"To Blave"

16 years ago today I married my beloved.

Lord, thank you for giving me Dave.






To quote my husband: "but, it feels like so much longer than that!" :-0

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

UPDATE 3/24 4:00 pm Post your favorite on your blog, like Amy.

I'm a Winner

Guess what??

I participated in Carmon's blogathon and I won a $25 gift certificate to her wonderful bookstore. Thank you, Gracie, for picking my name, we'll talk later ;-P

Will you help me with my purchase?

I am currently reading (very slowly)

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul
















and

Desiring God by John Piper

That gives you an idea of what type of reading I enjoy.

So, give me a few suggestions.

Maybe I should have Carmon just surprise me with $25 worth of books. Wow, that would be fun.

Please don't suggest long Russian novels (hehehe) or the latest book on paedobaptism (jk) or a racey romance novel. These are just not my thing :)

Hope to hear from you.

PS We need to get the comments up and runnin. March 27 is a national holiday and I'm going to copy my sister and see if I can get a record number comments. For me that would mean 10. har har har.

Persecution

I found this today on foxnews.com Read this.

Please pray for this man and give thanks to God that you are able to worship freely.

***********

Carmon is doing another blogathon, this time for Persecution Project. Be sure to visit her tomorrow. She will be posting every 30 minutes and it is fun check in on her from time to time.

Laundry Fun!

UPDATE 3/16
No need to go to the archives. All of the pictures are up on today's post. Look at the new ones and don't forget to vote!

Be sure to pay Mommy Life a visit and look at all of the laundry pictures. Go to the archives and click March. The girls are creative and absolutely darling. The contest ends tomorrow and then the voting begins.

I have my favorites. The mommy that superimposed herself in to the picture three times, that one is my all time favorite. Can you see the Nutrimill in the background?

My next favorite it the doll that is bending over and her bum is sticking up in the air. Now that is a brave woman but the next picture tells us why she can do that...she is small enough to fit INSIDE her washing machine!!

I am always whining and complaining about my laundry situation to Donna. She offers some good advice on occasion and usually a little teasing too. :-)

So, what are your favorite laundry products?

Mine are Tide, Bounce and Clorox Bleach. No substitutes. No way.

Off to the city of Lost Wages

That's Las Vegas for those who have never heard it called that appropriate nickname.

Why on earth, you ask?





We have an opportunity to go to the Nascar race to cheer on the new driver of the Interstate Batteries race car. His name is J.J. Yeley. He drives the #18 car. My hubby and I thought it would be fun to take the 3 older children to a race but I insisted that it must be a race with a hospitality tent. That meant we would either go to the Fontana race track or Vegas. We were too late for California so we have to go to Las Vegas.

The reasons I insisted on a tent are:

1) the crowds at a Nascar event are ROUGH, not your average homeschool group
2) we will be served food and pop
3) if we get tired we can go to the tent and rest and watch the race on the TV
4) they have nice pork-a-potties (that's what my children call them)
5) in case of rain we can take cover!
6) we will most likely meet J.J. Yeley and Joe Gibbs, they usually come to the tent for a while and sign autographs. I especially like Joe Gibbs. He is a man of great character and of Christian faith and he is not afraid to tell you so!

I have only been to two races in my life so I only consider myself a mild redneck. My husband thinks I'm a big redneck because I don't wear ear plugs and I usually watch the whole race. I have to admit, I love the speed of the cars and the roar of the engines.

I have warned my children that while we are touring Las Vegas that if at any time I scream "close your eyes" they must obey immediately and not ask "but why Mom?".

I would appreciate your prayers. Lauren had a fever on Wednesday and Thursday and now has a nasty cold and I have been sick with an upset stomach for two days. It is rather difficult to do laundry and pack for 7 while hunched over in pain and in bed most of the day. I'm worried about Sarah who will be staying with friends and those who might get it while we are traveling. The supplies are in the car; garbage can, wipes, paper towel and ziploc bags....use your imagination.

See ya when we get back. Ta Ta.

Tagged Again!

Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:

1) Renewed Day by Day
2) Montana Maiden
3) Irish Hills
4) Dominionfamily
5) Just Janet

Select Five People to Tag
1) Donna
2) Amy
3) Diane


Feel free to ignore this tag if you want. :P

What were you doing ten years ago?

I was 29. I was 7 months pregnant with my 3rd child. My first daughter was 2 1/2, my second child (my only son) was 18 months old and I was a busy mama! I stayed home a lot and cared for my babies. We were living in our first home.

What were you doing one year ago?

Trying to lose weight. Pretty much the same stuff I'm doing now.

Five snacks you enjoy

1) Poore Brothers salt and vinegar chips

2) brownies

3) diet Coke

4) ice cream

5) yogurt (relieves guilt)

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics

1) Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts

2) Jesus, Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood

3) Brick House by The Commodores (hehe)

4) September by Earth, Wind and Fire (it's my sister's fault)

5) Hymns and praise songs

I had to have a little fun with that one, sister Cindy and Cindy @ Dominion Family.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire

1) give plenty to my church and the needy within

2) help out a few family members, give gifts to other family members

3) put an addition on our house (kitchen)

4) buy a 'date' car, something that doesn't' hog gas and fit 8 people. ;-)

5) travel

Five Bad Habits

1) I drink way too much diet Coke

2) creating and maintaining piles around the house

3) sitting at this computer

4) not making my bed in the morning

5) procrastinating

Five things you like doing

1) exercising (love/hate relationship)

2) baking sweets and fresh breads

3) drinking diet Coke

4) watch my children play happily

5) shop, yup, it's true

Five things you'll try not to wear

1) big hoop earrings

2 ) jean mini skirt

3) bows in my hair

4) Keds

5) tight jeans

Five favorite toys

1) iPod nano

2) Bosch

3) computer

4) hair brush and curling iron (?)

5) the laundry machine

While you're at it...

Please pray for this precious little girl.

Her name is Candace

Pray! Pray! Pray!

A new baby is on his way!


Amy will most likely have her baby today!!

Her hubbie posted that they were going to the hospital.

Be sure to pray for them :-)

Kitchen Tagged

Donna tagged me with this kitchen meme.

1. How many meals does most of your family eat at home each week? How many are in your family? Around 17 meals. 5 children, 2 adults.

2. How many cookbooks do you own? ?? 20

3. How often do you refer to a cookbook each week? 2 times

4. Do you collect recipes from other sources? friends, internet. I love Food Network

5. How do you store those recipes? scribble them down on whatever is available, leave them laying around the house or shove them inside my recipe basket.

6. When you cook, do you follow the recipe pretty closely, or do you use recipes primarily to give you ideas? I always follow the recipe closely, obsessively.

7. Is there a particular ethnic style or flavor that predominates in your cooking? Italian and Mexican.

8. What's your favorite kitchen task related to meal planning and preparation? Cutting veggies and using my favorite food chopper.

9. What's your least favorite part? Unloading the dishwasher, that is why I pay my son to do it.

10. Do you plan menus before you shop? Sometimes. :-0

11. What are your three favorite kitchen tools or appliances? Pampered Chef food chopper, Henkels knife, Bosch.

12. If you could buy one new thing for your kitchen, money was no object, and space not an issue, what would you most like to have? A remodeled and larger kitchen. Hey, money is not an object!!

13. Since money and space probably are objects, what are you most likely to buy next? Tortillas for dinner tonight.

14. Do you have a separate freezer for storage? Yes, it is a full size refridge/freezer and it is in the garage. Holds extra milk, soda, water bottles, Eggos, frozen pizza and a giant turkey that I'd better use soon.

15. Grocery shop alone or with others? I can get out alone now that the children are older but I usually have a little helper or two.

16. How many meatless main dish meals do you fix in a week? Just a few. We like meat.

17. If you have a decorating theme in your kitchen, what is it? Favorite kitchen colors? French country, bird houses, roosters, black appliances.

