Stamper's Collection

DiGiorno House Party

2011-03-26T13:35:00.005-04:00

If you have never checked out Houseparty.com you need to. Companies use houseparty.com to get out word about their products. You apply and if you are chosen you get to have a party at you house and they supply great products for you to use. I was selected to host a party for DeGiorno Pizza. I was given coupons for free pizza and $4 coupons to give my guest. Along with some other neat stuff that you can see in the picture below.

I packaged the coupons with a pizza cutter in a dish towel as gifts to give the guest. They are in the basket in the picture.

Bam Bams for the kids:)

The theme was Pizza and Hoops

Several games of basketball were played

we even had Basketball for the Wii

We had such a fun time with family and friends. I forgot to take any pictures of the pizza but it was yummy. If you have never tried DiGiorno Pizza give it a try. You can now get a full size pizza packaged with you choice of wings, bread sticks or cookies. We had the wings and bread sticks and they were delicious.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T11:41:00.003-05:00

Remmembering my Mother~~My Mentor~My Friend

2010-05-08T21:15:00.000-04:00

I am re-posting this post that I wrote a couple of years ago about my Mother. I am so thankful that I had such a great Mom. I miss her!

MOM

My Mother was one of the truest, kindest persons I have known. She was a genuine Southern Bell. It seemed like when I was growing up, there were always people stopping by our house. Mom was always ready with a warm smile, a cold drink, and usually something to eat. Mom was a wonderful cook. When dad was pastoring, we usually had someone for dinner every Sunday. She made it look so effortless and enjoyable.

Mom had the heart of a teacher. She had her Masters in Elementary Education. She taught me the love of reading. many winter nights she would read to us such books as, Anne of Green Gables and Little House on the prairie. She taught me a lot through example. As a young girl,I remember many times looking for her, and finding her in her bedroom praying. What a heritage I have!

Mom was a giver. Many times she would quietly help someone in need, whether it was a meal, money or clothes. I remember more than once her buying somebody a dress, because she wanted them to have something nice too.

Mom was a friend--and she had many!! She made people feel special, and they liked to be around her. She was my shopping buddy, OH how we liked to shop together.

Mom showed good attitudes, and if she was wrong, she was always willing to apologize. She demonstrated grace under fire. Mom suffered with cancer for 9 years. The last two years were extremely painful for her, yet many times I would hear someone ask her how she was feeling, and she would answer,"Well just pretty good." She taught me how a Christian lives AND dies.

Many times growing up , I did not agree with her. Some times I thought she was Crazy! Some rules just didn't make sense to me. But now that I am a mother, I see how wise she was. Many days I think about her and strive to the kind of mother she was. Many days I fall short. If I can be half as good a mother has she was to me, I will have been a success.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have been putting this off all week. For one thing I am not the writer that some of you are. But the other reason is because I knew it would make me miss her more. This will be my third Mothers Day without her.

I thank God for my wonderful Mother, and that he has allowed me to be a mother.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

2010-03-20T23:40:00.005-04:00

You know it is time to update your blog when your 11 year old tells you that you need to!

I have been wanting to put some vinyl wall art up in my room for a while. I found this on the internet, and I LOVE the final product. I also love my new lamps from IKEA

It came with the 2 sitting birds and 3 flying birds. They added 2 more flying birds for me at no additional cost. I wanted enough birds to represent everyone in the family.

I forgot to take a close up of the picture, but if you enlarge this picture you can see that it is a bird sitting on branches.

I love this candle holder I found on Clarence at Meijer.

Here Is the link to the etsy shop that I bought the wall art from. They were great to work with and I got my order in less than a week.

Family Pictures

2009-12-13T17:14:00.006-05:00

Lady Locks

2009-12-11T10:54:00.003-05:00

Ingredients

* 1 pound of butter softened
* 1 pound cottage cheese, creamed
* 4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling
* 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 cup milk
* 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cup Crisco
* 3 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1/2cup marshmallow creme

Directions

1. Cream together butter, margarine, cottage cheese, salt and 4 cups of flour. Shape into a 4 inch balls, cover and chill overnight.
2. Roll each ball out individually,with powdered sugar, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into strips about 3/4th inch wide. *Keep dough in the frig and only take out what you are working on. It is very hard to work with if it gets warm.
3. Roll over tubes (you can use clothespins or dowel rods covered with aluminum foil). Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) until brown.
4. To make Filling: Cook milk and 4 tablespoons of flour until thick paste forms. Let cool completely. (I usually make this part before I start baking the dough)
5. Beat shortening and confectioner's sugar until fluffy. Add marshmallow cream and vanilla. Then add COLD paste and beat.(I find that sometimes the paste does not mix in well so I usually cream it real well first,then add Crisco and sugar beat well, then add marshmallow cream and vanilla. This filling needs to be beaten a long time until fluffy. I have a kitchen aid stand mixer and I start it and let it run several minutes.
6. Fill tubes with cream filling, using a pastry bag or cake decorator.

I make these kind of small. One batch makes about 100 if you make them small. I tripled the batch and got about 300. These freeze very well. They would be a lot easier if you just made one batch and made them bigger. I like to give goody plates away at Christmas so like them small like a cookie.

On the forms before baking

Before being filled.

9 hours and 300 lady locks later!

It's begining to look alot like Christmas around here.

2009-12-03T12:39:00.004-05:00

Christmas tree in our family/game/school room

Entry way

Another view of the entryway

Carolers above my living room closet.

Living room tree

At night with the lights off~ 2,900 lights.

Corner of my kitchen

Girls tree decorated by entirely by them.

Boys "sad" little tree decorated by them.

Gotta love this age!!!

2009-11-17T15:06:00.003-05:00

This kid is a climber. And he gets into everything!! But I am still loving this age. So much fun!

He climbed up...

Got the Teddy Bear and threw it down....

And then started to climb down. I guess he wanted the bear.

For you Bethany:-)

2009-11-07T22:30:00.002-05:00

My sweet, wonderful cousin Bethany (my one and only faithful reader) keeps bugging me to update my blog. So here you go Bethany...a couple new post for you to read:-)

Bethany finds out in a few days if she has a match for a new kidney. Please help us pray that this is a good match and she can have the surgery and be on the mend before Christmas.

Kroger Deals

2009-11-07T21:42:00.003-05:00

This week I made 3 trips to Kroger for their Mega sale(only two trips pictured). They have this sale a couple times a year, and I like to stock up when they do. I got a lot of things for free or almost free. Some things I do not usually buy but got because they were so much cheaper than normal~such as Jose Ole Taquitos. We love these but I almost never by them because they are 5.29 for a box of 15. I got them for 2.00 a box, with sale and coupon. I got a lot of yogurt any where from free to .49. The kids love to have these as a snack. I got extra strength Tylenol for 1.50 and Tylenol PM for .50. I also bought more snacks and chips than usual, but I have put them away to use during the holidays.
So the grand total.....
543.32 worth of groceries for...
184.39 after sales and coupons.
It still sounds like a lot, but it includes 2 packs of diapers. Since my freezer was already pretty stocked with meat from previous sales, I should not have to do much grocery shopping the rest of the month.

2009-11-07T21:30:00.003-05:00

Tonight Chris was asking questions about the kids ages and how much older they were than him when he got this shocked, unbelievable look on his face and said "You mean you had 6 Christmas's without me!"

Blessings

2009-08-26T11:33:00.004-04:00

I have been needing a new table and chairs for a long time and have been wanting a new table for even longer. The table we have been using is about 30 years old and the chairs have been repaired several times. The other problem was it only sat 6 so if we had company we had to send the kids somewhere else to sit.
With Tim still in school, a new one like I wanted is way out of the budget, so I have been looking on craigslist for several weeks. I prayed that I could find one like I have been wanting. The things I really wanted it to have were a double pedestal, be able to store the leaves under the table and be able to extend to about 96 inches. This one has all of those requirements and is VERY sturdy and well made. The chairs are heavy duty and should last a long time. This set would cost me at least 1,500-2,000 new....I paid $300.

This is without any leaves...42x60...the biggest our old one got.

This is with one leaf in..makes it 42x72

With both leaves it is 42x96(not pictured)

Love the pedestal.

Picture taken September 2006
Even though I am thrilled with my new table and very thankful for it, I am just a wee bit sentimental about the old one going. I grew up eating around this table and have many happy memories with my family growing and with my own kids.

I'M BAAAACK

2009-08-05T22:51:00.011-04:00

Tim has been after me because I have not posted in a while. I am now on facebook and it seems easier to just do that, but I have been missing my blog and the more "intimate" feel here. I also know that some of my readers are not on facebook so I am going to try to post here more often.
Last week I did a little photo shoot with the kids. Here are some of the pictures.

CHRIS

CHARLIE

WALTER

BRITTANY

Easter 2009

2009-04-23T22:49:00.006-04:00

Shopping With Coupons

2009-03-17T18:47:00.010-04:00

My Kroger Deals

Before sales and coupons~60.63
After sales and coupons~3.70

Here is how.
Everything I got was on sale. I had a coupon for most of the things.
Krogers was running a deal mix and match 10 things get 5.00 off. I got 20 of those things taking 10.00 off my bill.
I had 5.00 coupons off any Huggies gentle care product. The wipes were on sale for 2.50 giving me an overage of 2.50 per coupon. I had 4 of these coupons so I got the wipes for free and an additional 10.00 overage off my bill.
The toothbrushes, toothpaste, butter and suave deodorant were also free after coupons.
I was bummed because I forgot 2.00 coupon I had. I could have got it all for 1.70!
Krogers doubles coupons up to 1.00. So if it is a.35 coupon it doubles to .70, a .50 coupon is doubled to 1.00 and a .75 coupon it is still "doubled" to 1.00
I did not buy meat this trip which always makes my bill more since there are very few coupons for meat.

My Walgreen's Deals.

