A Snowy Family Day

Every once in awhile, when life gets too crazy and family day rolls around, instead of going on some sort of grand adventure.....we all feel the need to just stay at home, in our pajamas, and have a total and complete veg out day. When we woke up to snow this morning, we knew that today would be one of those kinds of days. No crazy deal shopping, no trips to Campden, nothing glamorous. We have decided to trade in the excitement for the comfy.

A big ole roaring fire.


A coffee, pancake, bacon, and eggs breakfast.
For both our family and THEIRS, I guess!

LOTS of looking out the window, wondering "What in the WORLD is this crazy, white stuff?"

Hmmmm. Can I eat it?

Well....if I can't eat the stuff that's falling down outside, I guess I'll settle for sneaking a few kitty snacks, instead.

And for the rest of the day, lots of leftovers from yesterday, maybe a fun, family movie, some games, BOATloads of laundry, and.....if I'm REALLY lucky, maybe a nap!

Happy Black Friday, everyone!

Thanksgiving Homemades - Take Two

Here are a couple of other Family Fun Magazine ideas that have quickly become tradition in our house every time this season rolls around. These treat-sies are easy, fun, messy, and totally unhealthy - what most kids like!

These little turkeys will sit by everyone's plate tomorrow. Super cute, although slightly fragile and do not travel the greatest. Still fun.


And these little pilgrim hats are my favorite, and they travel wonderfully!

Go over to my sidebar and check out the details there.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Thanksgiving Homemades Take One

Have I ever mentioned before how much I love Family Fun Magazine? (I'm too lazy to do the hyperlink thingy, but just look over at my blog list on the right. You'll see it there. It's under "Good Stuff"). These guys have so many fun, seasonal, and holiday themed craft and snack ideas for young children. I LOVE them!

This year, we are using their thankful placemats for the kids to color on while waiting for their meals. And we are also using some of their ideas for fun treats and card ideas. Today the boys worked on thanksgiving cards that we're going to take to our next door neighbors on either side of us.

Here are the results:
Kaden's:

And Jesse's:

I love this season. I love this HOLIDAY. I love that we enter a time of THANKSGIVING before we enter the all to often chaos of Christmas giftgiving.

We are trying to nurture intentional thanksgiving in our children's hearts - not only during this season, but during every day of their lives. I want them to WANT to do things for others, to WANT to give gifts and not just receive them, and to be thankful for all things both big and small.

And it starts with us, right? They learn by example.
And so this week, we are making lists of all the MANY blessings that God has given us - both big and small. We are blessed beyond measure. We have no idea.

One of the little things I am thankful for? Teatimes with my boys. Yes, they are boys. But they LOVE tea, and we have such lovely chats during these rare moments of proper decorum!

It's so often the little things, isn't it?

And all of those little things added up, make for a pretty sensational life.

Grace Squeezed Out

In church this Sunday, a man whom I have long respected and loved, preached a simple, yet oh so profound message on grace. He said that if we were to squeeze the Bible what we would see come pouring out would be grace. GOD'S grace. His forgiveness. His love. He quoted apologist Ravi Zaccharias saying that the one question that he has the hardest time answering is why Christians treat each other the way we do. Why do we show each other so LITTLE grace? Why do we hold grudges? Why do we take offense so easily? Why are we not committed to each other? Why do we keep lists of wrongs done to us? These lists are dangerous - they will destroy us if we let them.

One comment that he gave was: Each church culture reflects the sum total of the individuals' walk with Jesus. I completely agree with this statement. Every church has its own culture - reflective of its people. And every individual sends their own message, as well. We need to be a church - and we need to be individuals - without fences and barriers. People need to feel free to come and heal - to be broken and mended. People need to sense - ahead of time - grace in us! Do we do this for each other? In the little things as well as the large?

I want to be that kind of person. Someone not easily offended. Not easily threatened when I see others living out their lives and their calling differently than the way that I do it. Gracious in my actions. Gracious in my responses. Gracious when I feel wronged, and gracious when I need to ask forgiveness. Gracious in my parenting and gracious in the way I see others parent. Gracious with my passions and the way God has asked me to walk out my calling and obey Him. And gracious with others who have different convictions.

