Stormy and Roger's Canterbury Tales

too many adjustments ---down

2011-10-26T22:26:00.000-05:00

My dear friend told me tonight that I needed to blog, she was in the dark. To be truthful I guess the reason I haven't blogged is because I have been down and dumpy. I am so greatful that Roger has a new job, I am just beyond ready for him to start. We are praying he will be starting the first of next week. I know that God has a plan and a timetable. I think that I have just been down, ready to have me time. I know that is selfish.

I am not currently going to the gym. I got discouraged because of money, and inability to pay for another month at crossfit. Although I was discouraged before that. The crossfit is so much harder here than in Texas, It was very difficult on the wod times were double from what I was used to. Also there weren't as many modifications, and I was expected to do more. I know that is me whining but without a local Chiropractor it is hard to think it is okay to do stuff knowing that I don't have Mark to fix my back and hip. I quit going the day I tweaked my hip doing box jumps. I know that I need to get over myself and get back to moving. We have 24 hour fitness membership that we had gotten in January, that is good for 2 years. They have water aerobics classes 2 days a week. I am going to go in the morning and see how they are.

I have not been eating well and been really struggling with that. I know that what I eat directly affects how I feel. then I beat myself up and think well it really doesn't matter any way. Only it does. I know in my head that I feel so much better when I eat right, but sometimes I get into a funk and eat what I want when I want. I am a food addict, always have been.

In times of stress I fall back into my old habits of eating and not taking care of myself. For what ever reason I have taken this job loss really hard. It has been so difficult on me. I know that it is Roger whom was out of a job, but it effects the whole family. I am his wife and his biggest fan. When he hurts so do I. Unlike all the other times in our lives that we have been without work, I always took everything in stride, and always have and always will rely on my faith to carry my through. This time my faith is still in tact, but my sense of security has not been there. Unlike times in the past we currently have 2 houses in 2 different states. We have used up all savings. We are fine, God has definitely provided for us. God has been amazing. I guess it has been hard to watch the bank dwindle and there is nothing I can do about it. I trust in God and he has always provided and is still providing.

We moved to Missouri a little over a month ago. I am starting to get to know some of the ladies from church, and a couple of ladies in the neighborhood. But I terribly miss the friends from Texas. I also have a wonderful dear friend that is in Oklahoma. She checks up on me and prays for me daily. Making a 500 mile move is life changing. It is like living in a completely different world. I have had to find my way around and discover new things here. I love it here, The weather , the beauty is all around me. I drive down our street and see God all around me. There are signs of fall in its splendor of color all around. There are hills, and lakes and parks. Life is very peaceful here. Our church is amazing, It feels like home. I guess there just has been a lot of adjustment and I am having trouble with all the adjustments all at once.

The beauty all around

2011-10-19T23:01:00.000-05:00

We are so blessed. Roger has a new job he will be starting next week! The job is in Overland Park, Kansas! So we get to stay here in Missouri! I am very relieved and delighted for him.

The weather is definitely different in Missouri than in Texas. This week we have had lows in the 30's and highs barely in the 50's. Brr, my Texas blood isn't quite used to the change yet. The trees are so beautiful. In the 9 years we lived in Texas I don't believe I really ever felt like I could watch the seasons change. We have a large maple tree in our front yard. I have watched it from my couch turn from a vibrant green to spots of red and now is it over half red with some of the green still. I am amazed at the beauty of watching that tree. It reminds me that God can do anything. It is so amazing. I would post pictures of this tree but my camera on my phone hasn't been working. I got it fixed today, and will add some pictures! All around us there are trees of all kinds that are all changing colors and different colors. It is truly a beautiful autumn around here. There are lots of fall flowers in bloom everywhere as well. It is so beautiful and peaceful. The people that lived here before us created lots and lots of flower beds all around the house. They are so lovely. I always wanted a beautiful place to pray that I could really see the Beauty of God all around me. I can here. I have fallen in love with this area in the 5 weeks we have been here. I am preparing for the coming winter, making sure we have warm clothes, and shoes, since we have lived in Texas I have some shopping to do!!!

I love our ladies Bible study on Wednesday nights. I always feel so refreshed after participating in class. There were 19 of us this evening, this is pretty normal, and there were some new faces and some faces missing for one reason or another. It is a wonderful group of woman I feel so very blessed to be a part of. Currently we are studying friendship. I am really starting to get to know these ladies and I am blessed with new friendships!

I finally got my sewing room / office set up! I have a very large room for this. I love the space it is over the garage on the 2nd floor with 3 of the kids bedrooms. I have room to set up projects and leave them out and not worry about them getting walked on or messed up on. Before I have had some sewing space but that space was in the middle of everyone and everything and I was unable to leave projects set out where I was working. If I did it would get buried, trampled or lost. Up here I have have lots of space and can set things out. The kids come in here some to watch tv on the extra tv, but they can come in and sit down and my projects aren't in the way. The space is quiet and peaceful. I have my office set up here as well. It is my space, my retreat location. And there is a door I can close and walk away!

I feel very blessed that God brought us to Missouri. I was nervous at first, but he keeps showing us over and over the blessing he has given us. I thank him daily!

2011-10-12T10:23:00.000-05:00

Hmmm... Where to begin?????? Life is full of all kinds of changes. As you know we moved to Missouri for a job.

  Two weeks after Roger started the job went away. So we are back to hunting for a job. It has been 2 long weeks since he went back to job hunting. I seem to be taking it very harshly. I am so proud of him he is working so hard at finding employment! He has some meetings this morning, God willing something will pan out. Through this whole process I am relying on God. I know he has a plan and a timetable. I have had many discussions with God over the last couple of weeks about my timing verses his timing. I have relearned that it is all him no matter what I say. I am not a patient person, I want things now. I am struggling with this unemployment, most of them have been easier to deal with, for some reason this one has really been hard on me. Maybe it is the fact that we have a house in Texas and a house in Missouri, maybe it is the dwindling money supply, maybe it is just a new world. I love it here, the weather is amazing! And yes I know it will be cold this winter but I love winter so I am excited.

  We found an amazing church family. that has a Wednesday night ladies group, and wonderful Sunday night small group, even a Monday night teen Bible study for the boys.

  We found a cross fit gym, Both Roger and I have been attending the onramp class , which is a teaching class to teach you how to cross fit, how to safely do the moves. It has been a blast. I am missing class this morning, this is day 2 of the blahs. My back is killing me after the workout on Monday. I tweaked the spot in my hip that always bothers me.

I started a Beth Moore Bible study with my dear friend Stacey, only I am struggling to keep up. I missed 1 day last week and a 2 this week. I am not a very disciplined person. I really struggle with keeping on track, I made myself schedules and a general plan for each day, but I don't seem to be able to keep up. I set aside time for the Bible study, a time for housework, a time for paperwork and email, a time for grocery shopping. The plan looks really good but the reality of me keeping is kinda a joke. I am not motivated to keep up with it. I am not eating correctly, and I am not sleeping very well. I know these things have a lot to do with why I am not keeping up. This is the first time in my life that I have me to deal with during the day, no kids. Roger has been home looking for a job, but frankly he worked from home a lot before the first round of unemployment in July. I am used to him being here.

Today I am completely alone for the first time in over 2 weeks. I am enjoying the peace and quiet. I think maybe I missed the gym this morning more because I needed the alone time than my back which is hurting but ..... That makes me selfish for wanting alone time. I think this is day 2 of poor poor me. Sorry I am dumping it all out there, but I need to release some of the anxiety. I don't like the down me, it is depressing and yucky.

Please pray with me that I will come out of my yuck and blah and go back to being the happy go lucky person I love being.

Many changes and with change many blessings!

2011-09-17T22:43:00.000-05:00

The past couple of weeks have been such a whirl wind! Through all the chaos and crazy days God has totally been in control and in charge.

Roger started a new job in Overland Park Kansas, on Monday. As a result we moved our family to the Kansas City Area. We came and found a wonderful home that is perfect for our family, we are able to live in it while our House in Texas sells. We have gotten the kids enrolled and started school. Everyone is adjusting very well. I have a good chunk of our boxes unpacked, though there is a long way to go. Every day I make more strides and get more put away and done. We have found a wonderful church, with an amazing Woman's group. We have been blessed with a wonderful neighbor family that just loves our kids and loves having them around playing all the time. They have been such a blessing. Everything about this move, including the job, the house, the movers. and every detail you could possibly come up with God has provided and blessed us immensely!

Currently I am listening to the thunder and the rain. It has been rainy most of the week. The temps are so much cooler than in Texas. It is taking some getting adjusted to the climate difference. I am loving but have figured out that my body is not yet adjusted. I have froze for a couple of days. We have struggled to get out of the 50's and 60's for 3 days now. So amazing. We have had to turn our heater on at night to take off the chill in the house.

For the first time in my life it is just me during the day. Roger is gone to work, the kids are all gone to school. I am back to the dilemma I have pondered all summer long. Only for the first time I have experienced the quiet. I am going to have to figure out some things to do during the day. I get up with the kids, get them and Roger off for the day and I do all my house work, and by 10:30-11 I am done. I can only do so much decorating and unpacking. I am planning on getting my sewing machine set up this week.

I am very excited about the woman's retreat next weekend. It has been such a blessing to plan I am praying that the retreat will be just as much blessing to me and to all the wonderful ladies that are attending.

It is late and I am tired. God bless!

2011-09-11T23:09:00.001-05:00

Today has been a long day.

Church was wonderful! The boys arr really excited about teen Bible study on Monday night. The girls loved their classes. Roger and I enjoyed class and the service.

We got Beks room put together. She is so excited!

Rog starts work tomorrow, I have an appt at 11 to get Chris enrolled. Going to enroll girls firsy thing in morning. Bobby will be later in the day.

I am very ready to have house put together, so I can go back to normal kinda stuff. Like quilting, housework, crossfit, and Bible study.

A whole new world

2011-09-10T22:49:00.001-05:00

We moved to Lee's Summit, MO this week! We moved because Rog got a job here, he starts Monday!

We have been greated with such welcome and loving people. One neighbor brought us us dinner last night as well as some yummy goodies
The girls have started making friendd, Chris has been exploring the neighborhood. Bobby has bern surprised that we have such beautiful country all around us.

I have spent 2 days moving and unpacking boxes, it is a slow process but it is coming a long.

Tomorrow we are going to our new church. The minister has been here 3 times now. The kids are excited about it.

Monday i will get kids enrolled in school.

God is so amazing. We have been so very blessed through the whole process!

So many changes in our lives

2011-09-05T18:30:00.000-05:00

We have had one of the hottest summer I can ever remember! But even though it has been so very hot I had a wonderful time with my kids, we stayed in the ac and hung out.

Roger lost his job in July so we was with us, lots of family time, such a blessing!

School Started 2 weeks ago, then the world took a dramatic change! A week and a half ago Roger got a job. It is in Overland Park, KS. It is a really good job with really good pay and good hours. We did a lot of prayer and made the decision that this was where God was taking our family. In the past week and a half we have made major decisions. Rog and I went to KC for most of the week and found his new office. We found and bought a house, we found a wonderful church family, and a crossfit gym so that I can continue my workouts. We are now completely packed, thanks the help of my amazing family. The house we are buying the owners are allowing us to move into the house and rent it while our house here in Texas is on the market and sells. Roger left today , he will be doing a home inspection and things with the new house this week before he starts his new job on Monday the 12th. Once he has the keys, the kids and I and all of our things will be following him and moving in.

I cannot say the amount of blessings we have experienced in the last 2 weeks. It is like we threw puzzle pieces in the air and God brought them back down in perfect completeness! I am so in awww of our wonderful Father. He has completely moved mountains over and over this past 2 weeks!

