Susan

Through our Church and World Vision we are now sponsoring a little girl "Susan"

Please Pray with Us for:

Continued Health for her family.

That we with our American frame of mind will not get bored with her.

That we develop a real relationship with her.

That she and her family know Christ or will come to know him.

That this experience will be life/love changing for our family.

Those are just the immediate ones that come to mind.  As a family we are excited about sharing our love with Susan.

 

As we learned about many families through World Vision it sure makes our Old Farm House with one tiny bathroom look like a mansion in comparison. 

Ruffled Apron

I really enjoy making the aprons but I think I will take a break from the ruffles for a while. The gathering just irritates me!

This was made for a special teacher of M&M's

Apron's

I found this on Clearance at JoAnn's and thought Ooh what a bargain it was even half off of the clearance so $2.00 a yard. Bad part is I didn't notice til after I got it home and washed it that is recommends dry cleaning.... Not quite perfect but I sure did enjoy using my new cutting board and cutting wheel (thanks Tera and Granny) Not quite perfect her either but I did learn how to make my own bias tape using the Internet...there is so much information out there!! These are for some very special girls...just need to make one more little girl apron!

How To Cook Smelt Like a Princess

Smelt

Now isn't your mouth just a watering.

Made with Love by M&M...

I think I doing a fairly good job at helping my kids feel comfortable in the kitchen???

Not to shabby for being the day after cleaning. I always purge after Christmas with the toys to make room for the new. Many may not know this about me but I do like it organized and everything has a place to be. My only problem is the kids don't seem to care much for my systems.

Well the reason I am sharing is not cause this is one perty room but its how I have finally learned to handle this cleaning and organizing with my kids interrupting.

While I was up there Pie was helping me out at times; mostly by telling me what she doesn't play with any more...and yes we did fill that there baby wipe box you see with barbies for the attic...sad day, sad day.

Well while she was helping M&M was creating a mess around us; ya know finding new toys she forgot she had because they were in the bottom the toy box. The next thing I know Pie just looses it and starts yelling at M&M. Funny or not but that is exactly how I would of handled it when Pie was little. Now I find it cute and help Pie relax and help her to understand that in the BIG scheme of things a clean closet doesn't really matter.

When Bug and Pie were little my expectations were crazy... Many times I felt very alone with them. My mom never took much interest, the women around me then seemed to fuss over the silliest things and make me feel inferior. I even had my neighbor across the street at the time getting me up at 7:30am because she thought that was a time *we* should be up...UUUGGGGHHHH! Yeah that didn't last too long.

Well Pie reminded me of a time when I lost it once with Levi, which breaks my heart to think of the joy I robbed from him. Thats when I just started praying to God to show me, show me my faults and hold me accountable and help me...

Then I knew how I wasn't going to raise my kids but I wasn't sure how to do it..

.

Now I am not so lonely but do still get frustrated with my own mom. I have and had some great women who talk truth and not just about weather Levi is reading or talking yet compared to their child (what I call silly comparisons and I was not and am still not good at) but about the big things like my life with Christ, my husband, how are the children REALLY doing.

And books, finding GOOD to the point books.

Happy Birthday Jesus

I think I found something I will enjoy doing...cake decorating, for just my family that is.

I received some *sweet* gifts from my sis in love and this was my first project.

Happy Birthday JESUS

Your Kidding Right?

I was just searching around and found this Chandelier and thought my girls would love it...then I seen the price. So I thought I would search some more on it and found much better prices.

The next two prices are of the better of the 3 but the 3rd one is what I had seen first.

Now I am not going to buy this was just curious and really now believe in shopping around first!

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Disney Princess Chandelier - $75 Purchased new from www.disney.com, still has tags on it. VERY LIMITED. Product Features 26 1/4'' H x 24'' diameter Resin, metal, fabric and plastic Maximum three E12 bulbs, not included Light features Cinderella, Belle, and Aurora

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$50.00 + $20.99shipping Used - Like New Seller: Inrichment Rating: Just Launched (Seller Profile) In Stock. Ships from IN, United States. Domestic shipping rates and return policy. Like new condition - gorgeous!

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Disney Princess Chandelier Light [Item #47780] AUD $1,699.00 Click to enlarge Light up her room with her favorite princesses. Hardwire installation required. Maximum three bulbs, not included. Size - 26 1/4'' High x 24'' Diameter. Resin, metal, fabric and plastic. This item is ex display stock. comes with some markings and a few jewels may be missing. This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 22 July, 2010.

