Happy Family Joshua 24:15

Family Photo Shoot

2011-01-05T16:09:00.018-05:00

Here are the pictures of our recent family photo shoot. I think they are so good. Our photographer did a wonderful job. I posted all the different ones I could as far as background, etc. Two were posted sideways because I have no idea how to flip them. We had a lot of fun with this. I am going to try hard to have pictures taken before another 5 years goes by. :)

Christmas Day Pictures 2010

2010-12-28T15:33:00.019-05:00

Christmas 2010 was a bit different. We were 5 hours from our families. It was our decision, an agonizing one. Though the weather they were calling for went west of here, you never know what it could have done. Our dogs had a good Christmas for sure, which was one of our main concerns, them being at home in their own environment. I have to say we enjoyed one another's company, and being able to relax a little. It was different, yet my kids were more excited than ever before. Dalayna knew many secrets about what everyone was getting, and she said to me,"Mom, I can't wait for tomorrow to get here. My bottle of secrets is about to pop!!" So, here we are first thing Christmas morning. We hadn't been awake more than 2-3 minutes. Can you tell?

Terry finding lots of candy in his stocking, which Dalayna has purchased with her own money the past couple of years. She loves this job, and it is her idea. She loves stuffing everyone's stocking with candy.
Remington opening his gift. He tore open the present, then ate most of the paper, unfortunately. He opened it completely by himself.

Ranger, on the other hand, wasn't so sure about opening his present.

Remington waiting anxiously for Terry to take the tags off his toy. He played with it for a few minutes, then Ranger stole it and chewed the ball right off.

Notice Ranger in the background. We bought him a large rubber bone we thought would be hard to destruct, but I am telling you that dog, as little as he is, can destroy the most indestructible toy!! Here Remington and Terry are playing tug-of-war.

Colby opening the broadhead arrows we bought him for Christmas. He is all set to go hunting again one last time before the season ends. Let's hope he will come home with a deer this time.

This one picture of me, minus make-up. I figured I can post ONE picture like this in my lifetime

!!

Terry and Colby opening a gift from Dalayna.

Here is what was in the box: Mizzou hats in camouflage. They were definitely the favorite gift of the day. In case no one knew, we are huge Missouri Tigers fans in this house. If you question that, just look at how many Mizzou clothing items hang in our closets. Better yet, ask my mom how much she has spent buying Mizzou gear for us since we can't get it up here!! We will forever be Missourians at heart!!

Colby's big gift of the day: a bow and arrow case. By that evening, he had his bow and arrow all ready to go for the next and last round for the year.

Dalayna's long-awaited doll. This wasn't a very good picture of the doll, so there is one of the doll just below this. It is such a pretty doll, and she is happy because it looks Chinese.

Dalayna has named her Lucy.

Snow pants, a must for living up here in the frozen tundra. :)

Last but not least, the ham Terry's company gave us for Christmas. It is huge. I estimated it weighed between 15-20 pounds. It tasted delicious and we have so much left over it is unbelievable. We will probably be eating ham up until it is time to eat an Easter ham!! Can anyone think of different ways you use leftover ham?

Christmas Eve Pictures

2010-12-25T18:46:00.010-05:00

Here are the pictures we took Christmas Eve. Dalayna and Caillou had matching outfits and coats for tonight. Caillou even went to church with us last night. Someone at church said I should have picked out an extra large in the girls section and matched them. :) I sure do love the sparkle in this dress!! My 2 precious children.

My handsome son, who just can't seem to stop getting older and taller!!

Terry and me. Of course after we take these pictures we are checking out if we are showing signs of aging!!

I love this picture. Terry always takes a good picture.

Dalayna forgot to smile, but overall still a good picture. Maybe it's the photographer....?

After church we decided to let them open one gift each.

I followed in my cousin's footsteps and bought them new pajamas to wear for Christmas Eve. Colby's are Star Wars sleeping pants. He loves sleeping pants!!

Baby Caillou all dressed up for Christmas Eve.

For an added twist, we decided to sleep in the basement on Christmas Eve. Terry and I were in the guest bed, Dalayna on the couch and Colby on the air mattress bed. So, to all a good night!!

The Biggest Leaf Bag Ever

2010-12-23T22:34:00.007-05:00

Long before the snow fell we had plenty of leaves to rake up. They were giving away these extremely large bags where Terry works during the "raking season". Terry brought one home for us to put our leaves in. It was perfect for the job and Dalayna turned it into a personal sleigh. I had my own story with this large bag. Terry and I were out raking leaves one afternoon and I suddenly realized my wedding rings were missing....all 4 bands. It was chilly and my fingers had shrunk, and without even realizing it, all 4 were gone. Thankfully, after a thorough search inside the bag(me crawling around inside with all the leaves while Terry held the top of the bag from falling on me), I found all 4. I wonder what all the people driving by were thinking. Anyway, I was almost in tears as you can imagine. Raking leaves was really hard work, so here she is taking a little break while her daddy pulls her around the yard. This thing was about the size of a double bed in width and very tall. Just perfect for little girls to be pulled around on quite comfortably.

Lots of laughs and smiles!!

And away they go.................................

Meanwhile, big brother can hardly keep his eyes open after getting up at 3:30AM to go hunting.

All Dalayna Wants for Christmas is Her 2 Front Teeth!!

2010-12-22T22:15:00.005-05:00

Well, we have started our Christmas weekend with a bang!!! Dalayna pulled her other front tooth this evening. The other tooth has been out since early August with no sign of the new one yet. So, now she literally could sing the song about wanting her 2 front teeth for Christmas. She said it feels so weird, like she has 2 gums. She said she hopes one of them hurries up and comes in. I lost my two front teeth when I was 6 years old, and I used to stand in front of the mirror for however long it took to get those loose teeth out, just like she does. It is amazing how God gave me a child from the other side of the world that is so much like me!!

We Don't Have to Dream About a White Christmas!!

2010-12-14T16:46:00.010-05:00

I won't be dreaming of a White Christmas. I will have it most definitely.....all 25.2 inches of snow according to the National Weather Service. I took these pictures before we got the last 7+ inches last night. This section is now up to my waist. I did my aerobics in my back yard today wading through the snow. Actually, I was racing Colby and I didn't do too bad for an almost 40-year old person!! It is beautiful, and just like last year, we are enjoying being outside in it. This storm was a little bit different with all the blowing, drifting snow. It actually shut down schools, Dr.'s offices, businesses. Things never shut down here, so you know it must be something. We were even on the Weather Channel!! This snow drift is gone now, but I am amazed at how the snow can just hang there!!

Can you spot my air conditioner?

These drifts may not look very high, but they were up to my knees. I realize that doesn't take much to get to my knees, but it is still quite a bit of snow.

This is the biggest drift of all since our garage faces north, and the winds were coming straight from the north. As you can see, it completely covers our truck's front tire. Like a kid, I just had to go through it to see how high it was. It is up to my backside!!

Colby with the front drifts,which didn't seem to be so high.

The Snowy Season Begins

2010-12-07T20:54:00.003-05:00

I have been dreading it. All along I knew it was coming..... the snow.... all the snow......inches and inches of it. It is here now. The snowy season has begun. It's not so bad, I guess. It is beautiful, and most of all, makes everything feel so much like Christmas. Remington, our black lab, can't be out in it enough. Neither can my kids. The white dots in the picture are snowflakes. We have about 6-7 inches on the ground. I know that number will grow, and for now, I am used to the idea.

Closed for the Season

2010-11-20T17:36:00.004-05:00

I have jokingly told people our "inn" is closed for the season. We don't really have an inn, but our line of weekend guests has come to an end for the year. Our "inn" had 14 sets of weekend guests, so that is 14 weekends out of 2010 for overnight guests. We figured that on average, each guest stayed at least 3 days, making that 42 days of company. It was a lot of fun and we are thankful to each person who took the time out of their busy schedule to come visit us. Our thanks goes out to: First, my parents, who made several trips out here. Also, my wonderful mother and father-in-law, who also came several times. Thanks to Aunt Ina and cousin Jordan for coming this year. Thank you to my Aunt Jan, who came for a weekend, and dropped by another day to see my new house. Thank you to my cousins T.J., Amy, Adley, Jaylyn, and Leighton who came to see us for a weekend. Also, my Uncle Terry and friends, who enjoyed the fishing up here. Thank you to our friends Ron and Angela, and daughters, who came 2 weeks ago for a visit. We also had other friends from F.W. drop by for an afternoon, as well as my Uncle Clancey who came to see our house. Hopefully I haven't forgotten anyone!! Thank you all for making our 2010 a good year!!

Season of Thanks

2010-11-19T14:45:00.002-05:00

It has been a while since I had time to post, but I am hoping I can start with a renewed commitment over the next few weeks. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought I would spend some time reflecting on the past year of our lives.
The past year has been full of spiritual ups and downs for our family. We struggled with the whys of moving again, yet being thankful we had a job and a place to live. We realize several things: 1). God is in control, and I have no choice but to believe He will meet my needs, because that is what he promises in His word. I am not in control, period!! 2). You realize how much you don't need, and there is so much you can do without. We learned that we wasted a lot of our money. That is a lesson I hope we never forget. 3). It gives you a heart to help others facing the same thing. You know the fears they have of losing everything. You will do whatever you can do to help them out, specifically lifting them up in prayer.
Many people have asked if we are involved in a church here. I hope people would know our family well enough to realize church is an integral part of who we are. We have a great church family. They took us in immediately and when we aren't there, someone never fails to let us know they missed us. They made sure we got involved. Colby and I worked in VBS this summer, we have served in Children's Church and Terry and I work in Awana. We were also just asked to be involved on the Missions Committee. Terry and Colby were involved in helping on a project at our parsonage. Colby is an active part of the youth group. He takes guitar lessons on Wednesday night from our youth pastor, and Dalayna received her first lesson this past Wednesday. Dalayna is in Awana, too. There are always things going on at church. We have been attending there a year now. I remember how hard it was to think about getting to know yet another church family, yet we made it through the first year just fine, by God's grace. My advice to anyone facing that situation is to GET INVOLVED, don't sit on the sidelines, be a part of the action.
In my mind I have kicked and screamed about being in a place where I don't really want to be, yet despite my complaining, God has continued to be so good to us. Life here is different. Terry and I have decided we must have been living in different world before. There are so many people who have had tragedies happen in their lives. I have NEVER seen so much tragedy. There are so many people with needs. At first, I thought, "Get me out of this place!", and maybe someday God will, but for now, what a wonderful opportunity to minister to someone. Please pray that God will use our family in some way for however long we are here.
I have also met a lot of wonderful homeschooling moms. They have been very helpful in telling me what is available for homeschoolers around here, especially the ones that have been in my prayer groups at co-op. None of them read my blog, so I can say, honestly, they are wonderful ladies. One of them is from St. Louis!! There are a lot of neat kids in the group, too, so I don't have to worry about who my kids friends are.
One of the other blessings we have received is more time as a family. My husband has the first job since our marriage began where he is home in time to eat dinner and never works weekends. The 70-80 hour weeks are a thing of the past. We have enjoyed it so much. Would we ever take another job where we would have more money but see him less? Not by choice, because we have come to realize the money is not worth the sacrifice. The company he works for is so good to their employees, too. They give rewards for safety, gift cards for birthdays, parties for the employees. You just don't see that much these days.
I am more content with where I am. It has taken a long time to get there. My friend Betsy was very blunt when she said that we were supposed to be content with where God has put us. I cried, because I knew what she said was true. In this season of thanks, I have much to be thankful for, as God continues to grow and stretch me. May I never forget all I have to be thankful for!!

Fall is Here

2010-10-13T15:21:00.009-04:00

Ah, the colors of fall... brown, yellow, orange, red; all in brilliant array. I also love the rustle of crunchy leaves, and for the most part, don't mind raking them. We have plenty to rake in this yard. So, yesterday afternoon we started on the side yard. The kids were having fun running and hiding in them of course. So they decided Ranger needed a little fun, too.

One pile of leaves, which serves as a good hiding spot. All these leaves are from this one tree. As you can see, we only raked up half. It is hard to believe this is all from one tree. Also, notice our privacy fence. We could not afford to fence the whole yard this year, so our friend put up this one section for us. It gives us plenty of privacy from the street pictured here. It is a very busy street.

There are no colors here, but this was just a neat picture as the sun began to set last night. This flagpole is in our sideyard next to the driveway.

Our maple tree just turned yellow in the past day or so, and it's leaves are falling fast. One of my favorite trees is the blue spruce next to the maple.

This tree is amazing to see. It is totally split in color right down the middle, and the colors get brighter every day. Have you ever seen a tree with a green side and a side turning colors? By the way, this is my neighbor's tree, but I just had to take a picture because it is so unusual.

