Home of the Happy Little Momma

Come See Me.....

2008-09-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Over at my new blog! This one will become for friends/family here in a few weeks....

Hung fu Chicken.....Recipe Swap

2008-07-25T06:39:00.000-07:00

Gayle is hosting a frugal recipe swap here on her blog each Friday and I thought it would be fun, and also great to hopefully breathe some new life into our family cuisine. I have been running a little too close to empty on ideas lately. Now the ingredients for this recipe are very simple, and for this post I am calling it Hung Fu Chicken! (and hoping I haven't said something bad in another language! LOL) Our usual name is er...."Honey/Soy Chicken".....but Hung Fu just sounds so much more authentic!

Hung Fu Chicken

3-4 lb of chicken thighs/drumsticks
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp ginger (optional)
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
----------------------------------------
Throw chicken in a large casserole dish, mix together rest of ingredients (slightly warm honey if needed), and pour over the chicken. Bake for about 45 - 60 mins at 375*F turning once (this is just for an even colour). Add a little cornstarch/water to the sauce to thicken, and serve over brown rice with a side of vegetables. (usually broccoli for us!)

And there you have it! Now head over to Gayle's and leave your frugal recipe so that I can steal it too! Help me! I need new recipes!

Homemade Bread!

2008-07-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

I love homemade bread baking in my oven! That's what I did yesterday afternoon. Now that I have my Bosch I can make about 5 loaves in just a short while. I only knead it once in the Bosch so it saves a lot of time. It is so soft, and melts in your mouth! I have never cared for the tough and chewy wheat bread myself. Yesterday I made 4 loaves of wheat and then instead of making a 5th loaf, I rolled it out real thin (1/4"?), spread homemade apple pie filling on it and then braided it over the top, sprinkled raw sugar on top....and it was absolutely wonderful. The kids love "apple bread".......OK, OK, so do I. ;)

Wednesday

2008-07-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

Today I thought that I would just get on here and say hi! I know it has been forever since I have been on here! We have been staying busy all summer, although doing what, I am not sure. We have been swimming, canning (just a little), baking, and just general stuff. You know how it goes. I thought I would tack on a few pictures while I was here as well. There is a story behind the first one! I told the kids that it was time to go inside....seeing as they had been riding bikes, they jumped off, and left their bikes lying on their sides. I turned around to see Jazz in deep thought....and as I watched this is what he did.....(talk about an example about being a good example!) Yep, he made sure that each trike/bike was lying just the way his big siblings had done it. LOLHere's Iddy Biddy getting baptised!Here's Jorge at the Lake
Here's Jekkie.....Here's Jazz early in the morning...And here they are with friends at the zoo...

Our Life in Pictures....

2008-06-17T19:33:00.001-07:00

We have made lots and lots of jam......(blackberry, peach n' pecan, and peach)

We have picked fruit and veggies out of our garden....(those peaches are amazing!)

We have been to visit Mema....We have gone kayaking....

We've gone to Dallas...

We have growing children....

We have also made gingerbread people, but I didn't get pictures of those.
More coming......

Countdown to Summer....

2008-05-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

We are hoping to finish the school year by this weekend!!! Hooray! I am soooo ready for a break from school....and I can only imagine that the kids are too. Okay, I do plan on doing some with Jekkie throughout the summer....but just the same... I used to think that the USA was pretty dumb in the way that their school year worked....starting in SEPTEMBER??? (Australia starts in Feb.) tiny little 'breaks' every so often (Australia - work for 10 weeks then 2 weeks off), US, taking off 3months for the summer? Too long... (Australia - approx 8 weeks over Christmas time).......Now, I am quite happy with the way it is here....We do most of our book/school work through the months that are cooler, and can have a blast while the weather is nice... (OK, stinkin' hot) I have also found that it is a big plus with having a big garden! During the summer is when we start drowning in veggies, and so I need to learn how to can it all..... If we were having to mess with school as well? So, in a way I feel like the "real-life" schooling starts now....all the book-work, you have to have legally, but I look forward to relaxing and getting to teach cooking, and preserving, and growing, and harvesting, and weeding, and doing craft stuff, and just having fun.....and I get to learn too!

So the kids are working like crazy to get their stuff done so that they can quit.

Belated HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!

2008-05-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's day Mum! (Ours was very eventful, which I won't go into, but hence it wasn't foremost on our mind.) But I love and am very thankful for my Mum and I just wanted her to know that!

It's Been a While....

2008-05-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

....since I have been on here to post. Thanks to everyone who has left me comments, and sent email! Sorry for not answering! I just found a bunch that had been sent to my spam folder that I hadn't got. And others, I have just been really slack. But seeing as a few have missed my random rambling I thought I would jump on here and try to say G'day for a few minutes!

I was going to post last Monday, as we had taken Jordan to the Dentist to face his fears yet again. Now, we had already been 2 times....an evaluation, and 2 fillings, and were headed back for 2 more fillings! The first two had been full of fear and terror, psycho-mania, and lack of obedience due to the aforementioned. However, due to having both Dad and Mom there to help with some strong persuasion, we got through it. The first time, he did OK till he got on the chair and the dentist laid it back without any warning. (1st negative step) Then the dentist didn't take time to explain anything. He also didn't smile, make small talk, or anything, unless we first initiated it. The 2nd time, the assistant opened the door to the waiting room and barked "Jordan!!" (note...we were the only patient waiting) no smile, no "hi".....and he cracked...(you could tell they had labeled him as a "brat" from last time).

Now, I totally believe that I child should obey even when scared, and in both instances, after a talk with Daddy, we were able to get through it with a few tears.....but, there were a few times that I was not impressed with the lack of cooperation from my son! And yet, I could see just how terrified he was, and he finally pressed on and made it through, in spite of his fear. Oh, and you can just imagine him hitting the ceiling, when at the 2nd visit the Dentist says "you'll just have to take him somewhere else, and have them knock him out!" (we had already explained this to Jordan, but coming from the dentist...)

So, on our 3rd visit on Monday I could see Jordan attempting to be strong, but squirming in his seat on the way down....he was so scared. Then he started crying in the waiting room....but we encouraged him, and went on back....a bare hint of civilness was there at least this time. He climbed up again, and I started talking away about the birds in Australia (they had put up a picture with a Rosella, hence the topic), the ones that hit Aunt Kristy's window, going to visit Aunt Kristy, yada yada yada. Small talk definitely helps....and no, I did my best not to yak so much that I drove everyone batty!

And do you know what? He didn't cry once while he was back there! You could see by the way he holds daddy's hand how scared he was....but he was a little man! We were so proud of him. To see the way that he conquered his fears....they were still there, but he had the power over them.....so cool to watch in action.

And do you know what else???? He changed the policy of the dentist's office! Yep, they "politely" informed us...."Jordan did very well today, and there is no reason why he shouldn't in the future, but we have changed our policy about allowing parents to come back with the children, and from now on only children that can handle it without Mom and Dad etc....so if that's not possible, you may want to find another dentist" (to the which we both thought "Gladly!" *grin*) Now, the reason that they did this is because each time that they were going to 'wash their hands of this affair' (without much effort), Heath told them to wait while he talked to Jordan, and managed to help him get through it....so if Dad and Mom aren't there they can just say it's impossible, and get on with the next patient! At least that's my interpretation!

But Jordan was a champ the 3rd time round....And we were so proud.

It's A Boy!

2008-04-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

My Brother and Sister-in-law have welcomed their new baby boy into the world! I am so excited, wish I was close enough to hold him, and help out Mel as she recovers! Congrats guys!!! (I did send you an email, let me know if you didn't get it)

Home again....

2008-04-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

Although I ran out of time to post before I left, the Lord did allow me to go and be with my sister. I was there for a little over 2 weeks and just got back in yesterday evening....hence the lack of updates. For those of you who may stop by, I ask that you do not forget about her! Please continue to stop by her blog and leave her comments/prayers as they have been a major source of encouragement for her...

It was so nice to be able to go, although I really don't feel like I did much of anything! :) Mum has been a real rock for her though, and I especially ask for prayers as Mum heads home for a time and others step in. Although there are many others who will be staying with her so she's not alone....I know it's going to be really hard seeing Mum head out, as she has been there ever since the accident. Pray that she doesn't have panic attacks alone, and that she will get stronger each and every day.

Kristy has an amazing group of people that surround her. In that she is truly blessed...and I know that they will continue to care for her, and love her. Thanks to all of you by the way, if you ever stop by here.....the way you have stepped in for Steve has been so great....I am so thankful to know that Kristy has you guys taking care of her, and loving her.

I had a safe trip home....didn't sleep at all though, so that's on the agenda for today! So keep holding Kristy up in prayer....she's a special gal.

My Sister Needs Prayer.....

2008-03-25T06:33:00.000-07:00

My dear sister has just lost her new husband of 10 weeks in a tragic boating accident....please pray for her. She has already traveled a hard road of heartaches and much waiting to become his wife....I wish I could be there for her, and hold her, and let her cry on my shoulder as we used to. I never got to meet Steve in person...only over the phone....but I already loved him as my brother. So please lift Kristy up in prayer...that the Lord will comfort her, and draw her closer to Him, and that she will keep trusting in Him, that although we don't understand all of this, He does. I can't begin to imagine the pain....Sister, I LOVE YOU, and I'm praying for you, and I'm aching to be able to help you....

Please also pray for his family, my family, his mates, and also my Mum who is with Kristy right now.

Please stop by here and let her know you are praying....there are also posts here and here by friends....

Steve

October 15, 1976 - March 23, 2008

And some pics of my boys....

2008-03-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

My Biggest, and Littlest....

Little Jazz...bubba's...squirt...
And my tomahawk n' knife throwing BOY, Jordan

And here's one of lil' Squirt with one of his favourite people....Mikaela

Just a few pictures for y'all!

2008-03-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

Here's Jekkie....my wild-haired woman of the West #2

Here's Lydia, my extra wild-haired woman of the West #1
Here she is again, a little more tame here....
Here's me and Mine....(Ok, so my hair is a little wild too...)

Work, work, work!