*this site is called snowglobes don't know if it is faulty or not*

Look what I did! With the help of course with the ever patient Grandma Phyllis!

I would of taken a picture with her and I together but after a little discussion decided the beans looked much prettier this morning.

I know its not much for canning but I do not have a big freezer and this would of taken up most of the space. This was my very first attempt at canning and I really like it. I have never even been in the same room as someone who was canning. So much to my personality I am sure I will TRY to grow way more than I can handle next year with big dreams of canning everything...I also think its good for my kids(girls) to see me working with and for Grandma. I also feel it is good for them to work for and with Grandma too. Thanks Grandam for providing the time to help me and the gardens to keep me busy.

"Where you have a plot of land, however small, plant a garden. Staying close to the soil is good for the soul." ~ Spencer W. Kimball

The Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary as played by Pie. Her class at school puts on a Wax Museum of a Real Historical Person. This was a great class project the children choose a person to study, approved by the teacher of course, and learn all they could on their background. They had to wright a report for the teacher and put together a board on the person and then dress in period clothing. For the museum part they made these "buttons" we would come around to each display press the "button" and they would come to life and give us a little peek into that persons life. It was really cool.

This wasn't the best quality video but you will get the gist of it and if you watch close you'll see our little M&M trying to get into trouble in the background.

The Battle of "THE BOOK"

The Trophy

The 5th grade class at church has started a tradition of "Battle Of The Book"

The idea was taken from our local elementary schools where each year of over 20+ years they read a bunch of books and compete against each other by answering questions about them.

This year the kids had to read the book of Acts and pay attention to the lessons in Sunday school to answer quiz questions.

The Cake

It is a big celebration just so much fun. We bring in lots of food make posters to cheer on the teams and enjoy the fact that our children are excited about reading the Bible. They have 4 qtrs. with shows in between. Its just fun for the whole family.

The "Don't Be Sorcerer's" Team.

There is our cute Pie they didn't win but we are super proud of them anyway. They were strong competitors and good sports

In regards to the name...They had to pick something from the book of Acts and according to Pie, which sounds true to me. The boys picked The Sorcerer's but there Teacher is like Ummm Sorcerers is not such a good name...but Don't Be Sorcerer's is a great name. Pie who can be shy at times told me "I knew that name was not good" ha ha cute. I told her she could speak up but sometimes she can be a bit shy.

J Is For Jesus

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would remind people of the true meaning of Christmas; so he made the candy cane to incorporate several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin Birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church, and the firmness of the promises of God. The candy maker then shaped his cane into the form of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to the earth as Savior. It could also represent the staff of the "Good Shepherd" with which He reaches down to to reclaim the fallen lambs who, like sheep, have gone astray. Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candy maker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life Even though this story is not true we still enjoy it very much. The Candy Cane Story.Candy Canes Have Sweetened Holidays For Centuries By Barbara Yost and and Emiliana Sandoval.When it comes to Christmas traditions, peppermint candy canes are right up there with fruitcake, holly and Santa’s beard. Peppermint desserts are about as festive as they come. Candy Canes are a fun holiday tradition that taste good too. Their pretty red and white stripes make them perfect Christmas tree ornaments while the crook at the top makes them easy to hang.“It came about because of the color red,” says Nancy Baggett, author of “The All-American Dessert Book” (Houghton Mifflin, 2005, $35 hardcover). “Now it’s so popular at the holidays.”It is said that the first candy canes were created in 1670. The choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany noticed that his youthful singers became restless during the long holiday ceremonies.There had to be a way to keep the children from distracting the congregation with their noisy whispering between hymns. A wonderful idea occurred to him - the choirmaster gave the singers sugar sticks to enjoy during the breaks. And because it was Christmas, he had the candies bent into the shape of a shepherd’s crook. The ancient symbol of a shepherd’s crook represents those humble shepherds whom legend has it were the first to worship the newborn Christ.The candies became popular and over the years people began to use the candy canes as Christmas tree decorations. It wasn’t until the late 1800s however, that the cheerful red and white stripes and the peppermint flavoring were added.Some note that, when turned upside down, the candy cane forms a “J,” for Jesus. Others see the holy trinity symbolized in the thick red lines, thin red lines and white background.A less-spiritual interpretation finds a similarity between old-time barber poles and the swirled peppermint stick that dates to 19th-century England, although candy canes today are mostly part of American culture, Baggett says.Candy canes reportedly made their first U.S. appearance in a candy shop in Albany, Ga., when Bob McCormack started making batches of them by hand in the 1920s. His brother-in-law invented a candy cane machine in the 1950s. Now, about 1.8 billion candy canes are made each year.

