Sandhill Serendipity

My Robin Hood

2010-09-21T09:31:00.001-05:00

I don't know if you can see it very clearly but the other night Dave had a Robin Hood moment. He was sighting in his bow for the upcoming deer season and sent one arrow through the first arrow. I know he was a ways away from it, I just don't know how far. I will up date the post when I know, he is unavailable to comment at the moment (out of cellphone range).

*** 20 yards***

A little competition

2010-09-20T09:21:00.000-05:00

I don't know if you have heard of Foodbuzz or not, but I am a featured publisher with their site. Actually, it is not this blog, but my baking/cooking blog, Gracie B's Bakehouse. If you haven't visited Foodbuzz before, you should take some time and check it out! Right now they are having a little competition, Project Food Blog, they are looking for the next food blog star and as a featured publisher I was eligible to enter, which I did. I needed a little challenge because I have not been consistent lately in keeping up my blogs. I am actually not expecting too much, because I have a little blog with a few followers but I would love to make it to the next round of competition. So, if you wouldn't mind, hop on over to Gracie B's and click on the box that says "Project Food Blog" Official Contestant and vote for my entry. Thanks so much and wouldn't be fun if I was one of the 400 contestants that moved on to the next round? Thank you again and feel free to share this with your friends. Oh, and if you are curious. . . my most popular post on Gracie B's is the one on my grandma's caramel rolls. YUM!

Take me back to the Black Hills . . .

2010-09-06T10:25:00.000-05:00

Call me a geek, but I love the movie Calamity Jane with Doris Day and whenever I go to the Black Hills of South Dakota I must sing "Take me back to the Black Hills, the Black Hills of Dakota. To the beautiful Indian country that I love . . ."

And I do love the Black Hills. I have so many happy memories of that place and I am very glad that I finally got to share this place with my family. A few weekends ago we ended up in the Black Hills for a mini vacation. Hammy has always wanted to see "the Faces" and of course visit Reptile Gardens. We were also able to throw in some go-carts, bumper boats, miniature golf and Homecoming dress shopping. And for good measure we threw in a flat tire. I am not sure what my favorite part of the trip was, but I loved spending the long weekend with our family, even though it had to have been the hottest weekend of the summer. I also forgot, the kids were able to kayak and paddle-boat at the camp we stayed at. We packed a whole lot into three days and had a ball.

We started out with a tour of the Badlands of South Dakota, which were amazing, but I am still partial to the Badlands of North Dakota for whatever reason.

If you know me, you know what this sign did to my heart-rate. I am not sure if I saw much of the view after I saw this sign, my eyes were on the ground determined to not have another run in with a rattler!

This is Tank, the Tortoise. He was the 'young' one at Reptile Gardens at the youthful age of 70.

The reason we went. Gators, Crocs, & Snakes! Oh, my!!!!

I know they are hard to view, but I think if you click on it you should be able to see better. We finished our trip with a stop in Deadwood, which by the way, is not so much history and mostly casino, casino, casino. They did have a place with go-karts and that was all the kids needed. We also visited Mt. Rushmore and had a great trek on their walking path. I learned quite a bit, that I did not know about this historic site. Great memories were had by all, if you haven't visited the Black Hills before, you should.

Oh, and if you can't see it very well, take a closer look at the purple flowers . . . that is a hummingbird moth. What an amazing creature, I had never seen one before. Amazing!!! God is so creative!

Pure bliss . . . turning 7

2010-08-16T20:37:00.000-05:00

Someone I know loves his birthday . . . .

I bet you can't guess who that could be . . .

Hammy turned seven the end of July. He was a very happy boy. He is a happy boy. He spent his summer catching dragonflies, butterflies, frogs, toads, crayfish, minnows, tadpoles . . . you know the typical boy things. He loves life, just not showers!!!! Happy belated Birthday, big boy.

A sister for Grace

2010-08-16T11:33:00.000-05:00

It has been way too long since I sat down to write just about anything, for that I apologize. Much has gone on in our lives since my last post. I may just end up giving you snippets of what we have been up to periodically while I try and keep up to date from now on.

The biggest change in our lives is a sister for Grace. She has been pleading with me for the last three to four years of her nine-year-old life for a sister, she is so tired of being the only girl around. Well, her wish has been granted in the form of our foreign exchange student, Leandra. She is from Switzerland.

We picked her up at the airport two weeks ago and since that time, she has become a vital part of our family. We have enjoyed getting to know her and her sense of humor fits right in with this family. We have had many laughs and lots of fun in this time before school starts. It will be interesting to see what school is like with a teenager in the home. Our lives are going to change, of that I am sure, and I know that we wouldn't change anything about our decision to host this year.

To be honest, we were not planning to host this year due to the size of our home and the age of the kids but in looking for applications to show future host families I fell in love with Leandra's application. Dave agreed to give it a try and we have not regretted our decision. She has been a joy to get to know via email since March and now that she has joined us in the middle of nowhere we know that she will forever be a part of our family, even when she goes home.

I am sure I will be sharing many of our adventures with Leandra this next year. Have you ever considered hosting an exchange student? I encourage you to at least consider it. Please contact me if you have any questions about hosting.

My Favorite People

2010-04-08T11:29:00.000-05:00

They are growing up so fast.

A Full House

2010-04-02T09:23:00.004-05:00

I love that my house is full. Granted, it is not a large house, so it does not take much to feel full. That is part of its charm, the smallness, the coziness, so much of why I am content with my home. The kids have had several random days off lately and we seem to have multiple friends over on those days. I am so thankful that our home is one that children feel comfortable in. It doesn't matter what they do: LEGOs, Barbies, forts, movies, games, pretend, or maybe even getting to play outside, they are happy here. Maybe I will feed them mac and cheese (homemade) or maybe it will just be a snack of snickerdoodles or crackers, they are content to be in our home. And for that I am thankful.

A Birthday and an experiment

2010-03-29T09:50:00.002-05:00

This past February, was a busy month around here. Lots of birthdays and a science fair were just a few of the things going on. Chewey turned 11. We had a great time with family and friends. I didn't take a picture of the cake because it, well, it melted. At least, the middle layer did and it was very funny looking. After everyone got a piece I put the rest in a trifle bowl and I learned a valuable lesson. Martha Stewart, I am not!!!

He also had to work on a science fair project. He chose to do one on the subject of 'can you tell what something is just by touching it.' He discovered that he was wrong and people CAN tell what something is just by touching it. Some people can even tell you the color because they are so familiar with certain things. His guinea pigs were from various age groups, as young as six to older than 50.

He earned a superior on his efforts. We are so proud of him!

Nicknames

2010-03-29T09:22:00.001-05:00

Last night as I was tucking Grace into bed, Matt popped in the door and informed me that they needed nicknames. Okay. So without further ado, please meet Chewey. He was given that name many moons ago by his uncle. Short for Matt-chew, I guess!!

This is Songbird. She loves to sing . . . all the time . . . loudly. She even writes her own songs. It won't be too long and she and Dad will be creating songs together.

Hammy is his name. He picked it out some time ago, named after his favorite character in Over the Hedge. It fits him though. He is a ham! He could also be named Romeo, as one of his teachers calls him, he has at least two girls on each arm daily as they go to class. He is a charmer. He takes after his father!

Now that my children have been given nicknames, I will use them from now on (if I remember, I was never good at the nickname thing) as I write about the adventures they have.

A great opportunity

2010-03-11T14:10:00.004-06:00

WASABI!!!! A few months ago, I applied to be a representative for EF Foundation for Foreign Study. I began this new adventure the first weekend of January. I am thoroughly excited to be a part of this company. At the same time I began working for them we took in an exchange student for the month of January while his host mom was overseas. He is from Thailand. He quickly became a part of our family and we were sad when the month was up and he returned to his host home. Thankfully, he does come and hang out with us occasionally. The kids loved the chance to have a big brother for a short time. Dave and Matt took him pheasant hunting one of the first weekends with us. I should clarify, he went along for the experience but did not actually carry a gun or hunt.

The family also went ice fishing. It was the first time Prem walked on 'water.' Another great experience for everyone. It was also the first time our kids were ice fishing. Dave has been meaning to do this for quite some time, but Prem provided the extra incentive to make it happen. Everyone had a ball and we had perch for supper that night!!

