Raisingthree4Him

Francis Chan "Balance Beam Video"

2012-02-24T23:22:00.001-05:00

2012-02-18T20:10:00.007-05:00

Actually, it's been in the process for a while. We recently found out that we are approved (more or less we met ALL of their requirements) for adopting internationally through China, Bulgaria, and South Korea (South Korea, if we change our specifications concerning special needs). We have not closed the doors on domestic adoption though. Please keep us in your prayers. We know that God will lead us to the child He has planned for us in His timing, no matter how little or long of time it takes.

***Update 2/20/2012 - We just got word today we also meet the requirements to adopt from: Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, and Uganda.

--------------------------------------

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
John 14:18

"And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me."

Matthew 18:5

"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."

James 1:27

"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows."

Isaiah 1:17

"Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families."

Psalms 68:5-6

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

2012-02-16T10:02:00.001-05:00

* When Princess sees the UPS truck, she says, "Look the PBS truck".

* 12:30 - Orthodontist appointment (2nd time this week), to replace the bracket that Alla swallowed.

* Made a stop at Hobby Lobby. We were in there for an hour and a half. They had some really good markdowns. Here's some things that came home with me:

{Fruit not included}

* Sonic Happy Hour - 1 large sweet tea and 3 cherry slushes

* Kohls - Princess and I ran in quickly, but didn't see anything.

* Target

* Got back home around 4:30. The kids did a little school work. Not much though, which means we will probably still be making up school for the week on Friday, our normal day off.

* Al was in the Boro today for meetings. He ate lunch at Chuy's, which means I didn't have to make much for dinner.

* Dinner - Loaded Baked Potatoes, Salad, and Garlic Bread

Valentine's Day 2012

2012-02-16T09:17:00.006-05:00

Princess and Boy getting into their morning stash. Alla wasn't digging the Valentine's festivities, he chose to get his school work done. What teenager does that? Pass up on a break from a "regular" school day? He's dedicated . . . . or he just thought our crafts were lame. . . .

Pink Valentine-y Cinnamon Rolls

Princess approves, Boy reluctantly ate them. Reminded him to much of McDonald's "Pink Slime".

Google "Pink Slime" if you haven't already. Gross.

Getting crafty

Dinner - Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread, Brownies

Monday, February 13, 2012

2012-02-15T11:13:00.001-05:00

* Alla had an orthodontic appointment.

* Bring along schoolwork for Boy to work on, during the hour long appointment.

* Culver's for lunch.

* Princess gets sick.

* Pay way to much for gas.

* Put tithe envelope in the mail, since we missed church yesterday.

* Finished up school when we got home.

* Alla's mouth starts hurting.

* Alla discovers one of the new brackets is loose.

* Alla discovers the bracket is gone - he's swallowed it!

* Call orthodontist - it's okay!

Randomness {Week of Feb 5th - 11th, 2012}

2012-02-11T23:45:00.006-05:00

* Lots of schooling this week. I decided to change Boy's math curriculum. We are more than three-fourths of the way done with his Rod and Staff math for the year (lesson 130 out of 170), and I decided to go ahead and order him the Abeka 3rd grade math to switch over to. The Rod and Staff was fine, but he just didn't like the textbook work. He was having to write all of his problems down on paper and answer them, he ~~whines~~ says it makes his hand tired. So, I knew I did NOT want to go through another year of that, so, since I knew I would be switching back to Abeka for 4th grade math, I felt like he needed to get up to speed with the 3rd grade from Abeka. Abeka tends to run a year ahead of public school in curriculum content, and be more challenging, whereas Rod and Staff seemed to be a lot easier.

* Monday we discovered our porch beams had been flashed incorrectly, which resulted in rotting wood. Our house in only 5 years old, this shouldn't have happened. The way it had been put up, water was collecting in it like a gutter and setting on the wooden beam - that's holding our porch up! He spent the next few nights tearing down the old rotten wood, and then rebuilding back the main beams. Phew, at least that's done. Now we are just waiting for someone to come next week to re-flash the beams, correctly, no seams on the outside of the porch. Duh, how did that even pass inspection!

* We made the switch from DSL to Comcast.

* Princess made me laugh the other night.  She came running into my room with her tennis shoes on, and she exclaimed to me, "This are my super fast running shoes!"

* Friday evening, the kids were with their Nana V. Al and I ran to Best Buy, Sam's, Wal-mart, and Kroger. We had a very nice dinner at Sam's concession stand (I guess that's what you call it) - Pizza and hot dogs. ~~GAG!~~ Yum! Hey, it's what you eat when you have a lot of places to go and it's already 6:30.