Before sales and coupons ~99.12
After sales and coupons ~23.32

The shampoo was an sale for .99 cents. I had 1.00 coupons getting them for free. Everything else was on clearance some of which I had coupons for. The crest pro-health is normally 5.00-6.00 but was on clearance for .95 I had a 1.00 coupon and two .50 coupons. which means I paid a total of .90 for all three.
The cookies were.32, the Karo syrup was .49, pizzas were 1.09, and the napkins were .75
I also got a good deal on Huggies diapers at Walgreen's. If you bought 25.oo you got 10.00 back in Register Rewards.(a "coupon" on your receipt for 10.00 off of your next purchase) The diapers were on sale for 10.00 a pack and I had some good coupons. There was a mix up on the order and I did not get my Register rewards, so the manager gave me 10.00 cash. So I got three packs of diapers for a little over 3.00!!

Some tips for shopping with coupons

Always try to match coupons with sales. Hang on to the coupon until the item goes on sale.
If it is a good deal, stock up enough to last until the next sale. It is cheaper to buy it on sale and to have it on hand than to need it and have to pay full price for it.
Don't be Brand Loyal. If you are willing to try a different brand you can get some good deals. I hardly ever pay much for Cereal, Shampoo, Toothpaste, deodorant, Air fresheners,etc.
Just because you have a coupon does not mean you need to buy it. Sometimes it still is not a good deal, or may not be something you will use. If it is not going to be used it is a waist of money
Get multiple coupons if you can. I buy the Sunday paper at the main office when I go into Cincinnati on Tuesdays (I usually buy tw0), and a dear friend gives me her extras. If a great deal comes along it is nice to have extra coupons for that item.When I first got started I posted an ad on Craiglist asking for coupons people did not use. I had 2 people respond and sent me coupons for several months.
Get online coupons. Coupons.com and smartsource.com are two good sights.
Keep your coupons organized. It is frustrating to miss a good deal because you can't find a coupon. I used to keep mine organized by category in a recipe box. It was easy to file them away but frustrating to look through them to find what I needed. Now I use this:

It is more time consuming when you cut them out and put them away but is much quicker to find a coupon when you need it. Any 3 ring binder will work. I use baseball card holders to put the coupons in. It will hold 9 per page.

Let others do the hard work for you. There are many web sites and blogs that look at the sales and match up the coupons for you. Here are some of my favorites moneysavingmom.com, becentsable.net and cincinnaticents.blogspot.com. You can also do a google search to find some that do stores for your specific area. But most of them cover the biggies like Kroger Meijer CVS and Walgreen's. Becentable.com has something called the grocery gathering where many people post deals found at many different stores. I also have links on the right side of my blog to more coupon sites and frugal blogs.
Load your store cards with coupons. shortcuts.com and cellfire.com are two sites that do this. You put in you storecard number and then when it is scanned at the store the coupons come off your total.
Always take your coupon book/box with you. Some people just pull the coupons for the items they are going to buy. I have found that when I do this I come across something an clearence or a sale I did not know about. I even take mine into Wal-mart even if I am not shopping for groceries. I once found Halls cough drops on clearence at Wal-mart and I did not have my coupons with me. I made a trip back later and got the Halls for .25 a bag. I would have saved myself a trip if I would have had my coupons with me.
Don't expect your bill to always be a couple of dollars. That happens sometimes, but I usually save 40-60% off my bill. Every little bit helps.

If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment. I am by no means an expert, these are just some of the things that I have learned that have helped me save some money for my family.

My Nurse

2009-03-13T15:32:00.003-04:00

Tim is starting his clinicals in school so he is starting to look the part. He does not like the all white scrubs but he does not get a choice. He is doing really well with his studies and grades and I am SO proud of him.

I always thought that the men in white suits would come get him someday but instead he IS the man in a white suit....:-}

Olivia

2009-02-12T16:55:00.003-05:00

We have been able to see Olivia a couple of times lately. We got to go to her adoption in December.(can't find the card with the pictures right now) And we got to see her last week to celebrate her 2nd birthday. She is growing up so fast and has an unbelievable vocabulary. She puts thoughts and sentences together like much older kid. She recognizes us when she sees us and comes right up to give us a hug.~Makes ya feel good~But you can tell that she is very bonded with her new family and is happy ~Which makes us happy.

Olivia's Baby sister Kylee

Chris making her laugh

She loved holding Nathan ~ She said "He likes me"

When it was time to go She sat down on the bench and said "NO"

2009-02-12T16:25:00.002-05:00

These are pictures of a rainbow that I took from our deck yesterday. If you look close you can see that it is a double rainbow.

This end of the rainbow looked very close

Caribbean Cruise

2009-01-22T23:45:00.003-05:00

I am so sorry that I have not posted and you have had to look at Christmas for so long. Tim and I have just gotten back from a three week Caribbean Cruise so that is why I have not been able to post. (I Wish)
Actually we had a great Christmas I just have not gotten the pictures gone through and posted. We had all of my family (25)here for a few days over New Years and had a wonderful time together.
Here is a new picture to help you dream of warmer days to come!!!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-24T22:15:00.004-05:00

Christmas Pictures

2008-12-21T15:26:00.014-05:00

I usually try to take the kids Christmas pictures myself, but this year it just did not seem to be working. So since it had been a while since I had had professional pictures taken I decide to have some done. These were taken at Portrait Innovations.

2008-12-16T08:55:00.003-05:00

Whew! I survived the weekend. Friday we had our church Christmas dinner which I was in charge of. Saturday was Christmas program practice. Sunday was the Christmas program and Brittany's birthday. Monday I had a birthday party for Brittany. I think I can relax now and enjoy the Christmas season. I still have some more shopping to do and have not started any Christmas baking~but that is the fun stuff:-}
Thanks to everyone that left a message for Brittany on her blog. She was very surprised and is already thinking like a blogger. Last night she had to take pictures of all her gifts so she could put them on her blog. She has also learned that she can use her blog to blackmail her brother into being nice to her.
Since I hate posting without pictures here are a few from Saturday night when we went downtown.

Nathan with Santa Clause.

Brittany, Walter, Charlie and Cris with Santa Clause.

(This picture was taken under great protest from Walter.)

I need your help

2008-12-13T09:36:00.002-05:00

Brittany turns 13 tomorrow. She has been asking for a blog for a long time, so I am surprising her with a blog for her birthday. I would like for her to have a lot of comments on her blog when I show it to her tomorrow. The blog is still a work in progress but you can still leave a comment, so head over there and leave her a birthday greeting.
Thanks for your help!
http://teengirlbcs95.blogspot.com/

My Baby turned 7 yesterday!!!

2008-12-04T10:38:00.006-05:00

It is hard to believe that my youngest is seven already. Makes me feel old!!

We just had a family party. Chris got a Playmobil Police set that he has been wanting.

One of the ways I have cut back in our budget is to make the kids birthday cakes instead of buying them. Chris wanted a snowman cake, so I made this one by using three different size bowls. I could not get the icing right for a black hat so I used chocolate graham crackers.

He got the whole head of the snow man~~but he did not eat it all at once!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-29T13:22:00.004-05:00

Although I was so busy before Thanksgiving that I did not get a Thanksgiving post up, my heart has been filled with gratitude this week. God has been better to us than we deserve. Even in the seemingly bad things that happen I am determined to find something to be grateful for. I am thankful for Gods grace, my family, my Church and my friends. These are the things that make my life complete.
We were blessed to have most of my family, and Tim's Mom and Dad here for Thanksgiving. I did not take many pictures because I was busy, and because my family does not care to be published on my blog!

We had 18 people here. I put a table in the living room for the adults and the kids ( and 2 of my nieces) ate in the kitchen.
The kids have been begging for a month to put up the Christmas tree. We hope to get it up tonight.

Launching a new blog

2008-11-11T20:49:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago I discovered a new hobby~Glass Etching. I have started a blog to sell some of my creations. Please check it out and let me know what you think.

Etched in Glass

Kroger Deals

2008-11-08T21:36:00.003-05:00

I was quiet pleased with my deals I got at Krogers tonight. They had a mix and match deal that if you bought 10 items you got 5.00 off your total. Combine these deals with coupons and you really get a good deal. I also had a 10% coupon off my total because it was a new store. This is more than a weeks worth of groceries, and I got some things for my Christmas baking. Best of all it is under Budget!!

I will not list everthing but here are some of my deals:

1/2 gallon Milk 1.oo (4)
Cereal 1.13 (4)
Peanuts 1.00 (2)
1/2 gallon of ice cream FREE
Quacker oats Free (4)
Domono Sugar 1.50
Pizza Rolls 2.50 (7)
Betty Crocker pototoes -Some FREE others less than a 1.00 (5)
Hamburger Helper FREE (1)
Tylonal Rapid Release FREE (4)
Tylonal PM Rapid Release FREE (3) 1.00(1)
Toaster Studal 1:00 (1) 1.50 (2)

I did this in three transactions but my combined total before sales and coupons was..............

248.20

Total I paid...............

72.12

a 71% savings

I LOVE a good deal!!!!

A New Blogger

2008-11-08T09:06:00.003-05:00

I want to welcome my friend Lisa Plemmons to the blogging world. You can also access her blog on my link list.

Why I am not without Hope since the election

2008-11-06T15:43:00.007-05:00

Here are a few thoughts that have been rumbling around in my head the last two days. I think that it goes without saying that I did not want Obama to win. I was very disappointed that he won so handily. I was also disappointed today to find out that the Republicans did not come out to vote in as great of numbers as the Democrats. McCain was not my 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd choice, but he was the candidate that was picked, and to not come out to vote for him was a vote for Obama.
All that being said, I am still proud to be an American! Our country has had bad Presidents before. We have had things in our past that I am not proud of (aka slavery), and I abhor of our stance on abortion. But America is still in the best country in the world. I will not be joking about moving to Canada.(I apologize to my Canadian friends.) I did not think that it was funny or patriotic when Democrats said it after Bush won.

Here are a few reasons I am not without hope because of the election.