2008-03-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

I really haven't fallen off the face of the planet....we've just had a busy time, that's all! We had a little stomach "bleck" hit Heath, myself, and Jordan last week, then Jordan came down with conjunctivitis/pink eye on Saturday....then Monday through Wednesday, Heath and I spent at the church building working on trying to get that project finished enough so that it can be completed on Saturday! Yahoo! We grouted, and caulked, repaired a hole in the wall (left by a neat young man who was trying to help, didn't 'get the message' about making sure that the scraper machine didn't run over the cord....which it did, and instead of the bottom spinning, it locked up and the top started spinning instead....sent him flying one way, and the machine the other way into the wall.... Wasn't a huge hole, and fortunately sheetrock work is right up Heath's alley....it just took us a while to get around to repairing it!). Hopefully on Saturday, we just have to seal the grout, and clean, and clean, and clean, and clean. Then we can set it back up for our fellowship meals and start eating back over there each Sunday! Oh, we do still have some electrical work to do, just waiting on the electrician for that...it has taken so much longer than we expected....but it's almost done now.....and I have totally enjoyed the chance to work side by side with Heath! He is the best husband ever... :)

Yesterday I had Alec and Hayden, and washed load after load, after load after load of clothes! Today I still have 4-6 loads to go....but we are getting there! Didn't touch housework while we were at the church, and so I am playing catch-up, but it was so worth it!

So, I really haven't been ignoring y'all....I love you all!

Spring clean?

2008-03-05T15:13:00.003-08:00

OK, so my spring cleaning deal didn't quite go as planned....I've still got a looooonnnnnggg way to go. But, I do have a big trash bag, and a couple of boxes of stuff headed to Goodwill....so it's a start...and we did throw out a couple of extra bags of trash! But it's going to take a bit of a gradual approach now....my kids can't take off school forever! :) In fact speaking of school....I have so much of that junk to throw away too....I need like 2 weeks of concentrated cleaning to make a genuine dent....Hey! I forgot...Kristy is coming! She always was good at that! The one fact is that I don't have huge piles under my bed any more, at least not ones that I put under there....she ought to be proud of me.... But really my house is worse than before I started! Sigh! Oh, well, after I throw everything away, it should be easier to keep clean right?

By the Way....

2008-03-05T15:07:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd mention, although you may well already know....my sister and her new husband are coming over in May to see us! We are so excited! It will be so much fun! It'll be good to have some Aussie influence in our lives again....y'all know how much we've slipped with all these Texas accents...

Busy Week Notice!

2008-02-25T18:53:00.000-08:00

Hey, Y'all....I am giving the kids the rest of this week off school for a Spring-cleaning Fest! My house is rapidly swallowing me alive.....help! I need to do a serious purging out of tonnes of 'stuff'. We just have too much junk laying around....soooooo, I want you to know that I haven't forgot you all, or that I am supposed to email everyone, still. Maybe I should post before and after pics for you all....and maybe not! LOL Oh, and I did get my camera, and my mixer, it has been so much fun!!! I'll blog about them both soon! And yes, I'll upload some pics too. Can't wait.

So if I'm a little scarce...you'll know why, but I want to get it out of the way so we can maybe take a family vacation, and really enjoy our summer vacation when it gets here....

Mistake....

2008-02-21T06:59:00.000-08:00

I regret to report that I apparently made a mistake in my column regarding my sister and her fruit...apparently she would LOVE to have all the fruit if she hadn't....

1. just got married
2. just moved house
3. just moved town
4. just moved to a new church
5. a friend-circle to develop
6. changed 'cultures'
7. unpacking still needing to be done...all at EXACTLY THE SAME TIME!!!!!

Or at least that's the excuse she gave me...so in hindsight....

I regret the error.

I think.

When I checked the Mail...

2008-02-20T07:34:00.000-08:00

...there was a big brown package, it was full of blackberry and raspberry plants that I had ordered last fall, only to find that they wouldn't ship till Spring! So they are finally here. Unlike my sister, I relish the though of having fruit coming out of my ears.... In fact I want my gardens to be at least 80% productive plants eventually. I guess one day I can learn how to get the rosehips from my roses and put rose petals in my fruit salads and on my cakes....but not quite there yet...so I don't consider them part of my edibles yet. I did replace a sage bush that had died though with a blueberry plant! Yes! I want produce! OK, back to my berries! So amongst my laundry, giving Jorge a much needed haircut, and general housework, I need to go out to the garden and turn over some dirt, mix in the manure that I picked up at Walmart yesterday (thankfully they sent me a shipping notice, and so I had a 'heads-up' that they were on their way) and plant them thangs!

Care to join me?

P.S. does anyone know anything about the health of fruit trees??? My peach tree's tips are messed up, either by bugs (grasshoppers?), or some fungus/disease... I have chopped some off and plan to go over the rest in hopes of protecting it...we had a wet summer last year...my apricot tree didn't make it...but the peaches were great...hoping for a good crop this year.

The weekend...

2008-02-20T07:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of you who prayed for Heath and his back! It held up through it all, and is gradually improving...Praise the Lord. Usually, if he didn't have a bad back, he would've after all the extra work....but not only was it already bad, all the extra work "should've" landed him in bed....but he's doing better! I like to threaten him each time I help him stretch it out (picture him flat on his back, me pushing on his feet to bend his knees to his chest....see why I have leverage with him??? How else would I have talked him into a new camera, mixer, and...???? LOL), for one little 'slip' could inflict great pain...."So Honey, how about a dehydrator as well??"

The guys were able to lay the 'body' of the tile, and then on Monday night they started on the cutting/laying of all the edge tile, and got 90% of that done. Now we need to finish that, grout them, and then tile the outside of the baptistery....the we have to finish sealing the kitchen cabinets....then we have to CLEAN... I think I'll be on vacation that week? Just kidding.

Other than that, I have been spending hours trying to sort through digital cameras, and I can't wait to buy one soon! Then there will be pictures folks! Yay!

Since then....

2008-02-13T11:54:00.001-08:00

We have been working on the church building trying to get that done.... We are hoping to lay tile this weekend....Any volunteers??? Pray that Heath's back is strong by then! He hurt it last weekend....and has been limping to work all week...makes you really admire a man when you know he's in pain, but works on anyway...I love him. We are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel....it's been a long haul, and I can't wait till it's finished, and Heath can rest again....it has been a lot of work, and it'll be so good to be able to set up over there again, as we've been all eating here after church and it's a little crammed....which is great, as the Lord has been bringing along extras and we are running out of room at our place.

A thing or two...

2008-02-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've just been so slack! I just really haven't been in the 'mood' I guess!

Friday before the retreat I went to wash a bunch of dirty laundry....only to find that my washer had decided to die....lovely! Fortunately I did have clothes to wear....and left that evening for the retreat, happy to forget about the dozen or so loads of laundry that would still be waiting when I got back.

The retreat was a lot of fun! Much different to what we expected though, as the speaker went into major doctrine stuff....although it was the "Heart of Motherhood" retreat. I didn't agree with a lot of what she said, but it was a very enjoyable time just the same! Saturday evening she did talk more about the 'theme', and then a lot more on Sunday (the one day that I didn't go...bummer!) :) The food was great and super healthy....my sister would have felt at home...LOL. They also gave out the recipes for everything that they cooked...that was cool! I'll try to post some on here soon! They pulled out their weapons (Vita-mix's) and we drank green stuff....OK, so it was good, and yes, I, the junk food addict, have slowly turned around and am getting closer to wanting to be a health nut too.... Actually, so far, I make our own bread, granola, cookies, and am hoping to do more as time goes on. (like quit using veg. oil, and switch to coconut/palm oil, cut sugar, etc....but I don't know that I could switch to fresh milk....ick!

But all in all it was fun, and probably just as much for the fact that I didn't have to prepare or clean up after the meals, change diapers, train children etc.....I just got to eat....hot food, mind you....and sit and do nothing....it was refreshing! But I am so glad to be home too....I love doing my calling of 'mother', but after everyone being sick the last few months....I was ready for a little break/rest!

Then, back to reality....12 loads of laundry.....AAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Ok, not really. 12 loads, maybe, but I didn't scream. :) The Lord provided a replacement through a friend who specialises in fixing such things, and he was kind enough to drop it off by Monday evening....and order, or at least, clean clothes, were restored. The Lord is a great provider.

Trying out a new look....

2008-01-30T13:53:00.000-08:00

Like it? I am hoping to do more with it...(once I wrangle my sister's help...*grin*) I wanted a change from the old as I was finding that there were many others out there exactly the same LOL! (funnily enough, their titles included happy mommy/momma too...) I wanted something fresh, and with the feeling of Spring! I'd like to learn how to customize with pictures etc too....or just win some help through the Bloggy Giveaways at Rocks in My Dryer....yes I have entered for some...smile. (BTW Kristy...you can turn the above into links if you want! I still haven't figured it out....I'm a little slow!)

Chillin'....

2008-01-30T13:26:00.000-08:00

This weekend a dear friend has paid for me to attend a retreat with her in Buffalo Gap....I am looking forward to it! I won't be doing the sleep-over thing, as I am only a short drive from the location...but will go Friday evening, and all day Saturday to spend time with other moms! Should be fun! We should be an interesting bunch...along with a few others we will be an Aussie, a Jew, a Mormon, and I have yet to find out interesting facts about the others...LOL

My midwife should be there too! It will be so good to see her again...she attended both Jekkie and Jared's home-births, and is such a sweet person. We'll have to have a show-off-baby fest! Funny thing is she has probably caught a huge number of these women's babies...so it'll be a blast. I look forward to meeting new people, making new friends, and learning a lot!

I sure hope that Heath can survive without me....or should I say the kids? :) Nah, he's a great dad, and my neice says that she'll help keep an eye on them.... I'll probably take Jazz on Saturday though, 'coz Daddy is still doing renovations on the church building.

What are y'all doing this weekend?

And Last but not Least....

2008-01-26T13:39:00.000-08:00

We have a new favourite muffin recipe...Orange Cranberry Muffins....you need to head over to Tammy's recipes , and check them out! Be warned....fresh cranberries are TART, but once you get used to it, you're hooked! BTW, I make these without eggs....sure, I was supposed to make them with eggs, but when you go to bake, and find that you don't have any....well, you get creative! Or, at least you get on the web and do a frantic search for "egg substitutes", and then you find out that you can mix 3 tsp of milled flax seed with boiling water....which I just happen to keep on hand....phew! And we loved them so much (OK, so the kids insist on me leaving cranberries out of some), this way, that I have never put the eggs in! Oh, and I sprinkle the tops with raw sugar too! Soooo good, and Heath has declared them the best muffins he's ever eaten....so, they are worth their weight in gold!

