The Dalrymple School Among Thorns

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2010-05-10T07:23:00.001-05:00

Mother's day was quite grand and here are the reason's why......I love my girlies soooo much!!!! Thank you, God, for such wonderful blessings in my life!!!

Hope your mom's day was grand as well!!!!

Jerri

We're baaaaaack!

2010-05-08T09:16:00.002-05:00

Well, we've been absent from the blogosphere for some time now, but we ARE back! Yes, my dad passed away on March 25 and I did a short stint as a career mom, but that's not what God created me to do and it was not submissive to my husband's wishes or my family's either. I'm proud to say I have realigned my priorities and now remember who I was before all the fog settled in. Meds are a good thing when you have the right ones, but when you are constantly changing....I can't begin to describe the fog that I felt like I was in...the mass confusion and uncertainty, the not knowing who I was was tormenting. Thank God for GOOD meds!!!! :0)

We've been re-settling into our family routines slowly. We finally got to use those season passes to Silver Dollar City that we got for Christmas from my mom and grandma!!! What fun! That was the first time my husband and I had been in about 25 years and the first time ever for the girls. Who knew you couldn't do Silver Dollar City all in one day anymore??? LOL

We got our garden planted for the year....corn, okra, squash, zucchini, green beans, lettuce, radishes, onions, cantaloupe, watermelon, tomatoes, green peppers, and my strawberry plants are producing like crazy!!!! Any ideas to keep the birds off my berries???? Thanks for any input!

Anyway....school is almost done and I am trying to focus on what to do for next year...what books, systems to use, etc. Remmy will be starting high school so I'm worried about that! EEEKKKKSSS!!!!! She's excited, though. Of course, finances are scary now that we are down to 1 income. We haven't been without any extra supplement in 7 years and I'm worried, but trying to depend on God....it's a learning process! ;o) Money isn't everything, especially not for us. As long as we have a roof, clothes, food, one running vehicle....we'll be okay!!!!!!

There's so much more to tell, but I'm going to leave it at that for now. I'd post pics but on my laptop I don't have a photo editor and the files are too big. :0( Anybody know of a good FREE photo editor I could download????

I hope everyone is enjoying this FABULOUS weather and their families as much as we are!!!!

God Bless!!!

Jerri

Still Here....Part 2

2010-02-27T21:54:00.002-06:00

Okay, for the whole 2 people who care about this blog, LOL, I am still here and kicking. Just very busy these days! New full time job in Fayetteville is exciting and fun, but exhausting, too! :-) Homeschool keeps the rest of my time filled to the max! More to come if I can find the time! LOL

Oh me, oh my

2009-06-24T13:25:00.002-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know I'm still here. Life is hectic this time of year and dad is going downhill quicker and quicker. It's good that I don't have to fit school in right now, because I'm not sure I could! I hope to post more soon as I have tons of pics from the past month, but won't have any in the near future since my camera DIED. Ugh.

Hope your summers are all going well! Stay cool if you are in the nasty Arkansas humidity!!!!!!!!

Disappointing Your Child

2009-05-20T08:49:00.003-05:00

Ugh. This is NOT the fun part of parenting. My oldest, the ballerina, was, for the first time, going to get to attend a very nice ballet summer intensive with the Tulsa Ballet this summer. We have been working on the plans since before February (since that was when auditions were held and I wanted to try to have plans made before letting her get her hopes up). We were hoping she could stay with some family that lives MUCH closer to Tulsa than we do. I just found out that's not going to work out. So, knowing the hesitation that was becoming obvious, I had thought to myself that I would drive her back and forth every day if worse came to worse. One problem with that: who would take care of my dad each day??? There is no other family around and my mom has to work.

I'm not sure I can get a full refund of what we've already paid, (in fact, I'm pretty sure I can only get half) but most importantly, how do I tell my child who has been so looking forward to this for nearly 6 months that it's going to fall through at the last moment? Please pray for answers and/0r her understanding beyond her years.

Thanks,

Jerri

P90X

2009-05-18T22:23:00.002-05:00

Well, most of you know that I've been considering this hard core, boot camp style workout system. I've had friends complete it with great success, and some friends are in the process. Everyone I know who has done this has kept a blog through it....ya know, before, during, after pics and how the days go, yada, yada, yada. I'm just not sure I have the courage to post those pics.....they are pretty rough. I'm not even sure I'm going to "officially" start the 90 days tomorrow. I may wait a bit since this week is going to be VERY hectic. I'm also trying to convince the hubby to start with me, but he's just not quite sure yet. Grrr. It's kind of like, "Get on the train or off, but don't hover over the boarding steps!" LOL

Wish me luck?

Jerri

P.S.

2009-05-10T16:46:00.001-05:00

If you have been wondering about my dad, check out the blog I started for keeping up with his progression. Our Journey Simply click the link and it will take you there. There's also always a link on my sidebar here.

Thanks everyone!

Love,

Jerri

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T15:57:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone is having a fantastic mother's day!!! This is just a short post to update all on what's been going on in our lives.
The above picture is of an impromptu trip to Eagle Watch Nature Trail with my Dad and my grandma who is visiting from New Mexico. It was last minute because with all the rain we've had, you never know when the sun is going to shine or for how long! ;0)

In an earlier post I told you about the ballerina and roo going to State Bible Drill competition. Well, the ballerina was a state winner and roo was a state winner with a perfect score!!! It was a VERY LONG TRIP down and back since our church people mover broke down 90 miles outside of Little Rock. God provided and cared for us, though.....got us off the interstate and to safety, then, a neighboring church bus was not too far behind us, with plenty of room, so we caught a ride! :0)

Of course, the night before we left for State Bible Drill, the girls had their 4-H Fashion Revue. This was their first time competing, first time sewing a garment, and each have only been sewing less than a year.

This outfit of the ballerina's tied for the prize of the sewing machine (very nice). She and the other girl were recalled for second judging and the other girl got the machine, but WHAT AN HONOR to have scored so well your first year!!!!!!!!!! We are VERY proud of both of them!!!!

And then.....Jr.'s Kindergarten graduation. Bittersweet, as she is my last baby and growing up much, much, much too fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

However, we are very proud of her, also!!!!!!!!!

Now we are getting ready for the ballerina's recital and then youth camp, O'Rama competitions, and children's camp. June is gonna be horrendously busy, especially with my hubby's b-day, roo's b-day, my dad's b-day, and hubby's dad's b-day. Whew!

Until next time.....

Jerri

Veterinary Science 101

2009-04-23T10:37:00.003-05:00

Well, the girls had a fine lesson in calf-pulling today. I'm proud of their observation, otherwise we would have not only lost the calf, but the cow, also. While getting ready for the day, the Ballerina noticed a Heifer (yep, she was last year's calf) laying in the field alone. She thought it was odd that the rest of the herd was no where around, so she took a closer look out the window and was shocked to see a leg sticking out. Because the heifer was a light cream color, and the calf leg dark brown, it was noticeable from such a distance. Now, here's where their judgement proved lacking a bit. Instead of notifying an adult, the older 2 Dalrymples trekked out into the field to gaze astonishingly at the back side of the poor heifer with the calf sticking out. Finally, Dalrymple #2 came to tell mom, who was just getting out of the shower. Ah, yes, dressed in my town clothes, I went to see how serious it was. It was pretty bad and the calf was already dead. She was hung up on a broken leg. My wonderful calf-pulling husband should have been home from work at this point, but wasn't, so I called him and told him to "GIT ON HOME OR WE'RE GONNA LOSE ONE!" :0) Now, later, when quizzed about what on earth they were thinking by going to the cow themselves, instead of telling an adult, Dalrymple #1 (aka the ballerina) said she thought she could just grab the leg and pull it, but then decided not to try. !!!!!!!!!! My, my, my!!!!!! No tellin' what mighta happened if she had attempted that feat! It took my husband, myself, 2 ropes, and a 4 wheeler about an hour to pull that poor thing. By poor thing, I mean POOR.....it was very small and frail...not sure it would have made it had it survived the birth. Aggravatingly, it was female. It's worse to me when we lose a female b/c I think of all the calves she could have added to the herd. :0( The heifer is not feeling so great. She had already made a bag (was ready to nurse) and hubby says that will make her sick for a couple days. So not only did she experience an excruciatingly painful still-birth, but now she's gotta be sick on top of it. So sad. Right now she's resting, but we are praying she gets up soon and isn't paralyzed from having her calf pulled so roughly (we didn't have any other options due to where she was on the back 40.....NO WHERE NEAR the chute where we could have placed her head and then used a come-along to pull the calf....much easier on the mama than a rope and 4-wheeler, with my husband holding her head and horns. That must have been hard. Think about it.....he was pulling on one end and I was pulling on the other!) The girls got quite a lesson and had lots of questions, which my husband patiently answered while laying on the mama and soothing her.
We all really do love farm life....just not losing calves. Did I mention Junior was hiding behind a sad little tree the whole time? For some reason she was scared of that heifer! LOL Her daddy kept telling her to get over there and watch, but she was scared because he and I kept having to grab the mama by the horns, dig our heels in, and hold on for dear life.
Life on the farm, heh. Is it naptime yet? ;0)

On a better note, I just found out that I won 2 tickets to see Coyote County Loser, which was written and produced by some graduates from John Brown University, our local Christian College! I'm SO excited!!!!

Hope you all have a great weekend! :0)

Jerri

Ballet News, Updates, and a New Blog

2009-04-19T21:34:00.002-05:00

The Ballerina had her Grade 4 Cechetti Exams today and passed WITH COMMENDATIONS!!!! That's the 2nd highest score a ballerina can possibly get! (Can you tell I'm proud?! LOL)

So, that's 1 major event down, and 4 to go.

This week is Fashion Revue, in which both Roo and the Ballerina are entering 2 outfits each. These are outfits they have constructed and will be modeling/presenting before a board of judges. I'm proud of both of them for all the hard work they've put in....these are some amazing outfits, especially considering neither one of them had constructed an outfit before! :0)
This weekend is State Bible Drill in Little Rock, in which both Roo and the Ballerina will be competing. They've already won at the church and regional levels. Again...very proud. :0D

Then, at the beginning of May, Jr. will be graduating kindergarten. It is a big accomplishment and we are very proud of her, as well.

At the end of May will be the Ballerina's recital. I'll be taking just a few deep breaths after that, and hopefully we'll be done with our school (we're on the right track to be). The reason for just a few short breaths is that Roo is working daily with her colt to get him trained, and it will be time for Roo and Jr. to bring their goats home to start working/training for the county fair in Sept. Yep....we are BUSY! :0) The summer will be spent getting projects and such ready for the fair. The ballerina will be competing/performing on June 17 in Alma for O'RAMA (4-H). She has to choreograph her own performance, which she's done before for her exams, but only in 1 minute increments, really. It will be exciting! She also has youth camp in early June and then ballet summer intensive in Tulsa the last week of June.

Whew! Did I forget anything? I'm sure I did. LOL
Through it all I will be working, finishing their school year, hunting down curriculum for next school year, taking care of my dad, and running ragged in general....AH THE LIFE OF A HOMESCHOOLING MOM! ;0)

Speaking of Dad....if you would like an update, or to stay informed, visit my new blog I've started called "Our Journey" at http://tljjourney.blogspot.com/

Thanks for all the prayers everyone! Have a great week!!!!!!!

Jerri

Life

2009-04-14T13:22:00.003-05:00

My dad is getting worse....rapidly. This weekend he began having "spells" in which he starts to shake uncontrollably and cries...usually asking for help from my mother or I and reaching out his hands for us to hold. I've discovered that if I look him in the eye and get him to concentrate on breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth over and over again, the spells are milder and don't last as long. Unfortunately, they occur more and more often.
His dr. appt. didn't happen. By this, I mean that we got up at the crack of dawn, got to the dr.'s office early, sat and waited...then waited some more...only for the receptionist to inform us that the dr. called in sick. Go figure. We are taking him back tomorrow morning (Wed.). I truly hope the dr. can and will help. If not, then the pursuit of another dr. will begin.
My brain is jam packed with all I've learned in the past few days...all the research. I've had to sit my children down and try and explain this incurable disease to them....which is so hard to understand at their ages. However, they've come up with some great ideas on things we all can do to help. My girls are precious.
I'm having constant headaches....a sign that my clinical depression is surfacing again. That means I need to make a dr.'s appt. for myself in the near future. It's been a couple of years since I had my meds checked and I know that life changes and upsets can trigger my med-controlled chemicals in my brain to be altered. Constant headaches, wanting to sleep a lot, disengaging from my world....these are the symptoms I've learned to watch for. I've been battling clinical depression for 11 years. I've used natural/herbal meds for some of those years, been med free for a few, but for the last 5-6 years I've been under constant medication...and too afraid to try and get off. I've also been through a lot of counseling on/off and know that I have a firm grasp on how to care for myself and the signs to watch for. I recently learned that suffering depression in your life increases your risk for developing Alzheimer's....my dad suffered from it as well as my biological mother who has mental disturbances still. My genetic gene-pool seems rotten and stagnant, eh? My poor girls.
I'm now checking on my dad multiple times daily....worried about him having a spell while home alone. I set their phone to have me on speed dial....which means him pressing 'dial' and the #1....but he thinks he can't do that. I'm going to have him practice it. I found him coloring at lunch time today. That made me proud! :0) He says he did some reading, but I can't ask him what or he will have a "spell". Questions seem to trigger the spells as well as choices (like what to eat or wear). Sometimes nothing triggers them, though. They are like panic attacks.
I'm grateful that over the past 3 years the Lord has brought me so many great friends. Friends I can truly call on at any time and for any reason and will drop all and come running. I've not had to do that a lot, and it's hard for me to do period, but knowing they are there and that they care so much is very comforting. I'm sure the near future will require me to lean on them more than I care to. I feel like a bottle of soda that is constantly shaken up and ready to explode....not angrily, mind you, but the tears, sadness, mourning....they come in waves. I'm not used to being so emotional so often. Every time I leave my dad I cry. I worry about him. I'm scared of losing more of him than I already have. I'm sorry for him that he is enduring this at the age of 59. I'm sad for what this means for my girls and our family. However, it does have some positive effects on me. I'm now more determined than ever to LIVE ON PURPOSE. I want to make memories.....have fantastic memorable moments with my father, and my family. I want a strong memory bank to draw from should I ever face this. I want my dad to have good recent memories to concentrate on. Much of his life and childhood were filled with harshness, so now he needs the sunshine.
Some ideas I/my daughters have come up with are:
-Take him fishing (he used to love this)
-read him a chapter/day of a great book (like Tom Sawyer)
-take him on lots of walks, maybe mushroom hunting with all this rain we are having
-pull out the old round-table and listen to his (and consequently my) old favorites
Most of all, I want to make him smile as much as possible and make him feel loved. I want to take many pictures and create a memory book for him to look at often. Something to help him live in the present (or most recent past).

I want to thank those of you who are bothering to read this-to listen while I attempt to empty some of the raw emotion and frustration of this disease. Please continue to pray for my dad and especially my mom, who bears the brunt of this. She is such a wonderful woman and a great caretaker, but none of us are perfect and I can only guess at the toll that this is taking on her health. I'm thinking of starting another blog where I can post updates about my dad's illness and other's can share of their experiences as well. I'd like to keep the "Dalrymple School Among Thorns" a happy place.....a place to hide, perhaps, on the really bad days.

Thank you, all my friends. I love each and every one of you.

Jerri

Memory Loss and My Father

2009-04-10T12:27:00.002-05:00

This is not a feel good post, nor a happy one. I'm sorry, but if you feel the need to stop reading at this point, I will understand. I beg of you who do continue to read, though, to pray....fervently, and offer whatever information you may have in the comments.

