Turkey Sisters Day Pictures????

Hello all! Here's hoping your turkey day was especially thankful. Mine was going to be... before my nutty sister sent me a text message that we were taking "Sister Pictures" at Thanksgiving. I sent her a text back asking who's dumb idea that was. She replied, "Mine."

Oops...

Well, of course I balked!! Number one, I had planned on wearing my bright, goofy fall shirt and my pumpkin earrings I always wear one time a year... Thanksgiving. Number two, I had no intentions of "fixing up" and was seriously just thinking about wearing no make-up and my hair in a clippy. Well, they're my family, right? No need to foo-foo up for them... They're stuck with me!! LOL!! And who wants to worry about lipstick, fixed hair, and a less than totally comfortable shirt when you're planning on eating your mom's turkey with dressing and all the fixins? Sigh.... But I had received my marching orders and nothing for me to do than break out the war paint, the heat rods, and the girdle... I hate having my picture taken.



I had hoped she had forgotten. We'd made it almost to dark and if I could get to five o'clock I could say that there just wasn't enough good light.... Sooorrryyyyy! But she remembered. And out we tramped into the yard, looking for a good background, something we could all hide behind, and the best way to arrange the four of us. We wanted the twins together. But try as we might, we couldn't seem to work it out where the photo looked right. And then we did this stagger thing... Why does the fat sister always get stuck in the front?? There ought to be a rule that the fat sister gets to stand behind whatever she chooses so that she doesn't have to show all 15 rolls to the world!! My preference of places was to stand behind the camera! But, having none of that, my sister, alas, relegated me to the front of the picture.

We fiddled, we fuddled, we tried to get in the right position until finally my goofy sister reached around and drew us all together so that we were laughing as we were trying to get a good shot and not fall off the big log flat onto our fannies....

Here's what we got...


What is Thanksgiving? Thanking the Lord for what you have been given, spending time with your family, enjoying good food, and making memories together.


Yeah, I guess I did have a good Thanksgiving. Hope yours was as good as mine.


Thank you Lord for the things I have been given...
and for the things I have not.


Lori

Picture Time

Okay... What does it say about you when you can take great pictures of someone else's kids but you just can't seem to get any good ones out of your own?? That was rhetorical, please don't answer that because I'm not sure I want to know!!!

So I decided that today the day was sufficiently pretty, the day was not too cold, we didn't have anywhere else we had to be, so it must be a good day for pictures, right? So off we go to the choruses of "Awwww Mom!" "I wanted to build a fire!" "Do we have to??" "Can't we do it tomorrow?" "Can I just wear what I've got on?" (that one was about the last straw for me as the child in question was artfully decorated with peanut butter and bird seed from the pine cone feeders they had been making... and he asks can he just wear what he's got on! Arrrrgggghhhhh!!!) So I give them all the "Mommy Face" (yeah, I hear ya laughing... you've got one too!) and we get fluffed and puffed and head out to the field. I was certain that, with my new found skill at photography, I would be able to snap, snap, snap, and have the perfect Christmas card photo of my three lovely children. This was the first attempt...

Now, God love him, my wild man just cannot behave... So we're off for another attempt.

This time we're looking better, but still just a little silly...

Are we eeevvver going to get a good picture???

Well, suffice it to say, each of my children were well on their way to the wooden spoon award when they finally decided to act like civilized children.... And then my camera messed up. I feel like Charlie Brown when he goes to kick that football that Lucy's been holding for the past 40 years... Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhh!!! I got blurry shots, I got dark shots, I got enough red-eye shots that I was beginning to wonder was my camera picking up on the little devil I know is in each one of my children!!! I changed settings and took pictures, I changed my position and took pictures, I tried to change the lighting but that wasn't working out for me.... And then, finally, (after I fell over backwards while squatting down trying to get a good shot)...

And my kids got so tickled at Mom's goofiness....

We got the shot

we'd been looking for...

Isn't it precious when you look back on photos of your children and you realize that it really didn't matter that there were grass stains on their jeans.

It wasn't important that that shirt didn't really fit very well.

It won't even be remembered that the shoes that were worn were his play shoes instead of his good ones... nobody will even notice.

What's important is the love we have for our children... the love they have for us... the looks on their precious faces as you remember them in this one particular moment in time, how sweet they are, how aggravating they were at that age, how they made you laugh, and how they will never be that age ever again.