*edited to contain the links!*

Belated pictures!

2008-01-26T13:29:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures from the concert....sorry they are lousy, but they were all taken with my phone! Here's Lydia's hair-do....
Here's Momma and Lydia - see why I hadn't posted yet? LOL
And here's a random shot of Jekkie and me - we were bored waiting in the car for Dad and Co.
And till my new camera is bought....(hopefully as soon as Tax refund comes in...)this may be all you'll see....sorry!

Hey and G'day!

2008-01-26T13:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been so terribly absent! (It has been terrible for you, right?) I am so glad to be back, and yet I soooo enjoyed the break too! With the kids havning the stomach bug, then Jekkie and Jazz got a cold....It has been one busy month! Not as much sleep as is neccessary for me!....but they are all doing great...Jazz is still trying to get over his cold/bronchial whatever, and we still have to use the nebuliser a couple of times a day...but he's fine.

I have really enjoy, no LOVE, being a Mom....even this last month, with everyone sick....I just enjoy my kids so much. I am far from being the best of Mom's, but I know that I have grown since I got married! For the first 4-5 years, anytime one of the kids got the 'bug' or Heath, Heath had to clean it up...I had the weakest stomach. (It's also one of my phobias - puking) So he would lovingly and patiently help out...LOL....till one day it happened while he was at work, and I was faced with the decision...."either I can save this for Heath to come home to after he has slaved all day providing for our family....or I can buckle down and just do it" And so that was a big turning point for me...now it's just a part of being a mom, although one I gladly hope to miss as often as possible! LOL

But it really is a blast! Yeah, you have some hard times, and times where you could really give the flesh a chance to display itself...but my kids are so much fun, and I LOVE THEM! They have the best Daddy in the world, and I reckon it shows! So now that my sister is married, I need her to have some of her own soon....she's got a lot of catching up to do... Right now we do have some attitudes to work on....and I know that mine is one of them...funny how knowing that your kids copy you, just makes your own faults that much more obvious....groan...

But, anyway, just wanted you to know we are all still alive and kicking! I'll try to do a couple more posts too!

Soon....

2008-01-04T19:58:00.000-08:00

I'll try to post the pictures of the concert soon....I tried to take some of the old theatre, but my phone just wasn't up to it. But I do have a couple of me and Lydia. Sorry for the lack of pics, but as soon as I get a new camera, I'll try to catch up!

Guns...

2008-01-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to visit Heath's grandparents. We went out to his grandfather's ranch while we could (he is selling it....), and I finally shot a real gun. Not only did I shoot a shotgun (OK, so it was a small one), I also shot a pistol! Yes! I preferred the pistol. I would have to get a LOT of practice, before I could be 'comfortable' handling them. Just knowing that what you hold in your hand could kill somebody is kind of freaky.

My dear, sweet, darling husband told me with a grin that he wasn't worried in the slightest about me damaging the target....only stuff within a 3o' radius!!!! Wasn't that so encouraging....but, may I say, that I blew that baby out on my first shot! It was such a sweet, satisfying feeling to see his amazement plastered all over his face.....LOL OK, I just had to post that for his sake....now to confess that it was the only time I managed to hit it with the pistol...but hey! Oh, and I really was lousy with shooting clay pigeons....but I maintain that I should've learned to shoot at a stationary target first! OK, so I didn't do much better on the still targets either....but, the wind was blowing! LOL

So, after 8.5 years of being married to my dear, darling husband (yes, he is.....Kristy....!) I have finally used guns....

G'day!

2008-01-04T19:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been a while.....as you all know, we've had a stomach bug go through the house! Lydia, then Jordan, then Jared, then Heath on the way home from Lubbock in 30* weather, then Jekkie.....I have just almost finished cleaning, washing, etc.....'cause that means they have all had it (and thankfully the Lord has kept me from tending to catch those things)....so I breathed a sigh of relief that it was over!!!!.....till Lydia started again this evening.... BUMMER!

I haven't had a bug like that hit the same person twice before, has anyone else? Poor girl...I am just hoping and praying that it doesn't hit everyone else again! Sigh....

Other than all that nasty stuff, we are doing great! :) (and believe it or not, there have been many ways the Lord's blessings have abounded in little ways....such as when Heath started, we had just left the older 3 with their grandparents for the night....I can only imagine how miserable a 3 hr trip would have been then!)

A formal affair....

2007-12-21T08:49:00.000-08:00

Tonight Lydia and I have been invited to go to a concert....her teacher called to say that she had been given several tickets, and would we like to go along with her and her husband? So we will be attending a fancy piano conert, which is supposed to be a black-tie affair....the last 'formal affair' I went to was my own wedding...LOL Do you think they would mind if I squeezed into my wedding dress, popped a few seams, and grandly swept into the balcony? Hmmmm.... Lydia is looking forward to it...I think the dressing-up part is probably the most exciting part :). I'll have to do her hair all fancy. I just hope my camera will work to get a picture of her...

On the mend!

2007-12-18T06:27:00.000-08:00

So far so good....all appears to be well! I sure hope that it stays this way.... Everyone is now doing OK. Had a busy weekend working on our church building remodel of the back room. Decent progress was made, although they weren't planning on working as long as they did. Due to the nature of our weekend I didn't lose as much as I wanted (weight), but I am down to 128.2....anything is better than nothing. I had got down to 127 but didn't manage to stay there. :( Oh, well!

That's all for now....must get back to work!

Round #2...

2007-12-14T14:23:00.000-08:00

I was awaked at 4:30 am to find that Jordan has the stomach bug! He had also woke me up at midnight with a nightmare! I am so thankful for my carpet steam cleaner! It was one of the best purchases I ever made....very thankful of the Lord's provision! Happily that is the only time he has puked although he still feels miserable.

Chicken Spaghetti casserole is on our menu for tonight....it is so simple, and we love it! Here's the recipe....

Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

1 pkg Spaghetti noodles
2 cups cooked Chicken (chopped) approx.
2 cans of cream of chicken/mushroom/celery (your preferance - I don't care for celery!)
1 pkg frozen Broccoli florets (steamed) - optional
Cheese
-------------
Cook spaghetti noodles till tender. Drain, and throw back into pot. Add the next 3 ingredients and stir well. Put into a casserole dish and top with Cheese, and bake in a moderate oven till hot and bubbly and the cheese is golden! (approx. 30 mins or so)

Serve with garlic bread and a salad!

Anyway, due to the illnesses and trying to keep the house clean, my emails are running a little behind! Will try to have them all out soon!

Weight attack!

2007-12-11T07:11:00.000-08:00

Now before I get stated here....I know I am not obese, and no, I don't want to be anorexic, and no I really don't obsess about my weight....but since I had Jazz I have not consistently lost any weight, in fact at times I have gained a few pounds....so I am going to try posting my war on here in hopes I'll do better! Now, I am sure that you are all wanting to read about it right? LOL Never mind you can skip over these posts...just knowing though that people can see how much of a piggy I've been...maybe it'll help. (I still haven't figured out why my current diet of snickers bars isn't working)

OK - here's my current weight: 130 lb, even. (Sorry fellow Aussies, you'll have to figure out the kg's/stones I've been out of it too long!

My final goal is somewhere around 105 to 110lbs....but at the moment, I'll be thrilled to break under 120....I've never managed that since I've had Jared....it's like there's a brick wall there! I'd love to reach my goal before this Spring (April), but knowing my sweet tooth, that may not happen!

Here's my hints for losing weight.

Keep track of everything you eat, and keep it on your fridge where everyone can see...

Be good all day, but allow yourself one treat in the evening (if I've done good all day, I am less likely to choose to "blow it" on a snack...but if I "blow it" in the morning, I'm toast!)

Anyone else have any hints they care to share?

Oh, and don't worry, I won't post about this everyday....only about once a week!

Getting back into it..

2007-12-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

Sunday night Lydia came down with a stomach bug....thankfully it wasn't too terrible, although I am sure she might not think so. Thankfully after yesterday morning the worst was over although she still felt rough last night. Heath was home due to them being out of work for the day, so it worked out great. He took Jekkie to speech and although we were planning on spending the day out doing 'something' we hadn't mentioned it to the kids yet, so there wasn't dissappointment to deal with. We rented The Hiding Place and watched that together with loads of popcorn which seemed to sit well with Lydia's tummy. Now just hoping and praying that the others don't come down with it!

I still managed to get a lot of laundry washed, now I just have to get it all put away! I tried to get as much done as possible while Heath was home, just in case I had anymore casualties....so far so good.

It is freezing here....it can't make up it's mind though...3 or 4 days ago I was outside thinking "it's so warm out here I could get a tan", and now it's icy and literally freezing, fires have been lit to keep us warm, and I want lots of comfort food....only I am trying to make myself diet....and I don't think hot chocolate, hot baked good, warm bread etc...is very helpful when you are dieting!

Tearing it up!

2007-12-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

Today Heath and the boys (read Hayden and Jordan) started tearing up the carpet from the back rooms of our church building!!! Yay! We use the rooms for a "kitchen" and a fellowship room for eating together on Sundays. Neither which are very kind on carpet, or those who try to clean up the spills! It was time for it to go!

We are also planning on putting in a double-duty baptistry that can be covered with a counter-top and used for serving food/eating at. We also hope to put in a sink in our 'kitchen' so we can wash dishes and clean up easier. In place of the carpet we will hopefully have tile or vinyl 'wood floors'.

I am excited....we love eating together and this will just make it that much easier, and user friendly.

Due to the fact that we had hard-working *men* around we had a totally-terrible-for-you-loaded-with-calories-but-sure-tastes-great lunch of Chili Cheese Fries, with cream-cheese Danish swirls for dessert washed down with with cokes (ie - anything carbonated) I am all about blocking arteries....not! I'll be sure to serve broccoli soon....to counter any blockages.

I may post a couple of pics of their work....but my camera is in hospice right now....barely hanging in there...I get about one decent picture for about every 8 I take....HP camera's are not the way to go.....so be thankful for all I post! They are after much trial, and trial, and trial, and trial, and trial, and trial, and trial....but I am thankful for having a camera at least, but I must admit that I look forward to when I can get a new one (with 300x optical zoom, OK, at least 10x optical zoom! LOL) I do enjoy taking pictures, and even more so when my camera actually decides to work.

