Thursday, December 30, 2010

Three Stooges

I may never get to keep grand children again.   Then again my DIL may never get to keep her younger brothers again.   Seems one of the twins thought he would shock me if he suggested going swimming.  LOL little did he know!   He wanted to know how much I would pay him to jump in the pool.  I laughed and assured him not one cent as it happens around here often.  If he wanted to go swimming, he knew where the pool was.   After much (3 minutes) consideration the twins borrowed my thermometer and checked water temp., 56, ( I think.)  Wind chill was 63 or so and outside temp was low 70s.  They decided to go for it.   Then they started seeking other like minded people.   Grandson was game, but didn't have shorts, we supplied some.  Grand daughter was considering it, but she has been sick so mean Granola said nope.   I had one dd who was more than happy to provide shorts and such, but she has issues with the pool being cold in July, she wasn't going near it.  The other one has had a cough and didn't feel it was in her best interest.  So off these three boys went to "swim".   Seems swimming was a lot more like jump in jump out warm up dare each other to do it again.   I think the twins jumped three times and grand son only twice.  I recorded it for them, after all three had gotten wet, then came back in and let them be boys, (cold boys.)

Friday, December 24, 2010

Peanut Butter Bars


Peanut Butter Bars
(Think Reeses Cups)

1 1/2 C Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 lb Confectioners' sugar (3 - 3 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 C Peanut Butter

1 C Butter, melted

1 (12 oz) bag Milk Chocolate Chips (I used semi-sweet - no artificial stuff)

Combine cracker crumbs, sugar and peanut butter. Mix well.
Blend in melted butter until completely combined.
Press mixture evenly into a 9 x 13 inch pan.
Melt Chocolate chips in microwave or in double boiler.
Spread over peanut butter mixture.
Chill until just set and cut into bars (these are VERY hard to cut if the chocolate gets "rock hard".

These came highly recomeded from a friends blog.  They are everything she said they were.  They are very rich!  Enjoy!  

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Rambling for the week of Christmas

Life has been busy and not busy all at the same time.   I kept grandson a couple of days last week.  I snapped this picture as he was NOT climbing up on the stool.  I'm sure you can tell by his look he is doing nothing he shouldn't.  
I also have been DEEPLY involved in a great book.  It has enough action, starting near the end of WWII, that even MJ has ask to read it.  MN is next in line.  If she finishes it tonight she will sleep all day tomorrow.  It isn't a quick read, with just over 600 pages.   The title is:  Living a Life of Fire - Reinhard Bonnke - An Autobiography .  I finally finished it this afternoon.  It is one of those that leaves you wanting more.  Not sure if you want to start another book or just soak in thinking of what you just read and what this one man has done for Jesus. 

While I was finishing up reading, MN started baking.  We have been gifted with a local food bank willing to allow us to help.  They are handing out food on Thur.  Our church family is being allowed to help hand out food baskets.   We offered and were allowed to make goody bags to go with them.   MN is baking cookies. 


LOTS of cookies!   She is talking about baking some no-bake cookies to go with these cookies.  These are her favorite and really taste awesome.  They start with a basic oatmeal cookie recipe off the oatmeal box.  Then she adds several unmeasured large spoons of peanut butter.  Then she finishes it off with a generous supply of chocolate chips. 

T is talking about baking either carrot or banana bread for them tomorrow.  It is nice to see them baking while we don't get to eat all the goodies.  

Thursday we will meet with friends and decorate goodie bags and fill them for handing out.   Kids are so excited!   It will be a fun!  

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Our Day... Tuesday....

Our day starts with feeding babies.  I now have three on this sweet cow.   She is doing really good with
them.  One of them has really mastered jumping up on the bucket and finding dinner.   The newest one is the slowest.  She is younger by about a week.  She will figure it out pretty soon. I know that they are getting full since they grunt when I go to pick them up to put them back in their pen. 

 Home school 101.   Today they worked on the septic system.  The boys learned a lot.  MJ assures me he doesn't know what he wants to be but he knows it isn't a plumber!  MJ and D11 both got to be plumbers assistant today.  That requires a lot of shovel work and yucky work.  




Good news is it is all done correctly now and not done less than correct, which is the story of everything we replace.   The sewer hasn't been touched in over 15 years.  We have been blessed.   I pray since it is done right that it is many many more years than 15 before anything else needs doing. 

Boys did do lots of helping.  They toted and dug and leaned on shovels and threw dirt clods at each other.  