* Our neighbor just had a baby this week, so I went over to see him this (Saturday) afternoon. He is so cute. Can't wait to put a blue baby swing up for him on Princess' and Boy's swingset this summer.

What was on the Menu for this week:
Sunday - Chicken Alfredo w/ Broccoli
         Texas Toast
         Orange Juice Cake
Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Soft Tacos
Wednesday - Pancakes
           Sausage Patties
Thursday - Fried Boneless Chicken Breast
           Mashed Potatoes w/ Brown Gravy
           Green Beans
Friday - *Sam's - Hot Dogs and Pizza
Saturday - Salad w/ Italian Sauteed Chicken Breast
              Brownies

January 2012

2012-02-08T10:59:00.000-05:00

* Al and I both had Birthdays this month. We went to Fulin's Asian Cuisine for dinner, and shopped a little. The kids stayed with their Nana V the whole weekend.

* My momma had the day off for MLK day, so she, the kids, and I went to Belk and Kroger, and ate lunch at Chick-fil-a.

* The boys and I went through the boys' bedroom and purged. Alla was cracking me up because he was fussing at Boy telling him what he needed to throw away. Alla even told me that when they left, to go to their Nana V's, I needed to go do the same thing to Princess' room. I knew one day I would reap what I've sown, and my oldest has finally got it. It's 2 against 3 now. We gathered one full 13 gallon bag of toys to take to Goodwill, and another 13 gallon bag of randomness (broken toys, tore cards, lost pieces) that went to the trash. I literally felt 26 gallons lighter!

*Because of the very unseasonable weather we've been having, the last week of January we did some very spring-like things: Playing outside for hours at a time, pulling weeds out of the mulch beds, grilling outside, washing vehicles in the driveway, Al went fishing, opening windows and airing the house out, and one night we even slept with the a/c on!

* We painted our master bathroom this month, actually on New Year's Day. I was so proud of myself. I didn't tape anything off, I free handed the whole bathroom and actually did a good job!

Candleberry Room Spray

2012-01-23T17:41:00.000-05:00

I have been a user of the Candleberry Candles now for about 3 years. My friend Tiffany got me one for Christmas ("Honey Buttered Rolls", in fact) and I was hooked. I have since added to my favorite scents "Hot Maple Toddy" and "Tennessee Whiskey" Well yesterday afternoon we ventured out to go to a new to us antique/primitive store and I got me can of this "Hot Maple Toddy" room spray to try. I'm sold again. You can't go wrong with Candleberry, it's the best. Don't burn your money on anything else! No pun intended ; )

Saturday, January 21, 2012

2012-01-23T16:16:00.006-05:00

I took down all of my Christmas decorations on New Years' Eve. The only problem was that the bins and boxes just got stuck out in the garage. In addition to all of that mess, the kids' playroom side of the garage was a total mess as well. So, I decided today that we had to get all of the Christmas and fall decoration stuff stored back up in the attic, so that I could reclaim some sense of order. It's still a work in progess, but at least all the boxed clutter is put away and not an eyesore ~~hazard~~ anymore, and to me that's a major accomplishment.

The Results (ignore the spackling on the walls, we haven't gotten around to painting yet):

Princess and Boy's "Playroom"

They do have toys in their bedrooms, this is just overflow.
And yes, the garage is insulated so they neither freeze nor burn up while playing :)

I struggle with this corner, I despise open shelving.

And this would be my "overflow" shelf.

Detox from the World

2012-01-10T10:48:00.001-05:00

"Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." - Mark 8:34-38

Some questions for us to ponder:

*Do we deny ourselves? Most Americans don't deny themselves anything. If we want it, we eventually get it. That's talking materially. But the fact that we get those material things is a sign that we are going to satisfy the needs and wants of ourselves. So back to the point, do we really deny ourselves? Mostly, No. We are very self-centered, we have conformed to our culture. We were actually born into a self-absorbed culture from the get go. It's all about me. It's the American mentality - I work hard for my money so, I deserve to have what I want. But, is that what Jesus wants from us, or does He say for us to deny ourselves? How do we completely do that?

*Do we take up our own cross? Do our sins that hung our Savior on His cross really burden us? Do we realize that every little sin we commit is a slap in Jesus' face? Do we think of the agony Jesus was under as he carried the cross, that dripped with the sap of our sins, all the way to the place of His death? He was willing to carry that cross. Are we?