Oh, and I bought pomegranates today - 2/$1 that is an awesome price. Have y'all ever eaten a pomegranate? They are good. Bit of a pain in the rear, but good! They are Heath's favourite fruit right now. Maybe I'll do a post of him and the kids eating them, if my camera will take the pics for me.

Who needs words?

2007-12-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

After yesterday's post...I thought y'all might get a laugh out of a little *moment* that Jekkie and I had. I was feeling lazy and she loves to play with lotion...so, she decided she wanted to moisturize Mommy's legs...after she was done, her eyes lit up and got real big... I asked her "are they all soft now?"...thinking I was reading her mind. She shook her head, and her eyes got even bigger...she held her hands far apart...

I'll leave the rest to your imagination....

Methinks I should get back to my diet...what do you say?

Apraxia...

2007-12-05T06:38:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a little longer than I had planned, but I figured that I would post on Jekkie's speech problem. She has been diagnosed with Apraxia.....the excerpt below is from http://www.apraxia-kids.org/

Verbal apraxia indicates that the child has difficulty with volitional movement for the production of speech. This can be at the level of sounds, syllables, words, or even phrases (connected speech). The motor struggle is most typically seen with sounds sequencing.

Often oral apraxia accompanies verbal apraxia, but that is not always the case. Speech and language pathologists have mentioned that it is very rare and fairly unheard of for a child to have oral apraxia without verbal apraxia/dyspraxia.

Volitional -- What does it Mean?
In the course of discussing apraxia, as we have above, you will note the use of the word "volitional". The meaning of this word in relationship to apraxia/dyspraxia of speech means that the child is experiencing the difficulty in nonspeech and speech movement when they are very consciously aware of trying to make movements or they are attempting movements when requested by others.

Those same movements, sounds, etc. may be heard while the child is busy playing or he/she just seems to blurt out when no one is really paying attention or trying too hard. As an example, the child may be playing happily and parents may hear sounds being made - almost without thought - "ma, ma, ba, ma,da". However, when the parents attempt to get the child to use those sounds - "Say Mama!"- the child is unable to do so. In many cases one can see the struggle on the child's face. They may grope with their lips or silently posture their lips as if searching for the position they need. One minute they could do it (when not thinking about it or attempting the task) and the next minute it is an intense struggle (they are now aware of the request and are trying to will their mouths to make those movements - volitional control).

That pretty much describes our Jekkie....here is a picture of her at speech therapy! (sorry if it's a little blurry, I took it with my phone)

The last few days....

2007-11-29T06:10:00.000-08:00

OK, so lets start with thanksgiving...now I'm an Aussie, so uh, we really don't make a big deal about the historical side of it....to us it's a day to get together with family and friends....and for that we are very thankful! (I do plan on teaching the kids more on it, for anyone who may be concerned! but it's not high on my list of priorities right now) Anyway, we had friends and family over, and lots and lots of food.....and SNOW! After wearing t-shirts just 2 days prior, a cold front blew in, which we were expecting, but then gorgeous BIG, fluffy snowflakes started to fall. The kids had a blast...

OK, so her hands were frozen....but that's what happens when you don't listen to sound advice, and put on warm gloves...

It was soooo pretty...and fun! Although, I was sick with a lousy head cold, so I did beg not to be doused with cold snow...but as you can see some of the adults also had some fun...

We ate a lot...played table tennis/ping pong, and lit up the wood-burning stove for our first fire of this winter....and then we had to open the front door and windows, because it was too hot! Vic and Cindy (that's Vic above) fried a turkey for us to try, which was very good! Wish you all could have been there too! Our leftovers didn't last very long...I think I'll cook another turkey soon....I have 2-20lb'ers in my freezer, that I got some great deals on (1 free and 1 for $10), and chop it up and refreeze in baggies for quick meals.

This past week has just been catching up on housework, and laundry, and buying some more gloves/jackets/and hats, that the cold spell reminded me that we needed! (Doesn't Jared look cute in his new coat!) :)

Quick note....

2007-11-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

Hey, y'all! Sorry that I've been away so long....after Thanksgiving, I just kinda took a break. I'll try to do a real post tomorrow? if I get the time! I'll have my niece/nephew from 7:20 am till about 5:30 pm, and then around 6 we have some friends coming over for burgers/armadillo eggs/apple pie. OK, definitely burgers.....the other two items are hopefuls... So it should be a busy day, but don't worry, I'll put the kids to work....LOL I got most of my laundry/washing done today at least! I am also very stressed as my sister is supposed to be getting married in a little over a month.....and I think she must have died....or fallen of the edge of the world. I haven't heard anything from her in so long.....sob! (BTW if I owe anyone an email...let me know! or just write to me again...please! :) I'll also try to post a couple of pictures here soon too...

Special Sale Announcement!

2007-11-21T06:13:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let y'all know that Crystal at the Biblical Womanhood Bookstore is having a sale! She has all of her e-books on sale for $2...I think I will head on over myself! So if you are interested click on the link in my side bar, and check out her Black Friday bargain bin!

(I would've put a link in this post, but can't make it work for the life of me....if anyone knows how to do that with out having the whole LONG link showing please tell me!)

Sorry I've been a little scarce....it's Thanksgiving tomorrow, and we are doing it over here....so cleaning is underway, plus we have no clean clothes, so laundry is underway, and there's a freeze tonight, so winterizing gardens and taps and hoses is underway, and I have come down with a cold.....but I am valiantly surviving, and will get it all done....uh-huh?! :)

Anyway, back to work!

Housework....

2007-11-17T20:08:00.000-08:00

Don't ya love it! :) I just finished my floors....I got a LOTTA tile!

(Hey, Dad....you're not reading this are you??? 'Cause if you are...uh, sorry about the gramma...r....um, I am married to one of those AMERICANS after all....and you know how they are....their accents are shockin' I tell ya...not to mention their gramma....r...)

A'hem! Like I was saying....I have quite a large amount of tile, and it collects a great deal of dirt....therefore, it is necessary to admit that by the time I had finished mopping the dining room, my water was quite, almost, but not completely...black. (Was that better Dad?) Therefore, I proceeded to empty it into the bathtub to await the children who would most certainly render it fully and entirely....BLACK! After many such loads, and soaking for approximately 20 mins, the children emerged with such a lovely tan, and their hair was such a bonny orange....I definitely recommend Pinesol for the rinsing of one's hair, not only does it disinfect every follicle, it also smells....so clean.... Now, if you are on very severe water restrictions, you could further use said water to water the garden and start a pot of soup for the evening meal....who knows what you'll find in it, from yesterdays meal...."Waste not, Want not" is the old proverbial saying....or is it "Want not, Want not".

(Disclaimer: For any poor soul who may stumble across this blog, I do not, I repeat, I DO NOT bathe my children in dirty mopping water (yes it was very dirty though...), and I DO NOT recommend Pinesol be used on ANYBODY....and no, I do not make soup from it either....although I do use city water to make soup....is that better???? I don't know either!)

OK, so I mopped and mopped and mopped some more...
then I found I was finished, with the floor
so I looked around, and mopped the door....
having such success, I could barely wait...
to try it on the walls, and it worked out great...

Yes, I really did mop some doors
And the walls are clean
Now fit to be seen,
If you've not tried it, you've missed out
So 'ave a go, it'll make you shout

Now, it's time for bed, I really must go
Please don't leave me, I usually won't
Act so strange...really I don't
Housework does strange things to me...
Please be patient you will see....

(It's OK...I don't mop very often!)

Refined As Silver

2007-11-15T08:11:00.000-08:00

The following was sent to me, and I thought it was pretty neat! Thanks Karen!

Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'

This verse puzzled some women
in a Bible study and they
wondered what this statement
meant about the character and
nature of God.

One of the women offered to
find out the process of refining
silver and get back to the group
at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an
appointment to watch him at
work. She didn't mention
anything about the reason for
her interest beyond her curiosity
about the process of refining
Silver.

As she watched the silversmith,
he held a piece of silver over
the fire and let it heat up. He
explained that in refining silver,
one needed to hold the silver in
the middle of the fire where
the flames were hottest as to
burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot;
then she thought again about
the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.'
She asked the silversmith if it
was true that he had to sit there
in front of the fire the whole
time.

The man answered that yes, he
not only had to sit there holding
the silver, but he had to keep
his eyes on the silver the entire
time it was in the fire. If the silver
was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a
moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know
when the silver is fully refined?'He smiled at her and answered,
'Oh, that's easy -- when I see
my image in it.'

If today you are feeling the heat
of the fire , remember that God
has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His
image in you.

Pics of the girls....

2007-11-14T06:39:00.000-08:00

I had to do these in two posts as I am having probelms 'shrinking' them...Here's the girls!

Some pictures....

2007-11-14T06:23:00.000-08:00

Here's my boys on our camping trip....

Sorry Folks!

2007-11-14T06:08:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone! Sorry about the delay here....we snuck off on Friday down to visit Heath's grandmother, Mema, and also so that Heath could visit an inmate that he has been writing to for the past few months...it was a good time, the kids had a blast getting to see their cousin Ella again (we wish we could have seen more of them, but it didn't work out....next time?), and then they gather pecans for Mema, and then she let them take them home! So now we have a huge bag of pecans to shell! Yesh! lol

Heath's visit at the prison went great....they had a good time and talked for the full two hours. "J" is due to get out, I think, at the end of next year....please pray for him....he wants to make sure he is spiritually strong when he emerges, so that he can withstand the attacks of the devil. We know that the Lord will give him the strength that he needs! Pray that he can strengthen his foundations, so that he has a firm footing to stand on.

Heath had a humourous experience too, while at the prison, he was jogging back to his car, and a guard stopped him....because he was wearing white! LOL That is the inmates colour! The guard kindly suggested to him that he might not want to wear those colour again! And not only that....a 2ND guard also stopped him...."grin" So we now know...don't wear white! We didn't even think about what the inmates might be wearing, but if we had we would have figured on orange anyway!

The past couple of days have been just trying to get back into the swing of things....can't say that it has worked yet!

We were frozen...