18. What's the first thing you ever learned to cook, and how old were you? Like Donna, cookies.

19. How did you learn to cook? My sisters. XXOO

20. Tag two other people to play. Want to play? Let me know where I can read your answers. You can answer any or all of the questions in the comments if you don't have a blog.

NOTE: That is not my kitchen in the photo. I would like a kitchen like that some day though. I would even cook, clean, bake bread and possibly sleep in that kitchen if I had it. ;-)

Warning: Bragging ahead

Avenue of Poplars by Vincent van Gogh



was Hannah's inspiration for this lovely poem


The trees are bare,
I feel the cold chill of the air but the
wind does not blow.
I hear no sound, the snow silences the sound.
The white make me feel as if
I am black with nowhere to hide.
The trees reach towards the heavens, but I feel
like I am the roots grasping down into the soil of despair.
Falling?
Perishing?
Growing?


Congrats to my dear Hannah who won 3rd place in our school's poetry writing contest!

Funny Little Girl

I teach my very young children a few Bible verses right off the bat:

Eph 4:32

32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.


1 John 4:7

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

James 1:20

20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.


In addition to learning and memorizing verses, the little ones (and big ones) have been taught what it means to provoke one another. And provoking is indeed a bad thing. In this context, I think of it as teasing, pushing things too far, not stopping when asked etc.


Merriam Webster
Provoke

1 a archaic : to arouse to a feeling or action b : to incite to anger
2 a : to call forth (as a feeling or action) : EVOKE b : to stir up purposely c : to provide the needed stimulus for


It was 7:15 am on Wednesday morning and Lauren (3) came running down the hall yelling "Mama"!!

"Yes, Lauren" I said.

"Mama, James is REVOKING me" Lauren said

I responded "well, that James is a bad boy, isn't he?"

She just cracks me up. She's 3 ???!!!

It Works For Us

Last summer was My Summer of Washing Towels 2005. It was bad. Beach/pool towels on top of the normal towel usage of a family of 7. Imagine it without any order or organization. I cracked the whip on the situation in the middle of the summer. By then, if a child left a beach towel wadded up outside or in their room that was precisely the one they would use the next time they went swimming. If they forgot to take their towel out to the pool....oh well, you'll dry quickly, it's 150 degrees out there. They learned to hang their pool towel on the fence (it will dry in 5 minutes here) and then it could be folded and put back in to The Container for Pool Towels.

My next project was the girl's bathroom. It was a problem area also. Towels were found under the bed, in the closet, in the bathroom, on the couch...I think you get the picture. Enter JC Penney Catalog! Big, beautiful, colorful, monogrammed bath towels and on sale!!. This is going to work, I just know it! The hardest decision was who was going to get what color and then to pick the monogram color, they didn't have much to choose from. The towels arrived via UPS, our favorite, crazy lady driver, we washed them and they were hung in descending order by age. We love the way the look and feel. We had to tackle one more obstacle. The towels didn't seem to make it back to their assigned spot. Hubby and I decided to enforce a form of discipline that seems to work well with older children. Hit em in the ole pocket book. After a period of grace and reminders, a warning was given and POW, if your towel is found on the floor, it's time to pay up!! I am glad to say I am not getting rich off of my children's failure to hang towels back where they belong. So far, so good.

hqplcf

Sue, aka sister sue, I turned off word verification just for you.

Actually for me, in a desperate attempt to get one more comment.

Hope to hear from you Susie (c:

Front Yard

Donna told us to post a picture of our view from our front door.
Look at how cloudy and gloomy it is today. It is only 61 degrees right now. Brrr.
Not a drop of rain.
See the pretty Ash with the light green leaves!

Lauren and Blankie

Lauren got a hair cut yesterday and Blankie was fresh and clean, smelling of Tide and bleach, so I took a quick picture.

"Blankie" is very precious to Lauren. Blankie is a girl, usually spends the day in bed (oh, the life) and is best if she is dirty, smelly and cold. Not sure where the cold factor came in but Lauren does not like Blankie to be hot and she doesn't understand why I have to wash her.

