20 things to remember...

for the new year, new decade, and life in general...

1. Get to know the real you - your strengths, your weaknesses, your values beliefs, things you hold dear.

2. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

3. Work at something you enjoy and that's worthy of your time.

4. Be forgiving of yourself and others.

5. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

6. Be generous.

7. Have a grateful heart.

8. Try to always view the glass as half full - not half empty.

9. When sorrow or misfortune strike ask yourself, "Do I want to be bitter or get better?"

10. Persistence, persistence, persistence.

11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.

12. Commit yourself to quality.

13. Happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige but on relationships with people you love and respect.

14. Be honest.

15. Be a self starter.

16. Be decisive even it means you might sometimes be wrong.

17. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.

18. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.

19. Take good care of the ones you love.

20. Treat everyone you meet the way you would like to be treated.

welcome 20-oh-10!!!

welcoming the new year properly...




hubby lighting sparklers for elisa and friends...




elisa and friends barely stopping for a picture...crazy running around commenced shortly!



my "resolution" is to set some attainable goals and work toward reaching them. more info on this to come...

christmas 09 in review...

the christmas season seemed to come and go, way too quickly for my liking. we started off on a good note, trying to get decorations up the weekend after thanksgiving, and all seemed to be going smoothly until "life" threw in some monkey wrenches and tried to steal my joy, turning me into a grinch...but we recovered pretty well even though i didn't accomplish everything i had hoped.

"the peanut butter fudge fiasco of '09" will be one thing that will never be forgotten from this holiday season in our home. elisa was reading the recipe to me and i misunderstood her interpretation of "1/2 c." when she said "one one-half cups"...i thought she said 1 1/2 c. and the rest is history...i ended up making a sextuple batch, rather than just a double batch. (see picture below...7 pans of pb fudge!!!)


i made a deal with nick that if we "only" made two pies for thanksgiving (pecan and fresh pumpkin), that i would make a pie a week for the rest of the holiday season. we had two mince pies with hard sauce, a strawberry rhubarb, a ham/apple pie (christmas dinner leftovers...so good!), and have yet to make an apple pie and one more pecan. they all turned out really yummy and didn't last long around here!

elisa is in the chorus at her school, and she was picked to sing a solo for their "winter concert" (yes, it's a public school, so we "must" be pc). they sang at the mall in front of the gigantical christmas tree, in between their amazing light shows. their school concert was the next evening and she totally rocked her solo the second time because she wasn't as nervous as the first time through. a couple of weeks later she was the narrator for the christmas program at church, and she did an awesome job. (i stayed up until 2 a.m. finishing her skirt for the program...it's so pretty i am making one for me next year!)


the local chamber had a tree-lighting community event, with a visit from santa and mrs. claus...we "had" to get a pic of all of the kids together, because "you don't get gifts from santa if you don't believe"...


soccer took up a LOT of our time this year, between starting a new team for the travel rec league, to practices and games for two players/teams, to all of the "business" that comes up when involved in coaching such teams. we have had a great time watching the kids play, but i have thoroughly enjoyed having almost 2 weeks off from games and practices.

christmas eve we enjoyed a worship service at church as a family, it was nice stopping and really reflecting on the true meaning of the season, remembering that jesus was sent to the world to redeem us all. we ended the evening with our tradition of eating lefse, smoked salmon, and drinking glogg after lighting all of the candles on our family advent wreath. everyone went on a gift-wrapping tangent before bed, then we read "a visit from st. nicholas" as we do every christmas eve, just before putting out milk and cookies for santa and heading to bed.

christmas morning was spent hanging out in jammies as we opened gifts. the best reaction from thad was when he saw his inflated "car" ball pit. "ooooooooh" was so cute coming from his mouth, and the look on his face was priceless! we hung out playing "rock star 2" and then made dinner which consisted of glazed spiral ham, "arkansas" green beans which is waaaaay better than the common green bean casserole, it's a must-have dish for our family throughout the year now!

most of the break so far has been spent enjoying time with the fam, but we still have over a week left, so i'm sure it will continue to be relaxing and hopefully the kids will continue getting along and not end up being too stir-crazy...we'll see.

autumn in the country...

our church goes on an annual retreat every fall at the lakewood retreat center. here are a couple of pics i got of thad...the older two were too busy doing all of the fun stuff there for me to get pictures, or was i too busy doing fun stuff? human foosball is the yearly highlight, and thad is watching the kids' game in one of these to follow...

thankfulness...

we had an amazing thanksgiving, hanging out at home. jerry grilled the turkey, we had sweet potato, corn and green bean casseroles, homemade cranberry sauce, fresh pumpkin pie, and pecan pie...yumminess!

for the month of november, i posted "thankful thoughts" on facebook. since i didn't blog much, i thought i would add those posts to look back later on.

november in review...

I am thankful for my husband, he's amazing!