Bowling Fun

2010-10-04T15:11:00.006-04:00

Last Sunday we went bowling as a family. The last time we went bowling was over a year ago. It was an event for homeschool families. The bowling alley was smoke-free(thankfully), and they gave us a treat by playing Christian music as we bowled. This event was sponsored by the 2nd group I am now a part of. The other group is for the co-op classes, this group is mostly for field trips and events like this one. A good majority of the people in our co-op classes are a part of this group as well, so the kids get to see many of their friends. This should also fill our calendar pretty well, too. And as a side note, Colby joined our group's 4-H club last week. I always thought it was for people who had a farm, but it is for anyone. In March, Dalayna will join Mini 4-H, and will have the opportunity to do sewing projects, etc. I will keep you up to date on how that is going!! Busy, busy, busy!! Here Terry is trying to get Dalayna to put her fingers in the correct holes on the ball, but she wasn't interested. Instead she did the "granny bowl" ,as I like to call it!!

They also put the bumpers up for all of us, which made it so much easier for the younger kids.

Colby chose to bowl with some of his friends.

I just noticed that her shoes match her outfit!!

Some tips from big brother. When Colby was finished with his 2 games, he came over and tried to help Dalayna bowl. We had a great time, and I beat Terry at both games!! I tried to take a picture of the scores on the screen, but it didn't work, so you will have to take my word for it. This group is supposed to do more bowling events, so we will look forward to those!!

Thanks to My Kids

2010-10-01T14:46:00.003-04:00

A special thanks to my children, who worked together on the computer in designing this month's blog header. Now they need to teach me a few things about the "paint" feature on the computer.

For the Birds

2010-09-28T19:26:00.009-04:00

While Colby was at the football game, Dalayna got some one-on-one time with Daddy. One of the things they enjoy doing together is feeding the birds. They put up all the bird feeders. (It's only taken us 4 months to do that.) One of the bird feeders they hung up Terry made several years ago. It is very simple with holes for food, and a small peg for the birds feet. It is pictured below. So Dalayna and Terry mixed peanut butter and bird seed and filled the holes with it. It was a messy job, but the birds ate it right up!!! I was kind enough to contribute my Reese's peanut butter. I didn't really want to share it with the birds, but didn't want to ruin my daughter's special time with Daddy either.

Prepare to get messy!!

Dalayna got very messy mixing the seeds and peanut butter, but you can tell she enjoyed it by the smile on her face.

I think Terry got even messier filling the holes. The good news is it was easy to clean up. I took a bowl of warm soapy water outside, they scrubbed off, dumped the water in the yard and it was all taken care of. I hope the birds enjoyed their work!!

Colby Goes to College(for a football game)

2010-09-27T20:58:00.004-04:00

Colby had the privelege to go to college for the 2nd time a week ago. He traveled to the University of Michigan to watch the Wolverines play the University of Massachusetts. He had a great time and saw a good game. He is pictured here with his friends J.C.(left) and Larry(right). J.C. is our pastor's son, and he saved his own money so he could pay for his friends tickets to the game. That was kind, wasn't it? Our pastor is the one that took them to the game and took this picture. You know I didn't take this picture because it is just too good!! The final score!! I wanted to post more pictures, but we weren't sure if we could do that. They took over 60 pictures and our pastor was very thoughtful and made sure Colby had his own copies. Terry plans on accompanying them next time.

Pioneer Fun

2010-09-17T14:47:00.009-04:00

This week the kids and I were able to experience pioneer life for a few hours. I have to say it was one of the best field trips we have ever taken. It was also a bonus that I didn't have to drive very far. We experienced life in a log cabin, the barn and farm equipment, a blacksmith shop, and Dalayna's favorite, a one-room schoolhouse. As we read books she has had many questions about what it was like to go to school in those days, and she got to experience i firsthand. My favorite part of the day was simply watching my children sitting side by side learning together. Here is the windmill in the pioneer garden. I think windmills are neat, so I just had to take a picture. In the garden were tomatoes, peppers, and lots of herbs. They reminded us a lot during our visit that there were no Wal-Marts back then, so the pioneers had to grow and make everything themselves. I know it was all for the benefit of the kids, but if we all admit it, none of us would know what to do without a Wal-Mart nearby!! That was one of my biggest concerns in the past moves!!

There was even a blacksmith shop, and the man actually did things with metal while we were there.
One of the neatest things for the kids was during our lunch break. They provided the kids with toys that would have been played with by pioneer children. Even the parents took part in this, including me. Here is Dalayna with the metal hoops they used to roll down the street. Dalayna and I tried to get ours to roll down the street, but it just didn't work.

These walking blocks were fun.

This is of course the only picture I could get of Colby, since he pretends to be camera shy most of the time. He is playing a mental tug-of-war game. Your opponent stands on one block and you on the other. You tug and pull at the rope until one of you gets too much slack and falls off the block. It looks simple, but playing it really does require some thinking. I wanted to be Colby's opponent, but lunchtime was over much too soon. He is sure he would have beat me. Maybe he would have??????

Vacation Bible School

2010-09-16T15:31:00.009-04:00

In July, we participated in VBS at our church. One of Colby's jobs was to help our youth/assistant pastor, Ryon, lead the music. Ryon gave him the name of "Colby Cheese" for the week, and I am still hearing kids call him that on Sundays and Wednesdays. The kids really liked Colby. He can relate to kids of any age since he has a much younger sister. That is one of the blessings of having kids several years apart. We did miss the last day because Colby was extremely ill with his asthma. Ryon told the kids Colby had eaten some bad cheese!!

Dalayna in front of one of the many murals in the hallway. We had an island theme, and on that island were "dangers. " Through those dangers, the kids were encouraged to trust Christ when they feared something, like David when he faced Goliath, etc.
Here are some pictures of game time. Notice Dalayna is in the front, but when it came time to be pulled into the pool of water, she let go and stepped out of the way quickly. She is not one for getting messy, so the obvious choice was to let someone else get all wet!! Colby and I were able to work with her age group several days, so that was fun.

You see she finally learned that being in the back is better.

One of the cute little snacks they had : cheesy hands and crackers.

Here the challenge was to put a water balloon between you and your partner and walk a certain distance without either of you popping it on your backs or dropping it. I didn't get a picture, but Colby and I actually did this without popping a balloon!

We had a great time. We were sad to miss the last day due to Colby's illness, but we look forward to next year's VBS.

First Day of School Pics

2010-08-26T20:26:00.008-04:00

Yes, this is last year's 1st day of school picture. I just wanted everyone to see how much my beloved children have grown right before my very eyes. My wonderful son is now a young man, taller than me, with a deep voice. My little girl has grown, lost some teeth but yet continues to be my baby. It happens much too quickly. I am so thankful I can be with them each day watching them learn and grow. This year. A year of pre-algebra(YIKES!!) with Colby and learning about the 50 states with Dalayna. So far so good. We are trying a different math this year and they both love it. It is hard for me to get used to since I taught another curriculum for so many years, but if they enjoy it, I will deal with it, gladly. Dalayna's study was all about Texas where we learned about the Alamo, that Fritos and Dr. Pepper originated in Texas, 2 things my mother could live on!! On to Montana next week.

What a difference a year can make!! The more he grows and matures, he becomes more of a helper around here. We are thankful for his servant heart.

Dalayna is pictured here with her very favorite object in the whole world: her baby doll who she named "Caillou." Caillou was a gift to Dalayna at our baby shower from dear friends, and she goes everywhere with us. She goes to church on Sunday night, the grocery store and waits in the van, even on vacation. She and Dalayna have many matching outfits and someday I will do a blog about it. Caillou even comes to school every day. What fun to be a little girl!! Even more fun for mom and Grandma Judy to shop for matching outfits for these two!!

100th post

2010-08-24T16:42:00.004-04:00

Hurray for the 100th post!! I feel like I have done something...not sure what, but 100 posts shows perserverance, determination, sticking with something, or maybe just that I should have more than that by now. In 100 posts we have:
1. Found a job by God's grace
2. Started 2 new school years.
3. Moved 2 times.
4. Had 3 different addresses.
5. Sold a house and bought a new one.
6. Had to learn yet another new phone #. Just don't ask me what it is because I will freeze up and not remember!!
7. Unpacked and packed over 100+ boxes.
8. Seen God work in our lives.
9. Had lots of visitors to post about, but can always use more!!
10. Cried at leaving old friends, yet rejoicing God has provided new friends.
11. Learned the meaning of lake-effect snow.. it's no joke!!
12. Shoveled so much snow I feel professional about it!!
13. Learned that I am no good at taking pictures.
14. driven my children crazy with my need to blog about stuff, therefore needing to take lots of pictures.
15. joined a homeschool group.
16. learned that though we don't always understand God's plan for our lives, He is always faithful. He will provide for us in situations we have such a hard time understanding.
17. been provided with yet another wonderful church family.
18. Started this school year with no plans for any moves... what a stress reliever that is!!
I guess I could go on and on, but the point is that almost a year has gone by since my 1st post. God has grown our family in ways that have brought us much closer together. I hope that in 100 posts, our family has brought Him much glory!!

Toothless Wonder

2010-08-20T18:57:00.007-04:00

Dalayna's top teeth have been loose for quite a while. One of them finally loosened up enough to come out. She worked worked for that tooth to come out. She requested I take a picture of her trying to pull it and post it on my blog. So here it is. With a little help from her daddy, it came right out. Little is the key word, because she was determined to do it herself. Then she came into the living room and told me she decided to give up for the night because it just wasn't going to come out. Then she smiled and laughed and there was the hole in the mouth.

We can't get over how different it makes her look with one tooth missing. She also had to adjust to talking with her tooth missing. She had a little trouble for a day or two, and she said it took longer to read books!! Now she is fine and talking normally again. Too cute!!

I am always coming up with nicknames for my kids. So we thought we could call Dalayna "Toothless Wonder" until it grows back. The new tooth is nowhere in sight, so that could be her nickname for awhile!!

Night at the Beach-Part 1

2010-08-13T15:32:00.012-04:00

The 2nd weekend of July, there is a fireworks display along the beach. The couple from our church who has the home on the lake invites the youth to come for a cookout and to watch the fireworks. Colby wasn't too terribly dismayed that we decided to tag along, so we tagged along!! It was fun. As the fireworks display was winding down it started to rain. Hearing the thunder roll across the lake was a great display of God's power, that's all I can say. It was the loudest thunder I have ever heard in my life. Here is Dalayna in the lake before it started lightning. It looks like it was completely dark when she was in the water, but it wasn't.

By the time we ate, it was completely dark. It was good food!!
One of our recent high school graduates, Matt. Matt has been a good friend to Colby. We pray he will do well as he goes away to college.

One halfway decent picture of the fireworks.

Dalayna loves playing in the sand.

Abby and Zac digging a hole.

Jadon and one of the youth girls, Hannah. She is so good with the kids!!

Colby and some of the other youth playing football. How you can see the ball in the dark I am not sure, but they managed. My friend Lisa took these pictures for me. I knew if I got anywhere near my son with the camera I would embarass him to pieces, so I sent someone else instead!! He had no idea Lisa had taken pictures for me until we got home.

Blueberry Picking

2010-08-12T09:19:00.005-04:00

In early July, we did something we had never done before; we went blueberry picking. Blueberries have never been my favorite fruit to eat, but after this, they are in my top 5. The bad part is, when I have eaten them, they were from the store. Picking fresh blueberries just ruins the thought of store-bought ones. I was in the store on Monday and saw some blueberries. I thought blueberries sounded awfully good, but just couldn't bring myself to buy them because the thought of fresh, sweet blueberries right from the bush was in my mind. If you ever get the chance to go blueberry picking, do it!! It will be on my calendar for next summer for sure. In the meantime, I have 2 large bags sitting in my freezer to give me a taste of summer when the lake-effect snows begin to fall. Here is Dalayna with some of her friends.

Colby was a great helper. He is not one for eating fruits and vegetables, but I think he had as many handfuls of blueberries as I did. Good news: we DIDN'T eat so many we made ourselves sick.
Can you tell how big those blueberries are? We picked 6 pounds of them.

They give these little cups with strings to the kids so they don't have to carr around large buckets. I thought that was a great idea.

4th of July Fun-Part 2

2010-08-11T12:45:00.010-04:00

In must be ingrained in me that on the 4th of July you have to be surrounded by people. In my family, that's the way it's always been , and I enjoy every minute of it. Last year we spent the day surrounded by friends in F.W.. This year it was no different. We were very thankful to have not only my parents with us, but friends from church and Terry's work. We were supposed to be able to see the fireworks from the local fairgrounds, but the view wasn't quite what we thought it would be. So, we enjoyed the view we had, and most importantly , the fellowship. Here is our new favorite game:Ladderball. We went and bought one(on sale at a local store) for this day.

