Tuesday, January 30, 2007

I didn't know what kind of day it was going to be when it first started out, but it has been a pretty good day! A bit of an odd moment thrown in here or there, but all in all a good day.
I got up at 5:30 and went to the Fitness Center to work out with K2 and I got my 15 minutes in on the bike on the highest level I have done yet, and did an extra ten pounds on a couple of the leg machines so I was feeling pretty good.
I came home and cleaned the house and after my shower I decided that I had a little extra time so I would mop the kitchen floor and not just leave it swept and after I finish I go to dump the bucket outside in the yard and the wind picks up and the next thing I know is my legs are SOAKED! At least it was hot water that I had used, and I wasn't freezing!
I was in a bit of a mood after that, and after finding out that since Monster wasn't coming today and I could get in early for piano lessons and then possibly go and catch some of J's game that they switched the boys and girls games and the boys would be playing while I was taking lessons once again! GAH! I was bummed! If you can't tell I am getting hooked on the whole sports thing. My family was not into sports and still aren't, but since going to games to support different kids at church and having friends who answer my stupid questions and explain things that I don't understand, now I am having alot more fun going to these games, looking forward to them more, and even watching more pro sports on tv. K just laughs at me and shakes his head! He's a good guy putting up with my craziness!
Well, I had to call and talk to PM and found out that J was playing with the sophomore team and that is away. You know it's amazing what just talking to a friend will do for you, even if you don't really talk about anything at all. We talked about a prayer request that I was emailed, a practice for special music on Sunday, the boys basketball schedule, how cold it was outside and how he wanted to talk to K about arranging things on Sunday as there will be more instruments and things by the piano and needing a little more moving and shuffeling stands and things around. I tell you just hearing a friendly voice, a happy person, another adult, did so much for my mood! Isn't it wonderful what friends can do?! I have been thinking alot about friends the last few days, between some things that Holli has been going through and some of her posts and some things that have happened to me lately. I plan to write an entry about some of those things coming up too, but I am trying to sort some of them out in my head myself before I can write about them coherently.
But, the kids are gone and I have about an hour before piano lessons so I had better stop for now. I wish you all lots of happiness and close friends!

Saturday, January 27, 2007


Today is Holli's birthday, over at Baby Faith! Go on over and wish her a happy birthday! Holli, I am so thankful for your friendship, even though we haven't met face to face, I do think of you as a true friend. I hope that your birthday is a WONDERFUL one! I hope that it brings you many blessings, many wonderful gifts, many many smiles and hugs, and lots of laughter! Hope you have a very Cupcake birthday!

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

http://www.whydoyoublog.com/survey
a fun 16 question Survey on Why we blog. Go check it out, you could win an iPod Shuffle!

Tuesday, January 23, 2007



Life lately has been filled with basketball games. Monday nights are the younger kids at the Fitness Center and we go and watch M and B play. We catch some Tuesday night games for J ( and hope to catch a couple of C's), but that just depends on if I have piano lessons or not. Wednesday is Awana. Thursday is either basketball or prayer meeting. Friday is basketball, except for this week. This week is the big birthday supper with my parents. Saturday are basketball tournaments and Sunday is church. It gets a bit hectic, but I love it.


Sunday we got enough snow to cancel church. This picture is of us driving down the highway after we left church to take pictures.

We got about six inches of snow. The visibility wasn't the best so they were worried about people driving from out of town to get to church, that and the fact that it would be next to impossible to get the parking lot plowed out. The people that normally do it for us don't do it on Sundays. But just try to get someone else to do it.....

Anyway.....after our little drive for pictures we went out for breakfast. Then we had to come back and shovel the favorite paths that the boys take when we take them out to go potty. The neighbor was very nice and plowed the sidewalks and the spot where my car is parked with the blade on his lawn tractor. K got his lawn tractor and blade out and plowed a path for the mailman and a path around the house as well as around his car. I came inside after we were all finished and my jeans were frozen into the shape they had formed around my boots!

We went sledding later in the afternoon then. It was a pretty warm day actually and what better way to spend it but out enjoying the snow! K and C had some sled races, chicken races on the sleds, and a couple of wrestling matches in the snow and soon it was getting dark and time to head home. It was a good day all in all, odd not to have church, but a good day all the same.

