Buttercream roses!

After about one hour and a half of practice, practice, practice.....I think I have gotten fairly good at making roses from buttercream icing. It was so frustrating in the beginning but I found it got a whole lot easier as the icing got to room temperature. It was much smoother to work with and I am now having a ball making these roses!!! I have a cake to make in a few days and I can't wait to see the finished product. I'll be sure to post it. Here's a quick video of me making a rose :)

Nice shiner !

Well, the saying 'boys will be boys' is so true in our home! Seems as though our son is constantly getting himself banged and bruised up. This lovely shiner was a face plant into a rocking chair. I seriously think he should be enrolled in gymnastics the way he flips, dives and somersaults!! Today he got plenty of kisses for his boo-boo.

Budding photographer

Our daughter, although only 6, loves taking pictures and got a camera for Christmas. Today during our walk around the block I told her to take pictures of anything 'yellow'. She was doing great until the batteries died. Here are her shots from today.

Yellow Fire hydrant

Yellow leaves

Yellow Bobcat

Yellow sun

Yellow garden hose

Not bad huh? I'll have to show you shots she takes of herself soon. They're hilarious!!

Chiropractor needed!

I've been needing to get an adjustment lately but I did a number on my back tonight....uuuggg. We've been rearranging bedrooms and I ended up lifting the bed which was way too heavy for me and now my back is aching. I think I'll be heading to the chiropractor the end of this week :)
Tonight we watched the extras and bloopers etc. from the Fireproof DVD. That was such an amazing movie. Just from watching the behind the scenes episodes, you can see how God has blessed and worked through the making of the films. The Kendricks brothers have such a desire for God to be glorified through these movies and the gospel is always well presented.

I've also been enjoying the time off of school for the past week. I have been able to do things that I haven't had time for recently and right now I've been relaxing by painting.

Today we were able to pick up our daughter's birthday photos and I'm so pleased how they turned out! What a cutie :)

Fireproof

We've been waiting for this one!! Fireproof came out today on video. If you want Christian wholesome viewing that gives the gospel then you really need to search out these videos by the Kendricks Brothers. They are from Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. They have produced 3 movies so far.....Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof. We have thoroughly enjoyed each movie! Fireproof addresses some very touchy subjects between spouses and stirs the desire to be a better mate. If you haven't seen it...I encourage you to do so!!!
****Walmart is selling Fireproof AND Flywheel together for the price of one!****

Fireproof Trailer


Facing the Giants Trailer


Flywheel Trailer

Molding young minds

Kids pick up things so quickly! This can be beneficial and also detrimental depending on what they are picking up. We have gone through many trials and error with the kids especially when it comes to what they view. They do not watch regular programmed shows on television. They have only watched videos that we chose for them to view. Early on we thought we would stick to Disney movies (Cinderella, Snow White, Little Mermaid....etc) We soon discovered that although they may be 'clean' viewing material, that doesn't necessarily mean it is 'good' viewing material. We found the kids (especially our daughter at the time) would really start misbehaving. I got to thinking about the movies and soon realized that Ariel in the Little Mermaid is a very disobedient child always getting herself in trouble. Snow White and Cinderella have evil women in authoritative positions and none of these videos had a whole functioning family (mother and father together). So we moved on....for a time we had no television whatsoever and things seemed to improve. We gradually added tamer videos (why did we ruin a good thing?? I don't know) such as Little Bear and Max & Ruby. Well again, we saw behaviour not fitting our home. Max & Ruby are 2 rabbits, brother and sister, what could be harmful? ... She bosses her little brother around constantly telling him what to do and not to do. We then observed this behaviour from our children. So again....back to no television. We've even cut out all the Bible story videos we would get from the library because I truly believe that kids get used to all the animation and colorful viewing, then when it comes time to sit still for school....they get cranky and bored because their minds want the excitement and dazzle these images provide.