I bought Blankie and a matching outfit at Gymboree when I was 9 months pregnant with Lauren. I also bought a darling little boy version. My friend was in charge of washing what we needed and taking back the one we did not need.

Lauren forgot Blankie at Grandma's house on Saturday night. Dave and I were too lazy to go back and get it so Hannah gave Lauren a blanket that was special to her when she was a little girl. Thankfully she slept through the night without a fuss...Lauren, that is ;-)

Someday soon Blankie will have to go away for awhile because with Blankie comes thumbsucking. Oh, that will be a sad day. She's my baby after all.

Happy Valentine's Day

and (((HUGS)))


I wish for you a day full of wonderful things!
Happy Valentine's Day.
Love Janet

Spring

Clear blue skies.

Gentle breeze.

75 degrees.

'It's all good' in Arizona.

Light Affliction

From Mrs. M-mv in a comment on Donna's blog:

"As I said, small, small challenges in the scheme of things. I wake up each morning so thrilled to have done so again, so delighted to be dealing only with a little twinge in the joints, a little schedule conflict -- I can't even really consider these "challenges.""

Beautiful words. Encouraging words.

I hope she doesn't mind if I add to the thought by sharing this:


2 Cor. 4:16-18 (NKJV)

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."


At times it does not feel light but please trust these words and believe it is.

Simple and Yet Difficult

Luke 9:23 (NKJV)

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

My 'to do' list:

1. deny yourself
2. take up your cross daily
3. follow Jesus

Fun!

Pholph's Scrabble Generator My Scrabble© Score is: 23. What is your score? Get it here.

Thanks, Donna

I beat you!

Piano Playing

Hannah and Danielle (13 & 10) had their first piano ensemble rehearsal tonight. This year they are playing together. Piano ensemble is an annual event and this will be the 54th Phoenix Music Teachers Association Ensemble. It is held in an auditorium at a large high school near downtown Phoenix. Between 10 and 15 grand pianos are brought in by a large, local piano store and all placed carefully and strategically on the stage. Each piece played is a duet. Have you done the math? That is up to 30 pianists playing the same piece on one stage. It is a glorious sound. We will hear beginners all the way up to the teachers themselves, who always play the most amazing piece, one we always recognize. Those in charge are sure to pick a nice variety of music. This is not your average, run of the mill, boring, let's get this thing over with, recital. I am always sorry when it ends. The extra time and energy it requires is well worth it, for me and the girls. Hannah will be receiving a special participation award (4 consecutive years). She is looking forward to that!

Do you play the piano? Do you play it well? I sure wish I was pushed/required to continue lessons. I wish more than anything that I could play for my family and to the glory of God.

Pathetic

I was so proud to add a few favorites to my side bar but look at how they won't line up...ugh! I have tried playing with the spaces etc. and am wasting too much time on this computer. Any thoughts?

Humbled
Janet

This and That

~ The intestinal flu is a good weight loss program. Nuff said.


~ Phoenix has just broken a record. 102 days without any precipitation. In 2005 we were 1.25 inches below the normal precip. I can't imagine what this really means because we probably only get 1.50 inches/year. This is very scary. A few years ago we had a horrible fire season in the Northern part of our state, I can't imagine what the summer will be like all over this state if we don't get rain soon, very soon.


~ Science class is going well. I've been asked to teach for 1 more week. We are learning about global wind patterns, air masses, and the Coriolas Effect. I had to do further reading about that one! It's one thing to understand it yourself but to be able to explain it to a classroom of 8th graders at 8 AM is tricky!


~ I've been working out 3/week at a small gym with a personal trainer. This technique is very different than what I've been used to. We use free weights, an exercise ball, steps, machines and do lots of lunges. Ladies, do lunges. No, you won't be able to walk the next day but that is a good thing! (?) I've also increased my routine from 30 minutes to 60 minutes. I've been hard at it for 3 weeks, hopefully in a few more weeks I'll really start to see results in the form of loose jeans, increased muscle mass and lower weight.


~ I'll leave you with a verse to encourage you. It was a life changing verse for me when I was a new Christian and struggling with guilt.