Side note if you notice only 1 cane cookie is a J the others we did backwards...

Never Pass Up An Opportunity

Yesterday was an unusually warm day in Michigan. So we didn't want to loose this opportunity to enjoy what God had given us, knowing that in February we would regret it if we didn't get out, we rounded up the kids and went to the park to play! We had a very good time together a little mom chit chat, a bunch of giggles, a few tears, but all in all a great time!

Later though we found out that we lost someone very dear to us and we are heartbroken and speechless cause it all happened suddenly. I am so glad that I had told her I ♥ her just a week or so before. It was something that at that moment was put on my heart and I am so glad I obeyed. Yesterday was such a reminder to not ignore those little promptings to play outside or tell someone you love them.

Tunes for Tot's

Today M&M and I went to the Center for the Arts for what they call Tunes for Tot's. Every couple of months the orchestra demonstrates different musical instruments! Today was percussion; a bit loud and scary at times yet still fun! The kids were asked to dress up for the show and it was very cute to see. M&M dressed up as a rag doll with the clothes from a Raggedy Ann doll that my Mom had made my Aunt Jan. Her little (Big) personality is really starting to really show in these pictures!

He Passed the Test!

Our first year in Michigan. This was Bug's first time out hunting. He was a trooper with Dad and Uncle Shawn with no complaints

Dad 2005 Bug 2005

Uncle Shawn and Bug 2005.

This was a good year with a deer each!

2009 After just passing the Hunter's Safety!

Life Skills 101

I am not the most enthusiastic cook so when Troy came up with this idea I was more than willing.

Each Sunday Bug and Pie will switch off cooking Lunch/Dinner.

On Sunday's a lot, not all, but a lot is seemed we were eating out after Church and spending money senselessly. The idea of coming home to cook after a busy morning just was not something I was looking forward to though. Now the kids help plan the meal for their day which also helps take some of the burden off of me on planing all the meals. I also look forward to coming home to cook with the kids and the time we spend together.

What, When, Where?

Trying to become more organized so I can Love on my family more! Please share any ideas that you think may help me. With a kid in Jr. High. Elementary and just barely walking we are being pulled in all directions!

Pie, Pie Me O My

We started with apples picked form the tree in the back yard. Each year we are here were learning more on how to care for the plants and trees. These are the biggest apples we have had yet.

This is our cute baker, PIE. This is her first pie and she is excited to learn! Just before it went into the oven. She did all the work by herself, except peel the apples that was my job. The finished product, yummy! Notice the little dog cut outs I thought it was a cute idea. Our number one taste tester. I think his face says it all. Delicious! Taste tester number two, what a proud daddy, this is his favorite kind of pie. Well the pie is gone and the belly's are happy. So proud of our Pie she did a good job and followed the directions well. Next pie will be peach off of the other tree.

What Do YOU See

A couple of boy's standing by the LLWS field, or some boy's with the biggest smiles I have ever seen? I see a father and son who had the trip of a life time and it will be a highlight for the rest of their lives. I am also thinkin that Bug will want to recreate this trip with his kids he just doesn't know it yet.

A messy bedroom or a daughter still in her jamma's in the middle of the day? I see two sisters that are several years apart learning to play together :)

A dirty floor? I see a young boy who still enjoys his imagination and not acting to old for his age.

A table I picked up at a yard sale for $5.00, or a bunch of happy kids enjoying lunch under a big shade tree? I see seven gifts from God who are such a blessing to their parents and each other :)

Our Girl Scout

With the school year coming to an end there are a lot of little ceremonies going on. Today was the last day for Girl Scouts and the patches were given out. I have to give a hands up to Mrs. Sandy the troop leader. She is very supportive and never complains about not having enough help. She leads two different troops is a sweet women who really tires her best to build the friendships of the girls and for them to earn their patches! Pie really enjoys her time with the girls.

Our Little Electrician

Here is her most recent class project. They had to make lighthouses the actually worked. Each class mate was given a name of a lighthouse in Michigan and had to research and build a replica. This is White Fish Point Lighthouse. She worked all day Saturday and this was her finished project. They also had to make a brochure with points of interest and direction it was very creative! The class had them all set up in the gym Friday and we were able to view

them all and learn a little something. This was a great project and all the kids did so well.