Our friend, Frank,competing against Colby, who is really good at this game. I came close to beating Colby once, and coming close was something to be proud of!!

Terry with our friends from church, Jillian and Nate. Jillian is the friend who had the pedicure party that Dalayna and I enjoyed attending.

My wonderful parents.

Jadon, who is a huge Spiderman fan.

In the middle is Ryon, our assistant pastor, guitar teacher and dedicated youth leader, and his wife Lisa. We are extremely thankful for their work with the youth, as well as their friendship.

Frank and Diane, who came over a few nights ago and participated in catching lightning bugs. I took a few pictures, but they didn't come out so good. Instead, I wound up blinding everyone with the flash on my camera. I do have to tell this: At one point( it was very dark), I took a picture and Terry came rushing my way, thinking it was a lightning bug, then discovered it was just my camera flash. Now that was funny!!

Lisa and Ryon playing bean bag toss, their game she was kind enough to let us use.

4th of July Fun-Part 1

2010-07-23T20:21:00.010-04:00

As you can see I am not the best one-handed photographer, but I wanted to get a picture of Dalayna in action jumping rope. This is part of what we spent our 4th of July weekend doing-jumping rope. Yes, even I got involved . I figured it was a way to celebrate being another year older.

Don't you love the pony-tails in the air? Dalayna learned to jump rope in our homeschool classes this year. We had tried it at home, but she really got the hang of it in class.
Here is my moment of glory(HA!) I was laughing so hard I messed up!! The good news is-I can still jump at my age!!! The flip side of that is I need more exercise, so the aftermath of this is I am walking 2 miles a day now.

Terry didn't want me to post these pictures, but I just had too because hey, I don't get good action shots very often, but this is a good one. He can still jump too and he is several months older than me.;) The aftermath for him involves running 2-3 miles a day!!

Colby's turn.

Back to Dalayna.

Visiting around the table. This usually involves everyone but me eating some form of chocolate, but we must have all had our fill of food for the day!!

Dalayna's attempt to jump rope before everyone got involved; using the garden flag as a "person" holding the rope.

Pedicure Party

2010-07-14T16:27:00.008-04:00

Last month Dalayna and I were invited to a pedicure party at my friend's house. Of course we jumped at the chance since we don't always have time to do our nails and such. It was just a little mommy-daughter time. It was also a great chance to get to know a few people at church better. Dalayna soaking her feet. We decided this is a must when the weather turns cooler. Let's hope that is a way off!!

Here is her very first time painting her own nails. One of her friends was at the party and since she paints her own nails, I thought Dalayna should try it for herself. She did a pretty good job!!

Another first: Dalayna painting my nails!! Her friend Sarah is watching intently.

Would you believe these things are cookies? One of the ladies at church, who bakes cakes for a living made these. Are they adorable or what? And they tasted great too!! So our party was complete with soaking our feet, painting our nails and cute feet cookies!!

June Visitors

2010-07-12T11:24:00.007-04:00

In June, we hosted our very 1st overnight guests:My in-laws. We always enjoy their visits and this time was no different. My father-in-law wanted to be put to work, so he started mowing grass. Unfortunately our John Deere mower started giving him problems and as of right now, is currently out of comission. We are getting plenty of exercise mowing it by hand. Anyway, we appreciated his help since our yard is so large. He also did some of the mowing using the push mower, which is not self-propelled!! My kids love being outside.

Grandma and Dalayna getting ready to play solitaire.

A refill on coffee anyone?

At the European market, where we tasted some of the best jelly ever. It was cherry jelly made from Michigan cherries. It was so good, but economics won out over taste since it was $10 for a little jar. We did buy a bag of kettle corn, my favorite, and a loaf of fresh french bread. There were fresh pastries, cheeses, fruits and vegetables; lots of good food!!

We also took them to the beach. It was around 90 degrees that day and the water felt wonderful. As you can see, there were lots of people there.

Colby's Acting Debut

2010-07-08T09:07:00.006-04:00

Back in May, Colby took part in a play with teenagers from our homeschool group. It was actually one of the classes they offered for the semester. He wanted no part of it. He wanted to do behind the scenes stuff like lights, props,etc. They needed people to take parts, so Colby was drafted. He had 3 different roles. They performed the play "Pilgrim's Progress." Maybe I am partial, but I think our group did an excellent job. The moms who led the class put together the costumes, props, everything. The teens also did a great job memorizing their lanes, and some had quite a few. I am thankful Colby got to participate in an event of this kind. I will probably NEVER get him to do this again, so I enjoyed the moment. Colby, as Mr.Worldly Wiseman talking to the character "Christian."

Mr.Worldly Wiseman

Part of the group photo.

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-03T11:03:00.001-04:00

Happy 4th of July!! Dalayna designed this post for me. She did a great job!! Take time this holiday weekend to thank God for the many freedoms we have. Thank God also for those who fight that we may have those freedoms.

Beach Day!!

2010-06-29T17:23:00.005-04:00

Today was what summer should be about:Friends, fun, sun and of course, the beach. I decided I am tired of staying home almost every day of the week, so I told my kids that one day of each week we will do something fun, whether it involves the beach, shopping, the zoo, whatever. So this weeks activity was going to the beach. Just what I have been looking forward to since last summer. Only this was a full day. My friends Pam and Lisa and their kids were there too. I think everyone had a great day and will sleep well tonight from all the activity. We did pick the coolest day of the week, so the water was a bit too chilly for me, but it certainly didn't stop any of the kids, even though at times their teeth were chattering. We were at a private area of the beach belonging to a couple at our church who live right on the lake. They are extremely generous to everyone in their invitations to come to their home and use the beach area, and the lower area of their house where there is a bathroom and kitchen area if needed. They invited our family the 1st time they met us, which amazed me. Here is Dalayna with her friend Abby. They had a wonderful time building sand castles and digging in the sand. Unlike the boys, they preferred to stay out of the water until right before we left. Colby and Jadon(Abby's brother) venturing into the water even though the outside temp was only in the 60's at the time. The waves were as loud and large as the ocean today, so Colby was happy since he likes to body surf those big waves.

Colby was a good big brother to all the kids today since he was the only teen. He kept them busy and watched out for all of them.

All the sand castles....isn't that they type of thing kids are supposed to do instead of sitting watching TV and playing video games?

I thought this was the cutest picture. Poor Abby had been knocked over by one of the waves, so she and Dalayna were holding hands to keep from being knocked over. And a good time was had by all.......

Tour of the House-Part 3 The Finale-:)

2010-06-24T11:52:00.011-04:00

I am not ending my finale with big fireworks or the best room in the house. It is simply my hall bath and 2 of my 3 storage areas. Afterall, isn't storage what counts to many of us these days...where to put all the stuff we somehow acquire? I hope you have enjoyed seeing what everything looks like in our new home. Maybe this will be my home longer than a year this time........We are very thankful to be in our own home again and know we were able to do this because God provided the buyer for our house in FW.

We do have a bathtub with shower in the hall bath. It is ceramic tile on the inside. What fun to clean!! I do have to say the former owners left it in excellent condition. I hope to take care of it as well as they did.

I reallylike this vanity. What appears to be drawers are really doors with plenty of storage inside. The very bottom is a drawer. I also have a large linen closet next to the shower.

Obviously the stairs into the basement.

Storage room #1. All the clothes in the corner are winter clothes. Somehow over the winter they multiplied. Maybe it is because Colby is taller so his clothes are bigger, or because I want to wear nothing but sweaters living in the land of the frozen tundra(HA!). I am still trying to figure it out!! We went from 5 tubs of winter clothes to 7 tubs, plus some big storage bags. I guess I will figure it out next winter.

Storage room #2. This room will belong to Terry and Colby for their fishing and hunting gear. It is also a nice storm shelter, where my kids were last night when those 70mph winds blew through!! We were told the people who originally owned this house put this wash tub in to use for canning veggies, etc. In storage room #3, which is not pictured, I have this tiny little stove they used for cooking. I am hoping to get rid of that tiny little stove at some point. The washtub comes in handy for laundry if needed. We also have one of these in the garage, which is nice for bathing a cute beagle, or cleaning dirty hands after working outside. I would like to turn this into a bathroom someday.

The other side of storage room #2. I am hoping these shelves never become filled with stuff!! As I said, I do have another storage area, but it isn't that great. It has our furnace, water heater, a dehumidifier, etc.

Tour of the House-Part 3

2010-06-23T12:53:00.017-04:00

These pictures are of my laundry/computer area and the basement. To the left of the washer/dryer is the garage. This computer desk area sits directly across from the washer and dryer. There are plenty of cabinets for storage and also a coat closet. , which is next to the computer desk.

Here is the basement. This area will eventually be sectioned off into a guest bedroom and schoolroom. The TV used to be in Colby's room, but we didn't feel he had room for it anymore, so now it sits downstairs, which is fine with him. Terry HATES this yellow color, so he would like to paint it because it could be next year before we drywall everything. What you see is all paneling.

Same picture-OOPS!

The guest bed.

Games, toys and puzzles. The door you see leads to one of my storage areas. I will post pictures of those tomorrow.

Our school room area.

The view into the family room area.

This is a gas fireplace with a blower, which will be nice when it gets cold outside. This room needs some new paint, a rug, etc, which will all be purchased at some point. Terry and Colby plan to make it an "outdoors" type of room.

This door leads into another storage area.

The final set of pictures coming tomorrow!!

Tour of the House-Part 2

2010-06-22T12:56:00.018-04:00

Part 2 pictures consist of the living room/sitting area, kitchen and hallway/entryway. Here is the huge living room window. I didn't open the curtains all the way because I am not good at taking pictures, much less taking pictures that involve glass that can reflect light. It is a bay window and takes up a good portion of this wall. Part of the living room area.

Here is an area we are still working on what to do with it. The former owners had a very fancy (and expensive) chess table sitting here. The chandelier is too low for our kitchen table( which is now downstairs), and too small an area for our dining room table. So for now, it will be a sitting area. At some point I plan on purchasing a small table to go next to the rocking chair.

We purchased this fireplace from the former owners. It is not real, but we wanted it more for looks than anything. It does burn the gel cans.

This chandelier is so sparkly. Everyone knows I like sparkle. Let's hope I can keep it clean enough it will continue to sparkle!!

My kitchen. It is very roomy and without my big dining room table it would be even bigger.

My Crate&Barrel bargain from the former homeowner.

I have a double dishwasher, which I am not too keen on. It means you can do much smaller loads, but I can't fit as much stuff in.

I do like the double oven. It is perfect for cooking 2 different things at different temps at the same time. As silly as it sounds, our favorite thing of all is the icemaker on the refrigerator. It also dispenses water, so we are all willingly drinking more water.

The view from the kitchen into the living room. It is very open and we liked that aspect of this house.

The entryway from the front door.

I really liked all the light fixtures the former owners put into our house. This one hangs over the stairs into the basement.

More pictures coming tomorrow.

And the Arbor Came Tumbling Down(Sigh!!!)

2010-06-19T17:03:00.004-04:00

Remember the arbor that leads to my backyard? Unfortunately, as the title says, it came tumbling down. We had a really bad storm yesterday. The winds were extremely high(70mph). We thought we came through the storm with lots of debris, then saw something laying up against the door leading to the garage. It was my arbor. It broke apart in several different places. After inspecting it, they had not firmly put it in the ground, but just 3 inches, no cement, nothing. So, my father-in-law says it would have been a matter of time before it came tumbling down anyway. I am thankful it didn't fall on someone or put a window out and hurt my dogs. I will miss it though!!

Terry took it all apart before I had the chance to take a picture. Our fence will now go here and we are hoping the vines will grow on the fence. Only time will tell.
You can see on the right side where it broke apart. It came apart in several different places. We enjoyed looking at it and enjoying the privacy from it the past few weeks. The one over the patio made it through just fine.