My dad. I will be blatantly honest and say that he has never been well put-together. He's been a pathological liar for far more years than I realized (until I was about 26). He created much of the strife in our dysfunctional home. However, a few years ago he began having "spells" at work. After many of these, and much time off work, the doctors began to suggest they might have been small strokes. It would be nice to believe that were true and simply have the answers, but I'm not convinced. In the last couple of years his memory has become extremely troubled. This started shortly after I confronted him about a lot of lies and mistreatment of family members. For the first time in my life, he admitted a few issues....laying the blame on his horrible childhood. He, indeed, had a terrible upbringing, and I know it to be true simply by the fact that 3 of his siblings (out of 4) who were raised by his father and mother (the youngest was an "oops" and was only 6 when their father died) were mentally "off" as well. Just odd, they are/were. Strange stories and recollections of terrible beatings....all sleeping in the cellar as children. Anyway.... my dad received counselling for a short period and I thought things were going to finally start "normalizing," but I was wrong. The mini strokes followed. His family doctor of 20 years kept insisting there was nothing wrong with him, other than him being his normal (story-telling) self. This made it difficult to feel sorry for him. Really difficult. During this period he was forced into early retirement. Financially, that was quite draining since he was....56, I think? So, finally, my mom (step-mom, but mom for all intensive purposes as she raised me) applied for disability. The doctor that "examined" him (asked lots of ?'s) at first thought there was nothing wrong with him, but after a bit realized he would get this "tick".... a faraway look in mid-conversation. She said she thought it was from the mini strokes. She gave us hope that his memory loss would not get much worse, if caused by strokes. If it was Alzheimer's, it would get worse progressively. His mother has Alzheimer's. Well....in the last 9-10 months since he saw that doctor he has gotten horrendously worse. I could give examples all day long, but he's becoming a danger to himself and that's most important. We live just down the road a bit from him, which works out well when we aren't CRAZY busy b/c I can sort of keep an eye on him. He used to walk up and down the roads all day...just getting out and hoping to run into someone to talk to. Now, he mostly stays home and sleeps....and eats. He will eat his lunches that are for a couple days all in one day b/c he doesn't remember eating. My mom has to work during the day. She has to. It's not an option. She's nearly 58 and my dad will be 60 in June. They cannot retire anytime soon. In order to be "officially" diagnosed, my dad needs an MRI. That's about $4,000.00. They have no insurance, since my dad was forced into early retirement by his company and my mother's employer does not provide insurance. With disability, you have to wait one year before applying for Medicare. Hopefully he will get that in June and be able to go for the scan....which will, again hopefully, tell us something. Anything. Just so long as we get some answers.....preferably with treatment solutions.

Meanwhile, my dad is slipping away from us so quickly. Despite whatever bad might have occurred in my childhood (he was never physically abusive or anything like that), he is still my daddy and I love him. He's really all I have left as far as family (outside my husband and children). He and my step-mom, whom I worry about constantly as her health is not that great and now she is the primary caretaker of her husband, who has become more like a child. My siblings...we've never been close. Even as children. Some of them are quite messed up, due to my birth mother's abusive ways. Some just got fed up. It's understandable. Most don't live close enough to really understand all that is happening with dad and they don't call or visit. I feel gut-wrenchingly sorry for them because they have no idea how serious things really are. At this point, we are trying to avoid putting him in a home. It's very hard when you have 3 active children (one is a teen and one is almost a teen), homeschool, and work part-time...plus having a farm. I need to find ways to spend more time with him. I've suggested he do cross-word puzzles or word searches, but he won't. I don't think he can, really. But he doesn't even try. He says he reads, but when I ask what book he's reading he simply says that he has many books to read.

Does anyone have any experience like this? Is there some way that it's NOT Alzheimer's? He seems to know when a "blip" is coming. He will stop mid-story and say, "Here it comes," and then he's forgotten what he was saying. That doesn't sound like Alzheimer's to me. But I'm no doctor, either. He talks openly with my husband about his fears of losing his mind...when they are alone. He won't talk about it with me. When I ask questions he says he's fine, or he's getting better. I think he's trying to protect his baby girl. I know he loves me dearly, which makes this all the more heart-breaking.

If you have any advice, experience, anything....please help. If you don't....please pray....with urgency. Please.

Thank you.

Jerri

A Little Extra $$$$

2009-04-09T11:08:00.003-05:00

I know that right now we can all use a little extra cash, so I thought I would share a way to make a little extra greenage.

The following text is taken from a post on thethriftymama.com If you haven't been to her site, you should check it out. She has great frugal living tips, plus links to awesome coupons. She also lists weekly savings at our local stores.

"Here’s how it works:

You use their program to view ads, and you get paid for each ad that you view. Instead of google and other ad companies making the money, you are making it! Sometimes it’s .25 cents for viewing an ad, and sometimes it’s .10 cents. It takes me just a few seconds to view all of the ads they have for me each week and I make $3-$6. That’s not a lot, but over the coarse of the year that can really add up. The nice thing is that they pay you through paypal every Friday. The first week I signed up, I started viewing ads on a Friday. I spent about twenty seconds viewing all the ads, and because it was Friday I had over $4 in my papal account within a few hours of first doing it. You can bet I was pretty excited about it!

Quick Tip: Sign up for a free paypal account and do NOT upgrade it. This way you will not be charged any fees from Paypal, because the money YouData sends you is funded. YouData does take out a few cents if you select to be paid with Paypal.

But not only can you make money by viewing the ads, but you can also make money for referring friends. You get $1 for each person that you refer, and for each of the first 100 times one of your referrals is paid for their attention, you receive a $0.01 referral bonus. That can really add up over time.

Payday is tomorrow, so go ahead and sign up with YouData HERE, view some ads and enjoy the extra money that comes your way. When I first signed up it took a few days for ads to finally come in, so just be patient if you don’t have any paid ads right away."

I have signed up and made over $4 within a few clicks. It's easy, it's safe, and I can do it while checking email or blogs. :0)

Enjoy the extra!

PlayFULLdate

2009-04-02T12:29:00.004-05:00

Spring Has Sprung!!!

I love spring! Park days and play dates, playing in the mud...making mud pies, yum, yum! Butterflies and Daffodils, dandylions, too. Lush green grass and blooming trees, the tweet of the birds...everything is fresh and fun!

Here's what we did yesterday....

No matter how many times you teach your kids the proper way to use the slide, you will still find this.....

Here is Roo...being the monkey I've always known she was! ;0)

Ask the ballerina what 2 things you never call me....

OLD or INCAPABLE!!! It'll get ya taken down every time! :0)
She thinks that since she is as tall as me now that she can take me....I have to show her differently a LOT lately....hopefully I can keep my bluff in for a few more years! LOL

Maybe the smallest should not be the first in the train down the slide? LOL

I was plum tuckered out at the end of the day...laying on the slide, when Jr. came hanging over my head...so I snapped a pic! She's so cute!

I hope you are enjoying your spring days (the ones that aren't full of rain, like today!)! :0)

Jerri

Spring Break?

2009-03-23T10:44:00.002-05:00

I'm just curious to see how many of you are one spring break this week? We who homeschool get to choose our breaks, so we aren't breaking this week. I just want to keep on trucking so we can get done and enjoy the nice temps in May. We may take a break before then, if we feel the need, but right now we're doing fine. If you are on spring break this week, enjoy! If not, leave me a comment telling why you aren't or if you are waiting for another time period.

Thanks!

B-A-D DAY? Try this one on for size!

2009-03-19T19:29:00.005-05:00

Mrs. Dalrymple and the TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY.

Yep. That's what I said. Thanks for the line, Judith Viorst.
Have you ever bought paint? A gallon of paint? Did you trust that the paint-mixer-man put the lid on correctly (you know, pounded it with the rubber mallet)? Only to find out a couple miles down the road that he had merely pressed it on with his hands, then forgotten to hammer it in? Yes. It really happened. TO ME. Why me? Argh. Lavender paint. ALL OVER MY VAN!!! COVERING MY LEATHER SEATS!!! After trying to clean some of it up (read: scooping it from the seat into the can) while picking my older 2 girls up from sewing class, a friend said that I definitely needed to call the store (WM) and let them know what had happened. She suggested I call right away. There was a good chance I would not be able to get this paint all out. It was an ENTIRE gallon, ya know. It didn't turn completely on it's side, but tilted, so there was about 1/4 of the paint left in the can. Maybe if I had set it in the floor, instead of in the back seat, it wouldn't have tipped at all. It's not like I was driving crazy or anything.
So, I called WM. The VERY NICE MANAGER said if I could bring the van back up there they would clean it out for me. I weighed it for about 10 seconds, then agreed. I thought, "Many WM workers can clean this up faster and easier than I can at home by myself. And besides....it was the fault of an employee, and not my personal mistake."

I took the van back up there and 3 managers (including the store manager) proceeded to clean the paint out of my van. They took the seats out and worked and worked (in their white shirts and ties, mind you). It was going to take a long time, so they offered us a ride home. I felt bad enough as it was about the managers having to clean the paint out of the van, so I had my mom come get the girls and I. They are still working on it. I'm going to pick it up tonight, then drive it back in the morning, since I have to work anyway, and they are going to work on it some more. So far, it seems like it will all come out. The floor is the main concern, because no matter how much paint they seem to soak up, there is always more. Right now I'm glad I have leather seats. Can you imagine if they were cloth? Ugh. We have a really incredible team of employees at our local WM. I cannot say enough good about them. I realize they were probably worried about a law suit or something, but I would never seek such revenge. I'm just not a real vengeful person. They really are going above and beyond to make it right. I did receive another gallon of paint and more soda (since the box was soaked with paint). Other than that, the groceries actually made it out fine. I guess this was because I put all the groceries in the very back, but had set the pop and paint in the back seat, so as not to smash any of the produce.

Did I mention I got paint on my nice Nike's? And my jeans? The Ballerina got it on her jeans and shirt, too. Does anyone know of something good to get it out? LUCKILY, it was a water-based paint.

Do you feel better about your day now?

I think I'll move to Australia.

;0)

The Name Game

2009-03-19T12:02:00.003-05:00

Okay. So we have a funky last name. I like it. It's long, and sometimes a pain to write out. I have to spell it out for people wherever I go. It's okay though. I've seen it misspelled just about every way possible.....or so I thought.

Today, my dear husband comes home after having to purchase a new transmission for his truck (do NOT get me started!) and proceeds to show me his sale bill. Oh. My. Goodness.
You have got to be kidding me!

HOW on EARTH do you go from Dalrymple to DOLLARNIPPLE???!!!!

I kid you not. I have NEVER seen or heard such an insane spelling of our name. It was just so funny that I had to share! I hope you get a good laugh to start off your weekend! :0)

Jerri

The Finished Table

2009-03-17T21:36:00.002-05:00

Remember the table I painted? Well, it is my 13 yr. old daughter's, so a friend and I decoupaged it. (My friend didn't know what decoupaging was, so what better way to explain? We just dug right in!)

She came up with the letters and little pieces across the top. A BEAUTIFUL touch! :0)

Now, this table is in my hall. That is because we are currently painting my daughter's room. I'll have to take another pic once we finish her room (halfway there!). It will look even better against her freshly painted walls. ;0)

Side of the table. The other side is similar. For some reason, the colors didn't come out as bright and pretty as they actually are.

Front view.

Top view.

She loves it!!!!

AWESOME Giveaway!!!!!!!

2009-03-10T12:09:00.002-05:00

My friend, Lori, over at Just Pure Lovely, is doing an INCREDIBLE giveaway from CarolinaPad. I mean, this is by far one of the BEST giveaways I have ever seen!!! (Especially for those of us trying to get organized, yet make things pretty as well!) So, click here to go to her post and enter. She is giving us 4 different ways to enter, so you can get your name in the hat 4 times!!!

What are you waiting for??? Get on over there and enter!!!! :0)

FINALE!!!

2009-03-05T23:06:00.005-06:00

Well.............. Here we go! It's not completely finished, but the parts that aren't will either not be noticeable, or may take a while. While putting the room "back together" I decided I want a different end table, to paint the coffee table, and to either paint the entertainment center or get a different one (hubby built this one). I also decided that I'm going to take Mrs. Savage's advice and hang some fabric over those aged mirrors. I HATE those mirrors. Unfortunately, when we went to take them off the wall, we discovered they are GLUED to the sheet rock. We would have had to break the mirrors to get them off, and then possibly replace the sheet rock, or at least re-mud, tape, and sand it down. Ugh. So.... I left them. Regrettably.

Isn't he a sweetie? This is the most cleaning he's done in a LOOOOOOOOOONG TIME!!!
I don't know HOW many times we swept this floor today....more than I can count!

I just noticed that my lamp no longer matches. Hmph. Well, at least it wasn't expensive (read: yard sale find). :0)

This is the corner where my "happy" table is.

The pic below is a before picture, taken before ANY of this got started.

....and after!

Another before...........

......and after!

One last before......

.......tada!

I'm not really sure about the window mistreatments. My hubby REALLY likes them, though. I need something "westerny" to tie around them. Hmmmmm........
You can't see it very well, but I used upholstery tacks in the shape of stars that are "rustic" for the tops of the curtains.
My hubby said he is going to get the baseboard trim down this weekend.....I hope it happens!!! ;0)

Well.....I have a throbbing headache and am off to bed!
Thanks for peaking in on my little (H-U-G-E) journey. I have many more projects to attack, but they aren't nearly as big (or as daunting!).

Sincerely,

Jerri

SNEAK PEAK!!!!

2009-03-04T23:02:00.003-06:00

Okay, I just COULD NOT WAIT to post a pic or two!! You'll just have to forgive the mess that you may see. The floor needs swept VERY badly!!!
I LOVE this wall. I think we are going to center the family pic above the mantle.

This is my peace inducing, happy feeling table. Now.....I just need to train my kids to QUIT placing things here that don't belong!!!! (like library books!)

This is something I worked on last week. I think setting on the floor, leaning against the wall, does not do it the justice it deserves, but couldn't help but snap a pic of it. It's an old window pane that I was given and, well, I just played with it and had fun. I can change things out at any time, so it can change with season or just whimsy! :0) I plan on centering this along our long yellow wall. I'll post a pic of it once it's hung.

Well....back to work! I'm up way too late, but there's SO much I want to get done!!!!

Thanks for looking!

Work, Work, And A Little Fun To Boot

2009-03-01T14:35:00.005-06:00

I've been working a lot lately, but had today off....YAY!!! I miss Sunday Worship, although I have been attending Sunday School.
Somehow, I did manage to get a few fun crafts and such in this week (it was the BEAUTIFUL weather that motivated me!).
I made some cards (sorry, no pics!), did a LOT of painting (so much closer to having the living room done....maybe this week I'll finish!!!!!!), and re-vamped a lamp, a nic-nak shelf, and my daughter's night stand.
Here's a quick glimpse.....

The Night Stand was very old and I'm not even sure what color you would have called it. I got it at a yard sale for a buck. It has really pretty knobs for the drawers, but of course, I took them off to paint it.

We are going to try some decoupaging with it, too.

This is the before pic of the nic/nak shelf. I liked it just the way it was, but after painting I wanted to add some black accents to the living room. Instead of buying more junk, I looked around for what I could paint/change.

I just laid it on the couch to get a pic, since the walls aren't quite ready for stuff to go back up on them yet. I may add a little decoupage to this as well.....we'll see how the end table goes, LOL!

Here is the before pic of the lamp. It's a fine lamp and the color was fine before I painted the L-room yellow and tomatoe red. I've had this lamp for about 12 years and it was a Christmas gift from my sister. At least now I am keeping it instead of replacing it. All new decor for the price of a can of spray paint. :0) That's my kind of remodeling!
I have to give credit where credit is due, however. Mrs. Savage and the Nester have inspired many of us in the blog world to work with what we have to recreate our homes in ways that make us happy. I love their motto and have adopted it for myself, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful!" Yes.....I can live with that!

Before.....
.......and after!
So what do you think? My living room is still a disaster since I'm not done painting. I need one more coat on one wall and then have to do the wall-divider trim that goes around the room. Then there's the "oopsies" to go back and clean up. When all that is finished, hopefully my wonderful husband will put the trim down around the wood floors we installed, um......a year ago? LOL!!! You know I'll post the pics when it's complete. :0)

Have a great week!

Happy Birthday, Junior!!!!

2009-02-12T13:50:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday, Jaslyn!

My baby turned 6 today.

I love you baby girl!

Even the Giant Is Not Immune

2009-02-12T13:33:00.003-06:00

By now most of you will have heard about Wal-Mart's 700-800 person lay-off. It is dreadful, truly. I am praying for all the families that this lay-off will affect. Can you imagine the security of performing a job for such a seemingly secure company for up to 13 years and in one morning it all comes crashing down around you? I fear for some of these folk's mental/emotional mindsets. That is such a huge number to add to an already scarce market. The competition will be fierce. Fortunately, most of those employees of WM have nice degrees that may give them a step ahead. I hope you will join me in praying for these families affected with this huge lay-off. No one is completely untouchable, obviously. That is something we can all learn. I have held faith that my husband's job was more secure than most because he does, indeed, work for Wal-Mart. Obviously assumptions should not be made about anyone or any particular job. He does work on the Wal-Mart trucks, and the trucks must keep running in order for the stores to stay in business, but no one is irreplaceable. I think of all the institutions that sometimes lay off long term employees that are making higher wages, only to bring in bottom of the barrel new hires a few months later. It's so sad. I think everyone in our area knows someone who has been affected by recent economizing/downsizing of companies. We actually know several. So, as we have always done, we will continue thanking God for the blessing of my husband's job, which he loves most of the time, and pray for continuance, as well as pray for those who are now asking themselves what is next.

Sincerely,

Jerri

Winter Wonderland? I THINK NOT!!!

