A Paleo Thanksgiving

There are so many things I am thankful for.  I'm thankful my husband is home again, thankful for healthy kids, thankful for friends and family who love us.  There are so many things that I can't even begin to list them all.  One thing that I am thankful for is eating Paleo.  I've been cooking Paleo since early September and I've learned a few things.

1. I'm gluten intolerant.  I had my suspicions before, but despite the blood tests coming up negative, eliminating it from my diet and bringing it back in is a big no-no.  My body cannot tolerate it.  Without cutting gluten I would not have known.

2. I like food.  I like good food.  I'm finding there are a lot of good recipes that are just plain delicious and are Paleo friendly.

3. Paleo cooking isn't hard.  Most of the meals I have made have been extremely easy.  The difficult part is saying no to the junk, finding substitutes for sugar, and my own personal problem -- alternates to all the coconut.  

Some research has had to happen on my part, especially when creating a meal like today.  Thanksgiving dinner for us was completely Paleo, except for some of the desserts.

In the picture above, starting at the top and going clockwise, turducken, ham, corn bread, maple bacon pecan butternut squash, green bean casserole, whipped sweet potatoes.

Everything on that plate is Paleo friendly.  The only thing that you can't see is the cranberry sauce that I made. Yes, I made it, in fact, I made everything from scratch.  Well, I didn't make the turducken, I just bought that from the farmer's market and cooked it, I did buy the ham as well, but everything else I made.  I'm not going to go into details on how I cooked everything so here are the recipe links to everything I made today:  **note any place coconut oil is used I used bacon fat.

Paleo Corn Bread

Maple Bacon Pecan Roasted Butternut Squash

Green Bean Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

The whipped sweet potatoes were easy.  I just boiled the sweet potatoes for a good long while and when they were cool enough to handle I peeled them and threw them in my crock pot.  I mashed them with a potato masher, poured a little almond milk in, and put a nice coating of cinnamon over the top.  Mix it all up and let it cook on low in the crock so it stayed warm for dinner.  Easy dish to prepare in advance and let sit in the crock.

Look at those!  Apple pie tartlets.  Completely Paleo friendly and super yummy!  My oven cooked a little hotter than the recipe needed, so I probably should have pulled them out a bit earlier.  But, it didn't hurt and we all still loved them.  You can find the recipe over at PaleoOMG.

Sooo good!  I did make a pumpkin pie using a walnut pie crust but it wasn't Paleo friendly.  It was gluten free, but with the molasses and brown sugar, we broke from the diet.  But I say I'm ok eating it because it's my Grandpop's recipe for pumpkin pie and I just can't eat pumpkin pie unless it is his.  It was different eating it with a walnut pie crust, but it was still really good. 

Overall, I have to say this is the first year that my stomach isn't hurting after eating all this food!  I don't feel sick or bloated, I feel good.  I actually feel ready for round 2!  

Sunday is Cheat Day

Sundays are a little different around here.  It's what my husband calls "cheat day."  You get to eat anything and everything you want.  There are no restrictions other than obviously I can't eat coconut since I'm allergic to it.  The idea behind this is if we know we have one day a week to satisfy our cravings for the non-Paleo stuff, we can hold out for the rest of the week and eat healthy, Paleo meals and snacks.

Our day started with the kids eating cereal for breakfast (with almond milk because that's all we had), the hubby had his normal eggs and bacon - a very happy Paleo breakfast, and I skipped because I don't eat before church due to my medication schedule.  We got our Starbucks fix before church, which is loaded with regular milk and whipped cream, very non-Paleo friendly.

For lunch we had pizza from Papa John's.  Papa John's is one of my husband's favorite pizza places and we finally had one open up close enough to deliver to us right after he left for his deployment to Kuwait.  So this was a real treat to get pizza from them for lunch.  We ended up with 3 pizzas, bacon on one, pepperoni and mushrooms on another, and the third had Roma tomatoes, and two types of sausage.  They were all mediums and we had less than 1 medium left over.  What can I say?  We love pizza.