Tour of the House-Part 1

2010-06-17T13:34:00.019-04:00

I finally feel my house is in good enough condition to post pictures of it. My in-laws are on their way here as I am blogging. That was good motivation to get it into shape quick. I know they don't care if there are boxes everywhere, but I do. Not to mention I couldn't take one more minute of looking at boxes in the house. There are still some in the garage, but they are few. We want people to know we still have plenty of room for guests. We no longer have a 4th bedroom, but instead a whole basement they can have all to themselves. The only bad part is they have to walk up the stairs to use the bathroom. After living in a house of 3800 square feet, we knew that was way too much house for us. We wanted something like FW, as far as style goes, but housing here is much more expensive. Out of all the houses we looked at(all 17), this house was the nicest. It looks much smaller because it is 1 story, but actually has more square footage than our FW house when you include the basement. The FW house had no basement. Here is the comarison: FW=2100 square feet Here:2800 square feet. Below is our master bath. Notice there is no vanity, which I miss, so that is scheduled to be put in sometime this fall. The master shower, done completely in slate tile. Even the floor is completely in slate tile. We had to put the shower curtain in since there are no doors or anything on the shower. NONE of us were interested in standing there with no privacy!!! There is also no door on the bathroom itself. We will figure out something for that later. It just means the door to our bedroom remains shut if necessary!!

I thought it would be hard to share a closet with Terry again, but it is not that hard and I am temporarily sharing it with Dalayna. The master closet is very large.

These doors lead out to a patio. We never sit out there because there is no shade. But it provides plenty of light for my bedroom. Notice at the bottom of the picture the hardwood floors. They are floating floors and they are in several rooms.

Our bedroom is not huge, but just makes things cozier!!

Looking down the hallway from Colby's room.

Colby's closet. He is temporarily sharing with Terry.

Lots of room for sitting and playing his guitar.

See the wall behind the dresser? That wall wasn't there as of the day we closed on the house. It had to be put in to make the bank happy. I would go into detail, but it might get me mad all over again.

The fan in Dalayna's room. I think it looks so neat!

Dalayna's room is not the color of her choice. She would prefer pink of course, but I was able to talk her into leaving it this pretty peach color. It was painted not long ago. Since there are brown tones in her ceiling fan and peach on the walls, we went with a brown comforter and curtains. I think it looks really cute.

This is why Dalayna is currently sharing a closet with me. They took the doors off and made a study area here complete with shelves and a table. The closet doors are going back on in the next couple of weeks. I am hoping to put a rod under the shelves for her clothes, but keep the shelves because they fit plenty of toys!!

Dalayna and Colby sitting on her long awaited big girl bed. We have been telling her since we moved from St. Louis that we would get her a twin bed, but she would fall out of her toddler bed, sleep walk, have bad dreams, and we were worried she would hurt herself. She finally began to sleep better, plus her toes were hanging off her toddler bed, so we knew we had to move forward with the twin bed. So, the night we moved everything into this house, we went straight to the store and purchased the mattress/box springs and came home and set it all up. A thank you to Ron and Angela who gave us the headboard!!

More pictures coming soon!!

Happy Father's Day!!

2010-06-16T17:09:00.030-04:00

Here are a few pictures of my kids with their dad, grandpas and one with their uncles for a special Father's Day blog.

I just wanted to say Happy Father's Day to the men that have been a part of my life, also to my cousin T.J. who isn't in the picture!! Thank each of you for your dedication to our family. Also, to my uncle Clancey, who took the time to be one of the 1st visitors to our new house.

To my dad, who is always there for me, especially when I call crying that I need help moving. He has endless energy when it comes to his grandkids and gives selflessly. He serves God with everything he has to give and shows true caring and compassion for others. I love you, Dad!!

To my husband, who goes to work every day so that I can stay home with my children, and even in a time of job loss, absolutely refused to even think about me going back to work. He loves his kids, spoils his wife and desires to serve God in whatever way possible. I love you, Garris!!

To my Grandpa, who is such a cornerstone of our family. Grandpa, you have always been there for me. You have set such a godly example my entire life. You have taught me about being a patriot to my country, and taught me to appreciate the sacrifice that others made for my freedom. I love you so much!!

To my father-in-law, as we call you, Terry's "special" dad. You are yet another example in my life of giving and caring for others. You have a very special place in our hearts. Your phone calls each week just to see how I am doing mean so much. You have always been there for us, too!! We are thankful for you and we love you!!

Mother-Daughter Banquet

2010-06-11T09:51:00.005-04:00

May was just a crazy month for us. The first week started out with play practice for Colby, the play itself, Awana awards and a Mother-Daughter Banquet. I was blessed to have not only my daughter and my mother for the banquet, but my Aunt Jan too. Since it was such a busy week, they were able to come to the play, awards and banquet. We had a wonderful time while they were here. I appreciate it so much when people take time out of their busy schedules to come visit us. We shopped, ate good food, visited, laughed and went to the candy factory. There were no moments of boredom for sure!! The pictures below are from the banquet. The guest speaker at our banquet was a painter. She paints pictures with Christian symbols in them, then uses the pictures to share the gospel. They are beautiful paintings. At the end of the banquet, everyone got to take home a print of one of her paintings.

March Visitors

2010-06-09T12:56:00.015-04:00

In March we were excited because my cousins came to visit. We went to a children'smuseum one of the days. Here is Dalayna with cousin Adley. Colby is trying to make a bubble the length of his body.

Cousin Leighton for the baby hour newscast.

Cousins and co-anchors Dalayna and Jaylyn bring us the news from the museum.

Terry, Colby and cousin T.J. share the anchor desk.

These mirrors were pretty funny. It looked like you were balancing on one leg only.

I thought these pipes were really neat, probably because they had letters and I could actually make sounds that weren't noise, well, maybe.......

Dalayna and Jaylyn had fun playing in the ambulance.

Colby in the apple orchard area.

Cashiers Dalayna and Jaylyn in the apple orchard area.

Colby taking a cat nap in the mouth of the dinosaur?

The volcanic slide, which rumbled and made lots of noise.

This was more like a slumber party for Dalayna and her cousins. They stayed up late and giggled a whole lot!!

We were so thankful for this visit. Dalayna sobbed when it was time for her cousins to go home. I was glad she had so much fun. We are hoping they will come back for another visit sometime. T.J.' s wife Amy somehow managed to stay out of all my pictures, but she was here too. She took lots of great pictures of our weekend. If I can figure out how, I will post a few.

February Visit

2010-06-08T13:39:00.005-04:00

In February, my parents braved the risk of lake-effect snow so we could celebrate my dad's birthday visit. Unfortunately the only candle I could find for his birthday cake was a #4, so we'll just say he is 4+4+4+4 and so on....... Much to the dismay of many St. Louis Cardinals fans, we bought him Chicago Cubs pajamas for his birthday.

A little playdough steak anyone?

Aunt Debbie and Uncle Terry bought Dalayna a neat playdough set for Christmas. Since we were so packed into our little car we had to leave it behind in St. Louis for grandparents to bring later. So, here is Dalayna finally enjoying one of her Christmas gifts.

So Many Morels

2010-06-07T16:01:00.006-04:00

Right before we started moving Colby and his friend discovered we had morel mushrooms growing in the woods behind the house we were leasing. Terry's family liked to eat them when he was younger, so he decided he would take the kids into the woods, find some mushrooms and cook them. First, they did some research to make sure they were true morels and not poisonous mushrooms. Here is the one catchy phrase for morels: If it is not hollow, do not swallow". True morel mushrooms are hollow on the inside. All these they picked were hollow. As you can see, they found a lot. Terry fried a few of them, but I thought they tasted like fried lettuce, YUCK!!! So, we gave the rest to a friend. My camera's battery was low. Can you tell?

Some of the bigger morels.

Here is the biggest at almost 9 inches long.

Pics of the Outside of Our New House

2010-06-04T16:20:00.011-04:00

We are up and running internet wise, so here are pictures of the outside of our new house. I am not yet ready to post pictures of the inside because it is still not as organized as I would like it to be. I am getting there though, but with all moves it is a slow process. I am also in the process of getting rid of lots of stuff, just in case I would have to go through this again anytime soon. Let's hope not!! Here is our driveway of course. We do have room for all three of our vehicles in the driveway, which is nice since our dogs occupy the garage. A view of our back yard. We have a very large yard, when you combine the front and the back. Terry is happy because he was able to keep his John Deere mower.

The arbor that leads to the back yard. As you can see, we are once again surrounded by civilization. After living in the "country" for 7 months, it is good to be in a city area again where everything is convenient.

A front view of the house.

This is the back patio. We really enjoy the way the patio is set up. It gives us lots of privacy from the busy street. We will be having our fence put in sometime this summer.

The side view of the house. Notice the ramps and things that were put in for the man who lived here before. It is perfect for riding on scooters for the kids.

A view of our front yard.

The front of the house.

Another view of the front. I should have taken a closer shot. The roses are in bloom and they are beautiful!!

Awana Grand Prix & Awana Awards

2010-05-21T21:04:00.006-04:00

Dalayna and her awards. To read more about everything start at the bottom and read up. Sorry!! I guess I am tired from the moving process.

Dalayna and friends enjoying the "freshments" she couldn't wait to eat. Special guests Grandma Judy and Aunt Jan were also able to attend the Awana awards and eat the "freshments".

The Awana program ended at the beginning of May. They had a nice awards ceremony. We are very proud of Dalayna. She worked her way through her book, then did the review of the book, then went on to finish an extra book of verses. I hope she will always have the desire to memorize Bible verses as she did these past 9 months.

Here is her car. She had to have pink on there somewhere because she is all about the color pink!!

The church we now belong to has a wonderful Awana program, which is something we have looked for the past 2 times we have moved and looked for a new church. In April, they had the Awana Grand Prix. Dalayna's car didn't win any prizes, but it was a good lesson to learn that winning isn't everything.

Co-op Picnic

2010-04-30T21:31:00.008-04:00

The past 3 months my children have been taking classes with other kids in a co-op. I can't say enough wonderful things about the people in this group. They have become dear friends already, especially the ones in my prayer group. We are thankful to have been a part of it and look forward to the fall semester. Today we had a picnic at a local park. We were one of the last ones to leave since my kids were having such a good time. Here Colby had been playing a little dodgeball, after his fishing adventure.

A little game of volleyball, or dodgeball with a net?

Dalayna and friends watching the big kids fish. The other little girl is one of Dalayna's very good friends.

Isn't she just too cute? Notice the self expression that is coming through the 2 different colored shoes. Somewhat like her mother and her cousin Shannon, way back when. Gotta love it!!

Colby is determined to get a big fish like his dad. He actually hooked one today, but it was one of those "big ones that got away". I saw these big fish for myself today swimming around. One of Dalayna's friends caught one on a pole the teenagers carved while watching Colby and one of his friends fish. To see how big these fish are really is amazing.

House Hunting is Over!!

2010-04-21T15:49:00.002-04:00

After viewing 16+ houses, the search is finally over. When I type finally, it means FINALLY!! It was quite the search. We are very thankful for the patience of our realtor Betty. So, here are the details on our home: It is an all brick ranch, which is just what Terry was wanting. It has been converted to a 2 bedroom home. The man that lives there is in a wheelchair, so he and his wife had someone take out a wall to make the master bedroom bigger to make it easier for him to move around. It has a brand new master bath, completely done in ceramic tile. They left all the frame work up for the wall to be put back up, so once we are settled, we will take a look at doing that. Dalayna's room is across the hall and Colby is getting a room in the basement. The basement is large enough we can put 2 bedrooms downstairs, plus fit in space for a school room. So, once the wall would go back up, we would have 5 bedrooms. The lady who lives in the home has decorated this place so beautifully, and yeah for me, she is selling me some of her stuff. She and her husband(he is a pastor for an apostolic church) have done so much to this house. They remodeled the hall bath, put in hardwood floors, put ceramic tile in the kitchen, put in ceiling fans and other light fixtures. We can't wait to move in!! It sits on a double lot, so we have a very large yard. We will have it fenced after we move in so our dogs can spend time outdoors. There is a very nice arbor covering the patio, and giving it some privacy from the street. Once we are moved in, I will post pictures of the house. At this point we are still waiting on a closing date.

No Fish Tale

2010-04-20T21:08:00.007-04:00

You don't live here for very long without hearing about the large fish that come through every spring. So, my two adventurous fisherman went in search of the big one. On Saturday, the big one got away. With more determination than ever, along with some new fishing lures, this one didn't get away!!

What a beaut!!

The size:over 2 feet long!!

The color!!

The length!! Next, the taste!!