2009-01-28T13:35:00.008-06:00

Well, like the other 150,000+ people in Northwest Arkansas, we spent the last 24 hours without power. Yay. Sense my sarcasm? Nah, not me! :0D

So...here are a few pics taken from a couple days before and then some taken during the outage. We DO have a fire place to keep warm by....that is a huge blessing as so many people do not have an alternate heat source and even gas heat requires electricity to run. We still don't have water....(not sure where it is frozen at b/c we emptied the lines of all water when the electric went out in hopes to avoid frozen and/or busted pipes). I also consider myself pretty innovative when it comes to redneck survival tactics. I actually cooked a hot meal over the fire in our fireplace. I like cast iron skillets, and those are versatile enough to lay (literally) right on the burning logs/hot coals. The only thing was that I'm not so wise in cooking HEALTHY meals this way. Maybe chicken breast, but as those were frozen rock solid, that didn't seem to be an option. Instead, we had sausage, made-from-scratch biscuits, gravy, and pork-n-beans. (by the time the biscuits and gravy were done, the sausages were getting cold and we didn't want to wait on eggs, so just heated up the beans....dear hubby's idea-we had his sister and her husband here so needed to stretch the meal a bit further) It was really rather tasty. AND we didn't catch anything on fire, lol!

Without further ado....the pics.

Someone had to keep us laughing! Before you think J's sis is TOTALLY crazy, these are those LED tea light candles. No real flames, although the flash from the camera made it look that way. I took one without the flash, but it was just too dark.

Fine dining by candlelight

Hey! You can see my "Tomato Red" wall in the background....we don't have stuff back on the walls, yet, though. Also, to the left is my yellow wall.

Junior just being Junior

Coloring by candlelight while waiting on dinner

Chestnuts (I mean sausage) roasting on an open fire......

Ah....this is the ice, yesterday before noon....before the lights went out. Yep. That's about an inch on the power lines. We received another inch+ over the evening and nighttime hours.

These are VERY tall trees....normally.

Close-up of our Wedding Tree

This was taken last Sat. I actually had a day where I was able to get some things accomplished at home like painting, laundry, etc. J said we just HAD to go see these eagles down the road. Well, when we got there they were gone, so we stopped off at this dried up creek bed and played/froze! It was fun, though! Here are just a few pics we took....

The above is J and Junior kicking around some Arkansas sand (aka silt...very fine and pretty!)

The girls in their "cave" LOL!

J gives a science lesson on the ages of some of the dirt layers. The girls are fascinated....for a minute! :0)

We found a few REAL caves, although didn't go exploring....this one appears to belong to a LARGE animal, which I don't care to disturb!!!

This is a trip we took to a local nursing home last week with our 4H group. The kids had made crocheted hangers and cards, and handed out baggies of chex mix. It was a WONDERFUL time and genuine connections were made by the girls. We are looking into the "Adopt a Grandparent" program.

These lovely ladies didn't want to play cards but INSISTED on WATCHING a card game....so the ballerina and her friend aimed to please!

Junior gave out LOTS of hugs....some people requested seconds, LOL! We realized how much hugging our family does on a daily basis, yet these folks may go weeks/months with one single hug. What a priceless and effortless gift to give.

Trying to enjoy some warmer weather with friends a couple of days before the ice storm came in.

Poor Dash got caught with no shoes!

So. Those of you who endured/are enduring the ice storm....what did you do? If nothing else, I pray you are all staying warm!!!

Blessings,

Jerri

Stewardship

2009-01-18T21:09:00.005-06:00

Stewardship is the accountability of what one is entrusted with.

I've been pondering for quite some time the term stewardship. We've all heard this word in sermons/Bible studies, etc., but what does it really involve? How we handle our finances? Our material possessions? Our time? Is that all? What if there is more? I came to the realization that when God required us to be good stewards of ALL THAT HE'S GIVEN US, He didn't really put a limit on what that involves. It isn't just one specific thing, or even a handful of specific things, but ALL THINGS. I believe He is leading me to focus on a particular few this year, and so my "theme" for the year is STEWARDSHIP. Last year's theme was SIMPLIFY and I felt that with God's help and by listening to the Spirit's heeding, I have actually accomplished that and learned what it truly means. It means that even though it's hard to say no to some things and even though I really want to do this or that or allow my children to pick up a certain extra activity, I must consider the cost to my family life/time, my marriage, my time with God, and my mental, emotional, and physical well-being as well as that of my children and husband. Sometimes you just HAVE to say NO....then walk away and don't look back. I feel like I have learned that this will be an ongoing lesson. By focusing on it for so long, though, I am much more aware and don't spout off the "Yes!" that used to slide off the tongue so easily.

The particular few things that I feel led to focus on my stewardship skills with are my health, my time (especially that spent with my family), and my home. As I mentioned in a previous post, it's not a "Weight loss resolution" but a call to be healthier and reflect that to my children. Our bodies are a gift from God....a loan, if you will. If Jesus knocked on your door and asked you to take care of His very special, delicate glass rose (or whatever you need to imagine to get the point), how would you handle it? You already know! That thing would be wrapped in the finest tissue and shrink wrap and cleaned daily, maybe several times a day, and be the best cared for item/thing you ever came across. There would be no limit to what I would do to take care of something that Jesus personally entrusted me with. Well, isn't that what my body is? A gift/loan that God has entrusted me with? If I can't be a good steward of my body, then how can He trust me with anything more? So. I am conscious now. I have, in the past, been a very healthy and health conscious person...exercising daily and always active. When/where/why that changed isn't really important I suppose and is really hard to pinpoint anyway. I can make up a thousand excuses and even if they are all totally understandable, they are still just that- excuses.

My time. Time is so elusive for me. I always feel like there can never be enough hours in the day. I've often thought that I would ask God when we get to heaven why He chose to make a day only 24 hours....it just isn't enough! Or is it? I needed to re-examine what was taking up so much of my time. All good, understandable things, but where would they rank with God? How important are they to Him? Are they holy? Pure?

Phillipians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.

This is something I have striven (yes, that is actually a word!) to teach my girls for many years. So, that being said....I have ruled out a lot of computer time, and although I'm not much of one for t.v., I even managed to weed some of that out, too. Do I have "enough" time now? It doesn't always feel like it. But that's when I feel a warm breeze come over me, my shoulders relax, and I hear God telling me to sit back a moment and enjoy life, my children, and all the beauty that surrounds me. It's His gift to me....created to delight me, a love gift. It seriously feels like a warm hug straight from the Father.

My home. Oh geesh. Once upon a time I was a perfectionist, OCD if you will, and now it seems I'm the extreme opposite. When my oldest daughter was 7 and having difficulty at school because of her "perfectionism" (quote from the teacher) I realized what I had unintentionally projected upon my children. A life of chains...the bondage of feeling like everything you do must be perfect or it doesn't count. I didn't want that for them, so I learned to loosen up and tried to teach her that as well, before she got too much older. She's 13 now, and if you looked at her room, you may never believe me! LOL
I know there's a happy medium between perfectionism and total chaos. I found it via flylady once. Her methods really do work. Why I got away from it, I can't really pinpoint, but I did. I don't like scheduling our time according to the hour of the clock. The reason for that is that when my schedule says we are supposed to be doing something at 9am, and at 8:59 the kids aren't changing gears, I get REALLY FRUSTRATED, and that affects all of us. It sets a bad tone for the rest of the day. I wanna be happy. I want a home that is full of comfort, joy, peace, happiness, the love of the Lord and people. That can't happen in the midst of frustration. I prefer "routine" vs. "schedule" although I do feel it is important for my children to learn good work ethics, so we do have set times to get up and around...more blocked than "every 15 minutes" or whatever.

So....if I take too long to reply to an email, or my posts are few and far between for a while, you know why. I'm following God's leading. I'm searching His word. I'm reinstating my morning routine, good health habits, and stopping to smell the roses that are my children as they grow up so quickly, and the husband of my youth, as we grow old(er) together. :0)

Thank you to all that have been posting about trying to get their schedules or routines back in order. It really is very helpful to know that I'm not alone in some of these struggles. Guess what? YOU are not alone, either! LOL

I pray that all of us find a semblance of harmony this year, despite what is taking place this Tuesday. (When I googled this link, the first option was on mtv.com.....OH MY!)

So much to blog about, so little time....

2009-01-13T13:23:00.006-06:00

I know, I know. I've been MIA for a while. Rest assured, it's not because I wanted to take time away from blogging. I'm constantly thinking of things I need/want to blog about and have taken tons of pictures to post, but I just can't find the time!! From New Year's resolutions, to creating 4-H journals, to the fact that I now share this computer with 3 daughters and a husband who have suddenly taken an interest in the online world, to....well, everything else!

I've painted the accent wall(s) in my living room. I went for a tomato red, but it's mostly orange. I'm going to try and see if I can have the paint tinted a bit more red and go over it again. After I'm satisfied with it I'll take pics and post them.

I did something this year that I NEVER do. I made resolutions.

1. To be healthier (as opposed to most "lose weight" resolutions)

2. To be more organized

3. To be a better homeschool mother and wife

Now...I've done these things in the past (although not as resolutions) and been successful, so I KNOW that I can do it. My problem is motivation. Every time I jump back on the health bandwagon I lose more and more motivation. It seems to get harder to stick with. I used to be proud of the fact that my family ate healthier than most and that I was fit. Fit is the farthest word from what would describe me now.
I exercised yesterday for the first time in, um.....A LONG STINKIN' TIME!!!! I hurt. My stomach hurt last night and I think it was simply because I used muscles that have been dormant for a year or two. I hate the roller coaster ride. Seriously. I'm 31 and beginning to wonder if I'm destined to spend my life on this horrible roller coaster. My weight has teetered up and down for 11-12 years now, ranging anywhere from 97lbs. to 145. (and that doesn't include pregnancy weights) Maybe this go round will be better. My aim is now good health and not a certain weight or size. I'll have to work hard not to focus on those 2 things, though.

Organization....if my home were more organized and to stay that way, I might actually feel more like exercising. When I'm putting off cleaning duties in order to exercise I just get mad at myself for not being able to get it all done in a day.

All that dissatisfaction leads to a grumpy mama/wife. No one likes that. I've realized recently that the laughter in our home has become an endangered species. That's no way to raise a family!!! So, I feel it's up to me to change the mood of our home. Like they say, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

Wish me luck in my endeavors and pray for me if you will.

At this point I think I will just bypass trying to catch up on posts that I've missed like Christmas and New Years, etc. I'll just pick up and go from here and hope that's okay with you all! :0)

Water. Agua. H2O.

2008-12-18T14:01:00.002-06:00

Ahhh.....can you hear it? Feel it? Taste it? Mmmmmm....
You just don't know how much water you use and how bad you need it until you don't have it. Running water is something not to be taken for granted!!! I've always heard that if you have running water (indoor plumbing) that you are rich compared to the rest of the world. I know it's hard to believe that many people don't have indoor plumbing.
We have been hauling water in for cooking, cleaning, drinking, hygiene, and flushing potties. We have been taking showers at my parents house. This HAS NOT been fun!!! (not the parents part, but just being without water in general) Being stuck at home because of icy weather is okay with me, as long as I can get something done. No water makes that difficult. No laundry, no dishes, no cleaning the bathrooms, etc.
So, yesterday afternoon, since the temp finally rose above freezing, hubby got out to work on the well only to discover that the filter housing was busted. So, expensive as that was, we replaced it. (Most of the time I HATE, I mean ABHOR credit cards, but in this case I sure was glad we have one!) One other problem.....turned the water on and the shut off valve had busted also. Grrrr. Hubby replaced that this morning with some spare parts he had (thank goodness!). We now have water and he is supposed to replace the points on the well this afternoon (which we purchased A LONG TIME AGO, but somehow they never got put on....). YAAAAYY! Now....dear hubby expected us to jump up and down cheering for daddy when the water came back on. That's not really the reaction he got. Sure, we thanked him and we expressed how glad we were to have it back on. I think he was a little bumfuzzled as to why we weren't more excited. Let's do the math.
Family of 5, 3 meals a day, plus snacks=lots, TONS of dirty dishes to catch up on.

Family of 5=5 pairs of clothes daily, plus pajamas, towels, wash clothes, etc. to be caught up on (not to mention we were behind on the laundry already!). (might I add here that we wore layers of clothing to keep warm, so there were even more extras!)

So. My 3 girls and I who are the keepers of the home (laundry, dishes, and cleaning) know that having the water turned back on means warm water to wash hands with, brush teeth, and take baths (not to mention flush the potty) but it also means time to give the house a thorough run down....which might take days! LOL

We really are glad to have water back!!! May you NEVER have to experience life without it, but learn from us that it is a convenience not to be taken for granted!!! :0)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Colors and A New Spin on "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

2008-12-18T12:58:00.005-06:00

A Plethora of Popcorn....

Well, what else should one do? No water....STILL, leaves us with time to follow a few of our Advent activities. I have to highly recommend our book we are using called "The ADVENTure of Christmas" by Lisa Whelchel. I love Lisa Whelchel. She is so down-to-earth and "real." She has written many great books, some of my favs being "Creative Correction," "Taking Care of the ME in Mommy," and "So You're Thinking About Homeschooling." Each of these books have helped me in my parenting and homeschool endeavors and I would recommend them to ANY mom!

Anyway.... There are many activities, but we pick and choose. This is the first year we have actually done more than 1, LOL! I like this simplified Christmas that we are practicing. It gives us more time to concentrate and ponder the real reason and meaning of this wonderful celebration.

So in talking about Christmas Colors and why they are red, green, and white (you'll just have to read it yourself...don't want to give too much away!) we decided on making green popcorn. The best part of the experience (for me) was the interest in the idea of home made popcorn from my girls. I brought the bag home and they looked at it, and with questions in their voices, asked, "Yellow Popping Corn??? What's that?" Oh, how I laughed!!! I guess I haven't made any this way in a long, long, looonng while. So they watched intently while I made it...ya know, the old-fashioned way...in a pot with some oil. I shared with them how this was the only way we had popcorn when I was a kid. Just when was microwave popcorn invented??? I don't even remember. I don't think I bought it until I had the ballerina (she's 13, remember!). Wow. That makes me feel old. I feared they wouldn't like the blandness of it. I made some extra, let them taste it plain, which they made "hmm" noises to, then added some salt, let them taste test, then added some melted butter, to which they fell in love with! They asked if it was cheaper to make it home made (trying to convince me it needs made this way every time). Well, with microwave popcorn being so cheap, I don't really know if it's cheaper. I haven't done the math. Does anyone know???

So, with the other 16 cups of popcorn we followed the recipe which makes a sort of candied popcorn. It's pretty yummy! We chose green to color it, but next time I think we'll do red.

Junior and Roo chomping down!

"The Twelve Days of Christmas"
In her book, Lisa also talks about different Christmas songs and carols (and helps kids understand the difference!). It's so wonderful! I learn right along with the kids most of the time. (my home school mommy friends will agree that this is quite common for us!)

Legend says that "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written to help parents teach their children the true meaning of Christmas in England during the 300 years that it was illegal to be a member of the Catholic Church. The words are a 'secret code' that I'm going to crack for you, so that you may share it with your kids, or simply learn something new! :0)

"My True Love" represents God, who gives all the gifts listed in the song.
"A partridge in a pear tree" is Jesus, who gave His life on a tree (the cross).
"Two turtle doves" symbolize the Old and New Testaments.
"Three french hens" are faith, hope, and love.
"Four calling birds" speak of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.
"Five golden rings" correspond to the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Pentateuch.
"Six geese a-laying" stand for the six days of creation.
"Seven swans a-swimming" are the seven gifts of the Spirit (Romans 12:6-8).
"Eight maids a-milking" point to the eight beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10).
"Nine ladies dancing" signify the nine fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
"Ten lords a-leaping" represent the ten commandments.
"Eleven pipers piping" are the eleven faithful disciples. And finally......
"Twelve drummers drumming" call to mind the twelve points of the Apostle's Creed.

That's quite a bit learned about the Bible in a very unique song! I don't think I will ever forget that. We created a game (suggested in the book) to help us remember each symbol. Cool, eh? :0)

P.S. I have NO idea why the print is SO large on this post....I tried to make it smaller, but blogger won't let me!!! Grrr...

*All words in purple are from "The ADVENTure of Christmas" by Lisa Whelchel.

The No Water Woes

2008-12-15T23:11:00.004-06:00

Snow....er Ice Day........

So. It's 20 degrees and our school work is done. What to do? I know! How about build a Gingerbread House without having any water?! (I betcha wanna eat that! LOL)

Yup. No water. Ah, the joys of living on a farm. Getting the tractor running took precedence this weekend over winterizing the well house. Hmph. And again I say HMPH! We do keep some jugs of water around for just this very reason, and my parents live right down the road if/when we need more water. That being said.....