And you stop for a moment and you thank God above for the blessing of your children. And you pray that as they are such a blessing to you, God will give you strength, courage, wisdom, knowledge, kindness, steadfastness, and great heaping measures of grace so that you may also be a blessing to them.

"And her children arise up and call her blessed;..." Proverbs 31:28

My goal in life is that some day my children shall "arise up and call (me) blessed".... without me having to withold food until they do.

Have a blessed night and sweet sleep my friends... ;-)

L

A lot of growing in a year...

Hey, y'all. I was just showing my DH my "new blog" and while we were looking at the photos that I have posted we began to notice something odd.... The photo I have at the top of the page is a photo taken at Christmas 2007. Yes, only last year. I noticed Noah. Then I took a look at the photo I have of Noah individually.... I had a Rip Van Winkle moment!! Look at the difference in my child!!! He went from little boy to young man seemingly over night! Now, I don't remember playing nine pins with little short men in the mountains, but I am totally astonished that this kind of change could have happened in only a year. I mean gee whiz! The boy has grown nearly 5 inches, his voice is changing, and he has the makings of a serious mustache!!

Waaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! Baaaaawwwwwwllllll......... (deep breath) blubbbbbbbber! (sniff, sniff.... bloooooow, sniff) This is just not fair!! This business of watching your little boy become a young man is hard! Why did nobody tell me?????

Sigh....

So I guess putting a brick on his head would be moot at this point, huh?

Sigh....


I'm going to bed, pulling the cover over my head, and if I wake up to a bunch of little men playing games in the mountains, they'll be wishing they put the nine pins up before I got there because I'm gonna clobber them with 'em!!! (muttering).... Rip Van Winkle ME will ya....

God is so cool!!

Anita has said it so many times, and today I saw it yet again! God knows what we need before we need it. Now I know this is going to strike some as trivial, but to me it just shows me anew how God cares for even the little things in my life.

As some of you already know, in the spring I'll be with this HUGE co-op (the largest one I've ever been a part of... I'm praying NOW! HA!) and we will be studying cooperation/states and regions. Well, as I was babysitting a friend's child this afternoon I was channel surfing and what did I see on the History channel? A DOCUMENTARY ON THE STATES!!! There will be a snippet of material on each one of the 52 states. I didn't even know that there was such a documentary! I began recording the series immediately. While this may seem like no big deal, let me give u this little flash back: This semester we have been studying wisdom/government and founding fathers/presidents and electoral process. And boy has this semester been tough. Not so much the material - although there was a ton of material to cover - but just our situation and circumstances. We had our house on the market and you ALL know what kind of mess that entails. We have been living "on the farm" in our camper, of all things, trying to slowly get the place out here in shape for living here this winter. Things were uncertain as to whether we were going to be wintering over here or moving back into the house that was on the market. Just thinking about all this makes my stomach draw up... But then the Lord blessed us and we were able to sell the house so there was the MOVE. Aaarrrrgghh! I hate moving. We had a lot done, but gee whiz! How in the dickens do you accumulate so much STUFF??? Well, we had some great help (thank you so much Karen and Melinda!! You girls saved me!) but it was still a lot of work. And I have to say that I think this rule of the universe is totally unfair, but it seems that just because you're having a traumatic thing happen in your life, your every day chores like laundry, cooking, dishes, etc. still go on. Now how's that for a stinker!?!? So there was all that still to be done as well. Oh, gosh, and I almost forgot! WE STILL HAD TO DO SCHOOL!!! I have to brag on my Master here - He is sufficient for all my needs. He gave me such a measure of grace and mercy that I am still amazed. But here's where the cool thing comes in: As we were so busy with the house, the farm, the stuff of life, learning about the presidents, I'm sorry to say, got put sort of on the back burner. So, my Great God in all His awesomeness provided me with this great help... A DOCUMENTARY SET FROM THE HISTORY CHANNEL ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS!!! Now, I know that some might say that God did not have the History channel make a documentary on the presidents and founding fathers several years ago just so that I could have them in 2008 thru my crazy fall semester.... but you'll never make me believe it. For just as Christ died for all, He died JUST FOR ME. And though I know that others have benefitted from that set of documentaries, they saved my school semester. Otherwise my poor children would have been clueless and we would have probably dropped out of the co-op. I know that God was living up to His promise that Paul wrote about when he said, "For we know that all things work together for good for those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose." He knows just how to make the puzzle pieces fit to benefit the ones that the big picture needs to benefit. And although I usually cannot see anything other than my particular puzzle piece, I feel like there were several things that happened that needed to happen this semester. 1-I felt we could stay in the co-op as long as we could watch those videos and keep up somewhat. 2- That put me in a position to remain in close contact with my friend - on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. 3- It kept our children together, continuing to build an exciting friendship 4-That relationship led those boys to be ok with staying with us when their youngest brother had to be rushed to Lebonheur (sp?) for an emergency situation. They were able to stay with us for a little over a week and it was so sweet having them with us. And there were several things that God worked out for that family during that time that make up an awesome story by itself. So here's what will really "bake your noodle"... All that was as a result of a documentary series on presidents?? Yep. So now my thoughts move into the future.... What does God see happening in my life in the spring? Does He already know what's coming and that my poor children will need the "States" documentaries because they will have a dud for a teacher?? (Ah, ah, ah.... don't u say it!! I'm not always a dud!) Or is He just giving me a freebie? Yet another one of those many things that I know I take for granted daily... One of those little ways He shows me that He cares about every little detail of my life...

