Well, last night we finally broke open one of the kids new games from Christmas. We all agreed to try Apples to Apples and had a REALLY good time. I bought this game on a whim from the advice of the great women on SHS and I think it's our new favorite. We laughed soooo hard that I had to go lay down after the game because my ribs hurt. I think we'll try our other new game tonight, Monopoly Here and Now. I'm not sure that it'll be as much fun but this was one of the few things that Jon actually asked for this Christmas. I can already see myself losing terribly.LOL I have two World Domination men in my household and really if Allison or I win tonight that will be the last time this game will be played.lol

We had a good day today. I actually got up early this morning (a first in a great while.lol) and had everyone ready to go on time to church this morning. What an accomplishment.LOL Jon decided to join us at our new church and afterwards said that he really liked it. This pastor is really great to listen to. I seem to learn something new each time we go. I look forward to going each week. All of the church's studies and such start up again this week and I'm considering getting involved. I'm not sure if I should wait until after the baby gets here since I wouldn't be able to actually finish anything if I started going right now but I really like the idea of just jumping in and getting involved. It's been close to 3 years since we've had a church home and I really miss the fellowship. Isaac and Genevieve were really good at the service and even the few times that they acted up were no problem for this pastor.

After church, we went to lunch at Larry's Giant Subs and just happened to run into my parents.LOL We had a good time talking and eating. The littles are so funny. They were ready to run by the time we got to lunch and basically that's what they did. I'm glad that the place was empty. Isaac is just fascinated by the gumball machines and spent most of the time checking each one over and over again.lol

Well, our plans for New Year's Eve are quite tame.lol We plan on putting the littles to bed on time. Then play the new Monopoly game. After that, perhaps trying to do our annual puzzle. Jon and I both got one of those new globe puzzles, looks pretty challenging. If we do the puzzle, it'll need to be completed before tomorrow, or it will be destroyed.LOL Then I'll kiss my dh whose last day off is tomorrow and go to bed.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

Nothing too exciting here.lol We spent most of yesterday getting oil changes for all of our vehicles and running all the errands that we've been holding off on until after Christmas but before Eric goes back to work. Our little ones are finally feeling better and everyone else is healthy for a rare change.LOL

Today, we went to my mom's house and helped to take down all their Christmas trees and decorations. Afterwards, everyone except Allison, Jon, and my dad went to Chick-fila for lunch since it's been raining and it's one of the only places that has an indoor play area. The big kids went skating like they do every Saturday. After lunch, which included Isaac punching a hole in his rootbeer and having it slowly leak into his lap while he kept saying "Uh-Oh!" over and over and us not being able to figure out what was wrong until we looked at the floor under him, mom took Evie to Walmart while we took the sticky wet boy home.lol

I found out this morning that we will be having some relatives over to visit tomorrow and instead of the usual panic, I feel pretty confident. This is such an amazing feeling! I am really enjoying the freedom that having a clean home has given me. It used to be that something like this would not be a welcome announcement but now I can easily see what needs to be straightened right before they get here and everything else is ready. The big things have already been done and will continue to be done as needed. All that I'll need to take care of are little things like picking up the toys that the littles drag out or the few things that still need to be taken care of in Evie's room.

My hope is to play one of the new games the kids got for Christmas tonight after dinner if the older kids aren't too tired. It should be a nice time.

Blessings,

Lisa

My menu for the next 4 days...


Lunch

turkey and ham sandwiches
homemade pizza
mac and cheese


Dinner

Black beans and rice, salad, bread
Pork chops, noodles, steamed broccoli, and salad
chicken stir fry, rice, and salad
breakfast for dinner



Yesterday we dropped the older kids off at the movies to see Eragon. They said it bombed.lol I know that Allison was really looking forward to it but I tried to prepare her when I'd heard that it wasn't so good. The kids received gift cards for the movies so at least they didn't spend their hard earned money on it. Eric and I walked around the mall for a little while but I really can't stand or walk for too long so we ended up going home to wait for the kids to call us. The mall was really crowded and I guess I was a bit surprised. I just figured that everyone would be spent out by now.lol

Today I made my grocery list and went shopping with Eric and the littles. I woke up worn out today and that was all I could accomplish, although I did take a stab at cleaning Evie's room. I accidently left a box of Milk Duds in her room and took a nap.lolol Evidently while I was napping, the littles found that almost full box and ate 2/3's of it. When I awoke, they were running around like little speed demons, chasing each other around the couch and really acting like they'd never be able to settle down. Poor Eric was left with the little monsters and they still haven't eaten dinner. I'm not sure that they'll be hungry tonight.lol

I found out the Evie's been stashing other people's chocolate from Christmas under her bed and eating it after bedtime.lol I had been wondering where some of my chocolate went but figured the older kids were sharing with me.lolol Come to find out, they were missing their chocolate also. WHO KNOWS how much she's eaten. I've decided that for life to work around here that we're going to need to go sugar free starting Jan 1st. If it's in the house, her impulse control won't allow her to not eat it.

I did get Issac's room sorted out. His room is now clean and organized, for the moment.lol I bought new bins and now his new toys have a home. I'll finish Evie's room tomorrow, without the Milk Duds.lol

Jon fixed beans and rice for dinner tonight for me while I napped. I was feeling horrible and needed the rest. I am so thankful to have another cook in the family. I woke to dinner on the table and little ones running like they were given an energy drink.lol

Well, Eric's already bathed one little and is working on the next one and I feel I should help. He's been a real blessing also. I'm thankful that he really likes to help me out.

Blessings,

Lisa

Here's a photo of Allison and her new guitar. She's been playing acoustic for 4 years now and has been hoping for an electric for a while. I don't think I've seen her without this in her hands since Christmas day.lol

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was filled with the ups and downs of little ones, who really, still don't understand what in the world was going on.lol

Christmas day started early for us with Evie waking with a fever. She was glassy-eyed and you could just tell from looking at her that she wasn't well. We took her temp and it was 102! We gave her some Motrin and once it took hold she was back to her usual self. She ran around waking everyone else up once she realized that today was Christmas.lol

Everyone came barrelling into the great room pretty fast once they were awake. Right before we started, Isaac woke and joined us. We have over an hour of him on video having temper-tantrums because we were ruining the pretty boxes by opening them.lol

The gifts...

Allison received the only thing that she really wanted...a Les Paul Epiphone electric guitar with accessories.

Jon received a PS2 and a few new games.

Genevieve received a Baby Alive from my parents and a beautiful little tea set.

Isaac received so many new trains and cars and trucks that he's set for life.lolol

My parents gave Eric and I a new microwave!

They also gave me 5 new Willow Tree Angels. They are just beautiful!

Really, we were just overwhelmed by the gifts that we received this year! What a blessing to be thought of and to receive so much from everyone.

After we had our own time at home to play with our new toys, we headed over to my parent's house to celebrate with them and my sister and her family. Normally we wouldn't take a sick little over there but they were leaving the day after and there was no other day we could celebrate with them. We opened even more gifts and had a really good Christmas dinner at 2pm and then Eric and I felt we should bring Evie back home. She slept for a lot of the time we were there but was awake and miserable when we left. I have to say that I was pretty wiped out by this time and going home to rest was exactly what I needed too.lol

The rest of the day was spent watching the kids play with all their things and watching Isaac slowly open all his gifts one by one from morning until right before bed. Then he started opening them again in the morning.lolol It took him until the next day in the afternoon before he had finally opened all his gifts.

The day after Christmas we started cleaning. The house was destroyed and I couldn't take it any longer.lol We went through all the major rooms and my bedroom and put all the new things in the right rooms, decided how many new bins we'd need, took down the poor Christmas tree, put all the inside decorations away, and gave the house a really good thorough cleaning. Whew! It was so nice to get the house back into order! I felt like I'd been stepping over and on things for so long and the build-up of clutter was impressive.lol After we cleaned, we ran some errands. I needed to go to Target for the bins so that I could get a handle on the new toys and to a game store for some memory cards for the PS2. We ended up with some amazing deals at Target! Everything we bought was on sale. We got Evie a Hepa filter for her room and saved $30 on it. We've been slowly buying them for the whole house and it was her rooms turn. We have so many allergies that living without them is not fun.lol Also, their EmergenC was half off and even Airbourne was on sale! Yes, we go through these things often.lol After we got home, we dropped the littles off and the olders watched them while we went to my parents house to clean out their fridge.lol They offered for us to take home Christmas dinner, so we went over and picked up all the remaining food. Once we got home, we started putting it all into freezer bags and I think we have enough for several meals throughout the next month! Probably around 5-6 meals worth of Turkey and Ham.