Tomorrow we get to do fence building 101.  Two fences had to be taken down to work on the sewer.  Tomorrow we will need to get them fixed back.  The question is will I put them back where they were or will I move them?  

I will have grandson tomorrow so not sure how much we will get done.  I know if it is warm he will have a blast playing in the dirt where the skid steerer powdered it.    Mommy may not like me.  Oh well he does wash well!   :)  I know he must, he is always clean and fresh when I get him.  He is seldom clean and fresh when she gets him back. 

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Sunday Edited...

God blessed us with a beautiful sunrise this morning.  I wonder if my DIL had to stop driving and take some pictures as she was heading toward the rising sun.   I just snapped 2 photos,  for me pretty good.

We have been having toilet problems.  This afternoon dh brought in the big guns to dig.  I am not sure what is going on.  He is hunting the septic tank.  We have never had a problem with it so in almost 15 years never knew where it was.   I sorta know where the field lines are... sorta.  

He is following the line, but the line was heading downward and getting deeper so he decided to use a bigger shovel.   For now using the downstairs bathroom is not recommended. Update on that issue it is "usable" but not much so until Tue. 

Oh one more shining thing today.  I had a ewe get horned yesterday by a cow.  We tried to save her, but :( she did make it.  So we had two bottle baby lambs to add to the "to do" list twice a day.   MN feed them off the milk goat she has a bottle baby goat on this morning.  I told her to separate Buckets from the calf in the back this morning.  This evening we brought her in and tossed a bucket under her for a stand.  It took maybe 10 seconds for lambs to figure out where the milk comes from.   Beyond that it was just keeping them balanced on the bucket. 

Life is never dull!!!  Life is never "normal"!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Heart of Motherhood Encounter

Welcome
H.O.M.E.

Heart of Motherhood Enrichment Retreat


“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest Walk with me and work with me, watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message Bible)

If you occasionally need a “pick-me-up and “fill-my-cup Lord” weekend, then join us as we look to God to give us a clearer, burden free path of raising and disciplining our families. God desires for us to have peace, joy, and even rest on our motherhood journey! The Heart of Motherhood Enrichment retreat is a retreat for moms that need to be encouraged, inspired and uplifted by the Word of God. Join us this year as we welcome a group of Godly women as our speakers: Elaine Russo, Vanessa Simon, Molly Criner, Cindy McCloy, and Nola Jones, and Julie Zesch.

Where: Heart of Texas Bible Camp, Brownwood Texas

Cost: $110.00 This cost includes: your lodging, 6 meals (Dinner Fri. evening through Lunch Sun. ) many blessings and a retreat packet. Registration deadline is January 23nd . Early bird registration $100.00 – due December 31st.


Unable to attend all weekend, consider coming for the day on Saturday. The cost for one day will be $50.00

As a part of our ministry we believe in feeding your body with God given healthful foods. Our meals will be served with whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, preservative free, home-baked, nutritious and delicious!!!


Hello ladies;

Retreat is 9 weeks away. The team is very excited about what the Lord has put on our hearts to share with you this year. We're all looking forward to seeing you again. We're planning a fun, exciting,relaxing,and enriching weekend!!!  Please forward to anyone you think may be interested. Remember to take advantage of the early bird registration – Dec. 31st.

Blessings to you all,



The H.O.M.E. team



I have regestration forms I can email out to anyone who wants one.  Please let me know!  
 
Nola

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Thinking and Sharing my Thoughts

I just finished a book that had lots of food for thought. The title is "Satan's Dirty Little Secret", by Steve Foss. This is the second time I have read it. It really is a book that you could read every few months as a reminder of where your focus needs to be.

He feels there are two root "spirits" that cause most of our emotional issues and also our addictions. Those two spirits are insecurity and inferiority. If you look at Eve in the Garden of Eden the devil tempted her. He made her feel insecure. Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Gen 3:4 He caused her to doubt the Word of God. God said she would die, satan lied, and planted a seed of doubt/insecurity. Then he said something that made her feel inferior. He told her IF she ate the fruit she would be like God. Right there she should have called Satan for what he is, a liar! She forgot the part where she was created in the image of God. She forgot the part where God gave her and Adam dominion over all the earth and every critter there. That would have included satan since he was on the earth. Instead she watered the seeds of insecurity and inferiority that satan had planted. She took a bite, and in doing so gave the earth to satan. He couldn't steal it; he had to trick Adam and Eve into giving it away.

