House Hunting

Well it has been a long 3 years here in "smallville". And sometimes just as freaky as that show, at least to a city girl like myself. One of the ways we think might help is for us to own our own home again. With prices so low and Obama's tax credit for purchasing a home, it seems like a good year to try that. We spoke to the church elders and to my surprise they did not object. I think down the road we will have some objection by some. We plan to have David commute to the church so that we can get into a larger community. We don't qualify for a very high morgage but we did qualify. So we are primarly looking for a "fixer-upper". We've seen one house already and are going back tomorrow for a 2nd look. An offer has been made on that place but we plan to make a counter offer. It is a large, brick two story home with about 3200 square feet which is what this large family needs. Not just because we have so many kids but we homeschool, I have avid readers so we will have a library room, plus we have some craft hobbies. And everyone who is crafty knows how much space your supplies take up. We don't know if our offer will be higher or lower than the previous offer so we don't know if will be accepted or not. If not we will keep looking for a large home which would have to be another fixer. We are still waiting to hear about a new call in the area which is actually within commuting of distance of where we are house hunting. But if that doesn't come through at least things for me and the kids will improve just by getting to a larger community. Wish us luck on our endeavor.

365 day Project - 31

Whooo, whooo Gabrielle got her braces off today. The two years went by fast. She now needs a retainer on top and bottom. Then she will be slowly weened off the retainers but the process takes about two years.



Don't her teeth look great! All to the tune of roughly $5,000 dollars - it might as well be the million dollar smile slogan since that amount is just as hard to come by. Thankfully we had the insurance and the budget to get it started. Now to move on to the other kids. Arianna is scheduled for sometime in March to get them started anyway. And we might have to bump Annaliese up because she could need her top jaw stretched. Sounds painful, doesn't it. But apparently it is better to do it before the end of puberty because the bones in your skull start to fuse then.

365 Day Project -22-30

I came home from grocery shopping today and was able to grab a few photos of my son before the sun went down. His sisters were already heading inside but Micah wanted to stay out longer. So I took advantage of the few moments, grabbed the camera, and click. Here are the results:

















For those of you who don't know, you can click on an image to enlarge the photo.

Isn't he a cutie!!

365 Day Project-day 17-22

These pics our from our Christmas tree hunting day in 2007. It was really cold that and most of us did not dress warm enough. Since then, DH has developed allergies to trees so now we have 2 artificial trees each year. But these photos hold fond memories.













I'm hoping it warms up around here so I can get outside and get some up to date photos for this project. If not, I think we should start thinking about going south. LOL

365-day 16

365 Day Project - day 15

I couldn't resist posting this photo. My youngest Micah and my 2nd oldest Arianna have birthdays back to back so sometimes we celebrated together. This was from Nov. 2007. Although, now my son has said they can no longer celebrate together. I think he has caught on and wants all the glory for himself. I don't blame him one bit for that though. One day a year should be special for each of them. We live pretty far away from the rest of our family now so the kids miss celebrating with cousins and grandparents.

365 Day Project- day 4 through day 14

Well this project may take me longer than 365 days. But here are some photos from about a year ago. This particular day my camera was cooperating really well for me.


















These are what I call our "frosty" pictures. They remind me so much of the Christmas cartoon. I can't build I actually got some good shots.















It was a fun day. Just the right temperature for sledding. I'm having to use pics from a year ago because this season has been awfully cold here. Then on days when it isn't as cold we don't have the time or like now I have kids coming down with colds.

365 Day Project - Day 3

Day 3

This was taken at one of our homeschool group field trips to a local apple orchard. I love her smile. Right now though, she seems very reluctant to share that big smile. I get only smirks or grins unless I can take the photo when she isn't looking. She just celebrated her 11th birthday. Time sure does fly.

365 Day Project

Day 1

Okay, I'm behind but that seems typical for me in most things. I will try to catch up my posts but it may take a few days. Here is my first photo taken in our church sanctuary near Thanksgiving. We have a very talented man in the congregation who handles the flowers/altar decorations. I thought this was such a nice display of God's Bounty that I had to take a photo.