All in One Piece,All in One Place

2010-03-07T21:23:00.002-05:00

As of yesterday, the belongings in my life are all in one place,and, I am thankful to say, all in one piece after so many moves. Unfortunately the moves are not over. I don't know what it is about having all your furniture in one place, but even Dalayna said this big house finally feels like home now that the rest of us has arrived: just before we move again. We are once again very grateful to have people like Ron and Angela show up to help us, and to spend time with us. Also, our friend Frank, who gave up his whole day to drive with us to FW, help load the truck, then drive the moving truck back here so Terry could drive his own truck back. Yes, all of us in one piece and place. Yesterday I was filled with such gratitude that God is so faithful to us, even in the everyday things we take for granted. For instance, my van is 7 years old, still runs well, even with 97,000 miles on it. Terry's truck has 150, 000 miles or so on it, is 10 years old and still runs well, and has made it to both new towns of residence Best of all, they are paid for. That is something to be thankful for. I have struggled with an ungrateful heart for the past 6 months, but each time I tell someone our house sold after 4 months, and there were 5 churches praying for us, I realize how grateful I should be. Forget the job loss, we could still be jobless if not for God's graciousness. Forget the moves, we could have lost everything by now, but we haven't. I have read my Bible many times and thought how ungrateful the Israelites were when God did amazing things for them. Then I realized the finger was pointing right back at me. But each day, the gratefulness becomes overwhelming as I truly think about how much God has done for me. Without Him, how could we have even made it through these moves and job loss? And most importantly, look at all the wonderful people He has put into our lives in the past 2 years. All in one piece, all in one place, but most importantly, with a grateful heart.

House Hunters-Part 2

2010-03-03T15:33:00.002-05:00

As of today, we are still hunting for a house. Last night did not bring us to any conclusions. I do have to say that the cute house from Sunday is still in the running. After looking last night, we decided the drive might not be so bad if you have a house that is in such great condition. Here is what we found last night: House #1-older, large yard including an apple and pear tree, raspberry bush and garden area, 3 bedrooms(one didn't even have a closet), 1.5 baths(one so small I don't see how you could fit in there), a basement(ceilings were so low I felt claustrophobic). For all the negatives we saw, somebody will find it just perfect. The kitchen is new and very nice. It just wasn't right for our family. House #2: This is one I just knew would be the perfect house from the pictures on the internet. The outside we in mint condition, with a porch(I miss mine in FW). The inside was cute, very open floor plan, nice fireplace, but the rest of the house needed serious work. There were many places, and I mean MANY where Terry said they had patched up holes in the wall. The 2nd bath had a very LARGE purple stain in the tub, and the fixtures in the master bath looked ready to fall off the wall. Even Colby spoke up about the condition, though it was because he envisioned himself alongside his dad fixing all these things. The basement was wonderful with a family room, a huge room where we could do school, 2 large bedrooms, and a large laundry room. But all the work was just a little too much. So, on to the next house, which will be tomorrow evening. Tomorrow's house is 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and three-fourths of an acre, though it is surrounded by houses. Positives for this house include it is 2 minutes from church, maybe 3, and 5 minutes for Terry to get to work. Part 3 coming tomorrow night or Friday. Let's hope there aren't too many parts to these house hunting blogs!! I have always liked looking at houses, even when I was younger I would go with my aunt Jan to look at display homes, but going through this 2X within 18 months makes me think those days of enjoying it are coming to an end!:)

House Hunters-Part 1

2010-03-02T14:55:00.002-05:00

We looked at 2 houses on Sunday. We were actually supposed to look at 3, but when we arrived at the house, noone was home, but our realtor said there were 3 big dogs running around in the house. She could see them through the glass in the door. We were sitting in the car, windows UP, engine running and could hear them barking. Betty said they were big dogs, and by the sound of them I wouldn't doubt it. Needless to say, we didn't attempt to go in. I also had visions of dog slobber and dog hair, so I decided that house probably wasn't for me. Mind you, I have 2 dogs of my own, so I have nothing against dogs. My dogs, one of them being big, are not allowed to run through my house, even though I love them dearly!! But 3 large dogs, running wild everywhere, that is another story. The 2nd
house is absolutely wonderful. It needs a new front door and an updated garage door, but the inside is so nice. Immaculately clean is a good word, decorated like my aunt Jan's house, country baskets and things, some wallpaper, some borders, but absolutely cute. It has 3 bedrooms, with another possible in the basement, a finished basement with dry bar(we don't drink, but it would be good for sitting at to do school work), and an inground pool. It also comes with 1.5 acres of land. It has new windows, carpet, bath fixtures, water softener, newer furnace, etc. The only negative is that it would be about a 20 mile drive for Terry and no more coming home for lunch. Still, it remains on the final list for now. The first house(sorry I am going backwards) was cute, had an above ground pool, fenced yard, finished basement with fourth bedroom, rec room(including Colby's dream: a pool table), and a small family room. The kitchen was tiny and the bathrooms needed serious work. So, that one is off the list. We know we may purchase a home that needs some work, but that home had too many negatives. We are looking at another house tonight so stay tuned to House Hunters Part 2 tomorrow!!

What are We Up To?

2010-02-25T21:32:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know we are still alive and well. Terry and I are spending what seems like hours on the internet searching for the right house with the right yard, right number of bedrooms, bathrooms, taxes, etc. So by the time we are done with the searching, my brain needs rest rather than blogging. My body needs to get up out of the chair and move around. Please pray for us as we search, that God will lead us to just the right house. We know He can do just that. We are set to close on our house in FW on March 17th. All we can say is, "Thank you Lord, for all You have done for us." He is faithful, isn't He? Anyone who knows anything about us knows God has shown His faithfulness in our lives over and over. Yes, He is faithful!!

Happy 17th to Us!!

2010-02-13T16:57:00.004-05:00

There we were and now here we are 17 years later. We look so young!! Pictured below from left to right is: my cousin T.J., flowergirl cousin Brooke, cousin Lori and cousin Shannon, us of course, our good friend Kevin, my brother Kenny and my cousin Shane. I am so thankful to each of these people for taking part in this special time in our lives. Of all the pictures taken that day, this has always been my favorite, will always be my favorite. I think my aunt Diana took it.

By the way, for our anniversary surprise(for both of us) was an offer on our house, which we accepted. Thanks to each person who has prayed for us about our house selling. You are a blessing !!

Wonderful Neighbors

2010-02-10T17:11:00.002-05:00

No matter where I live, God blesses me with wonderful neighbors. A few names are Ernie and Linda, Pam and her family, Debbie and family, Dale and Julie, Tom and Wendy, etc. The list continues while living here:Jim and Jackie
Yesterday we received a LOT MORE snow. Colby and I went out to clear the mailbox(to avoid any more embarrassing "tickets"). As we are starting to shovel, my neighbor comes over with more baked goods and treats for the dogs. I was really hoping to burn some calories, but her miniature cheesecakes were too tempting. I ate all but one!! Anyway, a few minutes after she left, her husband drives up and says, "My wife tells me you need a little power." I am thinking he is coming to help shovel, how nice that is, and Colby and I will actually be finished before Terry comes home. He then pulls out a large gas can and a snow blower. He says he has given us enough gas to use the rest of the winter with the snow blower; he has 2 other ones anyway. I was just floored by their kindness. People like that are such a treasure. They gave us a big blessing yesterday and today since we had even more snow to clean up. Colby and I still shoveled some since we are trying REALLY hard to get some exercise. Got to burn those calories!!

Terry and His Catch Pics

2010-02-09T15:08:00.004-05:00

Here are pictures of the fish Terry caught while ice fishing last month, before we fried them. They were nice size fish with good taste, too!!

Dalayna and Her Daddy

2010-02-08T16:55:00.003-05:00

I came upstairs the other night to find Dalayna using her daddy as her own personal lounger. I thought it was a cute picture. Terry is a multipurpose Daddy for Dalayna. He is a chair, a tree to climb on, a jungle gym to swing from, but most importantly, her Daddy, who adores her!!

1st Day of Classes

2010-02-05T20:05:00.003-05:00

Today we began classes with a homeschool group. This was all new to Dalayna, but not to Colby and me. The last time we belonged to one was 2004, as we were waiting to go to China!! It was a wonderful day. My kids left with smiles on their faces, so that was a good thing to see. They enjoyed every minute of it. I am so thankful for the welcome we received today. So, since this is our first day at something new for all of us(new faces, new group), etc, I thought it appropriate to take pictures!! Dalayna's classes are gym, 5-In-A-Row, which I do with her at home too, Little Keepers at Home, and a math class. Can you tell it was a little early in the morning? We had to be out the door by 7:45AM!! Colby's classes are gym, Military History, Bible Study and Drama, which by the way, he will not be acting. He has chosen to stay behind the scenes in lights and props.

They look too grown-up don't they?

The 100th Day of School

2010-01-29T15:41:00.009-05:00

We had our 100th day of school earlier this week. You are required to do a certain amount of days, so that is why I keep track. Anyway, we did a few out-of-the-ordinary things. Below is a picture of 100 pennies we counted out. Some are real, some are play pennies. We also had a contest to see who could write their name the most times in 100 seconds. I came in first at 17 times. I think Colby wrote his 12, and Dalayna wrote hers 5.5, which I thought was pretty good for a 5 year old. It was your first and last name, and of course hers is the longest of all!!

$100.00 in play money.

We popped a bag of microwave popcorn and Dalayna counted out 100 pieces of popcorn. The picture below shows the amount, and it's not much. Once she was done counting, she dumped the whole bag in the bowl, because 100 just wasn't enough to eat. I had to agree!!

We took 100 pattern blocks and made a picture together. Colby counted to make sure we had exactly 100.

We made a crown for Dalayna and we(yes, I helped because 100 is a LOT of stamping) stamped it 100 times. It is a rather large crown, but it had to be to fit 100 stamps on. You can get a better picture of all the stamps in the picture below.

I told Dalayna to think of what she would buy with $100.00. This is her list. Notice candy is on there twice. It would have been more fun to actually spend $100.00 at the store, but since we were unable to do that we will look ahead to next year. Maybe we can save $100.00 in pennies and take a field trip to spend it:)!!

Fish Fry

2010-01-26T15:31:00.004-05:00

Here are the fish Terry caught and fried. The ones not fileted were already in our freezer, caught some other time. They had the bones in them and didn't taste as good either. Terry dipped all the fish in egg, then cornmeal mixed with Creole seasoning and they were delicious.

The finished product. Some Northern Pike, bluegill and crappie all fried to perfection. Can't wait for the next fish fry!!

Potpourri of Christmas Pics

2010-01-22T14:51:00.012-05:00

Before you look at this picture, it is NOT the one I was going to post. It was supposed to be another picture of Dalayna adding candy canes to the Christmas tree. I am a little late in posting the rest of our Christmas pics, but I figured as long as I got it done before next Christmas I was doing good!! That is about the time frame I need sometimes to accomplish things!! Dalayna adding candy canes to the tree. Her main concern was how many candy canes each person gets to eat. She is my candyholic. I asked her the other night if she could not worry about or eat candy for a whole day. Her reply was,"Mom, I don't think that's possible!!"

This was supposed to be on our Christmas card this year, but we forgot to add ourselves. I am not sure how we forgot, but we did!! We walked away from the counter, and I said, "Hey Garris,(that is my name for Terry), we forgot to put ourselves on here!!" I was not going to spend more money to fix it, though.

The mantel in the family room. The garland was a little crooked, but who's paying attention?

Our Christmas tree. I felt so rotten that I put just enough ornaments on to make it look decent.

Colby and Grandma. A picture to be treasured for sure!!

Mavery holding the Christmas star during the play. She was so cute!! In the background is my Aunt Debbie and cousins Brett and Shane. Brett is another one of my cousins who is serving the Lord away from home. He just moved to central Illinois to help be a church planter. He, like our family, has found that other believers in Christ will make you feel so welcome and at home when you are far from family.

Our family Christmas took place on New Year's Eve this year. It was a little different, especially making the kids wait that long, but they were patient. We went out to eat, then came home and opened gifts.

Colby is opening a different kind of gift in this picture. This year, instead of spending a lot of money, we decided to give gifts of service or time to one another. Each person made a set of coupons for everyone else. We all enjoyed figuring out what we could do for one another, and seeing the look of surprise on everyone's face as they read their book of coupons. For example, each of my children received one coupon each to spend the night in our bedroom. Dalayna received coupons for having books read to her, etc. Colby received coupons for spending time alone, no mom, no sister, or chores. Terry gave him a coupon for shooting b.b. guns together. One of mine from Terry was for him to cook dinner, clean it up, put the kids and dogs to bed. Another coupon was good for a weekend trip to St. Louis. Dalayna gave Terry and Colby coupons for her to make sandwiches for them for lunch one day. She loves to make sandwiches!! I think this idea went over so well we may use it for other occasions too!!

Dalayna's loot.

I thought a make-up kit for Dalayna and me would be fun, so that was one of the things I picked out for myself. W can polish nails, try out different colors, just do girly things!!

Colby is a Chicago Bears fan. It seems like everyone around here is, so he fits right in. This is one of the gifts he picked out for himself. He requested picking out his own gifts this year. I thought that was a great idea. I think I was about his age when I made that same request, and I still like picking out my gifts. Anyway, that meant there wouldn't be any gifts he DIDN'T like. I think he was afraid I would buy him a bunch of sweater vests:)!!