2 Cor. 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.


Amen and have a blessed day.

You Should Buy This !

If you can find it...


"Sister Sue" included this absolutely perfect hand lotion in my Christmas box this year. It was a very pleasant surprise. I have tried many, many hand lotions in my time; Mary Kay, Arbonne, Body Shop and Bath and Body Works. This is my ALL. TIME. FAVORITE. hand lotion. EVER. I could not find this particular lotion on the Aveda webpage. It appears they created this product for a promotion in October for Breast Cancer Awareness. I found it on The Breast Cancer Research Foundation webpage but it is not for sale at that site. Sooo...Susie, do you know where to buy it? Please let me know if you can still find this wonderful stuff. And by the way, THANK YOU :-)

Brilliant!

I mentioned in an earlier post that I have owned my Bosch for 14 months. I have tried many recipes and have had great success. I really enjoy baking bread. I don't consider it work. It is a hobby. Unfortunately, I have been stuck inside my very safe box. When I bake, I bake 5 loaves. One time I was very brave and baked three loaves and two pans of dinner rolls. Great.

Diane, on the other hand, uses her time wisely and apparently is not stuck in any box! Look at this beautiful picture! Bread. Cinnamon Rolls. Bread Sticks. Dinner Rolls. All with one batch of dough I assume. Very impressive Diane and good work. You inspire me. :-)

Science

I am substitute teaching at my children's Classical and Christian school this week. I was asked to teach 8th grade science using the Apologia science book. I was familiar with Apologia but never used the curriculum while homeschooling my children. I am really enjoying this book. The author, Dr. Jay L. Wile, 'talks' to the students. It is written in a very conversational way and very friendly. You feel like you are talking to a (smart) friend and learning at the same time. I was given my assignment on Saturday night so I feel like I am cramming, but I am really enjoying myself and hopefully these fine young students are learning.

Cyntia!

Cindy, this post is for you! Thank you for your comment. I love comments, all 2 of them :-)

Here is the handy dandy Nutrimill. See the beautiful wheat kernels on the top?! Turn it on and you have delicious, nutritious fresh ground whole wheat flour in no time! I buy a 50 pound bag of white hard wheat and grind the portion I need right before I make my bread. It is best to use it immediately. We do freeze the left over flour and use it for our pancakes. I don't like to waste the flour. Sometimes I give the left over flour to my girlfriend for her bread.





On the left is the Bosch Universal. Ask your hubby about Bosch and I'm sure he will tell you all about Bosch motors and Bosch tools. Well, this baby goes in the kitchen and I love it. See the nice big bowl? I can make 5 loaves in one batch. The dough hook is the 's' shaped thing in front of the machine. So the dough hook and the powerful motor make my bread making very simple. It takes me about twenty minutes to gather ingredients, mill the wheat and mix the ingredients. Eight minutes to knead the dough, the machine does this for me. Thirty minutes to rise and thirty minutes to bake.

Now, won't you please join me for a cup of coffee/tea and a slice of toasted 14 grain bread with butter? I miss you. Love J.

Quotable

I saw this on a sign at a local Deli:


"The only thing more overrated than natural childbirth
is the joy of owning your own business"


I literally laughed out loud and wished someone would laugh with me but my two little girls just didn't get it!

Now don't get worked up...I've had 4 out of 5 natural births and we are very thankful for the two successful businesses God has given us. But honestly, both can be very trying at times.

Blender Pancakes

Amy asked for my pancake recipe.

We have become pancake snobs! My family loves these pancakes and we can't go back to Bisquick :) We make a double batch and usually eat all of them in one sitting. They store nicely in the fridge but I have not tried to freeze them. It would be wrong for me to let you think I am the pancake chef. It is my husband who whips up a mean pancake or two on Sunday mornings.

I'm going to share the recipe that was given to me and I will also explain a few changes we have made.

Blender Pancakes

Combine in the Bosch blender the following and mix on high speed for 2 full minutes.