One example that I can give is in our Math studies this year. It is her toughest subject and it is hard to get her excited and motivated about doing math work. Towards the end of the year she put forth very little effort and would get sloppy in her work to where she got way too many questions wrong on a sheet. She told me math was not fun. I found a math game on the computer and right away she took to it getting correct answers and building excitement. Yes, games can make a subject fun and interesting, but there is a problem when there is an attitude change just because it becomes more 'fun'. We need to train our kids at a young age to just be able to sit and settle their minds and do quiet activities instead of always needing to have excitement to accomplish things. They need to have appropriate behaviour and attitude when it comes time to doing things that are not pleasurable in their minds.

This is what we are tackling presently amongst so many other character qualities like sharing, compassion, immediate obedience with the right attitude...... :)

Who said parenting was easy right ?!

Sweetness

I had such a sweet conversation with my 3 year old tonight....here's how it went.
Son: Mommy, are you happy I love you?
Me: Yes, very happy!
Son: Do you love Daddy?
Me: Yes!
Son: Do you love...(goes through the list of family members)
Me: Yes!
Son: That's good.
Me: I love you with all my heart.
Son: Oh, that's so sweet Mommy. I'm going to marry you :)

Oh how I love being a Mommy!! Doesn't get any better does it?

Food and fellowship

Several months ago our Pastor introduced a fellowship supper night. The church is divided up into small groups and you take turns at each others home for supper once a month until you have gone all through your group....then we get into new groups and start all over again. Tonight we had 2 lovely couples over and had a wonderful evening around the table. It is a great way to get to know each other on a more intimate level as we share stories and memories with one another. So now....I kick back and relax while hubby tackles the dishes (thank you my love!)

Can we say 'DISGUSTING!'

We have a wonderful central vacuum system which worked great for about a year and a half until something went wrong...we can't figure it out. We thought we would just go ahead and use our regular vacuum that we were given when we got married. Well...after 10 1/2 years it has gone kaput as well. I wasn't able to find a repairman for our central vac and we have company coming tomorrow so we decided that we would go ahead and use some money the Lord recently provided us and buy a new vacuum! Let me just say....we have a clean house now!!!! I knew our old vacuum wasn't picking up like it should, but with the suction it did have, I was able to at least keep the carpet looking clean. I say looking clean because....behold....look what came from just one room.....disgusting! Can I say I love my new vacuum!!!

Apologies in advance for the picture below...but you wouldn't believe me unless I showed you! This is from emptying the canister after just one room.

Song

I've added a beautiful rendition of Bow the Knee along the left side of my blog.

Bow the Knee

These days are filled with much uncertainty. I hear of people being laid off, work being very slow, and it can be very unsettling not knowing what will be in store during these next few months. We are a one income family...and I thank God for the opportunity to stay at home with our kids and teach them.....and with that comes stricter budgeting and smaller savings. But it is what we feel God has led us to do, so we forge ahead with *few* complaints :)
During these times where stress and worry can take over, we need to remind ourselves that God is in control. He has promised to take care of us and provide for us.
This song is always an encouragement to me when I feel myself starting to fret about circumstances that are beyond my control.
I've posted the lyrics below so you can follow along. (it was difficult finding this song...so I'm only posting this video so you can hear the words )

There are moments on our journey following the Lord
When God illumines every step we take.
There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us,
As we try to understand each move He makes.
When the path grows dim
And our questions have no answers, turn to Him.

Bow the knee; trust the heart of your Father
when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee; lift your eyes toward heaven and
believe the One who holds eternity.
When you don't understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of your King, bow the knee.

There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall,
And the cold and lonely winds won't cease to blow.
And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel;
We are tempted to believe God does not know.
When the storms arise,
Don't forget we live by faith and not by sight.

Bow the knee; trust the heart of your Father
when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee; lift your eyes toward heaven and
believe the One who holds eternity.
When you don't understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of your King,

Bow the knee; trust the heart of your Father
when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee; lift your eyes toward heaven and
believe the One who holds eternity.
When you don't understand the purpose of His plan,
In the presence of your King,
In the presence of your King,
In the presence of your King,
Bow the knee

Are you ready for digital TV?