How often does satan come along and sow seeds in your life of insecurity and inferiority? How often are you told you don't measure up by that little voice in your head? What would have happened if Eve had known her place with God and turned on the devil and told him he was lying, she already was like God! What would happen if we started doing that? Satan wants us to compare. God wants us to keep our eyes focused on Him, not your neighbor. Paul said it this way, Oh, don't worry; we wouldn't dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant 2 Corinthians 10:12 (New Living Translation) How often do we do just that?

As we go into the shopping season, look at the advertising all around you. How much is sowing the seeds of insecurity and inferiority? What is the number one message of advertising? Buy this and look better, feel better, have more friends, basically either fit in or be superior! They feed those nasty seeds of insecurity and inferiority, with that underlying message if you don't do this then you won't "fit in".

How many people are in debt today trying to fit the mold of what their life should look like? How many young people starve themselves trying to fit the model of being "skinny enough" which once that takes hold they can never obtain skinny enough they obtain death by starvation. How many people drink, do drugs and look at porn because they feel inferior to those around them and want to drown that feeling in any way they can. Science now understands that doing these things releases 'feel good' emotions in the brain. The high doesn't last and takes more and more to reach it, but still it is an attempt to short cut feeling good, instead of depending on God and trusting in Him. Once the cycle starts breaking it without divine help is extremely hard.

Inferiority and insecurity do seem to be at the root of a lot of our issues. If we become aware and seek God to show us how our actions relate to the inferiority and insecurity we will start taking authority over those spirits and refusing to participate. If we dig up a lot of scriptures to quote back to those spirits as they taunt us we will defeat them. We will come to really understand and believe we are Sons and Daughters of the most High God. We will know we can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We will start exercising our God given power and authority over our situations instead of feeding the negative.

Feeding the negative, how much easier is it to sort out inferiority and insecurity if we just stop feeding negative thoughts? When we start to judge or compare, if we remind ourselves that isn't our job, that's God's. Judging and comparing are very much inferiority and insecurity. If we take every thought captive and don't go down the road of judging and comparing ourselves to others we will stop them in their tracks! How much fuller will your day be if you don't allow yourself to judge and compare. How much richer will you be in the things of God, joy, peace and love if we keep judgment and comparison out of our day?

Join me today as I battle this battle. I am guilty! I do judge and compare. I am more secure in who I am in Christ than I was a few years ago, but I still judge and compare. I don't judge and compare as much, but it does raise its ugly head more than it should. OK it shouldn't at all! If you want to post a verse that helps you stay focused on who you are in Christ or join in praying for me as I pray for you in this area please leave a commit.


 


 

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

A peak at our day...

This first picture was the other night.  Granddaughter was loving Pepper.  She really loves him as you can see.  She was saying "Sweet Pepper" as she rubbed her head all over him. 
 This morning T decided to check out a book of "Breads of the World".  She loved the braided breads.  She ask if she could make some.  She had LOTS of help.  It is hard to see here there are two boy heads, not one.
 They are busy shaking down the flour as it grinds. 
 Once it was made she started braiding.  I was impressed. 
 She worked hard at rolling strings to braid. 
 Finished products!  She got tired of braiding and did some dinner rolls.  Aren't they pretty?

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

General review on all our adopted kids....

I posted this on our adoption board, combining the different threads of different adoptions into one.  We really are one family now.  Usually kids don't even fight along pre-adoption lines.   I decided to move it over here with some editing.   I want people to know that adoption is hard, but it is so rewarding.   Here is a re-cap of our lives and our kids.

We have had the boys almost a year. We are 22 days shy. I see so much change in both of them. D11 is such a willing child. He learns a chore and most of the time does it without being told. He checks the dog and cat feed almost without fail. He loves the cats! He keeps the pool full. Yesterday he was first finished with school. I remember when he did nothing but school, or sit and not do school. Now most days he is done in a timely manor. Often he will work ahead and have only one or two for the next day. I do find his loving cats interesting. He had never been around cats before coming here. At first he would pet them, but when he carried them he would hold them at arms length so they wouldn't scratch him. Now he will have more than one in his arms cuddled. As to cat scratches, "They don't hurt to bad." so he has told me. He has overcome so many fears. He learned to swim enough to swim across the pool, 20 ft, not well but enough to not drown. He couldn't sit on the steps and blow bubbles to start with.   He has went from being afraid of the stock to playing with them. He loves on the milk cows and the calves are fun to teach to lead. He use to be afraid of the dark. He would not play outside after dark if he had to get out from under the guard light. Now I have to call all of them in from parts unknown. He is also becoming a baby lover. He went from not being able to carry a child without looking like he would drop it to toting 1 yo around like a pro.


