Happy Birthday Jacob!

Jacob turned 15 today. Fifteen! I can hardly believe it's been that long!

He chose a quiet family celebration. Five Guys for dinner was his choice and he opened gifts. He mostly received cash, which is what he wanted. He's been saving for an Ipod Touch and met his goal. We went and purchased it after dinner. I think he likes it :)

In other news, I have a tooth ache. It's a tooth that broke right before we moved. The dentist did a temp fix and it's lasted more than two years. Guess it's probably time for that crown. Stinks that it's right before Christmas :( Have to call the dentist in the morning....

Be Blessed!

SNOW

Wanted to post about our snow today. About 10 inches! They were calling for 2-4 inches, guess they missed that one. LOL

The kids enjoyed it, Paul stayed home. He says he's going in tomorrow though. The temps are supposed to warm above freezing and give us some rain tomorrow. That will make a mess!

Be Blessed!

Cough Hack Silent

Well, I'm still sick. So sick, and I laid around so much today that now I don't feel ready to go sleep, though I know I need the rest. We missed our co-op class today. Was pretty bummed as it was the last one until January :( But I didn't want to share germs and wasn't feeling well enough to get there anyway. Paul has this now, and he won't stay home and rest, so I'm trying to get him to rest when he IS home....

The kids have been pretty good. Abby started this sickness and is completely fine now, Jacob started sounding off earlier but says he's fine...we'll see. They did tomorrow's schoolwork, since we don't do much more on Mondays other than co-op classes. So I had to readjust and add some things to their assignment notebooks. I thought about just giving them the day off, but we just took all of last week off! They didn't seem to mind, I think they liked getting back into a routine after the week off!

The tree service guys finally came and took down our large tree at the side of the house. Last Spring it kept brushing the house with the limbs, you could hear them scraping the roof, so the landlord had it trimmed. When they did that they said it was diseased and needed to come down because it was unsafe. It also has roots that are probably hitting in the foundation. I would never buy this house without having that checked out first! Jacob wanted so badly to go out and watch, but I was afraid of him getting in the way and the guys didn't need to worry about him. He did have a great view from the patio door though....

That's all I have for today. I should shut down and turn out all the lights, Paul never goes to bed unless I'm ready to go too, and he's dozing on the couch.....

Be Blessed!

Reviving the blog

I've been wanting to post again, but feeling overwhelmed at the thought of catching everyone up with what's gone on in our lives since March. That is too daunting, and most of my readers see my facebook and have a good idea of all our goings ons :)

So thought I would just jump in again.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. The last couple of years, since we've been in Idaho we've gone to Paul's dad's for Thanksgiving. This year his stepmom has not been feeling real well, so we offered to host. I had no moments of extreme anxiousness, this is huge for me! I've been completely off anxiety meds since November of 2008 and it felt great to host a holiday get together and have fun doing it. Paul and the kids pitched in alot and it really was quite fun!

We've had snow off and on all week. It's been pretty much snowing today non stop.

We also put up our tree today, so I'll post a pic of that and leave you there for now.

Be Blessed!

Beautiful

I know it's been awhile and I owe a new post filled with all that's been happening...but I wanted to share some photos of a very special birthday gift that Abby received for her 12th birthday(this past Friday).

The quilt was a surprise for Abby, made by her Grandma Violet(Paul's mom) and her Aunt Joy(Paul's sister). Isn't it just gorgeous?

I hope to post more soon! I've missed my blog!

Be blessed!

Pasta Fagioli Soup

Thought I would share the new soup recipe we tried last night. It was delish :)

From Taste of Home Healthy Cooking March 2010.

Lightened up Pasta Fagioli Soup

1 pound ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 med. carrots, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups water
1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 (8 oz. each) cans no salt added tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 TBSP dried parsley flakes
2 tsp. reduced-sodium beef bouillon granules
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup fresh or frozen cut green beans(1 inch pieces)
1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

1. In a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray, cook the turkey, onion, celery, carrots and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add the water, beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes, parsley, bouillon, oregano, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

2. Add the cabbage, green beans and macaroni. Cover and simmer 8-10 minutes longer or until the vegetables and macaroni are tender.

We made some french bread to go with. This fed the four of us(Jacob and Paul had second helpings) with enough left over for one lunch for Paul. Enjoy :)

Be blessed!

2 week menu

Ugh! I forgot to weigh in this morning. I'll do it tomorrow. Paul is home for the holiday weekend and I completely forgot about it being monday....