On Saturday I went out to the T familys' place and helped to teach their 4-H group how to knit. That was alot of fu! I started out with two girls, one of them knew how to knit and her Mom was also a teacher there, and the other had come early and gotten a bit of a headstart. After starting over about five times then she had gotten the hang of it and taken off quite well. Since my two were doing so well I was sent to help some at some of the other tables. Most of the kids picked it up quite quickly and will only improve with the more practice they get. Their project for the month is to knit a scarf and they will learn how to finish it off at their meeting next month.

I have been going to the Fitness Center early in the morning for about a week now with a couple of friends. I had been going before, but really since Christmas we had quit. It feels good to get started again. I have not been able to do the walking that I wanted and keep up with the others, but I have found a bike that does not bother my foot and has some different programs and levels that I can use to get the same or comparable workout so that helps! I was beginning to get a bit depressed over the whole thing. I went 15 minutes on it this morning! My longest time on it had been 10 minutes before. I upped it to level 3 this time too. I figured starte out easy and work my way up. I don't want to kill myself off right away. I am wondering if the next time I won't move up a couple levels because it is a bit easier than I thought it would be. Tomorrow K2 wants to try the new water aerobics class they are starting. I haven't decided if I will go or not. K says to try it, I might like it, but I reminded him that this also means I will have to be out in the "lovely" winter weather after being in the pool with wet hair and all too. I don't think he had too much sympathy for me though!

I think that losing some weight will help my attitude alot too. My goal is to keep it fun though. Not to wake up thinking that I HAVE to go, but that I want to go. Not that getting up that early in the morning is any fun really, especially in the winter when it is so cold out and those blankets are so warm! I fell asleep rocking the kiddos the last two days too!

Speaking of kiddos Little Miss Monster is due to leave anytime now.....better run!

Thursday, January 18, 2007

B and K goofing around
Cher aka B with K's six foot wig

B and I


M and I



L doing our counsel time message




some kids took it SERIOUSLY, this guy shaved patterns in his hair!
hair coloring fun

K and D the gang members


K



B




S The funny thing about him is that he isn't even an Awana leader, he is just a parent who drives a half an hour/45 minutes to get there so he stays to watch his son and got into the spirit of things!












Princess Lea aka K







J








Pippi Longstocking aka C









Elvis and his girlfriend Anna Nicole aka D and B










J











Commander B












B and I













L














MS















K and I
















The back of K's hair

















J & P


















M's wife, MA



















M at



















B at Awana Wierd Hairdo Night

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

the boys cuddling up for a nap. I had never seen them curl up like this before!
my babies and me

Blanket I made for T for Christmas
Blanket I made for I for Christmas

Blanket I made for Miss A for Christmas


Blanket for L that I gave him for Christmas



Friday, January 05, 2007


Today has already been a better day by far than yesterday! One reason, it is Faith's birthday! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Faith! Happy birthday to you! Faith, over at Baby Faith is three! Hope you have a great day!
We went to the basketball game last night to watch J play. What a game! It was quite a physical game and it went back and forth for quite a while and we were down by three and one of the boys made a three point shot and the ball was in the air as the buzzer sounded. It was like slow motion, we watched the ball ever so slowly make its way through the air hit the rim, bounce a bit and ever so slowly tip back toward the net and SWISH! In it went! We were jumping out of our seats I tell ya! It was great! Unfortunately J had fouled out and could not play, and soon another one of our best players, and tallest guys had fouled out too. The boys played hard and at the end of the overtime we were tied again! We couldn't believe it! We battle back and forth again through the second overtime and it comes down to the last ten seconds with the other team taking a time out at 8 seconds and again at 3 seconds and finally we won by 2 points! What a game!
I may go with C to watch J play with the sophomores tonight (he is a freshman) if everyone leaves on time. It is about an hour drive to get there and so it just depends on what time everyone leaves. I told C we could take my car and I will see if she wants to do the driving since she knows where we are going.
Oh, just in case you are wondering....I did finish the 2 liter of Pepsi yesterday by about 4:30. Maybe that was part of my problem....lack of caffiene. Who knows.
Anyway, I'm off....Happy Birthday Faith!