Pics From the Weekend

2010-01-20T14:32:00.010-05:00

This past weekend we went back to check on our house. We had several reasons for going, but the main one was to check on our house and make sure it was in good shape for the open house. I also needed my vaccuum. There is one that stays at this house, but it is old, and by the time I am done vaccuuming, I feel like my arm is about to fall off. The final reason was because Terry was going ice fishing. They caught lots of fish, and our friend Larry was kind enough to send it all home with Terry. We are going to fry it up this weekend. I will let you know how Northern Pike tastes! He had a great time, though I have to admit I was worried about the ice giving way even at 4 inches thick!! Thankfully, that didn't happen!! We were also blessed to be able to spend time with some of our church family and neighbors while we were there. They were so kind to invite us to their homes for dinner. A special thank you to Norm and Gloria, Paul and Amy, and Dale and Julie for inviting us over and feeding us. It was hard to leave. I thought I had learned to be content where I am, but it was more like opening up a fresh wound. We miss our house, our friends, our church, but for whatever reason, God has plans for us here. I didn't cry, but Dalayna cried as we pulled away from Dale and Julie's house on Sunday afternoon. She said, "Mommy, I don't want to leave my friends." I felt the same way. We are thankful for so many people there and the good news is, we really aren't that far away!! Here is Dalayna with her friends Abby, Lauren and Lindsay. They are extremely sweet young ladies. Dalayna is in her new coat. One of the purchases she made that day. . I told her she looked like a polar bear in that thing, so that is why she is making that face. We also got hair cuts. Colby spent the weekend with his friend Jonathan.

Sunday afternoon, before we headed back, we went to our neighbor's house, Dale and Julie, for lunch. Dalayna was very excited to see "Little Dale." It was all she worried about after we made our plans. She and Dale are about the same age, and they are good buddies. They decided to play a game of football. Dalayna is a girly-girl in every way, but she will never shy away from wrestling and rough play either!!

Terry and Dalayna team up against Dale and Colby.

Terry helping Jacob to make a basket. Jacob is about 14 months old. We had not seen him since November, so I was amazed by all the things he can do now!!

I decided to do something different with my hair. I decided to add a touch of red. I have seen it on other people and it looks so nice. It is very subtle, but I like it. Terry would like to see more of the red, but I don't know if I can do that after all these years of being blondish!! A special thank you to Kim, our hairdresser, to take time out of her Saturday for us.

This is one of the things Dalayna bought with her money. I bought a blue one with sparkly sequins on it, so we thought we might get purses that match in that way. Isn't it cute? She is quite the shopper. She knows exactly what she wants and she makes sure she gets the most for her money. I am teaching her well aren't I? We had lots of fun shopping, though I wish I had found more for myself!!

Update on Selling Our House

2010-01-17T20:29:00.002-05:00

We went back to check on our house this weekend. I took a few pictures, but I will try to post those tomorrow. Many of you may be praying for us as we try to sell our home, so I wanted to update where we are at. Our friend Ron, who is also our realtor, held an open house today. We had several people come to look at it. There has been a constant flow of people looking at our house since October, just no offers. As of today, we have 2 different couples that want to make an offer on our house, but they have to sell their homes first. Please pray that one of these couples will be able to sell their home, so they will be free to make an offer on ours. We are constantly keeping in mind that God will bring the right buyer in His time, but I guess human nature wants it to be in my own time frame, like before our lease is up here;)!!

Mailbox "Tickets" and other snow issues

2010-01-14T16:25:00.009-05:00

We are learning new terms here these days. You will see icicles in the pictures below. They are everywhere around this town, on every house, building,etc. It is all the snow trying to melt, then refreezing. We decided the other day we should start knocking them down, because it can't be good for your roof. Colby is holding his "trophy" in the picture below. One icicle we knocked down must have weighed about 80 pounds. The 80 pounder fell on Colby's knee and left a bruise. I knocked one off and it hit me in the face. Maybe we are amused too easily, but it is a challenge to see if we are strong enough to knock them off. Our new term for the week is "ice damming". This occurs when the ice accumulates, clogs your gutters, and freezes. The water then begins to accumulate under your shingles and your roof will start to leak. This happened to us this past Sunday morning as we were getting ready to walk out the door to church. Colby said, "Uh, mom, there's water dropping down from the ceiling in the family room." I wasn't sure I quite believed he knew what he was talking about, but he did. Unfortunately we were unable to make it to church because there was cleanup to be done. We called the owners, who are so unbelievably kind, and they came over and their son knocked a good majority of the ice off the roof and taught us our new term. The leak has dried up, but they will have to do some work to the ceiling later on. We have decided that you get the best of both worlds living here:snow in winter and the beach in the summer!!

See the 3rd window? Terry was hanging out of it the other day knocking icicles down with a hammer. I was holding his belt loop and Colby had his feet. I don't think he would have fallen, but I am not willing to take any chances either. I was also worried about his head as these pieces fell down!!

Here is the driveway that has provided all the exercise as I shoveled it. My pants were a bit looser today, so it must be doing me some good!!

This is the pile we have accrued from our driveway as well as the plows clearing the road out front. You can see off to the side how it almost covered up our mailbox and newspaper boxes. This pile would come up to my chest if I were right in the middle, though it doesn't take much to do that!:)

I am finally able to see some of the bushes in the yard again!! January thaw is here!!

This is the first time in my adult life I have ever received one of these lovely pieces of paper. It comes with no fines, thankfully, but could mean my mail service will be put on hold until further notice, which means I have to stand in line at the one post office I have actually found in order to get my mail. No thank you. I have already stood in line way too much at that post office already. Terry said it is like a ticket. So, Colby and I were out there this morning before school started clearing a path for the postal service to deliver the mail. No notes in my box today!!

Snow, Snow and More Snow!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-01-08T15:15:00.003-05:00

Maybe next year I won't be so shocked by all the snow, but for now all I can do is laugh and think to myself "Unbelievable". I am from a place where if you got a little snow, it made you happy because you didn't see that much. Here it seems there is an invisible snow machine, and like the Energizer bunny, it keeps "going, and going, and going!!" The local weather service estimates that we recieved between 19 and 21 inches last weekend. This Wednesday we had no snow, but that was the first day of this year with no snow. The break didn't last long. It started in yesterday morning, again, and we probably received 3-4 inches. Then, last night we received another 1-2 inches. Needless to say, in some places the snow is up to Terry's knees. I was thinking I would actually get to go spend some of my Christmas money this weekend, but it is snowing again, and they are calling for 10-20 inches between now and tomorrow evening. So, I think I will be sitting by the fire reading a book instead of walking the mall. I just have to laugh because it just surprises me that this much snow falls to the ground!! It may be up to my hips by the time it's over!! The good news is that Terry, Colby and I are getting plenty of exercise shoveling snow. I have spent approximately 4.5 hours shoveling snow in the past week. One of my goals was to get back to exercising somehow, until it is warm enough to ride my bike again. I think I have burned enough calories I deserve a big piece of cheesecake from somewhere the next time I can actually leave my house!!

Christmas Day

2010-01-07T16:02:00.008-05:00

This year I didn't miss the picture on Christmas morning, but my camera was already giving out, so the picture is a bit blurry. I think this picture is such a good representation of how close my children have become lately. It is something Terry and I have prayed for and God has used this latest move to grow them closer. They enjoy spending time together, serving one another in various ways, and making each other laugh a lot!! They still have days where they pick at each other and get upset with each other, but not as much. They are such a precious gift to Terry and me!! They opened up gifts from Grandma Judy and PaPa Ray on Christmas morning. Terry and I gave them each 1 surprise gift. We decided ahead of time to do our own family Christmas on New Year's Eve. It is just too much to pack their gifts and take it with us, then bring it right back home. The way I pack we don't have much room for extras!! :)

Dalayna with ballerina pajamas from Grandma Judy and PaPa Ray.

Opening the gifts, what fun!! Christmas afternoon we gather at my grandparents house to open gifts. This is my mom's side of the family. We look forward to Grandpa's fudge, Grandma's Christmas tree cookies, and pickled eggs, well, I look forward to the eggs anyway!! We are in close quarters as you can see, but I wouldn't change it for the world. It just wouldn't be the same if we were spread out everywhere. Isn't baby Leighton too cute?

Dalayna and her cousin Jaylyn received pretty dolls for Christmas. If you wonder why Jaylyn is at this gathering too, I will try to explain. Let me just say it is all legal!! Here goes: There are 2 sisters, Debbie and Diana. Debbie is married to my mom's brother(Jaylyn's grandparents). Diana married my dad's brother. So, you see, it is kind of like a big circle.:) Jaylyn and Dalayna had a good time playing on Christmas Day.

Unfortunately, this is the last picture I was able to took of Christmas. My battery gave out because I forgot to charge it before we left for St.L. Colby and Dalayna were playing with Aunt Angie and Uncle Marty's dog. We finished our Christmas day at their house.

Lake-Effect Snow

2010-01-03T16:29:00.010-05:00

Terry came home from work on Thursday evening and said there were lake-effect snow warnings out. I guess I had been in my own little world and paid little attention to the TV, not checked the forecast on the internet or anything, so I was very surprised. So, much later that evening the snow began. It has continued into this afternoon. It has been very heavy at times, then stops for a little while, and starts in again. We decided late last night that we would not be able to go to church because, as you can see, we had a little over 8 inches on the ground and they were calling for more today. So when we got moving this morning, I measured the snow. You can see what it amounted to on the ruler.

Here is what we measured around 6 hours later!! It is still snowing, so it may reach over the top of that ruler!! I have never seen this much snow, but we are having fun with it!! By the way, I left the ruler in the snow, so it wasn't moved or anything in that 6 hours.

This picture is similar to ones I took on another post, but you can see much more snow this time, and less bushes and greenery. Notice the lovely cap on top of the bird bath.

Ranger is tenacious, determined, ornery, loveable and can track scents of other animals quickly. He found a scent under a bunch of logs and branches,dug his face in until all you could see were his floppy ears. I just had to get a picture of it. His nose was working overtime today.

Colby and Remington love to go wandering through the property looking for deer tracks. There were 7 deer in the backyard one morning last week. Since the snow started last Thursday evening we haven't seen the tracks of any animal.

This picture was taken in the woods. We have decided to venture into the woods the past couple days since we haven't been able to go anywhere. It is like a winter wonderland. This picture doesn't capture the beauty of the snowfall like I hoped it would. It was snowing heavily at the time.

Dalayna decided to take a seat in the snow and asked Colby to join her. The cold hit her then and her fun was over.

In some spots in the yard, it looks like Ranger is "swimming" in the snow!! Here you can see it is up to his chest. It doesn't seem to bother him, though!! In fact, he didn't want to go back into the garage today; he just wanted to play in the snow. Yesterday Colby put Ranger on his lap and took him down the front hill on the sled. He didn't enjoy that!

Christmas Eve

2010-01-02T19:11:00.023-05:00

Colby and Dalayna with great Grandma and Grandpa.

Our family at my grandparents house before we hit the ground running on Christmas Eve.

Opening presents at Grandma Jo and PaPa Dick's house.

My cousin Shannon, her husband Mark and their children. Some of you who read my blog may remember praying for my cousin Mavery when she had heart surgery. She is the one in the middle with the white hat on.

My uncle Larry is in the red sweater. He is one of my dad's brothers. My aunt Diana is in the white sweater and my cousin Shane is in the back with the beard. This may be one of our last Christmas pictures with Shane. He will possibly be on the mission field at this time next year. Please keep him in your prayers as he makes his future plans.

My brother Kenny and his wife Amy.

These pictures are always fun because there are so many different cameras and you don't know who to look at first!! I am thankful for this picture of us with my brother and his wife. I don't know we had one of those pictures!!

Our family, including my parents.Our cousin Makenna had the idea to perform the nativity story. She did an excellent job and included all the cousins in the play. The costumes were great, too!! I think she will have a career in acting or play writing!!

Sawyer did an excellent job playing dual roles. He played King Herod as well as a shepherd. He is seen in pictures below and above as the shepherd.

Dalayna and cousins Jaylyn and Malaine took the role of the "wise girls." They were fancy weren't they? I didn't notice until I posted this that Dalayna is fixing her hose, OOPS!!!

My sweet "wise girl."

What a cute little sheep. I asked Adley if she would put her ears on, but I think by then there had been too much going on!!

All the cousins together. I just love these poses with the smiling faces of happy children!!

