Beautiful Flowers, Beautiful Girls and Camping

My girls picked me flowers this morning. Isn't that sweet?!

The vase is one that Kaycie made at a ceramics shop a couple of years ago. The flowers look perfect in it!

As for our camping trip, we had a great time. I could have stayed longer but the boys needed to get back for football practice. Bummer!!

The weather was good (only a couple little rain showers on Friday). And the time spent with family was wonderful. We:

-rode bikes

-sat around the campfire

-played board games

-roasted smores and banana boats

-swam in the lake

-took walks around the campground

-played a Jeapardy game at the campground ampitheater

-and just had a good time together.

I'm already looking forward to next year and our annual camping trip!

Here is Bear with Lindsey and my niece, Amaris:

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

For brethren to dwell together in unity!"

--- Psalm 133:1

Yikes!!!... Too Many Things on My List!!

We are heading out tomorrow morning for our final summer "hoorah". Our 2nd annual camping trip with my parents and some of my siblings.

My list is overflowing with things to accomplish today!

I've got to:

pack clothes for 5 people

make sure all the animals are set up while we are away

make potato salad

pack the food and camping gear

put together a lasagna and bake bread

make sure my camera is charged

get bikes and helmets aired up and loaded

clean out the ice chests

make sure all the flashlights and lanterns have batteries (preferably that work!)

drag out all the sleeping bags

find the boys' tent and pray it is not torn

run to store for last minute stuff

And on top of all the camping preparations, the boys start football practice tonight! uuuuggghhh!

One thing at a time, one thing at a time.... that's my saying for today!

I love checking things off the list.

So why am I sitting here at the computer?!....

Gotta go.... talk to ya all next week. bye --- bye!

"I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

May my meditation be sweet to Him;

I will be glad in the Lord."

---- Psalm 104: 33 & 34

No More Brace-Face.... Well, For Now

Before the braces came off.

And after the braces were off.

His teeth look great!

This poor guy, after 2 surgeries and 1.5 years with the braces on, he finally has some decent teeth.

This is only the end of Phase 1. Until all his adult teeth come in, he will have to wear a retainer at night. Then he will get a new complete set of braces to finish up the process... Phase 2.

Only Bear could mess up his mouth that bad at 3 years old! And then have to go through so much when he's older to fix it all.

Here he is showing me his fancy Oregon State retainer. Imagine that!
This boy keeps us on our toes!! There is never a dull moment with him.

"For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully

and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well."

--- Psalm 139: 13 & 14

Jam and Jars

There is something so saftisfying about getting food stored up in the pantry and freezer for your family to enjoy later!

I had been thinking about making some zucchini relish and finally got around to using up some zuc's that I had in the frig. Of course I have about 4 or 5 more out in the garden almost ready to be picked so I may make some more of this relish. Yummy! It was good even just eating out of the bowl when I had a tad left over after canning most of it.

And freezer jam... who doesn't LOVE freezer jam?!!

This kind is blackberry-strawberry. I also made blackberry-blueberry and some plain blackberry. We eat it on just about everything! Waffles, bagels, pancakes, ice cream, sandwiches, etc.

God has supplied such an abundance of food for us to enjoy on this earth!

"Then He will give the rain for your seed

With which you sow the ground,

And bread of the increase of the earth;

It will be fat and plentiful."

--- Isaiah 30 : 23

Homework Stations

I just got the newest issue of Family Fun magazine and actually found some things i'd like to try. Normally, i read through the issue and set it aside, I never really get around to making anything in it.This is a Homework Station. It's made using a tri-fold display board. One display board will make 2 stations.

I love this idea! I live in a small house with 4 kids (3 who have to do homework) and homework time becomes a stressful, chaotic routine on some days.

I'll have one kid at the dining room table, one at the kitchen counter, and another in a rocking chair in the family room. Which isn't always a bad thing until somebody needs a new pencil or a ruler and disrupts the other children still working.

These homework stations provide them with their own space and storage for supplies.

You glue (or sticky dot) 2 clothespins onto the board to use as a clip for weekly papers or reminders. You can apply a magnetic strip to hold a stapler, paper clips, scissors, etc. A small pencil pouch to keep extra pencils and erasers handy!

And the best part: they fold up, nice and neat, to be put away until the next day!!

I plan on trying this out... and hoping that it works to keep homework disruptions to a minimum!

