Evil Breeds Evil!

I have to share this story, one because this happened to our church and because my husband was on TV!! :) VERY PROUD of Sean!

Police Investigate Rash of 900 Sex Line Calls

CREAL SPRINGS-Residents in one Williamson County town are receiving enormous phone bills, that have been inflated with thousands of dollars worth of calls to sex lines. Police say someone is tapping into to the phone lines and homes and churches.

So church leaders at the First Baptist, United Methodist and the Assembly of God Church in Creal Springs have noticed big phone bills. The calls are to numbers they know they didn't make.

"Those charges are to 900 numbers which are sex numbers," said Creal Springs police chief Phil Jeralds. He believes someone is breaking into the junction box outside of buildings, plugging in their phone and running a line to a nearby vehicle where the calls are made.

"That's one sick mind in my opinion," said Pastor Sean Kelly from the Creal Springs Assembly of God.

On the say he opened the bill, he was shocked. "We open this up and our eyes are just so wide. We open this one bill which we've never seen before this company it's almost a $500 long distance bill."

During the investigation, police found that residential lines had been tapped too. So far the tab for this sex chatting has amounted to more than $4,000. Customers are working with phone companies to see how much they'll be forced to pay.

"That money has got to come from somewhere you want it to go to help people you don't want that to go to you know, this," said Pastor Kelly.

He says he'll continue to pray for the suspects.

"They need to come forward and make things look right they're ripping off phone companies making churches look bad and ripping off people that are giving to God."

To avoid having your phone tapped, police say you should put a lock on your outdoor junction box. Or have 900 numbers blocked on your phone. And keep a close eye on your bill.

My LIttle Builder

Kristofer loves to buid things. He takes the most unusual items and creates all sorts of robots and creatures. Well for Christmas I told my mom that he was really getting into using legos and k'nexs. He loves to create things. So she got Kristofer a dinosaur lego kit. It can make 3 different dinosaurs. Well the other night he started to build the t'rex. He worked up till bedtime and I told him he could continue in the morning. I went to bed and around 4 AM I heard the tv on. I got up and what did I find? Kristofer working hard at his project. When asked why he was up he told me he couldn't sleep till his work was done. UGH! I got him to go back to bed and thankfully the kids are out for Christmas break becuase he slept till 10AM.

Here are a few pictures of his creation:

Vacation

Jaron and Izzy settled in for a long journey home to Florida!

Izzy is such an addict to playing fetch and having her ball that she

wanted to play fetch in the van!

Well I am finally able to post. It has been very a very busy few weeks. In fact last week our family was FINALLY able to go on a week long vacation. Through the help of friends and family we were able to head south and bask in the warm Florida sunshine. My kids who all were born in Florida and were very close to their cousins there had not been home to Florida since my sister was married 2 and a half years ago. It may not seem like a long time to you but in that time period my kids have grown and their minds have expanded and forgotten their cousins faces.

We went Sunday and the kids ate lunch with their cousins at my sister's house.

It wasn't planned that they would eat with them but Jen was so kind as to feed

mine as well :)! Cherished memories they will have sitting around that table

laughing and eating mac-n-cheese.

Kamiya, who is now three and Sara had a great time playing together!

The last time we saw Kamiya she was a baby! She was born just weeks

after we moved here to IL 3 years ago.

Unfortunately we have not been as close to Sean's family. Not that we haven't wanted to be, it's just the miles that have separated us are way too many. When you live on a shoe string budget you drive to your destination and not fly. So driving 15 hours south is much faster than driving 24 hours. My parents are blessed to continue to live in the home I grew up in, a large 5 bedroom home. So they always have room for us to come and camp out in one or two of the rooms. Which is such a blessing to us, to not have to pay for a hotel! On our budget camping out on air mattresses is so much cheaper than sleeping in a hotel! That will change soon though, my parents plan to sell the house and move into something smaller, which will be a sad day for our family but a much needed one for my parents. Aiden, Eli and Kristofer best little buddies when they

were younger...they had so much fun playing together this week!!!

So last week we spent the whole time being with my family and spending time with our friends. There were many highlights to the week. One of the best for me was getting to spend the day with my sister Jeanette, my mom and Sara. We took a day to do girl things. i am not sure who had more fun; Sara or my Mom! We went and had pedicures...Sara loved it!! : ) Training her right as my sister would say! Then we went shopping for earrings. Yep my baby girl got her ears pierced, YAY! Her Aunt Nennie (Jeanette) did it for her the day before. Then we went to lunch at Panera! I love Panera!!!