Jesus was called a "friend of sinners." And aren't we all - just that? Sinners? Does He not show us grace unlimited? Does He not love unconditionally? Does He not wait for us - with arms wide open - for His prodigal children to come back to Him over and over again? How can we not do the same for each other?

How strong is your grace muscle? I'm finding mine needs a little more exercise.

Finding my Groove

Wow. It's been so long since I've been away for any number of days that I had forgotten how it takes awhile to find my groove again! Kevy did a great job of keeping the house picked up, dishes done, etc., - but there had been no real cleaning done for awhile. I have a hard time functioning until I get all of my ducks back in a row again. So, it's taken me a few days, but I think I'm back on track. Whew! Laundry, dishes, filth, baths, STUFF never takes a vacation, does it? I wish it would......

Man - I missed all of my little men. And the big one too. A whole lot. I missed their messiness, our fun conversations, Ransom's cuddling, story times, our little routines, talks in bed with Kevy, my home, its smells, their smells....most of them. ALL of it - I was SO happy to come home to. I'm a crazy mix - I LOVE to get away and have a break from the normal rhythm of life. I love to have something out of the ordinary to look forward to. But, once I get just a little taste of it, it'll do me for a long time, and I am so happy to be right back into the rhythm of the crazyness of MY life - messes, diapers, cries in the night, laundry and all.

But, OH the fun we had!

It was SO fun to be crazy and not be responsible for anyone but myself for a few days. It was so WEIRD! We felt like we were being so wild and crazy by just driving - sans map - until we were tired and then finding a hotel and not knowing what state we were even in! For me - a 33-year-old-mother-of-three-married-for-eleven-years-PLANNER - that was pretty wild and crazy! Ha! Our throats were literally sore after driving for 14 hours, because we talked nonstop. It was so nice to catch up on life together - uninterrupted, conversations completed. It was so fun to go to bed when I wanted and wake up when I felt like it. It was fantastic to be pampered and have my meals made and dishes washed for me. And it was SO satisfying to get some work done in my albums. Ransom is now completely up to date. The others, we won't speak of, but they are for another roadtrip! And then, when the retreat weekend was over, we crashed at our friend's house and stayed up late visiting with her and her four (FOUR!) boys. And then we kicked it home the next day - again talking nonstop and driving and stopping whenever we felt like it - as opposed to whenever a diaper or bladder was full!

And so now I am home. Refreshed and rejuvenated. It was so good. All of it. And I am the better for it. Getting away lets me see my life afresh and anew, and I am again clearly reminded of all of the blessings that I have and of the very full life that I live. I do so love to get little breaks in my life - little moments to breathe and have my mind quiet and wiped clean from responsibilites for a bit. But I love just as much - more so! - jumping back in with both feet - laundry and school and meals and dirt up to my ears....never ending, really.....but it's what I was made for. And I love it.

HOME

Hundreds of miles and 96 scrapbook pages later........

I am HOME with my Loves.

AAAAaaaaaahhhhh.

It was amazing.

And my boys are delicious.

Hit the Road Jack!....er, Amy!

Holy Hannah, I cannot believe what is actually going to take place in just a couple of hours. In just about 120 more minutes (!) a childhood friend is going to be pulling into my yard - sans children - and I am going to get into her car - sans children - and we are going to go on an honest to goodness roadtrip. Just the two of us. Oh my word.

I don't think I've gone on a real roadtrip since I was pregnant with Kaden - six years ago. Remember that, Kristi? The blizzard? Our car dying? The French policeman? Our hubbies coming to rescue us? Good TIMES!!! Hoping this trip won't be THAT eventful, but just as fullfilling and fun!

Goodness, though. It takes a lot of work to go away! But, I think I'm ready. Laundry is caught up, meals have been made, bread is rising, a fabulous family day where love tanks were filled has taken place, schoolwork is prepped, and Daddy is confident. Kudos to Kevy - I believe this man that I married is one of THE most capable men, I know. The kids will be fed three square meals a day. They'll look presentable, and their clothes will match. The oldest two might even get a shower. There's a bonus! He knows how to cook. He does laundry. He's tidy. AND he's adventurous to boot! He's already planning a roadtrip to Cabellas all by himself with the kids. I rarely do roadtrips alone with those three! Ha!