2007-11-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

....well, now that others had arrived it was time for them to set up, and eat our Frito pie etc....well, after much fun and fellowship it was time to hit the sack. It was already 'freezing', so I went ahead, and threw the 3 oldest into one "bed" to conserve blankets, Jazz had his own, and of course Mommy and Daddy shared too. It was down right freezing! It was in the 30*'s somewhere, and I shivered and shook all night long....except for ten minutes when I snuggled up to my darlingest man....till he started nudging me to "get lost"....Oh, he says he didn't, but he did... really. LOL

Well, after freezing all night, it dawned another beautiful day! We spent the day 'chillin', and then Doug and Heath took the kids, Dandi too, up and down the rapids....at least that's what they were calling them LOL! I had too stay behind with Jazz and let him sleep....bummer! Now, I love my little dude, but I also love doing stuff with the rest of my crew... While they were doing that, they managed to ram the boat into a tree....sooooo...when we went out later on, Jekkie would flip out every time she saw a stick poking out of the water, being sure that we were headed for certain doom...

But we really did have a great relaxing time, and I can't wait to do it again....we plan on getting a few more supplies, and then just keeping it all 'ready to go' so that we can take off whenever we want to/get the urge. We have a teeny-weeny trailer that is always packed with most of the camping stuff. We need some more sleeping bags though, after our freeze! Heath had the bright idea of keeping a bathroom bag packed with toiletries strictly for camping/traveling, which I thought was a cool idea....I hate trying to remember if I got everything! LOL

Well, that's going to have to do for now...hope you weren't all bored to tears...!

A note for prayer....

2007-11-05T06:32:00.000-08:00

I recently entered in some of the Rocks in my Dryer Fall Y'all giveaways, and although I sure didn't expect to win anything....I did! Now, when she contacted me to let me know that I had won, she also let me know (via her blog) that her brother is having brain surgery today....so if any of y'all would pray for them, that would be great, his name is Lorin.

More about Camp!

2007-11-05T06:12:00.000-08:00

OK, so Thursday we pull into the campground, and start figuring out what campsites we want...we come up with two main options: secluded, peaceful, room for kids to safely run....or close to the bathrooms? Hmmmmm....we chose the secluded, albeit fearing the wrath of the women in the church! LOL (y'all aren't reading this are you???? LOL) We decided that folks could walk, I mean we were going camping, right? (besides, we stick a potty in our tent at night for the kids to use!) So we chose the pretty, secluded campsites near the river....BTW, just so you know, although we were camping we do get sites with electricity and water....LOL After picking the sites, the fun was on! We pulled out the tent and Dad and Jazz got busy setting that up, while Mom and the others got started on grilling some hot dogs for lunch. Then it was on to making up the beds....and then due to the fact that Jazz was whining, it was time for a nap. So Momma cornered the baby, while the others went on the hunt for firewood. After naps, we went and rented a boat....now this was really cool...for $5 you could have the boat all day! Now these were aluminum boats, and to get to the water, you had to go down a steep set of steps down the river bank....So we picked up the boat (yes, literally "picked" it up, and yes, it was heavy!), and carried it to the top of the stairs....now what? Heath, smart cookie, decided that the best way to get it down there was to throw it....just kidding....was to slide it down the steps holding on, and it worked very well! So we finally got it in the water, and climbed in the boat and set of down the river with Daddy, Lyd and Jorge paddling, and Mommy holding on to Jazz, while Jekkie just enjoyed the ride! It was sooo quiet and peaceful, and the kids really did a great job of helping dad. Then there was a call from above us....others had arrived....

To be continued.....

Camp Food!

2007-11-05T05:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the silence....we went camping on Thursday and came back Saturday avo. We had a blast! We went with our church folk down to a State park. Y'all need to come with us next time! Thursday was mostly just our family, which was nice in itself, as we were able to just spend some time together having fun setting up camp, then renting a row boat and taking it down the river....it was such a peacful place to camp! Then as more folks rolled in we had Frito Pie for supper, and boy was it GOOD! That is one of the best parts of our camping trips....meal times....LOL...and not just because I like food! We have so much fun with the cooking together. And with Doug being a Boy Scout Man, he has access to some really nifty cooking gear. We cook most stuff on a 'wok' made from a plow disk...there is always teasing and laughter going 'round and round'. Our menu was
Thursday evening - Frito Pie (Fritos (corn chip strip things?), topped with Chile (not the peppers, the meat), onions, jalalpenos, hot sauce, and whatever else.

Friday morning was Breakfast burritos
Lunch - fend for yourself
Supper - Steak, baked potatoes, and foil packed veggies cooked over the fire

Oh, and campfire cobbler....Doug is a great camp chef!

Saturday - Breakfast burritos; eggs, sausage, bacon, fried potatoes, cheese, hot sauce....mmmmm!

Plus of course, hot chocolate, coffee, marshmallows etc.....

I have a Question....

2007-10-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

For those of you out there who know a lot more than me.....(OK so that might be ALL of you..lol), can you use You Tube 'privately'? In other words, can you upload a video clip to use on here, that "every man and his blog" can't use/post elsewhere? I'd love to (maybe) be able to post video clips, (if I could figure out how to do it....con my sister into doing it....she really is the best...(maybe that'll work...lol)) on here of small stuff that goes on around here.... So tell me how do I do it, and is it safe? Also does anyone know how to make pictures 'safe' from abuse on the internet? I am thinking about doing a separate, password-needed, blog for the majority of my pictures....? But I don't know yet...we'll see! (BTW, I did find HTML for Dummies at the library...now I need the time to read it....don't see it happening! LOL)

Speech Steps!

2007-10-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

This past week and a half has been exciting for me, as Jekkie has shown some definite improvement with her speech! Oh, for some the change might not be much, but when you have a four-year old who can only say almost nothing...ANYTHING...is progress! She started saying A'boo....playing with Jared....putting TWO sounds together...she also started saying Ohhh, in understanding when told something, Owww when hurt, and No! Yes, I am excited to hear her say NO! :) Till now, she has only been able to say "O" for "no"....but she pronounces it perfectly now! She has also started vocalising more in general. She does a victory fist clench, and says "Yeeeesssss" when she is excited about something.....soooooo cute. LOL Daddy teases her when she says something, and tells her that "Jekkie doesn't talk, so you be quiet!" To which she laughs and yells as many 'words' as she can think of, just to prove him wrong! Usually the first one is "ball". So keep praying for her....she'll talk yet! I'll try to do a short post on Apraxia soon, so that y'all can understand a little more about it, and how we are working to overcome it. She really is the sweetest ray of sunshine, and I wouldn't trade her for the biggest bar of chocolate in the world! (although she might trade me....lol)

Note of Thanks!

2007-10-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

I must admit she's pretty good....I hollered for help this morning and she got it done before I headed for bed....Wow....you're an awesome sister Kristy......OK, now the next favour I need is...LOL... A SPECIAL THANKS TO YOU! I literally couldn't have done it without you! :)

Update!

2007-10-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

You should see a link soon that I am putting up....I will be linking over to Crystal's bookstore....I will get a percentage of sales that are made from going through my link....so if you plan on purchasing something, please make use of my link....when I have it up and running....OK, so when my SISTER has it up and running! LOL I am soooooo blonde when it comes to computers.....ah, I have no idea what to do....guess I need to go and buy a "Computers for Dummies" book...I know there has to be one! Although, I don't have a lot of traffic through my blog yet, maybe it'll generate a small....tiny.....microscopic....income? Not that we are lacking in anything! I'd love to be able to save for a few things though...bosch mixer, laptop, maid, chef....OK, so I'm going to need a whole LOT of traffic....sigh! LOL

To Answer a Question....

2007-10-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

To answer my sister's question that she left in my comments for my food factoid post....Menudo is a soup that you can get at any authentic Mexican restuarant, that contains tripe ("tripas") as the main ingredient....gag!

Trying to organise my life!

2007-10-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone! I am trying to be a little more regular around here....I know I am not the best, but I will try! I have actually scheduled a "computer time" each day, starting today, so here's hoping that it works! I don't know about you all, but I was spending too much time on the computer, and at the same time not accomplishing much, so I am trying a different approach. I am also going to try and do the same thing with many other things I need/want to do. I need to start to sew again! Lydia needs some jumpers(aus)/sweatshirts (US), and I had bought fleece last winter to make nighties, so I think I will use some of it, and use other of the pieces for the nighties. The girls love fleece nighties in the winter, seeing as they are so cozy! I'd love to spend more time on crafts and hobbies also, and reading (gardening books!), and just doing 'stuff" with the kids! Today has been a good day so far, getting the house back to decent after the weekend...which always is the worst for me...I can have the house doing OK, then by Monday it is an absolute wreck!

Here's a list of what I'd like to start adding to my days!

Sewing

Gardening

Reading

Kid Projects

Crocheting (need to learn first)

Knitting (brush up on....I still love to think of the lavender jumper Mum knitted for me at 7?!!)

Educating myself on dozens of arts and crafts....so that in turn I can teach the kids!

Food facts!

2007-10-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

OK, Thanks to my dear sister who made me do this....I am supposed to use my blogger name to tell everyone food factoids.....I'm sorry, but it's her fault....normally I wouldn't bother, but seeing as it's about food...

H - Hominy, with Jalapenos and Velveeta cheese....MMMmmmm!
A - Apple Pie fresh from the oven, homemade....I need to make one.
P - Peppers are a very versatile food...Jalapenos are my favourite....
P - Pumpernickle bread from the Outback Steakhouse....try it dipped in hot fudge sauce!
Y - Y do I have to write all this?

L - Lemon pound cake from Starbucks....totally complements a French Latte....try it!
I - I don't eat organ meats....shudder....my sister can enjoy those, happily ever after LOL
T - Texas Roadhouse is my favourite place to eat....
T - Turkey is good once a year at Thanksgiving...then it's easy to wait a whole year before you'll want it again....or two years
L - Lasagne....I love it, but can't make it....Stouffers fills in for me...
E - Enchiladas, Heath's favorite, but I prefer them in avacado or spinach

M - Mexican food is wonderful
O - O I can't wait for this to be done LOL
M - Menudo I will not eat
M - Mum's Meatloaf, childhood favourite, and it still is
A - Armadillo Eggs....Nothing can compare..........