We got home just in time for me to begin dinner and I decided on Spaghetti. We really needed something different.lol While I was cooking, we found out that my dh's mother had called while we were gone and she was back from visiting my sil and wanted to celebrate Christmas with us. We invited her over for dinner and after dinner opened even more gifts. I think by then, the littles and I were both feeling quite overwhelmed.lol Isaac ended the day by having a huge temper-tantrum and I took him to bed with me since I wasn't feeling too well from all the day's work. Grandma hung out with Eric and the older kids for a while and then, since she was sick also, went home. It was a loooonggg day.lol

Evie still has a fever today but she's feeling better. Isaac hasn't caught whatever she has yet so today has been a good day. Eric is playing Dance, Dance, Revolution with Evie right now and it's quite amusing to watch.lol The older kids are still asleep right now (those lazy bums...lol) and I am finally updating my blog. I have to say that even though Christmas wasn't spent doing those things that we would normally do, we still enjoyed the time with relatives and were still blessed by this season in our lives.

I am thankful that we will now start to slowly get back into the daily grind and begin to make more progress in our schooling and in my goals for my home, my relationship with the kids, and preparing for this new little one due in 8 weeks!?!

Blessings,

Lisa

Well, my sister came into town yesterday and I just seem to be too busy to blog.lol We spent most of yesterday at my mom's house and today we went grocery shopping and have had two extra kids over ever since. Right now, Eric has gone shopping, as have all the girls, and I just have three boys.lol I'm not sure if I'll have the time or energy to post until after everyone has gone home but I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I pray that you all get to spend a lot of time with your loved ones and are blessed by this season. I'm so thankful for all the blessings that God has given me this year!

May God Bless you all!

Lisa

Yesterday was a good day and I really believe that it had to do with Choosing Joy. I could have been a grumpy monster but instead I took on the challenge of still being nice and doing things to keep us busy. I started the day with a morning dr's appt. I prayed about whether I should go or not and decided that since I haven't actually met the new doctor, I'd keep up with my old doctor until I know I'm trading up.lol The appt went fine, actually, it was a nice break from tantrum boy and chocolate girl.lol I got home just in time to figure out what was for lunch. I decided to treat everyone to take-out pizza and bread sticks. It was a BIG hit and as we were sitting down to eat my mom showed up. We invited her to share and we had a nice lunch all together. She had come over for the Honeybaked Ham coupons (Eric's work gives them as gifts each year for Christmas and we haven't been using them lately so I had a few saved up.) and wondered if the older kids would like to make some money working for her today. We all decided to go and I ran some errands with her to Walmart and the Ham store and the kids cleaned out her linen closets and pantry. We had a nice time visiting and while we were running errands, Isaac took a small nap and Evie went with us. After the work was done, I took Isaac and Allison home and we began cleaning my house. Whenever Evie isn't here we try to get the house in good order. For some reason, she's the only person that keeps the house a disaster.lol By the time Jon and Evie were home, every room was clean except the two littles bedrooms. I'm going to do those today since Eric is now officially home for the holidays! WhooHoo! It shouldn't take long and then we can enjoy a nice clean house for Christmas.

We had leftovers for dinner since I had made two dinners the night before and we had plenty. Isaac slept in his own bed last night, WHAT a blessing! I even got some of that elusive sleep stuff that everyone is always talking about. It's nice, but I'm not sure if I could handle it on a regular basis.lolol I think it'd make me too soft.lol

We're having some issues with Isaac. My sweet little baby has turned into "Tantrum Boy", some sort of super villian that's only goal is to wreak havoc and distruction where ever he goes.lolol We KNEW he had a temper from the very beginning but this is getting old. He's been putting on productions every half-hour every day for the past couple of days. What to do? Usually whomever is closest throws a blanky on him and then we leave him be but really how long is this going to last? The whole year?!?!? Ack!lol

Oh well, it WAS a good day and I'm thankful for the time spent with the kids and my mom.

Blessings,

Lisa

Sleeping is for wimps.lol (At least that's what I'm telling myself these days.) My men have kicked me out of the bed again. Eric is snoring so loud I can hear him in the kitchen and Isaac was sleeping under my pillow, his favorite spot. Every night that he ends up with us, I wake up an hour later with my head at a 90 degree angle from my body and him snoring under my pillow.lol I do wish he'd stay in his own bed because I can't put him back. I'm just too fat and short to get him in his bed.lolol

Yesterday was a long day. I started the day by deciding to wrap the gifts but first I had to find them.lol (I've been storing things away since Sept-Oct and it was like a treasure hunt.) I set the kids to task hoping to keep the littles busy with a small cookie baking activity. They were to make those Mexican wedding cookies. Well, the littles knew that I was locked behind my bedroom door and spent the whole time at the door knocking incessantly.lolol I called it my patience extending activity. After a few more activities like that, I should have the patience of a saint.lol Jon made the cookies himself and did a fine job. He's really turning into a good cook! I wrapped for a good hour and a half and then gave up because I was tired.

I decided to check the mail since I was waiting on my MIL's gift to arrive from Snapfish and sure enough, it was there! I really love Snapfish. They are FAST! I also had some Christmas cards from friends in Miami. There were some really nice family photos and it was so nice to see how everyone has grown. Isaac wanted to see the picture of my friends kids and Evie was asking me about her best friend down in Miami when Isaac returned the photo that he wanted to see, with a TA-DA! I look, and he had eaten the ink off the photo! ACK! I didn't even know that was possible! Well, I panicked.lol I was picturing stomach pumping and other various things that were unpleasant so I called my dh.lol He wasn't at his desk so I washed Isaac's mouth and made him drink lots of water and then called poison control. Yes, folks, this makes call number 6. The lady was very nice and told me she'd be more worried if he ate the paper cause it's a choking hazard and said he'd be fine. WHEW! He has now used up his two allotted poison control center calls that I give to each child. NO MORE!!!lolol I'm guessing I'll get a few more gray hairs from this experience.

I am feeling better today but poor Eric is still sick. Please pray that he's feeling better soon and please pray that this is something that we all have had. I thought it was what we just got over but Eric seems to have gotten something much worse and I still have the cough from the last cold. I'm not sure I can handle another illness, especially in the kids. The weather up here is really taking a toll on us. It's been the worst! It yo-yo's crazily every week. One day cold, next day warm and I know that it's wearing us down. I'm doing all that I can nutrition wise but we just don't do well in this type of weather. It was a big concern when we decided to relocate back up here.

Anyway, I made soup for Eric and Isaac and taco stuff for everyone else for dinner. I normally don't make two dinners but I'm chicken souped out from all the illness we've had but felt that Eric needed it. Today is Eric's last day before his break and I'm hoping that he's feeling better and doesn't suffer all day. What a blessing it will be to have him home!

Lisa

Ok, you all have to quit passing around germs to me.lolol I woke from a nap this morning to a tummy bug. Now, I have a horrible stomach so it took until 2pm before I realized that it wasn't "just me."lolol I made it through my doctor's appt and then came home feeling quite ill. The doctor wasn't there but the nurse-midwife was really nice so I'm hopeful that this will be a good match. I'll keep up with my old doctor until I've actually met the new guy. Thank you all for praying. I'm sure that's the only reason I made it home.lol

Basically, I felt yucky all day. Eric was also home sick today. He just has a cold but is milking it for all it's worth.lol (reminds me of Isaac, now I know where he gets it from.lol)

I hope everyone is having a great week and I'll post more tomorrow if I'm feeling better.