We have learned so much from having him in our home and I believe he has learned a few things from us, maybe...

Dave did teach him a little bit about playing guitar. We showed him how to make mashed potatoes, his favorite American food. He taught Gracie Chinese and some Thai. Matt & Aaron loved to play the Wii with Prem. They also enjoyed sledding. He shared with us about his life and we shared our lives with him. We are better people for knowing Prem. Recently he and another exchange student spent the day cooking Thai with me and we served several couples that they had invited over. I am posting about this event on my cooking/baking blog, so check it out. He also shared with us the mind-numbing taste of wasabi! One of the first weeks he was with us, he asked us if we had ever tried wasabi, which of course we hadn't. Prem shared with us the ability wasabi has to numb your brain for 30 seconds, kinda like brain freeze. I found some powdered green stuff at our local grocery store and proceeded to make it for him for our next meal. I must not have made it potent enough for him, but the next time I made it very strong. I must tell you, I didn't plan it that way. Prem scared us half to death when he took a spoonful of it thinking it was weak like the last batch. He could barely get out the word wasabi for us to understand that he was not choking like we thought. When he could speak again, he had us all laughing ... "Now, that's wasabi!!"

If you love to have people in your home or if you have a desire to travel the world, please consider hosting a foreign exchange student. EF Foundation works with over 30 countries, including Thailand, Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, Japan, Norway, Chile, just to name a few. Also, a bonus in my eyes is that the company has been around since 1979. What a great opportunity to impact a young person's life, as well as, your family, your school, and your community!

***Please note that I am a representative for the company, EF Foundation for Foreign Study, but I do not receive monetary compensation for referring families.

Grace's Room

2010-02-09T18:49:00.001-06:00

As you can see, Grace's room is still a work in progress as well. We need to find some wall sconces that will work above her bed. These are not easy to come by.

Grace loves to organize and clean her room. She has created a space for everything. Her dresser set was mine when I was a girl and my mom's as well. Grace loves color. This room reflects her love for life! We will post again when it is complete. She couldn't wait for me to share it with you!

The Boys' Room

2010-02-09T18:45:00.000-06:00

Matt's bed. He painted the bottom picture.

Aaron's bed. He loves his stuffed animals and putting everything he owns on top of his dresser.

As you can tell from several of these pictures, we are not done yet. We need to finish up the trim, the people who started finishing off the attic did not take the sheet rock all the way down to the floor. So, you can tell where Dave worked and what was done before we moved in.

There was/is no space for overhead lighting so we have made do with plenty of Dollar General lights and some hanging lights a friend made for us. I painted a hand-me-down table red and the boys have a stool my grandpa made many years ago. They use the table for puzzles and Legos. Since I took these pictures they asked their dad to finish their closet area so they can move all of the storage containers out of their room. Most days they take quite a bit of pride in their space and have been bugging me to share it with you. so, here it is. I hope to post again when it is actually finished!!

Lost in Translation

2010-01-23T19:26:00.003-06:00

Something was lost in translation during kindergarten this past week. Martin Luther King, Jr. was discussed at some point as was Rosa Parks, at least that is what I gathered after I put some thought into a conversation with my youngest the other morning. I warn you it is humorous, but also an unpleasant thought, so please proceed with caution and understand that this is according to a six year old who may need to get his hearing checked. The following is his explanation of what he heard.

"Mom, we learned about a black man in the park, we weren't allowed to go outside. And then there was this woman who took off her clothes on the bus and had to go to jail."

Should we be concerned?

One Sunday . . . In October

2009-12-02T13:34:00.001-06:00

This is the Calamus on a windy October Sunday afternoon.

Here are some spectators.

Matthew

Grace

One Sunday in October we ventured out to a ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills. Matt & Grace were just 2 of 13 people that were baptized in the freezing water. What a wonderful day! They are the third generation (on Dave's side) to be baptized in this river. What an amazing heritage! I am so proud of them, they took the initiative, they understood what statement they were making on this day and they strive daily to live a life that is pleasing to God. I am so blessed to call them my children. Someday it will be Aaron's turn. If I do nothing else in this world I hope that I succeed in being an example to my children of Christ's love and mercy.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-12-02T11:46:00.001-06:00

It is my favorite time of the year.

How about you?

We put up the Christmas tree this past weekend. We all had a great time, except for maybe Dave!! He does not care for straightening a real tree, I probably exasperate the issue by being his helper. ;) I'm not very good at holding the tree straight!! But we did it, & it only fell over twice. HeeHee

It is a beautiful tree, but I think this may be the last year we do a real one. Of course, I say that every year!! The kids love to decorate and each one has a definite opinion on where things should go--so does Mom! After we finished the tree, we had eggnog and watched one of our all time favorite holiday movies. Fancy a guess???? Here is a hint: "I'm in a store and I'm singing."

This week we also started reading the scripture of Advent. I found them at Focus on theFamily. Last night, we watched The Nativity. We are beginning new Christmas traditions in our household. How about you? Are you doing anything new this year?

As I said, this is my favorite time of the year & I can't really put words to why it is. It is something I feel deep inside of me every year at this time. I am in awe as I remember the greatest Gift and deepest Love that has ever been given. God sent His Son to earth as a babe. This year remember to celebrate the birthday of the King of Kings above all else. Merry Christmas!

A dinner party

2009-11-04T10:51:00.000-06:00

Saturday evening we had several guests over for dinner. We weren't for sure who would actually arrive on that evening but we were pleasantly surprised to find Supergirl, a pumpkin, a mummy, several princesses, a cheerleader, Pippy Longstocking, a football player, a rockstar, James Bond, a baby Siberian tiger and their parents!

We enjoyed having friends in our home for the first meal we've shared with company since we have moved. I am emabarassed to say it has taken so long. But I am proud to say it won't be so long before our next dinner party. It was crazy with 25 people in our little home, but we made it work and we had a good time. Most everyone finished their evening with some trick-or-treating. Our kiddos went to a carnival and came home with all kinds of loot.

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. I have no excuse! Talk soon.

2009-09-23T20:26:00.001-05:00

After: The kitchen

2009-09-05T21:34:00.001-05:00

Here it is, the most radically changed room in the house. You will need to see this post if you need a reminder of what the kitchen looked like before. Obviously, we are not finished yet. We need to finish trimming out the cabinets and painting.

We will be installing a copper hood above the stove top and we need to trim out around the microwave. I dream of another oven someday! I need to share with you that we were blessed with this stovetop/cabinet and wall oven/cabinet, copper hood and a refridgerator. A friend of my dad's decided to redo her kitchen and gave us all of this. And the butcher block that we are using for the island. The butcher block needs some trimming but I love. God has been so good to us. Below is the antique tile that we found. We hope to use it around the stove top and, if there is enough, above the countertop by the sink. It was made in Italy.

The walls are chocolate brown and the counter top is formica that looks like granite. I will update again when we have finished everything. Thanks for checking in. We painted the cabinets, moved cabinets, knocked out a pole, and put in new flooring. We also added the 'new' cabinets including the oven and stove top, and sink. We love our home. And obviously we still have things to do, but I will show you the finished project soon. I hope!

After: The dining room

2009-09-05T16:16:00.001-05:00

Here is the dining room. I love that the dining room and living room are really the same room. We will have plenty of space to extend the table. I am working on incorporating new/old chairs. The chairs that we had when we lived out in the country are falling apart because of the dry heat from the wood stove.

As you can see we are still working on finding homes for things. I can't wait to use the window seat. I have dreams of pillows and cushions and blinds for the window! More pictures to come when the room is complete. Please click here to see the before pictures!

After: The living room

2009-09-05T15:52:00.001-05:00

This is looking out the front window, which is original to the house. Don't you love our chair? Our couch should be here next week. It is a beautiful sectional! We are tired of fighting over the chair. heehee

The front door is original to the house as well. The house was built in 1937, I believe. Notice the register is missing. I am painting them.

This is one of the built-ins. There is a matching one on the opposite wall. The stairs lead up to the attic where the boys' room is. The door you see is to Gracie's room. Pictures of the bedrooms and bathroom will come later. They are not picture worthy yet!!