So where am I going you ask? Well, I'd like to say that I'm going somewhere super spiritual like to a women's conference or something. Buuuut, that's not it. I AM going away with about 90-some other women though. That'll be enough women for me, I am sure. I'm used to hanging with the boys. The estrogen level will be at an all time high with less than 100, methinks - let alone 1,000 or so. That thought kind of panics me!

Anyhoo, we are roadtripping out to scrapbooking retreat where another of our childhood friend's lives. I touch my albums only once a year - and this is the time. My goal is to get Ransom up to date. I have ALWAYS said that what I do for one of my boys in that department I will do for all the others. I can usually conquer about 100 pages at one of these things; whatever doesn't get done won't get touched again for many a month. But, as long my anal mind knows that I'll get to them again in a year, I'm cool with that.

So, it'll be task-oriented. I'm recording our family's heritage! And there is an agenda, for sure. But it will be fulfilling. And there will be depth. These women love Jesus. They women are real. And I am so VERY excited for extended - HOURS! - connecting with other women. I've had a bit of a drought in that department since my Rachey left me awhile back.

Going away always messes with me, though. I so rarely do it, that I am pumped out of my tree. But I SO love my home, and its rhythm, and my men - OH my men.... I'm stoked and I'm torn. I can't wait to kick it, and I'm already missing them. I'm craving some time with a WOMAN, and I already miss my very best friend.

Sigh. The independence level has surely disappeared since I became a wife and Mommy!

Self-Portraits

For school this week, the boys had to draw pictures of themselves.
This is Jesse:

This is Kaden:
(Should I be concerned?)

This is Jesse's interpretation of the three of us.
I'm the one in the middle with the wild hair. Hmn.

And, this is Jesse's interpretation of him and Kaden.
Can you tell who is who?

Well, huh. I guess I'm at a loss for words.

Today

Every once in a great while (not TOO often, mind you) I absolutely LOVE a horribly, wretchedly, miserable, blustery, rainy day outside. For some reason, it just makes the inside that much more cozy. Kevy and I pulled up the shades in our room this morning - before anyone else was awake - and we opened our window just a crack, and then we snuggled in bed and watched the trees bend like crazy in the wind, and we listened to the rain pouring down outside. It was lovely. And so cozy and safe. And quiet. For just a few brief moments, anyway!

This week-end was really nice. One of our most favorite couples brought pizza over to us for lunch on Saturday, and we just spent a couple of hours visiting and being together. They just LOVED on us and the boys, and they gave so much of themselves to us. After they left I thought about how I want to be that kind of person/couple/family for other people. That visit was a gift to us!

I really have no idea who reads this blog other than about four or five of my friends, and I would never want to embarass anyone or put them on the spot. So, I will just say this about our day yesterday. Kev spoke at a missions conference this Friday night. The conference went on all weekend, so we attended that same church on Sunday. Some very VERY special people came and sat with us yesterday - people who we love deeply. And it just blessed us. It really made my whole week-end. Truly. That time was special, and it, too, was a gift.

And so now a new week begins......

Usually, at the start of a new week - especially at a rainy start to a new week - I need to give myself a pep talk and a swift kick in the pants to repeat the process of a week again. Our family day usually seems a long way off. But today, I am refueled and refreshed. Some special blessings took place this weekend. And I am reminded again of the importance of RELATIONSHIPS and of the necessity of giving of ourselves to others in unconditional love and acceptance. When Christ's blessings are lavished out on us, we are then recharged and refueled to return those gifts and lavish blessings upon others.

When we do this, then we are fulfilling the command that Peter gives us: "Keep FERVENT in your love for one another, because love covers over a multitude of sins!"

These Past Few Days

~ Well, with all of the excitement of getting the deer - there always follows the work of cutting and wrapping all of the meat. And, it is a JOB. Sweet little old Lou came over last night and is coming over again today to help us. He and Kev cut up the different steaks and roasts and stew meat, and I wrap and label all of it. Then, we give him some of the meat and feed him all day. It's a pretty good system.