Homemade Christmas Party

2009-12-22T12:27:00.015-05:00

We decided to plan our own Christmas party for school. Last year we were able to get together with other homeschoolers from our church for an activity, but this year we are still getting to know people. So I told my kids to each plan one game themselves, then I found a book at the library with a few games in it. This was Colby's game. He set up the "course" all by himself. I thought he did a pretty good job. I took my turn and it wasn't as easy as it looked. The rocking chair at the end of the "course" is mine from my childhood. I also have to say having this big space for our school room is great for things like this.

We used our imagination for this ring toss game. The seal actually became Sonny the Reindeer for these 5 minutes in history!!

A paper snowball fight. They each had seven "snowballs" and 60 seconds to try to get them all on the other person's side.

Giant ink pens for prizes!

This was a game where you had to blow the "snowball" into the trash can on the other side. They were not allowed to go around to the side of the table to accomplish their goal. It wasn't that hard to do, but they still had fun.

Dalayna and Colby actually tied at this game.

Our last and final game was the "Stocking Relay". They had to take pieces of Dalayna's food, run down and stuff them in the stocking, then run back till the food was all gone. Colby beat Dalayna by a second or two, then I beat Colby.

One of our prizes was a candy cane full of M&M.s. This is one of Dalayna's favorite candies. I also figured Terry would be glad to help eat the prizes since he loves chocolate!! Dalayna did not beat Colby at any games, as you may figure, but I gave her prizes for her intense effort at trying to win. You may notice Dalayna's pretty purple shoes. I wore those in my cousin's wedding years ago, and they are her favorite shoes to wear around the house!!

We ended our party with painting Christmas suncatchers and eating junk food. Isn't that the way every kids Christmas party ends, with lots of sugar and junk?

Snow Fun!!

2009-12-19T16:57:00.008-05:00

I have to admit I have dreaded the snow coming. I know that the seasons changing and snow falling is all a part of God's plan as stated in Genesis, so I have tried to keep that in my mind, and now that it's here, it's not so bad. In St. Louis I complained because it seemed we never got any, but last year I saw more snow than I have ever seen in my lifetime,not to mention the coldest temperatures I had ever felt in my life. This is actually the 4th snowfall since we moved here, but it is definitely the prettiest, and today we got out and enjoyed playing in it. I like to call this a powdered sugar snow because it lays on everything so perfectly.

This house actually sits on a hill, making it a perfect spot for sledding. We made it slick and it was perfect for a quick ride down the hill. Terry and I even took our turns. No pictures necessary for that though!!

My snow angel Dalayna!! She insisted on wearing a sweatshirt that was too big, which makes her coat look too small. She also loves Colby's old Mizzou hat. She didn't complain one time about being too cold though!! So I guess she knows how to dress to play in the snow!!

Dalayna started the "body sledding", as she called it. She is fearless I tell you!!

Colby had been taking running jumps and sliding down the hill on his stomach, but at the last second, he changed his mind and went down on his feet. It actually worked, and he didn't land wrong side up!!

Bear Week

2009-12-17T14:44:00.007-05:00

This week was "Bear Week". Colby also had "Bear Week" way back when. I just added some to it with Dalayna. All the stuffed bears we have in the house get to come to school for the week, then we do different activities, all centered around bears. We also read a lot of factual books about bears. I had to laugh at one book, though. It claims bears evolved from dogs. Ha!! This was our "muffin tin" meal with bear food. I only have one muffin tin, so Colby got it and this plate was just more colorful. We have chicken in the top left corner to represent tree bark. Next to that, we have gummi bears, just for fun. Next, fish crackers because bears like to eat fish. The left bottom corner is peanuts and sunflower seeds, because they like to eat nuts. And finally, berries, because everyone knows bears like them, too!!

Dalayna got to sort gummi bears, then eat them after she finished her graph. She also had to determine which color had the most and least. We both enjoyed eating the gummi bears!!

This is Dalayna's bear cave. Ok, so it's not made of dirt or snow, but it will do, right?

Here are all the bears Colby and Dalayna could find to bring to bear week. Colby was a wonderful big brother and helped Dalayna find as many as possible. Can you pick which is my cuddly bear?

We also measured the biggest and smallest bears. The white bear is the biggest at 3 feet, and the brown bear is the smallest at 3 inches.

Company Christmas Party

2009-12-12T17:38:00.011-05:00

The company Terry now works for has a Christmas party for the children and grandchildren of it's employees. I am sure everyone would agree that very few companies these days do anything for their employees , so I am quite impressed with their generosity, and the fact that the whole party centered around the kids. First we were fed a meal. After we ate, they brought in a man and his daughter to perform a wonderful puppet show, then games and gifts. We had a nice time.

You can't see it very well, but this is a puppet wearing a sombrero singing the song, "The Hat I Got for Christmas is Too Big." It is a very funny song!! Colby didn't stop laughing the whole way through!!

Frosty the Snowman and puppets who were imitating Alvin and the Chipmunks. They are of course singing "Frosty the Snowman."

They had a game of Santa Bingo. Dalayna won one round. She received a $1.00 gift certificate to McDonald's. With a Dollar Menu, she can choose from several items. We were hoping Colby would win a round too!!

Santa even made an appearance at the party today. What would a Christmas party be without a visit from Santa?

This is Colby's first and last time to go up on stage and accept a gift from Santa. He and all the other bigger kids were very good natured about sitting on Santa's lap. The rule at Terry's company is you have to be 12 and younger. Colby's gift was a basketball. This is the very same Santa who was at the zoo last Sunday. Apparently, he is a busy man around this area.

Dalayna had her turn with Santa Claus, but insisted I go up on the stage with her.She latched on to my arm and wouldn't let go. She said next year she might have "stage fright" again, even though she will be six. If that is the case, I guess I will never be too big to talk to Santa!! She received a toy similar to the Little Pet Shop toys. She has played with it non-stop since we came home!!

Fun at the Zoo

2009-12-08T16:52:00.019-05:00

This past weekend the local zoo had a special event where you could come and see a few animals and Christmas lights. We did it in St. Louis one year, so we thought we would try it up here. It was cold, but thankfully the winds were calm. The zoo sits right on the lake. We wore several layers to keep warm and had a good time!! Here are the goats in the barn.

A very vocal sheep!!

A Sicilian donkey.

These tamarin monkeys were cute, but I have to say (as I show my age) ,they reminded me of the 80's rock star Billy Idol!!

The reptile house at the zoo. It is not very big, but the fact that it looks like a castle is unique. It had just enough reptiles that Dalayna refused to look at much. The rest of the time she buried her face into my back and held on for dear life!!

Mr. and Mrs. Claus were kind enough to pose with our family. Dalayna wouldn't sit on his lap though!!

Colby is standing next to an elephant skull. It was huge!!

This "big cat" was amazing. It was like she was purposely posing so people could take pictures of it. I was also amazed that you could get so close by the glass. Maybe it doesn't take much to amaze me!! God's creatures are amazing!! I would have moved closer to the glass, but I was afraid she would move.

This is a tunnel where the otters are. My kids were able to climb in and watch them play under the water. I went in too, but it's a little too claustrophobic for me. The otters were putting on quite a show for my kids.

It is not the best picture, but I was able to get close to one of the playful otters.

There is the cutest bear statue when you first come into the zoo. You can't see it very well in this picture, but I wanted our picture taken in front of it. Terry got a good picture for me, which you can see below.

Another picture of the bear statue. He was decorated too!!

We are here with our friends Frank and Diane. Frank and Terry work together. Frank is the one who made the sign for us. We were so glad to have them come along with us. A lady volunteered to take our picture since Frank took their family photo.

The zoo also offered free hot cocoa and cookies. I was hoping for some non-chocolate cookies, but that didn't happen. Terry said the cocoa was disgusting. I am glad I can't drink cocoa, so I missed the disgusting cocoa!! It was donated by a popular coffee place, which I won't name, but Colby said nothing good can come from that place, so he wasn't surprised it was disgusting. So you see, Dalayna is busy eating her cookies, and Diane is simply holding the cocoa, not drinking it!!

Colby and Dalayna with Frank and Diane.

Terry (deep down inside) likes me to have funny pictures to post on my blog, and with his sense of humor, said, "Want it to look like I am taking the present from that bear?". I said OK, and here it is. Unfortunately, it turned out a little dark!!

2009-12-06T16:06:00.012-05:00

I thought it would be fun to post pictures of Dalayna's first Christmas. I would love to do Colby's, but those are still packed away in boxes until we are in our own home again. Those were the days before we had a digital camera!! This was the night we put ornaments on the tree. I can't believe how much my children have changed and grown in the past 4 years!!

This was Dalayna's smile in 2005. She has finally learned how to smile and keep her eyes open at the same time.

This was our Christmas card for 2005.

Dalayna with her dear big brother and her dear thumb!!

Dalayna's first Brooks family Christmas party in Southern Missouri in Uncle Kenny's arms. I have missed this party 2 years now. My thoughts were with my family today as they gathered again. We have lost 2 precious members of this part of my family in the past year.

Colby and Dalayna in front of the tree on Christmas morning. I have tried to take a picture each year on Christmas morning, except for 2008. Colby was sick last year and we weren't in our own home for the first time ever.

Dalayna with cousin Brad. He could make her smile that day.

This is the year Colby recieved the game "Buckaroo". I think Dalayna enjoyed it as much as he did!!

Scooter Racing

2009-11-28T21:49:00.010-05:00

We have found a new form of entertainment in our house. Each night we all, or just the kids, head down to the basement to spend time with our dogs. Last night, I was FINALLY feeling better, thankfully, so I had the idea to race on scooters. My legs would probably be glad to tell you how sore they are today. So, tonight I decided I should do it again to help them. Tonight we added a new twist.... a bicycle. The bicycle was my idea, but I almost ran into a dog, a child, a concrete wall and boxes. You would have thought I needed training wheels. I will just blame it on the anti-biotic I am taking. Ha, Ha!! So, seeing my inability to ride on 2 wheels, Terry kindly took over. Sorry for the bad pictures. My battery is low! Dalayna was racing on her tricycle, but managed to stay out of the pictures.

Colby entertained us all by crashing into the boxes on almost every turn. As you can see he is wearing a helmet and the boxes make a "softwall", which is a NASCAR term:).

This is my "Great Wall". I had to "build" this wall to keep Ranger from getting into trouble. It is almost 2 layers of boxes deep. The cover to the pool is on the other side, as well as the furnace, hot water heater, and water softener. Since Ranger is a busybody, we constructed the wall to keep him out of trouble.

OOPS!! See information below!!

Ranger can't get out of the way of the scooter fast enough!! He did find this Christmas bag good enough to lay down on. He also got hold of some our icicle lights and started chewing light bulb and all. They are now in a safe place far from Ranger's reach. I sometimes think this dog is part goat!!

Poor Remington!! He is probably thinking, "These people have lost their minds!", as we race around the basement on scooters!! See the princess scooter in the background? That is the one I use. It takes work!!

Catching Up

2009-11-24T16:42:00.020-05:00

I have been sick, so I am very behind in blogging. Sorry!! In the last blog, I mentioned a sign one of Terry's co-workers hand carved for our family. Here it is. It also has our last name on the bottom, but for privacy purposes I left it out of the picture. I would love to hang it somewhere, but it may have to wait until we are in a home of our own again.

We went back to our actual house a week and a half ago to prepare for an open house. We have had several people look at it, but no offers, so please continue to keep that in your prayers. It was good to be back and see our church family and neighbors. Our friends Ron and Angela were kind enough to let us hang out at their house and we had a wonderful time. This is one of their horses.

Here are the chickens. They were having fun scratching in the dirt. Dalayna has been able to help gather eggs 2X now.

Fixing the barn roof.

Caitlyn decided she wanted to be buried in the sand, so Dalayna is working hard to do that. Ron and Angela had new sand poured beside the barn for the horses, but no animals had been here yet, so it was safe for the kids to play in.

There is always much running around playing different games when we go to Ron and Angela's house. They have 5 acres, so there is plenty of room to run. I am not sure if Colby is surrendering here or what!!

This picture is what I call a "redneck tractor pull". Terry and Ron were pulling the tractor to the front of the property to work on it. They fixed it!!

This cornfield is right behind Ron and Angela's property. It was neat to watch this combine going through the field. Can you tell I am a city girl?

Many people may not know that we enjoy bird-watching at our house. We always have. There are lots of birds here and we are very happy about it. Here is one of our black-capped chicadees. They are very tame. This one was quite the piggy on Saturday and emptied the entire bird feeder picking out the pieces he wanted. We also have blue jays, which I mentioned in another blog, cardinals, titmouse, juncos, woodpeckers, and today we saw a huge hawk.

We received permission from the owners to burn wood in the fireplace, so Terry decided to get busy chopping wood. Dalayna was a good helper carrying the wood to the "cubby hole" as she calls it. Colby was at a youth event helping to rake leaves at someone's property.