*Do we truly follow Jesus? Do our lives we live before others show where our allegiance really is? What drives us? What are we focused on? What was Jesus focused on? His Father's business? Yes. Is that what we are truly focused on, our Father's business? After being seperated from His earthly parents, while He was a child, after they found him and anxiously questioned why He didn't go with them, He responded - "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" -Luke 2:49 So again, is that what we are focused on, our Father's business, or we about our own business?

I don't mean to make anyone doubt their salvation with these questions. I just think we all need to really delve deep into our souls and evaluate ourselves before God. He knows the real us, now it's time for us to get real with Him, to fess up our failures and ask for His forgiveness, and allow His blood to cover our sins. No, we do not deserve it, but this was God's plan. He saw the cross from creation. This world we live in is not our real home, we need to treat it that way. We are just here for a season. This is only a blip of time compared to eternity. We need to detoxify ourselves from this world. [Detoxify - to rid of poison or the effect of poison.] All poison comes with warning labels, and the world's poison is no different. The warning label is the Word of God. How many would give your child a medicene, without first reading the bottle looking for the correct dosage to give? Do we treat everyday matters with the same care, or do we measure out our lives only comparing ourselves with our neighbor (which only leads to justification)?

Father, forgive us for living our lives like this is our home. Teach us how to truly follow you. Let us not fall into the pit of doing things like the world, let us be different for You. Let us not look and act like the world. Let us be set apart for Your business. We have to stay focused, and keep the main thing, the main thing! Though I completely do not understand what it means to deny myself, and to take up my cross, I am trusting that one step at a time, you will reveal to me what I am to do to please You. . . .

Saturday, January 7, 2011

2012-01-07T22:34:00.000-05:00

Kim and the kids were playing Monopoly. I was watching them play and realized they were going the wrong direction around the board. They were following the direction the "go to jail" man was pointing.

Who needs to socialize any more, when you have technology???

2011-12-25T00:57:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!

"Glory to God in the highest.

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" - Luke 2:14

Weekend Happenings December 17-18, 2011

2011-12-21T14:25:00.003-05:00

Saturday, December 17, 2011
Christmas Party at Tim and Jan's

Aunt Carolyn broke out the silly string. It was intended for the kids,

but as you can tell the "big kids" got in on the action.

Jan cleaning up after her ~~crazy~~ messy in-laws.

Food and togetherness

And Princess, just because

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Our church is very blessed with musical talent, we have musicians in our church that perform with Tim Mcgraw, Faith Hill, and Randy Travis to name a few. This morning we were having music performed by different ones, and the choir did some Christmas specials. One of the couples who were performing, asked for the pastor and his wife to come up the the platform. She wanted them to ring the bells every time the words "Jingle Bells" were sung. They got up there and she threw in a stipulation, they couldn't use their hands! She then tied the bells around their waists. Pastor laughingly said he was resigning right then, but went on to be a good sport and joined his wife ringing the bells. It was so funny, and we were lucky enough to have a front row seat. . . . . .

This Is What Procrastination Looks Like

2011-12-21T13:33:00.000-05:00

My least desired chore of choice to do is sorting the socks. I have a basket on my dryer that collects the loose socks as they come out of the dryer. Most of the time that is where they stay until someone starts yelling they have no socks in their drawer. This morning the basket was overflowing. It had been almost 2 weeks since I had sorted the socks, so I thought I had better get the job done. It took me almost 30 minutes to sort and fold 64 pair of socks. I can't believe I actually had 128 loose socks laying on my dryer!

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-12-15T14:32:00.002-05:00

Another craft project idea from www.thehomespunheart.blogspot.com. I just cut out scraps of fabric and pinned them on muslin and sewed them on. I embellished with a star button and put it in a black frame. Took about 30 minutes.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

2011-12-15T11:20:00.001-05:00

For the cake -
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup butter (melted)

For the Topping -
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix all cake ingredients together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9X13 cake pan. This would probably be good in a bundt pan as well. Now, mix the topping ingredients together, and spread evenly over the cake mixture and take a knife and swirl it in. Bake at 350 for about 25 to 33 minutes for 9x13 pan. When it comes out of the oven pour the glaze evenly over the cake.

For the Glaze -
2 cups powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

*I found this recipe on Pinterest.

Jute Webbing Candle Jars

2011-12-15T10:49:00.003-05:00

This past Saturday I went over to Nana Mickey's (my mom) house and she was decorating her sled for her front porch. She pulled some jute webbing out of a bag to ask what I thought about using that on top of the greenery. She didn't even know that this stuff was so in this year when she bought it. It is all over Pinterest, used in all kinds of craft projects. We didn't use much of it on her sled and she said I could take the rest. I had already seen an idea I was wanting to try on http://www.thehomespunheart.blogspot.com/. She was hot gluing the jute webbing to jars. So, I remembered seeing in the Dollar Store ad that they had their large candle filled mason jars B1G1F, so I ran by there and grabbed 8 of them, and came home and started cutting and gluing. Can't get any simpler than that! I ended up going to Wal-Mart and getting 10 more yards of the webbing - I love this stuff. I think they turned out pretty cute. I added some buttons to them for a little bling. What do you think?

I had already put one on display for myself,

and took one down to my neighbor.

I'm thinking these would be cute filler gifts,

or a gift for a Sunday School teacher,

or Awana teachers as Monica is using hers for.

Lovely, I Know!

2011-12-09T12:06:00.000-05:00

This is me last week after getting my wisdom teeth removed. I don't even remember Al coming in the room, let alone taking this picture. . . . .

Thanksgiving Weekend 2011

2011-12-06T11:49:00.002-05:00

We had a very good Thanksgiving, with entirely too much food. Every year we prepare too much, but this year we went overboard, we even had a whole other table filled with food that wasn't last year. We will definitely skim back next year because by Friday evening we were tired of leftovers.
Guests for dinner
All of us
Nana Mickey
Bishop's
Sutter's

Menu
Turkey
Ham
Dressing (2)
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Mac n Cheese
Pinto Beans
Deviled Eggs (2 trays)
Fried Oysters
Green Bean Casserole
Hashbrown Casserole
Broccoli Salad
Rolls
Banana Pudding
Pumpkin Bars
Carrot Cake

Well, I said I wasn't going shopping on Black Friday, but I did a little. I didn't go to any of the crazy places though, at least not during the peak hours. Kim ended up talking us into going to the Lebanon Outlet Mall. After an afternoon of resting, Kim and Stacy came back over at 9:30. We had some carrot cake and coffee before heading out, to give us some much needed energy. Nana Mickey had the kids. I really didn't find that much there, the only store I bought anything at was Gymboree, but they were having really good deals. The lines weren't too bad either, nor were the stores too crowded, except Bath and Body, whose line stretched outside to even enter the store, no thank you! We got back home around 3:30 a.m. Lowe's opened at 5 a.m., so we sat on the couch, with our jackets on, and slept for a whole hour, and Al and I were right back out the door. We ran in Wal-Mart and Goody's after Lowe's, and came back home and crashed the rest of the day. Kim and Stacy came back over later and ate with us, then we went ahead and froze all of the leftovers, enough was enough.

Saturday morning we got up and decided to go do some Christmas shopping. We went to Culver's for lunch before we started shopping, we were all wanting hamburgers, NO MORE TURKEY! After lunch we ran into Best Buy, Home Depot, Kohls, and Sam's (Yes, we did have all the kids, and yes, I was ready to pull my hair out by the time we got home.)

As if that wasn't a day full already, we came home and I was persistant that the tree had to be put up. I always put my tree up on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and I wasn't willing to change my tradition. Thankfully, before we left that morning, Al and I had pulled everything down from the attic and had it all stacked up in the garage. I should have listened and waited until Sunday to put it up. It was 7 p.m. as we were getting started, and I was already tired and ill. Al went out to his building to "play" with his new "toys" he had bought at Lowe's the day before, Alla was playing on his Xbox, so I was left with Boy and Princess to assist with the tree. While we were decorating, I was huffing and puffing, wanting some help from someone while I was streaming the lights and garland, Princess started humming "Deck the Halls" while she was playing with the ornaments. She didn't miss a beat. Where did she even learn that? That chilled me out, it made me realize the reason we put up a Christmas tree anyways is not out of tradition, but because it is a symbol of rememberance. As we celebrate Christ's birth this season, we can't help but to reflect on His ultimate sacrifice, hanging on the tree, dying for our sins, and rising back to life and ascending to the right hand of the Father. Now that makes me want to light that tree!

Sunday we got up and went to church. I taught in the 3 year old classroom that morning. We came home from church and I finished putting up the rest of the decorations, and even managed to get a few presents wrapped. Our Thanksgiving weekends tend to follow the same pattern from year to year. That can be a good thing, as long as the patterns aren't forced, but just flow.

Thanksgiving Prep

2011-11-23T16:29:00.003-05:00

* Turkey soaked and brining
(Put in the oven around 2 in the morning.)
* Pinto beans soaked and cooking
* 2 pans of cornbread cooked for dressing
* Eggs boiled for dressing and deviled eggs
* Floors mopped
* Go through Black Friday ads
(Even though I'm not planning on going anywhere!!!)