Another highlight of the trip was a planned trip to Tampa to visit my dear friend Michele from An Adoptive Family's Life. Michele and I have been friends since high school but in the past 3 years we have grown closer and have seen each other through some tough times. Sure we may not be in the same state but we talk all the time on Facebook and we pray and fast for each other all the time. But not only did we get to spend time with Michele but also a dear friend of mine who I met through Michele. I have talked about and sent you, my readers, many times to her site...Pastor Deanna Shrodes. I can't tell you how much Sean and I enjoyed spending time with Michele & Marcus (her son), Deanna, and her husband Larry and their daughter Savannah. Our kids chose to spend more time with their Grandparents and who could blame them! We both were so blessed to just sit and talk with them. Larry poured into us in a great way and we are so blessed to have been able to worship at their church later that night! The time spent with them was so short but so cherished!Earlier that week we went and spent time with some other cherished friends, Troy and Ellen French. They were on staff with us at Venice Assembly of God and had been the youth pastors. Our boys, Kristofer and Garrett are the same ages. We love spending time with them! Ellen made sugar cookies and the kids had a ball decorating the cookies.In fact Sara had such a grand time decorating that we had to take a picture of this creation. We call it "Find the Cookies" : )

One of my favorite places in Venice Florida is the South Jetty. The kids really enjoyed being ale to climb on the rocks and Eli spotted a dolphin swimming near the rocks as well. It was beautiful. Was coming out of the water from nose to tail. The kids really loved that. Earlier that week my parents took them to the beach where they were able to find all kinds of shells and sea urchins and even some coral. I have the job of bleaching them now...they stink (coral and sea urchins) but the memories they now have are priceless!

Splish Splash

Tonight while I was preparing to do dishes I had my bird Baby on my shoulder. Well as soon as I turned the water on she climbed down my shirt and got right in the pan of water. At first I thought she wanted a drink but of which she did, but then it became a full fledge bath. She was so happy just splish splashing. She played in the water for a good ten minutes which gave us a chance to find the camera and take these pictures. I love my bird and she loves me, knows my voice and really responds to me. She loves to just sit with her head agaist my cheek. She is the best bird! = - )

Silent Monks

Amazing Talent

Saw this video on my friend Deanna's blog. I had to repost it here...it will leave you speechless!

Happy Thanksgiving

"AHHH....I'm stuffed!" Just what the cook wants to hear. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! For the last couple of years we have celebrated this day sparingly. Two years ago we drove to KY to spend time with our friends and family there. Last year I made a turkey but none of the other delights for the day, Sean had to work and the kids could of cared less about what we ate as long as they got to eat.

But this year...like years past we have much to celebrate! We are so thankful for all of the many things God has blessed us with! This year we had a wonderful friend of ours over for dinner as well. Ken and Darlene have been great friends and have poured their love on us and our children in great and small ways. Darlene went to Chicago to be with her niece who just had eye surgery due to complications with diabetes. Keep her in prayer, the doctor is unsure if she will ever see again and she is only 24! So we had Ken come and have dinner with us. He is a joy to be around, full of life and laughter. In fact I have mentioned them before, and our family fall pics were taken in their back yard. The live on the lake and it is just breathtaking there. They have their home for sale right now so if anyone is interested in a lake front 3 bedroom 2 bath home with boat dock in southern Illinois let me know.

Anyway, I made all the typical yummy foods....

Herb (Mrs Dash Chicken Herbs Seasoning) Roasted turkey

Mashed Taters

Cranberry Stuffing

Gravy

Broccoli Casserole

Candied Sweet potatoes

Fresh Green beans

Fresh Cranberry sauce

Biscuits

Veggie Tray with dip

Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Pies

Oh and can't forget the Cheetos. Yes the kids, well two of them anyway had Cheetos with their turkey. Sara and Eli enjoyed helping me skin the potatoes and sweet potatoes. Sara really loved helping me prepared dinner today. I know that I will cherish today's time of teaching her how to peel the potatoes and watching her has she tried to teach Eli!

