Noah

I'm sure that everyone who follows my blog, knows who Noah is, but if you don't please go check him and his wonderful family out today. www.prayingfornoah.com They are having an online auction this week and have some amazing things listed for sale and auction. Here is the site of the auction... www.wheelsfornoah.com This amazing family has been through the wringer and really needs your help.

Blessings,

Old Faithful...

Eight years ago, we were on our way to Universal and needed a really compact yet full sized stroller. I happened to find this one at a Babies R Us...


Peg Perego Pliko P3


It had everything I wanted in a stroller. It folds like an umbrella, into a small rectangle. It has a wonderful sunshade that would completely cover a child in a sudden downpour. It gives a wonderful ride for the child, no matter what size they are. It has a step that older kids can stand on if they get tired and I've put two kids in it without trouble many times when an older child has given out during an outing.

A few years ago, we were given a Ford Expedition by my MIL. It has no trunk space at all, but this wonderful stroller will fit in the crack behind the seats that is called a "trunk."

To say that this stroller has been a lifesaver, is an understatement. After eight years of faithful service, it is now going into retirement. It STILL works, mind you, but many things are starting to give out and we think that it's ready for a life of mild service instead of what we do to things around here.lol The foot broke off of one of the brakes, the seat belt no longer functions and the poor dear sunshade has many holes from lots of use. But it STILL works.



So, when looking for something "new" and "fun", what do you suppose we decided upon?

No contest. P3 is our favorite and we'll stick with it till the end. Amazon has this beauty on sale for $220 and I think it's worth every penny.

Here it is folded up...

And if I couldn't have possibly loved my older one anymore, this one has many features that I wished our first one had. The shade can be unzipped in the back so you can shade them in front but they aren't stuck without a breeze. It has two cup holders for the little one. The harness is stationary, unlike the first one which would get all tangled up and my littles could get out of and it's orange which is one of my favorite colors. lol

So, if you are ever in need of a new stroller...this one is my hands down favorite and no, I didn't get paid to say it either.lol

Blessings,

Some Spring photos...

We've been pretty sick the past week or so, but the weather has been so nice that we all have been out in it anyway. :) I thought to actually take some pictures while we were enjoying the sunny day yesterday.

David loves to roam around outside while I hang laundry. Lucky for him, my dryer broke and I've had to hang often. :)

Genevieve is in need of a hair maintenence class or something.

Isaac, planting in the garden.

Biggest brother and littlest brother.

David enjoying the shade of his laundry house.


I don't have any good photos of Sophia. Her lips are so chapped that she looks beat up. Hopefully, she'll be feeling better soon.

I'm hoping after David's nap today, we'll get more time out of doors. I think it really helped our moods tremendously.


Blessings,

The Many Faces of Mr. Wiggles...

Here are some photos of little David. He sure is growing up really fast! He now has 4 teeth and is very fast. I think he'll be walking soon, but so far he's just cruising around the furniture. He is the sweetest baby.









Blessings,

Finished projects...

I never did update on my big project for Christmas...

A Griffindor scarf for my oldest ds...


It took me until just after Christmas to finish but it really turned out nice. It's really come in handy this winter!


Blessings,

Lisa

My diet...

For the past 3 1/2 years I've been living completely sugar free. Yep, I gave it all up. I know it sounds impossible, but it's true.

Before my diet, I was always sick. I was having a lot of stomach trouble, anxiety issues, heart palpitations, and severe exhaustion. Just getting up in the morning seemed to be all I could do.

I went to many Dr's and specialists and no one could figure out what was going on.

Finally, I found a Dr who listened to me and prayed for me. He asked me about my diet and all I could really say was I knew that I couldn't have milk products because they upset my stomach and at the time I couldn't have fruit. He asked me to go on a special diet for people with a yeast over-growth. It would entail me going completely free of these items...

sugar of any kind
corn
yeast
peanuts
milk
fruit
soy
chocolate
and a bunch of other things that I can't remember... :)

The week before I finally decided to try this diet, I was the sickest I have ever been. It scared me and I decided that I'd try it for a month, no matter what and then I'd see how I felt. The first three weeks were terrible and I almost gave up just about every hour I was awake but I knew that if this was the problem that it would take a month to start seeing anything positive come out of my efforts. I kept on, trying to figure out what in the world I *could* eat and trying really hard not to eat the other stuff that I had practically lived off of the past dozen years or so.

By the end of the first month, I felt better. Not all better, but I could definitely feel a difference. I kept on and on and well, on and now I'm better than I have been in 20 years. I still eat this way and I've decided to eat this way from now on. I'm healthy, feel great, and more energy than I've had in years. Here's my modified diet that I eat now...

barley-free soft wheat flour (for tortillas, biscuits, pancakes, and muffins)
honey for sweetner, but in very limited quantities
fruit- one piece a day

So, I eat pancakes or shredded wheat for breakfast each day. I add raisins on my cereal and raw almond butter on my pancakes, sometimes unsweetened jam. I use unsweetened rice milk on my cereal.

For lunch, I eat leftovers of dinner or a salad. I've found an organic Italian dressing from WinnDixie that is completely sugar free, but it does have vinegar in it. I do make my own dressings with lemon juice but it's nice to have an easy alternative.