1 C. whole grains (wheat)
1 C. milk

Add:

1 C. milk and blend 2 more minutes

Add:

2 eggs
1/3 C. canola oil
1 tsp. salt
1 T. honey

Blend well. Can store in the refrigerator over night.

Just before cooking, add:

1 T. baking powder, blend gently with moment speed until mixed.

Start Flipping!

Now, we are having a little trouble with our Bosch blender so we use our Nutrimill to mill the wheat first, then we put it in the blender and continue with the recipe. If you don't have a Bosch or Nutrimill just use your normal blender and buy the best whole wheat flour you can. Of course you can always use white flour.

Enjoy.

I'm Back

to bread making, that is!

I truly enjoy baking fresh ground whole wheat bread for my family. I didn't bake very much bread over the holidays, I was busy with cookies. I have owned a Bosch for just over a year and I absolutely love it. I usually bake honey whole wheat, a 14 grain whole wheat and pancakes on a regular basis. I have also used my Bosch for cinnamon rolls, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls and lots of cookies over Christmas.

Isn't this a beauty? It is Emile Henry, NOT pronounced Emily Henery, like I tried. I sounded like a hick, but now I sound French. My husband wasn't very pleased with me bringing a French product into our home. But isn't it lovely? Oh, it's very expensive but I got that piece 40% off and I just saw Emile Henry at Tuesday Morning, it was 50% off!

















I can make 5 large loaves. One of my favorite things is to share my bread with family and friends. This one went to my dear friend Elizabeth as a thank you for a very special dinner party.

Tagged

2 Things

2 names you go by:
1. Janet
2. Mom

2 parts of your heritage:
1. Greek
2. Danish

2 things that scare you:
1. The Grand Canyon with children
2. Lauren and the pool

2 of your everyday essentials:
1. Diet Coke
2. Nike flip flops

2 things you are wearing right now:
1. black capri adidas sweats
2. New Balance shoes

2 favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment):
1. Carrie Underwood
2. Johnny Cash

2 favorite songs at the moment:
1. "Jesus take the wheel" by Carrie Underwood
2. "I'm feeling you" by Santana and Michele Branch

2 things you want in a relationship (other than real love):
1. communication
2. laughter

2 truths:
1. God's will is perfect
2. All things work together for good. Romans 8:28

2 physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex):
1. Dark hair
2. Blue eyes

2 of your favorite hobbies:
1. laundry?ugh
2. cleaning?ugh

2 things you want really badly:
1. See my family (immediate and extended) follow Christ
2. Lose weight

2 places you want to go on vacation:
1. England and Ireland
2. Hawaii

2 things you want to do before you die:
1. See my family (immediate and extended) follow Christ.
2. read and travel

2 ways that you are stereotypically a chick:
1. I love manicures and pedicures
2. I cry at tv commercials

2 things you are thinking about now:
1. I'm going to be sore tomorrow
2. How do I get a handle on this laundry?

2 stores you shop at:
1. Target
2. Fry's grocery

2 people you would like to complete this meme
1. Amy
2. Crissy

Salsa anyone?

Have you heard the song by Santana featuring Michele Branch called "I'm feeling you" It is great!!

It makes me want to dance. I'd do some sort of salsa dance if I knew how. For now, I pretend I'm doing a salsa and I pretend I can sing really well.

Dogspotting

Dogspotting, how clever! I saw this in December at Kim's blog who saw it at Rebecca's blog. I'm a big fan of Phil Johnson's blogspotting and now of Rebecca's dogspotting. Here are my big, fat, lazy dogs, Dillon and Mack, whom I love very much. Dillon, btw, weighs 135 lbs. Mack is 13 and that is his favorite pastime.

Fall in AZ, again?

Raking leaves in January! Imagine that. Raking is for October, right? We have 5 beautiful Shamel Ash trees in our front yard and our lawn is covered with leaves. The children and I have been raking and bagging for a few days. They think I'm crazy for raking when there are still leaves on the tree, in fact, they fall on our heads as we rake and bag. Is this stupid? They think so. I think we might as well do a little work now and then the load will be lighter in a few days. Anyway, I think it is fun. It is a beautiful 65 degrees outside, sunny and windy and more than anything it brings back very fond memories of raking in Northern Wisconsin when I was growing up. I usually raked with my twin sister, Janice, and of course I did MOST of the work ;-) There we raked colorful poplar, maple, oak and birch leaves.