Thursday, January 04, 2007

A little update....
God is good! I just got a call from PM who tells me what time J plays and where, and he told me that we don't have to feel like we have to go to M's ballgame as it will be an all day tournament and he will be playing more games and more at home. He said that we should go tubing if we want. Not like he's giving us permission or anything, but he's just a kind man who is very sensitive about things like that. Another reason that I am so thankful to call him and his wife my friends.
He told me that there would be no choruses this week, but he does have quite a bit possibly of powerpoint for me to do. I enjoy doing the powerpoint, I am starting to get the hang of the program more and it is easier to be a little more creative now and so it is more and more fun to do each week.
Still no L,T, and C, but the mail did come. No bills but one Christmas card and some junk mail. Not what I was hoping for, I was really hoping that my pictures from Snapfish would be in the mail today. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.
Still looking through my music and watching Gaither videos on YouTube.
The Pepsi two liter level is down at the bottom of the label. I think I will easily finish it by the time Monster leaves.
Which reminds me too, she fell asleep about the time I published my first entry this afternoon! Nice and quiet!
This is going to be a "fun" rambling post from me with thoughts that are running through my head, maybe it will help to get them all out and I can start all over huh?

I'm tired. I'm in a mood. I really just want to get out of the house for a while, but I have a full day with kids. Well, I think I do anyway. Right now I have Monster and she will be here until at least 4:30/4:45 if not 5. I thought I was supposed to have L,T, and C but so far they have not shown up. I never heard a time that they would be here for sure so they could still be coming, and since their Mom is really good at keeping in touch with me usually and letting me know what's going on I am assuming that they will be here at some point yet. It just doesn't help my mood right now.
The weather isn't helping either. We had a snowless Christmas for the first time that I can EVER remember, K even asked my Grandma and she said she couldn't remember another Christmas without snow. We got some New Year's Eve, but even that is almost all melted away now. They say we could get some Friday yet, but we'll see. Even that is getting conflicting reports on the weather. It has been in the 40's mostly. It has been raining alot actually, dark and grey looking outside. It's starting to get depressing.
I've been sitting here while Monster is laying down for her nap watching some Gaither video clips on YouTube. I really love their music, and Mark Lowry is one of my favorites.
I'm trying to find a song to sing for special music for my next turn. Yeah, so, it isn't until April, I'm picky! And if it's one I don't know very well I need plenty of time to practice. And I haven't completely ruled out going and buying a cd with the accompaniment for a song rather than the sheet music I have on hand. Not that K would love that so much, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. If I use sheet music I have to find somone who will play for me too.......
We have been invited to go snow tubing on Saturday (they are making their own snow) along with some friends for their daughter's birthday party. It will be them, us, and the girls coming along for the party. It would be fun, but in the same it kinda feels like crashing he poor kid's birthday party too. She doesn't mind, she was asking me last night at Awana if we were going, I told her I didn't know yet. It just feels kind of odd you know. We could also go to litte M's (PM and C's youngest's) basketball tournamet an hour and a half or so away. I believe he has one here in town next week too, but I know he is excited for us to go, he has been asking as well. Or we could just stay home and hide (really not my choice if you couldn't tell from previous paragraphs in this post!). It just sort of feels like no matter what I am going to dissapoint someone, or hurt their feelings. L (the mother of the girl with the birthday party) hurt my feelings a bit over the whole thing already and that doesn't help. She called and asked what we had going on Saturday and I told her possibly a ballgame. Oh, PM and C's have a game then she asked me with a tone, and from the sounds of it told her daughter that we probably wouldn't be coming. I just hate being pushed into things. I finally got out of a situation where I was pushed around all the time, finally starting to get things back in order and now she has to push buttons......GAH!
I'm well on the way to drinking an entire two liter of Pepsi by myself. I started it about 11:30, we'll see how long it takes me to finish.
The mail is late today.
I got up early and did my reading for this morning. Not as meaningful as yesterdays', but I did find something that hit me and meant something to me.
I really wish that Monster would go to sleep....the child layed down on the couch and tried to fall asleep at 8:30 this morning, I know she's tired.
You know, this is starting to work some....and the sun is peeking out a bit.......
Hmmm....Don't Look at Me by Stacie Orrico, it's a possibility......
I took some more pictures this morning. I'll try to download them and post them as soon as Monster goes to sleep.
I need to pull out the cd's I burned to go along with this book to hear some of these songs again.
Alot of activity over at the neighbor's house today. Looks like they may be getting new carpet.
J has a ballgame tonight, wonder if we are going to make it. It is here, but I don't know what time he plays, or which school it's at for sure.
Need more Pepsi, be right back.....
I'm back with a refill, much better.
My foot has started to bother me again. I'm back on the four ibuprofen three times a day again. I should go and get my prescription refilled so I only have to take one pill instead of four. I suppose that I will end up back at the doctor if it doesn't cool it and he will give me a referral to the podiatrist this time. The way it sounds that would be the next step for me. Joy, wonder how much that will cost me, and if K's insurance will cover it. Along those lines I wonder what kind of insurance we are going to have with the new company taking over and all now.
I'm chilly.
Ok I've tortured you all enough, and it has helped to clear my mind....I may be back, but that's it for now.