Anyways, thought I would share my next two weeks dinner plan. I'm aiming to someday soon add in lunch and breakfast, but for now just dinner :)

Monday 2/15- Fried chicken
Tuesday 2/16- Pasta Fagioli soup(new recipe)
Wednesday 2/17- Tatertot casserole
Thursday 2/18- FF Hawaiian(for the kids, not sure what Paul and I will have yet)
Friday 2/19- Out
Saturday 2/20- Crispy Chicken Melts
Sunday 2/21- Breakfast for dinner

Monday 2/22- Fried Mustard cube steaks
Tuesday 2/23- Enchiladas
Wednesday 2/24- Sub sandwiches
Thursday 2/25- Chicken Fajitas
Friday 2/26-Quick slow cooker chili
Saturday 2/27- Hamburger soup
Sunday 2/28- Sloppy Joes

Be blessed!

And he just continues to amaze me....

Jacob that is!

This morning he had a dentist appointment. Bad mom that I am(actually just absentminded and yes it's just an excuse!) he hadn't been since we moved. A few weeks ago, I was doing my random check on how well he was brushing and noticed a spot on one tooth. Didn't look like a cavity or a chip plus he had one last baby tooth just hanging on and on and on....so finally made an appointment. He was so nervous. He hates changes in routines and things in his mouth. He can't stand weird textures or different tastes. He gags easily. But he has always, ALWAYS cooperated for the dentist. So off we went. He was breating funny and a little shaky, but he's my trooper and did great. He said next time he can do it on his own :) The spot is just a defect, a soft spot, they are going to go ahead and fix it so it doesn't become a cavity. The baby tooth is now gone. And the big one? His teeth are slowly straightening on their own. He most likely will not need braces. Music to our bank account! He had a healthy mouth full of teeth and gums and got an excellent thumbs up for his brushing and flossing.

Afterwards we went bowling. Met up with some people from church. The kids had fun, I so lost and Paul so won. Nothing new there! LOL We then decided to stop in at the new Hobby Lobby that opened up a couple of weeks ago. Love that place! While in the model aisle(which was huge and AWESOME as Jacob and Paul both put it) an older gentleman asked Jacob about skill level. My shy guy(with us standing there in the same aisle, so he felt okay talking to the stranger) proceeded to give a full out explanation about each skill level, what is involved, what the intended receiver might need help with, and so on. This gentleman then proceeded to look for a specific vehicle make which Jacob helped with while giving full explanation about different types, years, what is different between the years and so on. The little car expert that he is. I almost cried listening to him. He jumped right out of his shell and was one, willing to help someone, and two, used all the knowledge he's gained over the years about cars/models(one of his absolute fav subjects!). I was amazed at how comfortable he seemed sharing. Just melted my heart right there. Each day I am blessed to see such positive changes in him. I used to worry about him, not so much anymore. He may be on his own schedule, and it may be slower than the "norm" but he'll get there in his own time and I'm enjoying this new, huge, gain in his self confidence!

We ended the day with dinner out for Paul's bday. 41 he is now! And then watched the opening ceremony for the Olympics.

Also found out my dad is coming to visit next month! So excited about that!

It's late, I should go :)

Be blessed!

So Much Going On

Thought I would check in a bit.

Tried a new recipe for a french apple pie made with a bisquick crust. It didn't turn out very well though. The crust is kind of soggy. I did use canned apple pie filling versus fresh apples and wonder if that might be why. Was going to bring it to some friends tonight when we went to play games, but think now I will just stop and pick something up. I'm not the world's greatest baker, I should know better than to try something new...... Oh well. LOL I also have a new soup recipe in the crockpot for minestrone. It smells good and can't wait to try it. I'll post the recipe if it turns out fine.

We had a busy week. Monday, Abby had her guitar lesson. It's smack in the middle of the day and kind of throws the whole day off. I might look into trying to move it to earlier in the day if her teacher has any openings. We've been going for a month and I just can't make the day run smooth around it. Monday evening, we left the kids home(at night together for the first time, and they did awesome! Jacob was sweet and played some board games with Abby, she is always begging him to play them with her) amd both of us went to my monthly Keepers At Home meeting. The topic was adoption and there were four different couples who shared on the topic of adoption. Some of you know we've been really praying for this for a few years and went ahead and signed up for an info class for foster/adopt. Well Wednesday night Paul and I talked again and he was feeling like we should put it off until the next class, I had wondered after the meeting the other night, and knew we needed to work through a few more things before jumping in, but I did not want to give it up. I had prayed for God to please show me a sign and he did with Paul letting me know his feelings. So....we are on hold once again. I think I was just pushing before we were completely ready. We have house issues as the biggest obstacle and in the spring we'll be able to better assess our long term plans with that. So while I was disappointed to wait yet again, I can really see the Lord's leading in it, and that point excites me very much!