The girls have been dying to build a Gingerbread House, so might as well do it while being stuck inside, right? Well, we thought so. We spread the newspapers out because a friend had warned me of the mess that could be created, and since there wasn't warm water to clean up a mess.....Voila! The finished product! So beautiful that I wouldn't let them eat it....just yet! So, instead, I gave them some graham crackers, extra icing and candy and they created their own master pieces that they could eat! (Which they did before I even got pictures!)

I couldn't help but take some pics of my buddy, Frodo. He hasn't been on the blog in a while. This is his first haircut! Isn't he adorable? He's so soft to the touch....like velvet, only fluffy! :0)
I'm really surprised he hung on the wall, too!

So, what did you do with your "snow" day?

P.S. I have no idea why some of my print is underlined or seems hyper-linked. The only link should be the word "friend." Also....blogger won't let me move my pics around very easlily anymore. Can someone help me out with that? Thanks!

Small Town Christmas Parade

2008-12-15T22:55:00.003-06:00

It's A Hometown Christmas Parade!

Saturday night was our hometown Christmas parade and since the girls are in 4H, they got to work on a float and ride in the parade. This is Junior, and 2 of her good friends riding on the rocking bench.

We did a Pioneer Christmas theme. (Our town's high school mascot is a pioneer as well) The float won the Theme award and the Chamber award. Can you guess how many napkins were used to make that white fluff? Me either! LOL I helped with it, but my-oh-my was that a lot of napkins!!!

Roo and friend....aren't they cute?

In the moments before the parade, when the grown ups were completing the construction of the float, the kids made cards and crocheted hangers for the Siloam Springs Nursing Home, which we were supposed to go and deliver on Tuesday, but due to the weather, that is being rescheduled.

The kids all had a blast and slept very well that night! LOL So did mom and dad! ;-)

Thrifty Mama Giveaways

2008-12-13T13:12:00.002-06:00

I hope you are all keeping up with The Thrifty Mama blog because she is doing some FANTASTIC giveaways!!! I always have her button on my sidebar, too!

Some current giveaways:
DVDs (such as the new Charlie Brown ones), and a $10 Barnes and Noble gift card!!! :0)

Bizzy, bizzy!

2008-12-11T21:55:00.004-06:00

We've been crafting/cooking/running like crazy with the Christmas dazzle in our steps! (Which has left little time for blogging-sorry!)
On Monday we made homemade candy canes-yum! It was the first time I've tried making rock candy home-made, so the consistency was a little off when we were trying to form them into canes. I would have gotten a pic of that part, but my fingers were too sticky trying to help the girls! They made lots of different shapes, but mostly canes.

They might not look that great, but they taste REALLY good!

Tuesday we decorated store bought candy canes like little deer, copied the story of the candy cane, and tied it to them. We plan to pass them out throughout the season whenever we are out and about.

Tuesday evening was the CHESS Christmas Variety Show. This is the first year the girls have been able to participate in this. (Seems we always have schedule conflicts!)
Roo and Junior sang Rudolph and did a little diddy....well, sort of. Junior forgot to do her moves, but she remembered her lines!

It was really cute!
Rimshot planned on singing Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant. She has wanted to do this song for years. Unfortunately she got very nervous as she started to sing and then became too emotional to continue. She really did a beautiful job and has sang in front of the church a few times, so I'm not sure why she got so nervous, but we all felt so bad for her!

These are some of Rimshot's friends who did a REALLY cute little Beatles Medley with some slides in the background.

Speaking of GREAT friends.... they came back with Rimshot at the end of the show and sang with her. Isn't that so nice? They helped her get right back up on that horse. :0) They truly are an amazing group of girls and I am so thankful that Rimshot has such wonderful friends!

Towards the end of the night we knew we must have "Twas the Night Before Christmas," but we didn't expect a twist!
Here, a quite talented young man recites his (yes, HE wrote it himself!) "Twas the Pirates Night Before Chirstmas!" It was a hoot!

Here we have all the performers gathered and singing, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," at the end of the night.

More crafting, trying to finish up shopping, ladies' Christmas party, Lowes workshop, 4-H work, parade, dinner with friends, and all the like will occupy the next 72 hours, but I'll update as soon as I can!

Also....if you could say a prayer for me.... I've had a bit of a sore throat the last couple of nights and am getting quite achy.....I can't get sick now, there's too much to do!!!

Thanks!

Hope you are enjoying your Christmas festivities....leave me a comment and tell me what you are doing!

A Beautiful White Blanket

2008-12-01T12:46:00.004-06:00

What's better to wake up to on a Monday morning than a beautiful white blanket that makes everything look new, fresh, clean, and pure? (Sorry for you commuters who have to drag kids out in the cold....probably not very pleasant!) This light snow was easily packed into snowballs....and little hand held ice packs to tuck down the neck of the kiddie's sweaters! ;-)

Unfortunately, when it melted away by lunch.....

... it left a soggy, muddy mess! Ick!

I won't disgust you with those pictures....blah!

Anyway...it was a nice, early teasing of winter's tale! Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!!!

2008-11-30T15:44:00.003-06:00

Though it may be light and fluffy, it's defninitely snowing! It's been snowing here all night and all day. To the children's dissappointment, there is not much accumulation. I tried to warn them that we just don't get good snow around here until February and March...sometimes even into April! They dream of a white Christmas. The closest thing I can remember in the last 10 years we've had to a white Christmas was a good ice storm that kept us all home. Not much fun to play in, though!
The picture below was taken this morning when it was more like snow/ice pellets. Hope you are toasty and warm! I'm enjoying a hot cup of coffee and a nice fire in front of the Christmas tree.

:0) Have a great week!

Summer Sun, Check!

2008-11-29T20:29:00.003-06:00

Well, the name of the shade of yellow is Summer Sun. It is Valspar paint from Lowe's. Now...next up on the agenda is deciding what color to paint the wall with the fireplace insert, and also whether or not to paint just that wall a different color, or that wall and the wall next to it. I know it's hard to judge when you aren't seeing the whole room....maybe I will get those shots up next. My house is such a wreck between trying to paint and rearrange and decorating for Christmas.
Dear Hubby thinks the wall needs to be a darker color because of the fireplace....smoke and yellowing, etc. ??? We are also thinking of using some old aged wood to trim out the fireplace, so it won't have the white trim around it, like the rest of the walls. Hope that makes sense.

This is the complete wall that I just finished painting. We haven't hung things back up on it or even moved all the furniture back against it yet...but wanted to get a pic.

So, what do you think?

Christmas Playlist

2008-11-28T13:31:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year again!!! Time for celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour, time for hot cocoa and warm fires, good books, decorating, baking, snow boots, and watching the classic seasonal shows and movies! (Charlie Brown, It's a Wonderful Life, etc.)

So, in honor of the first day of the Christmas season, I've created a musical wonderland that will take you back in time....well, it does me anyway!
Enjoy songs from Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, Amy Grant, Josh Groban, Bobby Helms, Kenny G, Alvin and the Chipmunks (the originals from when we were kids!), Jose Feliciano, and George Strait. Hopefully I'll find some time to add more soon!

Also, "A Soldier's Silent Night" is included, author unknown.

Merry Christmas!!!

Remember Our Soldiers

2008-11-28T13:02:00.002-06:00

While creating a Christmas playlist to attach to my blog, I stumbled upon this "song" of sorts. Please listen and remember all of our many soldiers who won't make it home for the holidays this year. Please keep them in your prayers.

Doritos and Superbowl 08

2008-11-20T14:15:00.002-06:00

Okay...so what do those things have in common and what on earth do they have to do with my blog?

Simple. My BF from Junior High and High School days is in a Doritos commercial that is up for grabs to be aired during the superbowl. :0) Ahhh.....I hear the sighs of recognition and understanding, LOL! Anyway.... her director emailed and said they needed to get their numbers up on viewings and comments....hence the post! I'm going to post a link, and attempt to post the player....never done that before and am not sure if it will count as viewings. ??? Voting for which video airs begins Jan. 5, 2009. Make sure to vote!!!

http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/gallery/video/2049/

okay...I have no clue how to get the video to upload, so PLEASE go to the link....it's only a few seconds! :0)

Thanks!

Grand Prix, Gray Days, and Is this Yellow???

2008-11-19T19:56:00.006-06:00

AWANA Grand Prix

This was Rooi's first opportunity to participate in the AWANA Grand Prix. For those of you who don't know what it is (not that I'm all that informed myself), the T&T kids put their own wooden cars together, paint and decorate them, put weights under the front of them, etc., then race against each other.

And they're off!
Ethan Barnes competed against Roo the first go round....he had quite the lead!

And the final score........

Roo placed 2nd in each race throughout the night! Yay ROO!!!! You go girl!

*****

Okay....2nd part of this post. Do you ever get headaches on "gray" days? I can't stand them. Tylenol, ibuprofrin, nothing helps. Sometimes it is almost migraine level. Winter is FULL of gray days. Ick. I don't like cold days, either, unless they are spent in front of a warm fire with books or crafts, or maybe the occasional good movie, and a cup of coffee, hot tea or cocoa. Basically, if I don't have to leave the house, I'm good on cold days. :0)
About 6 months ago I was given a gift certificate to Lowe's, so I used to buy some paint. I talked about it for so long that dh finally gave in to a shade of yellow, just so long as I would finally do it, LOL! Needless to say, I just put up the first coat on the first small wall today. I chose the yellow in hopes that it would brighten those dark/gray days and keep spirits high (and headaches low). The only thing is....I'm not sure it LOOKS yellow on the walls!? Ugh.
What do you think?

Is it yellow? Hmmmmm.....not as much as I'd hoped, but probably better for my not-so-yellow-loving-husband. I guess we'll see. I plan on working in some of the green that we painted the hall/office with, and maybe a pale color on one of the other walls. So, seriously, does that look yellow?

Cooking and Costumes

2008-11-18T21:45:00.003-06:00

Junior loves to help me cook, and sometimes I talk myself into slowing down long enough to let her. I always try to catch her off guard so I can get a good pic, but she is such a poser! LOL

Making brownies for 4-H Achievement Dinner...

HALLOWEEN!!!
Well...not very scary, but VERY cute! A scarecrow, a mime, and a princess....charming, don't ya think? Maybe I'm a little biased....just a little. ;0)

Latest Deals

2008-11-18T20:55:00.003-06:00

Okay, okay....I know I've been slacking and I'm sorry! I take the pics, but then I get behind on posting and hate to post it once the deals are over because then it's just bragging instead of sharing tips on what you can go do for yourself. :0)

I've been trying to keep our grocery budget under $40/week. So far, so good! (well, for 3 weeks anyway!) I know it sounds crazy, but I decided if Crystal over at moneysavingmom.com can do it, so can I! (Despite the face that she is feeding a toddler and a baby and I am feeding a ravenous teen, another ravenous pre-teen, and a 5 year old.) Well, what can it hurt to try? It's pretty much become necessity. So without further adieu, here are this weeks deals:

From Wal-Mart:
1 gal. FF Milk 3.32
1 gal. Whole Milk 3.82
2 bags Chex Mix price matched for $.99 each with Walgreen's ad, then had 2 $.50/1 coupons, so $.49 each
3lb Blue Bonnet Butter 2.32
4 Hiland Lowfat Lemon Yogurts (8oz) price matched Price-Cutters/Harps ad 2/$1, bought 4, total $2
6 Glade Scented Oil Candle Holders $2 each, had 6 $2/1 coupons, free!
2 boxes Honey Nut Cheerios price matched for 1.99 each from Walgreens ad, then had 2 $1/1 coupons, so $.99 each, total 1.98
2 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch price matched for 1.99 each from Walgreens ad, then had $1/2 coupon, so 1.49 each, total 2.98
2 Lindor Truffles $2.50 each, so $5 total
1/2 gal. Eggnog 3.42
As a Christmas gift from my dh's wonderful employer (yes, WM), we are receiving 10% off ALL GROCERIES from 11/17-January (not sure of the date), so we had an additional discount of 2.99
Walmart Total: 22.83

From Walgreens:
4 jars Skippy peanut butter on sale 2/3, had 4 $.40/1 coupons, total 4.40
2 Liter A&W Diet Root Beer $0.79
2 Liter A&W Root Beer $0.79
2 Liter Sunkist $0.79
2 Deerfield Farms grated cheese (I think I bought Mexican Blend) 8oz 2/$3
Blistex Medicated Lip Treatment $0.99
2 Degree deoderants on sale for 2.99, had $1/2, so 2.49 each, total 4.98 (not bad considering they are normally well over $3/each!)
Received $1 RR at checkout

Walgreens total: 14.74

This week's total: 37.57

Woohoo! Now that's exciting!

I need to add that some purchases were special treats, as well, because I knew I was going to come in under budget. We have been finding great bargains for the last couple weeks, so I'm fairly stocked up, and I cook mostly from scratch anyway. The truffles and eggnog were special treats for our family...some treasured favorites! :0) The soda was special, too, because we haven't been buying soda lately.

If you would like to see step-by-step directions on how you can get these same great bargains, head on over to www.moneysavingmom.com !

The next post is of a great deal I received a week ago...sorry it's late in posting!

This was from Sav-Mart and the Little Debbie Store:

Sav-Mart:
15lb. Potatoes $5
2 bags Boneless/skinless chicken breasts $5.50/3lb bag, total $11
Fresh Ground Beef 1.69 lb, total 4.82
4lb Golden Smoked Boneless Ham (Which I took to their meat dept. and had half of it shaved for lunch meat...yum!) 5.95
2 Owens Sausage 2.50, had $.35/1 coupon, but they double coupons, so it was $.70 off, total 4.30
They had a special deal, buy 1 1lb Owens Sausage, get 1 doz. eggs, 1 can biscuits, and 1 64oz Orange Juice Free....obviously I did the deal twice, LOL!
Total: 31.02

Little Debbie Store:
Day old bread $.89

Total for week: 31.91

(*I think I bought milk at Aldi's, but didn't get that in the pic because it was earlier that week. Also didn't add it into total....)

Swagbucks.com

2008-11-17T21:01:00.003-06:00

This is a GREAT find!!! You simply search as you normally would (or surf, if you will) and you earn gift cards to places you already shop! It's win/win. I've seen stuff like this before, and am normally quite the skeptic, but I've read enough articles from blogs that I trust to try it out. Here's a link to Crystal's blog post about it (moneysavingmom.com):

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2008/11/swagbucks-earn-gift-cards-for-searching-online.html

and I encourage you to read this one, which details her earning and spending (how she purchased all of her children's Christmas gifts with her gift cards):

http://www.economicendeavors.com/2008/11/swag-bucks-update.html

Please use this link to sign up, if you so wish! :0)

http://swagbucks.prodege.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=245023

Have fun earning!!! :0)

Living Frugally

2008-11-10T14:06:00.003-06:00

Most of you know how fond I am of Crystal over at moneysavingmom.com. She has led me to fall in love with frugality. She makes it possible to capture the best of deals. There's a couple of other blogs I check on once in a while, but one has caught my eye frequently as of late. A lot of the offers are the same as moneysavingmom, but I've noticed there being additional ones recently, things that make great Christmas gifts for free or nearly free.

Introducing....

The Thrifty Mama

I'll be posting a link to her blog on my sidebar. Enjoy the great deals!!!

The Morning After

2008-11-05T18:43:00.003-06:00

This was a forward from a friend, but states very well what many of us are feeling/facing.

The Morning After
By Ariel Allison

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving, be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Red states. Blue states. Exit polls. Electoral votes. My mind spins as election results scroll across my television screen. And fear rises in my heart.

What if my preferred candidate doesn't win? What if my values are not shared by the next president? What if...

One thing I know for sure: half of this country will wake tomorrow overwhelmed with disappointment, possibly even anger. Uncertainty will reign. Fear will be rampant. This nation will be divided, and Christians will find themselves right in the middle. How then do we live in the tension that surrounds us? Where do we find common ground when our worldviews are so divergent? And how can we be at peace with the results - especially when we passionately disagree?

As I pondered this election I was encouraged by these reminders from an online friend named Rona:
1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.

ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS REALLY IN CHARGE!

I take comfort in the knowledge that "all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God" (Romans 13:1). And I find reassurance in the mandate to pray for those that He has placed in authority over us (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Too often we consider prayer a last resort when it should be our first course of action. Will you join me in committing to pray for our new President and the others who will lead us over the next four years?

Ariel Allison writes, reads, and lives in a small Texas town with her husband and three young sons. She is the co-author of Daddy Do You Love Me: a Daughter's Journey of Faith and Restoration (New Leaf Press, 2006). Her days are filled with toothless grins, muddy hands, and a never ending stream of words that try to find their way to her laptop. She ponders life as a mother of all boys at www.th emoabclub.blogspot.com and her thoughts as a redeemed dreamer at www.arielallison.blogspot.com. She and her husband are expecting their fourth son in December.

God Help Us

2008-11-04T22:08:00.004-06:00

"God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, a spirit of love, and soundness of mind."