I have to say this year was the best Thanksgiving dinner we have had in a long time! One because of great food and company but even more so because all the diaper heads sat at the table...including Kristofer. As most of you who read my blog know, Kristofer is on the autism spectrum and has many sensory issues. Part of his sensory issues deal with oral issues, he can not stand certain textured foods and the smell and sights of some foods sends him into orbit and causes him to start gagging. Eating lunch at school (brings his lunch) has given him much practice about looking down at his own food so as not to gag or be grossed out. Normally when we eat dinner he usually eats super fast or not at the table. Today for the first time, he was able to sit with us at the table and not gag. There was no screaming, whining or complaining at all from him. YAY! It was a peaceful dinner! It was great.

Oh we have gone out to dinner and he has done well but that is usually because we are all eating the same thing as him (pizza or chicken & fries, ect). But today he chose to sit in front of the broccoli casserole and mashed taters...two things that normally send him gagging and running to the bathroom. I thank God for helping Kris be able to remember to use his social stories and remember to look down or away from the things that gross him out. It was pure heaven to have everyone sitting and enjoy their dinner and participating in the conversations.

This week we put the tree up and I painted and created a new ornament for SeanPatrick. Something I haven't done at all. All the kids have pics of them from their 1st Christmas on the tree. Well this year I decided I wanted a pic of every one of my precious children on the tree. Here is a picture of the ornament I made for SeanPatrick...

You can also see a little bit of the popcorn and cranberry garland Sara and I made. We had a great time last night stringing the popcorn and berries. I plan to make another strand or two to make the tree look fuller. The tree is a bit lopsided and bare despite the ornaments. Next year I hope to get a real tree. This year we were planning to but we are going to Florida for vacation, unfortunately not at Christmas, before hand but we are thankful we get to go. It's been 3 years since the kids have been back to Florida. They are so excited! Anyway we decided to save the money we would have spent to get a tree and use it to go to Florida. I think its a great trade.

Happy Birthday SeanPatrick

Today 12 years ago our precious little boy SeanPatrick was born quiet on this earth but rejoicing in heaven in Jesus' arms. The joy and pain of that day is still as fresh as if it was today. How I wish I could hold him close again, how I wish he was here to be the big brother to Jaron and the rest of my diaperheads. Two years ago I posted the whole story about our precious little guy. If you want to read about him go here. This year his birthday sorta crept up on me. I knew it was coming, a momma never forgets their baby's birthday even those in heaven. But this year I guess I have been so busy with ministry and the excitement that we get to go home on vacation for a week that I just haven't thought about taking time to plan something special for this day. I was listening to the radio the other day and the song below came on. They were doing an interview about the song and when it played it hit me so hard I lost it. I bawled my eyes out listening to the interview and the song. I have to warn you if you listen to the song you may need tissues. I just have to declare that even if I had known the outcome of SeanPatrick's life I would have carried him the whole time! Memorizing the hiccups, kicks and movements. I cherish those memories more than anyone could every know. I remember every detail of his birthday, the cold rainy day, the smells outside and inside the hospital. I remember how he felt in my arms and how wide his hands were...Jaron had wide hands like his big brother.
SeanPatrick Eugene Kelly, I love you baby boy! Happy Birthday! I hope you are having fun dancing on streets of gold, running through fields of sweet grass and flowers and most importantly are enjoying the warm embrace of Jesus today.






I Will Carry You
by Selah

There were photographs I wanted to take
Things I wanted to show you
Sing sweet lullabies, wipe your teary eyes
Who could love you like this?
People say that I am brave but I'm not
Truth is I'm barely hanging on
But there's a greater story
Written long before me
Because He loves you like this

So I will carry you
While your heart beats here
Long beyond the empty cradle
Through the coming years
I will carry you
All my life
And I will praise the One who's chosen me
To carry you

Such a short time
Such a long road
All this madness
But I know
That the silence
Has brought me to His voice
And He says

I've shown her (HIS) photographs of time beginning
Walked her (HIM) through the parted seas
Angel lullabies, no more teary eyes
Who could love her (HIM)like this?

I will carry you
While your heart beats here
Long beyond the empty cradle
Through the coming years
I will carry you
All your life
And I will praise the One who's chosen Me
To carry you

*I added (HIM)

Fall Fun

What a fantastic family we have been so blessed with!