This picture really dwarfs the size of the hutch. We have 10' ceilings in the entire house with the exception of the attic. As you can see things are not quite finished. I am still trying to figure out what to do with the walls. So, I was pretty exited when I stopped by The Inspired Room earlier this week. She is hosting a Fall Nesting Party this week, I am hoping for a chance to win one of the shopping sprees to HomeGoods. I am sure I could find something for my living room walls and even a throw pillow or two for my new sectional!! I am also trying to find something for the windows. I promise to post more pictures when the room is complete. Thanks for stopping by and if you are wondering what the before looked like please click here.

The 1st day of school

2009-08-29T18:52:00.001-05:00

This was the first day of school. We walked. Matt was on a mission, excerting his independence, I think. Aaron was his crazy self. And Miss Grace was Miss Grace. They have done well these first two weeks. Homework has been hard for Gracie and mornings have been hard for Aaron. Matt is loving Middle School. He is even reading on his own!!!!
**I just read this post again. I made it sound like Matt needed help with reading. What I meant to say was that I don't have to ask him to read, he is choosing to read on his own. I think he has finally discovered the adventures that books can be. Yeah!!

Our trip to Gram's house

2009-08-29T18:46:00.000-05:00

The week before school started the kids and I were in the Kansas City area visiting Gram, Jana and Carter. We also did some school shopping and Gram treated us to a fun time around town. I am still waiting for the pictures, so I can share them with you. Gram? This picture was taken at my cousin's house. She and my uncle put a lot of work into this place and it looks amazing! It has been years since the family has been together, my aunt from ND was also there. We had a great time!

Creek Time

2009-08-29T18:38:00.001-05:00

We did spend some time at the creek this summer, cooling off and enjoying time with friends and good ol' watermelon slices. Yum!

Before: The kitchen

2009-08-29T18:31:00.000-05:00

Besides the boys' room, the kitchen received the biggest change. We tore out some upper and lower cabinets that created a peninsula. You can see where they used to be in the first picture. They created a porch area in the back half of the kitchen. We reused the cabinets along the back wall. The kitchen is much more open now. It doesn't even look the same!

Before: Boys' Room

2009-08-29T18:26:00.000-05:00

The boys possibly have the coolest room in the house. This is the attic before. It is the whole width of the house.

More Before Pictures

2009-08-29T18:23:00.000-05:00

The hallway, Gracie's room, and our room. Can you guess which one is which? You can see what the colors were before we began painting.

The House: Before

2009-08-29T18:18:00.000-05:00

These are pictures of our home before the remodel. This is the living/dining room and bathroom. Notice the floors in the living/dining area, we tried to refinish the floors, but after using every piece of sandpaper in our town, we did not even finish this one area. So, we chose to do carpet. And we are loving the finished rooms!

A break from the house

2009-07-27T09:31:00.001-05:00

Some good friends finally came to visit us (after three years of begging!) We were so glad to have them here. We kept them very busy. Saturday morning the guys and kiddos went fishing. They had quite a bit of good luck with the bass! That afternoon we went to some friends' for some 4-wheeling, tubing, and swimming with some diving and rope swinging thrown in. The kids spent the entire time swinging from the rope and I think we were there five hours. Krista and I took two of the kids tubing and that was an experience! The nice little rapids sent me straight into a dead tree and then the kids and I got stuck once, but it was fun despite the cries of "I want off!" "I don't want to do this ever again!" "I don't like this!" And those were from my daughter, who had a death grip on my hand! All in all, it was a great day and we enjoyed the company of some great friends that we haven't seen in quite some time. We always love visitors, so please come see us.

This weekend also provided us with a much needed break from the house and now it is full speed ahead. Thanks, Jim and Nancy, for providing the lodging for our guests while we are in between homes!

Housework

2009-07-16T23:28:00.003-05:00

We have been very busy around here. We are moving again!! Don't worry this is a good thing for our family, we have had a little retreat out here in the country and now it is time to move back to town. We are moving back into our home in the 'city.' I use the term loosely. It is actually a town of 1800 give or take a few. We have tried to sell our home there and have not had any luck. The Lord knew that we would need it and here we are preparing to move back in. This time we are making some changes before we move and I will soon be posting before and after pictures. I have an amazing husband who has been busy at work and at home. Today, it was too wet for the guys to work at the house they are building so they taped and mudded the attic, which will be the boys' room. Thanks, Joel, for all of your help today. We also did some rearranging of the kitchen. I am really excited. I have been busy painting and doing more painting and more painting. The kids have enjoyed playing with the neighborhood children. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to make these changes, I think it is the best thing for our family. I just wish we didn't have to actually 'move' again. This makes move number 15 in 14 years of marriage, you'd think we had it down to a science!

Just Because

2009-06-30T11:44:00.001-05:00

Really, what can one say!!! This was just too funny to pass up. It is right off of Burr St. on the way home from Winner, SD.

Lizards

2009-06-16T18:04:00.001-05:00

My three children love lizards. They have spent days outside catching them and then putting them in various places throughout the house and outside as well. I believe the lizards on the top of the stick have formed some sort of support group for lizards who find themselves aliens in foreign lands! They sure are holding onto each other rather tightly. Unfortunately my geranium is not looking so good anymore. Some animal invited themselves to a smorgasbord on my front step. Each planter with flowers has been nibbled down to the stems! Life in the country, what can I say.

More bonfire pics

2009-06-12T22:45:00.000-05:00

Nothing beats a little sibling love! And despite the way he looks, Aaron loves his big bro and sis!!! He is a boy of many expressions. Please check out the first picture to see what I mean.

The first bonfires of the season

2009-06-12T22:41:00.000-05:00

Grandpa helped the kids start up a couple of bonfires. They roasted marshmallows and hotdogs and had a good ole time. We were so excited to see the sun, even if it was just to see it set!

God's Amazing Handiwork

2009-06-12T22:34:00.000-05:00

This was the view tonight from the deck off of our bedroom. Breathtaking, isn't it? Don't you want to come visit the Sandhills?

Fourteen Years of Wedded Bliss

2009-06-03T12:58:00.003-05:00

Today is our fourteenth wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe it has been 14 years! I am more in love with Dave than I was on our wedding day and I never thought I could love him more than I did. He has asked me if he can write today, so be looking for a guest blog later (to be truthful, I am a little nervous, he has no trouble being mushy!! heehee).

Today, I have included a quiz I found on another blog to prove how well I know my man, but actually the questions were very easy, not challenging enough for me. Dave has already looked them over and I was 20 for 20. Yeah, me!!

1. If they're sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen ? GOLF (at least this time of year)

2. You are out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad ? RANCH

3. What is one food they don't like? SEAFOOD

4. When you go out to eat what do they have to drink? COKE

5. Where did they go to high school? AINSWORTH

6. What shoe size do they wear? 11

7. Favorite Color? BLUE

8. What is their favorite type of sandwich? ROAST BEEF, BUT ONLY W/ALL THE FIXINGS

9. What would this person eat everyday if they could? LASAGNA OR TACOS

10. What is their favorite cereal? HONEYCOMBS OR HONEY NUT CHEERIOS

11. What would they never wear? PINK SHIRT AND/OR WHITE PANTS (CAN YOU IMAGINE??)

12. What is their favorite sports team? NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (DUH!!)

13. Who did they vote for? JOHN McCAIN

14. Who is their best friend? ME

15. What is something you do that they wish you wouldn't do? BE SO HARD ON MYSELF

16. What is their heritage? SCANDINAVIAN

17. Favorite Cake ? GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

18. Did they play sports in high school? FOOTBALL,WRESTLING,TRACK,BASEBALL

19. What could they spend hours doing? GOLF,FISHING,HANGING OUT W/ME

20. What is one unique talent they have? HE CAN SING AND PLAY THE GUITAR

It is that time of year!!

2009-05-30T21:18:00.001-05:00

It is the time of year when baseball takes over our lives. Last night was the first game for our family. This is Dave's last year playing baseball, so I hope to be at as many of his games as I can. Last night he was the catcher for the first six innings and pitched the seventh inning. Their team won 14-4. I was glad it was not a full 9 innings because we were not prepared enough for the cool night. Dave's first time up to bat was a homerun! Matthew got to keep the ball, so he is very excited. I hope this is a great year for the team. This next week Matt has games on Tuesday and Thursday. Gracie has a game on Wednesday. And Dave has a game on Friday! 'Tis the season!!