My hope is in God and not politics. "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." Ps. 31:24 "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise, who is the health of my countenance, and my God."Ps.43:5
God is still on the throne.
To be hopeless means having no hope, no possibility of solution, and impossible to solve. "With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26
The Dems did not get a filibuster proof congress. So I will be vigilant and call all my congressmen when a bad bill comes up.
Kentucky is still a red state! Kentucky was the first state called for McCain. We also sent back our Republican Representative and Senator (one of the ones that the Dems had targeted to take his seat).
Gay marriage ban passed in all 3 states where it was being voted on.
I still have a great husband, kids, family, church, and friends.
The sun is still coming up everyday.

Is there things that I don't like and am worried about? Yes! But you get less gray hair, sleep better and are happier when you look at the glass half full!

Here is a link to a great post about the difference faith in our lives makes, and also brings into perspective our blessing that we enjoy in America.

A Few Political Thoughts

2008-10-23T11:46:00.006-04:00

Here is link to an excellent article by Gerald Wolf of Greater Vision on why he is not voting for Barack Obama.

Here is a thought provoking letter to the editor written by a man who escaped from Cuba 40 years ago.

And here is a funny for you!

A couple fall recipes

2008-10-09T19:23:00.002-04:00

I have enjoyed bringing out some fall recipes and adding new variety to our menu. Here are a few I have made lately.

White Chicken Chili

4 chicken breast cooked and cut up (I like to cook them in the crock pot)
1 Tbs. oil
1 chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
5-6 cans of great northern beans
1-2 cans of light red kidney beans(optional but I like the added color)
1 can of green chilies
3-4 cans of chicken broth
Salt, pepper, white pepper,cumin, and chili powder to taste.

Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add in chicken, beans, green chilies broth, and seasonings. Heat through and serve. Also works great in the crock pot.
Serve with sour cream and Monterrey Jack cheese.

Dill Bread
1 pkg yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup of cottage cheese- lukewarm
2 Tbs minced onion
1 Tbs. dill seed
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
21/4 -21/2 cups flour

Mix yeast and water and set aside. Mix cottage cheese, onion, dill seed, salt, baking soda, and egg. Then add yeast mixture. Add in flour until stiff. Let rise 1 hour or until double. Punch down and put in a greased, round baking dish. Let rise again for 30-40 minutes. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Pumpkin Crumb Bars
I got this recipe from my sis-in-law Glenda

1 15 oz can of pumpkin
12 oz can evaporated milk
3 large eggs
11/2 cup sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/2t. salt.
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 stick melted butter

Mix first 6 ingredients together and put in greased 9x13 in. pan.
Sprinkle with yellow cake mix and pecans.
Drizzle with butter.
Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes.

September Update

2008-09-27T21:35:00.005-04:00

Many things have happened this month that were blog worthy. I have blogged about most of them, to bad they never made it from my head to my blog:-} The two biggest highlights of this month were seeing McCain and Palin (see post below) and..........

having a new baby join our family. We picked up Nathan from the hospital when he was three days old. He is a sweet little guy, and is doing well. His parents seem to want to do what it takes to get him back. They were at the hospital when I picked up Nathan. They asked for a Chaplin to pray with them. They told the Chaplin that they had gotten away from God. We are praying that we will be able to minister to them.

Another special thing for us was being able to see Olivia. It was good for us to be able to see that she is doing good with her new family. She defiantly remembered us and had a good time playing with the kids.

She found Chris's shoes and socks and put them on~funny kid

She loved holding Nathan. That is her baby sister Kyllie in the picture.

Olivia and her Dad

We have also taken 2 field trips this month. The first one was a picnic with some other homeschoolers and then we went to the firehouse for a tour. For our second field trip we went to the Cincinnati Zoo. We had a fun family day with monkeys abounding~they just happened to be of the two legged verity and they were related to ME!
Click on the albums below to view more pictures.

Fire house

Zoo

Tim and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary on the 25th. We had a nice evening dinning out and then enjoying Starbucks at one of our favorite spots on the riverfront. It is great being married to your best friend! We have been redoing our bedroom and are almost finished. I will share pictures when it gets done. Thanks honey for spending so many long ours painting it for me!
I think that about wraps up this month. Maybe next month will be slow and boring~ha ha

McCain-Palin!!!

2008-09-09T19:35:00.006-04:00

Today we left our house at 5:40 and drove about 45min, stood in a long line and then waited for 3 hours in the rain to see John McCain and Sarah Palin. And it was worth it!!! I had prayed that we would be able to shake hands with the candidates, but when we got there and saw how many people were already there, I kind of gave up. But God worked it out that we got to be right on the line where they walked from, and back to their bus.We were pretty close to the podium but behind it. That was OK with me to be able to shake hands with them!

Senator John McCain ~ with Tim's hand reaching out

Gov.Sarah Palin ~She was very gracious and personable. When asked for an autograph I heard her say "Thank-you for asking me to do that" ~WOW

Todd Palin~he was almost as popular as his wife. He looked like he was having the time of his life.

Our view of the podium.

The Straight Talk Express

This was while we were waiting in line.

This girl was beside us and I had her pegged as a liberal. Sure enough while they were speaking she pulled out a sign thath said "Be a Maveric Stop Global Warming."

Busy!!

2008-08-30T16:48:00.006-04:00

I know that it has been a long time since I have posted. Life has been busy around here. We have started school, had company, and have been making yummy stuff from our garden. Yesterday I made fresh garden salsa. It was delicious!
Since I hate to post without pictures, here are some from when we went fishing a few weeks ago.

Deals!!

2008-08-12T20:41:00.005-04:00

I have really been trying to be a smart shopper, using coupons and finding the best deals for my money. I have found some great blogs that do the work for you and let you know of good deals.(I hope to post about that soon.) Tonight I got some great deals on some school and office supplies. Since some things were limited Tim and I both went through line.

Staples

4-Staples 500 sheet copy paper 1.99 each
10- 150 sheets note book paper .09 each
4-Elmer's glue FREE!!!
Total.... 8.86 +tax----Saved 14.06

Office Depot

4 Crayola Markers .50 each
5 Office Depot protractors .05 each
4 Office Depot 4 pc. glue sticks .50 each
Total 4.25 +tax----Saved 21.62

Office Max also has some deals but we do not have one close by.

Happy Sisters Day Carol!!

2008-08-05T20:22:00.002-04:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

My sister Carol is fun loving and very talented. She has a beautiful singing voice, and is a great mom and wife. We have been through a lot together, and I am glad that she is my Sis!!

Carol please don't kill me for the pictures. I defiantly need to get some more pictures of you when you come in a few weeks:-}

Emergency Room X Two

2008-08-02T09:51:00.003-04:00

For the second time in 15 days we had Chris in the emergency room. You know that you are going too often when they don't ask to see your insurance card! Thursday the kids were doing the slip and slide which they hold down with tent stakes. When they were putting it away Chris thought that it would be a fun thing to throw the tent stake and make it stick in the ground. The only problem is that it hit his foot instead of the ground.
The cut was pretty deep but we cleaned it good and thought that it would be OK. By night time it was really swollen and he was in a lot of pain. We decided to be safe and get it checked out.
I embarrassed my husband greatly by taking pictures of the occasion. They cleaned the wound very well and took some x-rays. It turns out that it is just bruised and scarped inside. Since it was very painful to walk they wrapped it and gave him crutches. It is a lot better already but a 6 year old and crutches = lots of fun:-}

Hopefully we will not be returning any time soon!!

Summer fun

2008-07-25T21:37:00.004-04:00

Here are a few pictures of what has been going on around here lately.

Walter has a new pastime~reading in a tree. It combines to things he loves~reading and climbing trees! He has spent hours doing this and I love the fact that he is expanding his mind and imagination.

Chris showed me his arm one night as we were sitting down for dinner. You can't really tell but around the boil is a red ring. I was concerned so we took him to the emergency room. A loooog wait later we find out that he had a staph infection and it was passably MRSA. He was given 2 antibiotics and we had to watch it very closely and if it got worse he would have to be put in the hospital on IV's. Thank the Lord the antibiotics worked and we did not have take him to the hospital. We did get confirmation this week that it was MRSA and we Praise the Lord that Chris seems to be over it.

We have been enjoying our garden. This is our first year, so it is so much fun watching the progress.

I was delighted to get two flats of raspberries for 10.00. I also got some blackberries and strawberries for a very good price. So I have been freezing berries, making Jam, and having fun making new recipes.

Last week we were in Camp meeting. Tim's family has been a part of this country camp meeting for many years. The kids sang a special on Saturday night.

We saw this beautiful sunset one night on the way home from camp.

Camping

2008-07-25T21:24:00.002-04:00

I am finally getting around to posting these pictures of our camping trip. We really had a fun time and while it would not be my first choice of a vacation, we will defiantly do it again. We went to Winton Woods park in Cincinnati. It was a beautiful camp grounds and the park had a lot of things to do. The trip defiantly served the purpose of giving us something to do after Olivia left. We still really miss her, but we have talked to her new family several times and she seems to be doing well.
So for all of you who can't believe that I went camping click on the picture below to see the proof:-}

camping

And the winner is.....

2008-07-12T22:21:00.002-04:00

Congratulation to Sherilyn for guessing the closest time. The kids stayed out all night much to my surprise.

Way to go Walter and Charlie, I am proud of you!!

2008-07-11T22:18:00.003-04:00

We are home from a fun camping trip.~More on that later, but the kids had so much fun that they were begging to set up their little tent in the back yard. I gave in so Walter, Charlie and Chris set off on this backyard adventure. So here is what I want to know. Leave a comment and tell me how long you think they will last. The person that guesses the closest will receive a 5$ Starbucks gift card. They started a 10:00p.m., so you can leave a comment till 10:00p.m. tomorrow, July 12th. I will announce the winner shortly thereafter. Good Luck!

*As I was typing this Chris came in so you only have two to guess about.