You can check it out in more detail at Family Fun website.

"For God is not the author of confusion but of peace...

Let all things be done decently and in order."

--- 1 Corinthians 14: 33a & 40

Bible Quilt

Far Above Rubies Quilt made by Charlotte Bull.
Look what I stumbled across on the internet last night... a Bible quilt!


Each block has a name referring to a Bible scripture or story... I love that! Names like Jacob's Ladder, Children of Israel, Walls of Jericho, Sarai's Choice, etc.


Here is another example:
Made by Judy Anne Breneman.

Isn't that pretty?

I'm thinking that I'm gonna tackle one of these quilts and give it to someone special for Christmas (can't name names).

After the quilt is complete, I will iron transfer the name of the block along with the Bible verse or verses that match up with it onto the back.

The person I'm thinking of is going to love this!

Now to decide on colors. I love scrappy quilts so I'll probably do it that way but with a certain color theme to match this persons house.

If you want more info on this, check out this site.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet,

And a light to my path."

-- Psalm 119 : 105

Crabbing Day

Last week we made a "date" with my Dad to go crabbing at the docks in town.

We had such a good time. The crabbing wasn't great (we only ended up with about 20 Red Rocks) but we still enjoyed each other's company.

Do you see my little "Papa's Girl" in there?...

Lindsey liked watching the boats go by in the harbor.

Kaycie liked the sea lions swimming around.

And the boys had fun just tossing their fishin' lines in to catch little perch and bullheads. (none were keeper size).

I love this picture of my boys with their Grandpa...

And look what else we caught up in our crab pots!!...

A pretty, pink starfish! The girls agreed that it had to be a girl starfish because it was pink... ha ha. I don't know how to tell the sex of starfish... anybody know?

I just realized that I didn't even get a picture of the crabs that we caught. oh well.




"Speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
In whose hand is the life of every living thing,
And the breath of all mankind?"
--- Job 12: 8 -10

American Flag... Finally Done!!!

I have been working on this for MONTHS, off and on.

I was so scared I would mess it up... this is the one that was a gift from Amy , she sent me the pattern and fabric .... and I really, really did not want to ruin it!

So after some very helpful advice from Heather
and reading through Amy's binding tutorial (about 10 times!!), I've finally completed it!!

I love it! My favorite so far of anything I've completed.

I just did simple diagonal lines for the quilting.

(I have a question for you bloggers out there: how do you make a link attach to somebody's name? Like above in my post, how would I make Amy and Heather a link to their blogs without having to type the whole site address?)

UPDATE: THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EXPLAINED THE WHOLE LINK THINGY TO ME!! YOU ARE ALL SOOOO GREAT!!!

"The end of a thing is better than its beginning;

The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit."

---Ecclesiastes 7: 8

United We Stand.... Done!!

I finally finished Bear's quilt!!!

I like it but then I don't like it.... I'm such a "beginner". I know there are a bunch of "oopsie" spots but from far away you can't tell, right?

He loves it. I stayed up until 10:30 just trying to finish getting the corner bindings on by hand. I thought my finger was gonna start bleeding!! I told him he better think it's the best thing ever because it's definitely a "labor of love"!
I need to watch a really good tutorial on binding... any suggestions? That's where I need tons of help!!
The back is actually a dark, Army green.

"She watches over the ways of her household,

And does not eat the bread of idleness.....

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

And let her own works praise her in the gates."

--- Proverbs 31: 27 & 31

"Throw the Diet Out the Window" Meatloaf

My mother-in-law made this for us when we went to visit this past weekend.
Even my husband, who is not a big meatloaf fan, loved it!!
Try not to think of all the calories and fat, just pretend they don't even exist!

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf
courtesy of Paula Deen

1 lb ground chuck
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 oz sharp cheddar, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
___________
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tbsp mustard
3 oz french fried onions

Preheat oven to 350.
in large bowl, combine meat and next 8 ingredients. mix well.
in small bowl, combine ketchup and mustard. stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into the meat mixture. reserve the rest.
press meat into a 9x5x3 loaf pan. spread remaining ketchup mixture on top of loaf.
bake for 40 minutes. top with french fried onions. bake another 10-15 minutes or until meat is done.

Now, go ahead, take a big bite!
Remember: you are throwing the diet out the window today!! ha ha

" Nevertheless, He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."
-- Acts 14: 17