We also did our share of jumping in piles, like my helpers did today. The air smells differently today than when I raked up North, it's not as crisp and certainly not as cold. A not so fond memory I have of raking are the nasty blisters I'd get. I dont' have blisters today. I'm tougher than I was, I've experienced more or maybe the leaves are lighter in Arizona??

For you, my friends

Numbers 6

24 “The LORD bless you and keep you;

25 The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’


Happy New Year!

May 2006 be filled with the Lord's blessing, grace and peace.

Janet.

The Adorable Mrs. M-mv

I love the way she writes.


It's writing like this that screams 'Janet, you have no business writing a blog'!







I have her outfit pictured perfectly in my mind and I agree with her daughter, she looks adorable!

Merry Christmas

Scroll Down

Don't ask

Janet

Toffee for Christmas

Donna has shared pictures of the gifts she has received from our siblings on her blog. I think she is too humble to share the BEST gift EVER. The one she gives to us each and every year. If she ever even thinks of sending something different there will be trouble! Big Trouble.

I started my love affair with toffee when I was in college. My friend Julie got me hooked on frozen yogurt with heath bar on top! I can't order anything else when I visit our local frozen yogurt shop.


Donna sent us a beautiful box of Almond Toffee from Enstroms. And, yes, I said beautiful. And I mean it.

Obviously it is too late to order this for Christmas, but don't let that stop you. You should be able to think of a reason to order this stuff and soon.

Come, Jesus

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
Charles Wesley


Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.


Listen
here

Learn about Charles Wesley
here

Emmanuel. God with us.

Luke 2
Jesus' Birth in Bethlehem

1Now in those days a decree went out from (A)Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of (B)all [a]the inhabited earth.
2This was the first census taken while [b]Quirinius was governor of (C)Syria.
3And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
4Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because (D)he was of the house and family of David,
5in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
6While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
7And she (E)gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And (F)an angel of the Lord suddenly (G)stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10But the angel said to them, "(H)Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11for today in the city of David there has been born for you a (I)Savior, who is [c](J)Christ (K)the Lord.
12"(L)This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14"(M)Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men [d](N)with whom He is pleased."
15When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."
16So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
17When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
18And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
19But Mary (O)treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20The shepherds went back, (P)glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

Janet and children

Santa?!

Nancy (sister) took me and my children out to lunch and then we window shopped around The Biltmore. If you know anything about The Biltmore you'll know why we only 'window shopped'. I'll give you a little hint: 5 children 13 and under, Ralph Lauren, Cartier, Saks Fifth Avenue and Oilily (whatever that is). I had to keep explaining why we were there. "Because it's a beautiful day and this is a beautiful outdoor mall with very special stores", "we're window shopping" "we're taking a little walk" "we're here to see the lovely poinsettias and glorious gardens" and they respond "what, no Costco" "where is Target"? Poor Nancy, she's used to shopping alone in peace and quiet.




We were right in front of Cartier when Lauren ran ahead of us, went around the corner and who did she see? Santa Clause, the real, live Santa strolling right in her direction. She stopped dead in her tracks, stared and turned to me and ran in to my arms. I, of course, was tickled by the excitement and took her to say hello to St. Nick. She was very cute, friendly and happy to shake his hand. He asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she said.....are you ready for this, we live in Arizona afterall, "snow clothes". "Lauren, did you say snow clothes?" I asked "Yes, mommy, I want snow clothes from Santa". Allrighty then. I am so confused, why would this little 3 yo girl want snow clothes for Christmas. Well, Santa better get busy. She also added they should be pink and purple.