My wonderful Diaperheads! They are growing up way too fast! This was taken at some friend's house Friday. That is their dog Cloe in the back. Cloe is a black shepherd and she loves the kids! She climbs up in the van when we come every by every time!
Kris and Sara were rolling this pumpking down into the leaves and then the other would go searching for it. They had a blast doing that.

Kristofer's favorite spot in Ken and Darlene's back yard!

Our little model!

School pictures

So I haven't been writing. To be honest I just haven't been in the mood to. I have so many other fires burning that I just haven't been all that interested in writing. But I will get back to it I am sure. I wanted to share some recent pictures. The kids had their school pics taken in Sept. We didn't purchase them but every student regardless of whether they are purchased receives an ID card with their pics on it. So I scaned and cropped them so I could share. Not the best but relatively recent. I am hoping that this week I can take the kids to a friends house that sits on the lake and take some fun fall pics. We shall see what the week holds for us.

Oh an announcement must be mentioned! The last week of Oct. Sara lost not just one tooth but both bottom teeth! She was SO excited! The 2nd one came out during our Fall Festival at church while she was apple bobbing. She thinks its wonderful that she lost them before Eli has. Eli has always been a little but farther along in developement than she is. So this is a first for her.

A variety of things ...

Ok so again I have been super busy and to be quite honest just not in the mood to write. Sorta been over whelmed with activities, family things and just stuff with the kids. But I wanted to post this link



And give you all some great links to Pastor Deanna Shrodes site. She is continuing the "Just Say It" Series and I want you to read it. I meant to post what she had written last week but never got around to it. So instead I am going to give you links to each topic. Make sure you check them out, there is so great stuff there!

Just Say It Series :

Honoring Your Pastor
Before and After Church Bombardment
How to Help Your Pastor when they are Bombarded
People will be held Accountable for How They Treat the Pastor's Children

Deanna is continuing the series so keep checking her blog. I will try to keep links to them coming your way. For now I have a house that is screaming in pain because it needs to be cleaned! So I am off of her for now.

Just Say It Series - "Are You A Trash Can?"

Pastor Deanna Shrodes has hit the nail on the head today! WOW! I hope you "hear" what she is saying today. I am dealing with the "trash talk" this week! Let me say this right now just to get it off my chest...I AM NOT PERFECT! Let me say that again, "I AM NOT PERFECT!" Wow imagine that, the Pastor's wife is not perfect! Hmmm now I feel a little better. I was told a few hurtful things this week that someone has said about me, I wish this person had stopped the conversation but instead she gave a 'listening ear" and then shared it with me. How is that supporting your pastors I don't know! But this is another blog for another time. Just read what PD has to say about this! Pastor Deanna I love your honesty and openness!

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"Are You a Trash Can?"

If you listen to people talk about your pastor in a negative fashion, you are not special.

Please realize this. Even if you don't respond to the trash talk and you are just "giving a listening ear", you are not being trusted with the information because you are respected, or revered. The truth is, the person gossiping about your pastor admires you as much as they do a trash can.

Sometimes people in the church will come to the pastor and say, "You know Pastor, Sally said some things to me the other day that were on her heart about you and about the church, and she trusted me with her feelings on all of this. She feels comfortable in sharing with me out of concern and asked me to pray about it, because I've been here at the church for a while, and well, she trusts me. I just feel that it would be a good idea for me to tell you all of her complaints and see if you can change things so she'll be happy."

The truth is, Sally doesn't look to you as a trusted leader -- she looks to you as a trash receptacle. If I go to Busch Gardens and eat cotton candy and drink a soda and then take my trash to a stranger in the park and say, "excuse me, can I ask you to hold this for me?" does that mean I trust or respect them? No, it takes absolutely no trust in someone to hand them your rubbish. You don't even have to really know them. All you need to have is a person willing to stand there and take it. It takes no brains or wisdom to be a trash can. All you have to do is stand there.

Please, please, please realize that by listening to all of these complaints you are NOT bringing yourself to any level of greater esteem in the congregation, you are just showing your pastor your true colors. When you dump a bunch of this on your pastor, they aren't appreciative of it -- they have huge red flags about you. But most likely they aren't going to look at you and say, "Jenny, I've got your number..." (Hey, that could be a song...) But let me tell you, they DO have your number. When you keep regurgitating other people's junk back to your pastor they start to be extremely careful around you. Most of them wish they could tell you, they really do. But most likely they are not up for another power struggle, and they are way too exhausted. So let me let you in on this secret.