Hopefully it won't be this difficult to set up the converter box if you have antenna television (we are one of them!)
Hubby has been getting quite a good laugh from this one....

History lesson

Today's schooling has consisted of sitting in front of the television....well it was for a good purpose. Today we watched the inauguration of our new president. We were able to talk about government, how it works (on a simple level), the role of a president, what his oath meant, our role as citizens, the importance of respecting authority and most importantly that God is in control and is the supreme ruler over all!
Speaking of school...we are in our last week. Come Friday we have officially completed Grade One!!! I know I've mentioned it before, but it has been such a learning and growing experience for us both. I am sooooo very thankful for the priviledge of teaching our kids. I believe it is God's design for parents to teach their children.
Prov 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Prov 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Isa 54:13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
God's method of education is found in Deut 6:7-9 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
I believe God will hold us responsible for what our children learn. We are not only teaching them the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic, but we are instilling in them godly character, Christian values, training them in Christian faith....and that is a responsiblity I do not want to pass on to a stranger.
I look forward to celebrating our year end! And I'm looking forward to starting a new year with the Lord's help.

Red noses

We went for a walk around the block today and although the snow is gone...it was cold!! There is actually talk of a few inches tomorrow....we'll see :) That's the funny thing living here in the south. When they get a few inches of snow, no one drives anywhere! The milk and bread aisles in the store are empty! I'm still getting used to that. Growing up with snow from December to sometimes April....we got used to getting places amidst the high snowbanks. Oh well...any excuse for hubby to stay home is fine with me :) Here are a few shots of some red noses from our walk today.

SNOW

Our first snowfall....boy were the kids happy!!! Our daughter starts praying for snow as soon as winter comes. Mommy on the other hand were prefer a snowless winter :) There's not a lot out there right now....just a light dusting but it's SNOW!!!

Ode to moms

How many of these phrases have you said in one day :)

Haircut!

Yeah....we did it! Our first haircut. Of course there were tears.....I don't think any child that young likes the sound of clippers. But overall it went very well and look how cute! Hard to believe how a little haircut can change their appearance. He looks like such a big boy now :) His little locks are tucked away in the baby book and here are some pictures of our oh-so-cute-big-boy!

Happy Birthday

We finally were able to celebrate our daughters birthday. She requested Tinkerbell this year which proved to be a bit challenging for me. There were not alot of ideas out there for Tinkerbell so I took an idea I saw from a napkin :) It turned out alright....tasted good anyway!
She looked so grown up tonight.....aaahhhh! Why do they have to grow up so fast! We shared the evening with Nana and Grandpa, and her Aunt/Uncle and cousins. It was a fun evening.

Happy 6th Birthday Sweetheart!

Inspiration

Just a quick background. Rick was born in 1962 with the umbilical chord wrapped around his neck which cut off oxygen to his brain. Doctors told his parents pretty much he would be a vegetable all his life....there was no hope for him. An inspirational story of a father's love for his son.


You can find out more about them at Team Hoyt.

Good to be back!

Because the kids have been sick for the past 2 weeks, we have missed 2 Sunday and 2 Wednesday services. Tonight we were finally able to get back to our church family and fellowship! What a wonderful feeling to walk in the door and have folks greet you saying "we've missed you!!"....to know that you have been missed. The kids were sent several cards throughout the week which not only cheers them up but gives mommy and daddy a wonderful sense of friendship as well. It is so important to have that fellowhip with other believers. We share our joys, our trials, our praises, and our requests with these individuals, knowing that they rejoice with us and sorrow with us and most of all pray with us! I praise God tonight for good health once again and for continually meeting our needs!

That's gotta be uncomfortable!