Now, more than ever, we must cling to this and the many other promises that God has given us. He is truly the only One who knows what the future holds. Pray. Pray. Pray.

"Father, our lives are in Your hands....Your mighty and capable hands."

Anniversary Continued

2008-11-04T14:47:00.003-06:00

We set off to go hiking, and I had to grab my camera. Jason headed on down the path, and then I couldn't find him. Wouldn't ya know? Up a tree! I told him we are getting much too old for that, LOL!

A beautiful sunset from our back deck.

Apparently strange things start to happen after the sun goes down, LOL! Now you know why we need to get away sometimes....to laugh!!! :)

This is the back side (I think) of a real, working steam engine, which REALLY impressed my husband. The name Detter you will recognize as they are the owners of Domestic Tranquility. I believe the last time we were there they told us it was Mr. Detter's father's.

Of course, dh had to check it all out and show me all the signs that it works and has been used recently. :0)

What's this? It's a wagon they actually hook up sometimes and take on trail rides.

They have many farm animals, some normal, some not so normal. Like these ducks....what's up with the bouffant of hair??? LOL!

Precious ponies roam like dogs...never far and willing to let anyone pet him. So friendly. He likes to stay close to their fire pit.

This is a lookout tower we were going to climb and take some awesome pics from....but this time of year, the bees are drawn to the warmth, so we thought best to let them have their peace! :0)

There was another tower on the other side of Eureka, but alas, the bees had invaded it as well.

A beautiful view.

There are many more pics, but had to choose just a few, heh, heh. :0) Hope you enjoyed the tour and I cannot encourage everyone strongly enough to visit this piece of paradise for themselves! :0)

http://www.domestictranquility.com/

Personality Test

2008-11-04T14:40:00.002-06:00

Okay...I know I said I would post the rest of the anniversary pics, and I will, but have been super busy and super stressed. This is something I did a couple of months ago and have been meaning to post the results to. It's pretty funny and somehow a LITTLE accurate. It was hard as I was going through some very personally difficult times when I did this. That makes me wonder how the answers would be different with some of those struggles being behind me. Hmmmm..... Check it out, let me know what you think, if you have time. Take it for yourself, you just might learn something! OH, and if you do take it, please send me a link or you can leave a link here in the comments! :0) Have fun!

My personalDNA Report

That's the link to mine.

Here's a link to take it yourself, I think:

http://www.personaldna.com/

Jerri

Our Anniversary

2008-10-26T15:53:00.006-05:00

Well, many of you may remember the post I wrote about our anniversary weekend last year (click here and here for those posts-there were 2 of them). I really didn't think we could afford the trip this year with the recession and all. In fact, I KNEW we couldn't. Hubby asked about it, and I told him how much it was and that there just was no way. AND that was okay, because not every anniversary can be stellar, right? I'm just fine with a candle-lit dinner at home. WELL, dh(dear hubby) went behind my back and sold some stock we had (that was about to drop anyway) and made just enough to surprise me with the weekend to the cabin in the woods. We SO love it there. It's peaceful and lovely and simply a haven. It was just what we needed, an escape from the stress of the faltering economy and the pressures of everyday life. We are simple people, and we love nature. To be out and surrounded by it, like you've left the world behind, is simply divine. It's really not an expensive trip as there is a kitchen in each cabin and they stock with fresh farm eggs and all the major condiments, bottled water, chips, and a box of chocolates to boot. We simply pack what food we need from our own kitchen and take it with us. It's about a couple sacks full and some items in the ice chest (they have all the dishes, pots, pans, utensils, you name it...plus all appliances including mini fridge/freezer). I could go there every year and be happy.

We stayed in a different cabin this year because the one we had last year was booked. It was just as nice and peaceful. If I could go live there, I would! The name of the place is Domestic Tranquility and that says it all. I don't think they could have come up with a better name. The family is one that homeschools and are a big part of Benton County 4-H (they are in the Homespun group). It's just amazing and I cannot recommend it highly enough!!!

So here are some pics....

Pine Wood Log Cabin
(that's Jason at the grill)

The 2 of us.
Well, that's the thing about being alone...there's no one to take pics of the both of you! LOL

I love the 'Happy Anniversary' sign!

The front door from the inside. This cabin had 3 (or 4?) stained glass windows that were absolutely breathtaking!

Door to the bathroom

The bathroom

The jacuzzi. Ahhhh.....LOVED IT!!!

The attention to detail given to these cabins leaves nothing to want for!!! It's so amazing the tender love and care that this family puts into every single minute detail. I admire them greatly.
My pictures can scarce do the place justice. Click on the link to their website where you can see more/better pics and get details about their place. They provide an amazing history for each cabin, how it was built, where the wood, etc., came from....simply wonderful!

Stay tuned for another post with pics of the things we saw and places we went. :0)

For the Coffee Lovers

2008-10-25T12:20:00.002-05:00

Okay...so I have tons to post about, and yet haven't found the time. BUT, I wanted to throw this out there for all you coffee lovers, money saving people, or those who KNOW coffee lovers/drinkers..... ENJOY!

She's so pretty!

2008-10-20T22:06:00.004-05:00

This is the daughter of some very dear friends of ours. She is, in fact, also a dear friend, although only 17. :) She was one of the homecoming maids for Gentry Homecoming this year and asked me to do her make-up. I was honored....and scared to death!!! LOL It all turned out okay...especially considering the fact that I didn't see her dress until later that afternoon AFTER I had done her make-up! ;0)

This is a sunrise I had taken a pic of and it just seemed to go with her dress! :)

Just had to get one more of Frodo in here. He slept like this on the back of the couch for quite some time...even after I took the pic. In a little while we heard a "cathunk" and looked over and he had fallen to the floor! He was okay...just a rude awakening I suppose! LOL

Frodo

2008-10-20T21:56:00.004-05:00

Look at him go! He walks around like this without holding onto something with his front paws also, but it's hard for me to catch on camera. He always decides to just come play with the camera instead! LOL!

Okay...so I know you might not want to see pics of my dog. I know this blog is supposed to be about my family and what we are up to. Well....Frodo is family, now, too! Besides, I just couldn't help but post some pics of the cute lil buggar!

He sure does love apples!!! :)

Deals for Oct. 7 (sorry I'm behind on posts)

2008-10-20T21:30:00.005-05:00

This was done in 3 separate purchases. It was a few weeks ago and I'm not even going to try to break it down into those purchases, because I would confuse not only myself, but all of you as well! LOL Purchase date was Oct. 7 and after rebates, RR, wags coupons, and manufacturer coupons, I was out of pocket....
$7.28

At WM, with many coupons thanks to moneysavingmom.com, the total for all of these products (listed below) came up to $33.21.
I paid $5.23.

Purina Dog Food $4.96
-$4/1 coupon=$0.96
Purina Cat Food $4.33
$4/1 coupon= $0.33
Ronzoni Smart Taste Macaroni,
Ronzoni Spaghetti 2/$3.00
I had 2 $1/1 coupons= $0.50 each
EZMac Cup on sale for $0.75/each
I had 2 $1/2 coupons making them $0.25/each
KY $2.64
coupon $3.00/1
overage of $0.36
4 pkg. diff. varieties of Valley Fresh Steamers, $1.23 each
4 $1/1 coupons, making them $0.23 each
Yeash $3.92
coupon for $0.40/1 making it $3.52 (I know, not a great deal, but I needed it)
Clean and Clear Facial Cleansing Pads $5.44
coupon $5/1, making it $0.44.
Kotex Liners $0.97/1
coupon $1/1
overage of $0.03

I'm learning, I'm learning....
Now...if I could just make all the meals out of this and this only! :)

Mr. Gimped Redneck

2008-10-20T10:38:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to make note of the addition I made to my bloggy friends list. The publisher behind The Gimped Redneck is a good friend, and a very intelligent author. He has many different blogs, this is just my personal favorite. Feel free to pop on over there. He is politically minded and motivated at the moment, but not in some of the hateful accusatory ways you see in the media. He's not looking for a fight, just expressing opinions (that I share most of). It just makes for very interesting, often informing, reading. Just some FYI!!! :0) Enjoy!

Jerri

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes.....

2008-09-30T21:13:00.008-05:00

Ring a bell? Think Disney's Cinderella, LOL!

When one door closes, another opens....we use this to reassure ourselves time and again that all will right itself eventually.
Last week was a rough week with pets. I took in a kitten to help out a friend...a kitten that had been born, then deserted immediately by it's mother. I nursed it for 3 days....even wiping it's bottom with a wet paper towel to make it potty. (Did you know you HAVE to do that or it will die? EW!)
It passed on anyway after 3 days.
Then we lost our Blue Heeler, Zeke. We have come to the conclusion that he was run over. Why do people not stop??? It would be so much better if they told us when it happened...if they showed ANY sign of remorse. He lived through it, only to die the next day due to internal injuries.

And then.....
I haven't told many people this....it's too silly to even mention in casual conversation, but I've ALWAYS wanted a Maltese puppy. They are so cuddly and fun. AND THEY DON"T SHED!!! (good for those of us with allergies!) They are VERY intelligent and just an overall very good choice for a house/lap dog. One problem....they run from $500-$700. YIKES!!! I stopped pricing them about 5 years ago when it became apparent that I would never find one I could afford. I could never and would never pay that for a dog. (Well, who's to say what I WOULD or WOULD NOT do if I had that kind of money to just throw around....I may never know, LOL!)
God knows our hearts and our desires, though....even the silly ones. :0)
I get several daily digests in my email from different homeschooling groups that I belong to. On one there came a post about a Maltese puppy for sale. I immediately jumped on the post and saw that it said "make an offer" and so I did. I made a very meager offer of about 1/10 of what the dog was worth (I had a little birthday money)...but offered a loving home as well. I didn't get my hopes up, LOL. After sending the email, I noticed that there was a website mentioned where you could see pics of the pup, so I looked it up. When I saw the pics I looked and looked. Only when I looked again a little later did I see the side note that said something along the lines of "Price Reduced $400 OBO." ZOINKS! I was embarrassed that I had even sent my meager offer, sure that the owner/dealer would get a good laugh, though! I would never have sent it if I had seen the note first. I NEVER expected to hear back from these people. However, the next day (or day after that one, not sure) I received a phone call. The puppy was mine to come pick up. Say WHAT?! Yep....mine. I couldn't believe it and tried not to get my hopes up. We were on our way to see Fireproof and go out to dinner with our Sunday School class when I got the call, so I made arrangements to pick up the pup the next afternoon (Sunday). All the way there I was just hoping and praying this man would not suddenly change his mind and break my heart. When I got there, the family was SO nice. The man said that God works in mysterious ways. Yes, He most certainly does. My daughters have made comments this week on how great it is to see how much God loves us and cares about our needs...and our wants. Even the silly ones.

Meet Frodo...(at least I THINK that's what I'm naming him!)...
Or Grizzly? (because he THINKS he's a grizzly bear)

(Roo took this pic....she tried really hard! (o: )
Or Bouncer, because when he gets really excited he bounces more than runs.

Or Peedie (Scottish for small/little) He makes Snickers look like a giant! :0D

Or Rascal....self explanatory! Ha, ha, ha!

By the way, "Frodo" came from the movie, Lord of the Rings. For those of you who haven't seen the movie or read the books, Frodo is a hobbit, which is defined as a "smallish being with hairy feet." That fits this dog pretty well, LOL! The only problem is it sounds like "No, No!" and I don't want him to be confused. ???

Let me know what you think!

Thanks and have a great night!!!

P.S.
Frodo lays in my lap, sleeping mostly, or trying to "type" while I'm blogging...it's so cute! He says goodnight, too! :0)

The Ballerina Turns 13

2008-09-29T21:44:00.005-05:00

Oh my! 13....I'm feeling old, now!

This is the gang that rang in the celebration of the ballerina's 13th birthday.
Let me explain, LOL!
She wanted to have an 80's theme party at Roller City (a skating rink). So....it's her birthday and that's what we did! The girls loved it. All but one dressed up (and I don't blame her!).
They had an absolute BLAST!

Junior tries to remember how to stand on these wheels...she never really did well...finally gave up and went in sock feet, LOL!

K skates her booty off ALL night!

Worn out, she collapses on the wall in front of where I'm taking pictures. She's so happy! :0)

I absolutely LOVE this pic! This SO could have been my own birthday. It was like walking back in time. I don't think I really miss the 80's, though...mismatched clothes, teased BIG hair....blue eye shadow galore....LOL!

Nope...they weren't even playing "Locomotion"....they just did it!

Believe it or not, these pics have a story behind them. When we arrived at the skating rink, the moment the girls stepped out of the van there were kids hanging out who yelled "Freaks!" So nasty! Funny thing was....THEY were wearing tutus, tiaras, and sucking flashing pacifiers. Who are THEY to call my 80's girls freaks?!!! By the way....the tutus are on BOYS! Boys with green hair and make-up like the band KISS. CRAZY! I grabbed this pic later on when we were inside. I was sitting taking pics of the girls skating by and just managed to turn and get these guys. Thought you could use a good laugh!!! :0)

13 Candles.....

Her cupcake cake is upside down in this pic....it was a big flower.
Ya know...it's not that bad.....yet. LOL 13, that is. I'm so proud of the young woman of God that she is becoming. She has a genuine passion for loving others and lifting them up. She's so kind (except to her sisters sometimes, LOL!). She's growing up, and while that is sad, I couldn't be happier about who she's becoming. I feel so blessed to be able to be part of this....to watch her blossom and bloom. Let's just hope this lasts after "Charlie" comes!!! ;0P

Latest Deals and Sad News

2008-09-24T20:05:00.004-05:00

I had to go to town on Tuesday, so I stopped by Walgreens again with 2 Visine coupons for $2 off each in hand. I used those with the $2 off in the Easy Saver booklet and got them for free.

While I was waiting for my 2 older girls to be done at the orthodontist today I walked over to Target and picked up 2 trial size bottles of Tylenol, free after my $1/1 coupons. I also bought 3 boxes of Electrosol Gel Pacs. They are normally $3.69 (at Target) and I had 3 $2.25/1 coupons. That made them $1.44 each, which is extremely cheap when that is all I can use. We have CRAZY hard water around here.

Zeke, our blue heeler, died today. He was fine last night when I closed up the house to go to bed. This morning Roo, curious cat that she is, wondered why he hadn't come out from under the porch like he normally does to eat his "breakfast" if you will. She started freaking out, yelling "There are worms going in and out of his neck!" Yeah. Say what? So I went to check it out. He wouldn't move. BUT his chest was going up and down, so he was still breathing. I went and got DH out of bed and we checked him out. His eyes were dilated and we thought he was breathing his last. He still wouldn't get up. His front right leg appeared to be broken and he couldn't seem to maneuver his back side at all. I got him some water. He lapped it up like crazy, so there was hope, right? I watched him for a while. DH said there was no point in taking him to the vet. He would either get better throughout the day or he would pass. An hour later I went to check on him and he had moved!!! I was so excited! The kids were excited and hopeful. We gave him more water and he lapped that up. We had to leave for our appointments today, so we said a prayer. When we got home he had passed on. So heartbreaking. It seems no matter how many pets/animals we lose on the farm, each one hurts. Each are very missed.

So tonight, we say goodbye to Zeke. There just has to be an animal heaven for timid, loving dogs like him.

The Grocery Game Part II

2008-09-21T14:08:00.003-05:00

Made a last minute run to Walgreen's yesterday to snag some of their expiring deals.
Fruictise Shampoo and Conditioners 3/$10.00
I bought 6=$20.00
6 $1/1 coupons=$14.00
$10.00 cash rebate= $4.00
total cost for me: $4.00

Colgate Toothpaste: $2.99
I bought 2
$2.00 off each with in-ad coupon= $1.98
I had 2 $0.75 off each coupons (couldn't find the $1.00 off each coupons that I thought I had)
total cost for me: $0.48 for 2 tubes of toothpaste

Visine: $3.99 each
I bought 3 (DH uses them a lot)
Easy Saver Coupon Book had $2.00 off each=$1.99 each
I had 3 $1.00 off each coupons= $0.99 each
total cost for me: $2.97 for 3 bottles.

Total ending cost before coupons and rebates: $37.95
Total cost after coupons and rebates: $7.45

I'm proud of my savings, but a little disappointed because if I would have had the correct coupons my total would have been $2.97. This is still a great deal, though, and will keep us stocked up on shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste, and visine for a while. (I have 3 girls with long hair...we go through the shampoo/conditioner around here! LOL)

Since I was in town we went ahead and stopped back by WM because I had printed off some online coupons for Johnson's products. I got 4 more Johnson's Bath Buddies Soaps for free plus overage (including discount) of $0.48. They bought me a candy bar. :0)
Now...off to look over the ads for this week....although this is not my grocery week, so it has to be freebies or nearly freebies. Have fun and good luck with your deals this week! Feel free to post in the comments any good deals you come across and want to share with the rest of us!