Blessings,

Lisa

This weekend went by fast! I can't believe that it's already Monday and that the little ones will be awake soon. We started Saturday with a football party. The kids season is over and this is where they pass out the trophies and just have fun. They really had a good time! Eric and I dropped them off and then went in search of shoes for Isaac. Somehow, his Robeez puppy shoes went missing and before we left for the party we tore the house a part looking for them. I know that I should have an extra pair laying around but these shoes are expensive and so I've been getting along just fine with one pair. Well, Saturday is the day that my mom wanted to take the littles to her church's train exhibit and I didn't want her to have a bare-footed baby to haul around so off we went hoping to just buy him a pair of regular shoes for the day. We went to Payless and TRIED to convince the little guy that these shoes are FUN.LOL You would have thought that we tied concrete blocks to his feet a were trying to make him walk the plank.LOL He made such a scene that it was quite embarassing. Oh well. It was a wasted effort and there was no way I was going to put those things on his feet and then give him to my poor unsuspecting mom.lol Well, by then it was time to pick the kids up from their party so that they could go roller skating with my dad. We dropped them off at my parents house and explained the whole shoe thing and that's when Allison reminds us that she saw a sign for Robeez in a gift shop 20 minutes away. Off Eric, Isaac, and I went to find this elusive "gift shop."lol We realized at this point that we were starving so stopped at Larry's Giant Subs for lunch and then I got to go up and ask the ladies working there if they knew where The Loop was located. lol (Allison could only tell us that it was by The Loop, a pizza place) Yes, folks. The big fat pregnant women was enlisted to ask where yet another restaurant was right after they watched me wolf down a Philly Cheese Steak sub all by myself. I'm sure we can picture just what they all were thinking...lol

We found the gift shop and sure enough! They had the shoes. Boy was I happy! We bought two pair (blue cross trainers and green froggies with the blue background) since I from now on wanted a spare and spied the most adorable little tea sets that they had on display for little girls. They came in these little wicker baskets with everything you need to have the perfect little tea party. They had a little china tea pot, cups, saucers, plates, spoons, a cream and sugar set, and it all fit into this beautiful little basket. Now I was expecting it to be too expensive but when we checked, the price was only $26! Needless to say, Evie will be receiving one for Christmas. She LOVES having tea parties and this was just impossible to pass up. We bought the one with a white wicker basket and white tea set with pink roses on it. Very adorable.

We got back to mom's just in time to eat fudge.lol I had asked mom to make her famous fudge for me sometime and while we were gone she just whipped it right up! She gave us two plate fulls to bring home and I've been working on them ever since.lol Mom invited us to go with her to see the trains and since Isaac was getting a little crabby from all the running around we decided, sure! Why not. Now I have to say that Isaac has to be the BIGGEST fan of trains that I've ever seen. He has four different sets in his possession and spends almost all his time playing with them. He was so excited when he saw the train exhibit that we ended up staying over an hour watching him watch the trains. Everytime the trains would come around he would shake with excitement and scream Choo-choo! with such happiness that no one could resist laughing at his antics.lolol He did this for a full hour and would have continued standing there watching those trains for even longer if we had stayed. Evie on the other hand was not as impressed and was ready to go after 10 minutes.lolol It brought such joy to my heart to see that little guy so happy. I'm so thankful that I went! Once we left, Isaac fell asleep in the car. He was exhausted.lol What a day!

Sunday came along and Eric and I decided to try a new church. I tried my MIL's church for over a month and it really didn't seem like a good fit for the littles. We just can't have them in the nursery and it was just too loud with the full live band for both of them handle. We found a church of our denomination not 7 minutes away that we decided to try. It was wonderful. The pastor has little boys and was so good at speaking over children that even when one was crying you could hear him plain as day. There were many kids in the service from babies to teens and it was not distracting at all. What a blessing! After the service, just about the whole congregation came to welcome us! I think that we've found a place after all this time. We usually give a place at least a month before we decide anything but I can't see needing to look any farther. They are the most active church I've ever seen and they aren't big either. They gave us their newsletter and they have something going on everyday of the week except Mondays.lolol They have a lot of kids and teens bible studies to choose from and they seem to be more focused on those types of things then just a youth group where they hang out. We are going to bring the older kids next week to see what they think. I'm praying that they will want to come with us but will respect their decision if they want to stick with grandma's church. They've been uprooted quite a bit over this past year and I really don't want to make them change. I know that it's a blessing to grandma that they go with her but it would be nice to have all my kids in the same church.lol

After church, Eric wasn't feeling too well. He's caught the cold that we've been passing around for the past 2 weeks or so. I left him at home and did our grocery shopping. I have my first doctor's appt today with my new doctor and really didn't want to have a bunch of running around to do in addition to that. I have to admit that I'm a little, ok, a lot nervous about seeing a new doctor so close to my due date. I've been praying that this man will be the answer to my prayers and that I'll get a clear-cut view of whether changing will be in my best interest or not. If you all could pray for me today, I'd be grateful.

Tonight and last night I didn't get any sleep. Isaac hasn't been sleeping too well lately and, well, to tell the truth, Eric's been snoring so loud that I can't sleep. Usually, it doesn't bother me but since I have to go potty every couple of hours each night, every time I wake up, it takes me twice as long to fall asleep. By 3-4 am, I can't sleep anymore even though I'm exhausted. I really don't know what to do but this just isn't good for me. I've also been doing too much throughout the day lately. I know it's my fault. I need to delegate more but I also feel like most of the things I do are my responsibility and I hate asking for help.lolol I haven't been feeling too well lately and I know that if things don't change, I could end up on bedrest. I think that a family meeting may be in our near future.

Well, that's the weekend, recapped for you all. It was a good weekend. Eric is going to be off from work for 12 days starting on Thursday this week! I'm so thankful that he is able to take this time off and spend time with us. I'm also thankful that I don't have anything other than spending time with the kids on my list of things to do this week. I'm hoping to enjoy this week as stress-free as possible.

Blessings,

Lisa

BANANAS!!!

lol! Yes, I'm going bananas. So are the kids. On top of all this, my bananas are turning brown. Somehow this past shopping trip I ended up with two bunches of bananas. Have you ever noticed that whenever you try to push a certain item that you bought too much of, that the kids just aren't interested? Well, today I decided instead of begging a child to eat another banana, I'd just turn my bananas into banana bread! It's baking right now and I can tell you now that these particular bananas are going to be fought over.LOL Three down, six to go.

The kids worked on some Christmas ornaments for the grandparents today. They are those Oriental Trading Company foam picture ornaments. Very easy to make and I'm going to print out some photos for them once they are dry. These are the gifts to the grandparents from the littles. They love crafts, almost as much as my first two did at their age. This batch seems to have a little more gusto when it comes to glue and such though.lol

The littles have the whiny's today. I really think it's all the changes that the season brings. I'm hopeful for a better day tomorrow. If anything, I need to cling to hope or I'm not going to make it.lol

Well, other than the usual cleaning, vacuuming, and laundry that's been our day. I'm thankful that today is Friday, I could use a break.LOL

Lisa

I'm answering Jen's tag since it looked like fun...lol

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Both.lol O.k. If I had to pick one, it'd be hot chocolate but I do like them both. I like it best made with milk, not water and copious amounts of whipped cream on top.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? We don't do Santa. We did him with the older kids but decided against him for the youngers.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored on the tree. White on the house.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?Nope.

5. When do you put your decorations up? We put them up on Thanksgiving day or the day after. That's as long as I can get the kids to wait.lol The littles have thoroughly destroyed the tree after all this time and I'm thinking we may need to change this tradition.lol

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I love turkey mixed with sweet potato casserole. Although we don't have turkey for Christmas. We have turkey for Thanksgiving, standing rib roast for Christmas, and Ham for Easter.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child. The year my sister and I waiting until we thought everyone was asleep, snuck out of our room and was met in the hallway by my grandpa who scared the living day-lights out of us.lolol We told him that we were just thirsty and he threw an afgan over our heads and led us to the kitchen and then back to our rooms. We never tried that again.lol

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Probably from school.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes. Usually we open one small fun gift per child. My parents always made us open pjs and I hated that.lolol

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Well, usually we have a lot of ornaments, garland, and candy canes on the tree. When we have littles, we use only plastic or unbreakable ornaments on the bottom and well this year the tree is just about naked on the bottom after almost a month of being up and all the candy canes had to be put on the top of the tree so really the poor thing is looking pretty bad right now.lol

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOL Never had it. I think I like the idea of it but really have never had to deal with it so would probably not like it.lol

12. Can you ice skate? Yes. We had a rink down in Miami that we used to go to. It's fun!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? A pair of roller skates for outside. I loved those things and I wish they made them now a days for my kids. You remember them, right? They were red, white, and blue and FAST!!! I felt like I could take on a car going on the highway with those beauties.lol

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? I love being able to just spend time with the kids. No focusing on school work, just baking and making things, and giving things to others.

5. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? FUDGE!!!! I need two pans before Christmas is over. I think I'll probably gain 3000 pounds but it's worth every, melt in your mouth, morsel.lol

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I've never been too good at traditions, seems like every time we move we need to make new ones. I always make sure that we make cookies for Eric to take to work. Baking, making some things, looking at Christmas lights, those are the things we're doing this year, that we've done in years past. Down in Miami, we always made sure to go to the "Christmas house" every week until Jan.1st, we participated in our churches live nativity each year, went to Christmas Eve service decked out in our best clothing, and gave presents to the neighborhood kids. Boy, I miss Miami.

17. What tops your tree? A star. We've had this star for so long that I think the older kids would mutiny if we replaced it.lol

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving. Especially if I know that we aren't going to be paying for that gift for the next year on credit card.lol

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I love my Mariah Carey cd called Merry Christmas. She has a wonderful voice and my favorite song on the cd is O Holy Night.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? I love them but they don't like me.lol I just can't seem to eat a candy cane without getting indigestion.lol

Well, that's it! I enjoyed answering all the questions and if you read this and have a blog, then you are tagged.LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

Thursday was a good day. The kids and I returned mom's half of the cookies and then we all went out to lunch. My brother wanted to go to Olive Garden but I was in no mood to try to wrangle two little ones in a nice restaurant. I tried to think of a good compromise and remembered a nice little restaurant called The Spaghetti House. It's in a shopping center but has good food. When we got there, we somehow missed the lunch rush and the whole place was just about empty. Boy, that was a blessing! The little ones have been bouncing off the walls lately and I was thankful that their antics weren't going to be disturbing to other customers. They had a really nice buffet with two kinds of pizza, baked ziti, ravioli, stuffed shells, lasagne, and salad. It was really good! After lunch, we went to Bealls. I just love Bealls! It's the only place where you can buy summer clothes during the winter.lol In Florida that's sometimes a necessity. They have great clothes there and they are usually on sale which is a big bonus for me.lol Mom picked up some last minute items and Allison got something for my mom for Christmas and I bought her a hat that she fell in love with. I told her she'd get it on Christmas day.lol

I took mom home afterwards and she wanted to keep Evie so the rest of us went home. I was pretty much done for the day. I've been having some trouble with my leg and really needed to rest it for a while. Isaac and I played on my bed for a while and then I sat on the floor and wrapped some gifts. Isaac helped.lol Every gift received a personal message from him on it. After about 10 gifts I gave up and just played with the little guy some more. He's not used to having the whole house to himself and he was a little stir crazy. Before I was ready, it was time to cook dinner. We had BBQ grilled chicken w/asparagus, rice, and salad. Nothing like our yo-yo weather.lol Evie showed up after dinner, well fed and tired. We took them for a walk and Isaac fell asleep on the way around the block. Both were in bed quickly last night.

The older kids have been working on the new goals for their school work. I've laid a pretty big incentive in front of them and they've been showing me that they would really like to meet the earliest goal. I set up three levels. If they finish their work by the end of March, they earn the most. May is the middle ground and July is the final chance tiny goal. I'm guessing they'll earn at least one or two of the top goals and then the other subjects will come in second or last depending on how much interest they have in the subject.lol Jon's storming the math goal and Allison is racing through the literature goal. They both love the Apologia Biology text so I could see them getting that done early also. But, they both have their vices and I'm hoping to see them get those done also.

Well, I've made it to the 30 week mark! Only 10 more to go.(give or take) The baby seems to be doing quite well and this has been the best pregnancy I've had since Allison. The only issue has been my leg. I'm so thankful that I haven't been plagued by contractions like with the other babies. Maybe my body has finally figured out this whole pregnancy thing.lol

OHHH! I forget the funniest news...Isaac's potty training has entered a new level. Yesterday and today, I've been able to get him to wee-wee on command. All I have to do is put a big cup in front of him and off he goes.lolol I realized yesterday that I've been trying to train him like a girl by making him sit down on a potty and he just wouldn't "go." Yesterday, I sat a cup in front of him (one of those take-out plastic cups that we'll throw away and never drink out of again..lol) and he knew just what to do. I did it again this morning and other than missing the mark a little he worked hard to fill that cup.lolol He also loves taking the cup to the potty and flushing his work when he's done. I'm thinking that we're back on track for training. I am sooo glad that I figured this out. It's been a little frustrating to not make any progress for such a long time.

Well, that was our day. Today is starting slowly so nothing to write about yet.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

Jon's creations.

Genevieve and Allison's creations.

My work of art.lol

Genevieve's tea party.


Cookie creations.

Allison decorating.

Today has been a nice day.

It started by me waking up on my own without little ones poking me or yelling at me. What a novel start to the day!lol I found Evie as I have for the past few days, playing nicely in her room. I just have to say that she is really turning into a great little girl! She still has her moments but really it's her gusto for life that usually gets her into the most trouble.lol When I found her this morning she was playing tea party. She had her frogs and turtles all around this little table set that she has.lolol She just loves those little plastic animals that you can buy in bags at all the different stores. I just thought it was so cute! I'll post a photo of her party next...

After we got some cleaning done and had just relaxed for a while, I called my mom. We still needed to get those cookies baked. She had a lot of running around to do, so I offered to bring the cookie dough to my house and bake them here. The kids and I took a trip to Target and got some pretty sprinkles and such to decorate them. We've been happily busy baking and decorating ever since! I got this recipe from those Hannah Swenson murder mystery books and it's the best I've ever tasted. I'll post photos of the kids creations next also.lol

It's just been a really nice day.

Blessings,

Lisa

My menu for this week


Lunch

turkey and ham sandwiches
pizza
hotdogs

Dinner

split pea soup w/bread and salad
steak w/baked potatoes and salad
grilled or baked chicken (depending on the weather) asparagus, rice, and salad
spaghetti pie w/salad
chicken rice divan w/salad and rolls (new recipe)
Corn Pone w/salad (new recipe)

Blessings,

Lisa

Quickly,

lol The kids lost their game last night. It was a tough game and the other team was one that they played in double overtime with last time they met, so it was a nail-biter. The kids played great and had a good time anyway. I'm sort of thankful that it's all over. It means that we can have a nice break.

The kids had their homeschool pe holiday party today and they had a lot of fun. They played games and ate lots of sweets.lol

During the party, I brought the littles home and let them play in the back yard while I focused on the current state of the house. What a mess! I know that you all couldn't handle seeing what a real mess looks like so I didn't take pictures.lolol Well, I worked most of the time that they were gone and by the time I picked them up the kitchen was clean, almost all the laundry is washed and put away, I cleaned the great room and vacuumed it, I cleaned the dining room up from this mornings pancake mess and lunch fiasco, and cleaned my room. My home now looks like a home instead of a disaster area! I was so thankful for the energy to do all this! When the kids got home, they were quite impressed and thankful that they didn't have to help.lolol Don't worry, they did have some things to do, but really, I tried to take care of the bigger things myself. I had Jon vacuum the dining room and clean the library and Allison clean the bar off between the kitchen and great room and also clear out a basket of toys that has been collecting for some time.

After we were all done, I paired Allison up with Genevieve to wrap some gifts. Evie's been dying to wrap gifts and finally she got her wish.lol After Allison has wrapped her gifts for everyone, then I'll have Jon help Evie with her gift to Allison. The girls and I also worked on the baskets for our neighbors. We made movie baskets for them. I bought movie candy and chocolate at Target, popcorn, and all the supplies and we'll add in a gift certificate to blockbuster to finish it off. I also included our Christmas card. I think they turned out great!

We'll be having our split pea soup tonight for dinner with french bread and salad. I was also able to make a menu since I had some extra time this morning. I'll post it next. I was supposed to go to mom's to finish up the baking but mom needed to cancel and I think we both were a little relieved.lol We'll finish those cookies tomorrow.

I guess that's it! Have a great week!

Lisa

Focus...