Dave plays for the Clearfield Sandburs in South Dakota. This is a team he has played for off and on since college. They are a good group of guys. Last night was the first time I went to their home field. You may not think very highly of me after this confession, but there is a reason for this. Clearfield is literally a baseball field in the middle of pastures. There is not a house in sight. It is actually pretty neat to hear cows mooing in the middle of a game, but the lack of bathrooms is another issue. My sons wouldn't even visit the outhouses!! This is the main reason I have never been to a game and probably will not be at another home game. There is nothing to do for a 5year old who refuses to use the outhouse and needs to "go number 2!"

My favorite view!!

Our Little Ballerina

2009-05-19T16:42:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, Gracie tapped and danced her little heart out! She did a great job, as did the other dancers. I hope to share the videos of her tap and ballet performances. As soon as I figure out what I am doing I will post them. The recital was for all ages, preschool to 7th grade. Her teacher also danced for us. Her ballet performance moved me to tears. I am so glad Miss Grace has the opportunity to dance in a town of this size.

Spring Turkey Season

2009-05-15T19:58:00.002-05:00

Matt shot his first turkey today. The boys went out with Joel and Matt Barrow and spent most of the day doing some father/son bonding. There a couple of "boys" that will be having some sweet dreams tonight!

Another "Finding" song

2009-04-03T23:09:00.001-05:00

Here is one with Dave harmonizing.

The Band, Finding

2009-04-03T16:58:00.002-05:00

The band, Finding, consists of Dave (my hubby), Joel, Jimmy, and Tom. This is the first video that has been posted of them. Joel wrote this song.

One week ago . . . a miracle

2009-03-31T13:32:00.001-05:00

One week ago today, I received one of those phone calls you hope to never have. "Kristen, I am calling from the ambulance, your dad has been in an accident."

Dad met with rear end of a semi-truck. He had passed out and if the driver of the semi had not moved to the shoulder, Dad would have hit him head on. The highway patrolman told Dad he was lucky to be alive. Dave and I drove the 2 1/2 hours to the hospital to be with Dad. I was amazed at how well he looked. He had some minor cuts and some bruising and nothing more. They kept him for a couple of days to find out what caused him to pass out.

Through their testing, they discovered what is going on and it was not what we thought it would be. You see, Dad underwent some testing in November and they informed him that he had a couple of inoperable brain tumors and he didn't have much time. He went away to get some help, and the doctors there confirmed what he was told in November. In January, he had what the doctors thought was a stroke, but he did not stay in the hospital long enough to finish the testing and then he could not get in again.

Our God works in mysterious ways, if it was not for this accident Dad would have probably gone on for some time thinking he was dying from brain cancer or a heart problem. Now, we have learned because of all the recent testing that Dad does not have brain tumors and his heart is very healthy. What he does have is low blood pressure and not enough sodium in his system.

Do you believe in God? Because I believe only He can bring a person away from something like this without any thing more than minor cuts.

Air-Bear

2009-03-21T12:05:00.001-05:00

While everyone else was playing with the Frisbee, Aaron was traveling down the driveway on a skateboard. Wherever we go, he loves to entertain himself. Now, don't get too worried, he does play with others as well. He is just smart enough to know when he doesn't stand a chance, like in a free-for-all Frisbee game!

Notice Grandpa yawning? I think they wore him out !!

I much prefer Aaron's choice of skateboard action, I am glad he stayed on his knees or his belly.

Our weekend away

2009-03-21T11:59:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how long it has been since all five of us have taken off together. Needless, to say we all needed this break. We haven't been to see Dave's sister and her family for some time, so it was so good to see their new home and to hang out with the fam. Granma and Grandpa even came along and we had a ball. The weather was warmer than it had been for some time so everyone was outside most of the weekend. Matt also had a quiz meet in North Platte. Grandma, Jean and Jean's two oldest joined me and Matt. He did very well considering I joined in the middle of the season. The team will be going on to Districts the first weekend in April. Matt is planning on studying Exodus very hard for the next couple of weeks, he really wants to improve his score and qualify for World Quiz this summer!

Thank you Jean and Dave and kids for being wonderful hosts. You have a wonderful home with a superb back yard.

Wrestling!

2009-03-10T09:26:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, we went to our first wrestling tournament. Please forgive me for the lack of picture quality. In typical Campbell fashion, we grabbed the camera, but did not check to see if the memory card was in it! Dave had to minimize the pixels to get pictures of both the boys. Aaron was not so sure about getting out there in front of all those people. His first match was slightly tearful, but when it was over boys of all ages and different schools came up to him and encouraged him with a "Good Job!" or a high five. When it came time for his second match, he ripped off his t-shirt and marched out on to the mat ready to wrestle. Of course he spent most of his time on his back and several times we are pretty sure he helped his competitor put him on his back and yet it was still a great learning experience for him. They are great about giving all Pre-K through 2nd grade competitors a metal to encourage them to keep at it. Aaron was very proud of his 1st place metal.

Third and Fourth grade is when they start competing. I missed Matt's first match. These are the pictures from it. Dave said it lasted about 15 seconds. So, I guess I did not miss too much. Although, I would have rather seen it than missed it. Matt's second match was a much tougher one. His competitor was winning 12-4 when they got to the third round and Matt pinned him. He won first for his age and weight bracket. We will go to one more tournament in a couple of weeks and then I think it is the end of the season for us. Next year Matt wants to try his hand at basketball.

Kid's Say the Strangest Things

2009-03-04T21:30:00.002-06:00

I don't know what is in the air lately, but my kiddos are saying more than their share of strange things.

Yesterday, we had Brownies and we were discussing talents. The girls were to go around the circle and share a talent or quality they have. Well, I heard some fun ones such as 'baking', 'horses', and 'annoying my brother.' We get to Grace and she shares that her talent is unclogging drains!

Of all the things she loves to do . . . dance, sing, share, laugh, help . . . she chooses unclogging drains! She is truly one of a kind. Our resident sink-stopper-upper, Aaron, had clogged the sink once again and after numerous attempts at relieving our sink of its intruders, Dave could not do it. Gracie comes to the rescue. One day out of the blue she comes downstairs to inform us that she had done it, she had freed the sink. We were both impressed, doubly so, because she was able to do it without hurting herself in some form as she tends to do with even a simple task. This all happened weeks ago, but she must still be very proud of the fact that she came to our rescue.

Earlier in the meeting, the girls were filling out their books and answering questions about themselves. Of course all hands are raised at some point needing answers to their questions, usually regarding spelling and Miss Grace raises her hand, "Mom, how do you spell cuss?" "Why do you want to spell, cuss?" "Because I need to say what I don't do and I don't cuss."

And thank goodness for that!

A New Blog

2009-02-28T19:32:00.003-06:00

Well, I have taken the leap. I have debated for some time whether I should begin a baking/cooking blog and today I decided to do it. I have often had people ask me for recipes and this will be a great way to share with you. I have been experimenting lately with some of the Tastefully Simple Fall/Winter products and have a couple really good things to share with you. As well as, some recipes that have been in the family for years and recipes friends have passed on.

Many of you know that I love to bake, most of you don't know that I received my first wedding cake order. I am very nervous about it, but plan to practice for the next four months or so. So, if you are in the area you can bet you will be eating cake regularly! My family won't eat all of it, even if they wanted too! I also may start looking for volunteers to receive different things via the mail. I have been debating this for some time and might as well try. So anyone interested? I will let you know when I reach that point. Also, I have my third catering event coming up in three short weeks, so I will probably be sharing with you the menu when the time comes. They could expect as many as 50 people, so it will be the largest event I have done, excluding the "Fireproof" event in November.

So please stop by and as always share your thoughts with me.