For dinner, I make all kinds of things! Last night we had spaghetti with meatballs. I used oatmeal instead of cracker crumbs and canned tomatoes instead of spaghetti sauce. Then I add spices, veggies, and salt and it's done. Everyone else can add some cheese to theirs. The night before I made fried chicken, brown rice and steamed veggies. I used soft wheat flour that has no malted barley in it and egg to fry with my own spices.

The hardest thing about cooking this way is that you can't make casseroles but you can make some one-pot meals. I make pepper steak, beef stroganoff, even pizza. I make all my own broths and freeze them for meals and I shred all the chicken or turkey for later meals, like lomien or cook beef briskets in my crockpot over night and then make egg fried rice with beef and broth instead of soy sauce. I use only rice milk in my cooking, only non-dairy-no soy for my margarine, no mixes or sauces that aren't homemade. It works for me.

The biggest thing is that I am healthy enough to run around with my kids and we're having fun. It's only by God's grace and mercy that I am healthy and that I found something that works for me. I hope this helps!

Blessings,

It's the busiest I've been in a long while...

That about sums it up. lol

It started with Jon. It's alllll his fault. He told us right after his semester ended that he wanted something to do this next semester. Well, he's been doing scouts and he's enrolled in 3 college classes but he had a lot of free time and he wanted "something". So we went to the local martial arts place down the street and checked it out. It's a really nice place and he can even walk it's so close. We looked at the price sheet and noted that it was cheaper to have two in the class than it was to have one in. I thought, maybe someone else would like to go also...enter Genevieve.lol She not only would love to go, she was terribly excited. We reasoned that it's easier to learn and to keep it up when you have a buddy so we decided to sign her up also. Then Isaac hears about it and he says, "I want to be a ninja too!" and really, can you say no to that sweet face? So, we now have three students for their new teacher.lol

You're now thinking, that's the end of this story, right? That's no big deal, one class three times a week but they are all in it. Well, my dh and I were talking and thought it may be a good idea for Genevieve to begin violin lessons. She's always wanted to play but the timing was off. So I go to sign her up and Sophia sees the pink ballet outfits and says she wants to take that class. Well, I can't say no to that considering she's not in anything.lol We left with ballet and tap classes for Sophia and Fiddle classes for Genevieve. Then Genevieve starts with the, I'd rather dance than play the fiddle. Well, I don't know how but she talks us into dance classes too!

So, we went from Genevieve in gymnastics and Jon in scouts to Jon in scouts and martial arts, Genevieve dropping gym for martial arts, dance, and violin, Isaac in martial arts, and Sophia in ballet and tap.

And all because Jon was bored.

Sophia Rides...

I never uploaded this video. Sophia learned how to ride her two wheel bike in September. I can't believe that my three year old can ride a bike!

Found

I used to think that there was no God; that you lived, died and there was nothing. Even then, God was there.

Later, I realized that God was there and always had been. But then, I believed that my sin was too great and that it was too late for God to ever forgive me. Mercifully, patiently, lovingly, God waited.

Finally, I knew that God really loved me, already knew me, wanted to forgive me, it wasn't too late, and He had been waiting all. this. time. In faith, I took one very small step towards Him.

In God's greatness, He swept me up and carried me the rest of the way. And I rested in Him.

"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).


(I wrote this for my and Eric's baptism on Oct 24th 2010)

Allison's final

Here is Allison's final project for Design class. It is based off of Charlie Harper's art. I think it's really pretty...

I love this bird! :)

I am very proud of Allison!

Blessings,

A portrait of Allison...

I am continually amazed at Allison's memory. When she was little, she would memorize those National Audubon Society First Field Guides. Every single page would be dog-eared and bookmarked. She's also good with actresses and actors names and any and all movies that they've ever been in. The same with songs and song artists.

Two weeks ago, she had to pay a ticket (see, she's not perfect...lol) and it was near closing time at the DMV. She drove over there, at a safe speed, and waited in line. When she got to the front, she reached for her debt-card and realized that she left it at home. So, she asked the lady if she could just tell her the number. The lady said, I guess so, if you can remember it. She then proceeded to rattle off the number. The lady was pretty impressed but then said, I also need the expiration date too. Allison gave her that. Then, the lady said, Oh, I forgot, you'll also need to give me that security code off the back. Allison promptly gave her that without blinking an eye. As she was leaving, she heard the lady telling her co-workers about what she had done. I couldn't even tell you the first number on my card.lol

We have this game called Hyper-dash that the littles love to play. It reminds me of the game Simon, you know, with the flashing lights and you have to remember what order they flashed and copy it, but instead of lights, it calls out what color to press your bell-shaped wand on. It's a fun game. It'll say press blue. Then press blue-red. Then blue-red-blue. Then blue-red-blue-yellow. (and so on.) Well, Allison can go until it runs out of colors for that level. Level one goes to 18 rounds. It took her 245 seconds.lol

Just thought I'd write down some memories today.



Blessings,

The many faces of Mr. Wiggles

David is MOBILE! Not good.lol I know that at 8 months he should be moving, but it was still a shock. Now, nothing is safe and baby proofing is in full force...