Then there is D8. While he has grown and learned so much self control we still battle lots of ODD actions. I still say he probably has the highest IQ of any of my children. He has never been able to complete an IQ test so his test scores show borderline MR. Yesterday was a good example of ODD. He had the job of picking up toys in the living room and sweeping. Not a hard job. There were maybe 8-10 toys total scattered around, which at our house is nothing. He couldn't "see" more than half of them. I just smiled and told him to have a seat on the stool. I was sure sitting would improve his eye sight. The toys he couldn't see were about 6-12 inches from his feet. He started assuring me he could see them now. I wasn't moved. He was parked. He didn't yell and scream, he didn't cuss, he did state he didn't want to sit. I went on with life around him. We chatted about choices and why he didn't do his job correctly. He admitted he wanted to make me mad. I ask how it worked out. "It didn't!" ah to bad so sad. After being parked a few hours while school was being done, others chores were done he was given the chance to again do his chores and school. He hopped down, gathered ALL the toys and did a good job (for an 8 yo) of sweeping. Then he did his school. He did have a redo in history. He didn't read the lesson. Once he had to read the lesson out loud to me, he made a good grade. He played the rest of the day. He comes in talking about how much fun he is having. I use this to talk about choices again and how good choices make him have more fun. I do think slowly it is soaking in.
Other kids are adjusting and changing and growing daily.  We have had them almost 6 years.   MJ is working hard at helping his brother with the 18 wheeler and all that goes with that. Yesterday they replaced a mud flap. Today they are going to take a part a pick-up belonging to son's BIL. The timing chain is broke. Nope none of them have ever replaced one, but with the help of Google and mechanic friends they plan on it. Then they will spend the evening/night hauling livestock. I doubt they will be home tonight. Older son says MJ is making a great hand. He doesn't jump in and help until he understands well, which can be frustrating, but once he has it down he does a great job. Last night he skinned a deer all by himself. He and older son had went hunting and got this deer. MJ ask to do it. I did laugh at older son as it was driving him nuts not helping. I said welcome to my world!

MN has been struggling with lying, sneaking  and cheating again. She is 13. I "think, pray, hope" we have that back under control. I know it is a part of puberty with these kids. I know I know I know! I still don't like it! Her world has again been made very small by her choices. She seems to accept this and is working to regain trust. We will see. I struggle to trust her again. I ask for prayer for both of us to establish a good relationship again..

T is still busy! She will be 10 in a few days. She is walking close to disobedience in lots of ways. Skirting the edges of back talking and not doing things she should. She is still working over a year ahead in school. It is 8:30 and she is done with school today, with all good grades. Part of her problem is she is super smart and has to stay challenged. She loves to cook and is a good cook.  She has decided to write a book.  It will give her something to do. Over all I would say she is a very well adjusted adoptee.

S is living in AR.  I see her on Facebook along.  I hear through the grapevine she is expecting her first child in the spring.   I pray often for her and her child.   Grapevine has it she sleeps on various couches until she either gets mad or wears her welcome out.   My heart hurts for her and her child.  I struggled over Thanksgiving, as one of the reasons we decided to adopt an older OLDER teen was so they would have a home to come back to when they aged out of the system.   She could use every one's prayers.  
We made it through a holiday with little or no fall out! In my world this is amazing.  One reason we do school year around and take very short breaks is because when we do otherwise the fallout may last for weeks.   Monday, after a week off from school and a holiday went well! This is such a feat in this house. We have always had issues after time off from school. I always dread vacations and holidays because of the junk on Monday after. It is nice to see they are growing past that. Over all I would say our home is no more crazy than most homes that have 5 kids in them that are bio. Most days there are more than 5 kids. Today I have 2 yo grandson. I have him 1-3 days a week while mommy does bookwork. Then most days DIL, 1 and 3 yo come over for a while. Our home pulses with life!  I wouldn't trade it. 

Today is the last day of National Adoption Month.  I challenge everyone to have an adoption story 11 months from now.  Maybe not that you have adopted, or are waiting on kids, but how you helped an adoptive family or foster family.   Step out of your comfort zone.  When you look at their life remember it may not be the life they thought they were signing up for.   I often re-read and think about this statement off another blog.
Christ’s love leads us into places that no one else wants to go, where the stench and the mess and the heartache push out the well-dressed and the well-behaved.
Some days this statement so fits where we are in our walk.  It is filled with heartache.  It isn't what we signed up for, but it IS our reality today.   Those days I cling to the fact I serve a God bigger than any and all of my kids issues.  I know He is the God that heals. I know He is my rock.  Some days I just cling, some days I fight for healing for my kids.  Either way I can't do it without God and those He sends to help me.  I ask you to be reach out and be a God sent helping hand to someone today that needs a hand. 