Miss Grace

2009-02-25T16:05:00.002-06:00

My dear daughter says the strangest things sometimes! She stayed home sick today, she lounged all morning and seemed to be feeling better after lunch. So her loving mom put her to work sweeping. While sweeping, she tried to convince me that she should have some kittens and a horse. She promised to take care of them. To which I responded with the normal, you have other animals that need to be taken care right now. I continued to tell her that if she would show some responsibility with caring for the other animals, MAYBE she could have a horse some day. (You see, she is responsible for feeding and watering the chickens, this is a source of daily drama.) This was her response to me, " Well, Mom, chickens just aren't my style."

What?!!? What a character! I love this crazy girl, who will lay in wet sand with a goat on her belly and yet tell me that chickens just aren't her thing!! Life in the Sandhills is never dull, that's for sure!

**A note**
Gracie just read what I posted and informed me it is because chickens aren't fancy. She is all girl and more!

My Crazy Fisher(men)

2009-02-23T11:32:00.000-06:00

Saturday was Dave's birthday. The kids really wanted to go ice fishing, but it has been warm enough out lately that the ice has been melting, so that was out. Dave told the kids earlier in the week if it was warm enough, they would go trout fishing. Saturday, we woke up to cold winds and cold temps. But the kids, begged and begged to go out. Dave finally gave in and everyone bundled up in their wool socks or two pairs of socks, boots, sweatpants, snowpants, turtlenecks, fleece pullovers and winter coats, hats, and hoods and off they went with their rods and reels in hand. They lasted an hour! They seemed to have fun and can't wait for spring to come to go out after those bass that have been swimming in their dreams. Each one of them loves fishing and I am glad. Occasionally, I will join them, but honestly, I am glad they have something they can do with their dad. I love to hear the stories when they come back and wish I had been there. This spring, I will make it more often. I have been known to catch a fish or two.

*** I was feeling guilty for having all sorts of pictures of the puppies lately and none of the kids. I told them to take the camera and I am glad that they remembered to use it. I am not feeling so guilty anymore!!

I am so proud

2009-02-19T11:10:00.000-06:00

The last couple of weeks Dave worked at his parents. He extended their closet, made the door, and built the armoire. Now, I am hoping for an armoire for our bedroom. Didn't he do a great job?

Even More Puppies

2009-02-16T20:10:00.000-06:00

I think Husker looks like that little creature in the movie "Flight of the Navigator" in the top photo. Does anyone remember that movie?

More Puppies

2009-02-16T20:00:00.000-06:00

Lola

Alfie

Husker

The Gordon Setters

2009-02-16T19:56:00.000-06:00

To My Husband

2009-02-13T07:44:00.005-06:00

Dearest,

I am so glad the Lord brought you into my life. His timing is always perfect.

I remember being so confused by you. You were always teasing me and I had such a huge crush on you. But when I had been hurt by a friend and was working through that you reached out to me. As you have many times since. You are my knight in shining armor.

Do you remember when the girls planted themselves in your dorm room during open dorm night? I 'knew' where they were and saved your room for last because you and I had never actually talked other than you calling me 'ornery'(how you knew I will never know!)and telling me my shoelace was untied. Well, I did come to your room and you found a chair for me and set it right next to you. I was a mess, I was so nervous to be there. You started talking to me and then one of my friends said my name, and you said, "Who is Kristen?" They replied, "She is sitting right next to you!" MEMORIES, but oh, how embarrassing! It wasn't but a couple weeks later, when you came to my rescue. And we have been inseparable ever since.

We have had our tough times. That is for sure, but we have stuck it out. You were the first man I ever kissed and as far as I am concerned the last! You are my best friend. You are everything I had hoped for in a husband, especially when you do the dishes!! You know I love ya!

Another memory that means a lot to me, was when I was pregnant with Aaron. That pregnancy was very hard for me, not just physically but emotionally. After losing Isaac I was a nervous wreck. I didn't think you thought about it all very much, until the night before my scheduled C-section. You and I were trying to decide on a name and all of a sudden you asked me if I was nervous. Of course you knew I was. You went on to tell me how nervous you were that he would be born with 10 fingers and 10 toes and that he would be healthy and alive. It was sooo good for me to know that you had the same concerns I did.

Of course I have many, many memories of my life with you: the births of our children, moving countless times,fishing and golfing (occasionally),car trips (our favorite time to talk), watching you coach, making you laugh, laughing with you, praying with you. . . I could go on and on. But, my favorite part of our life together isn't really a memory, because I don't remember an actual event, it just happened. It is when we just clicked. I quit trying to make you stay home and feel guilty for leaving to do whatever and you started staying home and wanting to be home. It is when I quit worrying about me and what I was getting out of our marriage and started thinking about you. Our relationship is so much stronger now than it was the ten years before we changed. I believe it has a lot to do with that trip to the alter almost seven years ago. Thank you for being my husband. Thank you for loving our children. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you for being my lover. Thank you for being my best friend. And most importantly, thank you for loving our Lord and striving to live a life that is pleasing to him.

Life will probably never get easy. We will probably always stress about money. We will probably wonder and worry about our children for the rest of our lives. We will probably move again in our life time. (Although, I hope it is much later in our lives!!) We will lose friends and gain new ones. We will laugh more. Cry more. Pray more. Love more. Live more. Work more. Dream. We will be hurt again. We will question our sanity at times. We may even have a goat again . . . just kidding. No more goats.

But I know as long as I have you, dear husband and God beside me, I can weather any storm that comes my way. I love you.

Always and Forever,
Kris

P.S. Does that picture above remind you of your first post-marriage Valentine's gift? I love you.

**********************************
Please check out other S.W.A.K. 's at We are THAT family. Have a happy Valentine's Day!!

Time is almost up!

2009-02-10T11:26:00.002-06:00

Many of you may know that I am a Senior Consultant for Tastefully Simple. If you haven't yet tried any of our Fall-Winter products time is running out. . . March 8 to be exact. So please email me or visit my website if you would like more information. Some of you may want to stock up on your favorite product before it disappears. I am also always looking for hosts, if you are interested, please leave a comment. My site is: tastefullysimple.com/web/kcampbell2. I apologize but you will have to copy and paste. Thanks.

Weekend To Remember

2009-02-09T13:55:00.002-06:00

Friends,

I want to extend an invitation to you to join us at FamilyLife's Weekend to Remember. We are going to be attending the one in Omaha on March 13-15, 2009. It will be held at the Omaha Hilton, but you do not have to stay there. I can get info for you on other hotels in the area if you like.

Of all the conferences to attend, this is at the top of our list. We would love for any of you to join us in Omaha, but you don't have to attend the Omaha one, you can attend one closer to you or farther away if you want to escape to someplace warm! We just encourage you to invest in your marriage whether you are doing great or struggling. As husband and wife, you are investing in your future and your children's future when you invest in your relationship.

We feel so strongly about Weekend to Remember that we became group coordinators. Check out the link above and join our group to save $80 per couple. We have heard of incredible miracles that have occurred in broken marriages throughout the years. I promise you won't regret this investment.

I should receive our brochures this week. If you would like one, I would be more than happy to mail one to you. Just let me know. Also, I believe there is a special discount for pastors and their wives.

ROMANTIC

2009-02-09T09:04:00.009-06:00

My dear, sweet husband came home from work the other day. In and of itself, nothing out of the ordinary, except for when he pulled me in for a hug and a kiss he told me he was going to do the dishes for me. There have been some things going on in my life lately that have had me in a state of depression and the housework has been suffering. I have asked him for his help before and not much happened until this day. He had been listening to the Christian radio station while he worked and in turn heard the FamilyLife program about marriages.

Later in the evening he started ranting and raving (not really) about the program, telling me, I had it easy. All I had to do from here on out was sit around reading and eating bonbons! Sounded good to me except for the bonbon part. After further questioning, he told me about the acrostic they gave for 'romantic'. It is a way for men to remember how to romance their wives. Dave could only remember a couple of things from it. One of them being to support his wife's dreams. This will be the biggest challenge for him, because poor Dave married a dreamer with big dreams. He is a no-nonsense kind of fellow, so this is going to be a challenge. But, I think he is up for it.

The next day I went online to familylife.com and checked out the transcript. I have the acrostic to share with you in a moment, first I wanted to let you know that there is also one for women to apply to our husbands. At the moment I only have the "R" so when I have the rest of it I will post it as well. Here it goes:

R romance her
O offer help
M make time to listen
A adore her
N nourish & cherish her
T touch your wife (non-sexually)
I invest in her dreams
C commit to romance (out of bed)

Need I say more . . . and I am sure you can imagine what the acrostic that applies to our husbands is about! nudge. nudge. wink. wink.