Yesterday we were so blessed with an amazing send off from our Church family. We have so many friends here and we will miss them all. We know that God is moving in our lives and that he is completely incontrol. We are moving to Lee's Summit MO. New home, new job, new schools, new life. And our holy Father is completely in charge. What an amazing feeling!

2011-08-25T01:52:00.001-05:00

Foot ball practice went well. He said it was fun but his back is really bothering him tonight. We will take this day by day. I lift him up in prayer daily.

Bobby is almost done with 3 hours of algerbra homework. It is almost 2am. I have been helping. He still has geography homework but forgot his book, so he will have to do it during study hall tomorrow. We are now 3 days into highschool, je says this is gonna be hard. For the first time in his life he is gonna have to break down and study and do homework. Always before it was easy and he completed it in class or study hall. I feel for him, i always had to study hard to get passing grades.

He is done bedtime!

Chris football?

2011-08-23T23:03:00.001-05:00

Chris is dying to play football! Everyone except me thinks it is a wonderful idea. He will have to maintain 80% or above in all classes, he will have a lot of rules to follow, lots of exercise and hardwork.

Maybe i am wrong.... and i have been wrong now and then but........ he struggles to complete his work- very easily distracted. He throws a fit at the drop of a hat when things dont hoe HE has planned. He hates to work, and exercise is a joke for him. Now there are positives, he is a big boy, he has anger and frusteration problems, but he is a wimp. I love him so much and we have been through so much with him. I worry he will quit, get hurt, or be really discouraged. I dont want any more negative in his life.

I am praying for my boy. Practice is at 645 in the morning. He is determined to play. I will send the money with him in morning, though i am not settled with this.

Back to School

2011-08-23T00:07:00.001-05:00

Been a crazy and hetic day. Bobby said highschool was very different, but had a great day! He was completely worn out.

Chris said it was overwhelming but sooooo much fun. He was excited to have homework.

Bekah said there are a lor of rules, but it was an ok day.

Sarah started kindergarten, she was upset she had to get up early but so excited she sat on the curb 30 mins watching for the bus.

All my babies are in school. I was crazy busy today with doc appts, missing shot records, runni g errands and groceries. However tomorrow should be much calmer i hope!

I have a large list of projects in store for myself. Some organizing, some baby blankets for friends, my challenge quilt, to name a few.

I am still recovering from diverticulitis, so i wont be going back to the gym for 2 weeks. I hated the gym at first, but oh i miss it so much. I am a crossfitter! It is tough, intense, and it stretches me beyond my wildest dreams. It is a challenge, something new everytime. But i feel like i actually accomplished something after each work out. Something to be very proud of.

I am so proud of Roger, he is working so hard at finding a job. He has been unemployed a month now. He has had a couple phone interviews, but nothing yet. He is not discouraged, he is keeping his head up.

We know that God has a plan for our family, and whenHe is ready He will reveal his marvoulous plan.

There's not a Friend Like the Lowly Jesus..... NO NOT ONE!!!!

2011-06-26T22:07:00.000-05:00

There's not a Friend like the lowly Jesus:
No, not one! no, not one!
None else could heal all our souls' diseases:
No, not one! no, not one!

Jesus knows all about our struggles;
He will guide 'til the day is done:
There's not a Friend like the lowly Jesus:
No, not one! no, not one!

No friend like Him is so high and holy,
No, not one! no, not one!
And yet no friend is so meek and lowly,
No, not one! no, not one!

There's not an hour that He is not near us,
No, not one! no, not one!
No night so dark, but His love can cheer us,
No, not one! no, not one!

Did ever saint find this Friend forsake him?
No, not one! no, not one!
Or sinner find that He would not take him?
No, not one! no, not one!

Was e'er a gift like the Savior given?
No, not one! no, not one!
Will He refuse us the bliss of heaven?
No, not one! no, not one!

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/992#ixzz1QRS3JU7r

Tuesday

2011-05-10T17:31:00.000-05:00

Yes Sunday was a rough day. But I have some wonderful friends and family that encouraged me and reminded me that I love serving my family. It is not always about me. It is about God's plan for my family. And that I am so very blessed with the ability to serve them, it wasn't long ago that I wasn't able to. And even if it was a day to honor moms, I was doing my job of taking care of my family. They mean so much to me! I also hurt my sweat husbands feelings with my post. And for that I am sorry. I never meant to hurt him. I was frustrated and looking for attention. Stacey , my mom , Lynn, and Lori you ladies mean the world to me. I am so blessed to have you in my life and to encourage me when I get down. Thank you.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T18:10:00.000-05:00

I was always raised that Mother's day was a day to honor your mother. I have an amazing mother and through the years I have aquired 2 more mothers. All are very wonderful woman. And women I look up to in many ways. As a mom I now understand a lot more about Mothers day.

As an adult I have discovered that I hate Mothers Day, my birthday, My anniversary and any other days that are supposed to be about me. You see in my life that is not that way it works. Those special days are just another day. Bills to be paid, laundry to be washed and folded and put away, dishes to be done. Meals to be cooked, kids to referee, husbands to take care of.

I assign my kids chores and that goes really far..... not. Sometimes they are very good at doing them and other times life gets in the way. Now if you know me you know that my house is not emaculate, there is always laundry to fold and dishes to do. I have often dreamed of having a clean house that the children clean up after them selfs and do it without thinking about it. I have dreamed of having other people in my house do things for me to make me feel special, but you see they don't know how to do that.

Today I missed church because of Chris, he was in a mood. So I paid bills, balanced the check book, washed tons of laundry and folded it and put away. I have washed about 5 sinks full of dishes. I cleaned up the pantry. I have been working on cleaning the kitchen. I will be fixing dinner shortly. I have moderated fights between kids, I have been the parent on duty so my darling husband could take a nap. It seems to me to be an ordinary day in my life.

So yes today has been difficult there is no refuge on Facebook, because everyone is so happy about mothers day, and yet for me it is so depressing.
I did get a lot of drawings my kids made. I got a begonia from Bekah, A flat of pansies that I bought from Bobby. And some ugly flowers I bought from the other 3 kids. And those things are very wonderful and mean a lot to me. But as far as a day off to relax and let everyone serve me that is just not in the cards. For the most part never has been and to my knowledge probably will never be. The hype is all about our mothers and yet there are mothers that just keep on living life and doing what needs doing.

As an adult I have learned to appreciate all the sacrifices that my mother made on my behalf, so I could be a kids and have fun. I love you MOM

Spring is in the air

2011-03-08T21:48:00.000-06:00

I have made a lot of changes here lately. I have cut my calorie count considerably. I have started taking Alli, and I am doing South Beach diet. I have joined a gym. I am really excited about the changes. I need my health and my mobility back. Roger is eating with me and has joined the gym as well. After spring break I will be adding some training.

Life is improving.

The kids are doing well. Grade cards came home today. Bekah has all straight A's, Chris is passing all classes which is a wonderful thing. Bobby didn't bring his home, still in the locker. He says he is passing all of his classes. Sarah is still struggling with school. She wants to spend time with me and not go to school, only when we are home together she really wants to play and spend time alone and not with me. It is a challenge but we are working through it.

We are enjoying the nice weather. Kids love the trampoline, and the swing set and playing outside. We love living in the country and yet in town. The kids love having their own rooms. And I love having the kids have their own space upstairs! Makes the downstairs more adult friendly. We have been in our new house just over 6 months, We love it you.

More snow pics - Snow is so beautiful!

2011-01-09T19:10:00.000-06:00

Bobby took these!

This is the little gravel road on the outside of the neighborhood.

Some beautiful trees on the gravel road.

My van in the snow.

One of the fields on the gravel road. Bobby was trying to take a picture of the snow covered trees in the background.

Snow

2011-01-09T16:04:00.001-06:00

Kids have had a wonderful time playing in the snow. We have a couple of inches of really wet snow. It appears that the snow has stopped falling for now. The storm is supposed to continue until early in the morning!

Bekah waiting for snow to fall in her mouth!

Sarah

" the lightning" Bobby running and sliding in stree

Bobby and Chris walking around in the snow!

Happy Anniversary

2010-12-31T00:00:00.000-06:00

8 years! My darling and I are celebrating our anniversary. In 8 years time I have learned a lot and grown up a lot. We have had good times and bad times, lean times and times of plenty. We have had trials and tribulations. But through all we have stuck together! I love you my darling and look forward to many more years with you>

12/31/02

quilts

2010-12-27T23:19:00.001-06:00

I have discovered a new hobby I really enjoy. I grew up with my mother as a quilter. She belonged to guilds, and small quilting groups. I was always fascinated with the quilts and the beauty of them, but frankly had no desire to ever make one! Last year when life was so difficult I made a quilt to keep my hands busy. It was relaxing and took my mind off the reality that had become my life. I am now to a point in my life where I have time and the desire to piece quilts. Over Thanksgiving my I received my pieced quilt called " My Stress Quilt" . from the owner of " Fantasy Barn Quilting" She is a wonderful woman who has her own business. She quilts quilts for other people. She has a professional room size quilter and does an incredible job. Any way She quilted my pieced quilt. It is yellow and blue floral 9 patches. Upon giving it back to me after quilting it, she taught me how to put my own binding on. Her and my mother inspired me to go back to piecing and working on quilts. So that is exactly what I have done. I had been given a large amount of fabric from my mother, when she was cleaning out her stash. I made a scrap quilt for Bobby. I picked mostly stars, moons, suns and planets all on black background. He his 14 and very into blacks, night time and purple. I added some purple sashing. I took my mothers ideas and made it my own. I completed it just before Christmas. I have called it " Night at 14". It took me 3 weeks to piece it. There are some flaws but I am learning and getting better with practice! I will be sending it to "Fantasy Barn Quilting" to have it quilted. In the mean time I have started a quilt for Christopher. I am going to go down the line in age order and make each of my kids a quilt. I am really enjoying being creative and working with my hands and fabric.

"My Stress Quilt"






"Night at 14"

December 2010

2010-12-04T22:48:00.000-06:00

Hard to believe that it is almost Christmas. This year has really flown by. Living in a new neighbor hood has been interesting in preparing for the holiday's. Things that we have always done are a drive to do now. Like the local Christmas Parades and such. Though there are things we have never done to do here, so it is a trade off. And we have a whole new set of lights to go driving around and see, ones we have never seen before. We put our tree up, the stockings up, and the kids bears out. My house looks nice and festive on the inside. This is the first year in many that we would like to put lights up on the outside of the house. I have a perfect spot above the front door for a wreath. We haven't decided what we are planning to do about outdoor decorations yet. We are still talking and deciding what we want to do.

It is hard to believe that we have been here in this house 3 months now! Most things are put away, the house is comfortable and has personality all around. I have set up a sewing room, where I am currently making some curtains for the kitchen, I have made a table runner, and am preparing to start making scrap quilts for all the kids, as well as participate in a quilting challenge with my moms, sisters, and a dear friend. I am really excited about the upcoming projects. Should keep me busy. I am also working on digitizing a bunch of old black and white family photos.

Roger works from home often, so we have an office set up for him to work, where for the most part he is not disturbed during the day. He is involved in a weekly Bible study. He also is preparing to be the Bible Bowl couch for LTC this year.

Bobby is doing great in school this year. His attitude is improving. He is still involved in Boy Scouts, and of course his interests lie with the girls. Chris is doing great. He truely is a different kid! What a miracle!!! He is involved with Boy Scouts, he is playing the tuba and preparing for a winter concert. He is doing very well in school except for math, which is improving. Both boys are gearing up for LTC. Bible Bowl practices start tomorrow, most everything else starts in Jan. Bekah is doing incredible in school. She is one of the best readers, and one of the best spellers. She loves learning! What a blessing! She has learned in the last couple of weeks how to fix her own hair. And is getting better all the time. Sarah turned 5 last month. Wow where has the time gone? She got to a mom's day out a couple of days a week. It has not been an easy transition for her. She has never really been away from me and has some major separation anxiety issues. We are working through it one day at a time. Both girls are preparing for the Christmas program at Church. Bekah has speaking lines, that she has had memorized for about 6 weeks. Both girls will be singing with their groups. They are both very excited!