Saying goodbye

2008-07-10T10:28:00.006-04:00

Today we say goodbye to Olivia. She has been a joy to have in our home. We have truly loved this little girl and hate to see her go. We have had some tears, but her adoptive family has assured us that we can continue to see her, and that helps with the goodbyes. The last few weeks she has been visiting her new family, increasing the visits over time. This is designed to help her start to get to know and bond with her family before she moves, but it has also been a great help for us as we get use to her not being around.
The pictures above were taken Sunday at my in-laws house and the pictures below were taken this week. It is hard to get a picture of her smiling, so I was happy to get these when she was in a silly mood.

LOVE this one!

This smile can melt your heart.

These next ones were taken Sunday

We have made a tradition of doing something special with our family on the day that a foster child leaves. This helps us have something to look forward to and gives us something to do instead of setting around the house missing them. This year we are going camping~~IN A TENT!! (Pause as my family catches their breathe and picks their mouth off the floor.)
The kids have been begging to sleep in a tent all summer, so we decided instead of spending money on a hotel, we would buy a tent and go camping. I have always been the hotel kind of girl, but kids tend to change you:-} I am actually excited about camping! And the kids are beside themselves with excitement. It has really helped to keep their minds off of Olivia leaving at 6:00 tonight.
If you think of it say a prayer for us today!!

July 4th Weekend Part 1

2008-07-08T19:09:00.007-04:00

We spent the 4th with some of my family in Indiana. We had a really nice time at my cousin Bethany and Tom's house. Some of the family were not able to make it and we really missed them. It was rainy in the morning so we missed the parade, but it cleared off in the afternoon, but still a bit chilly.
My Dad cooked ribs and chicken in his big smoker that he made himself~always a big highlight when we get together. That night we went and watched fireworks. It was a great day spent with some of my favorite people in the world!

My Dad the BBQ'er

My Dad's smoker that he designed and built himself.

My brother Ron~the other chief of the day cutting up the chickens!
(looking on is my cousin Bethany~and snitching the food is Tim)

Tom and Bethany's beautiful house

Even though it was cold, the kids still played in the sprinkler.

Playing Frisbee while waiting for fireworks to begin

My niece Joya, brother Keith, s-i-l Glenda, Aunt Marilyn, cousin Bethany and her husband Tom

Some of the kids watching fireworks~~they are nether drunk or asleep, I think the flash caught them by surprise.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-03T11:29:00.004-04:00

Just a quick note to wish everyone a great 4th of July. This is one of my favorite holidays. I love the parades, fireworks, cook outs with family and the overall feel of patriotic pride that we live in such a great country. Growing up the 4th was always celebrated in a big way. My younger brother was even born on July 4th 1976! HAPPY BIRTHDAY RON!
A big THANK YOU to all of those that have given of themselves and the family's that stayed behind to support them. You are why we have a great country today!

I have a lot to update about, but life has been crazy here this week. Please pray for our family over the next week. Olivia will soon be leaving us. She had her first overnight with her new family last night. This has been very hard on me, but Olivia is handleing the transition well and that helps.

We are headed to be with family for the 4th. A good time should be had by all!!

Youth Camp

2008-06-26T13:41:00.005-04:00

I am finally getting around to posting pictures from our trip to youth camp. We had two twelve passenger vans packed full of kids and a king cab pickup truck full of luggage.~Have you ever seen the way teen girls pack?:-} We really had a great time with the youth. They are a great bunch of kids. It was worth the trip to see them seek God and grow spiritually.
Titus and Cherie are the youth leaders. They do an awesome job with the kids. It was nice spending time with them and getting to know them better. Jamie also went and did a great job as lead driver most of the trip.

The gang of youth~this is them on their best behavior and....

This is how they really act:-}~~ you have to click to enlarge to really appreciate it.

Walter was catcher for his team

Walter up to bat.

Olivia liked to climb the fence and watch the game.

Kenny at bat.

I don't think Walter stood a chance at getting this ball.

Brittany at the banquet

Brittany was nominated for camper of the week from her team

This is how the van looked the first part of our trip home. Yes it is full of kids but most of them were sleeping~Yea

Click on the picture below for more pics from youth camp.
If any of you youth see a picture that you want feel free to copy it.

youth camp 08

Our Mini Vacation

2008-06-19T21:35:00.006-04:00

Well I think that we are beginning to catch up an our sleep and the laundry is done. I wanted to get pictures on here sooner but I have been busy getting caught up. We are in VBS this week and Tim's computer is in the shop so I have had to share mine.

The first week of June we went to Indiana to visit family. My cousin Bethany has moved from Colorado to close to where my Dad lives so it was great to spend a couple of days with her and her family.

This was taken while we were waiting for Daddy to come out of an electronics store. I love her winkled up nose.
The kids played with shaving cream one day~Tim thought I was nuts.
My cousin Bethany's adorable boy Braedon
We visited the Children's Museum

This is my Aunt showing Braedon ...........

This

My niece Breanna, Brittany, and Charlie
Walter with his twin monkey:-}
Braedon

Olivia with Curious George
Brittany
All the kids loved the slide
Braedon and his mommy Bethany
Olivia, Braedon, and Charlie having lunch with the three bears.

We also went to the park and had some great times of fellowship, but I did not get out my camera enough. We are really looking forward to going back for a big family get together for the 4th of July.

I will try to get pictures of youth camp up soon~I promise.

I'm HOME!!!

2008-06-14T11:45:00.002-04:00

I know it has been a long time since I posted~~but I have a good excuse. Last week we took a mini vacation and visited family in Indiana. We got home Saturday evening, and Sunday evening we got a call from our Pastor saying that there had been a death related to our church. He had to stay and preach the funeral so he wanted to know if we could drive one of the vans of young people to youth camp. They were meeting at the church a 7:00 A.M. the next morning!
So I started packing for 7 people at 10:00 Sunday night and we left the house at about 6:20 the next morning.
We had 2 vans full of kids and a truck full of luggage on a very long 8 hour trip to Alabama, but it was a fun trip and great to see our young people seek God.
Brittany was old enough to go to camp this year but Tim and I decided that we were not sending her that far away without us since she is only 12. So she was very happy we were going! When we got there we found out that they had several 11 year old campers, so we let Walter be on a team but he had to stay with us at night. He was beside himself!
We got home at 2:45 this morning. I will post pictures later but since we did not have Internet all week, I have 235 items in my Google reader and 110 e-mails.

I would also like to wish Tim a Happy Birthday. He ushered in his birthday somewehere around Louisville driving a van full of teenagers:-} Happy Birthday Babe!

Sherilyn and Andy's Wedding

2008-05-31T21:26:00.010-04:00

My favorite picture of the day

Chris and Maddie~ Bible Bearer and Flower Girl

A Few pictures from rehearsal

I love this picture of Darrell and Regina (parents of the bride) watching Sherilyn and Andy sing to each other.

They sing beautifully together.

Baby Darrell Lee playing during rehearsal

Before the Wedding

Sherilyn and her sister Merrilee
Regina seeing her little girl in her Wedding Dress
Heading to the Church
She did not want to winkle her dress so rode like this.

Heading into the Church.
One last look
Merrilee pinning Andy's flower
Pew bows~so beautiful!!

Andy, Darrell Lee and Chris
Sherilyn and Maddie
Sherilyn, Maddie and a tired Gracie
Darrell Lee Sherilyn and Chris
The whole wedding party

It was a Beautiful wedding and a great day. I was the coordinator, Chris was Bible Bearer and the girls passed out bubbles. My Camera battery died so I have to round up pictures of the girls and the rest of the wedding. Andy and Sherilyn are very special people and we were privileged to be a part of their special day.

Memorial Day Part II

2008-05-26T22:53:00.010-04:00

We have stumbled on a new hobby called Letterboxing. I have been wanting to A.) get out and do some hiking and B.) find inexpensive things to do locally since gas is so high and we will probably not take a vacation this year. Letterboxing is our answer! I copied the following from Letterboxing.org.

Letterboxing is an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, art, navigation, and exploring interesting, scenic, and sometimes remote places. It takes the ancient custom of placing a rock on a cairn upon reaching the summit of a mountain to an artform. It started when a gentleman simply left his calling card in a bottle by a remote pool on the moors of Dartmoor, in England.
Here's the basic idea: Someone hides a waterproof box somewhere (in a beautiful, interesting, or remote location) containing at least a logbook and a carved rubber stamp, and perhaps other goodies. The hider then usually writes directions to the box (called "clues" or "the map"), which can be straightforward, cryptic, or any degree in between. Often the clues involve map coordinates or compass bearings from landmarks, but they don't have to. Selecting a location and writing the clues is one aspect of the art.

Once the clues are written, hunters in possession of the clues attempt to find the box. In addition to the clue and any maps or tools needed to solve it, the hunter should carry at least a pencil, his personal rubber stamp, an inkpad, and his personal logbook. When the hunter successfully deciphers the clue and finds the box, he stamps the logbook in the box with his personal stamp, and stamps his personal logbook with the box's stamp. The box's logbook keeps a record of all its visitors, and the hunters keep a record of all the boxes they have found, in their personal logbooks.

So we got our clue and headed to a Park very near our Home.

Getting ready to head out.

Walking down a beautiful trail.

Looking back up the trail

The tail was so pretty it made you feel like you were in the Smokies or something.

I love this picture. Walter is quiet disturbed that I took this just as Charlie grabbed his hand. (She knew that I was taking the picture.) He says that it makes him look "loving" with is a horror to a 11 year old boy!!

Walter found the Box.
It was at the base of one of these trees.
Charlie looking through the book at the different stamps and comments that people had left. We forgot to get a picture of the stamp we used. We used one that says "This is the day that the Lord has made"
Walter getting ready to put the stamp back for the next person to find.

We were so happy to find a new hobby and a network of trails so close to home. So get outside and see what you can discover this summer.

Memorial Day Part I

2008-05-26T22:35:00.005-04:00

We had a wonderful Memorial Day today. Thanks to all the service men past and present that have sacrificed to keep our freedom.

Tim and I started our day early sitting on the swing drinking coffee and enjoying the beautiful morning. Then we woke the kids up and headed to our local parade. It was not a big one but fun just the same.