I am thankful to have the privilege to live in a country where I am free to speak my mind, free to worship however I see fit, and free to pursue happiness...thanks to all of the veterans of the past and those currently serving our country to keep these freedoms alive!!!

Just reminded of God's promises...never leaves or forsakes, and promises to take care of us...thanks to a rainbow I just saw in the sky!

I'm thankful for my kids, along with their quirks that drive me insane, and their illnesses/accidents that make life interesting...I know I'll miss all of the craziness once they're grown!

..."baby dude" is no longer a baby *tear*...I'm thankful that Thad is successfully sleeping in his "big boy" toddler bed tonight (the first night), since we had an unexpected need to disassemble the crib this evening. (sniff, sniff)

I am thankful for the beautiful weather we have had the past few days...and as it continues for today's soccer games. :)

I am thankful that I get to worship with my family today.

I am thankful for insurance to pay for my trip to the chiropractor today...and that pays for my kids' various ailments as they come up!

I'm thankful for my chiropractor for his amazing adjustment! I am still in pain, but at least I can sit comfortably AND stand up straight now! And...Nick got his allergy shot this afternoon, they all got flu vaccines, and we caught Thad's ear infection as it was starting. So yeah, thankful for the insurance AND the doctors!!! :)

I am thankful for the gift of hearing a little one's first words...yesterday's new word was "apple" and it was SOOOOO cute hearing Thad's little voice say it!

I am thankful for how much fun I have at school, being an "audience" makes it rather interesting and enjoyable! ;)

I am thankful for my soft, comfy bed...especially when I am exhausted and my back hurts, it's so snuggly with my big comforter and fluffy pillows. :)

I'm thankful for my beautiful daughter...she's so excited about her school chorus solo and her part in the church Christmas program...she's funny, loving, and does a great job at being an awesome big sister!

I'm thankful for my amazing teenage son...he's awesome with Thad, helps us out by babysitting, attempts to get along with his little sister...he's artistic and creative, and I am amazed that he is doing such a great job at teaching himself to play guitar!

I'm thankful for a short work week! Only two days this week, then a 5 day "weekend"...woohoo! :)

Thad is going to need surgery for a hernia. Surprisingly, I'm not stressed or overwhelmed, this is what my life has become between all of my kids and their injuries, illnesses, etc.--it is what it is, and God will take care of us just like He always has! :)

I am thankful for all of my amazing friends, I am truly blessed!

I am thankful for growing up in a loving home, having an awesome mom and dad to bring me up in church and teach me how to deal with life! (and thankful for getting to talk to my mom for awhile this evening too...love you Mom!!!)

I am thankful for God's provision for our family. He always provides everything we need, but not necessarily all of our "wants"...food, clothing, home, jobs, family..., friends...we are truly blessed and I am so thankful to Him for everything He has done for me!

the lost get found...

Lately God has been showing me a lot of things. Some that I need to change, some I need to let go of, and some that He has just taken care of for me. Life gets hard, we get down and yet He's still there for us, and it's just amazing.

The past couple of weeks have been an emotional and spiritual eye-opener for me, and I needed something to happen in a big way in both areas because I've allowed myself to get in a place where I put so many walls up that I was blocking out God too. Reconnecting with friends from the past, reconciling situations (even if just in my mind), and a lot of healing of old wounds. It's been amazing to see how God has been working in me so quickly and so thoroughly, teaching me to allow things to just fall on Him to take care of however He sees fit.

I learned again to wait on Him and see that He is good...when things didn't look like they were going well and I wanted to run far, far away, I made myself stay and trust that He would show me the answers I was seeking...and it is turning out to be good, and I can picture it becoming amazing once more.

Today I began stressing about some things that hadn't been weighing on me for a couple of weeks (and over which I have no control anyway), and then I saw this Britt Nicole video (see below) and was moved by the lyrics...
I remember when you were
So alive with your wide eyes
Then the light that you had in your heart was stolen
Now you say that it ain't worth stayin'
You wanna run but you're hesitatin'

Later this evening I saw a photo tribute to an amazing woman of God who recently was called Home to be with Him, and I just cried. She was an inspiration to me, and the biggest reason I followed the call to marry someone in ministry. Life is not easy, but God is in control. Finances, illness, relationships, the future...all are in His hands, and if we let Him, He will take care of us until He says it's time for us to go Home. After watching the photo tribute for Lynn, I was moved to tears to the point I was sobbing. Seeing the light in her eyes, even when facing untreatable cancer, pictures of her with her children as they were growing up from babies into men, and even in her bed with her grandchildren surrounding her, you could see the love and light just flowing from her as she lived in the moment...I want that!

I want to be a light to those around me, starting with my family. I want the light to be recognizable, even in pictures of me. And one day if someone feels inspired to put together a photo tribute to me, I want to be worthy of having it made because I made a difference in the lives of others in a big way, even if it's "quietly loud" the way Lynn lived her life. I have a t-shirt I got a few years back from a Planet Wisdom conference a few years back that simply says "Love Louder"...I think that says plenty.

