Family Reunion 2010

Elizabeth hold new cousin, Joseph.



Bekah, Abigail and Emily having fun!



Cousin Rebekah loves the little cousins.  Jael and Hannah love her, too!

The three amigas and a friend.

Playgrounds aren't just for little kids!  Joshua, Sarah and Rebekah Claire try it out.

Papa and Joey have a special talk.

Abigail holding baby Joe.

Bekah, Naomi, Jael, Hannah and Abby

All the grands!

Updated picture of the gang

Uncle Tim, Aunt Hannah and Girlies

Uncle Jon and kiddos (we missed you Auntie Linny)

The Grandparents with their  15 blessings - not bad!

Ethan and Jonathan goofing off!

Jael enjoys the hay ride with Gray-Gray

Jael also enjoyed bugging big cousin Elijah and attention from Uncle Jon

Whose kid is this?  One of the favorite memories of the hay ride. . .

We were blessed to enjoy some time with family in the majestic Rocky Mountains at the YMCA camp.  What a great time and full of memories.  Here are just a few of those special moments. . .

Projects

We made some home made bird feeders.  This is just an empty water bottle with skewers and bird seed!

Peanut butter and bird seed on pine cones is always a favorite!



Paul and the kids get the new coop "squirrel proofed and dog proofed."



Getting comfortable in the new coop.

Some friends were moving and offered us their chicken coop.  Paul and the kids got it situated and rennovated.

Cups!

What's a mom to do?  It is sometimes the "little things" in life that put me over the edge.  Like cups.  There are just too many cups used at this house.  People take a cup and then leave it.  They forget which cup was theirs and pick a new cup.  It drives me nuts to be constantly dealing with cups.  Years ago I was encouraged by Kendra, preschoolersandpeace, to color-coordinate items in the home.  I think I did a few things, like towels and bedding.  Well, it's time for CUPS!  These lovely cups were found at Target for a mere $1.38 - a price worthy of my sanity.  Each child has their own color cup and plate.  Now I will finally know whose milk is left and who forgot to clear their spot at the table!  Victory, I hope.  Even if it might be short-lived and they all melt in the dishwasher.  A day of sanity will be worth it!

Beside the cups is my wonderful, expensive (but worth it) Vita-Mix.  This is one of our favorite meals -Strawberry Banana Smoothie.

Amy's Basic Smoothie Recipe

2-3 frozen bananas
1 apple or pear
10-12 strawberries, frozen
Strawberry yogurt (2-3)
Strawberry Jumex Juice (Mexican section)

Fill blender about 1/3 with Strawberry juice.  Add yogurt and fruits. Blend on high until smooth.  Pour into color-coded cups!

Comfort Food...

Finally, a cloudy almost cool day with a smattering of rain!  It actually feels a bit like fall today.  Sundays are Slow Cooker days around here.  Leaving the house for church at 7:30am and not arriving home until close to 1pm, there are too many little hungry tummies that need to eat RIGHT AWAY.  We have a saying that "Sundays start Saturday evening."  So, that means all the clothes, shoes, Bibles, diaper bag, etc., are set out the night before.  Breakfast is usually quick and easy to clean up and the Crock Pot is going.  If my kids can learn to throw dinner or lunch into the Crock Pot, they will be way ahead of most in cooking!

Today was a easy lunch, no real recipe.  We call it Ground Beef Soup:

1-2 lbs ground beef
Water
Beef boullion or stock
carrots, cut
celery, cut
green beans, chopped
frozen corn
potatoes
chopped onion
garlic salt
celery salt
bay leaves
black pepper
onion powder

Just cook until done and add seasonings until it tastes good to you!  We add rice, but the kids really like it with barley or noodles.

Happy Fall!

Make-Overs...

 I realize that it's difficult to see a room make-over without seeing what it looked like before.  . .but I can't find those photos!  Surprised?  Probably not.  But enjoy, at least, what's taken place!  Women's ministry needed a room to transform and having not really settled in yet. . .I was happy to oblige!

 Transformed into a lovely place to relax!

 The amazing thing is that all this stuff is mine and was still in boxes and around the home in various places. . .

Room for one more chair to make a cozy chat corner for my hubby and me...yippee!

Field Trips....

 Last week was super busy with three field trips!  I didn't really plan it initially that way, but was fooled into thinking that the fall weather was approaching.  It might be, but it hasn't made it yet.  While the zoo was a nice day, it did heat up.  We always seem to have some kind of story happen at the zoo (Grandma getting hit with flying poop, etc.).  This was no exception.  We were with our dear friends the Anthonys when their Hannah and our Jael got sprayed by the tiger.  It was pretty gross, but very unique!

 Naomi is reminded of our goats. . .who are still vacationing somewhere. . .  Later in the week we were scheduled to attend the Fair.  Always fun and educational.  But, super hot this year.  Here we are panning for gold.

 Just the place for my kids, digging and hunting for treasures!  Was nice to have Daddy with us on this trip.

 On Saturday, I had a student to test in the mountains so we headed up the hill and Paul took the kids to the children's museum.  We love that place.  It's a wonderful place of learning and dress-up combined!