When anyone comes to me all the time with negative information that people in the church are saying, it doesn't signal to me that they are smart or respected or "in the know"...it signals to me that they have a problem. It signals to me that if they are not in leadership I should probably never put them there barring a complete transformation of the Holy Ghost. When someone constantly spits out bad things that others are saying about me or my husband, I realize they must be giving off vibes or even outright statements to others in the church that they can come to them and talk about us. What about them makes others so comfortable to pour out their trash to them? A trash can usually has a sign on it that signals to passersby that it is indeed a waste can. Many times it will just say, "WASTE" or TRASH". Are you wearing such a sign spiritually? Does everyone in your church know that they can come to you anytime and throw in their verbal trash?

Your pastor is not just anyone -- they are God's gift to the church! Before you think I'm just puffed up in the head or making up stuff please go read your Bibles. Turn to Ephesians 4:11. It says right there plain as day that the pastor is a gift to God's church. Some of you have treated your pastor as anything but a gift and in fact others of you have returned the gift back to where it came from. Some of you reading this have been part of a forced resignation at some point, I guarantee it. For shame. Please do not think you are trusted, special or esteemed in any way among men because you have chosen to listen to rubbish about the gift of God. Some of you don't verbally say it but you read emails or facebook comments that people write about your leaders. You may not post about it and chime in, but neither do you correct it. Edmund Burke once said, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." What do you do when people trash talk your pastor in person, on the phone, or on facebook? I'll tell you what you should do -- boldly confront the person and demand that they stop. Tell them that you will not just sit there and let them continue this evil unchallenged. I talked to a pastor and his precious wife the other day that deleted their facebooks because some former members were trashing them. I am telling you as sure as I'm standing here that if you are doing this and keep up the behavior you will split hell wide open some day.

I generally know who my closest supporters and loyal friends are in the church. They are those who tell me that no one ever dares tell them anything negative about me or my family. They would be too scared of the reaction from those who love me dearly, as well they should be. I'm telling you, when it comes to my dearest friends, no one in the world can tell me a bad thing about them. Not a thing. My hand would be up in two seconds flat silencing them and saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa...hold on there...you're talking about one of my dearest friends and I simply can't stand here and listen to you say these things..." The last thing I would do is listen for even a minute to anyone run down a friend of mine. I refuse to be anyone's waste basket. I'm not a trash can, I'm a daughter of God. As a daughter of God, I'm not a trash receptacle for junk -- on the contrary, I'm a pure vessel set apart for Him. I don't want any junk going in, or coming out.

Again some of you reading this probably wonder what my church people think who are reading this. The answer to that is, they've heard it all before straight from the pulpit, and this is pretty mild in comparison to many things I've said to our church along these lines. Many pastors will not be bold enough to tell you that if you listen to this stuff you are not special and in fact you are greatly deceived and in fact headed for destruction if you don't stop. But I have the nerve. So if you are trash talking your pastor or their spouse or kids, consider yourself informed and accountable for what you've just heard.

* I'll pick up this blog series this coming Monday-Thursday, and will be posting some other things Saturday and Sunday.

Just Say It Series

I was planning to post every part of the series that Deanna is doing about what Pastors want to say and think but I have decided I am just going to post links to it. I may post the entire blog a few times like I did yesterday but if you are really interested in what she has to say as I am go check her out over here.

"Just Say It!!!" ~ Guest Speaker, Deanna Shrodes

Ok here goes - My dear friend Deanna Shrodes is starting a new series and it's great! I wanted to share it with you and so each posting on this series she will be doing I will be posting on my blog. She is a wonderful minister and friend. I hope you enjoy, are challenged and that your eyes are open and have ears to hear on this subject!

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"Just Say It!!"