Waiting for the parade to start.

Olivia had a blast. She is a very out doors girl.
Two pretty girls enjoying the parade.

Honoring our soldiers.

On the way home we stopped at a creek to try to get some good pictures of the kids~~Ha what was I thinking:-]

Oh well it was worth a shot!!

Because

2008-05-20T21:28:00.003-04:00

Because My brothers birthday has come and gone, and...
Because I am sure you are tired of looking at his mug:-}, and....
Because I have photos of Mothers Day and other exciting things that need edited before I post them, and...
Because my nice husband restored my computer for me and has not reinstalled my editing software, and....
Because I am lazy and inspired...
I am posting some childhood pictures of my siblings and myself.

This picture was probably taken at Easter time because that is the only time I remember the camera coming out. I think that this was taken in 1976.
1975-76
1976-77 after my younger brother Ron was added to the mix.

I have lots of cool pictures from years gone by that I might post in the future unless I get a big enough bribe from one of my siblings:-}

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEITH!!

2008-05-15T18:42:00.002-04:00

I would like to wish my favorite big brother a Happy Birthday. He is a great brother and a good friend.

I hope you had a great birthday Keith.

FREE MONEY!!

2008-05-14T17:39:00.006-04:00

Who said that there is no free lunch in America? Revolution Money Exchange is a new company that is trying to be a competitor of Pay Pal. The great thing is that they do not charge fees like PayPal does. To get people signed up they are giving you $25 when you open an account. I tried to read up on them and it seems like a reputable company, that was started by Steve Chase, co-founder and former CEO of AOL. I signed up and almost immediately had $25 in my account. So check it out and if you feel comfortable with it and want to try it, click through my link and you get $25 and I get $10 for referring you!~~~But hurry, this offer ends on May 15th.

Losing a tooth

2008-05-12T23:21:00.004-04:00

Chris lost his first tooth on the last day of kindergarten.He pulled it out himself. He has been working on that loose tooth for a long time. I talks a little funny and I think that he is as cute as can be.

She's Home....

2008-05-12T22:47:00.006-04:00

....Actually she has been home almost a week, but I am just getting around to blogging it. We made a welcome home sign for here and when she got home~at 12:30 a.m.~ she walked right past the sign without even seeing it.

I had to make her come back down and try again!

Of course she had to stay up and give us all the details. She had gifts to pass out to all of us but since it was 1 a.m. and I was a very tired photographer I will spare you the pictures.

One of her gifts for Tim was a coconut. A couple of days later Tim undertook the task of opening it. It was a neat experience and did not seem that hard to me!!

Using a hammer to brake off the outer shell

Peeling off the outer shell
getting to the coconut
Finally
Where is the Beach?

It is great to have my little girl home again!!

For Brittany

2008-05-03T21:48:00.013-04:00

Here is a little sampling of what we have been doing to pass the time while you are away.~~~

Baking for Charity for Children Bake Sale

Playing Putt Putt at Glo Golf at the mall.

Eating DQ

Riding the Carousel

We also have eaten a Deweys (forgot to get a picture), went to the park(did not take the camera), and of course we have done lots of other fun things like school work and chores.

Can't wait to have you home~It is not the same without you!

Love,

Mom, Dad, Walter, Charlie, Chris, and Olivia

Loosening the Grasp a Little

2008-05-01T22:06:00.002-04:00

Tuesday we said goodbye to a very excited 12 year old that was heading for Florida with her Grandma and Grandpa Stamper. She as been looking forward to this for over a year. She left behind three jealous siblings and one mommy with very mixed feelings. I am very happy and excited for her and I am glad that she is confident and secure enough to go on a trip without us. I am glad that she has this wonderful opportunity to make some great memories, but I am learning that this growing up thing is not easy on the parents. We don't wait until they are all grown up to let them go all at once, it is process. Loosening the grasp a little at a time. I know, I know, you are probably saying "she is only twelve" I guess that I am just being nostalgic tonight. I am at home wondering if I prepared her enough, is she getting enough sleep, is she homesick? We talk to her several times a day and she is having a blast. Five more days and she will be home. Will she seem older? Will I still see glimpses of the little girl that still pops out even though she tries to act like she is growing up? I hope so!!

One happy girl on her way to Florida.

Walter tried to hide in the back seat of the car but he got caught.

Mothers hold their childrens hands for a while but their hearts for forever.

For All The Mothers Out There

2008-04-28T13:39:00.002-04:00

Attention Children:
The Bathroom Door is Closed!
Author Unknown

Please do not stand here and talk, whine, or ask questions.

Wait until I get out.

Yes, it is locked. I want it that way. It is not broken.

I am not trapped.

I know I have left it unlocked, and even open at times since you were born, because I was afraid some horrible tragedy might occur while I was in there, but it's been 10 years and I want some

PRIVACY.

Do not ask me how long I will be. I will come out when I am done.

Do not bring the phone to the bathroom door.

Do not go running back to the phone yelling:

"She's in the BATHROOM!"

Do not begin to fight as soon as I go in.

Do not stick your little fingers under the door and wiggle them. This was only funny when you were two.

Do not slide pennies, Legos, or notes under the door. Even when you were
two, this got a little tiresome.

If you have followed me down the hall talking, and are still talking as you face this closed door, please turn around, walk away and wait for me in another room. I will be glad to listen to you when I am done.

Oh ... And yes, I still love you.

Mom

A friend gave this to me at church last night. I thought I would pass it on. While I know that we all love our children dearly, there are those times when we would like just a few minutes of peace in the bathroom!!

IHC

2008-04-22T22:11:00.006-04:00

Another IHC has come and gone and we survived! Actually IHC is something that our family looks forward to for months. Yes it is exhausting and hard with kids, but it is also a wonderful time to make memories, spend time with family, meet with friends old and new, and get renewed spiritually. I think that it is really important for my kids to see that we are not part of a small group, but that there are many other Christians like us all over the USA.

I kept forgetting to take the kids picture. This is on the way to our car the last night. Four tired but happy kids.

Chris and Olivia looking out our window at the Crown.
Olivia kept trying to get OUT of the stroller all day but when we got back to the hotel she kept climbing IN.
The third day at IHC and the first time she fell asleep in her stroller.
Chris and Olivia taking a break.

Chris and his friend Ethan getting ready to sing in the children's choir.
Walter taking last minute offering before singing in children's choir.
Charlie holding a sign for kids to line up.
Brittany on her way to sing.
The Children's Choir. All of our kids are up there somewhere.

After IHC my sister and family came home with us for two nights, we went to the Collingsworth concert (pictures to follow soon)on Saturday and after the concert some friends came home with us to spend the night, and go to church with us on Sunday. We had four adults and NINE kids and we made it to Sunday School on time!! We had a great weekend visiting with old friends. I forgot to get the camera out and take pictures:-(

I still have pictures from Charlie's birthday party and the concert. Hopefully I will get them up soon.

Tagged!

2008-04-11T21:04:00.005-04:00

Thanks to Janella I have been tagged.

What I was doing 10 years ago.
I had been married to Tim for 5 years. Was working for an embroidery company running a machine that could embroider 12 shirts a one time.

5 Things on my to do list for today.
Since it is after 9pm here is a sampling of what I have done today. I did not write everything down but it went something like this.
1. start a load of laundry.
2. fix breakfast
3. clean up kitchen
4. another load of laundry
5. had devotions on the swing
6. another load of laundry
7. started getting the kids summer clothes out and organized
8. make lunch
9. another load of laundry
10.went to a produce co-op to get produce
11. got the boys hair cut.
12. made supper
13. crashed.
*When I sat down at the computer tonight I made a comment about how tired I was because I had worked so hard, and My dear sweet husband asked what it was that I had done today!!

Snacks that I enjoy
Ice cream
Chips
Chocolate
Pastries
But since I started my diet it's more like...
pretzels
apples
strawberries
popcorn

What I would do with a billion dollars.
1. Give to my church, missions and charities
2. Buy land in the country and build a house.
3. Give a chunk of money to all my (close) family members.
4. Buy Tim the truck of his dreams.
5. Do random acts of kindness giving to those in need.
6. Take LOTS of vacations.

Three bad habits
Me, bad habits?
Impatient
Procrastinate
Saying "you know" to much in conversations

5 places I have lived
Zambia, Africa
Salam, Ohio
Minerva, Ohio
Westfield, Indiana
Independence, Kentucky

5 Jobs I have had.
Cleaning houses
Daycare
Seamstress making water bed sheets
Seamstress at a fur store
Embroidery factory

I tag my niece Joya.

Happy Bithday Charlie

2008-04-09T09:22:00.002-04:00

Happy 10th Birthday!
We love you and hope you have a great day.

Ahhh SPRING

2008-04-07T21:00:00.003-04:00

Blooming flowers

Happy playing babies

Dirty bare feet

Quiet mornings on my swing

AHH SPRING!!
Today was the perfect spring day.It looks like spring is finally here. YAH!
I had devotions this morning on my swing. The kids spent hours playing outside. We took a two mile walk and had a all around great day. I forgot to get out my camera until it was almost dark.
We had revival last week and while it was a busy, tiring week it was a great revival and just what I needed. Bro.Joe Smith preached some wonderful sermons and we really saw the Lord working and answering pray.
Tomorrow is going to be another beautiful day and we plan on taking the kids to a park for a picnic lunch. Hopefully I will remember the camera:-}

HOW TO STEAL A COOKIE

2008-03-31T17:19:00.005-04:00

HOW TO STEAL A COOKIE

BY: OLIVIA

14 MONTHS Climb up on the chair.
It may take a while but keep at it.
Check to see who is watching.
Slyly check and see which cookie you want.
Quickly grab one.

Look again to see if anyone saw you.
Take a bite.
MMM...that's good.
OH NO!! I forgot to whip off the evidence.

Oh Well~ When you are this cute you can get by with it.

THE END.

I baked cookies on Saturday, and after catching Olivia several times trying to steal a cookie, I grab a camera and caught her in the act. She is really starting to climb a lot and has to be watched ALL THE TIME!