Friday, November 26, 2010

Thanksgiving Photos

Really just photos of the season. 
This happens to be one of my favorite pictures.   Why?  Because less than 6 years ago this young man who looks so much like a daddy in this picture was a shell of a little boy.  Now he is a baby toter. As you can see the grand kids LOVE him.  He just sit down there to visit and in a few minutes he had kids all over him.  H just visited and let them climb, like a good daddy. 
 I kept grand kids Wed. night.  Thursday morning this sweet grandson woke up at 4:30.   I finally just took him to the couch and we cuddled and rested.  After I needed to get my day he kept napping and soaking on the couch.  Doesn't he look like he is ready to start his day?
 I thought she looked so cute here I had to snap. 

 Fruit salad!   See the big red bowl?  We filled it with fruit of various kinds. 
 Every one got in the act!  If they weren't chopping they were begging!
 Getting snacks lined out.  We had a veggie/olive/pickle tray out here besides grandmothers dip and trash. 

 After all the eating Dad held down the rocking chair a while.  Seriously overeating happened around here yesterday.  Several were holding down chairs.  The ones that weren't were small and maybe working on sugar overloads.  
Eating has already started today around here.  We had leftovers for breakfast.   We will have leftovers for lunch, supper, mid-morning snack, mid-afternoon..... and any other time I hear "I'm hungry" until they are ate!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Doing Nothing..........

I am training kids.  They are busy while I just sit back and supervise. 





 Tortilla roll ups!!! Mmmmmm D11 had never made them or tried them.  He is hooked!

Hanging out with grandson is my job.... Grand daughter was napping when most of this was happening.   I am proud of the kids that they are able to do.  
I do admit it is HARD not doing it all, but stepping back and letting them do with advice along.  I do know that they learn best doing.  They are doing awesome

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Getting Ready!

DIL had green chilies to peel.  She has worked and worked on them.  She still hasn't even gotten them all peeled. 
 Then there were those crumbling bread for dressing.   As always I ended up with more bread and cornbread than I needed.  NO I am not making two pans!  One pan is plenty big!
 On to peeling sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving.  I baked them this morning and MN and grandson were working hard to get them peeled.   We did discover we didn't have marshmallows for that pan full.   I called DH and let him know if he wants them topped he needs to get some marshmallows.  I would guess I will have some. 
 All the hard work tuckered out this 3 yo.  He assured me as I was putting both boys down that he wasn't sleepy.  I agreed with him that was fine.  He didn't have to nap, just rest.   He was the first one asleep!  
I do think he ended up falling off the bed.  

Pies and tortilla roll ups tomorrow!  Anyone need a place to have Thanksgiving?   Give me a call!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Random busyness

 Life has been busy around here. Lots of getting ready for Thanksgiving happening. Then you add two loads of hay that had to be unloaded then moved to where we wanted it.

If that wasn’t enough going on DIL and DD’s stripped a friends green chilies for him. He had covered them to get them through a couple of frost, but his words, “It’s time.” So they picked, and picked and picked. They brought home TWO produce crates worth of green chilies, ONE of red and 2 large bowls of assorted other peppers. Those all need roasting or drying or otherwise taken care of.


Today they spend a large part of the day roasting chilies. They have ONE crate roasted and ready to peel. Oh did I mention I bought a box of green chilies? I ordered them BEFORE they got the free ones. So we have those to roast also.

We made trash today and yesterday. I didn’t get any pictures. We did two batches. I wonder how much will be left for Thanksgiving if I allow them to eat all they want. Even granddaughter is into eating trash. We were laughing as it is sort of spicy. Yet she will eat it and eat it and eat it.



Produce order was HUGE.  Most people complain that their frig is over full the week before Thanksgiving, but for me to say it gives you an idea of just how full,  full is.



Other pictures are grand kids just being kids.  Don’t you love the “baby” in the stroller?   He pushed that kitty all over the house that day.   He did a really good job of not crashing him into things even.    He is really pretty careful, much more cautious than his cousin.  Then there is his younger GIRL cousin.  She is busy and seems to find herself stuck in lots of situations that the adults find humorous and that only adds to her frustration as we grab a camera instead of helping her out.  We do help her out, but not until she has been photographed.