Bye, Bye Kitty

2008-09-21T13:52:00.004-05:00

Well, the kitty didn't make it. At least we had 3 fun days of cuddling. I'm not sure why he didn't make it, other than nature itself. Like I mentioned in another post, sometimes you can do everything right and follow all the rules, but things don't go the way we think they "ought to." I found myself questioning everything I had done in the 72 hours we had him. Did I feed him too much? Did I medicate him too much? Did he get too hot with the heating pad (therefore literally cooking him)? The questions are as endless as the possible answers. In the end, to have some closure, I had to apologize to God and ask His forgiveness for not being a good replacement for this baby's mother. You know what I realized? God created each creature in it's kind to be cared for in a certain way. Sometimes those creatures go against God's design...they, like us, have a choice to ignore their natural instincts. I had done the best I could, but would never be the nurturer that this kitty needed or that God had created to take care of it.
This led to another thought process of, "How many times have I gone against God's natural plan for me?" Wow...hard to answer this side of heaven....scary to think of how high that number might actually be. I hope and pray and seek God's will each day, asking that He keep me in line, but how often has my knee-jerk reaction been to make a decision based on my feelings or what I know? Far too many, I'm afraid. I'm so thankful that He stays so close by my side.

I had a birthday recently and realized that wisdom really does come with age. Maybe not "worldly" wisdom, but definitely God-ly wisdom. This is not to imply that I am wise, but definitely wiser than I was 10 years ago. Wow...that person existed in reality? Hard to believe, looking back. I'm so glad and thankful that God has drawn me and continues to draw me ever closer to Him. May we all follow His natural design for our lives.

The Grocery Game

2008-09-20T12:38:00.004-05:00

$$$$SAVINGS$$$$

This post is for those of you (us) who play the grocery game. I've been watching another blog or two do this for some time, but have never posted any of my "great finds" simply because I do 2 weeks worth of shopping at a time and it becomes difficult to know how much you are actually saving. I "ad match" a LOT of stuff, use tons of coupons (only for products I already use/need or if it makes it basically free), and receive the employee discount at our WM. (10% off non grocery items, produce, and "junk" food items (candy, gum, etc.---although I try not to buy this stuff).
The receipts don't show the price difference when you ad match, they only show what you are paying for it with the match. I do know that I spend roughly what most of my friends spend for 1 week, but I only spend it every 2 weeks. We also have a garden and that helps.
Anyway...this post is about my trip to a small local grocery store called Sav-Mart (not sure they are a national chain).
Here's the booty:1 gallon Whole Milk (the only milk my dh will drink): $2.99 gal
4lb bag of generic sugar: $1.97
3 1lb. 10.5 oz cans of Hunts Spaghetti Sauce: $0.88/each total: $2.64
5 Ramen Noodles: $0.10/ each total: $0.50
2 rolls Generic Paper Towels: $0.50/each total $1.00
2 pkg. Bar S Jumbo Franks, 1lb, $0.78/each total: $1.56
2 1lb. rolls Carolina Pride Pork Sausage: $0.78/each total: $1.60
5lb. Russet Potatoes: $1.69
4 packages boneless skinless chicken breasts @ $1.48/lb, various weights totaling 6.67lb for $9.88 (usually pay $7 for 2.5 lb. frozen store brand bag).
I don't know what the total savings were, exactly, but the total before tax was : $23.79

My next stop was a local bakery discount store of sorts- McKee Company Store (the make Little Debbies, Sunbelt items, etc.) I purchased a loaf of Ozark Hearth Wheatberry bread for $1.39, a package of 6 Whole Wheat Ozark Hearth Sub Rolls for $0.79, a box of Swiss Cake rolls for $0.50, a box of German Chocolate Cookies for $0.50, and a package of Spice Cakes for $0.50. My total was $4.07 before taxes.This was from my big trip to WM with some coupons and tips courtesy of moneysavingmom.com
3 Johnson's Buddie's Soaps normally $0.97/each, used $3.00 off 3 from coupon insert in 9/14 paper
1 package Kotex Pads normally $1.00, used $1 off any 1 Kotex product from moneysavingmom.com

Now...those of you who know that I've had a hysterectomy might wonder at the pads. I will remind you that I have 3 daughters, one of which is turning 13 on Friday (yikes!). :0)After the coupons and discount, WM paid ME $0.48 to take these items off their hands! Anytime, anytime....no problem! ;o)

Butterflies and Kitty Cats

2008-09-18T22:40:00.003-05:00

Butterflies: God's most beautiful creation?

I've always thought so. God has been revealing Himself to me in new and wonderful, unexpected ways recently. Just noticing the beauty that surrounds me is one of them. I walked out on my porch and noticed these two amazingly beautiful creatures fluttering around my Cannes. After watching for a bit I called for the girls to come see. While we were watching them, they seemed to disappear for a moment, then reappear and fly right up in front of us so we could get a better look. It was an awe inspiring moment for us all and we all proclaimed how "cool" God is and thoughtful to bless us with just such an opportunity. Honestly, I've never seen butterflies this color. It was just too wonderful, so I , of course, had to go grab my camera and get some pics. Meet our blessings....

In my devotions this morning, my "assigned reading" was Psalm 37. It spoke to me, so close to my heart....reassuring to say the least. I was also reminded how God deals with each of us differently, but with no less love than another. The same passage of scripture can mean two completely different things to different people, yet minister to them each right where they are at that very moment. Yes, God IS amazing.

Now...kitty cats. This blessed little life was given to me to try to nurse to health. It's mother, for whatever reason, never had even the slightest instinct to care for it. Yet here he is....now just over 24 hours old. The girls named him Boots b/c right now he has white feet, a white belly and under his chin. I hope he makes it, but I'm also reminded that sometimes we can do everything right, follow all the "rules" for care, and still, it just might not thrive. I'm trying to prepare my girls for this, but they can't see past the excitement of it all just yet.

I needed to weigh him to see how much he was SUPPOSED to be eating....he was a little small for the bathroom scale, so I found the next best thing. :0) Please ignore the messy kitchen in the background.

He only weighs 2 ounces!!!

I never thought I would experience the feeling of such a helpless little thing being so entirely dependent on me for it's life again.

The girls are learning a lot through this experience as well. The butterflies are our nature science project for the week, too. I love homeschooling! ;o)

Have a great Friday all!

Sunshine and SONshine

2008-09-16T21:36:00.003-05:00

Psalm 5:11
"But let all those that take refuge in thee rejoice,
Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:
Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee."

Isn't it nice to start out with God's Holy Word? It's how I start my day, so why not start my blog with it? Hopefully it will be just what someone needed to hear (read) to make their day a little brighter and remind them that God is our refuge.

Anyway... I recently (before the fair) got to meet my newest niece...isn't she beautiful???

Jaslyn certainly is fond of her. She wasn't willing to give her up! LOL

This one really gets me. This is my baby, holding a baby. My baby will be 13 in 10 short days. Where did the years go? I remember when she looked so much like this little one...wasn't that just the other day???

And Roo, of course, who loves babies as well. I remember when I had Junior, she would rush right in from school, wash her hands, then climb up on the couch with the boppy and stretch out her arms. She would hold her for hours (or as long as I let her).

Hmmm. I didn't really want to post this pic b/c I don't look so great (and daughter took the pic), but I sure do love my little niece! :0)

This is niece #1...she does NOT stand still long enough to get a good pic. She doesn't like the camera, either. She turns away every time she sees it! LOL Lil' bugger! ;0)

I'm so glad that the last few days have produced much sunshine. My soul needed it. So did my family! We have enjoyed playing and reading outside every day. I love the changing of the seasons. When I was a child, I thought summer would forever be my favorite season because I love to swim. Now I don't know that I really have a favorite. I love spring when everything turns green and grows and blossoms, and I love summer for the gardens and water play and picnicking; I love fall for the beautiful autumn colors of the Ozarks and the welcome cooler temps after summer (except this year's summer was rather nice and mild). Winter. Well, I like to cuddle up by the fireplace with coffee or tea and a good book and I like to play in the snow. However, around here we have seemed to get just mostly cold temps the last few years....and ice...lots of ice. THAT I don't care for. Phooey on cold and ice. I don't like to be cold. I hope when I'm old that I can spend the winters either somewhere where it is TRULY winter with lots of snow, or on a beach in sunny Florida!!! LOL

So, what is your favorite season?

My Heart Condition

2008-09-14T22:19:00.005-05:00

I posted recently about the family issues that have arisen. I found out this past week that my nephew was in ICU for a few days. His blood pressure dropped to 70/30. They are controlling it now with a drip, but also think he may have an infection in his heart. They can't do anything invasive right now b/c of his low white cell count.

"Under attack" doesn't begin to describe the status of my life right now. My dad was diagnosed with dementia July 3, a member of my husband's family was diagnosed with diabetes shortly thereafter. All of this with my "prodigal" mother began only a couple weeks ago (if that long). On my birthday some major drama entered my life....which has altered me forever. However, I know that the Lord has it in His hands. I've been reminded of Job in my prayer and weeping over these issues, but am thankful that my immediate family (dh and children) are all well. I am praying a wall of protection around them. Satan must be really scared. I was praying with another and going to make it a regular thing to meet and pray, but Satan attacked that, too.
My mom (step-mom, but mom for all intensive purposes) has injured her back to the point of spending 4 hours in the E.R. yesterday (Saturday).
No matter what, on Christ the SOLID Rock I stand!!! Amazingly, I have an inner peace that shocks even myself. In the midst of the storm, much like the hurricane many have experienced, there is a calm, strong, central Force....Christ our Savior and Lord. Without Him and His grace, I would be lost....I'm scared of where I would be without His loving and tender arms that have held me these past few days and weeks.

There are a couple of songs that the Lord has used to speak to me and soothe my aching heart. He has placed numerous scriptures on my heart reminding me that He's there, He cares, and He is still in control.

2 Tim 1: 7 "He has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, a spirit of love, and soundness of mind."

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression, but cheer up! I have overcome the world."

There's a song by Superchick, called "Crawl (Carry Me Through)" and I tried to find it to add to my playlist, but I guess it's not been made available. It is where my heart is at right now, so I thought I would share some of the lyrics....

"How long will this take? How much can I go through?
My heart, my soul aches, I don't know what to do.
I bend but don't break, and somehow I'll get through
'cause I have You....

And if I had to crawl, well You'd crawl too.
I stumble and I fall. Carry me through.
The wonder of it all is You see me through.

Oh, Lord, where are You? Do not forget me here.
I cry in silence. Can you not see my tears?
When all have left me and hope has disappeared
You find me here....

And when I have to crawl, well You crawl too
I stumble and I fall, carry me through.
The wonder of it all is You see me through.

When everything I was is lost, I have forgot but you have not
When I am lost, You have not lost me.
When everything I was is lost, I have forgot but you have not
When I am lost, You have not lost me
You have not lost me.

And if I had to crawl, well You'd crawl, too.
I stumble and I fall, carry me through.
The wonder of it all is You see me through....."

It's beautiful. For those of you with high speed, I found a piece of the song on youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwq7FjMu4AA

Anyway...when I feel I'm being shredded to bits by the gnashing teeth of vicious wolves, I remember that God my Father and Friend is right beside me, and He knows the truth, and will make it known....in His time. Meanwhile, He rocks me and holds me and "sees me through".....

Job 3:24 "In place of my food I have grief, and cries of sorrow come from me like water..."

Psalm 59:16 "But I will make songs of your power, yes I will give cries of joy for your mercy in the morning; because you have been my strength and my high tower in the day of my trouble."

I have uploaded another song to my playlist called "Irene" by Toby Mac. There are many parts of it that have spoken to me in recent days as well.

"...you've got to reach up to touch rock bottom,
the powers that be keep you down trodden
daughter of Zion, I heard your prayer
just cast your cares and please beware of snakes,
they come in all shapes and sizes
tempt you, put scales on your eyelids
don't waste your sorrows, they give you strength tomorrow
Recovery's about to come soon
Keep your head up, don't you ever let up
The storm will pass; you'll be ready for the next one

Hey little girl with the pressures of the world on your shoulders,
don't say that it's over
I heard your prayers
just cast your cares and I'll be there
so don't you fear.....

....rest in Me and I'll give you strength...

....everything's gonna be alright......"

I feel the Lord drawing me close to Him and I know that He is growing me. I see now that I had become too dependent on "man" and was not taking my everyday troubles, issues, and thoughts to Him as I once did. I'm so glad that He has removed the scales from my eyelids that I may see and correct this. I never want to neglect my Lord. I'm trying to stay focused on the fact that He allows these trials as growing experiences and that He loves me. I know that He weeps when I weep, and he feels my pain.

Psalm 34:18 "The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Yes....He is and He does.....

I'm clinging to Him and I'll not ever let go. I hope and I pray that I'll never take my eyes off Him again, not for a second!

Benton County Fair 2008

2008-09-14T21:25:00.003-05:00

Well, the fair came, we conquered, and now we are just plain pooped!

Junior and Roo did so well, and we are very proud of them!!!

Junior shows her goat who's boss!

Roo has always had "the touch" when it comes to animals. They are drawn to her like a horse to water.

Roo took 2nd in her weight category.

It was a VERY exciting week, albeit an exhausting one. The girls all entered many crafts and won several first place ribbons. These pics aren't very good, something about the lighting in that livestock building I guess....

Thanks to all who supported the girls by coming and visiting the shows and exhibits!!!

Family

2008-09-07T23:36:00.002-05:00

I wrote this the other day, debating on posting it, but have since decided that in order to post updates, I'll have to give this background info as well........

"So...part of me wants to help her. Part of me wants to go to her new "home" and do what daughters do for their aging, abandoned mothers. Another part of me does not want to restart this relationship. She can be......so difficult to befriend. I have prayed about it (much of last night) and I know she needs me and God needs me to be there for her, no matter the past. It really doesn't make the task easier, though. *sigh*

I try to comfort myself with the knowledge that God is and will continue to use this situation for His purposes-for BOTH of us. I'm sure my rough edges need the sanding. She needs someone to be there for her, when there seems to be no one. She has 4 biological children. The oldest has been out of state and out of touch for over 10 years. The next to oldest, well.....that's a whole other story, but she's not in the picture much either. My brother is on the east coast and doesn't contact but every year or two (at least that is what my dad gets, if he's lucky). So that leaves me. It seems to be that way with my dad, too, who was diagnosed with dementia in July. He has 2 biological, 2 adopted, and 2 step children. Of them all, I am the only one willing to help. *another sigh*

So....there sets the struggle...mostly emotional. Do I go by today? Do I give an inch so she can take a mile? Do I try to see just how bad it really is (through the fog of her exaggerating ways)??? Argh.

I have since been in contact with one of my sisters and 2 of my nieces. My 16 year old nephew is in OU Children's Hospital dying from a rare and potent form of leukemia. I say dying b/c I was told Saturday morning that his long term wasn't to be hoped upon.....

There's so much more, but I'm physically, mentally, and emotionally overwhelmed and exhausted, so I simply don't have the energy to type it all out right now. This is also fair week so we will be EXTREMELY busy and I might be "absent" for the week. Just didn't want anyone to think I fell off the face of the earth. ;0)

Thank you SO VERY much to all who are praying and for all the wonderful words of encouragement....it all means so very much to me. Really, you have no idea how refreshing it is to sit back and realize that my biological family may be the craziest ever, but my family of Christian friends.....there's barely even words to describe the gratitude I have towards you and God for bringing each of you into my life..... I love you all.
Goodnight.

Just Who Do YOU Run Into in Wal Mart?

