! And just in time. Looks like today marks the end of the 2010 clothesline season :(

A final mow of the yard took place over the weekend with a monumental event: Three newbies at the lawnmower! Yes, they are all about mowing, fighting about who gets to do it and how the other took more than their share of the lawn... where does that attitude go? Here I am, supervising the mowing and watching the clothes dry ;-)