I AM DONE.....Now I must go eat...some chocolate...Thanks sister....only Idon't know enough people and I'd like to keep those I know....so I think I'll skip the last rule about passing this on.....unless I RE nominate my sister....hmmmm

Six years ago....

2007-10-15T06:02:00.000-07:00

Six years ago, in a land far away, a baby boy was born....he was born in a city called Canberra, the Capital of Australia, in a friendly hospital, with a great midwife. Jorge was a cute little fella, one whose daddy would do anything to see.....due to the Sept. 11 attacks on the US, everyone was scared of bio-terrorism, and every puff of powder was suspiciously eyed as anthrax.....so of course, in a place full of powders and potions, what should show up but white powder! And so the hospital entries, were closed and no-one could enter.....unless you were the proud father of an infant son, your firstborn son at that......and so, he managed to find an unguarded entrance and came to see us....while I lay there wondering what on earth was taking him so long.

Time has passed since that day long ago, and that little baby is now a growing boy, who is learning what it is to be a man one day....tonight is his initiation....I mean party! He is to be given a tomahawk, a throwing knife, and a DVD to show him how to use them....although he can already throw a tomahawk pretty well. We went shopping for the rest of his gift, an bought him 14 4x4's.....what more could a boy want? We have told him they are for building him a jail....which of course he doesn't buy that tale! But he will be a happy little mountain man when he find out that they are for him and Dad to build a target for all that knife-throwing, tomahawk tossing, pellet gun firing (and for mom to trellis plants on? I'm sure they'll get all the "Pruning" they could handle...lol). He has already received a gun case, remote control Hummer, roller blades, cars etc. OH! And I forgot....I bought him a green mamba, like any responsible mother would do. And just in case anyone is reading this who doesn't have little boys, a green Mamba is a snake....OK, so this one is remote controlled and his Grandma is going to KILL me....but at least I'll die laughing....she is TERRIFIED of snakes, so much so, that if Jorge happens to toss a PLAY snake at her, she'll still scream almost all of the time....of course my son wouldn't do that though....nor would he take her at her word, when she said "It won't scare me if I KNOW it's coming, you have to surprise me"....and send a tiny rubber snake flying under the toilet door, would he? Not just to hear her scream....not my boy, finding pleasure in finding any and every opportunity to terrorize grandma.... (BTW, grandma loves it....afterward! I think...lol...she does) My boy....is a BOY. (OK, so he does have some toughening up to do in some areas....but I tell Heath that's the Texan in him, as no Aussie would do that....)

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY JORDAN!

Sorry everyone....

2007-09-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

This was the yard before....
This was the yard after.....

Here's the boys about to head out on their hunting trip.... Jazz trying to pick up one of our watermelons...

And some Texas cattle for Steve...

OK, I am really sorry that I have been so scarce lately....almost a full month....that's bad. OK, really there hasn't been a whole lot of excitement....just regular day to day life. Housework, yardwork, schoolwork....etc, and lots and lots of laundry, and housework.....did I mention housework? We are trying to take one room at a time and get ON TOP OF IT FOR GOOD. Slow going. Today I have a wonderful head cold....but I feel a small amount better than yesterday..so that's good! Dosing up on Garlic and GSE (grapefruit seed extract....yuck) I'll post a few pics of our yard improvements....I HAVE GRASS GROWING! YAHOO! I am so excited. Jazz can go outside and play now, we have a dog run for Pix, no more landmines!, but the kids are totally enjoying not being STUCK IN THE HOUSE!!!! (ME TOO!). The weather is gorgeous at the moment....I am hoping to get some raspberries and blackberries in the ground to get a headstart on next year's garden. We took the kids to the fair, but didn't make it to the rodeo...bummer. I really enjoy doing that with the kids....maybe next year! I am learning how to coupon/get stuff for free....and having a blast. The church is doing well, and we have a great core of people that I love to be around....I hope to maybe post some pictures of them all if they'll let me! We watched a marriage DVD after Bible study last Wednesday....that was a lot of fun....you should've been there Kristy and Steve....just fly on over, OK?! I definitely recommend the Pearls website. http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/ they have some great materials....of which I specifically recommend Created To be His Helpmeet, To Train Up a Child, and their DVD series on marriage, and Joy of Training, and Teaching Responsibility. They have been a great blessing to our family! Karen (at church) has started selling their material, so I get most of our stuff through her. The boys hunting trip went well....and I am proud to announce that Jordan (he was a retriever of dove for everyone else) actually cleaned a bird ALL BY HIMSELF. Gross, I know, but he's only 5, and he tackled it alone, and did a great job. He also got to help "Finish" off a few with his BB gun. They had a blast! Now we get to eat them....bearable if you stuff them with Jalapenos and cream cheese, and wrap them with bacon....Heath loves them....I'm OK with them! ;) Anyway, just wanted to drop a line to let everyone know we are still alive!

Picture....

2007-08-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

We're on the local newspaper's website....if you want to see, go to www.reporternews.com and click on the Airfest page on the main slideshow.... :) Thought you might get a kick out of it!

Rains, Floods and more....

2007-08-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

We are being swamped with rain......great for our yard, but not so great for others in town. Heath just got a call from Doug (our boy scout leader, local firefighter, and search and rescue man), tell him about his day in it all....a woman was swept away by the flood waters, and died leaving her children, one whose 12th b-day is tomorrow.... :( Poor boy...pray for them...I don't know them, but man, those poor children... One on the guys from church (Gary, who is courting Mikaela, Doug's daughter)...his parents were flooded out with water, we have been told, reaching up to their second storey of their home. Doug has been flat out....with all the water flowing into Lake Abilene, they were concerned that the dam would burst (I guess it's weak?), which would've given the residents of Buffalo Gap one hour before they would've been under water. We were totally oblivious.....we had headed to the Big Country Airfest out at the airport, seeing as the rain had let up, and had a wonderful time watching B-1 bombers, F 18's, acrobatic stunts, and many other such things. Naturally I forgot my camera, but thankfully I upgraded my cell phone to a camera phone, and got a couple on it. It is a deal put on by the Airforce....the kids had a blast.....which was nice after the rain. More on that later! We have had probably about 4-5 inches of rain in the last couple of days. We only have to get a few more, for the whole year, and it will have broken the record. It's supposed to be caused by the tropical storm out at sea. We are fine, and have enjoyed it, but definitely feel for those who have suffered from it! We picked up a lady whose car ran out of gas, and she said that Merkel (small town near Abilene) has been declared a disaster area. I also heard that a house was swept off it's foundation. I'd like to drive around tomorrow, and get a look at it all, 'cause we haven't been in the flood zones yet. Anyway, thought that I'd let you know what's up for now.

Giveaway!

2007-08-07T19:09:00.000-07:00

Here's just a note to let you all know to run over to check out Crystal's Giveaway: a $25 Vision Forum Gift Certificate. She also has some CD's that she is giving away with it too!

Tis the season for all kinds of veggies!

2007-07-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

I had to laugh today....I had some sales catalogues on the coffee table that had come out of my newspaper, and as they all seem to....they had an underwear ad, which my son happened to see....hence his comment...."look at those stupid girls Mom, they're just wearin zucchinis!" LOLOLOLOLOL!!! I didn't roar with laughter in his face, as there will be plenty of time for him to realise that they are actually bikinis, not "zucchinis"! :) It's nice to know though, that he knows it's not appropriate for girls to run around like that, and hey we do have a big veggie patch, and zucchinis are an abundant thing!

Speaking of gardening, we got our first 2 rockmelons/cantaloupes of our vine today....I still have to work up a taste for those....but the rest of the family loves them. My zucchini are dying off, and the rest are doing pretty well! Tomorrow is going to be pretty hectic, as we got a load of dirt today, and have to spread it tomorrow and try to get the yard seeded!!!! Yay! We are getting close to done, other than waiting for the grass to grow. I'll try to get pictures of it tomorrow and blog them for you all.

Thanks everyone for your emails (yes I got yours Mel!) I'll try to reply soon, just thought this way I could give you all an update till then! Jekkie is making some small improvements with her speech! Hooray! We still haven't got very far....but anything is a plus! She can say "yesh Mom" and "Yesh, Dad" and "Ball" and the beginning sounds of some other words, but we have to cue her and make her use them, as she is so used to her "lazy" sounds to get her by. (eg...Uh! mama, dada) We are working on sign language as well (a great web site is born2sign) and we borrowed a couple of dvd's from the library too.

Anyway, that's about all for now.....Catch ya later!

Still Kickin'!

2007-07-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hey, y'all! Just wanted to let you know that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth! I haven't had a chance to download my pictures yet, but will hopefully soon. Jekkie decided to pick Jared up (not the first time), and drop him....so he has a nice knot right between the eyes. Hopefully he won't end up with 2 black eyes....we'll see! He's doing fine though. For being the monkey that he is you would think that he would always be getting hurt....but he's really pretty careful, and I guess having so many eyes watching out for him probably helps a lot! Jekkie is really good at alerting me when he's up to mischief....Ma! Ma!!! MMAAAAAA!!!!!! (In other words Jared is splashing in the toilet, sitting in the bathroom sink, eating marbles/pennies (we discourage this), up on the dining table....or some such escapade) For not being able to talk she can sure get her message across. We have had a break from speech therapy due to the therapist (Sandra) going on Vacation. We start back on the 18th. Anyway, not much going on....Dandi and I are going to take the kids to the State Park tomorrow to swim.....nice break....Looking forward to it. Must go read Heath his bedtime story.....(Watchman Nee) ;) I am getting tired and have to get up early to excercise....yes, you read that right....I have gone aggressive to lose weight, as I was having trouble with my see-food diet. So far so good....if anyone wants any pointers....the best tip is to STARVE YOURSELF!!!! :0 lol I am trying to stay focused which is very hard with my sweet tooth!

Free Books!!!

2007-07-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

Crystal at Biblical Womanhood Blog has a giveaway for an entire set of "Ballantyne Christian Adventure" books and I really want to win!! :)

Since I can enter twice if I blog and referral you all, that is what I'm doing (can you tell I'm a bit desperate?! lol)! So head on over to Crystal's and see if you're interested yourself!

He's Walking!