2008-09-04T21:54:00.002-05:00

Ah, the joys of WM. It's the place we all dread to go, knowing we will come out with far more than we went in for, and having spent more time doing it than we wanted to because, heaven knows, this is the one place that you can run into old boyfriends, elementary school chums, and the everyday meet-n-greet friends that you bump into. Don't get me wrong, we all love seeing these people, but it DOES increase our time spent shopping. None-the-less, this is not the topic I am going to write on.
Unless you have recently run into Madonna in WM (or another star of equal fame), then I've got you beat. Today I ran into my mother. Mother? you ask. Yes. Mother. Why would that be odd? For starters, I have had no contact with the woman for 5 years, 6 months, and 23 days. Easier put, since the moment I began delivering (pushing) during my last child birth. Yep. That's right. She left angry that I would not let her stay in the delivery room with me. How could I be so cold, you ask? Well, this woman did not raise me. She abandoned me at the ripe old age of 8, only to visit my life at about 15 (actually I tracked HER down), and then again after the birth of my first child (5 months after) when I tracked her down AGAIN thinking she might want to meet her grandchild. You can say we were never close and that would be putting it mildly, since she just is not maternal in any way, shape, or form. From then we had an off again/on again relationship. It consisted mostly of letters and phone calls. I simply wanted to know her before she died. (She was 40 when she had me, so that makes her..... LOL!) I tried to look past all her odd little quirks and strange rigidness (especially with her step-children from her 4th marriage). She chose not to be around or visit during or after the birth of my second child. I guess it was just too far to drive (she lived in Springdale and I lived in Little Kansas, Oklahoma). I tried to go see her as often as I could with 2 very small children. When I did move back to Arkansas things didn't really change much. She said she couldn't afford the gas to drive over to see me (now in Gentry) and this was in 2001 before the price hikes of fuel started. During my 3rd pregnancy we often discussed the fact that she was invited to be at the hospital for the birth, but from the beginning I made it clear that there would only be 2 people in the delivery room with me- my husband and his mother. His mother needed to be there b/c he doesn't deal with the sight of blood well and I couldn't help him if he passed out (which he almost did when they simply started the I.V.!). My step-mother had been with me for the previous 2 births, but she and I had been having some issues in our relationship, so I didn't "invite" her to be in the room. HOWEVER, after my baby's heart stopped mid-labor, I was scared and called my step-mom in. This is the woman who has raised me since the age of 8...did she do it perfectly? No, who does?! Was it as if I were her own? No, but we all make mistakes and we do the best we can. Still, this is the woman who was there when it really mattered.
My "mother" insisted that she stay in the room. She had to be escorted out. Outside the door, as I was beginning to push, I heard her yelling and cussing at the doctor. That poor man. She got into it with my dad in the lobby and apparently left the building swearing she'd never forgive me or talk to me again....all as my child was being introduced to this world.
I made phone calls a couple weeks later and spoke with my then step-dad, who said the ball was in her court and she would contact me if and when she "could" get over it. I never heard from her. I saw her once and she ignored me. I wrote. I sent cards and pics. I wondered if they were in the bottom of a trash can....you'd just have to know this bizarre woman whose blood I share (scary thought).
Well, that was her.....in MY Wal Mart today. I won't tell her sad story about why she's back in town b/c it truly is a sad and pathetic story and I do have compassion for her situation. But it's so odd! She really acted as if nothing were wrong or out of the ordinary. Like I was an old friend/aquaintance that she hadn't seen in 5 YEARS!!! At first I was angry, then weepy, then just shocked that I am even related to this woman. Now I am pondering what God has in mind for me. I know she's been brought back into my life for a reason, I'm just not sure I'm big enough to handle it.

If you've read this far, God bless you and your sympathetic ear (eyes). I'm just emotionally frustrated for so many more reasons than I could ever list in a simple blog post. I don't know whether to be mad/sad/sorry or what. It DOES feel better to simply "get it out" though. Thanks to all my sincerest friends who listen (read).

Guess What Time It Is???

2008-08-31T21:38:00.005-05:00

Gentry Goat Show

August 30, 2008

Proud Pappa with his goat ropin' girls!

Rendi's all about business going into the ring...game face on!

Set 'em up!

Good form, girls! Good f0rm! And first place goes to.......RENDI DALRYMPLE!!!! YAY!!!

Next up: Good ole' Junior!

She had to dig her heels in seeing as how her goat weighs 70lbs and she weighs less than 40!!!

Flipper did good for the most part, but started "flippin' out" towards the end! Good thing Mrs. Cindy was right there to help! :0) 4th place!!! Way to go Jaslyn!!!! (We'll work on firming up his backside this next week before the fair!!!) :0)
The girls had a GREAT time at their very first show!!! Rendi is in love with the sport of goat showing (although she has already mentioned wanting to show steers-we hope to hold off a couple years for that).

We hope any and all of you who can make it will join us at the county fair Sept. 8-13 in Bentonville. Email me for show times! :0)

2008-08-11T11:30:00.003-05:00

Just thought I'd share the 411.

LOOONNNGGG week...but fun, for the most part. We had VBS at our church this week and I taught the Pre-K class, as usual. It was probably the funnest VBS I've ever been a part of. Until Thursday night. A woman yanked my child up out of a chair by her arm, scaring her half to death, for a still yet unknown reason. (a believable one anyhow) Anyway...I prayed and gathered my wits, not wanting to disrupt whatever work the Lord may have been doing in her or her children's lives...this was REALLY hard for me, being the mama cub I can be when it comes to my children. However, I am very non-confrontational by nature. This woman DOES NOT go to my church, and very much needs to. Then it happened. The woman walked within inches of me, crossing my path as I tried to console Junior and convince her to go in the room with me (where my class was waiting to be taught....unfortunately this woman was inside). Junior says, "Mama, that's the MEAN woman....she's so mad at me and I, I , I DDDDon't know wwwhyyyy!" Rut-roh. Woman turns and looks at me. I wasn't going to lie...still being mad deep down. I told her what Junior had said and asked if Junior had done something (you know, like pinched her kid or something). She denied touching her, grabbed her kids and hightailed it right out of the church giving the "talk to the hand" to anyone who tried to stop her. Pastor and his wife followed the woman out and she told them she was trying to keep Junior from falling and I yelled at her. ??? Yet she denied touching her when I asked and then she ran (and I didn't yell....we were in a hall full of people and someone would have known if I yelled). Ugh. Fortunately, I think most of my church family knows me well enough to know better.

Friday had to clean the church and ship kiddos off for a fun weekend with the grands.

Friday night I cooked and canned spaghetti sauce. Yum.

Up at 7 on Saturday for work. Worked in Bentonville all day, got home about 6pm, changed clothes, then left for date with hubby. We went to Osegueras in Fayetteville.....absolute best Mexican food I've EVER had....and I've eaten A LOT of Mexican food. Anyway.....lots of strange "guys" in that town. 4 sat next to us. My redneck husband and I laughed all night at their conversation. They were talking about majoring in "Men" if you get the meaning. Some crazy hilarious stuff there. Stopped by a "unique" little shop on the way home. That made me feel even older, but that's another story not for the semi-public, LOL!

Kiddos came home this morning with the booty in tow. The grands took them shopping for clothes and school supplies.....so spoiled they are! :0) Maybe a little loved, too. I am proud of my girls. When asked what the best part of this weekend was it wasn't getting new clothes or shoes, or fun school supplies, or eating out, or going to a movie, or swimming in the grands' pool.....it was simply "hanging out and having fun" with the grands. I love my kids....and my in-laws. They are really fun ppl to hang out with and my dh and I don't do it nearly enough.

Whisked off to church after that. Junior wouldn't leave my side. I had to stay with her in children's church. That's just not like my Jasi. The "woman" wasn't even there and she was still scared/uneasy. So sad. :0(

Came home and have been pretty lazy since. I'm so tired/sleepy. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's the upcoming week of cleaning/organizing/preparing for school. Ugh. I'm excited about starting school, don't get me wrong (we homeschool). I just know I need a clean/organized house to do so and it's pretty much been let go ALL SUMMER. Lots of work. I want to fit in some fun stuff with the girls this week, too....stuff we haven't "gotten to" yet this summer, ya know? Playing cards, pedicures and manicures, girlie movie nights, card making, crafts, sewing, etc..... Oh...and Wed. we have this 4-H thing and they need to have tri-fold presentations of all the projects they are working on or have completed this year to show while they serve the public school employees their lunch. Ugh.

Did I mention I haven't been grocery shopping in over 2 weeks? Yah. Need to do that, too.

Well.....must go. Gonna play some cards before kids go to bed. Have a great week!

God's Blessings, God's Timing...

2008-08-05T23:06:00.002-05:00

Well, God is good, isn't He? It's been so long since I've really FELT His presence....kind of like the song goes ".....We cannot separate. You're part of me and though You're invisible, I'll trust the unseen. I cry out with no reply and I CAN'T feel you by my side, but I'll hold tight to what I know: You're here and I'm never alone."

I knew that the wall was built by none other than my sinful self and tried many times to demolish it in my own strength. So sad, huh? Why do we do such stupid things? It's like banging my head against a brick wall over and over and over again and then suddenly the bell rings and I get it.....ONLY GOD CAN 'GIT ER DONE'.....ya know? I really need to fine tune my dependency skills. I try to do so much on my own and try to make it happen the way I think it should. How silly! I do pray for help, but then I continue in my self-imposed struggle as though I'm utterly alone. It's like He's been there the whole time and I kept trying to shove Him out of the way and say, "Hey, I got this one!" Who am I to fight with the Almighty? LOL

So today, as I was reading the Bible I realized that I AM FORGIVEN. I can't go back and change the mistakes I've made in the past, but I can lean on Him for every step from this day forward. Past mistakes don't mean that I MUST continue on into this whirlpool until I am sucked down and completely drowned. (which is what I've been feeling like lately) Despite my sin, despite the economy, despite the black hole that this country is becoming....THERE IS HOPE! I realized this morning, there is still hope. No matter how bad things get, I will still see my Saviour face-to-face one day and live in the most beautiful of places forever and ever with Him. Next thought? Do I want to, at that very moment, look back on my life and see it filled with struggles against a sinful nation and money (or the lack thereof)??? NO! I want to see myself not worrying about those things, but the important stuff like how I lived my life, how I was with others, how I raised my children, what kind of wife I was to my husband, what kind of friend I was, what kind of daughter.....and so on.

Blessings. God is so wonderful. Sometimes I look at others and think, "Wow. They are really blessed. How come I'm not blessed like that? What did they do so right that I did so wrong to deserve/not deserve _____?" Again. S-T-U-P-I-D! Those are most often the ramblings of a baby Christian, which I'm not and cannot use as an excuse. How selfish and how utterly stupid. I AM blessed...and He has really SUPER blessed me this week. Ya know what? He blesses me ALL THE TIME! I just don't stop and smell the roses long enough to "count it" as a blessing! Jesus is the only good thing in me....I know, another song quote, but it really tells it like it is.

My MIL is taking my girls school shopping this weekend. That is HUGE! She and dh's dad are treating the girls to a weekend with them as well. They have a pool and every movie you can imagine and their place is beautiful and just really fun to hang out at! (I know, that sentence is about as grammatically incorrect as they come, but it's late, I'm tired, and excited all at the same time!) The girls are SUPER excited as well. How fun! What a tremendous blessing.

Guess what else? My mom stopped by the house after work today and dropped off.....A BRAND NEW PRESSURE CANNER!!!! I mentioned before that I've been canning and preserving as much as possible. I don't own a pressure canner and they are pretty expensive. My parents are not well off by any means...my father no longer works due to dementia, yet hasn't gotten SS yet, so they are living on my mom's income. My relationship with my mom (actually step but really the only one I've had since I was 7) has not always been good and was actually really horrible growing up. We've grown close over the last 13 years, along with some ups and downs, but I just can't even put into words what this gift meant to me, coming from her. All she asks is I give her a can of something I make. It's a blessing far beyond the canner itself....the look on her face and the hug and the "I love you" that came with it are worth far more to me than the canner could ever be. I hope to get to canning some goodies VERY soon! :0)

Another blessing.....someone left a bag of home-grown apples at the church. It had been there 3 nights and the ladies kept trying to send it home with me (asking that I make an apple pie and bring it for us to share ;o) ) so I finally brought it home tonight. I think I'll have enough for a pie and to make some apple butter as well. Yum! Another huge blessing we'll be enjoying with homemade rolls on a cold winter evening someday soon. Mmmmm.

I just wanted to share a little bit and sort of make myself accountable in a way. I am leaving myself with no excuses. God is counting on me to allow His Spirit to guide me, so there's no reason for the continuous wallowing in the pool of bad decisions past. No, nobody's perfect, but I actually feel clean and whole again and am not going to allow myself to treat that flippantly.

If this post makes ZERO sense to you, please forgive me. Just the random ramblings of one radically blessed, released from stress, VBS-ing, exhausted woman!

G'night all!

:0)

Not for the Squeamish

2008-07-30T23:56:00.004-05:00

I put this in a separate post partly because it has nothing to do with the other, but also because it may not be suitable for some children.

I wanted to post it, however, because this is just not something you see everyday, LOL!

This possum managed to get into our well house (how, we can't figure out), climb UP on the BREAKER BOX and electrocute himself. ??? His feet were wet from the dew outside on the grass. He wasn't full grown. This was the strangest thing (next to being chased by a "herd" of skunks) that I've ever witnessed. He "arched" all the way across....from his left front paw to his back right paw. Ewwwww!!!!!!!!!

Tonight we went to see Roo Girl at church camp (Arkansas Baptist Assembly Grounds in Siloam Springs). I took one of her friends to visit her (was a surprise). We normally stay for the worship service, but I had fought a headache all day and I've been to the services before....an hour of screaming followed by a 30 minute sermon. Add to that the fact that it stormed right before worship and you are putting umpteen thousand wet, sweaty kids in an enclosed building for an hour and a half!!!

Most recently I've been trying to juggle the finances while hunting down the books we need for this fast approaching school year. This is quite time consuming. I've also been working out schedules/etc. OH! I've also been CANNING....very new for me. I've canned sweet pickles, piccalilli, and tonight it was "End of the Garden Pickles." I'm going to do salsa next and hopefully some spaghetti sauce as well. I've blanched and frozen quite a bit of green beans (thanks to a friend who went out of town and needed someone to pick her garden!). I still have squash and zucchini coming out my ears. The okra and corn are just starting to make. Hopefully I will have a good fall garden as well, although it's entirely new to me and I'm searching for foods I can plant and harvest in fall. Any suggestions? All advice welcome. :0)

The Ballerina finished her first baby quilt yesterday and is starting on an Americana pillow. These are items she will be showing in the fair.

Junior went to a goat workshop last night for 4H. Hopefully it will help her in showmanship with her goat, who is quite unruly.

The Benton County Fair is coming up soon and we are VERY BUSY trying to make sure we are ready. This is our first year to show and there's a lot more to it than you realize!!! I'll be entering some of my canned goods, too.

Roo Girl will be showing a goat as well, although she just has that natural touch with most any animal, so I'm sure she'll be great. Hope as many of you as can will come to the fair and watch! :0)

VBS is coming up next week...Sunday thru Thursday nights from 6:30-8:30 (I think). Cactus Canyon....YEEEHHAAAWWWW! That's pretty much par for our church, LOL. We are almost all farmers. We've got country attire and decor galore! Bring the kiddos if you can!

I'll post again soon.....haven't been remembering to take many pics! :0P

We're Still Alive!!!

2008-07-30T22:43:00.010-05:00

Where have we been???
I know, I know....it's been forever since I posted. I'm sorry!!! Summer has been VERY busy. So, hopefully you will forgive me after getting this "update" post. :0)
Soon after the 4th of July celebrations were past, we took a much needed camping trip with just the fam. We spent the first few days at Roaring River State Park in Missouri. This is our ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE campground.

It's shaded, quiet (except the horn blowing in the early morning to signal the release of the fish), and BEAUTIFUL! One drawback....the swimming isn't great for the kiddos...they often come out of the water near hypothermia. It also isn't really very deep....which, of course, the older kids don't like. They also have a fish hatchery there. Yes...hatchery. To me, this seems to take the sport out of fishing. You go there, buy your license to fish and buy a 1 or 2 day permit with a 100% guarantee of catching a fish (usually 2 per person). They keep these fish in different tanks, where people come and feed them ALL DAY LONG.

Like Us. :0)

Then, at night...as we watched, someone comes and takes the fish out of the bottom tank and puts them in a transport of sorts.

Some fishermen come check out tomorrow's catch.

From this, the fish are released into a holding area in the river. At 6am, the horn sounds, the fishermen are ready (did I mention it's fly fishing?) and the gates are opened for the poor little fishies to swim towards their doom. They have been starved all night, so they swim so ignorantly straight to all those delicious looking flies, etc.
Now...where is the sport in that? Whatever happened to digging up worms and squishing them on your hook, casting out your line, then just sitting and waiting...watching that little orange bobber and enjoying the sounds of nature and the warm summer breeze? Now THAT'S fishing!!! ;o)This is where you get the fish food.
Yummy fish food. It takes a lot of scrubbing to get that smell off your hands. The girls were curious as to why I wasn't feeding the fish this time. I "had pictures to take." LOL!

Since it rained all day the first day we got there it was too cool to swim. We ventured out (with the little dog, too!) and found a nice little playground near the hatchery. The girls are racing towards the swings as they come into view. :0) Guess who won?
As we did some more walking and sight-seeing I noticed that every single one of my children had to make sure and traipse through this giant puddle formed by the day's rain, even my near-13-year-old. What is so irresistable about those puddles? LOL

Walking back. Aren't they adorable?

Independence Day

2008-07-06T21:19:00.004-05:00

Independence Day
Family, Friends, Fun, and FOOD!!!

The day started with driving over the river and through the woods to hubby's Dad's house. It's become an annual tradition to meet there where the kids can swim, the adults can visit, and we all eat until we are so stuffed we can't move! (Our 4th of July menu ALWAYS includes shrimp and crab legs....better than any restaurant could attempt!!!) -oh, side note- the rings on Junior's eyes were from her goggles! We didn't beat her up. LOL :0)

Hubby was in charge of the camera this trip as I was too busy talking. (Who, me??? :0P )
This is a few of the family and friends that were there.