Tuesday and Wednesday were normal, on schedule type of days. Thursday, Abby and I spent the afternoon at a friend's house. Abby played with her daughter, and Julie looked over my plans for the co-op class I'm teaching. I've been so nervous, but she thought they looked good, helped me with a couple things that were stumping me and was a huge encouragment to me :) I now think I'm ready. First class in this coming Thursday(which is also Paul's birthday!). Thursday evening was our mom/daughter book club meeting. We discused "Island of the Blue Dolphins" and then the girls played and moms chatted. I needed that mom chat time this week :)

Yesterday, Paul and Jacob went up to the animal shelter and turned in their volunteer paperwork. They are just waiting for the next orientation class and then they'll be set to volunteer. Jacob is excited and this will be so good for him, I think! We also got him signed up for the next round of archery lessons this spring. He is really looking forward to those and hopes to have purchased his new bow by then. He's almost got enough saved up. In the evening, Paul took both the kids up to the church for a concert. I decided to stay home. The loud music just wasn't appealing to me at the time and I decided I didn't want to pay to come home with a headache. So I stayed home for some much needed alone time. It's not too often anymore I end up at home alone :)

Paul got up and went to the men's breakfast at church this morning, I took the opportunity to sleep in. Heehee! The rest of the day has been spent being a little lazy :) We'll go over to some friends house for some games this evening though. I think it will be fun, we are looking forward to it. Tomorrow after church, Abby is having a friend over for awhile, I'm pretty sure Paul will be watching the super bowl. He doesn't watch too much football, but he does have a couple favorite teams he likes to watch and of course can't not watch the big game. LOL Jacob has been watching with him lately too, which I find interesting as he's not a big sports person. But it's good father/son bonding, so well....hey, I'll let them be :)

I'll end for now, not much more to say(at least that I can think of while I'm sitting here!).

Be blessed!

It Didn't Move

The weight ticker didn't move down, but it didn't move up either. Bad week, need to get back on track. I'll get there!

Overwhelmed At First

Last week kind of exploded with activities. Don't even remember all we did. I'll have to be more careful in the future not to overschedule like that! Some things we did do were registering for Spring semester at our homeschool co-op. We are supposed to teach one semester per year, so my turn was coming. I just wasn't sure what I wanted to teach. So I told our coordinator to put me where I was needed and ended up the teacher of the Crime Scene Investigation science class. I have no clue(and really no interest. LOL). Overwhelmed even more when it turned out to be THE class that everyone wanted to participate in. Was not expecting that. So I've been on a mission reading everything I can and preparing lessons and activities, trying to schedule a field trip to the crime lab and playing phone tag with the county sheriff(married to one of the moms in the co-op) about getting a detective or two to come speak in my class of 30 kids. What did I get myself into? LOL I think it's going to be fun though. I'm finding that if I stay on top of the lesson planning, I feel much better about it :)

We went rollerskating for the homeschool skate, I should say Abby went rollerskating. I just don't do it much anymore, maybe when I'm in better shape. My fear is falling and breaking something therefore putting me out of commission, which is something I just don't have time for. Had our monthly homeschool support group meeting. Our speaker spoke on character training and it was excellent! At first I was feeling like I hadn't done a good job, but towards the end she had me feeling better! And I did pick up a couple of tips to help Jacob with being around or rather talking with adults. He gets so shy and comes off as rude, it's something I've really been wanting to work with him on.

Speaking of Jacob. He is filling out the volunteer paperwork to work at the humane society. Because he's not 16 yet he needs a parent to be there too. I'm not the best around animals. Paul's going to look into trying to get a Friday morning slot so he can go with him. I think it will be a great thing for Jacob!

Last friday we went and saw the second Alvin and the Chipmunk movie with a group from church. We also had lunch out with them as well. The movie was really cute and it was nice to meet some more moms and more homeschoolers :)

Sunday afternoon was the first youth meeting directed towards the 6th-8th graders only. Both Jacob and Abby went. (Abby's first time for youth group). They both really liked it. And Abby tells us that Jacob even participated in a skit!(YES, Jacob got up in front of his peers!) That right there tells you how comfortable he is at our church. It's been a long time for him! He has just been growing in leaps and bounds, well emotionally and spiritually. His actual physical growth has slowed quite a bit! LOL

Abby started guitar lessons earlier this month. She is doing wonderful. I've yet to have to remind her to practice. She pays extreme attention to her teacher in her lesson and has been eager each week to come home and get to practicing. She's already putting chords together and some really beautiful music is being played. Yesterday I heard her singing here and there and she said she's writing a song....