Life is so easy and peaceful compared to where we have been. God has really blessed our family above and beyond. Words cannot even describe our feelings, and gratefulness to our wonderful father! Our family is growing together. The kids play together all 4 of them! God is so incredible!

Have a Blessed Day!

Back to the Basics

2010-11-04T13:48:00.000-05:00

As I have mentioned my sister and I are planning a fall retreat for our home church in Oklahoma. Our theme is Back to the Basics. It has taken on a whole world of its own. She has challenged me to get back to the basics with diet and exercise, and drinking water. In the mean time I am working on those things, I also have added a few things that we are making changes. I have cut back my internet time, As of Today we have turned off the cable tv, and the home phone. We are trying to take our finances back the the basics as well. Did we really need the cable ...... no. We have also decided not to hook up an antenna at this time, so we are completely without tv. I am looking forward to the changes this will bring. I have noticed I feel better now that I am eating better, but I am able to get more done in my house and am able to spend more time with my family with out the distractions of all time on the computer. I have also not been watching tv the last couple of weeks as much, just in general. Roger and I are so excited to see the changes that are coming. Our family is growing closer, and that is such a blessing!

Washer and Dryer

2010-10-11T16:31:00.000-05:00

It is funny the things that excite us. My new washer and dryer were delivered today. My dryer had died so we went to replace it, and took a huge leap we weren't planning on. We bought the whirlpool Cabrio washer and dryer set. They hold about double our our old set, they are super quiet and super efficient. We have talked about upgrading our machines for years, but never decided to do it. As you know I do tons of laundry, as there are 6 of us in this house. I love them, and am sure that they were a good buy. I will be able to do more laundry in much less time. I am so excited!

Fall is here

2010-10-06T21:33:00.000-05:00

Fall is one of my very favorite times of the year. I can open the windows and leave them open all the time. Yesterday I put up my wind chimes, they make such a beautiful sound blowing in the breeze. I have noticed that since we moved out in the country, I seem to enjoy the outdoors so much. I spend hours out on my porch. I listen to the kids playing the animals making sounds. But mostly I like the peace. The quiet and tranquility. The nights have been chilly, we have left our windows open down stairs. It makes it very chilly in the morning, but I can hear the birds chirping before the sun is even up. On those cold mornings I like to snuggle a little closer and enjoy the time before my day begins. It is wonderful, I wear a jacket in the morning, shorts in the afternoon, and a long sleeves in the evening. It seems that out here we have more breezes! It is so very peaceful out here. I love being outside at night and looking up at the full sky of stars. They are so clear and bright. Tonight they were numerous. What a blessing. In our old house the houses were very close together and all you could see was the glow of city of lights and the smog left hanging in the air. The smells are so fresh out here. I am so looking forward to the color changes that happen this time of the year. I love being out somewhere we can enjoy God's beauty all around us, we are so blessed. We feel like moving out here was totally a God thing. He opened and closed many doors before bringing us here. Right now we are soaking up his beauty and his teachings. He blesses us daily. His majesty is all around, in the animals, in the trees, in the flowers, in my family. Fall is a time for change and a time for new beginning. My family has been given a new beginning. Chris is more healthy than he has ever been. The kids are happy, and healthy. Our family is flourishing in the beautiful country side God gave us. We are ever so grateful and thankful that We have such a loving God.

No more facebook games

2010-10-01T13:42:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I had the blessing of attending a Woman's Retreat in Manford OK. This has became a tradition for me. This is the Woman's Retreat hosted by the church I grew up in, that my family all still attend. The take away is always very good. The fellowship, the friendships, but most importantly God always has something in mind for me. I have spoke the Sunday Morning message the last several years. This next year I am taking on a different role. My sister and I are the ladies in charge of planning the retreat, and making sure everything runs smoothly. This is a big step up for us, since we have never worked together on a project like this. My sister and I started talking and praying about this just before I moved. We both felt God pulling at our hearts and leading into this service. For the first time in our lives we have been thinking alike. In doing this and planning things. It is very weird for us to think alike and want to do the same things. I feel very blessed for this opportunity to serve Our Lord. We already have a bunch of ladies volunteered to help us, in speaking, singing, cooking ect. We are very excited about where God is taking us. The retreat is the last weekend in September 2011. We have a whole year to plan, prepare and definitely pray.

This year I took away that I really needed to reevaluate my priorities and how I spend my time. I made a commitment to God about my computer usage. I spend hours and hours on facebook playing games and talking to friends. I also realized how addicted to the games I really was, I was looking for apps for my phone to play them, and I started to spend actual money to advance myself in the games. I knew then they had to go. The commitment I made is that I am no longer going to be playing the games on facebook. I am not going to be on the computer all the time either. Only a couple of times a day, instead of all day long, reading blogs, playing games, and just wasting time. This week I have accomplished so much stuff because I can't touch my games. Facebook is boring with out the games to entertain me. I feel so much better about how I am spending my time now. This weekend God is really going to put me on the spot. Our cable is out due to the porch addition. It will not be restored until Tuesday, therefore I cannot be on the computer all weekend long, and I cannot watch tv all weekend long. therefor I will find other more productive things to do with my time. God has a PLAN!

We are moved and settling in

2010-09-12T19:20:00.000-05:00

We are finally starting to settle in. We had a few hiccups around closing. Since then we have moved everything in. Most rooms are looking like home. There is still a huge pile in the garage for me to still deal with. My goal is to do at least one box a day, everyday. So far that is working pretty well. Once I open the box I must then find a home for what ever is hiding in the box. I love my new house, but the kitchen is smaller and there is a lot less space for nick nacks. Over all we have so much more space and yard space wow. It will take some time to get everything put away and done. At some point down the road I will start painting the stark white walls, but I am not there yet. In the almost 2 weeks we have been here, 4 of us have had the severe head cold thing. So that has put a damper in some of our activities. We live far out so when we run errands we run them all. That is very different than we have lived the last several years. We were so close to walmart and target and sams that we went daily a lot of times, just to get 1 or more items. Now we make a list and do all of it together. Makes for a long day, but we are spending less on stuff by not making a million trips to town. I also have seriously cut down my fast food habit, it is no longer convenient to just run get a burger instead of cooking dinner. I feel much better as a result, and we are not spending the extra money on eating out that we were. The kids love their new school. Chris has joined band, learning to play the tuba, and has also joined boyscouts with his brother. Bobby has tested the 3rd highest in reading comp for 8th grade this year! Bobby is very popular and social at his new school, he loves the attention. He also is doing scouts this year. Bekah is in a gifted and talented class, and doing very well. She has made 100%'s on both spelling tests and site words tests. He teacher tells me she is in the upper part of her class. Sarah is lonely at home with out all the sibs. She really wanted to go to school this year, one more year and she will go. She helps a lot around the house with unpacking boxes and playing.
Roger take the kids to the local football games on Friday nights. They all seem to enjoy the time with him and out at the games. I enjoy the alone time that gives me here at the house! Roger has a longer commute to work but he really seems to enjoy the alone time in the car, with out the chaos of the world screaming in his back seat. Life is pretty good, We are beyond blessed with everything the Lord has done for us. We are ever gratefull to our wonderful Father in Heaven!

the living room, kitchen and dining area

Our lovely steep stairs - I am learning to go up and down easier

our back yard.... Can you find Bekah?

House update

2010-08-09T23:36:00.000-05:00

Roger and I went and did the inspection on our new house. There are a few minor things, but that is all doable stuff, that we can live with. We close in 3 weeks from today. And we will be moving at the same time. Should prove to be a very busy couple of weeks. School starts in 2 weeks. I still have school clothes to get for Bobby, School supplies for all children. There are the usual doctor appointments, and of course I need to enroll the kids in the new school district. All the while we will be packing up our current house, and finishing up the remaining repairs that we agreed to fix for the buyers of this house. We will also celebrate Christopher's birthday in the next couple of weeks. Like I said it will be very busy, but very worth it. We are really excited about our new house. It is bigger and has a huge yard, with smaller schools. It is what we have dreamed of. We have spent a lot of time in prayer talking to God about the outcome of all this. We feel so very blessed knowing that God is in control, and we are following his plan. This is definitely a new chapter in our lives. We are ready to settle in and enjoy the wonderful things that God has in store for our family.

houses update

2010-07-31T17:49:00.000-05:00

Ok so, naturally the inspections came back with a long list. WE are praying about this list before we respond. We also were countered on the offer we made. So in everything we are waiting on the hands of the Lord. God has a plan and a timetable. My faith is totally on him.

houses and cars

2010-07-29T19:59:00.000-05:00

We sold our house! They did inspections today, so we shall see. We also put an offer in on another house today. So again we shall see. It has been an eventful week. My van is broke down waiting on parts to repair it. All in all it has been a busy but a good week mostly.

Schedules

2010-07-25T21:03:00.000-05:00

Church was awesome this morning. In Sunday school we are studying about schedules, priorities, and how we use our time. And who we let control our time. Then the sermon was about our busy schedules and priorities.

I have really been thinking about schedules and how I am using my time right now. For the first time in years we don't have a regular schedule. This is the first summer in 5 that I haven't home schooled through summer. Since we are no longer home schooling I don't have that schedule. Chris is not going to camp this year, because he is doing so very well. So I don't have that schedule. Our house is on the market so that throws of any schedule, when you get a 30 minute notice on a showing. The kids are on summer break so no schedule. I am enjoying my time with the kids. But the control freak in me is screaming, very loudly. We are doing better at eating at home and planning each day. Back to this morning's sermon. I am in need of control. And God wants me to give up control. I find that difficult. On a lot of things I have worked really hard to give that control to God and leave it with him. Why is my need to control my schedule so difficult to give over to him and let him keep it.

Please keep me in your prayers as I learn to Give God the control of my schedule.

Our House

2010-07-23T16:33:00.002-05:00

We have a contract on our house. They still need to do their inspections and all that stuff. We close at the end of August. Now we are looking for a new house. We had a house picked out, but it has sold already. We are now looking. We have a wonderful realitor. So we are moving forward. We have looked at a few and will look at more. We are so excited about this next chapter in our lives. God has a plan. We are following his guidance!

P.S.
I stand corrected, we have a potential contract on our house. Nothing is finalized yet. It is all in God's hands! He has a plan and a timetable and He will see us through selling this house and buying the next one. My faith is completely is in Him!!!

My darling

2010-07-21T20:02:00.000-05:00

July 20 may not seem like an important day to anyone else, but that is ok it is important to us.

Roger had been given my phone number by a mutual friend that was trying to set us up. I was very reluctant I lived 300 miles from him, and there was a question of how he would take my boys. I gave in and gave her permission to call me. He held the number for a couple of weeks and kept praying about this. It would be a big undertaking to take on 2 very active young boys, and there was a lot of distance. He decided to call me. It was late on a Sat. night. I had worked all day and had dinner with my friends that kept the boys. I got home knowing he was supposed to call. I waited anxiously and watched the clock. When I finally gave up to go to bed the phone rang. I have no idea how long we talked, nor what we talked about. I know it was something like 4 hours or so. We laughed and talked. I hang up the phone and was sure that God had answered my prayers. We continued talking in these marathon phone conversations. We met for the first time with friends, in OKC. We connected right away. We both knew this was a good thing. From that point on we were together. We spent a lot of time talking and praying together, we really got to know each other. He visited OK, when he could. I made the trek to Dallas a couple of times as well. Roger asked me to marry him in October. The boys and I moved to Dallas just after Christmas, We got married on New Years Eve. We are at 7.5 years of marriage. We are very happy and doing great. So you see July 20 is a wonderful date for Roger and I. That was yesterday, and we were busy with life to post.