The Lost Get Found
by Ben Glover & Britt Nicole

Hello my friend, I remember when you were
So alive with your wide eyes
Then the light that you had in your heart was stolen
Now you say that it ain't worth stayin'
You wanna run but you're hesitatin', I'm talkin' to me

Don't let your lights go down
Don't let your fire burn out
'Cause somewhere
Somebody needs a reason to believe

Why don't you rise up now?
Don't be afraid to stand out
That's how the lost get found
The lost get found

So when you get the chance, are you gonna take it?
There's a really big world at your fingertips
And you know you have the chance to change it...

Why do we go with the flow
Or take an easier road?
Why are we playin' it safe?
Love came to show us the way
Love is a chance we should take
I'm movin' out of the way...

So when you get the chance
Are you gonna take it?
There's a really big world at your fingertips
And you know you have the chance to change it

sam's club membership giveaway...

i love sam's club, and unfortunately have allowed my membership to expire. i came across a "tweet" about this giveaway and knew i "had" to enter! check it out if you could use a new membership...and good luck, because i am going to win this thing!!! ;)

GO HERE!!!

the insanity never ends...

if you want to see a few recent cool pictures of what we've been up to, check out our family blog. there are some cute pictures of thad at the beach, and other stuff too.

after my last post, elisabeth got sick and ended up in the hospital with a kidney infection for 5 days. my classes got put on the back burner, and i'm still catching up on some of them (and retaking two of them, thanks to a "wonderful" prof). then we had some other stuff come up that makes life "fun". then after all of that, thad rolled off the bed and ended up breaking his arm. (he'll be fine, just immobilized the humerus for 2 weeks, one week left to go.)

this week nick finished 8th grade, and then our friend came down from tennessee with his two boys. they "guys" all went to a rays' game on wednesday night, where they got to be eyewitnesses to zobrist hitting a grand slam. on thursday we headed to ft. desoto state park beach, and except for some bad burns (sunscreen must've been a dud batch), we had a great time. we went out to eat at a local seafood restaurant tonight, after getting ice cream at a quaint little old-fashioned place this afternoon. they leave tomorrow morning and we're heading back to the beach with some families of nick's classmates for another "8th grade celebration". should be another fun day.

but for now, time for bed!

i'm procrastinating...

somewhat anyway. i'm supposed to be doing schoolwork but i'm too stressed to think right now, so i figured if i came here to post it might help clear my head. i'm very behind on my classes, and i have one professor who seems to enjoy being a jerk, so i'm taking an f in his class and retaking it this summer (which means coming up with another $600 on top of the other class i have to take this summer). that leaves me with 6 classes, 18 credits, to try to get this semester. if i fail another class i think i'll go insane!

so today i'm looking for the main cd for one of my courses, the one that the final is based on, and it's nowhere to be found! i still can't find it and i can't "let it go" so i can focus on other stuff, so i've wasted half of my day looking for it, rather than getting stuff done. i'll be so glad when this whole school ordeal is over, i've taken and passed my teaching exams, and i've interviewed and been offered a teaching position, and the first paycheck is in the bank.

hopefully i'll be back to post better stuff soon...if i can stay sane long enough.

goodness, it's been a long month...

since i last posted. actually a little over a month now! sorry i've been m.i.a.

nick had to have sinus surgery again (he had it last april over spring break...which is where we are now, april and spring break...), the first one was on february 26th. he had polyps form in his nasal passageways and nearly close them off, so he also ended up with a staph and fungal infection in his sinuses. poor kid! two weeks later he went for procedure number 2 and they did a culture of his snot and found out he had pseudomonas bacterial infection in his sinuses and put him on cipro. four days into the treatment he developed weird vision changes where his eyes were seeing things in weird colors. we ended up having to take him to the optometrist to be checked for eye damage and changed his antibiotics. between all of that and school projects for both kids, it's been an interesting month to say the least!

...and now i'm behind on my class work and am desperately trying to catch up on everything. i'm almost caught up on three classes, am caught up fine on another, and have three others to work on...nothing like taking 7 college courses like an insane maniac, it's been interesting! my financial aid check finally came...and went quickly too. it was nice to be caught up on bills for a few weeks, now we're back to trying to juggle it all. i know everything will work out, so i'm not letting myself stress over it, it always works out one way or another.

so here we are on spring break (the kids are anyway) and it's chilly out, so we haven't headed to the beach like i'd hoped or done much of anything else. no biggie, there's plenty that needs done around here and there's not a lot of time for running around right now. i am hoping we can hit the beach this weekend though, it would be nice to get some great beach-y shots of the kids. thad's 7 months old now, it's high time the boy went to the beach!