If you'd like to join the group just click on the link in my side bar. It will take you to Tracy's blog with all the information to get started. Then I won't be the only one behind. (LOL)


Day 2



This was from my garden last year. Can you tell I can't wait for spring to arrive.

Back Home Again

We had a wonderful time in Fort Wayne visiting friends while DH attended the conference at the seminary. The kids and I hung out at the pool with our friends and the adults enjoyed the hot tub. I'm missing the hot tub already. We came back to Wisconsin which had below zero temps. I've gone back to hibernation mode. I honestly can't wait for the spring to get here.



While in Fort Wayne my daughter, Natania, turned 11 so we celebrated by going to build-a-bear and to Applebees for lunch plus dessert to be our "cake and ice cream".



It's hard coming back here to the middle of no where. Our kids miss their friends. We are hoping for a call to Eau Claire area. We should know something soon. Keep us in your prayers for that.

Shabby Chic Cabinet

We found this great, old kitchen cupboard in Eau Claire, WI about a month ago or so. At the store it was filled with all kinds of things about roosters. I'm still not quite sure what I am going to put in it just yet. My husband says he is pretty confident that I will find things and put it to good use. He knows the collector side of me pretty well, somedays anyway.

I'm looking forward to filling it with Christmasy things when that time of year rolls around again. The decorating is always so much fun for me.




This is a pic of the inside. As you can see it is pretty old with the crackling paint but also the way the shelving it put together.



If you like to participate in Show and Tell Fridays go to Kelli's

ABC the letter B

This is a post of my little "B"oy, Micah. DH took this candid photo of him the other day. And since I feel I little behind in the blogging world I'm going to use it for this meme.



Hop on over to HSBA if you want to join in.

Crazy Days

It's been crazy around here lately. We've been trying to get back in the routine of school after the holidays. A lot of my time in the evenings now goes to working through Algebra 1 to help my oldest daughter who is struggling with that subject right now. She is improving which is great though.

Dh also has a last minute funeral to do tomorrow. At least they won't be standing in the frigid cold by the grave side. The internment will be in the spring. But it makes it a little more hectic around here.

We are busy packing for a week trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana. DH is going to a symposia at the seminary there while the rest of us with enjoy the pool and visit friends. It will be a nice break from small town life. The only wrench in it now is my son Micah complaining of a stomach ache. It's hard to tell which kind with him. A few months ago, we had an appendicitis scare with him. We were told that you can have chronic appendicitis for several months before something really needs to be done about it. Let's hope it's not that. I'm wondering if he was just hungry.

Keeping the Right Focus on Homeschooling

This was sent to me from a fellow homeschool mom. I find it very appropriate for these days. I'd like to share it with all of you who home school and kindly follow my blog. I know this is often a hard road to follow with all the demands of home and trying to provide a good education. I know all too well of my short comings in this area. But with support from others we can all manage to home educate our children and send them off to college confident in what they learned.


The Love Passage for Home school Moms

Though I teach my children how to multiply, divide and diagram a sentence,

But fail to show them love, I have taught them nothing.

And though I take them on numerous field trips, to swim practice and flute lessons;

And though I involve them in every church activity, but fail to give them love, I profit nothing.

And though I scrub my house relentlessly, run countless errands, and serve three nutritious meals every day but fail to be an example of love, I have done nothing.



Love is patient with misspelled words and is kind to young interrupters.

Love does not envy high SAT scores of other homeschool families.

Love does not claim to have better teaching methods than anyone else,

It is not rude to the fourth telephone caller during a science lesson,

Does not seek perfectly behaved geniuses,

Does not turn into a drill sergeant,

Thinks no evil about friends' educational choices.



Love bears all my children's challenges,

Believes all my children are God's precious gifts,

Hopes all my children establish permanent relationships with Christ,

And endures all things to demonstrate God's love.

Love never fails.



Where there are college degrees, they will fail;

Where there is knowledge, it will vanish away..

For we know in part and we teach in part.

But when the trials of life come to our children,

The history, math and science will be done away

And faith, hope and love will remain;

But the greatest of these is love.



We need to keep it all in perspective of what is ultimately most important.