Oh my mercy, sakes, and gracious!! What in the world have I gotten myself into? I, the queen of "not because everyone else is doing it" have caved in to the (gasp!) peer pressure of blogging. I mean, nobody has said, "Oh, come on girl! You can do it!" I just find myself sitting at my computer whining loudly inside my head saying, "But everybody else is blogging..." Whine, whine, whine.... I feel like I need a little cheese with that whine. Gee whiz... But, here I am, posting my first blog, sharing my photo (that I just LOVE) of two of my sweet kitties, and hoping that I don't shame myself by typing some heinously (sp?) misspelled words (LOL) or using subject-verb agreement that would send the grammar police crashing down my door. Hey, if it's not used properly, would that be subject -verb disagreement?? Ha! HA! Weeeelllll.... Now what I do say? See, this is why I was worried about blogging! What in the world do you say when u r trying to tell about what's going on in your life? Hmmm.....

Oh! I know! For those of you that don't know, PRAISE GOD AND GLORY HALLELUJAH, we sold our house! Woooo hoooo!! I cannot tell u what pressure that has taken off my poor husband. Bless his heart.... But now, work-a-holic that he is, he's a busy beaver getting the dairy barn converted into the "cabin". (No, Mr. DHS worker, we don't live in a barn... It's a CABIN!) So, as I sit here and type, unbeknownst to my industrious husband, I hear the power screw-gun thingy just working away in the background. I really should be up helping clear debris or clean up my children's junk they left in the way or various and sundry other things that are on my to do list. But, it will still be there when I quit this - unfortunately. Sigh.... I don't know how this blogging thing is going to turn out, but I'm here anyway. I guess this would be one of those things you would say that you have done in your lifetime. I'm gonna be 90 one of these days (if the Lord tarries His coming that long) and telling my great grandchildren (in my best old lady voice) "Why, yer ol Grandma was an adventurist, she was!! I even had my own BLOG back in the day... he, he, he, he..."

Well y'all, I'm going to go make myself useful. Hey! Don't laugh! It happens... So you all have a fantastic night and sweet peaceful sleep that the Master promises us in His word. I pray you will have a rejuvenating day in the Lord tomorrow. Remember to hug your babies - even the ones that aren't babies anymore -tell your husband that you appreciate him - and mean it. Go kiss him just because and tell him you're so thankful that God gave him to you. He'll wonder what you want if he's like my husband! LOL! Just smile and say "I just love you, that's all." My sweet friend sent me this "recipe" she found online.... I'll say my goodnight and leave it with you.

Preserving a Husband Recipe

Ingredients

Patience, Sweetened smiles, flavored kisses, charity, peaches, cream

Directions

Be careful in your selection. Do not choose too young, and take only such as have been reared in a good moral atmosphere. Some insist on keeping theirs in a pickle, while others keep theirs in hot water. This only makes them sour, hard, and sometimes bitter. Even poor varieties may be made sweet, tender, and good by garnishing them with patience, well-sweetened with smiles, and flavored with kisses (to taste). Make sure to wrap them in a mantle of charity, cover them in a blanket of prayer, and keep them warm with a steady fire of domestic devotion. Serve with peaches and cream. When thus prepared, they will keep for years.