Our youngest fell asleep in his playyard this afternoon and I went to check on him and had to laugh at what I saw. That has to be the most uncomfortable position!! If you are familiar with playyards, he pulled the hard surface back out of the way and nestled himself between the poles that keep it together. He was snoring away so peacefully :)

Mommy-daughter outing

We had a fun evening out together just us girls. It's such a special time to share with her, to grow closer, to talk about girl things. She is at such a great age....full of questions and she loves to talk!! We didn't do a whole lot, just spent time together. We tried getting her birthday photos done, but they were closed for some reason. Then we went and picked up the items we need for her birthday cake (we are hoping to have her party this week). We then finished our evening at the Cold Stone Creamery and got a free ice cream. If you haven't done so, you can go to their website and sign up for their birthday club and they give you a coupon for a free ice cream when your birthday rolls around. You should have seen the look on her face! She of course went for the blue cotton candy ice cream with gummie bears mixed in. When we got home she fell right to sleep. What a lovely way to spend an evening :)

What did you say?

We are finally reaching another milestone! Our soon-to-be 16 month old is starting to repeat words. He's been a quiet one when it comes to talking. When they say each child is different, that is so true. Our daughter was an early talker (I think most girls are). Our second was not as talkative early on but said several words early. Our youngest however prefers to grunt and point as a way of communicating! The past several days have been quite exciting to finally hear him try and mimic what he hears. So far our new words have been: cracker is ca-ca, book is bu, peekaboo is pe-bu, and he has said his brother's name very clearly. (He says mama, dada, baby, and bye bye frequently) Such a fun stage!!
Here is a picture of some snuggle time with daddy.

New desk

We've had to do a little more rearranging and thinking about what we were going to do for our next school year. We turned our utility room into a schoolroom and it worked great in the summer months but as it got cold, so did the schoolroom!!! The attic and garage doors have too much of a draft I guess. So for the past few months we moved back into the kitchen. That doesn't work so well with 2 other small children who want to play and be noisy. It was hard for our daughter to concentrate and not get distracted watching the other kids. So....we thought about what we could do and then we came upon this!! A beautiful writing desk that matches the furniture in the bedroom. Now, she will be able to have a quiet area to herself for study and there is enough room on the floor to have combined classes with her brother during reading time etc. I think it will work out really well. She is excited and already filling her drawers and shelves with pencils and school supplies. Now we just need to find a nice comfortable chair for her.

Go support!

It's always wonderful to find franchises and vendors who are owned and operated by Christian men and women. I love supporting them! My husband came across this over the holidays and I wanted to post it incase you haven't seen it. It is from the craft store, Hobby Lobby. During the holidays, they post ads with fantastic messages! Here is their site that lists all the ads they've put out Hobby Lobby Ads . I love the Christmas Ad they had out recently. Be sure to view it in full size (below is just a small portion of the picture. Follow the link above and click on it to view the entire ad)

Busy, busy, busy

The past several days have consisted of me sitting at the computer and printer preparing for our next school year. I have to say I'm getting exhausted! We are down to 10 more days of our current school year....yeah!! I'm trying to get about 13 weeks worth of schooling ready to go for our next grade level. I'm going to be ready for a break myself :)
We had a very sweet moment today after our daughter finished up her schoolwork. I was exhausted and went to take a nap (hubby was able to work from home today....another 'yeah!'). Our youngest who is still struggling with this horrible illness did not sleep well through the night...thus mommy didn't sleep well either. Anyway, while I was dozing our daughter tutored her brother on his alphabet using the flashcards and had him write out his alphabet on paper. Yes! Yes! Yes! That gets me so excited. Mentoring, building loving character, a concern for the development of her siblings, all advantages of a homeschooling environment. Made my day!
One quick side note....I'm trying to figure out how to embed our beautiful spokesperson so she only shows up once per visit. I hope it's not getting annoying! Let me know

Introducing...

How do you like our video spokesperson? Hubby has been working with some new software and thought he'd try it out on my blog. Isn't she a cutie!