Hubby's Dad....bet ya couldn't tell, huh? LOL!

Then there's the drive back home in which all 3 kids sleep most of the way (all that swimming and eating wears them out, LOL!).
Once back home we relax and get ready to set off fireworks. Normally we go visit with some friends in our local town and watch the firework show there, but this year we were just too tired and desired a more personal time. The girls really enjoyed it.

DH (dearhubby) can make some beautiful sky shows as well. (see below ;o) ) We actually had a nice show since we could see the neighbors, a bit of the local town's (7 miles away), and some from the casino (10-12 miles away). Good thing it was such a clear night! :0)

I hope everyone had a happy 4th!!!

New Great Site for "New" Moms or Moms-to-Be!

2008-07-02T16:58:00.003-05:00

As most of my close friends know, I can no longer have children. However, I know many of you still can and are (and I very much love cuddling the little buggers and then handing them back to you when they cry! :0P ). This is an incredible opportunity for those of you with minimal computer skills (like myself) and family/friends that are far away. It stinks not to be able to hold those babies anytime you want, trust me, I know. This is the next best thing. The ability to hold a conversation and have your baby in your arms, all visible to whomever you choose.....right at your fingertips! You can even store those recorded conversations totally securely for long periods of time....for FREE! You can make it private or public, it is your choice. I wish they'd had this type of thing when my girls were babies. This is an incredible opportunity. Check it out!

New Baby Tool Kit

NewBaby.com is the online video resource for moms featuring thousands of mom generated videos, product Vcasts and Expert solutions segments. It's an online community where moms can learn, share and create videos in a safe, secure and Free environment. Come Vlog with us at NewBaby.com ( www.newbaby.com )!

You will find mom produced videos as well as corporate product infomercials and expert solution Vcasts. For those of you with the desire to Vlog, it's easy to do with your web cam or Flip camera and fun too! My favorite feature of Newbaby.com is the Family Video Gallery. Here you can upload videos and choose to mark them "private" or "public" and share them with select friends and family. Imagine! You can now sit with your child in front of a web cam, tape a conversation and share it with Grandma on another coast and store it for a long time in a safe, secure place for FREE! You can also customize our video widget and have your videos feed into your Blog. (How awesome is that???)

And of course, there's always free stuff involved!!! I love hooking my friends up with free stuff! All you have to do is register on the site and set up your profile. It's that easy!

Flubber Fun!

2008-07-01T16:21:00.003-05:00

Flubber....what is it, you ask? A mix between yak, rubber, and play-do! :0) The kids love it, and it's not messy at all. Best of all, you get a science experiment out of it, as they make it themselves! Great hours of fun for those afternoons that are just too hot/humid to be outside!

I would like to thank Scribbit for supplying us with such fun! Simply click on her link for the recipe....it's very simple and quick, instant gratification. You will most likely have all of the 4 ingredients in your home! (glue, borax, warm water, food coloring)

Have fun!

Hmmmmm................

2008-06-25T11:00:00.002-05:00

If this is true, how come it took me 3 tries to figure out how to just show it in a post? LOL

OOPs....maybe I shouldn't have amitted that! :0P

Friendship

2008-06-19T21:22:00.003-05:00

Friendship

I write today to tell you of a friend whom I believe was sent straight from God. He can and does do that, don't you think?

This friend picks me up when I am down,

she encourages me when I think I just can't "do it"

she loves at all times, no matter how many times I may stick my foot in my mouth

she has learned to understand that sometimes my compliments come out backwards

she loves my children so very much

she knows that sometimes I need her to turn my own advice on myself

she will never turn away, no matter what

her door is always open ;0)

she's always there, no matter how chaotic or hectic her own life may be

Now this is a good friend, almost as if she's a superhero:

You've just had one crazy stressful day in which you were the last minute maid of honor in your sister-in-law's shotgun wedding, your daughters carried the train, the youngest was the flower girl, and husband ran the music. It's finally all over, and you are headed home, with the leftover wedding cake riding in the passenger seat of the van. You take off slowly, having the girls carefully watch the cake, only to turn the first corner, easily mind you, and have the cake topple over (did I mention it was covered in BLUE icing?) into the floor, down the side of the door, all over the interior of the van. By the time you get pulled over and open the door the cake is destroyed and the gray interior of your van is now blue....BRIGHT BLUE. Just as you discover that you have nothing to clean it up with, not a napkin, kleenex, wet wipe, nada- you hear the trumpets blaring and your knight (or princess?) in shining armor (or a shiny silver van, anyway) comes pulling up to ask if you need help. Poof. She's just there, right when you need her. She gives her every kleenex, napkin, wet wipe, whatever she has to help. No matter that she was on her way somewhere...her friend needed her.

My husband comes pulling up shortly thereafter and comments, "Funny how she's always there every time you need her."

Yes, funny indeed.

Dear friend, I thank you. I thank God for you and your friendship and all that it means to me. God alone knows how many trials we've pulled each other through. Where would I be without you? LOL

I pray that God would create in me the kind of friend I've found in you, and use me to bless others as you have so richly blessed me.

Take heart, and know that you are deeply loved and cherished.

Sincerely,

Friend

Land's End Survey Link Fixed

2008-06-18T08:50:00.002-05:00

Sorry about that....the link in my post led to an already completed survey. I've relinked it now to the right survey. :0) I'm still learning, LOL!!! Don't miss your chance at $100 of free clothing!!!!

Pooped Out, Pooped On, Pooch, and a Sunset!

2008-06-17T21:49:00.005-05:00

The Blushing Bride on her wedding day....

She had a migraine, so was given meds for that...which made her sick (vomiting) so was then given phenigrin (which made her sleepy)....

and this is what we have: But don't my girls look pretty!!!

These are a mix of just a few of the things happening around these parts. I always want to blog the things we do, but there are just too many to blog them all! So...here's a juicy one.....LOL!

Maid of Honor Duty

After the wedding, the flower girl is plum pooped out....what you can't see is all the cake and grass stains all over that BEAUTIFUL dress. :0( Do you suppose they can dry clean it?

"What's this crazy chicken doing?" she asks.

Um, pooping. LOL! You should have heard her scream when she realized what was happening. I'm proud of her, though...she never dropped the chicken. I, on the other hand, would probably have thrown it across the yard! LOL

Meet Pooch. He's our newest addition. I'm not sure if I like him or not. At first he was fairly house trained, but lately.....

That is just one thing I CAN'T stand!!! Ew!

He's Jaslyn's dog, though. How can you hurt those big brown eyes??? LOL

We (J and I) take pics of sunsets ALL the time....probably more pics of sunsets than kids, LOL!Just thought I'd throw the latest one up! This is why I LOVE living in the c0untry....this is right out my back door.

Land's End Survey and Give Away

2008-06-16T20:22:00.004-05:00

Land's End Survey

Simply click here to fill out a VERY short survey (18 questions) and you can be entered to win one of 5 $100 gift cards to Land's End. It's that simple!!! :0) Just thought I'd share this great opportunity.

....and the Chicks Dig It.......

2008-06-10T23:09:00.002-05:00

Okay, so that country song is stuck in my head....well, that part of it anyway. I don't know the rest, LOL!
If you were feeling sorry for melindaslife then you can turn that frown upside down and be happy for me! Her chicks have found a home. That's right, these 6 lovely birds narrowly escaped not only the dreadful horror of "chicken house" life, but all 17 of those cats! LOL They must be tough! Hopefully they will bring me some good eggs. If not, hopefully they are tender and juicy and not-so-tough. Ha, ha!
Here's some pics.....

Yup. They are one smart species. That would be why they are trying to huddle and sleep in their food and water. Uh, huh...s-m-a-r-t! I believe that lil one in the corner is giving me what for! What do you think? :0P

They better quiet down soon, LOL. At least Remmy is gone for the rest of the week. I've put them in the tub that is at her end of the house. She's the only one with a room down there....right next to the bathroom, LOL. They can be loud and those of us at the other end won't hear a thing. :0)

My Baby Left Today

2008-06-09T21:11:00.004-05:00

Coming into your own....

Remember when that sounded good? When we thought there could be nothing better in the world than that feeling of "I've finally made it"? Well, from this side it is painful...the ache inside of a mother being forced to cut one more string...just that much closer to letting go.

My ballerina left for youth camp today. The weather was fitting. It poured buckets all day. I'm sad to see her getting this old, but I'm excited for the spiritual experience that I know awaits her in the coming week. I'm also worried...what mother wouldn't be? She is staying in a cabin with 39 other raving teenagers. She is staying in one giant room with 26, yes 26 other girls. That's a lot of hormones, people! She is sooo sensitive that she is bound to get her feelings stepped on this week, and a little humbled as well. I know that in a way this is needed...like pruning back a beautiful bush so that it may flower out 10 fold and grow even lovelier. That doesn't make it any easier to think about. Oh, please pray for her, friends...keep praying.

Anyway...being the mother I am, I, of course, photographed the entire grand exit. :0)

I just knew you would want to share in it.....

Linda and Cheryl are frantically checking paperwork and insurances to make sure they haven't missed anyone. Linda is a bit like me....last minute moments!

The Ballerina and friend 'H'
Ahh, the gang. From left, S, the ballerina, the "man", and T
Buds for the Week
There goes the luggage....we're hoping to keep it MOSTLY dry!
See? Such great teamwork!Remember those long bus rides? That's one thing I don't miss!
Going.......

Going.......

Gone

Living Books/Charlotte Mason Schooling Conference Going On NOW!!!

2008-06-06T11:26:00.003-05:00

I'm pasting in some info about a Charlotte Mason schooling conference that is going on RIGHT NOW!!! Hurry and click on the link to make sure you don't miss out on any of this GREAT info!!!

Our seminar officially kicks off bright and early on June 6, 2008 and continues through Saturday, June 7, 2008.
Our Schedule for the Weekend:FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2008--A LIVING BOOKS EDUCATION 9AM CST Why is a Living Books Education the Best Way to Home Educate?
11:00AM CST How Children Learn and The One Mistake Most Parents Make
1:00PM CST "Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life": The Three Most Important Ideas of Charlotte Mason
3:00PM CST The Three Things You Must Have to Make Charlotte Mason's Approach Work for You
SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2008--A LIVING BOOKS EDUCATION SUBJECT-BY-SUBJECTWe are using CM's principle of short lessons with our moms. Each topic will be 25 minutes each, with time for questions
9:00AM CST A. Living History with Living BookB. Geography with Living Books 11:00AM CST A. Science with Living Books B. The Delights of Nature Study
1:00PM CST A. Language Arts: Grammar, Spelling, Writing, DictationB. Language Arts: Poetry, Storytelling
3:00pm Teaching Children to Love Great Art and MusicA. Composer StudyB. Picture Study *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
WHAT IS IT LIKE???Each session will be held live in our Conference Room. Log in using the directions above.At the times on the schedule, Jim and Sheila will begin by sharing a workshop on the topic for that hour. The sessions will last approximately 1-1 1/2 hours, leaving a break between sessions. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
MISS A SESSION???Oh! Don't worry! We record the entire session so you can download by Mp3. Plus, we save the text chat transcripts for each session with even more great encouragement. As they are prepared, the audios/transcripts and all extras are added to this Membership Website. PLUS! You can subscribe to the audios by RSS for them to download directly into your Mp3 player! It is going to be SUPER! You can grab a ticket at this link:
http://www.cindyrushton.com/CharlotteMason21stCentury.html
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WHEN???This seminar begins:Friday Morning, June 6, 2008 and continues through Saturday, June 7, 2008.Scheduled Start Time is CST, CENTRAL STANDARD TIME.*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
OUR CONFERENCE ROOM...We provide the software download-free. Here is the link:http://www.cindyrushton.com/Conference.exeClick to begin download or copy/paste into your internet browser and click ENTER. It will only take a few minutes to download into your computer, but you want to do it ahead of time so you don't miss a minute in the Conference Room. After it is downloaded on your computer, it will set up an icon on your desktop that says CONFERENCE. Then, you will only have to click it to open up the room. Here are your instructions from there:When you are ready to enter, you will enter your NAME or EMAIL ADDRESS in the first blank.Add the following information when prompted: Name of Room: Talk-a-Latte Password: CMP2121Remember...your password is different for chats and other classes. It only works for the room when the room is open for the study

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

NEED TECH HELP?
Having problems with accessing our Conference Room? Downloading audios? Setting up your RSS Feed? Knowing where to begin?
We have ANSWERS!
Just check out our full site featuring answers to common tech problems. Here is the link:
http://talk-a-latte.com/tech-help/
You can even ask YOUR question there!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*I hope that this answers all of your questions. If not, just let me know and I will gladly help in any way that I can.I can't wait to dig into our study together! Get ready for a great time of study, fellowship, and relationship!Talk to ya soon!With much love,CindySee Us Online!http://www.CindyRushton.com http://www.CindysDesktop.com http://www.MomtoMomRadioShow.com http://www.Writers-Nook.com http://www.Playmasters.info http://www.Talk-a-Latte.com http://www.RomanceToolbox.com http://www.UltimateHomeschoolExpo.com Rushton Family Ministries, 1225 Christy Lane, Tuscumbia, AL 35674, USA

The Victorian Garden Party

2008-06-03T21:04:00.004-05:00

While some of you were cooking out or on the lake on Memorial Day, several of we ladies were dining in the most elegant of fashions.

The Salad

There was a leek soup before the salad but I was still in such awe of just the decor surrounding me that I forgot to take a picture of it. After the salad came a WONDERFUL main course, which I was so ready to savor that I also forgot to photograph it! It was yummy! I did get a pic of desert, a lucious chocolate creme cake with raspberry sauce, but didn't include it here because honestly, the pic didn't do it justice! (and I've already got 9 pics anyway! LOL)

The salt and pepper were so pretty I had to get a pic! :0)

These are some ladies that were at my table. Miss J and Miss R. In the back, in the long white dress, is our gracious and lovely hostess and chef, Miss S.

This is the beautiful young lady whom I had the honor of sitting across from, Miss J.

Miss L and her daughter

Okay, y'all. Wendy and I both really didn't like ourselves in this pic, but it's the only one of us without all our kids in it! LOL So I HAD to post it. (Don't be mad Wendy! I cropped most of it, right? LOL!) Hey! I just realized you look taller than me. Were you wearing those boots that make you a giant? LOL NO FAIR!
Our Hostess

The lovely Miss Wendy (camera in tote).
The Entire Party

We had a wonderful time of food, fellowship, and NO KIDS, which we all know homeschool moms rarely get a night away from, LOL! It was the most fun I've had in a long time and without a doubt, it will be solid in my memory for years to come.

Thank you, Miss S.

2008-06-01T22:47:00.004-05:00

Chicky, Chicky

Well, we are adding some members to our farm family. Baby chicks! We actually added them last Sunday. Yes, that beautiful day....which turned into a stormy night! So...I was out at 4:30am trying to cover them up and keep them from drowning, only to find one had already gone. I think it was the one in this first pic. It was the smallest of the 10.

You may be asking yourself why on earth I would take a pic of the waterer....let me explain.

My dear husband went to the old barn in search of a watering can for the chickens. He comes back with this glass, original chicken watering jar. Wow. As he walks up he says to me, "Now this is why and when it pays to be a Dalrymple." LOLOL!!! Those of you who know us well know that my dear husband is a packrat, although I think with each generation it gets a little better....from what I've seen and heard anyway, LOL! This was his GREAT GRANDMOTHER'S!!! Apparently there were many of them, but as a small boy, he and his brother broke the rest (shame, shame!). It took a while, but I worked the lid off and cleaned it up and it works wonderfully ! Ah, to be a Dalrymple! Just what is she trying to do? Not sure myself!
This is the prettiest of the bunch, IMO.
This one was near death the next morning, so we brought it in and put it in a box in a warm place. Throughout the day it livened up, but that night before I went to bed, I went to check on it and it was dead. :0(

That put us at 8, but as of this morning, we are down to 7. :0( I have no idea what happened to the one that's gone.....it vanished!

She's such a nuzzler! :0)

Even though it shows how badly our grass needed mowing at the time, I think this is my favorite picture. (and it's been mowed since then, anyway, LOL!)

2008-06-01T22:36:00.003-05:00

AWANA Awards Night

2008

The Cubbies Class

Jaslyn FINALLY gets to graduate to SPARKS! Yay!
Remmy is the first to finish all 4 Truth and Training books since we started AWANA at our church 5 years ago! Go Remmy!

You know what she's thinking about, though? That's right...."YOUTH GROUP.....FINALLY!" LOL

Yeah, I know her eyes are closed, but she's pretty anyway!!!

All the T&Ts!!!