Dinner was even worse than lunch.  We went out to Chili's.  A friend of mine went there this week and posted a picture of this amazing dessert and it has been on our minds all week.  Hubby had shrimp tacos with flour tortillas, I had the fajitas with steak, shrimp, and chicken -- more flour tortillas, the girl had quesadillas (I sense a theme with the tortillas), and the boy bucked the system and got chicken but it was breaded.  Still we were all bad.  And that was BEFORE dessert.  The kids split the molten lava peanut butter cup thing that they have going that we saw earlier in the week.  I had a bite, it was amazing!  Hubby and I split a skillet chocolate chip cookie with ice cream.  Yum!

Here we are Monday morning.  The girl woke up with a stomach ache, boy woke up grumpy.  I confess I have a bit of a stomach ache as well.  Don't know about my hubby, he had to go to a conference in Philly today so he left by 5:30 and I haven't talked to him.  I can honestly say that eating all that junk made the girl and I feel sick.  But really, eating all that dessert would have made me feel icky anyway.  One week of Paleo isn't a full test, I'll see how I do after this week and see how the upcoming "cheat day" treats us.  Hubby has already said that he wants to go to Olive Garden.  Oh, Olive Garden, how I love your mushroom ravioli and bread sticks!  

Happy and Sad

This last month has been great!  We completed our third quarter at school with both #2 and #3 receiving straight A's again.  #2 is very excited because if he gets straight A's all 4 marking periods, he'll receive a special medal from the cyber-school we attend.  #3 has to wait until next year before she is old enough to participate in that program.

#1 is doing well in her quest to drive.  Parallel parking was a snap for her and we just need a bit more practice on the road before we conquer the driving test.  She also registered at the local community college and will be taking her entrance exams next week.  Please keep her in your prayers!

#2 has transitioned extremely well into Boy Scouts.  He went on his first weekend-long camping trip with them and had a great time.  He's also helping several boys with their Eagle Scout projects, willingly giving up time during his Spring Break and other Saturday's to do this.  I'm so proud of him.

#3 is a dancing queen!  She's getting very excited for her dance recital coming up and even more excited for her birthday next month.  I guess it's time to start planning for real!

It's also been a sad month for us.  We're still adjusting to the loss of my parents moving back to California.  When they move completely across the country, and you can't see them ever, it feels like a loss. We did lose a family member this month.  Sadly, my cat Duckie passed away.  It was all very sudden.  Within 1 week, he had lost most of his body weight, stopped eating, stopped coming up to the third floor to sleep with me, and started breathing very heavily.  I finally couldn't stand it anymore and took him to an all night animal hospital where the did x-rays and found a large tumor in one of his lungs and fluid filling 75% of his remaining lung capacity.  I stayed with him and made the choice to euthanize him.  As far as my kids know, he passed away peacefully on his own, at the animal hospital.

It's just a cat.  Yes, but it's my cat.  It's my cat who sleeps on Seth's side of the bed while he's deployed.  It's my cat who follows me around when he's gone.  It's my cat who keeps me company.  Here I am 2 weeks later and I'm still upset.

We do have another cat, and technically, he's mine.  Dunkin was a Valentine's gift to me the year Seth and I got married.  He was 6 weeks old when I got him, and it turns out I was 6 weeks pregnant at the time.  He grew up with us.  But he adopted my son and he really became #2's cat.  He's starting to come back to me now that Duckie is gone, but it's not the same.  And I don't have the heart to tell the kids that he's showing some of the same signs, with the scabs around the neck that showed up 2 months before the tumor.  Are they related?  I don't know.  It will be hard to watch and see.

Trying to get the birds on the wreath.

A Month in Pictures

When I last posted, it was cooking day on February 9th.  It's been a rather busy month since then.

We had a small snow fall resulting in a few inches.  Jenna was able to clean the snow off her car for the first time then drive in it.

The birds are coming back.  They are sitting on my wreath in the mornings and teasing my cats.

The little miss has had the stomach bug twice this month.  Poor sickie chickie.

 

#2 received a special award at cub scouts titled God and Family.  Pastor Lee Peoples, our pastor, came to cub scouts, on Valentines day, and presented him with the award.

That same night #2 also received his Arrow of Light award and crossed over to Boy Scouts.  He's no longer a little cub scout, he's growing into quite the young man.

We went out later in the month and tried out a new restaurant in the area called Cheddar's.  We absolutely loved it.  Huge portions at a great price.  We will definitely be going back there.

Overall it's been a pretty fun month, with one exception.  Last week my mom and step-dad moved back to California.  It was very sudden, the job offer and move all happening in under two weeks.  I'm very sad to see them go, but I am very glad that such a great job opportunity has opened up for my dad.  Now they just need to get settled so we can start planning our next trip to California.

Time to Breathe

Source GetEntrepreneurial.com

If I thought December was a busy month, I had no idea what January had in store for me.  Between meetings and conferences for the National Guard (for me, not my hubby who's actually in the National Guard), ballet, jazz, cub scouts, church, bridal showers, and field trips, I've hardly had a chance to breathe.  Well, I guess God decided to make me breathe.  I not only have my car out of commission, but my husband's car is down as well.

How is that a good thing?


Put aside the fact that we can't afford to fix either car at the moment, I have decided to look at the blessings in this situation

1. The week after Christmas we were financially able to help our oldest daughter purchase a car in preparation of her getting her license next month.  Since she doesn't have her license yet and isn't working, my husband is able to drive her car to work every day.  So despite both cars needing work, he still has the availability to get to his job.  That is a big blessing.

2. I have time to breathe.  Yes, we're skipping ballet and jazz this week.  But because we're skipping, I'm getting caught up on some cleaning, and basic household chores like baking bread that I haven't had time to do all month.  It's been two weeks since I've baked bread.  Quite frankly, I've missed it, and so has my wallet.

3. I have time for my family.  With running around so much I haven't had much time to sit and play with my kids.  Being home this week has given me that time to play on the Wii with them, play some regular games, and just sit and talk.  I think I'm enjoying that more than anything.

Ever have those times when you are forced to breathe?  To just stop and make time to rest?  By looking at the blessings, I can be thankful for what I have rather than be mad about what I'm missing right now.

Merry Christmas

It's Christmas Eve, presents are wrapped, kids are tucked into bed, and my husband and I are killing time until the kids are sound asleep before those presents can be put under the tree.  Until then, I'm sitting here and thinking about the ultimate gift I have received from Jesus and singing my favorite Christmas carol, O Holy Night.

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men from Orient land.

The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise us,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night divine.

During this Christmas holiday, please take time to remember the reason for the season.

Luke 2:1-20

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news og great job that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Happy Birthday!

Today my son turns 11.  I'm so proud of the young man he is turning into.  Here's a picture of his birthday cake.

Chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, surrounded by Kit Kats and topped with M&M's.  Yes, it's a sugar high just waiting to happen.  But that's ok, I'll deal with the sugar coma's later, I'm just blessed to have had 11 years with my boy and am looking forward to many, many more.

How 9/11 Influenced My Day Today

Today is the 10th anniversary of the attack on the United States.  I was asleep as the first plane crashed.  My husband, son and I were living with my mom in California, so for us, the attack started before 6 am.  Mom woke us up and we watched in horror as the second plane crashed, the Pentagon was hit and the plane went down in Pennsylvania.  I tried for hours to contact family back on the east coast, finally reaching them later in the afternoon.  It was a stressful day, not wanting to leave the television, but needing to care for my 9 month old son.

The next day, my husband contacted the Marine Corps and tried desperately to re-enlist.  It wasn't meant to be at the time, but that day set things in motion.  In 2003, he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves and spent some time in Iraq with them.  After he returned, he enlisted in the PA Army National Guard, went through Officer Candidate School and is now an officer with them.  He spent last year in Afghanistan and is getting ready for another deployment in the near future.

All of this has shaped my life today.  Specifically today.  Today I spent part of my afternoon in a meeting with other family members of my husband's troop.  Today was the first Family Readiness Group meeting for our troop.  The very first one.  I have to admit, I was nervous.  I've never been a part of an FRG, in fact during my previous two deployments I had no contact from any FRG group.  So when I was asked not only to be involved but to be President of our group, I readily said yes.

Why would I agree to not only be a part but be the President?  After going through two deployments with the only information I receive being from my husband, I don't want anyone else to go through that.  I want this deployment to be different.  I want the families to be able to rely on each other and step-up to help each other.  I want us supported so our soldiers will KNOW that their families back home are being taken care of. They will feel better knowing their families are being looked after.  No, I cannot be everything to everyone, but I've got a shoulder and I can listen and empathize with the other family members.

I am already feeling better about this deployment.  I know I'll have other wives to talk to, other mom's who are dealing with the same child separation issues that I'll be dealing with.  I can't tell you how good it feels to know that I won't be alone this time.

I don't know that my husband would be back in the military had 9/11 not occurred.  I did know from our first date how much my husband loves his country and that he had served in the Marine Corps in the 90's.  But I had no idea I would be a military wife and be so involved with the families.  Would I change it?  No.  I'm glad to be here.  I'm glad to support my husband.  I'm glad he helps protect my freedom.  I'm glad I am able to work with the families.  I'm glad to be exactly where I am today.

Summer Vacation

Today is officially the last day of summer vacation.  #2 and #3 start back with their cyber school tomorrow and #1 starts her first job tomorrow.  It's been a fun summer and we're spending our last day with Grandma coming over for a birthday dinner for my husband.  Here are some pics from our fun summer.

#3 in her ballet recital.

#2 playing chess with friends.

Seth, #2 and Grandpa shooting BB Guns.

Seth and his mom eating crabs.

Me with 2 friends in Kentucky at the National Volunteer Workshop for the Army National Guard.

Kid #1, my brother Sam, #3 and #2 at a Phillies game.

Kids #1 and #3 at a special Tinkerbell Tea party.

A Different Weekend

This morning I got up at 5:10 (yikes!) to make my husband breakfast before he went to work.  I've been doing that for the last two weeks, but usually it's at 5:30.  What a difference 20 minutes make!  I am tired and ended up napping from 7 to 8 before the kids woke up.  Even worse, I still want to go back to bed.  No wonder I'm not pushing for kid #2 to wake up right now.

Seth had to leave early this morning, hence the early breakfast.  He's got his National Guard weekend starting immediately after work.  And when I say immediately, I mean it.  He works full time at the base now so there's no coming home before starting his weekend.  He'll be gone until sometime tomorrow night or Sunday, we're not sure which.  Looks like I'll have the night to myself.

Tomorrow kid #2 will be attending a conference for gifted children up in Harrisburg.  Unfortunately, it's 1 hour away and starts at 7:30 am and goes until 3:00.  Tomorrow #3 has ballet from 11 - 12 and I just can't be in two places at once.  So tonight #2 will be going to a friend's house after school and spending the night there.  His friend is part of the same gifted program and will be attending the conference with #2.  That leaves me and #3 together for the evening tonight and the day tomorrow.  Woo hoo! Girl Time!

Mother's Day 2008. I love this little lady!

I told them yesterday that #2 would be going, but somehow Daddy not being home didn't get mentioned.  (At least the not coming home at night part, they knew about his NG weekend.)  I don't think it's clicked yet for #3 that she's going to have undivided Mommy time for the next 24 hours.  I wonder what fun things we can get into tonight and tomorrow?

SIck of Sickness!

Ok, small vent post here.  I am so sick of the sickness going through my house this fall/winter/spring.  Kid #3 has been sick for the last month with cough, chest congestion and leaky nose.  She finally has kicked that earlier this week.  Kid #2 has had the leaky nose on and off all season.  I've had it on and off, had a UTI/kidney infection two weeks ago and now I've got viral lymphadenitis.  I feel like one of us has been on some type of medication non stop since October.  I just want us all to be healthy and happy again!  Please pray for us.

Father, you see our household and our struggle with sickness.  Please place Your healing hand on us.  Help us to continue to see Your blessings despite illness.

Exciting Things!

Can you believe that this is my 101st post?  I've broken the 100 mark!  How very exciting for me.

Speaking of exciting, I've got some interesting news this month.  For starters, my parents have an apartment now and will be moving out next week.  It will be wonderful to have my house back, but I will miss them too.  They have been an amazing help to me, especially over the last month during my recovery from surgery.

Second, starting Friday, I'll be posting on a monthly basis over at Today's Housewife.  On the first Friday of every month, I'll be posting something on the topic of faith.  I am honored that I'll be joining a wonderful team of ladies who blog on the topics of faith, family, finances, home, food and hobbies. 

Lastly, this month my husband is starting a new job.  He will be working with the National Guard on a full-time basis, training teams as they are getting ready to deploy next year.  It's not too far from home, so we will still be able to have dinner every night together. 

Overall, there are quite a few things for me to be excited about.  Not to mention the fact that I am officially restriction free as of tomorrow regarding my post-surgical limitations.  I'm looking forward to exercising tomorrow and running around with my kids.  I haven't had a chance yet to use my new Dance Dance Revolution game that I got for Christmas.  I think I'll be playing that as soon as I can!

Together Again

Once again our family is back together. This past Saturday, Seth returned home after being gone for almost the entire year. We are so thankful that he made it back safely. He had a great deployment, earning several awards including a Bronze Star. But the awards don't mean anything in comparison to him being with us.

Now we're spending time getting the Christmas decorations out and figuring out where to put everything. My parents are still living with us so we're trying to find places for all the decorations to land. Frankly, I don't care where they go, so long as we're finding places for them as a family.

January is going to be an interesting month for me. I'm having another round of surgery on the 4th and starting the 90-Day Challenge with Moms' Toolbox. The 90-Day Challenge starts January 3rd and each member will be reading the bible completely through in 90 days. If you are interested in joining us, check out the link above or on my side bar.

Also, don't forget the most important thing right now, the true meaning of this holiday season. The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:4-14

Fun Week

It's been a fun week out here in Pitt. It's also our last week here. I was planning on packing the kids up and driving home tomorrow night, but God's got other plans for us. There is a big snow storm hitting the east coast and it is supposed to start snowing in PA at the exact time I want to be on the road. So, I guess we're leaving on Sunday then.

In kid news, #2 and I had a date to Big Daddy's Donuts today. Donuts and hot chocolate were a great fix for us, that and a little one-on-one time. #3 got her first pair of glasses, you can read about it at The Benge Family blog.

Seth is doing well over in Indiana. His unit packs up tomorrow night and heads to Louisiana for most of February. At the end of February he'll go back to Indiana and get a 3 day leave and I'll be bringing the kids to meet up with him there. I'm looking forward to seeing him, as are the kids.

Time to put the little ones to bed. #3 is ready to pack her glasses into her Disney Princess Purse that is her case. Too cute!

Busy Week

It's been a week since my last post. I know I wanted to post at least 3 times a week, but already I have a good excuse. My parents flew into town last weekend and I was very busy with them. I drove back from Pittsburgh on Thursday and picked them up Friday. We drove to Philly on Saturday to surprise my brother at his 30th birthday party. Yes, it's my younger brother and yes, him turning 30 makes me feel old.

We had a great time at his birthday party and we went out afterward and bought bathing suits and went swimming in the hotel pool. That was fun for January! We went to church with my brother on Sunday morning and after lunch we headed back to Red Lion. Monday we shopped for clothes, new bibles for my kids and even bought some newborn baby clothes that fit the build-a-bears we got a couple of weeks ago. Overall, it was a fun weekend with my parents.

Yesterday we drove back to Pittsburgh to spend another week-and-a-half here. We'll be coming home on February 5th so that the little lady can make it to ballet on the 6th. I'm looking forward to being back at my church because I sure do miss the fellowship and the sermons. I'm also missing the Cubbies that I teach on Sunday nights.

I hope to be back on a normal journal schedule beginning this Friday. It's hard to make new habits, like keeping a journal when you never have. I've tried before, but this time I want to make it work. So if you don't see me posting, feel free to pop me a note, ask me how I'm doing and tell me to post something. :)

New Year, New Theme

The new year is upon us! Well, it's been upon us for over a week now, but sometimes I'm a bit slow on things. Not that I haven't had an excuse for updating this blog. Of course the holidays came and went and my son turned 9 years old. But the biggest by far has been my husband leaving for Afghanistan.

Seth has decided to write his own blog during his deployment. It's titled From the Front Lines and will highlight events during his training in Indiana and Louisiana and during his deployment to Afghanistan. He'll be leaving the states in March and should be home for Christmas.