What? I'm just playing with the ponies...



How am I going to get anything done? I'm starting to feel out-numbered. :)

It's done!

After a full month of knitting, I finally finished David's hat. It was a real learning experience.lol





Now I'm trying to finish a really big project before Christmas. I'm not sure that I can do it, but I'm going to try.lol

A Portrait of Allison...

Allison was in her first art show at school this past week. Her picture was for her design class and it was one of the first color pieces that she has ever done. Her teacher felt that it was so good that he placed it with the pictures from the painting class instead of the design class. November also brought in something new for her...glasses! Evidently, all good artists go blind. lol She was having a hard time in her classes, so we got her eyes checked and found she needed glasses. I think she looks really nice with them!

Here's an up close of her painting...


Blessings,

My Crazy Idea...

Seventeen years ago I was on bedrest with Jon. lol Yikes! I can't believe it was that long ago. Well, I had an amazing group of ladies who came to help with Allison while I was unable to do so. One of these ladies became a really good friend to me. She brought me really good books to read and would often sit and knit things while chatting with me. I was grateful for the company. (Thanks Carol!) Well, I asked her to teach me how to knit and throughout my pregnancy, she helped me knit my very first thing! A purple sweater for Allison. I still have it. :) That was the only thing I actually knit...until now!lol See, I had another wonderful lady teach me to crochet and I've been doing that for a while now but knitting seemed so hard. I am on a board that happen to mention Raverly and went on there for ideas to crochet and accidently ended up on the knit side.lol Well, I found these...



And just HAD to make them! I mean really how hard could they be? They are teeny tiny!lolol Well, I bought the yarn, the special double tipped needles in a four pack, and a how-to book. Then I took each step and watched youtube videos over and over until I could figure it out. I frogged the work so many times that I couldn't even guess how many times and finally ended up with the above little Sucky-thumb mitts. And I have to say that I have fallen in LOVE with knitting.lol For my next project, the cutiest little aviators cap for the baby.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/aviatrix-baby-hat

Thanks Carol!

Blessings,

Remodeling...

In order to put the house up for sale, we've been clearing out and fixing up. First on the list of to-do's was the kid's bathroom. When we tried to recaulk the bathroom, the flooring actually tore. No problem we thought, we'll just buy new laminate flooring and have it installed. (Insert wry smile and snorting laughter here.) We went over to Home Depot and soon found out that they are scaling back this type of flooring for a newer type that was supposed to be really easy to install. So we bought a nice color that looked like wood and brought it home. Then life got crazy and it sat. Meanwhile, we told my Dad about the flooring and he promptly went out, bought some and installed it in their guest bathroom. It looks fabulous by the way but my Dad told my Hubby that it was NOT easy to install and that he would rather TILE than ever do it again.(Tile is a dirty word in this family after the big tile job of '08) Well, hubby came home and promptly loaded up that flooring and took it back.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we'd been without that bathroom for TWO weeks. Yikes!

Well, we looked at the tile, found a nice one and brought it home much to the dismay of our older, yet wiser kids. Then came the painting that I had put off for way too long.

Then last Saturday we began the discussion. I said, Allison, don't you think we could install this tile in a day? She says, NO, it'll take two days. I say, Why don't we try to get it done in one day? She says, it'll turn out bad, trust me. I say, Come on, let's give it a TRY?!!! And she says, Well, o.k., I'll try. All that talk took until lunch time and after lunch she and Eric started the job and finished it in ONE day! lol It was 9:30 at night but at least it was done. The next day, Allison and Jon grouted and finished by 4pm. Then, life got busy all Monday. On Tuesday, I sealed the flooring and that afternoon Eric tried to reinstall the toilet (yes, we had been without for the whole time) and broke an important part. lol After two trips to HD, it was fixed but there was a small gap in the tile that needed to be regrouted and then sealed. So hopefully tonight, Eric will be able to caulk the toilet and tub and MAYBE tomorrow it will be up and running. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a full Month after beginning we might have a working bathroom again.

One down, two more to go. I so wish I was kidding.

Here's the new tile and paint...


It does look nice though. lol

Blessings,

An Update...

What can I say? It's been a crazy season for us. In fact, it feels like someone pushed the "fast forward" button. Whoever it was, could you please push "play" cause moving this fast is wearing me out.

Since it's already November, I decided that it was time for the photos. I've got everyone except for Allison but I'll get her this weekend. :) Here's some photos from the past few days...

Here's David at 7.5 months. He's such a cutie!


Love that cubby little face...


Sophia at 3.5


This is the face I usually see...lol


This one is getting framed...


Here's Isaac at 5.5 Boy, he's handsome...



Here's my favorite of Genevieve. She's 8 now...


I even got an elusive Jon sighting...


And finally, for anyone who still visits here...a family photo!

Mr. Wiggles

Is now 5 months old. I can't believe how fast time is going by. Here are a few photos of the little guy...

How we go shopping...


Wearing some big boy clothes...


With his big sister...


My favorite photo for now...


Grow Mr. Wiggles, grow. The littles are waiting to play with you. :)


Blessings,