Actually, I encourage you to visit the site and either listen to the broadcasts for last week or read the transcripts, there are some great things we need to remember on that site. And I will share more on this subject later. I also encourage you to visit my friend's site, she has been posting the Love Dare daily.

Before I go, I should tell you that I have the best husband in the world. And not only did he do the dishes that night, but several nights since. I am very blessed, not because he does the dishes, but because he loves me more than I know and he is very good about showing me how much he loves me.

Feb. 4th - A special day

2009-02-04T20:29:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe that Matt is now 10. He is growing up so fast. Matt, we are so proud of you. You are a wonderful, caring young man. But, you need to stop growing . . . you will be taller than me in no time! We love you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Look at the Snow

2009-01-28T09:18:00.001-06:00

Front yard

Back yard

Side yard

We feel very blessed to be where we are. The gorgeous snow is just the icing on the cake!

Even more pictures

2009-01-28T09:14:00.000-06:00

I know, I know! But you really can't get enough of this cuteness, can you? Husker, the small one, is our favorite, we are rooting for him to start growing any day now. Lola, is a riot! Not only is she the biggest, but she has figured out how to climb out of the box. If Molly happens to be in the box with them while mama is out and about she gently helps them 'stay' in the box. She is a great babysitter. If you notice, Lola is often on her own. I think she produces enough warmth all on her own!

More pictures of the pups

2009-01-28T09:02:00.000-06:00

Everything from trying some rice cereal to showing off their full bellies and lovin' on each other. They sure are fun to watch and hold.

The Puppies

2009-01-21T21:53:00.002-06:00

Vinny
Lola
Here are the long awaited pictures. The brown one is Husker. The Gordon Setters are Vinny and Gordo. And the two black ones are Lola and Alfred (Freddie). Lola is the biggest one and Husker is the one I am praying survives.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-01-19T16:10:00.002-06:00

Our lives are about to get super crazy with the boys joining wrestling, at least on Tuesdays and Thursdays anyway. I need to get back to planning our menus because on these two days from the time school is out until 9pm the kids will be involved in some type of activity. So here it goes:

Monday: fettuccine alfredo

Tuesday: leftover beef enchiladas ( I made a large roast beef on Sunday and then used the beef to make enchiladas for two meals)

Wednesday: meatballs and cheesy baked mashed potatoes, green beans

Thursday: Slow cooker chicken and dumplings

Friday: Fancy grilled ham and cheese, and soup

If you have a moment hop on over to orgjunkie.com to see what everyone else is serving this week.

When it rains, it pours

2009-01-19T15:58:00.002-06:00

It has been a little while since I have sat down to share with you, and in that time I broke my glasses, the hot water heater quit working, Aaron dropped a bouncy ball down the bathroom sink drain (and we can't get it out!), the battery died in Dave's vehicle, and then we discovered it was actually the alternator, Dave is traveling out of town to work, and some situations have come up within my family. When it rains, it pours . . . or should I say when it snows, it blizzards?

But, you know what? Despite all of that we are doing fine. We serve a God who is greater than all of these things and He is faithful to see us through. For that, I am grateful.

How has 2009 begun for you?

A New Year

2009-01-08T18:09:00.003-06:00

One of our goals this year is to consistently do family devotions. We begin them while we are still at the supper table. I am usually the first one done, because I don't take a second helping, so I begin while everyone else is finishing their meal. This Christmas we received "My First Message" by Eugene H. Peterson. It is a devotional Bible for kids. It has great questions to help the kids consider what we have read.

Earlier this week we were reading the passage from Genesis 2 about Adam and Eve. We read about Adam needing a helper and how he named the animals. We also discussed how Eve was created. The final passage created some crazy conversations with our kiddos. The passage is as follows:

'The Man said, "Finally! My partner! Name her Woman for she was made from my flesh and bones." That's why a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh. The two of them, the Man and his Wife, were naked, but they did not feel ashamed.'

Grace's immediate response was, "Ewwwww, gross! They were naked in the garden with all of the bugs and snakes and lizards and animals?"

That's my girl!! Bugs and snakes . . . gross! To be honest, I can't say that I ever thought about 'the bugs and snakes and lizards and animals' and being naked in the Garden of Eden. How about you?

We did get around to discussing the rules God gave Adam and Eve to obey concerning the Tree- of-Knowing-Good-and-Evil and what rules they have to obey. Which is always a good reminder for kids!

A family picture

2009-01-06T19:32:00.000-06:00

This was taken Christmas day. For some odd reason someone suggested we go outside. Needless to say, it was very cold out! I was squeezing Grace and Aaron together just to keep them warm.

The Big Day

2009-01-06T09:37:00.000-06:00

We were at Dave's parents' home watching the Huskers play when my sister called to say, "I think Maggie is getting ready to have the puppies. She has created a nest in the corner of the couch with stuffed animals and she won't get up. She is panting a lot and whining." Needless to say, we collected our family members and got home as quickly as we could. We arrived home just in time to put her in the whelping box and witness the birth of all five puppies. The first one arrived just as the Huskers won the game, as I mentioned before. It was a crazy day in the Campbell household. I apologize for not having any more pictures. I will post more pictures when I can. They sure are cute and Maggie is a great Mama! Oh, and Maggie had to go all over the house to collect her stuffed animals. What a crazy girl!!!

A Great Day

2009-01-05T17:57:00.002-06:00

January 1st was a great day in our family. Maggie had her puppies. Five in all. The first puppy arrived just as the Huskers won their game. Maggie is a great mom. Pictures will follow very soon. I just wanted to let you know!

Merry Christmas and Give-Away Winner

2008-12-29T22:21:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas celebrating Christ's birth with friends and family. I am always so grateful for this time of year. There are so many reasons for it, but more than anything I love being with family. I was amazed at the peace I felt this year sitting at the dinner table at my in-laws' listening to all six cousins talk at once to someone and everyone at the same time. That is what family is. I am so glad to have most of my family here at the moment. Unfortunately most of the snow has melted and there is no sledding to occupy the kids time.

******

I am sorry this is a day late ( I was enjoying my family's company too much to sit at the computer). I had eight names to draw from and the winner was Erika. Thank you so much to everyone who commented, I always love to hear from you. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed new year and I hope you are able to stay warm during these winter months even if you don't have an English Toffee Mocha to keep you warm. Snuggle up close to someone you love and stay warm!!!

Baby, It's Cold Outside & 1,000th Visitor Give-Away

2008-12-22T17:07:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Winter Wishes! I hope everyone is staying warm this bitter winter season. I am, as long as I stay inside. I do hope we get a little bit more snow and some warmer weather for sledding while the cousins are here. Building snowmen is always a good way to expend some extra energy as well. What are your favorite outdoor activities during winter? I think Tank's favorite activity is 'fetching' the kids!

I also wanted to celebrate my 1,000th visitor to my blog so I have a surprise for someone. I promise it will be a good one, something to help keep you warm during these winter months. All YOU need to do is post a comment to this post and I will enter your name into the drawing for this warm surprise. I will draw the name on Dec. 27 and post it on Dec.28. So, please leave me a comment. It can be about anything . . . Christmas wishes . . . your favorite winter activity . . . just a note to say, "Hi."

***Oh, and you need to leave me some way of contacting you, like your email address or if you have a blog that will work too. Good luck!

***If you have not left a comment before, please click on the word 'comment' below this post and you will be directed to a page that will allow you to do just that. Thanks again for visiting us!

Matt and his ducks

2008-12-19T23:18:00.001-06:00

Matt, Dave and Tank went duck hunting after school today. They wanted to get some hunting in before the bitter cold set in this weekend. Dave is pretty proud of his boy, he was dropping ducks left and right. Matt shot EIGHT ducks with one box of shells, according to his dad. This was only his second time hunting. We are pretty proud of him. He even helped his dad clean the birds with his new knife when they got home.