2007-06-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

Yep, Jared is officially walking! I was just telling Mum on the phone that he has taken steps lately, and it was like I hung up the phone and he went to town with it....he stands up and methodically takes off walking, then when he gets there he stands and grins at us saying "Da?! Da?!" like he is so proud of what he's doing. He is now practicing bending over and picking stuff up....he's so clever! :) I'll try to post a picture of it soon....

Sorry everyone for the lack of posts and comments! I hadn't even been on here in a while and didn't know that you had commented. And the last time I was on here, my c-box wouldn't come up. Glad you're here Mel! :) Have a happy anniversary soon! (that's just in case I don't realise the date when it's here....I'm good at letting time slip past me! obviously, seeing as I forgot ours) The "yes, Maam" Kristy, was to picking up the toys whenever we frequent the Dr.'s.....not that I would let my kids touch such germ-ridden toys as are found in such places....:) I have to admit that I carry germ-killing anti-bac wipes in my car and disinfect my shopping trollies before I put Jared in it!!!! Shhhhh.....don't tell anyone! (fyi.....trollies, after being tested among many other areas, have one of the highest concentrations, of DISGUSTING germs.....)

We have had sooooooo much rain lately.....the garden is running wild! My jalapenos are looking sick though.....too much water maybe? I'll have to spray them with something just in case it is a case of Jalapenitus....or some such disease. We have cantaloupes/rockmelons popping out everywhere.

Anyway, just thought I'd jump on here and say "G-day", and let you all know that we are still alive and kicking!

To Garden or Not To Garden

2007-06-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

My sister, Kristy, has kindly made me a slideshow displaying the pictures I sent her of our gardening endeavours. This is just to prove to y'all (after Kristy's doubt-inducing comments) that I really did do some work in my garden. :)

He Remembered...and other things...

2007-06-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, Heath remembered our anniversary! He even took me out to Perini Ranch Steakhouse, which is a famous steakhouse in Buffalo Gap. It was our first time there. (FYI some of their clients are President Bush, Gov. Rick Perry, Fess Parker, and a few others that I don't remember.....!) We had Steaks, of course, which were really good, and for dessert we had jalapeno cheesecake! Doesn't that sound wonderful???? ;0 It really wasn't bad....it was a NY chscake w/ a sweet jalapeno jelly sauce that was supposed to be drizzled over....we got it on the side....just in case. I really didn't mind it, Heath ate it plain, and although it was OK...I think we'll stick with regular NY. The funny thing was this place had NO airconditioning???? Just ceiling fans....it was rather warm! All in all, we had a great evening, Dandi had the kids for us....so I got to eat my meal slowly and also hot! 'Twas nice... :)

Our garden is growing well! I have asked my sister to send me the instructions on how to do slide shows so that I can post a bunch of pics.....seeing as she hasn't got around to it for me! (Ok, so before I got this published, she got it done. Typical!)

Our life of late....I made jam!!!! I was so excited! Yes, it was from our home grown peaches. Now, if I could only find a recipe for the 100% fruit jams with NO sugar OR sweeteners. It turned out great....

We also made bird feeders for our "summer school" which is a really great activity if you have little ones, or just love birds in your yard. You get pine cones, string, peanut butter and cheap birdseed.....and then follow the examples below...

.

I am ROLLING!!!!!!

2007-06-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

I was having fun messaging my sister, Kristy, this morning, and then signed off.....I had seen that she had sent me an e-card, and just figured she was feeling really bad for postponing her trip.....(and so she should!).....and had sent me a sympathy card or something for fun.....Well, I opened it and was totally confused, because she had sent me a happy anniversary card????? "What in the world did she send me an anniversary card for???" I wondered...."it's not my anniversary" Our anniversary is in June....wait a minute, it is June....don't tell me it's the 7th!""" LOL! I still cannot believe that I DIDN'T EVEN REALISE IT! So everyone, today is our eighth wedding anniversary!!!!!! We have been married for eight years, and now have four kids, and are loving each other like crazy.....may all other couples and couples-to-be have a good, godly marriage and grow strong in the Lord together. Thanks again Kristy for saving my hide.....now to see if he realises it too! *grin*

It's been a while...

2007-05-10T06:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry everybody! I've not been on here much lately.....but we have been pretty busy, or at least that's my excuse. Last weekend we headed out into our back yard with an aim of getting much done! Friday we had hired a bobcat, so Heath figured that out ready for Saturday....then as we were headed to bed Heath bent down to charge his phone, and noticed a spider on the floor. He thought it looked a little wicked, so looked closer, and thought "that looks like a spider at the Ft. Worth zoo" so he looked CLOSER and thought.....I think that's a brown recluse.....sure enough, after some internet research, we positively identified it as a BROWN RECLUSE.....in our bedroom...under Heath's nightstand....and as we were to find out.....had been frequenting under our bed.....under our HEADS! Now, this spider really is pretty small (in an Aussie's point of view), and in my opinion, looks pretty much like a regular house spider.......but.....he's very dangerous. In fact, he beats the black widow, and is the most poisonous in the States. Just do a Google on BR spider bites, and you'll see why we are very thankful for the Lord watching over us! He had been living there for a good while. The more we looked the more thankful to the Lord we were! Just in case you are wondering how to ID a BR....they have a little fiddle/violin mark on the head with the neck of the fiddle going toward the rear. They also only have six eyes, while most spiders have eight. So that kept us up till about midnight, then Saturday, we got up early and headed out to the back yard around 7:30....by the end of the day we had removed at least four inches of dirt from our back yard, the good dirt went in my garden bed, and the trash dirt went out in the parking lot to be removed later. The reason we had to remove so much is because it was prevoisly a gravel parking lot.....which isn't very helpful to growing grass.....or anything else for that matter! We had a lot of pea gravel and caliche, and it was as hard as a rock. The bobcat was worth every penny. We are now down to mostly decent dark dirt....although it is compacted at the moment. It has been raining ever since though, but maybe that will make it easier to get the last loads out that mostly have to be done by hand. Only problem is that I got most of my plants in the mail yesterday (fruit cocktail tree, blueberries, blackberries, red currants...) and I have to plant them...NOW...IN THE MUD. What fun. It is funny though.....growing up Dad and Mum forced us to work outside pulling weeds and gardening.....oh the misery....but now I love working in the dirt! Thanks Dad and Mum.....I appreciate you more and more every day, for all that you taught us growing up. Gardening is one of my favourite pastimes, and I like/hope to make it a profitable one too....which is why I have/am planting mostly food producing plants/trees....then I get my flowers, leaves, beauty, and fruit! I got my baby tangerine house plant this past week and it already has two teeny tiny tangerines on it, even though it is only about 6 inches tall. We have been busy, busy, BUSY. Tonight is the parade for our Western Heritage Event that hits Abilene this time of year. We won't be going this time as we are heading out to see some friends, which will be a lot of fun! They are a blast. :) They are a tomohawk throwing, deer shootin', boy scouting, story tellin' family! (OK, so I had to throw that in for all of you who'd love to be doing that! Come see us......;) There is a rodeo tomorrow night.....don't tell Jordan....I doubt we'll make it, it is usually pretty expensive, and seeing as it is a ranch rodeo, they don't have bull riding, just broncs.....but the kids do love the wild cow milking! Anyway, that's my update for now! (BTW, I did go to post about 2 weeks ago, and just as I was going to publish it, Jared turned of my computer!) I'll try to get Kristy to upload some pics.

Just So Y'all Know!

2007-05-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday! I'm 25 years old. That means I've reached quarter-of-a-century and I'm officially an old woman. But, my sister says I'm still a major babe. ;) (Btw, she has to say that...she's older!)

Quick update and prayer request!

2007-04-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

Hey, and G'day y'all! (how's that for a Texan twist!) We are all staying busy as always! I wanted to let everyone know, and ask y'all to pray for Heath's grandma, Mema. She had a heart attack this morning, but as far as we know is doing fine now. I believe that they are going to keep her overnight at the hospital to monitor everything, but I think she should be able to go home tomorrow. She has been having "spells" more often, so please pray for her health. She is a sweet little lady!

Otherwise all is going fine, and all. I have managed to keep from locking myself out again....so far. (by the way, I just realised that the day I did that was friday the 13th! LOL good thing I am not superstitious......hmmmm maybe that's why the neighbour didn't answer their door!) We have started on the garden bed....building it anyway.....hopefully it shouldn't take too long to complete.....running out of time to plant!

Tomorrow is supposed to be about 80*....I think we'll cook out hamburgers for tea/supper....you can't beat Texas hamburger.....especially if you throw in some mesquite chips for smoke flavour....(OK, you don't put them in the burger....but in the grill....wrap them in foil after soaking for 15 mins in water, and let them smoke!) All we need is armadillo eggs to go with it....now I'll have to make some.....they are the best stuff to eat....take a jalapeno pepper, cut in half and gut it, fill with cream cheese, wrap with bacon, cover w/ BBQ sauce and bake or grill till tender (and blackened!)

Anyway, gotta scram....and hit the sack!

Pardon me...

2007-04-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

....may I please use your phone? Thanks! I've done something really stupid...I locked myself out of my house.....the kids are in the back yard...baby is asleep in the house..... YES I DID! Can you believe it? I went out in the back yard to talk to a certain boy who was yelling his head off.....I stood holding the back door so that it wouldn't shut....because it was locked....1st mistake....well somehow....it did shut, and it did lock....and of course the front door was locked too.......oops! So I had to go across the street and knocked on a neighbour's door about 4 times but they chose not to answer although I am pretty sure they were home due to their truck being in the driveway. So I looked down the street, and see another neighbour on her front porch....so I head down there, barefoot, looking like a wreck, to see if I can borrow her phone to call Dandi, who has a key for my house! All's well that ends well! We are back 'home' now!

Back again!

2007-04-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

I bet you thought I was going to tell you that Jared got in the toilet again, huh?! Well, he did! That makes three times in one day.....and it also makes a new rule....please close the loo door when yer dun! Actually I also got on here to give you a quick update on our latest medical experiment. As some of you know the first one involved drilling a hole in Heath's thumb nail....and now we can say that we have used ear candles! It was neat, and although I had doubts about it doing ANYTHING, it actually did work, but not quite enough, as Heath is still having problems hearing! Now that we got rid of his ear wax, we just have to figure out how to get the paraffin wax out of his ears.....maybe the drill would work? OK, I'm just kidding....! We did use the candles, and they really did suck out a bunch of junk....pretty neat, and wild looking. I couldn't find the camera or I would've taken pictures of us doing it! Has anyone else tried them before???? By the way Kristy.....how's THREE posts in one day?????? Ha! Now I'm in the clear for at least 2 months! YESSSSS!

