Cleaning House

so to speak.  I figured since we are working on decluttering here at home, why not my blog as well?  If you notice my right side I have deleted a few things.  Some things just weren’t in my best interest in getting things done here, if I were to spend my time doing everything I had listed I’d never be able to do school or have a remotely clean house LOL.  I will also be cleaning up my favorites, I have well over 50 or 50 blogs and I know I never read them on a regular basis as well as for sites I thought I’d use but never have.  It’s kind of like that rule, if you haven’t used it for a year, get rid of it – well the same is true for internet stuff to.  I want to streamline everything so that the things I NEED are there and easy to find and the things that are CLUTTER are gone.  If you visit my blog and leave your blog address I will come by and visit 🙂  I have also deleted the blog rolls I had up, I just don’t have the time to devote to these things.  I find that my time spent on the computer is too much so I want to cut down on it.  I am still Quiverfull and still trying to eat healthier I just can’t devote the time needed to visiting all these blogs and it can be stressful when I think that I am not holding up my end.  I think my blog looks a bit more streamlined with all the other stuff 🙂  If you notice I did get picked as an alternative on the TOS Crew!  Which is nice and will enable me to review products if a vendor likes my demographics. 

Also if anyone knows how to resize these pictures (I use photobucket) please let me know, it takes up so much space.  When I try to resize them in photobucket it tells me I need Adobe 9 but my computer won’t allow me to install it.

Thank you and God bless.

As promised: Pictures

Sorry it took me until this morning to get the pictures up but I wanted to include some of Bethanne’s birthday.  There was no party this year but she still had fun 🙂

First up is my embroidery.  This is the dresser scarf, I am now working on the pillow cases.  I finished it, washed (the blue lines are gone) it and hung it to dry.  I did put mine inside a pillowcase and washed it on the handwash cycle as I was paranoid my stitches would come out.  The lighting looks a bit off (the up close one) for some reason, maybe because it’s so close?  There were satin stitches (the butterflies thorax area), back stitches (inside the butterflies outer wings), stem stitches (the green vines, blue outline for the butterfly), lazy daisy stitches for the leaves and flowers and inside butterfly wings) and french knots (the middle of the flowers, inside butterly wings)

 

 

And Bethanne’s birthday.  Her cake is made from a box mix.  It is confetti (she requested it) and this cake mix came with the edible decorations and less than $2.00!  She really liked it.

This is her new Baby Alive baby doll – it has no off switch!  The carrier turns into a bag, feeding chair, car seat, baby carrier, rocker and something else but I can’t remember.  This is from my mom.

God bless.

Happy Birthday

Why is there a penguin?  and what does it have to do with a birthday?  Bethanne loves penguins and hippos (see the bottom of the post) and so what better way to have a Happy Birthday post than to put a penguin and hippo on my blog LOL.  Bethanne is 4 today!!!!!  I can’t believe.  At this time 4 years ago I was being prepped and prepared for my induction.  My friend, Pam, was there acting as my unofficial doula and also helping with Hannah, my husband, Don and of course Hannah.  I went several LONG hours before needing an epidural for severe back labor and then as I was begining to push she laid on a nerve which was so painful I could feel it even with the epidural!  Once she was out the pressure was relieved and I felt fine.  Bethanne was my first VBA1C and while it was long it was well worth it.  My OB/GYN was great and followed my wants as much as he could and the nurse I had for most of my labor (she got off before I delivered) was excellent and Christian!  We travel between 45 minutes to an hour to get to the hospital we use and it’s definitely worth the drive.

So Bethanne happy 4th Birthday!!!!!!!

The countdown begins

As you can see from the top of my blog I have begun counting down to Christmas.  I love the time of Christmas and the reflectiveness of the season wether it’s on family or on Christ it always brings a feeling of peace.  I am halfway finished with my inlaws present, and she they don’t read my blog, I will write and post about it.  I am making them a dresser scarf and pillow case set that I am embroidering.  I have enjoyed learning embroidery and making this for them.  I stayed up until 1a.m last night working on the dresser scarf at that time I only have something like 12 French knots to complete.  Once I wash, dry and iron it I will leave pictures here on the blog.  My friend’s MIL was very impressed and liked it when I showed her the half finished design. 

We are starting our 7th week of school today and there will be an exciting  completion to something that I will post about later as well.

My new blog

come on over to visit me at My Low Carb Journey .  It is going to be a blog dedicated solely to watching what I eat, portion control, low carb and losing weight 🙂

 

God bless.

Another contest

You know me I love contests especially blog candy contests 🙂 so visit  Angie’s Angels when you comment let her know I sent you so I get more entries 😀  and then go post on your blog so you get an extra entry and send others to her blog 🙂

Homeschool Memoirs: Summer Photo Essay

It’s another week and this week’s assignment is to write an essy or photo captions for photos taken over the summer up until this week (the first week of fall).  We didn’t do a whole lot this summer as it was hot and I don’t do well in the heat and humidity and there wasn’t enough in the budget for a vacation or enough gas for a mini road trip LOL  so on to my pictures, some of which you may have already seen posted.

This is the girls making a ‘pond’ out of vanilla pudding and blue food coloring for Ping.

 

Here are some of the surviving tomatoes from our small garden.

Our trip back in time to the Fair at New Boston

Christian eating his birthday cake on his 2nd birthday

Hannah having her picture taken at the fair for her participation in 4H Cloverbud show and tell

The girls on the Ferris Wheel with my mom, their Grandma

Christian and Bethanne out riding bikes.

Hannah riding her bike

And it wouldn’t be the end of summer without remembering the Hurricane named Ike that hit us with strong 75 mph winds and ripped the porch roof and gutter off the house.

 

Cast list for the Nutcracker 2008

We were given the results for the 2008 performance of The Nutcracker and the results are:

Hannah will be in the the party scene (she was in this last year as well), children of the Nations (same as last year) and she is also a mouse this year!  She is very excited and cannot wait to get started.  We have a mandatory full cast w/parents meeting on Saturday and rehearsals start on Oct 4th.  I am excited to be a ‘stage mom’ again and also can’t wait to get started, it’s a busy time but also very neat 🙂  With my losing weight now maybe we definitely make it a family affair next year 🙂

God bless.

Prayer Request please

My friend IRL sent out an email last night after returning from the hospital with her daughter, who is a friend of my daughter.  Her daughter, M, had to spend 48 hours in the hospital after discovering that she is now Type 1 Diabetic.  For those who don’t know Type 1 is VERY different from Type 2.  Type 1 will have this their entire life, no thing such as losing weight or diet will let them go off medication and it means a lifetime of insulin injections or pumps inserted into their bodies.  M is going through 4 or more a day and she is only 5.  This is hard for her and her family as they learn to live with this.  There is no cure for Type 1 as it is the bodies inability to make insulin at all.  M is five with a long life ahead of her so it’s hard to picture at this age her having to deal with this from this point on.  Please pray for my friend, her daughter as well as her husband and son they are going to need  a lot of support in the coming days and months, some of which will only be possible through our Lord Jesus Christ.  She has given me permission to post this 🙂  Feel free to leave comments here and I will forward them on to her.

What is today???

 

We are excited today, it is the first day of Autumn!!!!!!  Technically according to those who decide when things start fall doesn’t start until 11:40 am but who is counting, not me.  We love fall here, all the sights, smells and everything just wonderful.  It’s also a time I love to enjoy baking since the house can be cooled with the doors open and the oven can be on without heating things up.