***Please note that they were well within their limit for the two of them. I didn't want to give any wrong ideas!!!

Snow Dogs

2008-12-14T15:18:00.000-06:00

Jake

Tank

Maggie

Today it is bitter cold out, snowing and windy. Everything was cancelled and we got to stay home as a family. Cold weather makes for a very cozy home. . .5 people and 4 dogs!! It is too cold to put the dogs out for very long. They let us know when it has been long enough! Maggie is laying pretty low. I tried to get a picture that shows how pregnant she is, she is such a skinny girl that now that she is pregnant she looks normal. New Year's puppies are on the horizon, so I'm sure she will be looking pregnant very soon.

Gingerbread Part 4

2008-12-14T15:07:00.000-06:00

More fun pictures. For some reason Gracie can't stand or sit next to her brothers today!

Can you guess which side Aaron decorated? How about Matt? Grace?

Gingerbread Part 3

2008-12-14T15:01:00.000-06:00

It is very hard for me to let go of creative control sometimes, but I did really well this time. I gave them a tiny bit of guidance and then let them do their thing! They had fun. And they did a great job! I will say this was our practice round and I now know what I won't do next. I found a glue idea that is better than Royal Icing and we will try that on our next one. We had to wait way too long to let it dry.

Gingerbread Part 2

2008-12-14T14:54:00.000-06:00

While we waited for the icing to dry overnight on the gingerbread house the kids rolled out gumdrop fruit slices to cut out and use on the house. It was quite the mess, but everyone had fun.

More pictures of Molly

2008-12-14T14:50:00.000-06:00

MOLLY

2008-12-14T14:47:00.000-06:00

Just a few pictures of our new puppy, Molly. She is a character. Tank (the lab) is finally getting used to her. When she first came home, he would run away from her. Quite a sight to see a 70 plus pound Lab running away from an eight week Gordon Setter. I am glad to see them getting along.

Tis the Season

2008-12-10T23:59:00.000-06:00

Today we began preperations for the gingerbread houses we are planning on making. We had hoped to actually begin the project, but things don't always go as planned, especially when Mom has a headache and siblings can't seem to get along. We did do a few trees though and are ready to begin first thing Saturday morning. We are making a house for each of the great grandparents, I know they will enjoy the work the kids put into their project. Last year we made a gingerbread train with Dave's sister and the cousins, we had so much fun and it was a huge hit with the great-grands, that we decided to start a tradition. I love my kiddos and their creative and giving spirits!

Just couldn't wait any longer

2008-12-10T23:50:00.000-06:00

As you can see, there has not been much snow around here. But my ski bunnies couldn't wait any longer to try their hand at down hill skiing on our small hills. I can't wait to see what happens when we have more snow. At least I hope we get more snow, especially before Christmas.

Winter WonderSlam

2008-11-21T08:27:00.002-06:00

I had another first, last night. I went with a group of ladies to Toby Mac's Winter WonderSlam concert. I didn't know much about the evening, I was just along for the ride. We traveled all the way to Lincoln for it. On the way there I was joking about the 'mosh pit' not knowing that I was actually going to be standing in it. It is also known as General Admission or the dance floor. So not like me, but sooooo much fun! I pretty much liked all of the performers but FamilyForce 5, not my kind of thing. Very strange!! TobyMac and Reliant K were awesome! Very cool performances! I also liked a new artist that opened, B Reith.

I was very close to the stage, it was amazing to see their facial expressions and get stepped on and hit on the head by some of the wild college kids (mostly boys) who wanted to thrash around as much as they could. They didn't care about the six women that were several years older who were trying to stand their ground. I will post pictures as soon as I can.

And in case you haven't figured it out I had an awesome time. Thanks, Suzy for asking me to come along.

The first pheasant hunt

2008-11-13T08:06:00.000-06:00

Tank

Jake

Parks are so much fun

2008-11-07T08:30:00.000-06:00

We had gorgeous weather while we were away last weekend.

Our attempt at pictures

2008-11-07T08:27:00.000-06:00

Halloween Pictures

2008-11-07T08:16:00.002-06:00

We decided at the last minute last week to head to the KC area, since it would probably be the only time we could get away. It was nice to see family and friends and a bonus that the kiddos got to trick-or-treat with their cousin. Matt was Indiana Jones. Grace was a rock star. Aaron was Batman. Carter was Buzz Lightyear.

It has begun . . . a little early

2008-10-27T09:18:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you and your community, but the flu has hit us. Everyone seems to be sick. Gracie was sent home from school two weeks ago with the flu. The next Tuesday morning I came down with it. That day Dave brought Aaron home from preschool. Aaron found me laying motionless in bed and proceeded to tell me about his day . . .

"Mom, I have the flute."

"You have the flute?"

"Yep, I pukeded on the cartet at school. Ms. Sunny told me I just had a burp."

"Really, well come up here and snuggle with me. I hope you feel better soon."

I love moments like this, when he makes me giggle just because. He may have had a case of the 'flute' and is still not eating very well. Last night Matt made a middle of the night trip to the bathroom. Hopefully, Dave won't get it!

Something to consider

2008-10-16T14:40:00.002-05:00

I don't normally get involved in political discussions and such, but I must say I am rather disgusted with some of what is going on this election year. I know many of you are too. The media is so biased I don't even care to watch them, but I am wondering how many of us are still watching their news programs and reading their newspapers and magazines. Doing so continues to give power to their voice. Biased news is not news, they have a responsibility to report the facts and the truth, even if it is unfavorable for their agenda. Actually, agendas have no place in any news reporting.

I was given this link today and want to pass it on. Please send it to everyone you know. Let's let the media know that we won't let them continue the way they have and hit them where it hurts . . .their ratings. This is through the American Family Association. I, personally will not watch any of these news programs until they get beyond themselves. So, I guess, I won't watch them ever!!

I also received an email to stop what I am doing at 8pm (CST) and pray for one minute for the upcoming election. What an amazing thing to be a part of hundreds and thousands of people praying for the same thing at the same time every night until election.

2 Chronicles 7:14 'If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.'

Let's find our voices and lift them to heaven. Our Lord is still in charge. Thank goodness!!

Looky, Looky, What a Turkey!

2008-10-16T14:39:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week I went outside to get some wood for the stove and heard the turkeys talking. I went around the side of the house and I saw 15 - 20 turkeys, among them an albino! I didn't get any pictures at the time, so I kept hoping they would come back. Today Dave was home early getting ready to go deer hunting and spotted them down by the feeder! This is too cool!! The pictures are not the greatest but you can see our 'ghost' turkey.

Girl's Get-A-Way Cruise Contest

2008-10-08T20:38:00.004-05:00

***This post is an entry in the Girl's Get-A-Way Cruise Contest hosted by Christian Women Online***

I know this contest is a chance for me to share with you why I would like to spend some girl time with a friend and although I have plenty of friends I have not seen since we moved 2 1/2 years ago, I will not be asking for a chance to win for me, but for my mom and my baby sister.

This past summer, both my mom and sister had to endure the one year anniversary of their divorces. Since their divorces things have not been easy for any of our family members, but it has been especially hard on Mom and 'J'. They have become the other's entire support system, they only live a few minutes from each other. . . the rest of us are hundreds of miles away.

For about a year 'J' looked for a job, a couple times we thought she had one, but something always happened. This summer she landed a job at a national coffee shop and a couple of weeks later she came down with a highly contagious illness that most people are immune to after the age of three! She then found a job that is a great fit for her. During her months at her new job she has been in and out of the hospital and finally ended up in the ER. While she was in the ER, they admitted her to the hospital and prepared her for major surgery. This past August the doctors removed over 50% of her stomach to rid her of multiple ulcers that were not healing. She was in the hospital for over a week and then not allowed to return to work for two more weeks. Because her immune system is so low due to the surgery and not being able to get enough nutrients in her system, every time she tries to go back to work she ends up at home with a virus that is going around. Just last week she told me her doctor will not allow her to go back to work until the following Monday, she has a virus that has her internally vomiting. Needless to say we not only worry about her, but her job as well. So far they have been very good to her and seem to understand that all of this is out of her control.

Mom is there for her all of the time and able to be a big help. She is able to care for J's four year old son when his dad isn't able to. She has tried to help supply groceries and such, but she is on a very limited income and things have been very tight. Her mom (my grandma) has been in and out of the hospital multiple times on the verge of death. Thankfully, she always pulls through. Mom just seems to be hit on every side lately.