~ Pretty much all of this week we have been fighting a nasty cold bug. It's gone through the whole camp, and it has NOT been fun. We all feel like today we are starting to get back on top of our games. Finally.

~ During one of those sick days, the boys and I snuggled up on the couch and watched Toy Story 3. And I cried like a baby at the end. Oh man. Super sappy. Or, maybe it was just because I was feeling sick. Either way - there were tears!

~ And finally, the biggest deal of the week.......A hometown boy up in my neck of the woods was killed in combat this week. It has completely rocked everyone in the community up there. One of the beauties of living in a small, hometown is that everyone knows everyone. We rejoice with each other and we grieve with each other. And there has been some heavy grieving up there this week. If you think, please pray for the community and that family. It has hit home, and it has hit deeply. The family is very committed in their faith, and they are glorifying God through all of this - but it is heavy.

A Story of Teamwork and Modern Technology

Or, more accurately - a story of a "God thing."


Have you ever had an event take place in your life where everything just "seemed" to fall into place perfectly, and where it would be so easy to write something off as simply being "really lucky?"

Well, this morning, something like that happened, but we all know that it was totally a God thing - just a beautiful, perfect gift from him.

Are you ready for the story? It's pretty cool.

Once upon a Tuesday morning, Kevy again got up at the crack 'o dawn to go and sit in his deerstand in our woods out back. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the boys and I were all just doing our morning routine like we always do. The big boys were playing in their bedroom, and I was getting Ransom dressed for the day.

All of a sudden, Kaden yelled: "Mommy! There's a buck in our garden!" And sure enough, there was a nice six-pointer meandering his way through our garden and heading towards the woods in the vicinity where I knew Kev was hunting. So, I ran for my cell phone and texted Kev as quickly as I could: "There's a buck in our garden - heading your way."

And then we waited. And we prayed. And we freaked out a little bit.

About five minutes later, we heard two gun shots! Within minutes, Kev called saying: "Nice teamwork!" He was getting ready to get down from his stand when the text came in, and he was just reaching for the phone to check the time. He said that everytime he gets ready to get down from his stand, he prays for wisdom to know if he should sit a little longer in case he might miss something by getting down early.

By Kaden seeing the deer in the first place, and then by getting my text, he got himself resituated and was ready for the deer when he came by. And the deer dropped right at the base of his stand!

How cool is that? Oh the WONDERS of modern technology!
A great story of teamwork, an awesome gift from God, (a great lesson in answered prayer for my boys!!! - which I am very aware does not happen all the time, by the way) and a nice shot by my Stud.

But, a story of "Luck"? I think not.

And, of course, Lou and Arlo had to come over to join in the fun!

Hunting Season & Random Life Stuff

~ I just made pudding for dessert. And I taught Kaden how to slurp it from his spoon. Horrible manners, I know - but I've always slurped my pudding ever since I was a little girl. Only from the comforts of my own home, of course. Never out in public. And I am SURE that Kaden will never embarass me in public with this new found joy that I've just bestowed upon him.

~ I cut both of my big boys' hair this week. Always have. I bribe them to sit still and not complain with lollipops. When they sit still, the outcome looks half decent. When they're wiggly - their hair definitely looks like Mommy cut it. Jesse was slightly wiggly. Enough said.

~ This is Lou. I love Lou. He came over for camp coffee yesterday.


~ My sanity from Pennsylvania came and visited with me for a week with her two daughters. We had a grand old time, and now I miss her like crazy and feel very lonely.

~ This is Ransom playing chess. He is very brilliant.


~ My ducks have decided to desert me and go and live over at my neighbor Arlo's house because he has a big pond. I had to make him some treats and go over for a visit to make sure that this new arrangement was okay with him. He promised he would neither eat them nor shoot them. I promised I would never again get ducks.

~ It snowed yesterday. I was very not impressed with that. My boys however - all of them - were thrilled.

~ Kevy has been getting up at the CRACK 'o dawn to try and shoot da turdy point buck that is destined for our freezer. There's a song about da turdy pointer, you know. There's also a video of what da turdy pointer tinks about da hunters: