Happy New Year!

A smile sits on my face and I'm not quite sure why except that with the stroke of the clock comes a fresh sense of DAY 1.... I am not in New York City or even surrounded by friends or most of my family, but I am completely aware that my FATHER loves me and has a plan for my life, Josh's life, and my kids' lives.

There are small fireworks displays going off throughout my neighborhood; reminders that most of us don't have a lot of financial wealth but we do have more than so many others around the world. Our home may not be show quality or our cars built in the last decade, but what we do have is more than enough.

I don't have my husband to kiss tonight, but I know that he is right were he should be....praying with and having fun with our church kids. My kids aren't awake to "ring in the new year" with me, but they are cuddled up in blankets laying at my feet. That's pretty special if you ask me.

There was no party to attend and no reason to even take a shower for that matter today, however, I accomplished a lot around the house and with the kids in school and that's more rewarding than getting all dolled up to have a night on the town. Not that I even know what that is considering I've only stayed up past 1 AM a handful of times in my life. :-)

I have $12 in my checking account but my bills are paid and I the promise of another check coming this Friday; but if it didn't come I know that my heavenly Father would take care of me. There have been times that I have stressed about money, but I've come to the realization that having little or much doesn't change your worth.

There hasn't been anything "BIG" that has happened in 2008 per say. No babies or buying a home or finding out that someone you love has a disease you have no idea how to manage....no ministry changes, no death or lose, no great victories to speak of.....but what I can say is that my babies are healthy and growing up every day and that at least I have a home when so many are losing theirs and that my husband has felt better than he has in 5 years and I feel like I have the man I married back again after an absence due to fear and side effects of medication. I can say that although our church hasn't grown by much, I know that there are little boys and girls that will always remember that I took time to care for them and teach them about Jesus. Hopefully someday they'll do the same for others. I can say that there are teenagers who know Josh believes in them when most other people don't. I can say that I have sisters who I love and I believe are realizing God's will for their lives although they may not say it to others. I have a mom and dad that support me and love me and are always there for me. I have friends that God has put in my life that "stick closer that a brother".

Is everything perfect? No, nothing ever is, but that doesn't mean it's not good. I have yelled at my children this year when they didn't listen for the 10th time. I have been frustrated and treated my husband poorly when I shouldn't have. I haven't told my sisters enough that I love them and can't imagine how boring life would have been without them. I haven't spend quality time EVERY day with my Savior and Lord...the One who died to take away all my wrongs and offer my eternal life. But for all the wrongs and all the mishaps, there is one promise - tomorrow will come - tomorrow is here. 2009 will be what I make it! Whether the economy is good or bad, gas prices rise or fall, or God forbid a tragity comes across my path, I will say, "That whatsoever state I am in I (am learning) to be content."

Hug those you love tighter today, smile wider, teach more passionately, share more openly, love deeper, pray longer, sing louder, dream bigger, speak softer, cherish everything....may God bless us all as we seek and serve Him in 2009!

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The Christmas County Spelling Bee

Wow, I have sooooo much to catch up on! This month has just flown by! Here's a few pics from the Christmas program that I directed and the kids did on Dec. 13 & 14. We started practice in September and the kids put so much time and effort into it. If you've ever been a part of a kids' Christmas program you know the immense amount of time and patience that goes into it, but it's all worth it when you see the kids share their talents with their family and friends! I won't use the kids' names because I don't have their parents' permission but I was SOOOOOO proud of them. We had 3 year olds through 6th grade in the choir and then I got to use the Jr. Highers as the actors which is always fun because all of them have been my "kids" in the plays over the years. 

Javon and Reagan both did solos and I was very proud of them. Reagan LOVES to sing, but I wasn't sure if she'd actually do it when she saw all the people. Her and one of her little friends did a fabulous job singing! I was very proud of them.  

It's hard to explain how you can be so proud of kids that aren't your own, but I was just of proud of all the other kids that I knew had worked so hard to make this possible. They gave their all and the show went off great! Although we did have snow in Seattle on Sunday morning of the performance, a lot of people still came out to see the program. That was just the beginning of our SNOWY days in  Seattle. It is a winter wonderland right now. We've been in CA with my grandparents and traveled through lots and lots and lots of snow. We are happy to be home now and spend a pretty quite Christmas with family. 

Lots of love to all my friends! You make my life full......

Life Rules

A fellow blogging mom (urbanfunnyfarm.blogspot.com) had these LIFE RULES on her blog and I loved them. They were written by George Washington Carver for his classroom of students who he treated as his own children and wanted to build their character as well as their intellect. Thanks for sharing Charissa!

1.  Be clean both inside and out.

2. Neither look up to the rich or down on the poor.
3. Lose, if need be, without squealing.
4. Win without bragging.
5. Always be considerate of women, children, and older people.
6. Be too brave to lie.
7. Be too generous to cheat.
8. Take your share of the world and let others take theirs.

We're decorated for Christmas!

Hoping you and your families have a wonderful and blessed Christmas season celebrating Jesus! 

I am thankful for my family!

Thanksgiving and cornbread dressing

I know there are thousands of dressing/stuffing recipes out there, but all I have ever grown up with is cornbread/sage dressing that's what we make. None of that apple, nut, fruity stuff for us!!!! :-) Both of my grandma's make the exact same dressing which is interesting since not many people make it on the west coast (I don't think...). One grandma is from Arkansas and the other from Texas. 

Step 1: Make cornbread - not that sweet kind! 

3 cups white corn meal

1 cup flour

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 cups milk or buttermilk (if using buttermilk add 1 tsp baking soda)

Step 2: Make biscuits (most any kind will do...Granny makes them from scratch and Momo used canned) 

Step 3: Let them dry out (2 or 3 days) then crumble

Step 4: Make dressing

1-Saute up one large onion and lots of garlic cloves (actually my grandma's both put the onions in raw and do not use garlic...that is my little twist :-)

2-Hard boil a dozen eggs and dice finely

3-Add cornbread and biscuits

4-Add sage, salt, and pepper to taste (LOTS!)

5 - Add 5 cans of chicken stock plus several spoons of turkey drippings

6- Cook at 350 for 40-45 minutes until top is brown and crispy! Yum, yum!

Okay, let me hear from all you "fruity" dressing people why yours is better. Not that I'll believe you!!!!!!!!! :-) 

Veterans Day Parade

The kids and I went to our towns Veteran's Day Parade and had a great time. It is the largest in the state of Washington. There were sooooo many school marching bands from all over the state. I was amazed at the distances that some of them travel. 

I was especially moved by the elderly veterans in the parade. They were so proud and it was an honor to see them! I became emotional several times throughout the parade thinking of how much they gave for our freedom. 

There was a group of veteran bikers all decked out in their leather and bald heads and cheering, saluting, and thanking every veteran that passed. It was VERY cool to be standing by them. 

The saddest part of the day was when the family members of those lost in the current war walked by holding large banners with their pictures of their lost brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, husbands, wives, etc. It was so sad and the reality of loss so vivid. 

I talked to the kids about what it was all about. I'm not sure how much they understand, but by simply exposing them to veterans and the reality of what our freedom costs hopefully they will appreciate it more. When we got home from the parade we called my grandpa and said thank you for serving!

Thank you veterans!

I've been trying really hard to work on crafty stuff with Reagan more. She LOVES it! Javon was more into bookwork type things where Reagan loves to draw, paint, glue, glitter, bead, cut, basically the messier the better! 

Here's our attempt at a straw skill. I drew lines on straws for Reagan to cut and then she was supposed to put them smallest to largest. Well, she didn't think that would 'look' good so she decided to do it HER way instead. I was trying to talk her into placing them in size order but she seemed to be placing them in random order. 

It is hard for me to BALANCE creative play with constructive school skills. I know that there are MANY different ideas about the BEST way, but I can only do what I feel is best for us. I tend to be more 'this is the way it's supposed to be' kind of person. 

Anyways, I thought she was placing the straws in total random order and not 'getting' what I was trying to teach her. BUT then she raised her hands up in triumph and said, "Look I made a house Mom!" I was very proud of her and her imagination! Wow, I have to remember that we all think differently. She looked at those straws and thought to MAKE something. I was just looking at it totally black and white and she was using her imagination! What a smart girl!!!

To my faithful few followers - Sorry that I've lapsed on my blogging. I've been trying to prioritize my time better and watch less TV and have less computer time. I feel like everyday is so jammed packed! 

Here's what I've been up to the past two weeks:

1) Cleaning out our attic/bedroom! We have our bed at one end and storage at the other because we don't have a garage. There were boxes of stuff that we haven't used in the three years we've lived here and I decided it was time to get rid of "stuff". I worked for a week on it and feel SOOOOOOOOO great! I get emotionally attached to things and find it hard to get rid of them, but I figured I hadn't seen it in years anyways and wouldn't miss it. Although I did have to take it to my mom's house and haver HER take it to Goodwill because I just couldn't do it. :-) I could have saved it until summer and had a yard sale but then I would have been in the same boat of having it in my attic for the entire winter/spring. I LET IT GO! Plus Josh had a lot of clothes that don't fit him anymore since he's lost 75 pounds. He hardly has any clothes left, but he wears the same things over and over anyways. If he has a couple of work shirts, a couple of church shirts, and a couple of church shirts he's happy. I also went through my closet and got rid of stuff that I've had forever and haven't worn. Again the emotional attachment thing. I don't know why I'm like that (remember the thing about not using the Strawberry Shortcake bandaids?!). So anyways, I feel such an overwhelming since of accomplishment! We have spent the past week upstairs doing school. I took a small desk upstairs for Javon and we LOVE it. 