Writing a series of posts on this topic has been on my heart for a while but I was just pushed over the proverbial edge last week to do something about it, so here goes. Recently we ministered at a wonderful church and the service went great and afterwards the pastors said to us, "Thank you so much for coming in and saying what we can't say." I hear that all the time when I preach at places. I hear it from America, to Africa, from small towns to large ones. Now, let me say I totally understand. This is how I lived for all of our years in ministry until we came to Florida. And I don't look down on people nor blame them for feeling that way or running the church that way. Pastors who wait for a guest speaker to come in and say what they evidently can't say are in abundance and are also in a very tough situation. Let me tell you, church people have NO IDEA what pastors go through. Did you know a survey was done of the most stressful jobs in America and pastor came in at #2. [The number one spot went to dentists. Evidently a lot of them even commit suicide or have breakdowns. The reason given was because most people hate going to the dentist and so they are used to people dreading coming to see them. Also, they are doing tedious work in a small space - people's mouths - all day long.] Over the coming weeks, I am going to do some posts about what your pastor wishes they could just bring out in the open and tell you, but some fear to. I want to share with you the ins and outs of what makes some of them very stressed out and what you can do to help them. In our previous pastorate, we would go through difficult situations of various kinds, just as all pastors do. A few times a year we would have a guest speaker and although we wouldn't tell them the problems beforehand or ask them to address certain things, Larry and I would pray out hearts out that the visiting minister would come in and "say what we couldn't say." (Translation: say what we would say if we didn't have the threat of World War III breaking out in the church, or being forced to resign because we simply laid the issues honestly on the table.) I remember at a previous pastorate how we prayed and fasted for a season, believing for God to speak to a guest evangelist to deal with some things that were current problems in the church. One lady had been giving us serious issues for some time. There were even times she would inappropriately interrupt the service. One time she had the gall to approach the pulpit when my husband was ministering and said, "The Lord has told me to take this service in a different direction." Of course he didn't put up with that and told her to sit down. She did but she would push the envelope constantly and it was so draining to deal with. We prayed that the evangelist would get a Word from God and deal with this lady. Lo and behold he called her out right there in the service and dealt with her! He gave her a word of knowledge and said, "you are out from under the authority of the pastors and have a critical spirit and need to submit to the pastors and he leadership of this church." We hadn't told the evangelist anything. This was a total God thing. And, the service where this happened the lady said NOTHING to show her true colors-- she was just quietly sitting in her seat. When all this was happening I was playing the keyboard in the background as he ministered and it was everything I could do to not show emotions as all this happened. I kept a poker face, and just stood there and played when the evangelist corrected her but afterwards when we went home, I jumped up and down and was leaping and praising God. So, why didn't I just deal with her? We were in a political hornet's nest. We feared for our ministry, our family, our livelihood. It's the place where way too many pastors find themselves. So, when I moved to Florida I said, "never again." I am NOT going go all year long with unaddressed situations, afraid to say it like it is, just praying that a guest comes in and "says something I can't." I thought, "I'll say it like it is plain and simple, and if they don't like it, I'll resign and go be a greeter at Walmart and hand out smiley stickers." Seriously. I am NOT kidding. And that's how I've lived for the last 7+ years! Occasionally we have speakers come in who will say things in our church here like, "Now, I'm telling you folks this...your pastor would probably like to tell you this but he/she can't do that..." and our people look puzzled as if to say, "what are you talking about? There's really not much if anything that our pastors would not dare to say." I do realize that many pastors are understandably afraid.. They aren't ready to pack their U-Haul and start passing out the smiley stickers and go on government assistance and then explain to their kids that they have no money for school clothes or supplies simply because Daddy or Mommy had to speak the truth about something in church. I get it...really I do. But I'm not afraid anymore and haven't been for a long time. So here's what's up. I'm writing a series of posts coming up..."what your pastor wants to say but can't." This is going to be so fun. Because a lot of people who are church folks across the nation and beyond read this blog and hopefully it will open some eyes as to what your pastor really thinks but might not ever dare to tell you. For those who wonder what my church people are going to think reading these posts, not to worry...they've heard all this already -- and more. And, they seem to want to keep me around for a really long time despite it. Or maybe even because of it...

Just a few pictures

So here are a few pictures to show what I have been up to!

So one project was to repaint the bathroom. Top is before.

This is the after picture. It has totally brightened up this small bathroom!

I have started on a quilt. No I did not make this a friend gave me the top and bottom but I have started the process of putting the pieces together and can't wait till I have more time to set aside to put it together. Once I do I will be painting my bedroom a light green. I will post pics of that in the future.

One of the other projects was to take this material and make my new curtains for my dining room. I love them and think they are great!

This I painted for our church bulletin board. I really do love painting. Then there is always the newborn I am being momma too. Took these precious pics tonight. Mouse will be 2 weeks old tomorrow. His left eye is starting to open. YAY!