Well, this is getting long. I know it's all over the place, but well, oh well. LOL! I've got to get off and go get dinner made before church tonight.

Be blessed!

Weigh In Day

Only one pound this last week. A bit discouraging, but I also know that I didn't do as much as I could. It was a busy week, and that made it hard to stay on track. Just an excuse I know, but it was learning week for me, so now I can be more prepared for the busy ones. Paul thinks I may have lost inches though, as my clothes are feeling and looking looser. I didn't take any starting measurements there, maybe I should go ahead and do that. I'm going to try and post a family update post in a little while.

Be blessed!

Today's Weigh In

Look at that, 2 more pounds gone! My exercise wasn't as consistant this last week. I did do well with my eating though and I'm ending the day NOT feeling hungry. I don't have quite all the soda taken out, but I did only drink it away from home, which was one dinner out and I had a cup at our book club meeting. I had some headaches, I think due to so much less caffeine, but that is working through as well I think. So I'm thinking if I can get my exercise back on track it should be a good week :) Thanks for helping me to be accountable!

Be blessed!

Sowing Servant Hearts - Chore Training

Sowing Servant Hearts - Chore Training

Four Pounds LOST!

Figured out how to update the weight loss ticker. Did you see that number move? FOUR pounds lost! Wooohoooo am I excited!

Be blessed!

He's home :)

Paul had to go to California for 4 days. It was a trip sprung on him last minute..anyways they were meeting to plan out their Annual Training for June. I really missed him this time around. It was hard to stay motivated around here. I always miss him, but it just seemed worse this time. Not sure why. Thursday and Friday we did school. We normally don't school on Friday, but Paul had taken Wednesday off, so we just did some minimum work that morning and then spent the day with him. So since he was gone on Friday, we took the opportunity to catch up. Worked pretty well, and the kids were okay with it. I thought they might protest, but I told them that this week would already be short because of co-op.

Abby had her last match for Bible Quiz on Saturday. She did so well! She was determined to place in the top 10 for an individual ribbon. She worked really hard at her memorization(to the point I had to have her put it away a couple of times because she was getting frustrated). She ended up in 9th place! She quizzes on a "B" team and they combined them with "A" teams because there weren't enough teams in either category. So she was quizzing against the best! Next year she will quiz with Teen Bible Quiz. She's nervous about it being harder, but I think she can do it!

Abby also starts guitar lessons again this afternoon. She is quite excited. This was one of her Christmas presents. She took a few lessons when she was about 8. She enjoyed the music but the teacher and class set up really didn't work for her. She needed more one on one teaching and we just didn't have the money to fund those type of lessons. I've been looking for awhile for something affordable and finally came across a teacher who was looking to fill some daytime lesson spots and offered them to homeschoolers for a discount. He comes with high recommendations from quite a few people in our support group.

Jacob has been reading(he got so many books for Christmas!) and working on some models. He's trying to finish one up so he can start building his engine. He's hoping the weather will hold okay for awhile as he wants to get in a bike ride with his dad on Friday. Abby and I are going to go to homeschool swim at the Y, Jacob wanted to do something with dad and picked a bike ride. I think he's been missing his bike with all the cold weather, snow, etc.

Well, I need to get off for now and get some other things done. I did my weigh in and now have to go figure out how to move my ticker at the top :) You'll have to watch it to know what my number was :)

Be blessed!

Hamburger Soup

Tried a new soup recipe today. Jacob helped me put it all together, I would not be surprised if he ended up being a cook. He really likes to be in the kitchen! Soup was so yummy, even Jacob, my non soup eating kid, liked it so much he had a second bowl! SCORE! Heehee!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 pound extra lean ground beef(or use ground turkey)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3 cups hot water
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 TBSP. low sodium soy sauce
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup macaroni, cooked
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef. Combine all ingredients except macaroni and Parmesan cheese in slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Turn to high. Add macaroni and Parmesan cheese. Cook for another 15-20 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

New Endeavor

So I've never been a fan of New Year's Resolutions. This year though, I've been looking through some recent pictures and realizing that my waistbands are beginning to feel a bit tight. I went through a huge weight gain a few years back due to some medical issues. Weight up until then, was never a challenge for me, I've never been considered too thin, but I was never overweight either. So, I decided that this year I was going to concentrate on upping my activity level and watching what I eat. Not necessarily how much I eat, but what is going in. Mainly, I want it to be healthy. The first order of business is cutting out the soda, this I think will be the hardest. Anyways, I've added a ticker to the top of the blog and hope to see it move each week. I figured if I say something, I'll be held accountable!

Be blessed!