I've decided to help keep myself sane by journaling during this time. I'm going to post all or some of my entries here so you can keep updated on how I'm doing and how the kids are doing. I'll post my first entry later today. I'm going to try to post at least three times a week, so wish me luck with that!

The Military Life

In December, my husband will be leaving for one year. He'll start off by heading to Indiana for a month of training before he goes to Afghanistan. He'll spend about 10 months over there and will finish with one more month back in Indiana.

Being a military wife, I know the possibility of my husband being deployed is always there. It's hard knowing that he's about to leave for a full year. Our son was upset that Daddy will miss his birthday in December. I told him I'm upset too. Our 10th anniversary is in March.

All I can do is support my husband. I will pray for him. I will make videos of the kids and I. We will make him care packages to send to him monthly.

I am also blessed by a wonderful church family who has already offered to help before and during his deployment. Someone offered today to watch the kids overnight so my husband and I can have a full evening together before he leaves. Yes, I cried when I heard that offer.

I know that no matter what, my husband, my kids and I have been, and will be, blanketed in prayer during this deployment. I know that God is in control of our lives and I will put my trust in him. Please continue to pray for us.

Cooking Day Recap

Once again my freezer is full of yummy food! I'm so glad too because I'm feeling a bit run down and definitely am not doing much of anything today. I successfully cooked all 30 meals, doubled each one, and delivered the extra 30 to my aunt. It was nice to be paid to cook, and I hope to put that money toward a new freezer so I can freeze the meals before I deliver them. That was the only downside, one of the meals wasn't so happy in my cooler and kind of leaked on the others. It was one from an aluminum foil wrapped pan, not one of the Ziploc bags. Had they all been frozen first, the leakage wouldn't have occurred.

In other news, this afternoon the boys are heading out of town for the weekend. Seth is taking our son camping with the Cub Scouts. It's his first camping trip and he's really excited! I'm glad the two of them are going to get some guy time in. The little lady and I will be hanging out and going to ballet tomorrow morning. After ballet, a youth from our church will be coming over and we'll be baking cookies together to take to our church Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow evening. Sunday should be a fun day with a joint Sunday school and worship service in the morning, the boys come back after lunch time, then we have AWANA in the evening. Overall, it's going to be a fun weekend, provided I can get over this feeling of yuck!

Birthday, Family Visit, School

It's been an interesting few weeks since my last post. My parents came in from California to visit for my birthday. We had a wonderful visit and I had a great birthday. The best gift I received was of course a whisk. I'm an avid whisk collector. I don't know why, but I just think all sorts of fun, different and weird whisks are neat. For my birthday my parents gave me the biggest whisk I have ever seen.
Oh, I'm in heaven! I haven't counted my whisks in a while, but I do believe I own over 20 whisks now. Unfortunately, this one is too big to go with my other whisks, and too big to fit in a drawer. I want to mount it on the wall above the stove, but my hubby doesn't agree. We'll see who wins that argument. It's my kitchen right?

While my parents were here we got to go to a corn maze, pick pumpkins, and carve those pumpkins. They also attended ballet with my daughter and went to Cub Scouts with my son. They enjoyed having their grandparents here and cried when they left. Well, I cried too so I don't blame them for that!


Now that they are gone we are getting back into our normal routine. The kids are doing school work each day and I'm finding it surprisingly easy to teach both at the same time. I love the curriculum we use and the online charter school was definitely the answer for us.

Since our routine has us finishing school around 2:00 each day, it's given me ample time to work on my schooling. I'm happy to say that today once the kids finish their school, I will be starting my final transcription class. I've been working for a couple of years now in trying to get a medical transcription degree. It's so exciting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Right now I'm carrying a 94 average and am hoping to keep that or raise it with my final classes!

Summertime Fun!

It's been a few weeks since I posted but I have a good reason! Kid #1 is out here for 6 weeks from California and we've been having a fun time. We've baked cakes, decorated a float & walked in a parade, went to a carnival and saw fireworks, gone to the park with friends and have participated in the summer reading club at the library. Needless to say, we have been busy! Check our family blog for more pictures and stories of our vacation together! Here are a few pics.