Winter Wonderland? I THINK NOT!!!

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

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....

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.

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"

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

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

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

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!

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

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!!!

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!

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?