Sometimes it's hard to focus on the things you want to the most. Life has this ability of getting in the way and you just have to suck it up and get the work done. Sometimes I feel like one of those jugglers, you know the ones, they don't just juggle balls. They juggle chain saws and lawn equipment instead.lol Well, most days I'm juggling family, home, errands, playdates, and still trying to manage to put some time to the side for my dh. Sometimes, this time of the year can make you lose focus. You see all the different things that you need to juggle and it's easy to want to drop those things that you normally do. I have been asking myself what do I want my family to remember this holiday season? Do I want them to remember a messy house? My inability to spend quality time with them so they could have the hottest toys? Me rushing around grumpy and angry because I'm running out of time?lol

What I'd really like for them to remember during this season is us pulling together. Making time for those things that might get pushed to the way-side. I'd also like for them to have the time to make things for others, like cookies or ornaments. I don't want this time to be when I lose focus. I've been tremendously blessed by these people in my life and I want them to see that I appreciate them and love them enough to put those things that could have taken over during this time, aside and give them my focus instead. I can't wait for the holidays!

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Lisa

I've been running at warp speed the last couple of days. So much so, that I'm just about too tired to post. This is one of those weeks where I'm not even sure WHEN I'll be able to do my grocery shopping much less WHAT we'll be eating.lol In other words, you're on your own.lolol

Yesterday I completed ALL of my Christmas shopping! I did some on-line, some in Target, and some in Walmart. Genevieve is receiving one of those Baby Alive dolls from my parents for Christmas and the deal was for DH and I to buy the accessories. Of course, it was nearly impossible to find any but finally I found them at Walmart. She should really like it, I hope.lol I can't tell you what I bought for anyone else because the older kids like to read my blog.

Today I spent at my moms baking cookies and Stollen (a fruit-studded bread). I was supposed to get up early, go to the grocery store and get our groceries for the next couple of days. Then come home and get some laundry done.lolol Of course, Isaac was up many times last night and finally I got up at 5am but was so tired by 7 that I decided to lay down for "just a minute." I woke at 9am!!!! Isaac was petting my head.lolol At least he wasn't licking me like a puppy...lol So that meant that groceries had to wait but I was able to throw a dark load with the kids football clothes in the wash before we left. We had a good time baking and mom fed us dinner so things worked out.lol We just got home and I am now drying the dark load and am hoping that the load is dry before the kids play-off game tonight at 7:30. If they win this game then they'll play again on Thursday and if they win that game, they'll play a final game on Friday. OH! the kids team won 2 out of 3 games on Saturday! Allison played for all the games and Jon only played for one. He ended up with Isaac's cold and just didn't feel well enough for more than one game. We kept an eye on Allison during the games and her knee held up just fine with the brace. I am now sporting the same cold that has been passed down from one to another like some kind of generational treasure and am hanging in there so far.lolol

Well, that's what's up at our house. We have a Christmas party tomorrow and then I'll head to mom's to finish up the cookies. We have the sugar cookies in the fridge, but ran out of time and energy to do them today. Hopefully, I'll have the chance to go shopping tomorrow but it looks like we'll be surviving off of leftovers til Wednesday. At least we have the basics.lolol I will say that we'll be having split pea soup for dinner tomorrow night and that we'll have homemade pizza for lunch. I have all ingredients on hand for that.lolol I will also be cooking breakfast since we're low on convience foods, like cereal. I have plenty of pancake makings though, so don't think the kids'll suffer.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

I finally received the MOMYS cookbook in the mail on Friday. Since I happened to be looking for a good chicken dish, I took a look through the book and settled on a recipe called Santa Fe Chicken. I've made something similar before so I figured it'd be a hit. Normally, I wouldn't pick something that I didn't have all the ingredients for, but this sounded just right so I snuck out of the house and went to the store.lol I told Jon I was going for cheese but he completely forgot while I was gone and evidently all the big kids thought I'd finally had it and run off.LOLOL On my way out, I ran into Eric who was just getting home from work and I manknapped him and took him with me. (read: impromptu date!lol) So while panic insued at home, Eric and I had a nice time walking casually through the grocery store, less than 5 minutes from home.lolol

We got home and the kids were quite relieved to see that we actually came back and I mentioned that if they were that worried they should have called my cell. They informed me they had and we discovered another place where my phone doesn't work.lol

Dinner was wonderful! I only made half of the recipe and we barely had any left. This recipe would also freeze well, so in the future I'll make the whole amount and put half in the freezer.

Here's the recipe...

Santa Fe Chicken
from MOMYS cookbook

2 cans black beans, drained
6-8 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 cups salsa
2 cans corn, drained
3 cups cheddar cheese
4-5 cups cooked rice
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese

Combine first 4 ingredients and cook until heated through. Stir in cream cheese just until melted and blended. Serve over cooked rice and top with cheese.

The kids preferred it in tortillas instead of over rice but Eric and I liked it better with the rice. Evie liked it plain with the rice on the side, buttered and Isaac only ate tortilla dipped in sour cream and a side of fruit salad.lolol I was going to serve it with salad but when I cut open my lettuce it was brown on the inside. YUCK! So we just had some fruit with dinner.

All in all, it was the perfect end to the day. Of course, that would imply that the day ended and since I'm writing this at 6am you can bet that Friday is still holding on in this house.lolol

Blessings,

Lisa

I ended up at my mom's house yesterday after PE. She called and asked us to stop by and when we got there she had a little tree for Jon to put in his room. Very cute! My dad had given Allison a tree last weekend and I guess they wanted to even things up a bit.lol

After we got home, I made a big pot of chili and finally got around to making that salad dressing. The dressing bombed big time.lol It's sweet and I guess we're more of a savory kind of family. I also baked some potatoes for those who like their chili on something and I made a veggie tray. It was really nice on such a cold night. I'm going to make something equally warm for dinner tonight, I just wish I knew WHAT.lol The only thing left from my menu is chicken, so maybe a soup or casserole. That's what I love about my dinner menu. It's very versatile. Last night was supposed to be spaghetti but instead I made chili. Tonight is supposed to be grilled chicken (and there's no way I'm grilling in this weather!!) and instead it's going to be something much warmer.

This morning I woke, after very little sleep, to a very messy house. It was bound to happen.lol So after my breakfast and some internet shopping (LOL) we all pitched in and started cleaning. That lasted about 3 minutes when my mom called and asked if she could stop by. Why is it my house can be clean EVERYDAY for weeks and no one comes over but one slip and sure enough, here comes a visitor! I said sure, but watch where you step, and mom was over in about 30 seconds.lolol So much for thinking I had a few minutes to super clean.lol Oh well, we had a nice visit and mom invited us out to lunch, and yes, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I said sure! We went to a chinese buffet place and my littles were quite rambunctous, but not altogether out of place this time.lol Afterwards we did some shopping at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and also Michaels. It was very cold today but it was sooo nice to get out. I really enjoyed spending the time with mom and I also was able to get a few stocking stuffers for the littles.

After we got home, the older kids and I started cleaning. My mom kept Evie and Isaac fell asleep in the car on the way home, so we were really able to get a lot done! The house looks great and I got most of the laundry done.(I started the laundry this morning.)

The kids football coach called and said that all the make-up games would be played back-to-back tomorrow afternoon.lol I told him that he HAD to be kidding! Right?!? He said that we didn't have to stay for all the games and I was very glad. Allison wants to play in them all but with her knee, she'll be lucky if she gets to play in one.

Well, no matter what, this weekend is sure to be busy. I haven't had a quiet weekend in a while.lol I'll try to post my menu before Monday and I'll let you all know how the game went.

Blessings,

Lisa

Yesterday was a wash.lol The kids and I celebrated my good test results by going to lunch with my mom and brother at Golden Corral. We ate until we ate too much.lol The littles got restless towards the end and, I again, felt like I was in the middle of a circus. The littles do not have very good manners as of yet. I do realize that Isaac had spent most of his day in the car or at the doctors or in a high chair, so I'm guessing that it was very hard to sit there any longer for a little guy his age. Evie, on the other hand, had no excuse.lol

After lunch, I took everyone home in hopes of getting SOMETHING done but that was not to be. When we got home, I realized I wasn't feeling too well. I'm guessing it was the shot but I progressively began to feel worse and worse. I ended up taking a much needed nap but really didn't feel any better afterwards. I woke an hour later and began dinner prep since it was pot roast and it needed to cook for a couple of hours. I really felt miserable but the older kids were great and really helped me out. Dinner was really good and afterwards Eric and I took a walk with the littles. It was a warmer night and since we've been having really cold nights lately we wanted to take advantage of the better weather. Good thing, too. The weather today has been MUCH colder and tonight is supposed to be freezing. Yuck! We are sooo not used to this.lol

Today has been good. I spent most of the day re-evaluating the kids school and making some changes to what we're doing. I've also added an incentive for this half of the year. There were some pretty pricey items on the kids Christmas lists that Eric and I have decided are just too expensive at this time so I added in bonuses for finishing certain subjects early. We'll see how this works but we've got a very difficult next half of the year and would really like for them to be working HARD. I figure I'll save the money each month and if they meet the goals, then I'll have it available, but if they don't meet the goals, I'll put the money towards my new oven.lol

Evie was up most of the night last night. She has a cold. I am deperately hoping that it'll stop with her.lol Of course, the two littles were sharing a recorder last night so I'm doomed.lolol

I guess that's all for now. I have to take Jon to PE now and the littles are going nuts right now.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

Good News!!!!

