A quiet day.....

here today, the kids are doing school work, I'm tidying and catching up a bit on some sewing repairs... and Eric is cleaning his office. We are praying on what to do next..... please keep us in your prayers as well today. Thanks.

Hard Times ....

Well, Eric has been let go from his job. The position was a created position... so it was the first to go to save the company money.

Now, we are facing hard times. Please pray that Eric finds work soon.

Much about nothing...

Not much going on today ...... I will be getting the kiddos up and going for the day in just a bit, then I will get some of the housework done. The house is in fairly good shape ... the kitchen needs a bit of cleaning, a couple of loads of laundry needs to be done and then a bit of overall pick up around the house and it should be good. Today I want to really focus on where the kids are in their schoolwork. See how far that they have come this year and see if we need to pick up the pace or if we feel that all is going well. There is a new DVD we have that we want them to start watching for history/government study... so we may start that today as well.

I do have my computer class this afternoon at the Senior Center. I do look forward to this class and hope that my "students" do as well. Basically all I do is help to create a bit of confidence for the ladies in my class... they have never touched a computer and want to learn but are so afraid that they will tear something up that they seem to fear even getting started some days. They have come a long way in a short time.... a few are even sending emails now!

Today I plan on putting a roast in the crockpot ..... its a pork roast so I may pull it apart and have BB-Que tonight, we will just have to see.....


Well, I'm off to get the day started.

Our hope is in You alone....

Psa 33:1 (NLT) Let the godly sing with joy to the LORD, for it is fitting to praise him.
Psa 33:2 Praise the LORD with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
Psa 33:3 Sing new songs of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp and sing with joy.
Psa 33:4 For the word of the LORD holds true, and everything he does is worthy of our trust.
Psa 33:5 He loves whatever is just and good, and his unfailing love fills the earth.
Psa 33:6 The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.
Psa 33:7 He gave the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
Psa 33:8 Let everyone in the world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him.
Psa 33:9 For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.
Psa 33:10 The LORD shatters the plans of the nations and thwarts all their schemes.
Psa 33:11 But the LORD'S plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.
Psa 33:12 What joy for the nation whose God is the LORD, whose people he has chosen for his own.
Psa 33:13 The LORD looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race.
Psa 33:14 From his throne he observes all who live on the earth.
Psa 33:15 He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do.
Psa 33:16 The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
Psa 33:17 Don't count on your warhorse to give you victory- for all its strength, it cannot save you.
Psa 33:18 But the LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.
Psa 33:19 He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine.
Psa 33:20 We depend on the LORD alone to save us. Only he can help us, protecting us like a shield.
Psa 33:21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we are trusting in his holy name.
Psa 33:22 Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone.


Oh, how wonderful it is to be a child of God.

And here it is.....

the new ride......

A run down of the day

Hello all, lets see.... we got off to Sunday class this morning and then services. Came home for a quick lunch of sandwiches and left over pizza from last night, then headed off to a birthday party at the local skating hut. The older 2 had song leading practice then we were back to evening services... then after services we had an All Age Devo with food and fellowship afterward. Now the older 3 kids are off to midnight bowling with the Youth Group, so I am up until they get in and I can go pick them up from the church building.

In the market...

We have to have a new vehicle.... really, a must. We are a family of 6 that are in a station wagon. It seats 6... like a tin of sardines. We usually have Travis and Mia on the outer sides of the back seat with Jed in his booster in the middle. Then Amaris is in the middle of the front seat with us.... there is no room to move. So, we are looking at something new to us...... a Suburban.

Full Swing

Well, we are now in full swing with the Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes program at our congregation. All the kids (except Jed) are very involved. Travis is participating in speech, song leading, audio speech, art, group scrap booking, and Good Samaritan. Mia is participating in speech, songs of praise (girls song leading), audio speech, storyline, art, group scrap booking, Gifts (a girls study group) and Good Samaritan. Amaris is participating in speech, audio speech, art and Good Samaritan.

This program has been such a blessing to our family. To watch our children grown in faith and in leadership abilities is so humbling. We have such great leaders of this program at our congregation, Trent and Lori. They are always working hard to make sure the kids are encouraged and help them to gain the confidence to try a new event to participate in. And they always emphasize that what the kids are doing is for the Lord... not just for a medal or trophy at convention. (Trent and Lori, you are such a blessing to us and to all the participants of LLL.)

This year's theme come from Joshua :

Jos 1:16 And they answered Joshua, saying: We will do all that you command us, and wherever you send us we will go.

Please be in prayer for our kids (and everyone involved) that are participating in the program this year.