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." - Psalm 106:1

Yuck!

2011-11-17T13:23:00.001-05:00

I had a consultation appointment this morning with the oral surgeon. I have to get my remaining 3 wisdom teeth removed in a few weeks. Why didn't I get them all out back in '97, instead of just the one causing problems? That's what I get for not using my "wisdom". . . . . Actually in '97 wisdom was no where to be seen. Yep, that would explain it!

Senorita Kimmie's 40th

2011-11-16T00:20:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago we pulled off a surprise 40th Birthday party for Kim. We totally surprised her. I don't know which she was happier about, the party or Nick being there!

Happy 4-0 Kim, we love you!

Field Trip to The Big South Fork Scenic Railway & Cumberland Falls

2011-11-15T23:08:00.005-05:00

The week before our train ride we attempted to go to a "farm" that deemed itself educational and fun with family friends, the Rogers, that also homeschool. We made the 2 hour trip there only to be totally disappointed. We didn't even get out it was so horrible. The cows you were to milk were made out of plywood and had fake udders, they were right up front when you pulled in the driveway. The conversation in our vehicle when we pulled in was - Al, "I'm not paying money to get in here." Me, "I'm not eating any butter that is made here." Alla, "This place looks like something on American Pickers." Al gets out of our van and goes back to the Roger's car and they were like let's get out of here. As we were driving off, Al says to the kids, "Oh no kids, your mom picked out the train ride we are going on next week!" Anyways, we totally couldn't find anything else to do in the area, so we ended up eating lunch at Dairy Queen and came back home. We laughed, literally, all the way home. I was told I was no longer allowed to have anything to do with planning our field trips. But thankfully, I redeemed myself with the train ride. I was a little scared though. The morning we were to go it was very cold (30's) and raining. Yeah, I was nervous. We had to leave the house by 6 a.m. to get to the train depot by 9 a.m., an hour before the train departed. We were all layered up and had our blankets and our picnic lunch. It rained on us the whole 3 hour trip to Stearns. We didn't know if there were enclosed cars or what to expect. By the time we got the the depot the temp had warmed up to upper 40's, and it the rain was down to a drizzle, thank you God! The depot started filling up quickly. When the doors on the depot were opened to load up the train, everybody started taking off to get inside an enclosed car (there were only 2 enclosed). It was a very tight squeeze but no one had to ride in an open air car. The ride was fun. Princess really liked it. The only complaint was that it smelled of propane and BenGay. The Geezer Express is what Al called it.

Half way through the train ride we stopped in a little old coal town to have lunch, and to look around the town. This is a picture of an actual, not used anymore, coal mine. You are able to walk so far up in the mine, that was pretty cool. The top picture was also taking in the coal town. There was a huge bridge that went out over the river you could walk across. That about made me sick. Al, Alla, and Princess went right on across that thing like it was nothing. Me and Boy were scared to death, there were cracks in the floor of the bridge so you could see the river right under you. My knees were shaking, but we made at least out to the middle before turning around. There were very few brave enough to go across it in our group, they were turning around as soon as the bridge went out over the water.

After the train ride, I went inside the very cute gift shop in the depot. They even carried Candleberry candles, and they had a new scent, "Tennessee Whiskey". It smelled soooo good, it had to come home with me. I also bought a really cute Christmas gift while I was in there. After we left the Big South Fork Scenic Railway we headed to Cumberland Falls, The Niagara of the South. . . . .

We had an early dinner at Culver's, and then went to Wolf Creek Dam to see the work being done on the dam, and to let Al fish a spot. . . . Imagine that, remember the LBL field trip?

Tips for Freezing Ground Beef (or Chuck)

2011-11-02T10:00:00.003-04:00

When I find ground beef, put preferably, ground chuck on sale, I will buy in bulk. Instead of breaking the package apart and freezing as is, I will go ahead and cook it, drain it, and put it into ziploc containers to freeze. It is nice to be able to skip the step of browning the beef at dinner time. Also a plus, it thaws alot quicker than frozen raw meat.

**I add onions and green peppers to the beef as I'm cooking it all.

--I also will go ahead and pat out about 2 lbs worth, and freeze in a larger ziploc container with wax paper between each layer.

~I'm linked up at www.raisinghomemakers.com & www.growinghomeblog.com

Princess's 4th Birthday

2011-10-19T09:33:00.001-04:00

Princess with her Nana

I didn't get very many good pictures.
Princess was in a mood!

Menu: Pizza and Ice Cream Sundaes