I passed my glucose test!!!! Whoohoo!!!! I also received my RH shot, so I'm set for a while.LOL

Eric called from Isaac's appt and wanted to know if Feb14th would be a good next surgery day. I had to remind him that I'm due the very next week and that no, I'd rather do it sooner or after the baby's arrived.lol I'm notorious for going into labor when people are unavailable and I could just see myself going into labor as soon as they got to the hospital where our phones don't work. Nothing like imagining me, with Jon and Evie, alone in labor.lol No thank you.lol

Lisa

Here's a picture of Allison at football practice. She had just pulled someone's flag. I didn't get a good picture of Jon that didn't have other kids in it.

Here's Isaac at football practice. He just LOVES the dirt there.lol

Here's a cute picture I took today.

Lisa

Well, not too much happening here today. I've spent most of the day on the computer ordering Christmas gifts and such. I also made homemade pizza for lunch. I've also fielded the question, "can I open another advent box?", every 15-20 minutes from the beginning of the day today.LOL Evie's driving me crazy. I think that giving a child who doesn't understand time an Advent Calendar should be some sort of Ancient Chinese torture method for parents. I'm still hanging in there for now, but I may just go ahead and let her open them all and spend this time enjoying the thing instead of torturing her and me all Christmas long.lol

Isaac found and was wearing his Advent calendar yesterday. LOL It was soooo funny! It is a cardboard house with chocolates hiding in little paper doors and he put the whole thing on his head and was running around unable to see where he was going.lol I'm amazed that he didn't knock himself out running into a wall or something. I guess my life really is a circus sometimes...lol

I ran out of steam yesterday and will now begin the last chore that I didn't finish or start yesterday, ironing. Yuck. LOL I really don't mind, but really couldn't stand any longer yesterday so today it will be done.

Blessings,

Lisa

I have gotten so much done today! I love it when I have the energy to go the extra distance.lol So far I've;

Done half the wash.

Thoroughly cleaned my bathroom, including the gigantic tub and shower, and swept and mopped.(Here's a cleaning hint: use a mop to scrub your tubs and showers. No bending required!)

Changed my sheets, cleaned my room, and vaccumed.

Went grocery shopping! The bill was much better and I think you all were right. Nothing was on sale last week and it made things much worse.lol


The kids have:

Worked on school work.

Allison cleaned her bathroom and the great room, including vaccuming.

Jon cleaned the dining room, including vaccuming, and helped put all the groceries away.

Genevieve and Isaac made messes.lol


I stilll need to finish all the wash, do the ironing, wash the containers I took out of the fridge, make dinner, and then I'll call it a day. The kids need to finish up their school work and tidy their rooms. The youngers need to quit making messes.lol

My only real goal for this week is to finish the Christmas shopping. I just couldn't get it all done last week. OH, and I need to make that dressing! The kids ate all the bacon, so I had to wait until I went shopping in order to make it.lol I also need to mail out my Christmas cards and calendars sometime this week. I've decided to wait until next year to do a letter. Really, if someone wanted to know what's going on in my life they could just come here.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

My Menu for the week...

Lunch

Sandwiches
Pizza
Hot dogs
Mac and cheese


Dinner

Roast, potatoes and carrots
Grilled Chicken w/rice, asparagus, and salad (didn't have last week)
Steak w/french fries and salad
Spaghetti w/garlic toast and salad
Salad Bar


Enjoy!

Lisa

Let's see. Saturday was a pretty good day, just busier than I usually like. The kids had a football game at 11 and Eric took them while I stayed home with Isaac. It was a pretty nasty day weather-wise and we decided not to let the littlest one out in the weather. The kids team lost and Allison hurt her knee but they both had fun anyway.

I went to my mom's house to watch my dad put up the Christmas lights. He didn't really get very far.LOL He kept needing to go to Walmart, so mom and I decided to go to lunch. While there, Eric called me wondering where in the world I was.lol I invited him and everyone else to join us and boy was that a mistake!lol This poor Hardee's has never seen so many people in one day before. Isaac and Genevieve went nuts. Isaac spilled two drinks, dropped lots of paper straw bits, broke the little triangle number that they gave us for our order, threw a ball under the counter and proceeded to dive under said counter to get it and Genevieve had been given by her father a Mountain Dew and couldn't sit still, was singing at the top of her lungs and running around and around the whole restaurant saying, "Isaac! Isaac! You can't catch me!!!!" She never did eat a thing and I left before the employee's could kick me out.lolol This is why I always order take out!!! Mom, my brother, me, Isaac, and Genevieve left for my mom's home but we got way-laid at Walmart. I was able to get a few things on my Christmas list and then received a call from Eric yet again trying to figure out where in the world I went.LOL I told him to go home and that I'd be there shortly. After Wally-world, I took Mom and my brother home and left Genevieve there for the day. I took poor Isaac home who was looking exhausted from his outing.lol Isaac actually asked for mommy's bed and pillows when we got home. We all got in and snuggled for a good hour and then he was ready to play again.

While we were at home, the older kids were roller skating with Grandpa. They had a great time and got home around 5pm. That's when I found out about Allison's knee. I was a little upset that she had gone skating on it knowing that it hurt but what was done, was done. We are going to get it looked at sometime this week.

For dinner, I really wanted the Broccoli-Cheese soup from Panera Bread company but really didn't want to drive that far, so I looked up the recipe on the internet and found a knock-off. Eric so graciously offered to go to the store for the ingredients and I worked on the first part of the soup. It was REALLY good and tasted exactly like what I remembered it to taste like.lol Here's the recipe...


Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe #150384
Very good soup...serve with crusty bread
by chefnini
4 servings
1¼ hours 30 min prep

1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper


Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half. Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.Add salt and pepper. Can be pureed in blender but I don't. Return to heat and add cheese. Stir in nutmeg.


Today has been good too. We all went to church this morning but I ended up in the nursery with both littles. I hate nurseries.lol We thoroughly washed both kids upon returning home and hopefully won't end up with some horrible illness that will last until Christmas.lol After church, we ate Taco Bell while the 3 older kids went out to eat with Grandma Glasnapp. I just couldn't bring myself to repeat yesterday.lol After lunch, I made the grocery list and filled out all my Christmas cards. I'm still trying to decide if I want to include a letter, I'm thinking maybe next year but I still have time to decide.lol

We decided to check on the kids at football practice and then went to Grandma's house to hang out and see all the remodeling that she's gotten done on her home. It looks really nice and she was busy decorating for Christmas with Genevieve. You could tell Genevieve was having a good time. She loves to help and is quite exuberant about it.lol Eric got the kids from practice and we brought Allison and Isaac home. Allison was forbidden to run or use her knee during practice and had to wear her brace but she was still quite sore by the time we got home. I'm thinking she may have played her last game on Saturday. We'll see this week though.

I made fried chicken, rice, and salad for dinner tonight and only three of us ate. Allison fell asleep on the couch and the other kids are still at Grandma's. It's odd making such a small amount of food.lol

Well, that's our weekend. I'll post the menu next since this is long.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

The past few days were exhausting.lol Thursday was spent helping my parents put up their Christmas tree. The kids had a lot of fun but it got to be a pretty late night for the littles. Isaac ended up asleep in a big recliner and Evie ate so much junk that I wasn't sure she would ever sleep again. It was nice to spend the time over there and mom made her famous fried chicken so the baby and I were very happy.lol

Friday was the dreaded glucose test day. Mom called and offered to watch the kids while I was gone and I was grateful not to have to worry about the kids being here alone. I went for the test at 10:30 but they wouldn't see me since it was too close to their lunch break, they said I could come back at 1 or another day. I almost decided to just wait but figured I'd hang in there a little longer. I went home and my mom hadn't picked up the kids yet and the littles were really running amok! How amok you say? Well, my 5 pound sugar bowl is still missing.lol I've looked in every room and it's no where to be found. Who knows where Evie put it. My mom picked up the kids around 12:30 and they went to lunch and then to the store to buy cookie making supplies. I went to the test. Yuck! I feel like Jax is in the dark ages. I actually had to drink the old fashioned nasty uncarbonated orange syrup. Down in Miami they have the carbonated form and it is much better. It was a very stressful hour but I'm hoping that I passed anyway. I'll let you all know when I find out.