Our Easter Weekend

2008-03-25T19:30:00.003-04:00

A nice Easter weekend was had by all in the Stamper household. We did not do school on Friday and it was a pretty day so the kids played outside and we colored Easter eggs. Saturday was the annual pancake breakfast and egg hunt at church. We gave the kids their baskets Saturday night since Tim had to be at church a half hour early on Sunday morning. I was also having company for dinner so I decided to get the baskets out of the way on Saturday night. We hid the baskets and they had great fun finding them. Sunday was good day celebrating our Lord's Resurrection. We had Tims parents over after church for dinner.

Chris did this pose all on his own.

Olivia update: We were supposed to lose Olivia on Friday, but court did not go as expected so we have her at least until the end of April. We enjoy her and love having her every minute that she is here. Her new adoptive mom came to see her and brought her an Easter basket on Saturday. Olivia did really well warming up to her.

Click on the picture below to view more pictures of our weekend.

Easter

He Is Risen Indeed!

2008-03-22T22:49:00.001-04:00

For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have ever lasting life.

Sprucing Up

2008-03-18T19:49:00.003-04:00

Tim was on spring break last week so I put him to work around the house. This is what our steps looked like. I still really liked it but the wall paper was starting to come off in places so we went for a new look.
Tim stripped the wall paper, painted, and put up chair rail. The color on the bottom is the same color as my living room.
I have been wanting a coat rack on the wall coming in from garage, so Tim built this for me. We(Tim) painted the wall a dark blue. I am still trying to decide if I want the whole room painted this color. I am going to decorated this room with a nautical theme.

"Snow" Much Fun

2008-03-10T21:59:00.006-04:00

The kids have spent many hours outside enjoying the snow. This is probably the biggest snow they have seen in their lifetime. I think Tim enjoyed the snow as much or more than the kids did. He made them a ramp that they could sled ride over and helped them build a wall to use for snowball fights.We took many pictures so I have put a few here and you can view more by clicking on the album at the bottom.

Olivia enjoyed watching the kids playing.

Going....
Going.....
Over!

Chris in the tunnel that Brittany built.
Snow Cream
The creek down from our house.

snow march 08

Spring?

2008-03-07T21:32:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was so beautiful and I was delighted to see that some of my spring flowers were starting to come up. I took this picture at about 10:30 yesterday.
This is the same flower at 8:30 this morning
One hour later.

We now have 4-5 inches of snow with 8-10 more to come. I am very ready for spring but it is hard not to get caught up in the excitment and beauty of the snow. I just wish it would have come in December!!

Sunday Pictures

2008-03-05T23:17:00.003-05:00

Sunday I made my kids "suffer" through a photo session. So now you all can "suffer" through looking at them:-)

The whole gang

Boys must be boys.
Now thats better!
My young Ladies

2008-03-03T15:48:00.003-05:00

OK~so I am going to jump on this bandwagon of Menu Plan Monday. But I am going to add a twist. Every day I am having at least one recipe that I have gotten off of someones blog. I have started a three ring binder so when I see a recipe someone has posted, I print it off and put it in my binder to try later. I am looking forward to this week but also have a little trepidation because of all the new recipes that will take more time to prepare then my old handy~dandy favorites. I have been in a rut lately so this should shake things up a bit.

Monday~ Pork Chops, Baked French Fries, Peas

Tuesday~Nacho Chicken Casserole, Salad

Wednesday~Crock-pot Lasagna, Green beans

Thursday~ Oven-Fried Chicken, Corn, Scalloped Potatoes

Friday~ Pizza(game night at church)

Saturday~Out to eat

Now that I have typed it out it does not sound that bad, only four new meals. That means that I have several more recipes that I still want to try. Maybe next week.

I am enjoying this glorious day of nice weather. The kids have been having a blast outside.

Have a wonderful day!

Olivia

2008-02-28T18:06:00.002-05:00

I am sorry that you had look at my tail of woe so long. I am very tired of seeing it every time I log on but I have been trying to post for several days and have been having trouble.

Today I met Olivia's new adoptive parents. We had a meeting to discuss her transition into their home. She will start having visits over the next few weeks and then move in with them for good on March 21st.

I really liked her new family. I know that they will be good to her and they are VERY excited to adopt her, but the next few weeks are still going to be hard.

Pray for us and they kids as we prepare our hearts to say good-bye.

My "Fun" Weekend

2008-02-18T20:27:00.001-05:00

My fun weekend, referred to in my last post, was supposed to start out Friday night with a night away with my wonderful husband, spend the day Saturday "dragging" him shopping and then Saturday night go to a Jeff Allen show. Jeff Allen is a very funny Christian Comedian, and one of our favorites. My sitter plans for Friday night fell through, but we still planned on having Saturday together and going t0 see Jeff Allen in the evening. We already had the tickets. We were really looking forward to this weekend because our trip for our 15th anniversary in September fell through.
My weekend turned into being sick and staying home with a sick family. Tim got sick on Thursday, Charlie got sick on Friday, Chris and I got sick on Saturday, the baby got sick on Sunday and Brittany got sick today. Walter is the only one that has not gotten sick. He is not showing any signs of sickness yet so maybe he will ecscape it.
We were pretty disappointed but ended up having a nice relaxing weekend as family. Sunday for me is usually a very tiring day, and Olivia is at the age that I usually spend more time in the nursery than in service. Yesterday I got into more church then I have in a while. I heard GBS sing at Frankfort Bible Holliness. Listened to my brother teach his sunday school class at Franklin Pilgrim Holiness Church, went to two services at Hobe Sound Camp, AND got to stay in my PJ's all day!
I have always said that half of the fun of a trip is the planning and looking forward to it. So since we WILL get to take that trip someday, I still have something to look forward to!!!

Introducing...

2008-02-16T12:07:00.006-05:00

.... Two new bloggers. My brother Keith and my niece Joya.
Keith's blog is a really cool site where he post notes and audio of his Sunday School class. I have been in his class several times, and he is a really great and interesting Sunday School teacher. He also has some really cool links to online Bibles and Commentaries.
So check out these two new sites and welcome them to the blogging world.

Happy Valentines Day!

2008-02-14T12:15:00.007-05:00

Every year I try to do a special meal for the family for Valentines Day. This has become something the kids really look forward to. Usually it is a dinner but this year, since Tim has to judge a competition tonight, I decided to do a special breakfest. We had Heart Shaped Biscuts, Bacon, Scrambled Eggs, and Fruit and Yogurt Smoothies.
I did not want to spend alot of money on trinkets and stuffed animals for Valintines gifts so the kids got some candy and the first season of Little House on the Priarie on DVD.

Olivia enjoying her heart sucker.

Visiting Valentines Past~

This is one of the kids favorite Valentine meals ever. It was in 05 and they still talk about it. We had Stuffed Chicken, Scallopped Potaoes, Green Beans, Yeast Rolls, and Chocolate Mousse in a Chocolate Ball w/ Strawberries.

Boy time flies~I can't believe how they are growing up!

To make the Chocolate Bowls just blow up small balloons and dip them into melted chocolate. Let the chocolate harden and then pop the balloon.

Fill with Chocolate Mousse(I just used a store bought mix) and Strawberries. You could also use ice cream if you did not want to mess with the Mousse.

So if you don't have anything special planned for your family tonight, give this a try~they will love it!

Tim and I have a fun weekend planned~can't wait!

My 100th Post.

2008-02-03T16:17:00.000-05:00

In honor of my 100th post I am posting 100 things about myself. So if you don't have anything better to do, sit back and enjoy!

1. My name is Patricia.
2. People call me Patty.
3. When I was young people called me Pat Sue.
4. I was born in Africa.
5. When I was about a week old, my brother tried to clip my nails and clipped off the end of my finger.
6. I was 2 ½ before I ever stepped foot in the good old USA.
7. I have 2 brothers.
8. And one sister.
9. I lost a brother when I was 7 and he was 11.
10. I still miss him.
11. I was raised in a Christian family.
12. I had three grandpas that were preachers.
13. I am a PK (preacher’s kid) and a MK (missionary’s kid).
14. I am right handed.
15. I got in trouble a lot in grade school.
16. I loved high school.
17. I went to college for 2 years.
18. I started working at McDonalds when I was 16.
19. I saved my money and went to Alaska that summer to visit my cousin for 6 weeks.
20. I flew by myself.
21. I had a crush on my husband before we started dating.
22. We dated for 3 ½ years.
23. I thought he would never ask.
24. He is my best friend.
25. He is the only man I have kissed.
26. We have been married for 15 years.
27. We are more in love now than ever.
28. He spoils me.
29. I get along with my In-laws.
30. We have been foster parents for 9 years.
31. We have had 12 foster kids.
32. We have adopted 4 kids.
33. 2 boys
34. 2 girls.
35. I used to think that I wanted 6 kids.
36. Now I am very happy with 4.
37. I love to foster babies.
38. I am THANKFUL that we could not have biological kids because God has given us the greatest kids in the world.
39. I always said I would NEVER be a teacher.
40. Now I home school my four kids.
41. I like talk radio.
42. I like politics.
43. I like to shop.
44. I love, love, love to shop if there is a Clearance.
45. I don’t like to “window “shop if I don’t have any money to spend.
46. I like to buy clothes,
47. But couldn’t care less about shoes.
48. I love to scrapbook.
49. I am way behind on my scrapbooking.
50. I do better at making scrapbooks for others.
51. I like to make handmade cards.
52. I like to cook.
53. I took piano lessons for years,
54. But I cannot play the piano.
55. I volunteered for 5 years at Crisis Pregnancy Center.
56. I hope to volunteer again when my family gets older.
57. I love my Church.
58. I love to travel.
59. My favorite vacation was to Outer Banks.
60. My second favorite was to Colorado Springs.
61. My best friend’s name is Lisa.
62. I like to go bare footed.
63. I have been stopped by a policeman 3 times.
64. I have gotten 3 tickets.
65. I have a reoccurring dream about calling 911 and no one answers.
66. Fall used to be my favorite season.
67. Now I love spring.
68. I don’t like to clean house.
69. I like being my age,
70. But this is the first birthday-37-that kind of bothered me.
71. I am a procrastinator.
72. I work better under the pressure of a deadline.
73. My husband thinks I am addicted to blogging.
74. I am not very patient.
75. I am too sarcastic at times.
76. I am sentimental.
77. I like common sense thinking.
78. I have trouble with people who do not do their jobs properly.
79. I am a pack-rat but am getting better about it.
80. I am doing better this year with exercising.
81. I am actually starting to like it!
82. I love any kind of organizing containers.
83. I just got an IPOD.
84. I love to read.
85. I LOVE coffee.
86. Big Starbucks fan.
87. Love Chocolate.
88. I wanted to be a nurse when I was young.
89. I may go back to school when Tim gets out.
90. I have had 8 jobs.
91. I haven’t “worked” in 7 years.
92. I have never had a broken bone.
93. I have never been hospitalized.
94. I like to dream about all the things I would do with a million dollars.
95. I am blessed with great family and friends,
96. And love to spend time with them.
97. I love flowers in my yard,
98. But I hate to garden.
99. I am happy with my life.
100. And finally, I am thankful to my Lord and Savior for his many blessings.