2) Learning the songs/motions for our Christmas play. I can't believe how much work goes into a kids' Christmas play!

3) Going through our Christmas closet and organizing it. 

4) Painting and redecorating the downstairs of the church for our new SuperKids room. It's been a lot of work but the kids and teachers really like it. 

5) And then there's the normal things like school, work, wrestling, laundry, cooking, cleaning, kids, etc. 

My goal for this holiday season is to be prepared early, not spend much money, and keep on top of things EVERY day to eliminate stress of things adding up. Help me Jesus!

Tons of love and prayers..............

Javon's turning 6!

To my little man and super cool kid - Javon:

Mommy is having a hard time believing that you are about to turn 6 years old! I thought that 5 was strange, but 6 is even weirder for me. You have changed and grown so much in this past year. I am so very proud of the little boy that you are becoming. 

The day you were born I vividly remember thinking that you looked nothing like I expected and wondered how I was going to raise this little creature that I had no clue about. Within minutes I was convinced we could make it and no matter what came our way, Daddy and I would love you. 

The night I brought you home from the hospital I laid you on my tummy and sang you "our" song: Javon, Javon, Mama's little Javon. Javon, Javon, Mommy loves you. I love you in the morning and in the afternoon, I love you in the evening, and underneath the moon. Oh, scinamarinky dee scinamarinky doo  - I LOVE YOU. 

I sang it to you every single night and sometimes when you were being really fussy in the middle of the night I would sing the "and underneath the moon" part over and over just to remind myself that it was all worth it. :-) You and I have had a special bond since the day you were born. I had always wanted a little boy because it was new territory and I thought I'd be a better boy mommy than girl mommy. Once you were born, I wasn't so sure. :-) All I knew about was girls. I am so grateful to God that He blessed me with a little boy to love and train. 

This past year began our journey of homeschooling. You were still 4 years old when we started Kindergarten. If you had gone to public school you wouldn't have been able to start because of your November bday. I wasn't sure how it would all work out, but I was so excited to teach you. There was no doubt you were ready. You picked up on your letters, numbers, shapes, Bible verse, etc. very quickly. Our routine was the hardest part at first because it took every moment of Mommy's day, but I've learned over the past year how to juggle better. :-) By the time Christmas had rolled around you were almost done with Kindergarten. Not just random anything work, but all the curriculum and you were reading. Wow, this was a great choice for our family. Every day has not been easy on any of us, but the easiest road is not always the right one. Seeing your face light up as you read your first words or added 2+2 means far more than anything else I could ever imagine. Oh, and I almost forgot that you learned to play the piano. No, I mean really! It's amazing. I am soooo proud of you. 

You have lost 6 teeth this year, grown tall and lanky, given mom foot rubs, still refuse to eat meat, love to have mom tuck you in and rub your back. You still don't like to pick out your own clothes,  you are turning into a fantastic little wrestler, you have beaten a Mario game that mom worked on beating in high school for years, you love to hang out with dad, you can beat most of the youth guys at any XBox game, you and your sister argue at times but love each other to death, Nana's house is your favorite place to go because she is so soft on you and loves you very much, you make mom crazy frustrated sometimes but I always love you, and most of all you love Jesus and pray every night with passion as you tell Jesus that He is #1 in your heart and always will be!

I am amazed at the amount of Christians being deceived!

My normal crazy day today....

Phone call by April saying she was coming over to show me her new Suburban.

Checked my new facebook. 

Got a phone call from Mellisa saying that Meagan is having her baby. We'll be at Auburn Hospital tonight or tomorrow seeing a new baby.

• School - Journal and Weather Book
  
• Game - Chrono Blocks
  
• Another phone call about kids ministry stuff.
  
• Reagan's getting irritated because she's been asking for juice and I haven't gotten it!
  
• Science Project in the dark bathroom with a globe and flashlight! How fun......
  
• Javon - Right a paragraph in his Science PACE about how the earth turns around the sun.
  
• Reagan - Stamping Fun
  
• Moved to the back room - Super cold today! Those of you still having 80 degree weather should be super thankful!
  
• Javon - Writing out spelling words and then went to SpellingCity.com for review/lesson.
  
• Now it's lunch time! Yummy chicken nuggets and apple sauce.
  
• Back from lunch and cuddled up by the heater reading a book with Reagan. Javon is working on his Math PACE. A page with mixed up addition and subtraction - getting him to observe what sign is there as to whether he should add or subtract. 
  
• Reagan is coloring paper doll clothes and then we'll cut them out to play with. 
• Nap time-Kids; Clean house-Me
• Reagan stayed up a little past Javon because I wanted to work on her computer mouse skills. We went on PBSkids.org and worked on her clicking on things and using the computer. 
• Naps over - Turtle magazine activities with Reagan. Javon finished up Math, Social Studies, and English. 
• Get ready to cook dinner then Josh and Javon are off to wrestling.