After the test, I went to mom's house to watch everyone bake cookies. They had such a blast! Evie has never made the old fashioned, roll them out, sugar cookies. She just loved the cookie cutters and putting the sprinkles on. Every cookie was given more than it's fair share of sprinkles.LOL My dad declared them the best he's had in ages. He loves the sprinkles but mom is usually a little less exuberant.LOL They made chocolate chip, sugar, and peanut butter with kisses on top. Very unfeingold but very good.lol

After the cookies were done, we came home. I wasn't feeling that great and really needed to lie down. Jon made dinner for me, what a blessing and after dinner we went to take a walk but it was raining so Eric and I loaded the littles into the van and took them to Kohl's to walk around.lol I got a new sweater and a cute baby outfit for the new one and the littles each got a small toy each. Evie got a Dora playdough set and Isaac got a Thomas train. Each were over half off. I also bought a new doormat for the back door, it was over half off and we got two stuffed animals with flannel blankets for $10 each. I think I'll save those as gifts for friends. Oh and I got Eric a new dress shirt. He's been in need for a while.

After that long day, I passed out by 9pm and poor Eric stayed up with the littles until they finally fell asleep. Isaac had had a nap at mom's and he stayed up until 12am and Evie was down by 10.

I guess that's been my last couple of days. I never did get to make that salad dressing but I will before Monday.lol

Oh and the kids have declared that the van is too small for us all. I'm a little disappointed but I think I can still use it during the week when Eric's at work and it's just the six of us. Allison can sit up front and Jon in the middle w/the baby and Isaac and Genevieve can get the whole back row to themselves.lol

blessings,

Lisa

Here's the new and improved decorations. We have declared the house done.lol

Well, today has been a very good day. I have finished the wash, just need to fold another load and we'll be set for a couple of days. The kids actually fought over who would get to steam clean the carpets so I let them fight it out and do the work.lol I did help by vacuuming after the carpet dried but really they did all the work. I took the littles outside for some fresh air and play time. It's been warm the past couple of days, so I've been trying to take advantage of it as often as I can. It topped 80 degrees today! This is the kind of weather I like. Not too hot, not cold and yucky.lol

I'm making a blend of two different recipes for dinner tonight. Heavenly Porkchops w/buttered noodles, asparagus, and salad. Hopefully the Porkchops will taste good. I didn't actually read the recipe from Queenbee's blog, thought I could wing it(LOL) and ended up with white sauce instead of a dough-like substance so I just figured I'd combine Heavenly Chicken together with the porkchops. It looks good and smells wonderful so I'm guessing I didn't ruin it.lol

I got this salad dressing recipe off of the Sonlight forums and am going to make it tomorrow. It sounds really good and of course high in fat.lol

Creamy Bacon Salad Dressing

6 sl bacon, cooked and chopped
1/4 c onion, finely chopped (may substitute green onions or chives)
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c cider vinegar
1 c water

Cook onions, sugar, vinegar, and water. Cool. Add 4 c of mayo (large jar) and mix well. Yield 1 1/2-2 qts.The original recipe calls for 10 slices of bacon, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 1/2 cups of water, instead of the amounts given. Doing it this way makes the yield closer to the 2 qt mark.

From Vincennes University School of Culinary Arts by way of Ezekiel's Garden on the SL boards.

She says it's better than Ranch dressing and since Evie's allergic to ranch I've been looking for something that might work. I'll let you all know if it's any good!

Blessings,

Lisa

Christmas Calendar layouts 2007

December!

Here is the final month of the calendar! Whoo-hoo! Another year finished!

Here's November.

September.
October.

O.k. so far, I've ordered the photo cards (yesterday) and they've already shipped! Pretty fast turn around! I'll have them in a day or two and then I can focus on getting them labeled and sent to everyone. I love it when everything seems to come together! I also ordered the calendars just a few minutes ago. Allison whipped out the last few pages last night and this morning and then I worked on a few finishing touches. It looks great!

I've also finished half of the wash and because of an impromptu naked baby, I'll be steam cleaning the carpets right after lunch.LOL We have been working on potty training but so far the only thing he enjoys is being naked. He enjoys it so much that he's figured out how to make that happen all by himself. All he needs is a minute or two alone and he's streaking around showing us his favorite body part.lol I've decided that I'm going to steam clean all the high traffic areas since I need to work on some spots made today so I'm getting the big machine out.

I also worked with Evie this morning. We did some preschool focusing on the letter C, finished off some library books that I didn't have time to read, and played with playdough. That's another area that needs steam cleaned today. lol

I think I've decided to let the kids mess with the carseats and see if the van will work out or not. If they aren't happy, then I'll just plan on the tank once the baby gets here. I think that's fair.lol

I guess that's it for now. My lunch break is over and I've got some major work to do.lol

Lisa

More out-takes.

Here are some out-takes...

I think these two pictures are in the running for our Christmas cards this year. I would love for you all to post your opinions on which is better.



As you can see. I was able to get all the kids in the pictures, somewhat smiling and sort of facing the camera. I should get some sort of medal!lol

Lisa

My goals for the week...

One of my goals for this week was to get the house back together from the long weekend but the kids and I whipped that out this morning so I'll just check that as done.

Next on my list was the Christmas Photo. I'm still printing them all out and hope to have at least ONE photo that can be used. If not, then we'll try again tomorrow.lol I'm hoping that we'll have one good enough. I think two are promising but I really like to look at the hard copies before deciding.

Finish the Calendar! It has to be completed by Thursday for the discount. We're up to September and I think we can whip out those last few months today and tomorrow.

Finish most of my Christmas shopping by this weekend. I like to leave the little things, like stocking stuffers for the last minute but I usually have all my regular shopping done before Thanksgiving, except for this year. I really would like to have this done! I'll let you all know if this goal was accomplished or not.lol

A related goal would be to finish the Christmas list this week also. One of the reasons Isaac has too much for Christmas this year is that instead of having a list I've just been buying things that I thought he'd like or were cute.lol Without a list my budget can get broken easily! We're going cash only this year and I don't want to break the bank this year. In all of our marriage, we've never had a Christmas that we could afford. This is going to be that year! It would be such a blessing to not have to pay for these gifts for the next year and not be able to save anything for next year. We've already run into some snags but I'm just going to have a talk with the older kids, give them our budget and then let them do some re-accessing of their major wants this year.

I also need to sometime in the next week or two, try to figure out how we will fit everyone into my van.lol I need to get the new baby's carseat out and see how this is going to work. If it isn't going to work, then I need to try out the carseats in the Expedition. I really hope everyone fits in the van. I just don't like driving anything bigger. I'm majorly intimidated!lol I always feel like I'm taking more than my fair share of the road and that I'm going to take the side off someone's car or maybe their mailbox or maybe even a PERSON while driving that thing.lol This vehicle is a blessing and I may just have to get over the whole driving a tank thing but I'm REALLY hoping I can squeeze everyone into my little mini van. I mean, it SAYS it fits 7 people, right?!?!lol Eric really feels that I need to move up to the tank...lol but I don't remember it saying any where that everyone has to be comfortable...lol

Well, those are my goals. I have the basic stuff in my mind also, like laundry and such but these are the things that most need to get done on top of my regular duties. Have a great day!

Lisa

I just finished taking 46 pictures of the kids in their Christmas outfits and I may have two photos to use for cards and such.lol No, they aren't great pictures but I think that most of them are in the photo and some of them are actually looking at the camera and I'm not sure but I think that none of the kids in the picture are picking their noses. lol I'm thinking that in future pictures I'll have everyone sit separately and then I'll paste them all together in PhotoShop.lolol

Really, I think it should be against the law to expect families of more than two kids to poise for a group photo.