Oops!

2007-04-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

I just pulled Jared out of our OTHER toilet! *grin* Boys!

Lifeguard Duty....

2007-04-10T07:01:00.000-07:00

I just fished my 8 month old son out of the toilet for the first time.....he is now o'fish-ally a boy! OK, so maybe girls do that toowhen they are babies.....but we don't admit to it. Fortunately he was just splashing with his hands and hasn't managed to climb in entirely yet. It was the splashing that caught my attention... Some other things that are favourite pastimes of his are.....eating flip-flops or shoes, consuming dirt piles while someone sweeps, oh, and he loves to suck on dirty flannels/washrags. Like momma it usually involves eating! (Only my tastes are a little more refined....like vegemite for example)

It's snowing outside.....

2007-04-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

Big fluffy falkes of snow are drifting down outside my window.....they sure are pretty....only I am having a hard time enjoying them, as I am hoping that it doesn't ruin all my baby peaches on my tree! Anybody know if it will? Our dog is outside freezing.....she's not the smartest of critters, as she has a perfectly good doghouse.....dumb dog! We are supposed to have two days like this, and then back up to about 70* on Monday! Then that should be it.....I hope. Last night was the final night of our Bible study meetings....they went very well. We didn't have that many "extras" show up, but it was a great time just the same. With today being so cold it has me in a "comfort food" mood. So....I have fruit bread baking in the bread machine, and I plan on making, or at least attempting to make, Carne Guisada for supper......Back again.....finished my CG and it turned out great! We'll have it with guacamole, mexican rice, refried beans, tortillas, and have a mexican feast! We all love mexican food. We have Alec and Hayden tonight as well. This week we start on the yard. I just finished ordering my bluberries, blackberries, tangerine, grapefruit etc.....plants! The rest, mostly veggies, we'll get local. Anyway, I'll try to keep in touch! By the way, this actually is my second post....the first one about a week ago, got "lost" somehow when i tried to publish it.

I Must Be Getting Old...

2007-03-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

...my firstborn turns seven today...

Lydia Hannah

A glimpse into our busy life....

2007-03-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

Life with four kids is always busy! Plus it's spring time, and we are outside, and trying to get things looking nice now! I am going to hopefully have a raised garden bed around a good part of the yard, maybe sod/turf it. I am also adding some more fruit trees. One is a fruit cocktail tree which is where they graft different fruit bearing branches into a stock so that you can grow a variety on one tree when you don't have much space. I have also ordered a Lil' Big Apple tree especially for the kids.....they only grow 6' tall, but produce a lot of apples. We'll see how they go. I am getting bush cherries too. (I don't think I can fit anymore trees!) And patio blueberry plants, and strawberries, and we're hoping to plant a bunch of veggies etc. Can you tell I've got spring fever!!! :) I am just so ready to have the back yard usable, and pretty. And seeing as I love flowers and fruit, I am trying to make it as productive as possible. My peach, and pear trees are starting to blossom....they are so pretty. My apricot hasn't done a whole lot yet. I just hope we don't get a freeze now, or they'll drop their blossoms and there goes my fruit! I took a deep breath and hacked away at my roses, and they have taken off, and are looking real healthy again. They were looking real 'wild' and kinda sick. The weather has been sooooo pretty. What has it been like for everybody over there? What have you all been up to? I hope that I didn't bore you with all my 'gardening talk'. :) Dandi is busy with her schooling, and we are all learning.....some of it we might rather be ignorant about....but that's all in Chapter 21! She is a walking Anatomy book right now! I sometimes help quiz her before her tests....it's fun, but down right tongue twistin'! It's spring break this week....she's heading of to visit relatives in Lubbock and Wichita Falls. Heath will be working so we'll just be here, and then after spring break I am figuring on starting Jordan on his ABCs. So then life will be REALLY hectic! Right now I need a maid! I need someone to get on top of all my housework so that i can go outside and stay outside! Kay and Harley are still looking at moving down here....maybe?

We are going to be having some meetings here at the church come the first week of April. Heath has the kids out cleaning up around the church at the moment. The Clark family came to church last Sunday which was really exciting. We haven't seen them in a while, other than a visit back a couple of months at the house. They are a real sweet family. We have also had a young lady (Sharon) coming, she goes to ACU, and is from N.M. She is really nice, and we really enjoy her. A friend of Dandi's came last week too. Now, all we need is for all the folks from Aus. to come visit!

I am hoping that we can squeeze in some camping this year as well. It's nice and cheap but great family fun. I'd also like to learn to do canning and preserving stuff. I want my yard to be a good learning tool as well!

Anyway, that's about all the news for now....! I'll probably do more blogging and try to cut down on my emailing (OK, so maybe that's not possible!!!), at least my emails will be more answering questions, and the blog more for general updating for everone.....I just don't seem to ever have much time!

OK! OK!

2007-03-05T18:10:00.000-08:00

Due to my dear sister complaining that I haven't been posting enough, I am now attempting to post! Forget the fact that I have a baby yelling under the desk. (he is entirely spoiled rotten! but boy is he cute!) :) Jared is CRAWLING.....no longer army style, but hands-and-knees crawling. Sometimes it's a little out of sync (sp?), which gets real cute but he is now mobile.....which also translates into starting to follow Mommy.....! We just got back from the State Park, where we went fishing....this time Jordan was the only one to catch anything

Still Alive and Kicking!

2007-02-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long absence! We are all alive though not all well. I've had everybody down with the flu except me....thankfully, as I am Nurse! Jared is thankfully doing very well, which is an answer to prayer, as he has been our main concern, due to his age. Jordan is the most miserable.....he was first to come down with it, last Saturday, and is still the hardest hit with fever etc. Pray that everyone gets better soon! Will try to do better with my posts..... :)

Rasberries galore....

2007-01-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

Well, as I mentioned in my last post...Jared has graduated to the world of baby food, and his favourite game at the moment is blowing rasberries....Well, he decided to try and combine the two tonight, and welllllll it didn't quite work out....or I guess that might depend on who you ask! He sure had fun! The picture on here is where he tried it as soon as I got the spoon to his mouth....he loves his food!

New hair-do and teeth!

2007-01-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

OK, OK, the new teeth are not mine, but yes I finally braved the salon and got my hair done! And no, I'm not telling you what I had done! Yes, Heath decided that he liked it....or at least it passes...no, he did say it was nice..........but yes, his eyebrows did elevate slightly at his initial viewing of it...OK, I guess I'd better go ahead and tell you after all....as it would send my dear sister into shock if I actually had to post twice in the same day! Oh, the new teeth or should I say tooth belongs to Heath.....I mean, Jared! ;) Yes, he cut his first tooth today, which puts him as the earliest of our little ones to cut a tooth....the others were all around 6 months. He can also sit up now! And although I shouldn't admit to this....he's also the earliest to start on baby food....Oh, and did I tell you I got my hair spiral permed? :)

CAUGHT BLACK-HANDED!

2007-01-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

Heading to the living room to see why I was being summoned....I had to laugh to see the reason, as Jared had rolled over and found some newspaper and proceeded to try and eat it. There was no way he could plead not guilty, for both his hands and face were black! He looked too cute! :) Today is Sunday, and we had a good time this morning. One of Heath's work mates came along to church with his little girl, so that was encouraging! We ate together as usual, and are now at home, having a relatively peaceful afternoon. Jared is a firm momma's boy....I have passed him to Heath at times and he has pitched a fit! However, he has improved a little over the past couple of days....maybe due to spending more time around his Daddy? All the kids are doing great.....OK Jared is yelling, but other than that!

Overdue G'day!

2007-01-02T07:01:00.000-08:00

It has been so long since I have been on here! Figured I'd better stop in and say G'day to y'all! :)
We have all been hanging in here, and staying soooo busy. Lydia has just got over having strep throat, and Jared has had a cold. I am now starting to try and get him to sleep through the night....wish me all the best! Heath has gone back to working in the construction field as well as preaching....so he's a little tired these days! New years eve we got woke up at midnight with fireworks across the street and me and Jekkie watched, through the window, till the cops came. Yesterday, was the first day of 2007 and we 'celebrated' with housework....and then went to Dandi's for Navaho tacos....they were soooo good. ;) Today is just a run'o'the'mill day. Schooling, housework....maybe, some sewing. I need to sew the girls some nighties, but what I really want to sew is some old fashioned dress-ups. I have patterns for "prairie" dresses and bonnets. Hope everyone else is doing great and that y'all have a wonderful year.

Just Me! :)

2006-12-21T03:07:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted anything for a while, so I thought y'all might like to see some pics of "the real me"! :) These pictures are from our trip Down Under last month.

When I'm hungry, I'll try anything!

I know, y'all thought it was the men that never grow up...

Quick update!

2006-12-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

For anyone that doesn't know....we just got back from visiting my family in Australia, and we are now trying to get back into some kind of order! We are still missing one suitcase which unfortunately has most of our Aussie souveneirs in it. Hopefully it will show up soon. All has been going well other than the fact that Jared woke up screaming from his nap, and has a fever.... :( He's not feeling so great. Other than that we are all doing great. The kids are doing well, and I think we are going to wait till next week to start back at school. Today was a busy day trying get my house clean and get some clean clothes.....Tomorrow I have to attack my room. I am supposed to meet Carol (my midwife) and Dandi (sister in law) for lunch at Los Arcos.....my first Mexican meal since I've been back.....it'd better be good! Heath has the kids minus Jared.....so it should be fun, as long as J3 is feeling better. Then to Dandi's for supper (tea).....that will be great. TTYS!

Welcome!

2006-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog and thanks for visiting my little spot in cyberspace. I'm not the most regular e-mailer (just ask my older sister!), so don't have any aspirations about my dedication as a blogger. :) I do hope to be able to use it as an easy way to update my family in Australia more regularly (yep, cheating...), so we can hope.

My wonderful sister, Kristy, set this up for me. What would I ever do without her?! I'm sure I will need her assistance much more in the days to come as I make this blog "my own".

Hopefully, I'll be back soon with more...watch this space!