Feeling much better now....

Well, I (and Mia) are feeling much better... however, Travis is a bit sick (yes, stomach bug). It seems that its going to be pretty much a one day thing so I am not too worried about him.

I got several loads of laundry done yesterday and will finish it up today..... along with cleaning the kitchen, the bathrooms, and just a good once over the whole house. We feel so much better when the house is in order!

I have a crockpot full of pinto beans and will make some bread today to go with it... I also have some left over ham (Thanks Marylin!) .... simple fair tonight. (And cheap... we are looking at like $3.00 total for dinner)

Well, I'm off to get the day started.

A (not so) funny thing happened....

So, as I said on Monday, me and Mia spent the day babysitting the twins ... and again on Tuesday because our preacher's oldest daughter had to go in and have surgery on the broken arm (all is good.... she is a trooper!) Anyway, we get home Tuesday afternoon and start about doing some chores and trying to catch up on things around here..... however..... about 5ish I decided I really just did not feel well.... and by 7 or so I was sick. Then Mia got sick too.... (one of the twins had the stomach bug and was still contagious after all....)

Needless to say.... we caught the stomach bug. Not a fun thing. At. All.

Yesterday we spent trying to re-coop and keep some fluids in us... I went to bed fairly early last night and this morning I think I feel somewhat better. I have not gone to wake the kids yet, so I am not sure about Mia this morning and I am praying that we are the only ones here that come down with it. I am going to go about the house today and clean surfaces with some bleach and Lysol. We really don't need anyone else sick right now.

A bump in the schedule....

Well, I did not get the cleaning and such done today that was planning this morning.... shortly after my last post this morning I got a call from our preacher..... they had a bit of an emergency at their house this morning... their oldest daughter fell and broke her arm this morning.... so off I rushed to babysit for them today while they took her to the hospital. And I am going back in the morning to sit for them again tomorrow while she has surgery.Please keep them in prayer. She is 4 and a brave little girl!

(Don't you worry David and Heather.... I am glad that I can help.)

Prayer Request

Dear Friends the son of our dear friends is having back surgery today at Vanderbilt Children's hospital in Nashville. His name is Travis. He in only 14 and very nervous and scared about the surgery. Please keep him and his family in prayer today.

Beginning the New Year

I really have to say this today......

You know you are in the right place when each and every Sunday that you meet and listen to the sermon you come back home and look at your spouse and say.... "Wow!", "That was just what we needed to hear.", "I just felt he was really speaking to us today.", or "Do you think he was preaching to us about that situation?"......... so many times over the last few months Eric and I have come home to have those same things (and more) said from both of us...... (David, keep up the most wonderful work!)

Now, on to other things.......


The holidays were simple for us this year. Just as everyone else, the economy is hitting us too. So, we opted to do a very relationship based holiday season. We gave full warning to the older 3 children that there would be only a very small amount of presents this year and that we would be unable to do some of the things that we usually try to indulge in (like seeing a movie over the holidays). The gifts we gave out this year were things made from our kitchen.... fresh baked breads, hot chocolate mixes, coffee mixes, and candies and goodies. It brought me and the children close together in the kitchen and a few laughs as well (esp. when the kids thought we would end up with bread out our ears because of the big batch I made).


We enjoyed having family and friends over throughout the holiday season and hope to do so more often through-out the upcoming years!

Christmas morning found Eric and myself with hearts full of gladness as the children opened the small presents we had placed under the tree for them..... and humbled hearts as we also explained that they also had a few small gifts from a "Secret Santa' that had dropped them off to my mother the day before. Nothing big... but all the more precious to our children for the thoughtfulness behind the giving. We then spent the rest of the morning with a late breakfast and visiting with my mother (she visits each of her children and their families on Christmas ) and then the early afternoon visiting with the kid's grandparents and then off to my mother's family's Christmas get together.

The day after Christmas my very best friend, Denita, came for a visit (and ended up spending the night for a nice extra long visit!) and then that Saturday we got together with my mom, sisters, and brother and all of their families...... a first at Christmas time since dad died several years ago.

New Years eve found us with a house full yet again for the night with Eric's parents and his sister and her kids and then Denita and her family (they spent the night too) all "feasting" and playing cards bringing in the New Year.

This past weekend found us taking down most of the decorations (we left up the paper garland and the snowflakes down the hallway until later in the month.

Today will be a day of getting caught up with chores. The kids start back with school today (we let them have the last 2 weeks off) and I need to go through the pantry and freezers and make a grocery list in the next couple of days.

Well, that about catches everyone up on the goings and comings of our family.