What were we thinking??

The after Christmas sales....when things go on sale! It works out great for our daughter since her birthday falls 2 weeks later. But then there are those things that you don't really need but you think "it's on sale"!!! Well, this was our purchase....call me crazy! It actually hasn't been too bad because we put a very important rule in place. You don't play it until Mommy or Daddy brings it out! Our rule has worked out pretty good so far except the minor incident this morning when I awoke to banging *grin*. We'll keep working on that rule right son?!! Here is our purchase and our son demonstrating his ability.


Actually it does have its purpose. Being a piano teacher, the biggest problem I encounter with my students is keeping the proper rhythm. I've been using our new purchase to teach our daughter rhythm during music class and we are really enjoying it. Here is a small excerpt from today.

Can it be???....6 years!!

Our daughter turns 6 years old today! How can that be?? Six years since I held my firstborn for the first time. What a day that was! It's hard to sum everything up or even put into words what that day meant to me. It was a day I had waited for and didn't know if I would ever get to experience! God has truly blessed me. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about how much God loves me and what He has given me.

Dear daughter,
You are such a blessing to your daddy and I, more than you will ever know. To be able to experience life with you brings us such joy. You are an amazing, beautiful creation of God and I am so very blessed the Lord chose me to be your Mother. How do I thank Him enough for all that you add to my life. I love you more than words could ever express.

Since the kids are still sick, we've had to postpone her party but we did have a little celebration of our own. Here are some pictures from our afternoon.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!

It arrived..

Here is the picture I won from DoorpostVerses . It looks beautiful on the wall! Thank you again for the contest! Check out their store to see the beautiful collection they have :)

Sick again....

There has not been a lot going on around here lately. The kids are sick AGAIN! I don't know about anyone else, but this past year was the worst we had for being sick. A normal year for us is 2 colds, one in the winter and one in the summer. That's it!! It seems as though people are getting more and more ill, and there are more respiratory infections and virus floating around than before. Maybe it's just me....but it has been quite a frustrating year for staying well. This nasty one right now is a horrible croupy cough with a fever. Our daughter has had a high temp for 3 days now and the boys are showing signs of a cold now. To top it off, our daughters birthday is this week, so that will have to be postponed :(
One thing my husband and I are cracking down on which may help the situation is eating better. Our kids eat healthy.....they do not eat sugar on a regular basis, and candy is forbidden (ooohhh bad parents!!!) The occasional sugar consists of a piece of cake at a birthday, or a cookie or 2 for the holidays or get-together. We always keep healthier snacks in the house like raisins, yogurt, sugar free popsicles, flavored (no sugar added) applesauce etc. But over the past year or so we have allowed more unhealthier items like more pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs instead of sticking with our chicken, roasts, and vegetables. I'm wondering if that has had an effect on them.....so we're revising our menu! We are also careful with what they drink....no sugar drinks, even the apple juice is no-sugar added. One item I love to get for the kids (and they LOVE it) is the V8 V-fusion drinks. It is a mix of vegetable and fruit juice together and comes in a variety of flavors. They have tried them all and love them. Get a $1.00 off coupon here
So here is hoping 2009 will be a much healthier year for us!!!

A game of Cootie!

We found this game on sale and it was one that I grew up playing. We had so much fun playing Cootie and I think you'll be able to tell from the pictures who won and who lost...(poor daddy)

New cape...

Here is a project I've been working on for the past couple of days. It is a new Sunday fleece cape for our daughter. Forgive her expression....she is a sick girl right now (poor babe). She says it is really warm (I purchased the thicker fleece for that purpose). It looks pretty cute on her so I'm excited to see how it works out on Sunday if she's feeling better :)

Change

Look at the difference a year can make! Wow...how their features continue to change and mature with each year. This was taken almost a year to the day (I think I like red!!) Makes me sad to think of how quickly it has gone by but I rejoice at their new accomplishments and the memories we made. I look forward to this year and more memories!!