Dad's 70th Birthday Party

2008-01-24T16:52:00.000-05:00

Saturday we had a 70th birthday party for my Dad. This has been in the works for several months and we were trying to keep it a surprise. Since Dad decided to take an out of town business trip my brother had to tell him to be back by Friday night. Since it was the week of his birthday he knew something was up, he just didn't know what.
We decorated with an African theme since Dad was a missionary to Africa for 10 years. my sis-in-law did a great job with the decorations, but I forgot to take very many pictures of them!
Dad has a lot of slides from his college day and from Africa. They have been in his attic for years. We took them out of his attic and I went through about 1500 slides! We had some of them put unto a CD and Tim made a slide show that we had playing at the party.(Sam's will put slides on a CD for .18 cents)
For his gift we ask people to send in letters and scrapbook pages telling what Dad meant to them. We compiled this into a scrapbook and it turned out really nice.

We had a great time and are so blessed to have a such a wonderful father. Dad with all his grand kids
The Whole Russell Gang
Friends from his college days.
Dad modeling one of his gifts. It says Caution- Frequent Senior Moments

Click in the picture below for more pictures of the party.

Dad's Birthday Party

More Christmas

2008-01-12T22:10:00.000-05:00

After much delay and being very busy, I am finally getting around to posting the rest of my Christmas pictures. Christmas day was spent at home. The kids got us up about 7:30 and we had a leisurely fun time opening presents. We ate a late breakfast of egg casserole and coffee cake. Since I was behind the camera most of the day I did not get pictures of my gifts. Tim got me a really nice set of pots and pans. He does not like to get me gifts that have to do with "work", but I told him I really wanted them. I am really enjoying using them.
Tim's parents came over for dinner and the evening, we had a nice time and a great day! Click on the picture below for more pics of the day

Christmas Day

New years was spent with my family at my sister's house in Ohio. We had a wonderful time being together. There were a lot of games, lots of goodies, many laughs, and "few" theological discussions. They live next to their church which has a gym. It was a great place for the kids to play. Click on the picture below to see more.

New Years-Christmas with the Russell side

The next week is going to be very busy so you may not here from me for a while:-}

Birthday Updates

2008-01-04T19:33:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from Walter's birthday. He always lucks out because I shop for his birthday after Christmas and get things on clearance. Since we try to spend the same for each child on their birthdays, he usually gets more for his "buck". We were able to get him a Remote Control video spy car that would have been more than we spend if it had not be 50% off. He also got Adventures in Odyssey cds.
The Birthday Child usually picks where They want to go out to eat f0r their birthday, but Walter wanted me to cook a "Sunday" dinner. He loves fruit and requested an "All fruit birthday". I made Fried Apples for breakfast and Fruit Salad along with our dinner, and he chose Blackberry Cobbler instead of cake. Click on the picture below for more pictures of Walter's birthday.

Walter's Birthday

Brittany's birthday was 3 weeks ago but I never got pictures of her birthday posted. She wanted to go Applebee's for their All You Can Eat Soup and Salad lunch. She thoroughly enjoys birthdays and made the best of her day from dawn to dark:-) Click on the picture to view more.

Brittany's Birthday

Happy Birthday Walter

2008-01-03T10:13:00.000-05:00

Happy 11th Birthday Walter!! You are becoming a very talented young man. I am so thankful that you have a heart for God. I hope you always use your talents for him. We love you. Hope you have a great birthday.

What??

2008-01-02T21:50:00.000-05:00

Last night we were listening to the radio in the car. The song that was playing had a phrase that said "When I walk into heaven with my white robe on". Chris pipped up and said are they saying "Wife's robe?" He thought that the song said "When I walk into Heaven with my wife's robe on".

Christmas Eve

2007-12-28T11:59:00.000-05:00

Since we celebrated Christmas with Tim's family Friday night, we spent Christmas Eve at home as a family. The kids begged to open some presents so we let them open what they got each other and we opened what they got us. I think he was happy with his matchbox police cars from Charlie
Charlie opening her gift from Walter
Brittany opening her gift from Chris
Walter tying out his Juggling balls from Brittany
Tim being his goofy self opening his gift from Charlie
Chris helping me open my gift (a chopper) from him

After opening gifts we decorated sugar and gingerbread cookies and then ended the evening by watching It's a wonderful life. We had a great evening together.

2007-12-24T14:21:00.000-05:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

In search of the "perfect" Christmas card picture

2007-12-17T20:29:00.001-05:00

Over the last few weeks I have been in search of the "perfect" Christmas picture for our Christmas cards. With this many kids it is no small undertaking! My kids are cooperative (mostly), bit it is hard to get true smiles if they are not enjoying it. We did not have Olivia in all of them because we will probably be losing her soon. I took some of her by herself, they are in the post below. I took a couple hundred pictures:-}~here are a few.

Trying to recreate the picture up above in the header
This one was Chris's idea

We got snow Saturday, so of course we had to go out and take pictures.

When I told them to start throwing snow balls at me, they decided that this picture thing may not be so bad ofter all!
I took this one in Tower Place mall after we had been to a wedding downtown Cincinnati.

The last two were the ones I ended up going with. I have a lot of pictures from this weekend~Brittany's birthday, Christmas program, and Family visiting. Hopefully I will get them up soon.

Olivia

2007-12-17T20:22:00.000-05:00

Happy 12th Birthday!!

2007-12-14T09:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Brittany!! You are turning into a beautiful young lady. We love you and hope you have a wonderful day. 5 Years Old

10 Years Old
11 Years old

Freezing the Moment

2007-12-11T20:07:00.000-05:00

I was thinking tonight that my kids are at the perfect ages and I wish I could freeze time. They are old enough to be developing great personalities, help around the house, and get along(mostly) with each other. But they are young enough to still be my babies.
My oldest is knocking hard on the door of adolescence. I keep getting the feeling that before I know it they will be grown and gone. So this Christmas I am going to cherish every moment and take lots of pictures, for soon they will be bringing the grand kids home!

The Terrible Twos~Revisited

2007-12-09T16:06:00.000-05:00

I think someone had too much Birthday. His birthday was Monday, he cut holes in his shirt on Tuesday and cut his hair on Wednesday! Needless to say his school scissors have been taken away and can only be used with permission.

We had a small family party on Sunday with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle David Aunt Kelly and Cousins. Monday we took him to Dewey's Pizza and Starbucks for dessert. Starbucks is a special treat that they like to get on their birthday.
I think that he is off of his birthday high and is back to being his normal(mostly) good self.
Click on the picture below for pictures of the birthday festivities.

Untitled Album

Happy Birthday Chris!

2007-12-03T12:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Chris.

We love you lots and are so glad that you are part of our family. First birthday

2005

2005
5th Birthday-2006
Summer 2007
Summer 2007

Today starts a month of birthdays in our family! Between birthdays and Christmas we are pretty broke by the time January comes around, but we love every minute of it. Hope you don't get tired of all the birthday pictures:-}

It's Begining To Look Alot Like Christmas

2007-11-24T15:16:00.000-05:00

We have had our Christmas tree up since last week. This is the earliest that we have ever put up our tree. I am usually a stickler for waiting until after Thanksgiving, but the kids were begging and since we were going out of town for Thanksgiving I gave in. I've got to say it was really nice coming home and having that Christmas task already done. The kids and Tim did most of the tree which was really nice. We love alot of lights on our tree. We kind of lost count but there are at least 2500 lights. I do not have all of my stuff up but here are some pictures of the decorations so far.

Tim putting on lights while the kids straighten out the next branches.
Walter helping with the lights.
Chris's turn to help with the lights.
The kids put on all of the decorations.

My carolers above my closet.
My snowmen

Thankful

2007-11-19T21:47:00.001-05:00

There are so many things for which I am thankful. This is not a complete list but some of the things that I have been thinking of this week.

Spiritual~

God's great love that sent Him to die for me and my sins.
God's guidance that helps me to know his will.
A great church and Pastor.
A Godly heritage.

Family

A wonderful husband who I am more in love with than the day I married him.
Brittany~My oldest who is quickly becoming a beautiful young lady.
Walter~Who has a tender heart for God and desire to serve Him.
Charlie~Who is the most giving and helpful girl I know.
Chris~Who is the life of the party and completes our little family.
My brothers and sister who are not just siblings but great friends~I love you guys!
My Dad who has been a consistent example of Christ.

Material

In the two years since Tim was hurt, God has taken wonderful care of our financial needs.
For supplying us with a much needed van.
A warm house and a place to lay my head.

Physical

Healthy Kids and Family

Our family sang this song Sunday night in church. It pretty much sums it all up for me.