At least we have 44 photos of out-takes for the calendar. I'm guessing it'll be hard for Allison to decide which ones to choose, considering she has so many to look through.

Another thing, don't expect a child of 22 months to cooperate when you put him in winter clothes when it's 78 degrees outside. He spent most of the time saying, "Ow! Ow!." lolol

I'll post my favorite photo and maybe my favorite out-take once I've seen them printed out and can look at them together. My trusty PictureMate is churning them out right now.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

Today was a very busy day. I'm going to make this short since I'm as exhausted as I can get and still be upright.lol I started the day by deciding that I'd better get the groceries before I got too tired.lol Jon and Evie didn't want to go, so Allison, Isaac, and I headed off at 9 this morning. It was an expensive and long process. I won't go into detail but I just can't understand how one week my bill can be $180 and the very next week it can sky-rocket to $300 and I bought the SAME stuff! Yuck.lol After we got home, I noticed that my mom had called and so while the kids unloaded the van and put the groceries away, I called mom back to see how her trip to my sisters went. She said she had a good time and was hoping that I'd go to lunch with her. I said sure and off we went once everything was put away and everyone was ready. We picked mom up and decided on Golden Corral for lunch. I ate entirely too much.lol It's a buffet style restaurant and I guess I just didn't know when to say when.lol The kids really love this place and all ate really well. Luckily, they don't weigh you afterwards and charge you that way because Isaac felt like he gained several pounds from lunch.lol Mom and I decided to venture to Target after lunch and I was able to get a wreath holder for my front door and I also bought one of those animated lighted deer for the front lawn. I also got the littles some more pj's. I took mom home afterwards and we helped her hang pictures and stuff back on her walls since my brother repainted the house while they were gone. By the time we got home it was 4pm. I was so tired I wasn't sure that I could make dinner but I did get it done. We had Minestra soup w/salad, french bread, and fruit salad. So far, we've got Evie down for bed and I'll start working on Isaac after I write this. I'm afraid that I did too much again today and will probably pay for it tomorrow. I need to learn how to manage my energy levels better.lol Obviously, we did no school today or really anything except the groceries but it was nice to spend the time with my mom and tomorrow's another day. I have a lot of plans for this week and will post my goals tomorrow. I hope everyone had a good day!

Blessings,

Lisa

Here's our house so far. I think we'll need to upgrade the decorations for Evie's sake this year.lol

Christmas Calendar layouts 2007

August.

Christmas Calendar layouts 2007

July. I love the fireworks!

Lisa

Christmas Calendar layouts 2007

Here's June. I definitely think Allison is much better at this.lol Her collages just look better.

Lisa

My Menu for this Week...

Lunch

Pizza
Sandwiches


Dinner

Split Pea soup (didn't have it last week)
Taco Stuff
Porkchops w/noodles, salad, and sweet potatoes
Grilled Chicken w/rice, asparagus, and salad
Minestra soup w/bread
Baked Potato Bar w/salad, and steamed broccoli


I'm hoping to go shopping today but will go tomorrow if I'm not feeling up to it today. At least I've got the list ready.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

Yesterday we spent the day at the park. The little ones had a great time and really wore themselves out. It was nice to have Eric along as it's getting a little hard for me to keep up. The older kids probably would have rather stayed home.lol I know they are getting a little old for the park. I guess I need to expand what we do as a family but right now I feel that I'm doing all that I can. Maybe after the baby's born, I'll have more energy. When we got home, Isaac and I both fell asleep.lol I'm thinking that my energy is at an all time low right now. Nothing like passing out everytime I go out and do something.lol

Today was the second week in a row that Genevieve and I went to church. She has always had issues with places like this but I felt it was time to see if she could handle going yet. She's doing pretty good, although it seems to set her off for the day. The service is pretty loud and I'm wondering if she'd do better if it was more traditional but I was hoping that since Allison, Jon and Grandma were there, that it would seem more comfortable to her. Also, her friend Sammy goes there and she really likes seeing him. But the service is LOUD and I'm not sure it's the best fit for her. I'm hoping as we go each week she'll slowly adapt and be better afterwards. Eric stayed home with Isaac who is still recovering from the surgery and needs to stay away from illness. His face is looking better and hopefully there will be a good improvement once the spots have faded. This doctor does a much better job of covering the area and he thinks he has the right setting on his laser now. We'll see in a few weeks.

I'm hoping to take the family photo this week sometime.

I finally found a better doctor for myself! He may take me as a patient depending on how long it takes the old doctor to transfer all my records. I'm praying hard that they are sent this week. I called the hospital on Wednesday and talked to some really nice ladies who told me this old dr was bad news and they are the ones who found me this dr, who is supposed to have the best record in the whole hospital. I'll let you all know how things go if/when I get to see him. I went down to my old dr's and signed the release of records form the minute I talked to the new dr office.lol Can you tell I'm desperate? If you all could pray that they send my records this week, I'd be grateful! If it takes much longer, the new dr won't take me since I'm so far along. Boy is this stressful!

Genevieve has pronounced our outside decorations "boring." She feels that we need MORE decorations such as lawn creatures and garland for the house. I may need to go shopping.lol

I guess that's it. I've made the grocery list but don't feel well enough to go shopping so I'll upload the week's menu next and then go rest.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

Isaac discovers candy canes.lol We had to put all the candy on the top of the tree since this picture was taken. He was breaking each open to see what they tasted like.lol

If yesterday was a good day, then today was a great day. (I had the day off.lol) We have so much food left over that I won't need to cook for a couple of days, so other than the desperately needed wash, I didn't do a thing. Well, I got to do the fun stuff today. I didn't just lay around.lol I spent the day with the kids playing around. Eric spent the day on the roof.lol He and my brother hung the Christmas lights. I'll try to remember to take a picture later when it's dark. I'm not sure they're finished but they got the hardest part done today. Isaac discovered that the candy canes were not just for decoration.lol I got the cutest picture of him when he found a piece of one. I'll post it later.

I had the kids write the annual "What I want for Christmas list." Topping Jon's list was a potato gun, complete with a supply list and directions for putting it together.lol I'm not sure that even with this much research he'll get one. I don't think that he thought about *where* he could fire something like this without damaging property. He did have some other things on his list so maybe one of those will be under the tree this year.

We ended up going overboard with Isaac this year and I've decided to use at least half of the gifts for his birthday in January. I've bought Evie one of those Littlest Petshop sets for Christmas. We will probably get her some odds and ends for sets that she already has and that'll be it.

Eric and I have decided on Allison's gift this year, but she reads my blog so it'll have to stay a secret.lol

I guess that's it!

Blessings,

Lisa

Here, Isaac discovers the tree for the first time this morning. I'm glad we only use unbreakable ornaments.lol
Isaac and Genevieve "fixing" the tree.

He just loves the new shiny balls I bought for the tree.lol

Here, the kids are trying to figure out the complexities of the artificial tree.

Here is the completed tree.

This was how Isaac spent the day. I don't think he moved but once just to have dinner. Poor guy.

Thanksgiving in review...lol

Everything went well. We started the day by cleaning up and making sure the house was presentable. Eric went to get my brother, who spent the day with us. Then, I had the over-anxious kids get all the Christmas stuff from the garage. It was pretty funny, they were so excited that it was hard for all of them to keep focus. I don't know why but Isaac just wasn't himself yesterday. He spent the WHOLE day in my bed resting. You could just tell the little guy wasn't feeling very good.

It took the kids hours to finish the tree. It looks very nice and I'll upload some pictures next.

While the kids were working, I started the bread and made another batch of cookies. Really, everything went together without a hitch. After the kids had finished the tree, I set them to work on the Gingerbread Choo-Choo. They finished that right before Grandma and my sil and bil got here. When everyone got here, we set up the extra tables and chairs and ate. I was starving! Next time, I'll set the time for earlier in the day. I was thinking the extra time would be helpful on the cleaning front but really we just sat around waiting for 5pm.lol Everything turned out terrific and it was wonderful to spend the time with family. My sil is also expecting a new baby in May and we sat around discussing baby things. Luckily, neither of us want the same names.lol The guys did the dishes for us and that was so nice! I don't think I could've done one more thing once dinner was over. I ate so much that I had nightmares all night last night.lol Never again will I eat that much at one time.lolol Everyone stuck around until around 8pm just talking or playing or in Grandma's case, sleeping.lol All in all, a very good Thanksgiving.

Blessings,

Lisa