Yes he sucks his thumb!

Here I am!

Wow...I can't believe the time is flying by! I seriously thought I would have all kinds of time once the kids are in school. I know I have said this alot lately but seriously! So what's going on lately...hmmm well I am bottle feeding this precious little baby.

This is Mouse. A neighborhood cat gave birth and abandoned him. ( A long story about that so lets just keep it simple this morning!) Sara brought him in after 3 hours of no momma. Begging me to save him. "Please Mommy, save him. God doesn't want him to die!" So I have a new born in the house again. He is now two weeks old. Is precious and as much as I have tried I have fallen in love with him. He still does not have his eyes open but soon I believe. He was 2 ounces at birth and now weighs 6 ounces. So he is doing well. I on the other hand am exhausted most of the time. But it's worth it...I think!

Changes....yep changes are happening all around us. Fall is here, leaves are slowly starting to flip and the air is definitely crisp! I have began a journey that I am bound and determined to finish this time...losing weight. I have joined a women's fitness club and have been working out a few days a week. My goal is to work up to 5 days a week. I am taking it slow because I want my knee to adjust. OH THAT IS A HUGE PRAISE REPORT! The MRI I had in Sept showed NO NEW DAMAGE! Doctor can't explain why I had such terrible pain except that maybe I was over doing it on the exercise bike, so I am to keep it at no more than 5 miles a day and am to add weight lifting or resistance training. Of course I am excited about that! I am pushing forward, I realize this is a battle and ya know what its the one thing in my life that I have struggled with since I was 8 years old. No I am not kidding. But I will succeed. One day at a time one moment at a time...I will succeed! With God's strength!

This month is full of activity! We have nonstop events taking place at church. From cleaning the church from top to bottom, a wedding in our church, the fall festival for the kids, Fall Gathering (picnic at the lake -yes its cold but its fun to hanging around a bomb fire and sing praise to our Lord!!), and then comes Thanksgiving All Church Dinner, and follows with Christmas events. I am exhausted just thinking about it! I will be stopping in periodically to post what is going on with the kids and such. But there are so many things I need to be doing daily that I am having a hard time motivating myself to writing. We are taking the kids to a pumpkin patch in the next week or so and I will do my best to post pics. I know my family loves seeing new pictures of the kids.

Until next time!

Why did I drink a cup of coffee before bed!

So here I am in the wee hours of the morning...1:00 AM to be exact. What was I thinking drinking a cup of coffee before bed. I need to get some decafe for nights like this when I want coffee before bedtime. UGH! I am going to regret that coffee in the morning when the alarm is blaring and I have to get my wits together to get the kids up and out to school.

So it's been a while since I wrote a bit on here. I have been busy writing and doing so many different things. I seriously thought I would have more time to do more writing but have found that although I do have time because all four diaperheads are in shcool now, my time is taken with a variety of other small projects that just seem to appear out of now where. This week I plan to get the kids bathroom painted. I can't wait to get it started and done. I also plan to pick out some colors for our livingroom and bedroom. YAY!

This past week was an adventure. I was so flipping nervous over the dentist visit with Kristofer and Sara that I had terrible stomach pain. Kristofer had dental work done such as fillings and a couple root canals. OUCH! I was so nervous about how he was going to do, but he was fantastic! It helps that we had the whole church praying for him. I never know how Kris will do with different experiences but he was great! I know that the prayers helped. But I also know that the 10 mins. of waiting for the dentist to come in and the special visit of the chipmunk outside our window helped. This little chipmunk would come and stuff his cheeks full of sunflowers run off and come back for more. Kris was so fascinated with the little chipmunk and the birds I think they helped ease his mind. YAY GOD! We have to go back for a few more fillings in a month and I know he will do well.

Sara did fantastic as well. She is done and doesn't have to go back for another year for a cleaning. Which is fantastic! This week is Eli's turn. I am praying he does just as well as the others did.

Fall starts this week. I love this time of year! The weather is great, the leaves are starting to change and smells of fall are in the air. Can't wait for the colors to explode. I will definitely be posting fall pictures!

My Amazing little Girl!

Jaron the fearless bike riding teacher!

There she goes...faster than a speeding bullet...or bike rider...LOL!

My favorite time of day...snuggle time!
Gotta show that ferocious side ya know! GRRRRR!