Such Blessings!

2010-07-19T22:33:00.000-05:00

So many changes. If you had told me a couple of months ago how wonderful life would be right now I would have laughed at you.

Chris spent 2 months away at a treatment facility, they adjusted his meds, and taught him coping skills. He is literally a totally different child. He has came so far in the last couple of months! I am so very proud of him. Today he was officially discharged from the partial program. He is so excited he doesn't have to go back. He is doing amazing things right now. I have the Christopher from long ago. Fun, loving, polite, kind, and full of life. I feel so blessed to have him well and home! God has done marvelous things with our family.

Bobby is gone to his fathers for a couple of weeks. He finished up Boy Scout camp and was home a week. I heard wonderful things about his experience at Camp. He really stepped up into a place of authority and did fabulous with it. He earned his Archery, Horsemanship, Indian Lore badges. He also been asked to maybe come back next year as staff. I am sooo proud of him, he is really turning into a wonderful and responsible young man.

Bekah went to VBS with a friend last week and had a wonderful time. This is a young friend that she has known since they were in nursery class together at church. The two girls have a love / hate relationship, but they always get so excited when they get to spend time together. Sometimes it goes well and sometimes not so much. From all accounts this was a wonderful week of VBS, She is so excited about school starting, she told me the other day summer is just to long and to hot!!! I started getting school supplies and that got her even more excited about school. She will be a first grader this year!

Sarah is such a fun 4 year old. She is always dressing up and snuggling with me. She is my only snuggle bug, and boy is she. She wants to be like the other kids and get to do the things they get to do, and doesn't understand that she isn't there yet and that she gets to do things they don't because she is the youngest.

Roger loves his job and works flexible hours and is wonderful at helping out with the busy schedules of the kids. Some days it seems that I am a taxi driver and run everyone in a variety of directions to a variety of activities. But I enjoy it, I enjoy the time with the kids, we do a lot of talking in the car as we go from event to event. This summer has been very different than any other. So peaceful and fun. I have been so very blessed!

Our house is still on the market, we have had some serious bites, and there is definate interest. In the mean time we are also still looking for a house to move into. The one we were sure we getting sold. That is perfectly ok. God has a plan , and Faith will carry us through. I am not concerned about this house selling or us buying the next one. Our Faith is in Him and is in charge. I am sure he has some wonderful things in store for us.

Still waiting

2010-07-06T23:01:00.000-05:00

We had a great visit with Chris. We went to the Ripley's Believe it or Not in San Antonio. We went to the Guinness World Records museum as well. Had a really great time, Did lots of walking around in the humidity.

Bobby is gone this week to Scout Camp, then he will be off to his dad's for a couple of weeks.

Our house is still on the market, we are at 5.5 weeks. I keep reminding myself that God has a plan and a timetable. We have put everything in his hands and now we must be patient and wait and see what He has planned and in store for us.

Lots of change

2010-06-29T12:58:00.000-05:00

It is interesting how life changes so quickly and we are left to figure out the changes and how to move forward.

We spent months remodeling our house to put it on the market. The house looks great, has been on the market 4 weeks. All of our things are packed and put away. We are keeping our house ultra clean all the time. When we are home we are ever vigilante on keeping the house show worthy. The first couple of weeks we had several showings, but in the last two weeks things have tapered down. I think of all the things I could be doing if I could unpack our stuff, but we are not unpacking to have to repack it again, plus stuff takes up space that detracts from the showings. A bit discouraging, I am beyond ready to begin a new chapter in a new house, in a new neighbor hood, in a new school district. I know that God has a plan and a time table, and I need to keep focused on him.

6 weeks ago we admitted Chris to a treatment facility. Our lives are so very different with out him here. He is doing well. They have changed all of him meds a couple of times. They are teaching him coping skills and life skills. Only God knows how long he will be gone. We have completely placed his care and treatment and livelihood in God's hands. While he is gone I have really enjoyed the peace, that has very rarely existed in my adult life. I can be a normal parent and enjoy my kids and not be always on duty in regards to Chris. The last year we have done around the clock care with him. The break has been wonderful. I feel like I am getting to know my other children, which is such a blessing.

There have been a lot of changes in our lives, a lot of adjustments to every aspect of our lives. Some things have been easy to adjust to and others have been much more difficult. We are healing and moving forward. God is in control and in charge. We will wait and listen to him for guidance and direction as we move into this new path he is preparing for our family.

Our House

2010-05-28T21:59:00.001-05:00

Our house is officially on the market. We finished everything up and we are giddy with excitement! We are praying for a quick sale so we can purchase our new house and move on to bigger and better things. God is in charge, he has a plan and a time table! My faith is completely in him, and what our future holds is completely in him. We shall wait and see what God has in store for us!

http://www.trulia.com/property/3014210822-2818-Landershire-Ln-Garland-TX-75044

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T22:45:00.001-05:00

Today was Mother's Day!

I had 2 girls with allergies bothering them, which just made them fussy and whiny. Bobby spent the day yesterday doing scouting things, and is really sunburned and tired. Chris had a really good day. Roger has an upper resp infection and laryngitis. One would think that with all of this illness and kid issues that my day would have been down, but that is so not the case. I feel very blessed, I got to spend time with my kids and my hubby today. With all the illness we missed church this morning, but it was a nice time together as a family.

We worked on the house and hung out. We are getting really close to being done with the house. It looks so amazing. It is hard to believe how much it is really coming together. We have several rooms completed, or just about completed.

We know that God has a plan, and we know that we are working on this house and hoping to sell it in a timely manner. We have been so blessed on this journey, I am sure we will continue to be blessed as long as we keep our eyes on Our Heavenly Father.

Another Work Weekend

2010-05-03T16:07:00.000-05:00

My dad and my brother came in for a long weekend. My inlaws also came in on Saturday to work. We are moving right along. We got a lot of projects done and off the list. We feel so very blessed by the help that we have had in getting this house ready for the market.

The kids have a month of school left then the busy summer activities begin. Chris will be going to day camp again this year, Bekah has a week long camp and and a 3 day long camp. Sarah as yet has nothing planned. Bobby is still up in the air, pending final word on his grades.

My back is healing, but I am now having to struggle to not over do it. I tend to be a worker, and when I look around and see things that need done I tend to get up and do them. Only I do have to be careful and not hurt my back any more, and I have to take breaks often so as to not strain myself. My allergies are horrible this spring. Could be a mix of all the remodeling and all the beautiful things in bloom. I am coping and getting through.

We stay busy on the house and with the kids. We have been so blessed in this process, It has really brought Roger and I closer together. We are working as a team, and we are parenting as a team. I cannot say we have always done that. But we are now and it really makes things so much easier to deal with. I don't feel as over whelmed and beat down as I did before.

God has a plan and a Time table and we will continue to trust in His Amazing Grace, and look to him for the answers and the directions.

Detour on the road!

2010-04-19T18:46:00.000-05:00

I am so blessed to have a wonderful family. They have taken over on the home renovations! I have injured my back and am now unable to work on the house. We are still moving forward and getting the house ready to sell. I have a new role: boss, director, and encourager. All of this I can do without hurting my back further. My family has been wonderful and very helpful since I am not able to work on the house. I know that God has a plan and a time table. I know we are headed in the right direction, we just took a detour and need to look at our map again. I ask that you remember my family in this time of transition. I am a worker and it is difficult for me to step back and let them take over, but I am working on that. I need to do this in order to give my back time to heal properly. The kids and Roger are stepping into rolls and doing things that they may not have done before, but are doing a great job. It feels like a team effort, and that is very important. I feel so very blessed to have a great family!

A break from all the painting .....

2010-04-05T13:22:00.000-05:00

Life has been busy and I have gotten really bad about posting. So there is a lot of catch up.

      We are in the process of remodeling our house so that we can put it on the market and sell it. Repairing what is broken, painting, new flooring, things like that. I have spent the last 3 weeks solid working on this house. The first week was spring break, my other mom came and spent the week and we patched dry wall, textured, cleaned and started packing, and getting the house ready for the next steps in the process. Other family members joined us on Thursday to work. While they were here, the bathroom floor was replaced, there is a new kitchen back splash, repairs to the fence and gates, a new faucet, the ladder in the attic repaired. There was also a lot of trim that went up.
The next week all the family went back to Oklahoma and the house seemed so quiet. I started painting! I have been painting since. There is trim to be painted, doors, and walls. Most of the house had to be Kilzed, in prep of new paint. When I haven't been painting I have been packing. I have packed over 60 boxes. A friend came over last week and repaired the drywall in the garage. I have now had a flooring estimate done, but I am holding off on flooring until the painting is all complete.
       Somehow with all the work on the house, laundry and dishes still go on, and regular house work. Then there is my wonderful family. Kids all want to help, that is of course a double edged sword, they help yay, but sometimes I have to redo what they helped with. Cooking has been a whole other issue. The kids have gotten really good at do it your self kinda of meals. If I plan ahead then there is something in the crock pot or something to throw in the oven. Though there are days that the drive through is easier then anything else.
      We do have a plan and a goal. I know without a doubt that God is in control and that we are doing this on his timetable. I know he has a plan for us. I know that we will have a new house when the time is right. We have been very blessed throughout this process. We still have a long way to go before it will be on the market, but with every brush stroke, we are that much closer!

life update

2010-02-25T10:24:00.000-06:00

It has been a while. Life gets busy and I loose track of the things that I started. I used to spend a lot of time here, writing and expressing my feelings, and in general just talking about my life. Then facebook came into my life. With all of it's farming games. All they do is zap my time. I love playing the games and talking with all my friends on Face book, but I miss just blogging. I got so concerned what "others" would say about my life, and my kids. Things have been busy lately. There have been good days and bad days. I guess I got worried that I would be judged and quit blogging. So here I go again.

An update on Chris..... He is doing really well! School is improving. Home life is improving. We have changed a few things up and that really seems to make a difference. We were also given the hope we had lost. Things had gotten so bad we had sorta given up that there was any help for him. We became very negative, and over whelmed. God brought a wonderful family back into our lives. They looked at our situation, and prayed. They encouraged us, and helped us seek help, in a different direction. This family has been wonderful and very encouraging. There is hope. Chris is a good kid, with some problems. We have changed our attitudes. We try to look at things in a positive light, and not dwell on the negative. We have a long road ahead of us, but at least we are moving forward and not backward.

Bobby is very active in Scouts. He loves camping, and being a scout. He likes school. Though I am not sure how much school likes him. His grades are very poor. I know that when we were home schooling he really struggling with doing the work. I suspect that is the same issue now. He doesn't see the need to complete the work on time. He has 3 classes that he is on and off the failing line on. We get after him, things improve for a week, then right back down. He loves the social aspect of school. He has so many friends, both at church and school. He loves his youth group. Feels comfortable to talk to his youth minister about anything. He loves this group of kids. Socially he has come a very long way in the last several years. But academically well that is another matter. He is super smart, and yet I think he is bored by the work. That is merely my opinion. We have 12 weeks of school left this year, if he doesn't pull those grades up will be taking summer school. We have talked to him, but he really doesn't seem to care. I guess that is part of being a teen.

Bekah has moved elementary schools. When we put the kids back in public school, we had to put Bek in a school that had a seat for her. We tried to get her in the school right here by the house, but wasn't able to, until last week. She is back at the this campus. She loves school, but this class is very different then the last class. There are more kids, and a ton more work. She comes home and says her brain is tired. We are having a time adjusting. Her schedule has changed a bit. The homework has dramatically increased. She brings papers home every day of work she has done. I know she will adjust and catch back up in a hurry. Like this week we missed getting her homework done. OOPS.

Sarah is home with me. She loves to play by herself, and watch the cartoon she wants to watch. She loves to snuggle and play with Mommy. She is doing really well.

I am home, yet I am never home. When I put the kids in school, I was sure my life would be so much calmer. And yet it is not. My goals had been to join a Ladies Bible Study group, go to the gym daily, and focus on me. I thought my house would always be clean, and the laundry would always be folded. The grocery shopping, the bill paying, and the errands would all be done during the day so I had the evening with the kids. Wow was a delusional! The house does stay much cleaner than it used to. Laundry folded. yea that is a big joke. The Ladies Bible Class, just never happened. I hate going to the gym. I do go to coffee group most mornings, though I tend to stay really late. Then I get home and really don't want to work on the house work. The grocery shopping well it seems I am never ready during the day when I have less children. I do pretty good part of the time, I seem to find a lot of errands that aren't necessary to run and to take up all my time. By doing that I spend money I don't need to be spending, and the things that I wanted to get done while the kids are in school, don't get done.

After school is a mess. There is one of me and four of them. Bek needs help with her homework. Chris needs attention, chores need done. Supper needs fixed. I feel tired and lazy by the end of the day.

I figured out in the last week that I am not tolerating sugar at all at the moment. It makes me very lethargic, and sleepy. So I am trying to cut the sugar out of my life. I did well a couple of days, but then all the girl scout cookies I bought were delivered. That was a problem. Roger put all of the remaining 7 boxes in his car to take to work. If they are here I will eat them. I know that I am hauling a lot of weight and really need to work on that. I had great goals, but somehow the busyness of life takes over and my health falls to a back burner. I need a schedule and menu's , and a plan. I am working on them, but like I said we have a long road ahead of us.

The sun is shining bright, and God has blessed us!

2010-02-16T13:54:00.000-06:00

Wow it has been a while since I have posted. No I didn't fall off the planet, just been busy with kids, laundry, dishes and life.

Bobby is very active with the boy scouts. He has been on several camp outs, and various events. He made patrol leader in the fall. He attends with his Uncle Rick. He really enjoys it very much. This weekend he is going on another camp out. School is ok. His grades are low, but they are coming up. He really loves going to public school. He has a huge social life. Of which he loves. He is learning how to balance school, scouts, and a youth activities at church. He is really doing well. His attitude has come back under control. Which is a huge blessing.

Chris is doing ok. We have good days and bad days. School is a real struggle for him this year. A lot of expectations, and deadlines. But we keep treading through. There is hope and a light at the end of the tunnel. God has a plan!

Bekah is really thriving at school. She loves school. Only she longs for more school work. , she gets bored eeasily. She loves reading and Math. Bekah is a very strong willed young lady. That makes some days a challenge, but we do well.

Sarah loves spending time at home. She colors, and plays a lot. She goes with me just about everywhere I go. She is my little helper in a lot of ways. She is just so cute.

We have ups and downs, and good days and bad days. We are doing well. Ready for spring. We have had snow, and lots of cooler weather. Winter has been long this year. We are susposed to have at least one more snow before Spring.

God Bless

A white cold Christmas!

2010-01-05T09:20:00.000-06:00

We spent the holiday's in Oklahoma with my family. We had lots of snow, ice and really cold weather! We made some memories. It was a Christmas like no other in so many ways. We spent 2 days stranded in a hotel about half way to my mom's house. The roads were so bad we chose not to go any further for safety reasons. We played in the snow, we swam in the indoor pool. We watched movies and snuggled. We had 3 of the 4 kids with us for that leg of the trip. We were really blessed with a wonderful time! All of my siblings got stuck in the ice and snow. There were snow drifts that completely closed roads. One was even tall enough that is was taller than a road grader. We are very grateful for our decision to stay in the hotel. Oklahoma truly got a blizzard. The kids loved playing in the snow, but the temps were so cold that the kids could only stay out a short while. Then they were rushing in to warm up by the fire. When we left there was still a lot of snow on the ground and still some really large snow drifts. I took a ton of pictures and made a lot of memories.

day 139 - Monday

2009-11-30T14:11:00.000-06:00

I have set new goals. I have a new plan! I needed something. the last couple of weeks I haven't even been trying.

I went to the gym this morning. I spent an hour in the pool. I did jumping jacks, I walked, I swam, I tread water. I added Sarah and Roger to my gym membership. Roger has agreed to not make it a competition. It doesn't matter. I am going to do this. Maybe I can be inspiration to him and to myself. Sarah loved the kids area, in fact she was disappointed when it was time to leave. Now that the other kids are back in public school our schedule works out really well. I put Bekah and Chris on their separate buses. I then finish up breakfast and get ready to go. I take Bobby to school then Sarah and I are free to go to the gym. I am needing help figuring out how to set up a routine so I know what to do at the gym. On Wednesday's Sarah and I will be attending a Weight Watchers meeting. I think the accountability will help. The weight watchers meeting is about 10 minutes from Roger's office and I am encouraging him to attend with us. However whether he goes to the gym and the meetings is entirely his decision. Sarah and I are going to do this!
I also weighed in this morning for the first time in several weeks. I was surprised. The last time I weighed in I was at 325.5. Today I am at 321.5! I am ready to jump back on the band wagon and do it. It took a couple of weeks of adjustment from home school to public school. The kids are doing great at public. Chris is stable as ever. It is about me, the way I feel, the way I move, the way I eat. I need and want to do this for me. I hate getting winded after not doing hardly anything. I am ready for change. I have taken the first step. I know I will need the encouragement and support along the way. I can do this!!!!!

Thanksgiving Break

2009-11-27T20:51:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Very quiet! My in-laws came and enjoyed our quiet day with us. The food was great, the company good. The family time priceless!!! Last night we put our tree up and finished decoration this morning. On Wednesday we met some friends form high school and went to the Heard Museum and the park for the day. We were outside all day! What great fun we had. The kids really hit it off. Esp, the two older boys. They are a year apart in age, but wow they are so much alike! Today we have done nothing! Watched tv, cuddled with kids on the couch. I haven't even been outside today! Been a great day! Tomorrow we don't have anything planned. We shall see how the day progresses!

Update on Bobby and Bekah

2009-11-19T08:15:00.000-06:00

Adjustments are harder on some. Please keep Bobby in your prayers. He loves being in public school. He loves the interaction with people his own age. He tells me he is loving the work. His grades are very poor, he is frustrated with expectations. He doesn't know what all is expected. or how to figure it out. He doesn't understand why his grades are so poor. His attitude and mouth are another story. The attitude has been picking up over the last year. I know a lot of the attitude is an age thing. He is after all a teenager.I also know that not all teenagers have this negative attitude. When we confront him on his grades he flys off the handle. We have sent emails to all of his teachers where the grades are so poor, asking about tutorials. He is a great kid. We are just struggling through this adjustment. Please lift him up in prayer.

Bekah is doing great. She has a ton of new friends, and has gotten reacquainted with some old ones. She adores riding the bus. She is a bit advanced on the actual school work, but the longer she is there the more she is smoothing into some great routines.

Bobby and Bekah start public school

2009-11-11T15:43:00.000-06:00

Bobby started Webb Middle school today. Bekah will start Luna Elementary tomorrow. Changes are a good thing. Took a bit but we got all the needed paperwork, shots ect that was needed for the two of them to start school. Bobby was so excited when we left him, he had a jump in his step. And Bekah has been begging all week to get her shots so she can start. She met her teacher today, and a couple of the kids hugged her and welcomed her to he class. I know that God has a plan and it has taken a lot of prayer to get to this point. I have peace that we are moving in the right direction.

Change is in the air

2009-11-05T16:29:00.000-06:00

Changes can be easy, changes can be very difficult as well. We are in the midst of change in our household.

We have decided that it is time for major change. I am taking a sabbatical from home schooling my children. Both Bobby and Bekah will be returning to public school. We are still working on paperwork, vaccines, and uniforms, but it looks like both kids will be starting next week. Both kids seem excited about the changes. Sarah of course is still too young for school so she will remain home with me. We as a family are regrouping and changing paths. I believe that this is going to be a very positive change for our family. We have had a great adventure the past 4 years! I will be keeping this blog, only I will probably change some of the formats and things. To everything there is a season.
God Bless

oh hum!

2009-10-27T11:08:00.000-05:00

Some days it is easy to get overwhelmed. I wonder sometimes how other families keep their focus on schooling and not on life. I go through stages where I get to having a pity party for myself and wallo in my own thoughts. I enjoy parts of home schooling. I love looking at curriculum, I love planning, I don't even mind teaching. I adore it when the light goes off and a child gets it. I am horribly motivated. I really struggle with getting it all done. Between, child rearing, housework and homeschooling. I ask for prayers in my motivation. I worry about burn out. Having a special needs child and then life in general I am always on the go. There is very little down time. Going to go teach kindergarten and preschool after the girls finish their early lunch.

update on school

2009-10-19T09:23:00.002-05:00

Everyone is well again. We survived the first 6 weeks of school! Yea! We are finally getting into some wonderful routines and habits. Roger has taken over math with Bobby. I can't tell you how much a blessing that is to me, and how much weight it removed from my shoulders. Life is calm for the moment, but as we all know that only last for a minute. There is always another drama on the horizon. Chris is really liking his school, the girls beg to do school even on the weekends. And Bobby's grades have improved and he is doing pretty good.

Bobby is currently working on 2 projects for school. The first is a leaf collection for Science, the other is Oklahoma time line for history. Both are coming along nicely!

I am looking for Texas History textbook and curriculum. Bobby will be starting Texas history in January after we finish up Oklahoma history. I am not impressed with the Oklahoma History books I bought and therefore won't be buying the Texas history from the same company. I have talked to the district and know the guideline that they teach in Texas History.

Need to get moving, God Bless!

swine flu

2009-10-08T10:06:00.001-05:00

Swine flu has hit our house hold. Sarah is so far the only victim. We are diligently working to keep it that way! We are praying for a speedy recovery!

2009-09-23T13:06:00.000-05:00

Testing

adjustments to our schedule

2009-09-14T13:00:00.002-05:00

We are starting our 4th week of school. We have struggled to get back into the schedule of doing school and not running around like we did all summer. Part of the problem is that the original schedule was to rigid, and allowed no time for life. Then I got flustered and didn't use any schedule. Bobby and I visited about this topic last night, we came to some solutions. We do school from 10:30-2:30 Mon - Friday. I do preschool and Kindergarten with the girls before lunch, then while they have quiet time Bobby and I work together to do his school work. He is given all of his work for the week on Sunday night. A lot of his work is individual work. He works on his individual stuff while I teach the girls. The subjects that we work on together come after lunch when the house is quieter. Removing the rigidness of the schedule will hopefully help us to get everything done and not feel overwhelmed if we miss something, because we were busy when that specific time rolled around.

We have about gotten our after school routines figured out as well. I pick a friends little girl up at 3, she is with us part of the afternoon and into the evening. Chris comes home at 3:45. All the kids have a snack then we do homework with K and Chris. Then we start chores. We are working on our schedule, maybe we will get it figured out!

School room

2009-08-28T18:57:00.005-05:00

I had my school room all set up. To discover that it was not going to work this year. It was too choppy, and not well organized. So today I worked on it and hopefully we have a more workable school room. Time will tell.

1/2 of girls area

other 1/2 of girls area

Bobby's area w/ Mom's area off to the side.

school pics -8/24/09

2009-08-24T13:31:00.003-05:00

"Looking to Him Academy" 2009/2010
First day of school pictures!

Bobby 7th grade

Bekah Kindergarten

Sarah Preschool

Chris attends Public school.
Chris - 5th grade

School starts tomarrow

2009-08-23T20:49:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is the first day of school. Classroom is set up, books are ready, lessons plans. Working on new schedules and routines. We are ready. I pray blessings on all kids and teachers returning tomorrow. May you have a wonderful year.

Ready for back to school

2009-08-10T11:56:00.003-05:00

We have been very busy around here. School starts in 2 weeks. We spent the weekend getting the house cleaned back up. I love starting a new school year with a clean house. We have our books in and our classroom set up for. I have school supplies purchased and ready. Our schedule still needs a bit of tweeking, but overall we are ready.

Sarah is starting Pre school-- she will be doing some work book pages but mostly playing with educational toys and spending time with us.

Bekah is starting Kindergarten. --- I really debated a long time how we were going to do this. I know kindergarten in an ify subject. Some believe that you start formal teaching , while others like to let them have another year of play. We have decided to start more formal teaching. Rebekah starting reading last October. She can write and loves math. So we decided to just continue pursuing . This year we have structure and lots of work books which she loves. She will doing: Math, Reading, Writing, Social Studies / Science, and phonics. She is so excited.

We will also be doing art days with both girls on Fridays.

Chris will be going back to GISD again this fall. He really does better in that enviroment.

Bobby will be in the 7th grade. I think this is going to be a tough year for him. He will be doing Oklahoma / Texas History - one each semester. He will be doing Science, Writing, Typing, Grammar, Math, and Spelling. He is also active in the youth group at Church. Bobby also watches the girls in the mornings when I go to water aerobics class.

We have open gymnastics 2 times a month, we have biweekly trips to the library scheduled,and field trips about every 6 weeks. We are geared up and ready. School starts on the 24th.

I still have school clothes for Chris to get, and need to evaluate what everyone else needs. All in all we are ready!

Day 14 Today

2009-07-29T10:45:00.003-05:00

I have been working on this exactly 2 weeks. I think I am starting to find my groove. I go to water aerobics Mon / Wed / Fri. It is an hour long class with all levels of intensity. I am also doing weight watchers. I was sick last week and didn't make the gym or really follow the diet. This week I am definitely back to the gym. Monday's class was very difficult, and I have been sore ever since. Today's class was much better, and I was able to work out some of the soreness in the pool this morning. I feel great! I have been struggling with my eating. I did great the first few day, then I fell off the wagon. Roger was home, We have been on the run a lot. Yesterday I did better until late in the afternoon. Today so far so good. I am going to have lunch with a friend that I haven't seen in a really long time. I am also working on drinking less diet pepsi and more water. Diet Pepsi is a major down fall for me. I drink about 2 - 12 packs a week. I am trying to cut back and replace the soda with water. Some days I do great and others not so much.

My goals are to regain my mobility and loose weight. I want to feel better.

Back to the gym!

2009-07-15T16:41:00.002-05:00

Over the last year several years I have put on an enormous amount of weight. I am tired of not being able to get around very well. I am loosing some of my mobility, and I am ready to make some changes.

I joined a gym that has an indoor pool. I do water aerobics 3 days a week, and water treading 2 days a week. I have also joined Weight Watchers online. I am excited and ready for the hard work that is involved to reach my goals.

My first goal is 5% reduction in weight. I will let you know when I am there!!!

Impromptu fountain fun!

2009-07-03T21:59:00.008-05:00

After running some errands, we decided that since it was so hot and the kids were so wound up. We stopped at the fountains and let the kids play for about an hour. They had a wonderful time.
All 4 kids having a great time!

Sarah
Bobby
Bekah
Chris

A wonderful treat of sonic after playing the fountains. We all had a great time and it seems to wear all the kids down!

School update

2009-06-19T15:22:00.002-05:00

I am so excited some of our fall curriculum came in today. I love getting things ready for the next year. I received my Oklahoma History and my Texas History for Bobby.. I also got Bekah's handwriting! I will be adding to Oklahoma History with a series that I watched in Oklahoma History as a Jr High kid! I finally figured out the name of it and where to get it! I am looking for a good dvd series about Texas History. He will be putting together a notebook for each course. We are doing Oklahoma history first semester. And Texas History 2nd semester. We chose these two because we currently live in Texas, but My family all lives in Oklahoma. So we are going to do a full year of state history. I am also looking for guitar lessons that are affordable for Bobby. Any thoughts or ideas please let me know.

Through a long process we have decided that Chris does better in public school. It provides the extra structure that he needs to thrive. It has been a very prayerful journey to come to this conclusion. I had really wanted to home school him this fall, but that is not going to work out. He was pulled from Public in April with the intend of homeschooling to finish out the school year and to work through summer , and decide if it were possible to keep him home this fall. As I said this has been a really long process. I feel confident in my decision to put him back in public. They are better quipped to handle his special learning needs.

This summer we are working on reading with Bekah, I found "hooked on phonics" at a garage sale earlier in the summer. She has already read 8 books in the first set! She is doing really awesome. Bobby will be continuing with his grammar and his math this summer. And Chris will be working on his handwriting and grammar. Sarah loves to color and play in the school room.

He is coming home!!!!

2009-06-12T09:00:00.002-05:00

Roger accepted a job here in the area. He gave his 2 weeks notice yesterday to the company he is currently working for. He has been away from our family 2 months working a contract job, that is 100% travel. The new job is a permanent position, here locally. He will be home on the 26th, starting on the 29th! We are all very excited about this new chapter in our lives.

My birthday

2009-06-09T22:44:00.002-05:00

While I was home this last trip I celebrated my birthday. My darling husband sent me the most beautiful flower in the world. My brother grilled steaks, my mom made cake, and my other mom brought silly string and other party favors! I had a good birthday, Only I don't feel any different than I did before my birthday.

Back Home!

2009-06-08T21:19:00.002-05:00

I got home this evening. It has been a really long day in the car with 3 cranky kids. I have one who is still trying my nerves. I am glad the day is over, or soon will be. I was looking around at the list of things that I need to do this week. Laundry, but of course that is a never ending task. The yard needs mowed, Chris will do that later in the week. I need to pay bills and get groceries. Somehow those things don't get done when you are out of town! The van is mostly cleaned out, Yea!!! I am thinking that if I get energetic this week, I will get my exercise bike set back up, so I can use it again. I was thinking of working on the pink quilt I am currently piecing together. Possibly finding a summer camp for Chris for a week or two this summer. (day camp only though). Lot s to think about. I bid you a farewell this evening and a blessed week.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-21T20:23:00.004-05:00

My darling Husband is coming home!!! Ok just for the weekend but still, but still I am very excited! He is working as a contractor. His current assignment is is Sioux Falls South Dakota. His next assignment is in Detroit Michigan. Both are way to far away for him to come home often. So we will treasure the few moments we get while he is working so far from home.

The boys are leaving for the weekend, they are going to spend the weekend with some friends that have done some remodeling and need a couple of strapping boys to work, on cleanup. They will get to see Roger before they leave. So that part is really good.

It looks like this weekend will be Roger and I and the girls. I am not sure what the plans are for the weekend, other than spending time with each other!

With Church camp coming and summer coming, we are working on our summer schedule. We are continuing to do school through the summer, but we will have a lighter load. Not sure of the specifics yet, but I will have them figured out with in the next week.

Bobby finished up his history completely today. So he is done until next school year with history. He is really excited about that.

Bekah and Sarah do "school" most everyday. We still do some reading with Bekah and some writing but for now everything is done at her pace. We will be starting back up more formal stuff in the fall. Chris is also going to continue school through summer. I am needing ideas for handwriting, for him to work on this summer. His is unreadable, has always been an issue. I am debating between a regular handwriting course or possible something where he has to write a paragraph daily about a selected topic. I would take any suggestions.

I pray that everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday weekend! May God bless your families richly!

Monday -- Lots of Bubbles!!!

2009-05-18T22:20:00.004-05:00

I have been reading "Not Me Monday's" and I told Bobby I would never have anything to post on them. Then I walked into the kitchen. Bobby loaded and kicked off the dishwasher.... He used dish soap instead of dishwasher soap! There are bubbles everywhere!!!This is the dishwasher after the first rinse!

This is the floor as we started cleaning up the bubbles!!!

I just love Dawn Dish Soap!!!!

Weekly Highlights!

2009-05-17T14:31:00.002-05:00

We are settling down into some wonderful routines. The kids are doing an awesome job keeping up on their chores. School is moving along pretty nicely. We are planning on schooling on through the summer. We missed a lot of school over the spring. We do take days off now and then, but for the most part Mon - Fri we do school. Keeping the routine really helps Chris and therefore helps the rest of us! Every other Thursday we go to the library and check out books and videos for the next couple of weeks. The first and third Thursday's we go to Open gym gymnastics. On Friday and Saturday afternoons if all the chores and school work is done we watch movies that we checked out of the library. Mon - Wed are pretty much school and chores and daily life. We also have started walking in the evenings after dinner. I take the kids and the dog and we are walking about a mile at a time. It is so wonderful to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather God has given us! Both boys now have a night to cook. Bobby cooks on Tuesday's. He loves to cook out of my "Betty Crocker Cook Book". Chris is just begining and cooks on Thursdays. So far he has done things like scrambled eggs and hamburger helper. They will get better with time and practice. I think that is a highlight for both of them. Plus I don't have to cook those nights! They also help me cook the other nights.

Roger is still traveling for work. But we are very thankful he has a job now. We have webcams on the computer so that the kids get to see him daily. It is wonderful that we can actually see him as well as talk to him. The kids look forward to talking to him, Bekah and Chris love to hog the camera! The other 2 just go with the flow.

School is graded from last week, it is prepped and planned for next week so it is break time for Mommy! God bless and have a wonderful week!

chris's new glasses

2009-05-12T16:22:00.003-05:00

His new glasses came in today! They look really awesome on him. He really likes them as well!

A new house..... OR just a clean one!

2009-05-02T16:53:00.002-05:00

Over the last 2 weeks I have cleaned my house. I don't mean the day to day stuff. I mean the really heavy stuff. I have gone through every room in my house including closets. I have purged, I have donated, I have reorganized. I even rearrange a couple of rooms in the process. Like the school room, my bedroom and the garage. Also I have convinced my kids to help with daily chores. Now that the house is clean it is a matter of just keeping it clean. I am so very proud of the hard work I have put into it this past 2 weeks.

This past week we completed a wonderful week of school with all 4 kids! It took some getting used to, having Chris around all the time. But I have to tell you he is doing so well. He is doing chores, completing school work and playing with his siblings. We have had a wonderful week. I have added subjects that we are doing. Even still everyone is doing great.

My house is clean and peaceful and I am really enjoying the rewards of my efforts this week, both my kids and the cleaning.

May God bless you and keep you!

A thing of beauty!

2009-04-29T11:58:00.003-05:00

My new washing machine was delivered from Lowes this morning! It is washing its first load! My old one finally gave up the ghost. I have been having trouble with it spinning for a long time, then yesterday it just completely died, refused to do anymore. My father suggested that it might have a reset button, couldn't find it, so I will assume it wasn't there. When they moved my old washer it was black and suuty under it. It looked like a rubber belt had exploided! Needless to say I am reaffirmed in my purchase of a new washer. It is the same size as my old one, only much newer and a different brand. I am now a very happy person, really it doesn't take much to please me!

A thing of pure beauty!

Kids and Chores

2009-04-28T18:15:00.002-05:00

We have tried so many things to get the kids to do their chores. Some things have worked really well, others well not at all. I am amazed at what little it takes now to get them to do their assigned jobs.

I wrote each child's jobs out on a colored note card. Each child has a color. There are chores done 4 times a day, though really it is more about maintenance then anything else on household chores. And maintenance only takes just a few minutes. I also have a check list that I check off as we go through the day. A little encouragement, a little praise and wow all the chores are getting done on a regular basis! Nothing fancy, no rewards, just simple requesting them to do them and expecting them do so and praising their efforts.

My first quilt top is finished piecing

2009-04-26T16:08:00.004-05:00

We have had a wonderful weekend! I have had some wonderful "me"time. In my me time, I worked on my quilt top. I have it done! I will be taking it to the quilter the next time I head to Oklahoma. I know it has flaws, and not everything matches up perfectly. It is the size of a twin size bed! But it is mine and I did it!!! This is a picture of it folded and hanging on my quilt rack in my dining room. I will update again with future pictures after it is quilted!

"ME TIME"

A "cowgirl " style birthday!

2009-04-19T20:44:00.009-05:00

Today we celebrated family birthday's! My niece turned 11 today, my daughter will be 5 on Thursday, and my brother in law's birthday is Saturday. We went to Texas Road House for dinner then back to my mom's for cake and ice cream. Everyone had a wonderful time.

Bekah is truly a cowgirl and received all the gear to complete the look, a belt, a hat, western shirts, a bandanna, and lots of ponys!!

My very favorite picture, Bekah and Silas!
Ponies!!!
Bekah's very own pink cowgirl hat!
Western Shirts!
Ride em' cowgirl.... at Texas Road House!
Bekah dressed to go to lunch in a borrowed Cowgirl hat. Happy Birthday Bekah!

Where to begin??

2009-04-07T20:31:00.002-05:00

The last seveal weeks have been so busy. I have been at my parents most of it.

I was able to spend some wonderful moments with my "other dad" before he passed away. I am very blessed to be able to spend that time with him and his wife. They are very special people to me!

Roger has been searching for a job and helping out with Chris so he didn't miss school while I was gone. In the job process he has accepted a job. The pay is good, the major down fall is that he will be traveling 100% of the time. He will only get to come home once in a while. We will miss him greatly but we know that he is in God's hands. He is going to continue the search hopefully finding something closer to home.

We are also looking at moving closer to my parents. With it being just me and the kids I would be more comfortable back home. The kids are really excited about being closer to cousins and grandparents. It will be a big transition but well worth it.

Christopher is also rejoining us in the Home schooling. He is so excited about it. His last day in public is on Thursday. I have all of his lesson plans ready and we are very excited!

We are continuing to pray and seek God as we journey down this road. There are many changes in our lives at the moment. We feel that God is leading us and that we are on the right path.

God Bless

Roger preached this morning!

2009-03-22T22:14:00.002-05:00

I really want to toot my husbands horn. He preached his very first ever sermon this morning at my home church. He did an amazing job! He was very professional in his actions. He had a wonderful sermon, a great voice for it. I was really impressed. My home church is in between ministers and various ones in the congregation are filling in until they hire someone new. He got up there was a bit nervous but wow what a message. About 3/4 through the message Bobby looked over and said "DUUDE". That coming from his 12 year old son was a very high compliment.

I pray that everyone has a wonderful and blessed week ahead!

God Bless

Today

2009-03-09T07:11:00.002-05:00

Today is a new day, and a blessed day from our Father above. I am prepped and ready for Co-op. I still need to load the van. We are doing well with school. We have put our selves back on a schedule that we are able to stick with. What a wonderful thing our schedule is. It gives us more time in the day to get things accomplished. Also the kids have started doing chores better. We now have it set up so that they cannot move on to the next thing unless mom or dad have checked it. Also not doing their chores will affect the next meal being offered. If they don't do the things they are asked to do then they will not get to eat what the rest of the family eats but will get something like a cheese sandwich instead. Even Sarah has been getting involved in this. The kids all want to eat the main meal being fixed, not the substitute meal. Having the chores done also gives us more free time to enjoy the family and the beautiful weather we have been blessed with.

Roger and I have started prayerfully planning next school year. We are looking at a few curriculum changes for next school year, as Bekah will be in K and Bobby in 7th. We have never chosen curriculum this way before. It is a very neat experience. I think the kids will do great with their learning.

We are still behind in a few areas of school, but we are making ground and catching up. It takes some work and some time, but we will be caught up in no time.

May God bless you richly as you venture through this day and through this week.

Bob

2009-03-02T09:01:00.001-06:00

I am home. I have spent the last 10 days at my parents visiting Bob Often. He is not doing well. I am praying for a peaceful passing.

God Bless

2009-02-14T09:25:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentines Day!

The boys rooming together is wonderful. They are working together to keep it clean. It is a very different reaction then I thought we were going to have. I know this was their idea, but I was very skeptical. There has been one fight, but that is all!!!!! Over all I would have to say their relationship has greatly improved over the last couple of weeks. I think them rooming together is a good thing for them. They are learning to get along.

We also are doing a better job of getting chores done. Bobby completed all of his school work this week. Roger is still looking for a job, but we just keep praying and relying on God he has a plan and a timetable!!!

God Bless

Boys rooming together!!!

2009-02-06T21:16:00.002-06:00

What a peaceful evening! The boys have wrestled and played, but not fought! The decided that they wanted to room together again. So we moved furniture around and put the boys back together in the same room. The put all of their toys in the other bedroom. They seem the best of friends at the moment. I have been praying for so long that they could put the past behind them and act like brothers. Frankly I was shocked that they asked if they could do this. I am a bit leary but am willing to try this new adventure with them. It has been about 3 years since they shared a bedroom. God has a plan.

On the job front Roger is still looking. We are keeping our heads up and looking to God for direction. God is provided and really taking care of us. We feel very blessed. We know that God has a plan and that he also has a time table. When he is ready for us to move forward everything will fall into place. God is so wonderful and so incredible. Our eyes are on him, as we look towards the future. God bless

Bobby's Paper "The Zoo"

2009-02-06T09:07:00.002-06:00

" The Zoo" By Bobby Minton ; January 2009

It was 7:00 am we had all arrived at the dart station. Almost everyone was still half asleep. It was freezing and pitch black. After about an hour on the train we were there.

The zoo was verry quiet and empty. My friends and I couldn't wait to see wat was in store! We paid and went inside. We hedded twards the back of the zoo. We saw the apes were what we saw first, and man were they cute, Next we saw the farm, falmagos, and under ground anmils. The falmagos and farm were boring, but the under ground anmils. Let me tell you it was informitive. They had snaks, shreews, mice, birds and naked mole rats. They even had a littel tungel whare you could go in and be under the ground and int he cage with some of the birds and other anmils. Then we went on to the big anmils. They were cool but a little lazy. There were lions, tigers, bears, graffas, elephents, rinos, hippos, and egals. Then we went to the reptiles. Ther were snakes, lisards, bird, gaters, and fish. Then mom said "we had to go it was 3:30 pm." I was rily tired and my feet felt like they were going to fall off. I loved the day with family friends and fun.

I typed this in exactly as it is written on his paper, with the exception of exact names of friends and locations. His assignment was to write this paper and publish it.

Recap and Prepping the new week.

2009-02-01T19:21:00.002-06:00

Job Search continues....

We have been so very blessed in the last couple of weeks. God is providing and really taking care of us! Roger is applying all over the nation. We did a lot of praying before deciding to take this step. We know that God has a plan for employment and for our lives, we are awaiting his time and his direction. Roger did have one interview this week. The will let us know by the end of the week.

We are still struggling with Bobby completing all of his school work. Basically he would rather be a kid then hit he books. He is doing better than he was before Christmas, but there is still a long way to go. He also has lost his cell phone again.... This time it was because he was throwing it up in the air and catching it and knocked a porcelain rose off a shelf and broke it. It of course is one that I inherited from my Grandmother and will not easily be replaced. I was sad but it was just a thing and life goes on. At the moment everything that touches his had is tossed in the air. I was really thinking of getting him a ball and glove, and sending him outside.

Girls are doing well with school. Bekah is learning so fast and begs to do school work all the time. It is so neat to see the joy she has learning! Sarah is right there with her. They are getting so big.

Tomorrow is our 2nd week at Co-op. Last week went really well and we are excited for this week. I should be planning right now but instead I am blogging.... Go figure!!!! I will to that in a few minutes.

We are very blessed and looking forward to a new and wonderful week. God Bless!!

First day

2009-01-26T07:53:00.002-06:00

Today is our first day of Co-op. Sarah and Bobby are the most excited followed by Bekah. I am starting to feel the excitement but not as much as the kids. I am a bit overwhelmed with life in general at the moment. Today is a good day and God has blessed it!

God has a plan!

2009-01-22T11:27:00.002-06:00

Roger lost his job this week. He has revamped his resume and is putting in applications. God has a plan and we will listen and go where he sends us. God will provide for our family. We have put our lives in the hands of our almighty Lord, and Savior. We know that without him there is no other way. He will provide and give us direction as we have started this new chapter in our lives.

The littles new schedules

2009-01-20T19:16:00.004-06:00

We have been working on revising our schedules to include all the activities that we are involved in. Again I think we are a bit to busy but we are praying about that. We also have been working on getting the kids motivated to do their chores. I have been reading some wonderful books from Titus2.com. Steve and Terri Maxwell are the authors. I have learned a lot about schedule and how to make them work. My girls are not able to read a schedule and know what is next, Chris also gets very frustrated trying to read a schedule. The other night I took the time and created the 3 of them schedules that have pictures to indicate what they are supposed to do. I also made some paper dolls that represent each one of them. Chris made his own paper doll. I then used velcro to mark the schedule. So the 3 littles can move their little person down the schedule as we go through our day!!! The kids also have cards that indicate what their chores are. The pictures on the schedule are the same ones as on the chore cards.

Wow what a difference having a workable schedule is!!! Tonight has gone beautifully! No fighting, No arguing. It helps for everyone to know where they are supposed to be. I have also learned that having kids working in different areas of the house doing chores is so peaceful!!! Everyone did all their jobs tonight, with out fussing and fighting!!!! It has been such an enjoyable evening!!!!

Chris's Schedule is the same Mon-Fri, so he just has one day to look at. Also his mood chart is posted right beside his schedule. Since the kitchen is the hub of the house, Chris's is posted on the fridge.

Bekah's schedule is different all 5 days so I made her a 5 column schedule. It is also posted in the kitchen only it is on the wall, at a level that she can reach everything.

Sarah again has a different schedule daily. Hers is also on the kitchen wall at a level that she can reach.

There are certain parts of our day that are always the same, but there are spots where everyone is doing a different thing. Also some of our chores rotate days, and this way, they know what chores they are doing on what day. All 3 of the littles liked the new schedules. They are simple enough for them to understand, and having the dolls makes it so they can move along with the schedule.

Daddy's hair cut

2009-01-20T19:08:00.004-06:00

The other day Roger had the girls give him a hair cut. It was quite cute, they were so proud of them selves! Daddy of course finished up after they were done doing their part.

......

2009-01-19T22:04:00.003-06:00

We are gearing up to begin co-op. It starts in a week, I feel so unprepared. I have written my lesson plans, I have made samples. I still need to finish purchasing the items the kids need for supplies.

I have revamped our daily schedule. Gotten the kids on a chore schedule, that they are actually following!!! I have been working on getting organized. I know me organized???? Some might say that I am already organized, but some days I really don't feel like it.

I am currently struggling with the amount of things we are involved with. It just seems sometimes that we are really busy, and never home. It is a matter that I am praying about. We shall see how it goes.

God Bless

Christopher's Baptism

2009-01-11T22:30:00.003-06:00

Roger had the honor and priveledge to Baptize Christopher today. It was a very joyful moment!

Science Musuem

2009-01-10T22:13:00.009-06:00

Mom and the gang ready to explore!

My kids love Bubbles!

We had a wonderful afternoon. We took the kids to the Science Museum. Everyone had a blast. The only problem we had is that we went to late in the day and didn't have enough time to play and explore. It was a wonderful fun family outing!

Boys checking out the Dinosaurs.

Bobby Frog!
Chris is dino dig area.Girls in the music room!

Bekah is floating!Sarah playing in the water!

Working videos again!

2009-01-10T10:12:00.002-06:00

Now that we have a completely working Internet connection from home (Thanks, Verizon!) we can upload videos again. Of course, we don't promise the highest quality or even entertainment value, but we do have four little comedians running around the house.

Have fun!

God is Awesome!!!!

2009-01-07T17:58:00.002-06:00

WOW! The difference a day makes!!! Today we started on the younger math and grammar. He made 100% in math and a 98% in Grammar!!!! He is in a fantastic mood. He completed all of his chores! And we have had no attitude at all today!!! I would swear he is a different child!
That tells me we are on the right track. He was even done with all school work before Chris got home this afternoon.

We are going to really push but keep on track! God is wonderful for giving me the wisdom to deal appropriately with the situation.

Our mistake or his mistake??????

2009-01-06T22:57:00.002-06:00

Last semester Bobby has really struggled with a couple of subjects. Taking zero's and refusing to do his work. I have thought that he was being lazy. I have prayed and prayed about this new semester that it would be dramatically better than the last one. I have even considered that if there is not change in his attitude and his work ethic than he would be going back to Public school which I don't think is a good idea and is definately not an option we like. We are 2 days in and we are in the same rut. There are 2 main subjects that are an issue. Math and Grammar. These were both subjects that he was behind before.

In trying to keep him on grade level whether he was really there or not we have pushed him. I thought that this was stupid that we are struggling so with these 2 subjects since they for the most part should be review. After a very grueling couple of days of Math and not much else. I prayed for answers today. I then got to wondering if he was really struggling with understanding the topic or if he was really being lazy. So I sat him down for a heart to heart about these 2 subjects. We looked at stuff online and worked at determining just exactly where we are. We will be going back to 5th grade math, and picking up there starting tomarrow. We were already doing 5th grade Grammar, but starting tomarrow we are going back and doing the 4th grade grammar. I think in my haste to push him through and keep him on grade level I misevaluated where he really was. We started home schooling 3 years ago. The first year we spent figuring out Christopher, then dealing with Chris and his challenges. After Chris started back to public school the senario changed. We went through several different cirriculums before we found one we really like. We started using BJU Math the end of last school year, Bobby was doing great. He was doing so well that when it was time to get this years cirriculum I automatically got the next year up. So we stopped in the book and then picked up the new year with a new book. We liked BJU so much that we decided to use all of their cirriculum, or at least prodominately. We really like it, it seems to be a really good fit for our family. So we guesstimated where he should be and bought accordingly. Upon reevaluation we were wrong initally.

Bobby is a very smart kid and I have really been baffled on his grades and the fact that his whole attitude has been horrid since this school year started. We always did those 2 subjects first thing in the morning, and then he was nasty the rest of the day about everything. My prayer is that with the reevaluation and the changes that things will improve. His grades and his attitude.

The New Year... New goals

2009-01-04T21:20:00.002-06:00

With a new year always brings change. I have thought long and hard about the changes that I want to make this year. I have came up with a couple.

1. Drink more water. I really struggle with drinking much water. I personally prefer diet Pepsi or coffee or tea. This seems silly but I printed me a sticker chart to help keep track of the water I am drinking.

2. Loose some weight. I know this is everyone's New Years Resolution. I have gotten in the last 2 months or so where I am really tired and have no energy. It seems all I have done since the first part of Nov is eat! Along with being tired I just haven't felt completely up to par. I took my self off of sugar just after Christmas, because I was getting really bad headaches, it has really helped a lot. I also have started cutting back on my portion sizes. I have to admit that as of the last day or so I am starting to feel better. I know the gym is next, but I am still working on that one. I have a wonderful exercise bike, but I cannot reach the pedals very well. I am trying to fix that so that I can use it.

3. Study the Bible more. This is an area I have really struggled with. Praying comes easily to me, but actually picking up my Bible to study is something I know I should do but have a really hard time doing so. I have joined a Bible Study group, I am really excited about getting together with this wonderful group of ladies. I also am working on trying to do daily devo's also.

4. Be more positive. I feel at times that I that I can be very negative, I have been working on this one for a while and will continue working on it.

I am excited about the start of 2009. We have a lot going on in our lives yet we are loving spending time with our kids and our family.

God Bless

Happy New Years!

2008-12-31T16:41:00.001-06:00

Wishing everyone a wonderful 2009! May you be very blessed!

Lesson Plans

2008-12-30T09:36:00.004-06:00

Bobby

I have been working on my lesson plans for King Tut. I think we are going to do a lot of reading with this study. We are going to use a Notebook I purchased to direct our reading. Bobby will need to fill out the notebook as we go along. We will also mummify a plastic doll like a barbie doll. We will be building a pyramid out of clay, and we will do some Egyptian cooking. This is an 8 week course then we will go see King Tut. This is an area Bobby is really interested in and I think he will just love the study.

For Math we are working on Long division, which is a struggle for Bobby, he has always struggled with multiplication and division. In Reading we are continuing in our reader, the theme this time is "Victories". All the stories in this unit have to do with a victory of some variety. Usually a personal victory.In Grammar we are working on verbs.In computer we are learning to type and also we are learning how to use basic computer programs, like word, excel, power point, ect...For spelling we are continuing with words and worksheets that my mother creates for us. He really likes these. There are puzzles and games using his words.

We will be starting Co-op the end of January. Bobby is taking: Crock Pot cooking; Destruction; volley ball; out door sports and games; and a K'nex bridge building class. He is really excited about all of his classes.

Bobby also continues to take science, and work in our church pantry.

Bekah

We are using mostly work books. She really loves working in workbooks. We are working on numbers, letters, early math, writing, a fun puzzle book, and reading. This seems like a lot but she loves these work books. She is reading simple books and really likes to read. She can write her name but we are starting to work on making her writing a bit more legible. We also use File folder games that I created. She loves these! We also paint, color and do some tactile activities. She has a play date here once a week and goes to a play date once a week. She loves the time with her best friend! She will also be going to CO-OP this spring. We visited in the fall and she loved it.

Sarah
Not to leave Sarah out. She colors, we read books, do some tactile activities, and does file folder games that are geared to her level of learning. Sarah will also participate in CO-OP. When we visited in the fall she really liked the interaction with the other kids her age.

Chris
Chris is doing really well in school. He is ready to start transistion to a regular school in January. Transition is where they start visiting his normal school for one class period then build from there. It is taken at his pace, if it is to much or he has problems they will back off. When he transitions completely, if he has problems they will bring him back to the special school and work through the problems. This is a really great program. I have been leary for a long time about transition, but I think now he is ready to begin that process. We are praying that these changes will go smoothly.

I will be teaching a building class for first and second graders at CO-OP and Roger is teaching a Destruction class for 6-8 grade boys. We are both very excited about joining the CO-OP, and about our responsibilities at CO-OP.

We have a busy semester planned but I am encouraged and believe it will be a wonderful semester of learning and fun!

I am back.........

2008-12-29T20:53:00.003-06:00

I know I have been out of pocket for a while. My lap top went to the shop.

I spent a week in Okla at my parents for Christmas. We had a very lovely Christmas. There were a few wonderful moments at my parents house. I really enjoyed seeing everyone together on Christmas Eve! It was awesome to look around and see my all my sibs and their families. Now that we are all grown with families of our own it is difficult for all of us to get together all at the same time. A funny thing that I will share... At one point on Christmas Eve, the adults were all sitting around texting one another from across the room, while the kids played at the dining table! It was funny to see the expressions when someone on the other side of the room would text. It was quite funny. My mom and one of my brothers just sat back and watched. It was fun though!

I was able to close out last semester of school now that my laptop is back. I have everything except History planned for the spring semester. Still working on it. I also have everything for Bekah and Sarah planned. Today I was working on my bullition boards and getting things ready to begin in a week.
Yesterday I started working on my lesson plans for our CO-OP, which starts the end of January. I have also gotten our daily schedule ironed out, and ready to hang up. Now to finish up the chore charts and I will be completely ready to start!

Santa 's Village

2008-12-07T10:03:00.006-06:00

Last night I took Chris and the girls to "Santa's Village" We got there for the lighting ceremony. The look on Sarah's face when they flipped the switch was one of such aww! It was very crowed so we only went through 2 of the houses in the village. The fire fighters house and the ornament makeing house. The 3 littles had a wonderful time. After we left we went through a drive through and then drove around for about 45 minutes looking at the christmas lights. It was fun! I don't often get the chance with just the 3 littles. We had a very cheap and yet fun and memorial evening.

Baking School late at night.

2008-12-05T23:50:00.003-06:00

Bobby and I have now finished making 3 batches of Mom's Sour cream cream cheese rolls!!! (That makes 12 pans of them!) I am going to a cookie and baked goods Christmas party tomorrow. I am not sure what I was thinking when this is the recipe that I decided to make. Oh well. The first batch will be ready to go into the oven in about 20 minutes. ( It has to rise for an hour). I will get them all baked tonight before I go to bed. Then tomorrow when I get up I will make the glaze and put on them, then they will be ready for the party. Basically there are 12 ladies, each brings a dozen cookies or a baked item for each of the other ladies. So you bring 12 dishes... you take home 12 dishes! I have never been before, though this my 3rd year to be invited. My schedule has just never worked out right. I am so excited that it worked out this year!!!

Our baking experience quickly turned into baking school. Bobby loves to cook and create in the kitchen. I had my hands in all 12 pans but Bobby did work on all of them as well. He had so much fun! It was neat to watch his face light up when he touched the dough, and when he saw how things change when you add different ingredients! I have to commend him on a job well done!!!!

Now if those silly timers would go off so that I can move on this process and go to bed sometime soon!

an update

2008-12-04T16:37:00.002-06:00

It feels like it has been forever since I have posted. We have really busy and I have cut back my computer time. We had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving with my family in Oklahoma. We came home for a kinda of blah week. I have been tired and just kinda blah all week. Today Bobby woke up with a low grade fever and no energy. He has spent most of the day on the couch. We will pick school up tomorrow providing he is doing better, otherwise we will call it a week.

I ordered Bekah some new school books. She is going through everything that I have so fast. We have quit doing preschool and moved on up to Kindergarten with here. Not sure what the plan for next school year is, we will have to see, maybe an older version of kindergarten or possible 1st grade. We are completely moving at her pace.

Sarah has picked up doing some preschool stuff here and there, she loves to be included in everyting so I work really hard to make that happen.

Bobby has really struggled this school year. He has fallen way behind and is working really hard on catching up. He is doing much better since he had a attitude adjustment.

As for me I am doing better with staying on task and interacting with the kids more.

Chris is doing well in school. His grades have improved and he seems to be enjoying it much better.

God Bless

2008-12-01T12:12:00.002-06:00

We had a great trip and a wonderful Thanksgiving! The kids had a wonderful time playing with cousins. While we were at my mom's house we saw a raccoon up in the tree right by there house. I don' think I have ever seen on that close to the house. Everyone came out to look. I got some really pictures of him. The holiday went very well. We got home on Saturday. Last night we got our tree put up. Life is pretty normal around here. Not much to say except that I need to get school started.

Home

2008-11-29T23:03:00.001-06:00

We have had lot of food and fun. But it always good to be home! Details of Thanksgiving Later!

Happy Monday!!!

2008-11-17T08:46:00.002-06:00

Good Morning. It is a wonderful Monday morning. I am pumped and ready for a new and busy week. The weather is beautiful. Lets see the list of things to do today:

Laundry

Dishes

general house work

preschool and 6th grade

Sounds like about it. I wish everyone a wonderful and blessed day.

Garage Sale Find

2008-11-15T13:22:00.002-06:00

I thought that I had purchased these for the girls and was going to give some of them to my nephew. But maybe I was wrong. I think the boys are really enjoying them!!!