We had a nice discussion at Cindy's blog about Santa. We don't do Santa in our house. We think he is a nice historical figure and we share that with the kids but he doesn't come down our chimney and leave gifts for our children. My husband works too hard to give a strange man all the credit ;-) We enjoy traditional stories, movies and little surprise visits. And we do our best to teach our children not to say outloud "Santa is dead"!

Link Happy

Two things were keeping me from linking properly.

1. a space after the first a

and

2. the http part. DUH.


Kim

Donna

Cindy

Amy

Pyromaniac


I love these sites and visit them each day. I would add more of my favorites if time permitted.

MUST. MAKE. DINNER.

I admit, I am a computer illiterate dork.

Janet.

For Katie

Hi Katie!

We enjoy seeing pictures of you on your mommy's blog so I thought I would post this for you. Girl cousins are a wonderful thing, don't you think? Lauren is 3 and Sarah is 7.

They say "Hello and Merry Christmas, Katie"!

We miss you.
Love Auntie Janet

Forgiveness

Edmond was reunited with his siblings after betraying them.

"Here is your brother," he (Aslan) said. "and ---there is no need to talk to him about what is past."

We are to follow the example and command of Christ to forgive others. Matthew 6:14,15, Mark 11:25, 1 Cor. 13:5



"And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity." Col. 3:12-14

A Good Excuse, Girls

I have been busy and out of town. Here's the rundown.

Friday

Symphony with the children
Shopping
Company Christmas dinner
Laundry and cleaning


Saturday

Music at the mall, piano performance
Annual Christmas Party (not at our house)
Laundry and cleaning


Sunday

Pack 7 people, going in 4 different directions
Laundry and cleaning
Fly to Long Beach
Check in to hotel
Drive north to Grace Community Church
Meet up with long time friends, he is the executive pastor at Grace.
Miss meeting Dr. MacArthur because he is in the prayer room. Imagine that. Humph.
Say hello to the security guards.
Headache beginning.
Worship the Lord Jesus through song and the Word. I'll attempt to share the sermon, but I want my husbands help and approval.
Drive further north to D and J's house.
Headache now unbearable and beginning to feel nauseous.
Attempt to eat the dinner graciously provided by our hosts, asked to be excused to the couch so I can close my eyes and try to get over this horrible headache.
Friends join me in the family room and we visit (I listen and sass something back every once in a while)
Drive back to Long Beach and collapse in the bed disappointed and sad that I felt so bad I could not enjoy our visit.


Monday

Tour The Queen Mary, yes we saw ghosts. ;-)
Lunch at Islands, yum
Walk around, shopping and exploring downtown Long Beach
Take a little nap
Dinner at Bubba Gumps, SHRIMP!!
See "Walk the line", great movie and brilliant acting. I love Reese W., isn't she cute?

Tuesday

Dave attends meeting, the real reason we came.
I Christmas shop at local mall.
I actually attend 45 minutes of a meeting
Fly home
Greet precious children waiting for us and tuck everyone into their own beds.
I'm happy and headache free.

Thank you Lord for bringing us back together, safe and sound.

Some of you know I am a late bloomer. I am finally reading, start to finish, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". The movie comes out on the 9th and I didn't want to see it without reading it for myself. Now, what should I do about "Pride and Prejudice"? I'll never be able to finish that book while the movie is still in the theaters. Should I see it anyway?

Have a blessed day!

Wreaths

Years ago we received a lovely gift from a dear couple we barely knew. It was a thank you gift and came in early December. Ever since that day I have used and recommended this company to as many people as I can. Sunrise County Evergreens in Milbridge, Maine http://www.wreath.com/ is a great company. They sell high quality fresh evergreen products AND they are reasonably priced. That's not all! The shipping!!?? It is too good to be true. Most items shipped East of the Mississippi River are shipped for FREE. Items shipped to the West of the Miss. are a whopping $1.00.

My sisters that read this blog will not be surprised to learn that this is what they are getting for Christmas, AGAIN. I have asked them if they mind getting the same ole gift year after year and they all say that I MUST send the wreath, they look forward to the wreath. So girls, I'm ordering the wreaths today. Happy day for you :)

Try this company, you won't be disappointed.