Despite the emotional, physical, and financial stress both have been under they seem to be growing closer to our Lord and learning to rely on Him fully. I just think that it is time for them to have a break and I think this cruise is exactly what they need. I hope that you agree with me and reward them with a wonderful chance to renew their spirits. Thank you in advance.

Those lucky dogs!

2008-10-08T08:56:00.000-05:00

Jake

Maggie

Tank

The dogs were able to go bird hunting earlier in the day on Saturday so they got to come inside. Those lucky dogs!! Jake stood at the window the entire time, he could not take his eyes off of the chickens who were just on the other side of the window! Maggie was looking at me, asking me why I had to let the boys in too. Whenever Tank comes inside he finds Gracie's green pillow. On this day, he propped it up underneath the table and slept while the pumpkins were carved. We had some very happy, very tired dogs that day.

Having fun with pumpkins

2008-10-08T08:50:00.000-05:00

As you can see, we know how to have fun and get pumpkin mess everywhere, especially the hair!

Carving Pumpkins

2008-10-08T08:44:00.000-05:00

Saturday we decided to carve pumpkins. According to Grace, it did not matter when we carved them because we live in the country and nobody will really see them anyway! We had a great time, Dad is the creative genius behind each of the pumpkins, but each of the kids told him what they wanted. They were able to get messy, one of their favorite things to do and have a good time teasing Dad. My job was to make zuchinni bread. I think they turned out great, don't you? My kiddos and hubby have great imaginations.

Flag Football

2008-10-08T08:33:00.000-05:00

The plan

Set. Hut!

Doing a jig!!

In action!!

Matt's first venture into flag football was when he was in 1st grade. When we moved here he had to wait until 4th grade and we are finally there! These are pictures from the first game. Last night's game brought quite a few injuries, nothing major, thankfully, just a few tears and some ice was necessary. So far we are 1-2, but they have all been really close games. I can't wait to see what the last three hold for us.

We love visitors

2008-10-08T08:21:00.000-05:00

Patiently waiting.

Yeah!

Now the fun begins!

In August, my baby sister had major surgery. I was able to be there for a short time and then I came home with one extra for several days. Cousin C came for a visit, we always love it when he is here. As you can see, they love to play with paper airplanes. Thankfully, Matt can fulfill the duty of creating planes now. I love that my children don't need much to entertain themselves. Paper is in high demand in this home, between coloring, cutting, making cards and of course, airplanes, I have to guard my computer paper pretty tightly. But, don't worry, I am not very good at hiding it!!

School Pictures

2008-10-04T16:37:00.002-05:00

Well, I am not quite sure what my kiddos were thinking on this wonderful picture day, but one thing is for sure, they are definitely related!! The package we ordered included a portrait CD so I could download them onto the blog. Now, I have a question for you . . . do we try for retakes? Yes, my kids are cute, but what is with the grins??? Matt wants to do retakes because he does not like the scab that was near his mouth. I would like for both of them to actually smile. They have great smiles, they just didn't feel like sharing them, I guess. Of course there is no guarantee the next time will turn out better. As far as school pictures go they are good, but they are not SMILING!! Please share your thoughts, retakes will be coming up soon.

My First Award

2008-10-03T08:08:00.004-05:00

My friend, Sarah, at Steadfast Steps honored me with this reward. Thank you, Sarah.

This is a very cool Portuguese Award and it means this blog invests in and believes that blogging makes us close. Proximidade translated to English means vicinity, or neighborhood.

Here is the statement I am supposed to post...

"They all are charmed with the blogs, where in the majority of its aims are to show the marvels and to do friendship; there are persons who are not interested when we give them a prize and then they help to cut these bows; do we want that they are cut or that they propagate? Then let’s try to give more attention to them! So with this prize we must deliver it to 8 bloggers that in turn must make the same thing and put this text."

I will have to get back with you on who will receive these rewards because I am not a huge blog reader.

Thanks, again, Sarah.

Our future . . .

2008-10-03T08:04:00.000-05:00

Maggie

Jake

We really hope third time is a charm. We have 8 puppies spoken for, they have been spoken for since this past May and we have a couple of dogs that aren't quite sure what they are supposed to do!!! Maggie's 2nd birthday is this weekend, hopefully this is a magic birthday for her.

I actually wasn't going to post about our dog's issues, but Dave asked me to share some pictures of two of his favorite dogs. They are beautiful animals and provide us with much entertainment, they just enjoy torturing us. I think they know how much we want them to have puppies and they just want to torment us.

They are looking forward to bird season and are very ready to show their stuff!

It has been a long time . . .

2008-09-21T17:44:00.002-05:00

I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to find time to post again. Life has been crazy since school started. Matt has started flag football and Dave is the coach, games start next week, so pictures will soon follow. Gracie joined Girl Scouts last week. I have agreed to be the leader, we finally will get to do something just 'Mom and Grace.' At this point we have 7 or 8 other 2nd grade girls in our troop. Aaron is loving preschool and is learning to draw. He watches Mommy or Daddy draw something, usually sharks, lions and guitars, and then draws them by himself. I see a budding artist in our midst.

I must share some sad news with you, Naughty Nelly, the goat, has gone to live with other goats. This is a very good thing, but very sad. It has been very quiet without her.

We have been loving the fall weather. I can't wait for more of the cooler days. I hope you all have a great week and I plan to post again later this week.

Playing with Picasa2

2008-08-20T09:18:00.001-05:00

The First Day of School

2008-08-20T09:11:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was the first day of school. Matt and Grace had a good day and were full of all kinds of stories. Gracie informed us that her teacher was very nice until she ran out of coffee! Well, I believe her teacher was just teasing them about what happens when she doesn't have her morning joe. Matt was already teasing his teacher, which hopefully will not happen again. I think both of them were glad to have school start.

Aaron, as you can see, was ready for school as well, but preschool does not start until after Labor Day. Instead he hung out with Mom. We explored our friends property and the house they are gutting, we had a close encounter with a bat, and we ran lots of errands. What a day! We also walked the mile to pick his siblings up at the bus stop. When we just about reached the park Aaron informed me he was out of gas and could not go any farther! He did, however, have enough energy to play at the park while waiting for the bus. Before heading home he stopped and jumped up and down several times before taking off at a dead run. We decided he had to "jumpstart" himself to make it home. Life is never dull!!

All in all, it was a great day! They were even in bed by 8:15, which was a feat in and of itself!

Responsibility

2008-08-13T09:13:00.002-05:00

Matt went to work yesterday with Papa at 5:30am. I picked him up a little before noon. He went to work with Papa again today. He enjoys working with Grandpa. I think he also enjoys the idea of getting paid a little bit. He has decided to save up money to put minutes on a prepaid phone, a very cheap phone that I had picked up for Dave. Well, it is not being used anymore and Matt thinks he should have it. We are trying to talk him out of it, we are hoping he will save his money for the aquarium that he was wanting a month or two ago. Or the Wii he has talked about. Anything but minutes on a phone that does not work so well.

This morning Matt woke Grace up so she could go to work too. They were up before 6am. Well, Grace didn't get to go to work with Matt, but I had shared with her, yesterday, that I would pay her for extra chores around the house. When I came down the stairs this morning she had finished up the dishes I had started and was ready to help me fold clothes.

I have noticed in the last week or so my kiddos are trying to be more responsible. I don't know if it has anything to do with the fact that school is starting very soon and they desire the structure that comes with school or if it is just the knowledge that extra chores means a little bit of cash. All I know, is that I like the new and improved attitudes of two of my children. The youngest one just runs around shooting us with his new nerf gun!

And so it continues

2008-08-12T22:44:00.003-05:00

Dave called a little while ago from Mitchell. They won their game tonight, which means they will play again on Thursday night. If they win that game they will be in the championship game on Saturday. At least I think that is the case. Dave and I left the kids with his parents yesterday so that we could do some school shopping and I could watch the game, but it was rained out. They called the game 15 minutes before the starting time. But at least we were able to get school supplies and we did spend the day together, which is always fun. My favorite buy was 5 cent notebooks! I can't believe school starts next week!