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

I have gotten some great surprises today! I only had one kiddo in the daycare today and when her Mom dropped her off she said that she may be getting off early and that she would call me so I knew whether or not to lay Monster down for her afternoon nap. Well, she called and said that she was working a full day after all and so I should lay her down. Kinda bummed, but at least I didn't have the crowd I had yesterday, so ok sure, I'll lay her down. Well about a half an hour later she calls again and asks if Monster is napping, I say no and she says, "Great, I'll be there in about ten minutes!" Coolness!
I also got an email from Snapfish saying that my 165 pictures or so that I am having printed from Christmas have been printed and shipped! Wonderful since I uploaded them New Year's Day and I figured the backlog with no mail yesterday and everything would put me way way back on the list, especially with that many pics!!!
And then to top it all off, I got my package from Christianbook.com that they had told me wouldn't arrive until next Monday! That means two new Veggie Tales movies for the kiddos to watch, and the newest Chris Tomlin cd for me to listen to!!! I luv luv luv his music! We have sung at least a couple of his songs, I believe, in Worship Team.
Thinking about Worship Team and church and all reminds me of my goal, I guess you could call it New Year's Resolution, my goal for this year is to keep reading my Bible. It is all too easy to get too busy with things going on through the day, or sabotage yourself like I have in years past by trying to read too much (the read the Bible in a year thing just doesn't work for me) and feel like a failure. Once again PM came to my rescue one Sunday during services, unknowingly, and said that it doesn't matter if you can read through the Bible in a year or not, the important thing is that you are reading something from it, and from that something you read that you are retaining it. That something you read hits home and you remember it, you meditate on it. Now that I can handle! I know, I know a whole three days in to the year, easy to say now. I always felt like I was failing and that there was something wrong that I couldn't sit down and read through the plan that they have set up to get through the Bible in a year and I would get behind and then just throw in the towel and not read anything for the longest time because I would think, Why bother, I can't do it anyway! Any of you reading feel free to ask me from time to time how it is going to hold me accountable!
Which through another rabbit trail brings me to another thought I had today....I absolutely loved Holli's post over at Baby Faith Monday, on the subject of New Year's Resolutions and agree with her 100% and in doing my reading from the little devotional book I have, Our Daily Bread, I found something that runs right along with her feelings....they start with a quote from the movie Gladiator from Maximus Decimus Meridius which says...."What we do in life echoes in eternity." They go on to say that....We are not just taking up time and space on a rock that's floating in the univers. We are here with the opportunity to make an eternal difference with or lives.
Jesus Himself said, "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal."(Matthew 6:20) Having the perspective of living for eternity can make all the difference in this world.
How can we learn to set our minds "on things above"? (Colossians 3:2) A good way o begin is to discover what our eternal God values. Throughout the pages of the Bible, He reminds us that He values people over posessions and our character above our performance. These are truths that last forever. Embracing them can bring an eternal perspective to our daily living. -Bill Crowder
What we do in this life echoes in eternity.