 We thought Bekah was a bit "spacy" - ha.

 Josh enjoys man "dress up."

 Can you envision Hani as an ambulance driver!!  Hope it's not too much of an emergency, I just can't see her cutting people off and running lights!

Jael is REALLY into dress-up right now so this was the perfect spot for her to try on and try on and try on. . .you get the idea!

Discoveries!

 We discovered that our grape "jelly" mixed in with cream cheese makes a delicious bagel spread!  Now how to package that for gifts. . .hmm.  If I were Sassy Chicken I would have made my own bagels. . .but that leads to a second discovery - our new friend, Fresh and Easy!

When I first went to the store I thought there was no way I'd be shopping there.  Everything is packaged into one/two person servings, highly priced.  Not exactly a store for a family of 10!  But, we have discovered that they mark all that nice fresh food down daily. . so that the large bag of bagels we enjoyed with our new grape spread was a mere $.40.  And the plethera of fruit displayed below was less than $2.00!  They even threw in the nifty bag. . . love it!

Contraception continued...

I'm thankful for the recent question regarding family planning/contraception because it got me back into a book by Nancy Wilson called The Fruit of Her Hands.  This book greatly impacted me in the past and it is currently a blessing to me.  She makes a brief, but poignant, statement on page 121.  "The principal cause of discouragement is exhaustion."  To which I can heartedly say, "amen."  Especially since it's almost 2am and little Joe has chosen to wake up every night this week - oh, except tonight thus far. . .it was little Jael standing by my bedside who needed to be soothed back to slumber.

Enough about me - if you haven't read this book, it's must read.  If you have read it, pull if off the shelf and give it a dusting for another reading.  Prepare to be blessed and encouraged.  Nancy masterfully handles the high and virtuous calling of a wife and mother, while pointing to Christ.

I wish I could re-type her entire chapter on "Multiplying Fruitfully" because it is a gem.  It is also way to long!  To continue the prior post on Contraception, here is a quote from Nancy "There is nothing in Scripture that says the act of using birth control is unlawful in itself."  Her concluding thought summarizes that, "Nowhere in the Bible does it say that the use of birth control is sinful.  So it is wrong to say that it is.  The Bible does consistently say that children are a blessing from the Lord.  And it is a sin to say or act as though they are not."   (ouch, America!  Voddie Baucham says, "if you can't say 'amen', you oughta say 'ouch'."   Prior to all this, she scrutinzes assumptions. . .the woman who has four children quickly might think that she will have four more just as quickly. . .Nancy addresses these "mistaken assumptions", as she refers to them.   She states "we base our thinking on a false and unbiblical premise - that the universe is an impersonal place and that the providence of God has little or nothing to do with the blessings we receive."  She also admonishes those who embrace having a large family, but fall to the temptation of failing to train them in the fear and admonition of the Lord.  A last quote, "The Lord offers to bless us with much in our children, and to whom much is given, much is required."  Whew.  If that doesn't drive me to that cross!

Amazed by grace, desperate for Christ and hoping to get some sleep...

Random stuff. . .

Micu girlies all sleep the same!

So sweet, when sleeping:)

Esau is getting lots of attention these days after the death of his brother, Jacob.

Bekah is a super baby sitter!

Josh and little buddy.

The boys are working on fishing nets from a colonial book.

Jon's is looking good. . .might make a nice hammock!

Joshua makes sappawm (mush) and it was quite tasty.  Looks like a Gray-Gray scoop of sugar!

Sappawn

4 cups milk
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp. salt

Measure hte milk, cornmeal, and salt into a large pot.  Cook over low heat, stirring often.  When steam starts rising, set timer for 30 minutes and stir without stopping.  The longer it cooks the better it tastes.  Add raisins, brown sugar, maple syrup, or more milk.

Homemade Applesauce

Apples fresh from the tree!

After Bekah peeled them and put them in the pot!  With some sugar and cinnamon...

Bekah, hard at work!

I know I took a picture of the outcome somewhere. . . my life.  I'm always so close to almost having it all together!  Ha.  It just keeps me humble, I suppose.  Homemade applesauce is easy enough for even me and the gang to make!  Makes me hungry for fall. . .

School Days...

It's our desire that we start the day in prayer, the Word, and song.  This is the song we are starting our school day off with this year. . .

Speak O Lord
         by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You to receive the food of Your Holy Word.
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us; shape and fashion us in Your likeness,
that the light of Christ might be seen today in our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us all Your purposes for Your glory.

Teach us, Lord, full obedience, holy reverence, true humility.
Test our thoughts and our attitudes in the radiance of Your purity. 
Cause our faith to rise; cause our eyes to see Your majestic love and authority.
Word of power that can never fail, let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds; help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us.
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time that will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we'll stand on Your promises, and by faith we'll walk as You walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, till Your church is built and the earth is filled with Your glory.

After dinner we are blessed to have Daddy play and sing with us during our devotions.  It's a goal of mine to start playing in the morning. . .but I have forgotten much of my piano.