After we received permission to burn wood, Terry began examining the fireplace and he found a kettle inside. I thought that was so neat. One of my favorite children's books is "Ox-Cart Man." In the book, the man purchases a new kettle for his wife for the fireplace. Of course it is much bigger than this one. Dalayna and I read that book the day before we found this, so she was able to see up close what it might look like!!

Here is a look at the fireplace itself. It is so big!! I look forward to sitting beside it for warmth during the lake-effect snows!!

The First Week of the Next Chapter

2009-11-12T20:30:00.014-05:00

The title of this post says it all. We have again started another chapter in the life of our family. I am not big on starting new chapters, but God must be giving them to me for some reason. So, this week as I have taken part in this next chapter, despite my fears, my sometimes tears, He has given me blessings to be thankful for: My neighbor across the street, who lives in a beautiful home, came over to welcome us to the neighborhood. She brought red velvet cupcakes and dog treats for Reminton and Ranger. She made sure I had her # in case I needed anything. We visited a church 2X and on the Sunday visit, a family took us to lunch and paid for it. We enjoyed their company and they homeschool too!! We had one of Terry's co-workers over for dinner and they brought us a beautiful sign with the local lighthouse on it, carved personally by the husband. I will post a picture of it later. On Sunday, the president of the company and his wife dropped by. They brought a beautiful cake, but we were just thankful they came by to visit. Another one of Terry's co-workers left apple cider,a bag of apples and a bag of candy for the kids. I was so worried about being alone, yet God has graciously filled our lives in the last week with the kindness and thoughtfulness of others. I believe with all my heart these things can only come from a God who knows your very thoughts, hopes and fears and seeks to put them to rest. The pictures below were a day of exploring the area. We started out with breakfast at the beach, then a walk to the lighthouse. It was extremely windy as you can tell from the hair in my face. We can't wait for next summer when we can hit the beach for swimming!!

The local lighthouse. I was bit scared to walk out to it, especially with the winds that were blowing, but the concrete walkway is actually quite large. We were however, very protective of Dalayna and made her walk on the inside.

We decided to take the kids to Bass Pro. This is an ice shanty for ice fishing. I had never seen one before in person.

They already have the Christmas decorations up at Bass Pro, so I thought it would be fun to take the kids picture in front of them, though the short-sleeved shirt on Colby just doesn't seem to fit with the Christmas decor does it? It was a beautiful day.

Just a fun picture of Colby on the deck. Although we have missed having neighbors, my kids and dogs are having a lot of fun just running around everywhere, especially with the dogs. There are lots of birds and chipmunks just outside the kitchen window. At lunch the other day, the bluejays and chipmunks were harassing one another and Colby was giving me the play by play action.

We had the pleasure of meeting the owners of this house the Friday we were moving in. They are such kind people. The wife told me that this house was a happy house when they lived here. We told her we are a happy family, that is the name of our blog and that we would continue to make happy memories in their home. She said they have had weddings, showers and parties in this home. We know it is big enough to do so!! They actually designed this home themselves and then found a piece of ground and had it built. She told me about the deer that live around here, too. One night her son came home around 1 AM and there were 13 deer in the driveway. Another time, she came downstairs for breakfast and turned on the lights. When she did she was face to face with a deer just outside the kitchen window and they startled one another!! It was fun to listen to her tell the stories and I did get her permission to put all this on the blog.

Finally, Dalayna has lost her first tooth!! One of her cousins began losing her teeth and I came to the conclusion that since they are 3 months apart, Dalayna wouldn't be too far behind. It is fun for her, sad for me because it means my baby is growing up!! She received a dollar under her pillow. It was such a tiny tooth and sharp as can be, so we were telling her they were like shark teeth!!

Additional Thanks

2009-11-09T09:16:00.002-05:00

I wanted to thank more people. First, my parents for giving up their time to come up for several days and work hard. They knew it was not going to be a fun visit,yet they came anyway. They worked from the time they got up until bedtime helping us pack and unpack. They never complained, but did everything they asked. They even stayed an extra day because I was worried about being lonely, and before they went home made sure we had everything we would possibly need. Thank you to my wonderful parents.

Thanks also to Lauren, Abby and Lindsay, who came to help pack boxes, help their mom vaccuum and keep Dalayna company. I had the joy of working with Abby in Awana and she was a real encouragement to me. She wrote me a note to say thanks for working in Awana and made me a craft that I will hang on my Christmas tree. Abby is in 2nd grade, but she taught me that it doesn't matter how old you are, you can be uplifting and encouraging to anyone.

Thanks to Many

2009-11-08T21:50:00.003-05:00

I have so many people to thank for their support and active role in our move. We are so thankful for the many people God has put into our lives in the past year and a half. If I forget someone, I am sorry. First, to all the people who provided boxes and newspaper for packing:Kathy and Todd, Gloria and Norm, Steve and Michelle, Damon and Jennifer, Brad and Rachael, my neighbors Julie and Dale, and Dale's sister Angie. I had more than enough boxes and it was a blessing not to have to buy any!! On Saturday as we packed boxes, the ladies in my Bible Study provided muffins, juice and plenty of paper products for eating. It was a great help since almost everything was packed. Thank you to Brad and Rachael for making sure I received those things!! Many people gave of their time on Friday and Saturday to help, even in the rain. I was brought to tears on Saturday morning as I saw car after car pull into our street and our church family heading to the door to help us. I know many of them are busy, they have their own families and worries, but they gave of their time to help. Thank you to Ron, who not only helped pack us up on Friday, but Saturday too, then drove up here with us to help unload. Thank you to Jim, Paul(who was also there Friday and Saturday) Roy, Dan, Gordon, Damon,and Brad. To the teens who came and visited with Colby for the last time:Ben, Jonathan, Debbie, Alexa. To Caitlyn, who helped keep her friend Dalayna busy. Mackenzie, you worked hard too!! Amy, thank you for giving up your time and vacuuming the entire house in FW for me, and for your support and prayers through the whole process. To Gloria, who packed up numerous boxes for me when my brain was frazzled and for your support and prayers. Someone at the church we visited already commented on all the sparkles I wear!! To Angela, who worked at packing boxes, providing furniture blankets and helping to unpack here at the new house. We are blessed beyond measure to have each of you in our lives. We thank God for you. Many people have e-mailed me and mentioned us forgetting about our ABC family, but for those of you who read my blog, that is simply not possible. You will always hold a special place in our hearts!!

2009-11-03T20:38:00.013-05:00

Alexa, Mackenzie, and Colby taking a rest after unloading the 2nd round at our rental house. We are here, unpacking and tired so I will post more later. Thank you for your prayers. I think my sanity is somewhat intact, but who knows!!

My precious dad has been such a wonderful help. Even though his softball games were cancelled, he has had plenty of exercise moving boxes and furniture.

This is our back yard. It is not dog-friendly as far as a fence goes, but our dogs have fun sniffing their way through the trees every time they are outside. There are supposed to be deer that live around the house and we are hoping to see one soon.

Here are some views of the back of the house, compliments of my mother. I will take some pictures of the front soon.

The back deck has become my kids favorite place to hang out. As you can see, it has a beautiful view. In order to be with her grandkids, Grandma has to hang out there too!!

These are some fun pictures my mom decided to take of Colby, looking suave in his dad's fedora. He was in the mood to actually allow his picture to be taken. Must be exhaustion from the move!!

Dalayna sitting in the window seat in the kitchen with her favorite toy, her play money. She is destined to be a banker or millionaire the way she loves to count money.

Dalayna Received Her First Book Award in Awana!!

2009-10-28T22:35:00.002-04:00

I am so proud of Dalayna. She received her Awana book in September and finished it tonight to receive her 1st book award. She studied her verses constantly, over and over again. Her goal was to finish it by her last night in Awana at our church. She accomplished it!! She has a true hunger for God's Word right now and my prayer is that it will continue even though she reached her goal. Great job, sweetheart!!

Pictures of the rental home

2009-10-25T15:33:00.009-04:00

See picture below for information. Here are some pictures of the house we will be leasing. I will take more once we are settled in. This gives you an idea what it looks like. I am packing steadily .

This will be our living room/family room, complete with a mini-fridge. The lady you see is the realty lady who helped us find this house.

The other side of the sitting room. See picture below for the other half.

This is the sitting room, which for now will sit empty.

If you can see it, this is the dining room.

This is the "breakfast nook" with a beautiful view.

This is the rec. room at one end of the house. It will be our schoolroom.

Anniversary Fun Fact

2009-10-24T18:35:00.002-04:00

Just thought it would be fun to post that Terry and I went on our very 1st date 18 years ago today. I had a picture of us from "way back then", but I accidentally packed it. So this one will have to do. I am so thankful for my husband and that 1st date, and that 18 years later here we are.

Improved 4th Bedroom

2009-10-19T15:36:00.004-04:00

This post is really for my mother, so she can see how good this room looks after Terry painted it last week. It was an ugly light blue in the painters grade paint, which picks up every scuff mark possible. We decided on a soft cream color. This is also a reminder to our friends and family that we will again have a spare bedroom in the house we will be leasing and a comfortable bed to sleep in too.

Pray for the Sale of our Home

2009-10-18T13:57:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to ask everyone to be praying about the sale of our home. We had a showing yesterday, this morning, will have one this evening, and 2 showings tomorrow. It is a good thing, yet it is also disruptive when you are trying to pack up your life to move. I am also a person who does not like my schedule to be interrupted. Yes, I am selfish when it comes to that, but this is teaching me I have no choice. We are hoping that one of these showing will bring us an offer on our house. I will keep everyone up to date when I am home to do so!! I cannot thank everyone enough for their prayers during this time in our lives!!

Move Update

2009-10-15T19:02:00.002-04:00

Terry is set to sign the papers to lease the big house on Monday. We decided it suited our needs more, not to mention there are no critters and it is so nice. We will have to be intentional about keeping the electricity and gas costs low, though we found out some of their costs came from running their pool filter, etc. and their hot tub. We won't be using those. So there is some money saved right away!! At this point we will move at the end of the month. I am busy packing and practically begging my children to get rid of some things!! Thank you for praying for us, but don't stop yet!!

Colby the Cook

2009-10-14T15:58:00.004-04:00

I have not mentioned that Colby loves to cook. He loves to experiment with putting seasonings in foods, frying bacon and eggs, hamburgers, etc. He constantly thinks of new ways to cook things. He is much braver than me!! So, tonight he cooked for me. I requested a type of stir fry with what was available in the refrigerator. I didn't have to do a thing. He even chopped the peppers, onions and everything!! Wasn't that a nice treat for mom!! Thanks, Colby!!

Colby wanted me to let you know what he put in it: 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, chunks of ham, pineapple and a bit of pineapple juice, butter and a bit of seasoning pepper, and onion. I ate all but 2 ham chunks. It was delicious!!

Last Pics from St. Louis-Finally!!

2009-10-13T16:42:00.005-04:00

My children also got top spend some time with their Uncle Marty and Aunt Angie. Marty and Angie were kind enough to treat all of us to Imo's. It was soooooo good. I miss Imo's pizza!!

Colby and Dalayna with cousin Kayla. It is hard to believe she is a senior in high school already!!

Update on Our Move

2009-10-12T21:40:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to update everyone on the situation we have with our relocation. In the area we are moving to it is extremely hard to find properties to lease. The properties available are very expensive and we are working with a budget here!! We also have pets, which some people don't want, and I completely understand. We also need a garage for them to stay in since I don't allow them to roam through the house with my asthma and allergies. I do love my dogs, though!! We have been looking since June because we knew there was a good chance, if God allowed, that we would be moving. We finally found 2 properties to look at. The first was a modular home with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. It also came with 2 completely fenced acres. Yeah for the kids and the dogs to play outside!! However, no garage for the dogs!!
The other home is currently on the market, but the people are kind enough to consider us to take care of it for them during the winter months. They will put it back on the market in the spring, then if it sells, we will have to move. This is of course a negative if our house has not sold. The positive is that it is around 3400 square feet, 4 bedroom and 2.5 baths(same beds and baths we have here). It is huge, plus a garage and unfinished basement. It comes with 3 wooded acres. Needless to say it is a very nice home with beautiful views.
We went to see them and the modular was not in good condition. The other home is wonderful, but tends to have large electric and gas bills. I am a penny pincher, so I am sure we could find ways to save money on those bills!! So please pray for us that God will give us wisdom to know what to do. I am not too good to live in a modular home, but their was lots of evidence of critters living there, more than one I'm sure!! We will let you know our final decision soon!! We hope to move at the end of October if everything goes according to plan. Thank you for all of your prayer support!!