Monday, January 01, 2007

Wow things got crazy with Christmas! To start things out for the Christmas holiday season this year our church had our annual Christmas program on December 17. In this program all families are able to read a poem or story, sing a song, do a skit, play an instrument, etc. This year we had about 25 things going on for the night and it took about an hour and a half to get through. I sang a song that night, "A Christmas Lullaby" originally sung by Amy Grant. I was the last of the family acts I guess you would call them, after me was a choir song and then the closing prayer. PM gave me a little something to read during the interlude of my song that morning, and although it was read somewhat quickly I read it and the timing went well. I was thankful as I only ran through it about four times doing the reading so I wasn't all that comfortable with it, but everyone said it went well.
That Tuesday, the 19th, was the big Christmas piano recital. Again, I was last on the program and that made me pretty nervous, but I got through it with only a couple mistakes, and they were minor mistakes and I was able to keep playing and not lose my place, so I was pretty happy with that. I was quite shocked and happy and excited that PM came to the recital! His son had a basketball game that night and C and their oldest son, A, went, but PM came to the recital! Once I heard that J had the ballgame I figured that there was no way that he would come and I wanted to run and give him a great big hug when I saw him walk through the doors! I know that I have written about how he is my best friend, he is like a big brother to me, and C a sister. I am the oldest, and none of my family is really close even though I live in the same town as my parents we see each other maybe once a week, if that. PM and C have adopted us into their family and it is rare that we go 24 hours without at least talking to each other, if not seeing each other for some reason or another. PM and C have been there for me in the toughest of times, they helped me through a time when I was ready to give up on church, and possibly on God altogether because the pastor of the church that we had been attending caused some major problems in the church, along with some terribly hurt feelings, and we left the church not knowing where we were going to turn next. K's parents told us to visit our "new" church because they knew that Pastor and his family pretty well, they had come to town about the same time as K's family and some of the younger boys from each family used to hang around together when they were kids. PM and C both came over and talked to us for a good long time and really took an interest in us and wanted to see us get over these hurt feelings and grow in the Lord again. They both listened to me talk an awful lot at different times, not complaining, and giving me advice. Right about the same time a person that I thought was my best friend told me pretty much that she didn't think that I was being a very good friend and really just knocked me down flat. Not literally, but you know what I mean. PM and C both told me that I don't have to be a doormat to be a good Christian. That I don't have to deal with other people's games and emotional abuse and make myself the whipping post that they take their issues out on. They told me that if I stand up for myself and not take that abuse from other people running my self esteem right down into the ground that does not make me a bad person or a bad Christian. Many times even today I hear their voices in my mind in different situations saying "You don't have to be a doormat!" They have helped to build my self esteem back up again, and even to a higher place than it was before. PM has let me sing with the Worship Team and solos for special music, helping with powerpoint for his messages, I have helped with the email prayer chain, I have been sending out cards to people in the church for different occasions, teaching Sunday School, being an Awana leader, just feeling like I really do have some worth, like I really do have a special place, I am not all alone. Both PM and C remind me of this often, even yesterday in his message one statement really hit me, he said....."if Jesus thought we were worth enough to die on the cross, why are we arguing with Him?".....I almost started to cry right there. They took K and I to a Minnesota Twins baseball game and to a Mark Lowry concert this summer, took us out to the driving range at our local golf course and was teaching me to swing and was encouraging when I would do well, giving me a high five and saying way to go! My parents had too much going on themselves to do things like this with/for us growing up, and even now. My Mom had a rare type of polio when I was young and she has had alot of health problems and difficulties due to this, and my Dad was trying to do his best for ourfamily and was a workaholic and there would be weeks at a time where I would not see him due to his job. He would get up before I got up each morning and would come home well after I went to bed. We get along now, but we are not close. They included us on C's birthday and many times we have had one of their boys overnight for different reasons, or for an evening or something. We go to the boys ballgames and concerts and things and we just hang out together alot. When K's Grandfather died and he went to Ohio and I stayed home for the four days that he was gone they took care of me, they had me over or supper and to stick around and visit two of the nights, one was PM's birthday and they included me in on his family birthday celebration. I have never been on my own, I went from living with my parents to getting married at 19, and this time he was gone doubled the time that we have spent apart in our nine years of marriage so I was quite hesitant about the whole thing, but they helped me out alot and made it alot easier. When K's uncle died in December and he was gone for most of the day after church that evening they took me out to the movie (they were planning to go with one of their sons and then asked me to go along) to help the time pass while he was gone. They have told us at different times that we are family now, and that they love us, and we have tolld them the same thing at different times as well. We don't even say that in my family really. And K's family is 9 hours away, and there have been little rifts there as well, although they do seem to be getting better. I can not even find the appropriate words to express how thankful I am for PM, C, and their family. I just hope that I can show them how much I truly do appreciate them, the older sibilings that I never had, and that they do know how thankful I am for them and how much I do love them.
We took the glasses off of one of my teddy bears and K put them on Teddy. Amazingly he sat still and let us take a bunch of pics!
One of my favorite gifts from K, the mat says I heart my Dogs and K took a bunch of pics of me and Teddy and Casey and put them in the frame for me

The Precious Moments figurine I got from M and C