Thank You Lord, For your Blessings on Me
Written by: The Easter Brothers

Verse I

As the world looks upon me, as I struggle along
They say I have nothing, but they are so wrong
In my heart I’m rejoicing, how I wish they could see
Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me

Chorus

There’s a roof up above me
I’ve a good place to sleep
There’s food on my table
And shoes on my feet
You gave me your love Lord
And a fine family
Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me

Verse II

Now I know I’m not wealthy, and these clothes , they’re not new
I don’t have much money, but Lord I have you
And to me that’s all that matters, though the world cannot see
Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me

Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Cooking up a Field Trip

2007-11-18T15:43:00.001-05:00

This week we took the kids on a field trip to Cooking Up Fun. They learned how to make yeast rolls and honey butter. They had a great time learning to cook and spending time with some friends. They even got to eat some rolls and take some home!

Charlie cracking the eggs while Abbey looks on.

Christi and Brittany
Walter mixing the dough.
Kneading the dough and shaping the rolls
Trey, Walter and Will

I guess I forgot to take a picture of the final product but they were good.

Dinner Rolls

These are not the best rolls I have tasted but are nice because they only have to raise once for 45 minutes

1 3/4 c. lukewarm water

3 pkg. yeast (or 3/4 oz. of balk yeast)

5 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. powdered milk

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1/4 c. butter

Mix water and yeast together and let stand for 10 min. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. (may need to add a little more flour.) Pour out on a lightly floured surface. Roll out and cut into squares and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 untill brown (20-30 min.) Brush with melted butter when done.

Makes 24 large rolls.

Honey Butter

1 stick of butter

1 tsp of honey (or to taste)

Blend very well and allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving

2007-11-14T08:44:00.000-05:00

Some how the kids and Tim got into a discussion about cooking. The kids said that Tim could not cook and Tim said he could. A challenge was made and Tim took the challenge. Last night he made Lasagna(something he loves but I don't make very often.) He did it without any help from me and even cleaned up after himself! It was just as good or better than mine! He is always saying that he can cook but never does it, now that he has proved it I said that we can take turns every other night:-)

Chef Tim at work

Chris getting ready to enjoy the great Lasagna

I told Tim while he was cooking that I was going to blog about it, and he said "It is going to be so good that you can't help but blog about it!"

Thanks Honey for the great meal I enjoyed the night off. I guess tonight is my night~ can anyone say "Cracker Barrel" :-}

Click on the picture below for some pics of some of our activities from the last month.

October 07

2007-11-09T22:32:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a long time since I have posted, but I have a good excuse. I have been "mourning" the loss of a friend. Someone who was there for me everyday just when I needed her. Then one day she failed me and was not there for me any more. Because of that I have no time to blog because I have been spending my time doing this~ Washing dishes~and making my hands look like this~

So this fair weather friend had been~~
Kicked to the curb~ and my wonderful Husband found me a new and better one to replace her.

So now I am back in business!~YAH

Actually the real reason I haven't blogged much is I have not been feeling very inspired lately. I will be posting random pictures from the last few weeks soon.

Brown County, Indiana

2007-10-26T08:29:00.000-04:00

Every Fall we take a trip to Nashville, Indiana, with my brother and his family. We have only missed one year out of the last seventeen. Over the years, we have grown from 2 couples and 1 baby to 2 couples and 8 kids! It is fun to shop in all the great stores, but the best thing for me is getting to spend the day with some of my favorite people. Yeah~ that brother who use to drive me crazy and pick on me when we were kids is now a great friend.
I took along my camera and took pictures of some of our favorite places that are a most stop ever year.

The Holly Shop~usually our first stop

The Toy Chest and the Candy Emporium are a favorite with the kids.

The Candy Dish is a must stop for the adults to get our Fudge Fix.

Our favorite place to eat is Hob Nob Corner Restaurant. When I suggested to Tim that maybe we could try somewhere new this year, he looked at me like I had lost my mind:-)

This is what the guys do most of the day~wait on us to come out of the store(Tim is really not mad~just a bad picture) The guys really are great about being patient.

The little guys waiting
Chris getting a ride from his cousin Byron.
We had a great day. The only bad thing about the day was that I forgot my wallet at home with all the cash that I had gotten out of the bank the night before. Oh Well~ I didn't need to spent much anyway and it kept me from getting stuff I really did not need, because if I wanted to by something I had to have Tim come in and pay with his debit card. I really made me think about if I really needed or wanted something:-)

2007-10-17T09:51:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from UBC Old Fashion Day. The different classes make floats and they have a parade. I think they do a great job with the floats. Click on the picture to see more.

UBC Old Fashion Day

Our Busy Weekend

2007-10-17T08:54:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful fun busy week end. Friday night we went to GBS Homecoming. We had a good time and saw a lot of friends. The past two weekends~UBC and GBS~ I heard from a lot of people that they read my blog. I was tempted to feel a little pressure that I need to keep my blog updated and interesting. But I have let that go~ I don't need any more stress and pressure in my life:-} I was glad to hear who was reading and to reconnect with some old freinds. If you are not comfortable leaving a comment I do have an email link on the top left cornor.~Hint Hint

Saturday was very busy getting ready for our Pastor Appreciation Day. Saturday night some friends called and they were having a bond fire and asked us to come over. I was a fun time and so relaxing to just sit and visit by the fire. I was bummed that I forgot the camera.

I woke up Sunday morning with a terrible sick headache. I had to go to church and take care of some things for the Sunday night service and to help decorate for our fellowship time Sunday night. I should have stayed home(I'll just leave it at that.) I missed lunch at my in-laws and went to bed. Thankfully I felt better by 3:00 and could finish up all I needed to get done.

Sunday night was a great time of honoring our Pastor. We love them and are so blessed to have them. (more about that in another post.)

the theme was Roses. We had about 10 people speak about the Stetlers and them put a rose in a vase. We had several special songs and took up a love offering. We had all of the Sunday school write something to the Stetlers and put it in a scrapbook with the child's picture. They will also be receiving a gift from someone in the church every week for the next year.

I don't want it to sound like this was all pull off my me myself and I. I had a great committe that help and did a great job making my load easier. Thanks ladies.

I did not take very many pictures but here are a few.

Boys Chior
Decorated with roses
Marianne did a great job on the cake.

Kentucky Wool Festival

2007-10-11T20:36:00.000-04:00

Last Friday we took a field trip to the Kentucky Wool Festival. They have Sheep shearing (which we missed ), sorghum making, a blacksmith, bluegrass, crafts, and lots of yummy food. Click on the picture below to see more pictures. I put captions under the pictures to explain more about our day.

ky wool festival

We were in revival last week with the Scotts. Had the field trip on Friday, and we went to UBC (where I went to school) Saturday. I have some good pictures from that but am to tired to down load them tonight. This week is another busy one for me. I have a lot to do for the weekend (can't say what-you never know who is reading). I have had a cold this week and am ready for bed by about 9pm every night. I usually don't go to bed until after 11pm. I have now spent a paragraph explaining why this is a short post and why I will have to update you all later:-)

Have a great weekend. I will try to fill you in on Monday.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2007-10-01T20:25:00.000-04:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I lost my mother to breast cancer so this is something that is close to my heart. I found a link to thebreastcancersite.com. They have a program that all you have to do is "Click to Give" and their sponsors will donate a free mammogram to some one in need. I have a link in the left column that will take you to their sight. You can click on it every day.
Below are some facts about breast cancer and more explanation on the "Click to Give" program, that I copied from their site.

Early Detection: Do You Know The Facts?

Each year, 182,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 43,300 die. One woman in eight either has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. In addition, 1,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 400 will die this year.

If detected early, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer exceeds 95%. Mammograms are among the best early detection methods, yet 13 million U.S. women 40 years of age or older have never had a mammogram.

The National Cancer Institute and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend that women in their forties and older have mammograms every one to two years. A complete early detection plan also includes regular clinical breast examinations by a trained medical professional. Monthly breast self-exams are suggested in addition.
Click here and here for more information about breast cancer and the issues surrounding it.

How You Can Help In Mere Seconds — Every Day

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The Honeymoon~Prince Edward Island

2007-09-28T15:41:00.000-04:00

~Green Gables~

For our honeymoon we went to Prince Edward Island. When I was young my mother would read the Anne of Green Gables books me. As I got older I fell in love with the movies and the beautiful scenery that was in them. I was so excited when Tim told me he was taking me there for our Honeymoon! It was wonderful. The only drawback was that we went at the end of September and the tourist season ends Labor Day. But we still had a great time exploring the back roads and coastlines of this beautiful island. PEI's main crop is potatoes. You would see potatoes on the road all the time from where they fell off trucks. I can't believe that I did not take a picture. I would love to go back some day. Since I am raising another generation of "Anne" lovers they have informed me that they get to go too! Sounds like a great framily vacation, I had better start saving my pennies now.

~View from our cabin~

We got to our cabin when it was dark and did not know that we had a veiw of the ocean untill the next day.

~West Point Lighthouse~

We got to go up in this lighthouse. It was the last day before they closed for the season. Go here to read about the Light.

~View from the Lighthouse~

~another lighthouse-not sure which one~

~a little village~

You can't tell from the photo, but they paint their houses very bright and colorful.

~this reminds me of a secne from the movie~

~sunset~

TAGGED~I'M IT

2007-09-26T10:36:00.000-04:00

I have been tagged a couple of times, and since I have enjoyed learning new things about others, here are the seven "overwhelmingly interesting" facts about myself.

I was born in Africa. My parents were missionaries. I did not see the USA until I was 2 1/2.

I got my "baby" shots when I was 18. Evidently all the ones I got in Africa were the wrong on ones.

I have had 12 kids. (Foster kids)

I volunteered for 5 years at a Crisis Pregnancy Center.

I totaled Tim's favorite sports car that he wanted to keep until it was an antique.

I have never received a warning from a cop-just tickets(3). Tim has been stopped well over a dozen times but only gotten three tickets.

I worked for a Fur Store before I was married. I made and put linings in coats worth over Ten Thousand dollars.

There you have it. Since most every one I know has been tagged, I will not tag anyone else.