For His Service

Tree in the Study.... Our stairs with candy ornaments and Teddy Bears The side view of our stairs ..and secret hide out underneath.. I love our red door leading to the school room ....

 It took two days...but it is done.  Generally, I leave the Christmas trees up...until Dec. 26th.  Everything else stays up until Jan 2 or 3rd...after New Year's Day!  I love the lights and fun that Christmas brings, hope and cheer.  Russell and I aren't getting any thing for each other this year, but it doesn't make me any less excited for the Christmas season.  We have two special foods that we only make in December.... Buckeyes (home made Reese Cups).  .. and Sausage Balls (sausage, gluten free flour, and cheese- baked.   The kids especially look forward to eating these.  I will start the cooking in the next week or so. I bought 8 live Poinsettias to decorate the house...and scattered them here and there... I wrap the stairs with greenery, lights, candy ornaments,  and teddy bears.... We have three large trees on the main level, and five more smaller trees (one in each kids' rooms) and two in the each bathroom.... I put s...

Here is MVP's finished doll.. A couple of weeks ago we read this book, The Apple Doll by  Elisa Kleven.  We followed the directions in her book to make two apple dolls, one for Madeline and one for John-Michael.  Here is what we did...and here is how they turned out... 1. With the help of an adult, carefully peel your apple 2. Carve out the shape you want your doll's nose to be. 3.Use a dull knife to poke holes or cut slits into your apple for eyes.  ..and carve the mouth.  4. Put lemon juice into a coffee mug and dissolve a tablespoon of salt into it.  Soak the apple into the mixture for half an hour. The apple will bob to the top of the juice, so you must put another heavy  object (we used a small juice glass)..to keep the apple down into the juice. 5. We dried our apples for 2 weeks...in a bright window.  I kept the air circulation around the apple by poking 10 or so toothpicks into the bottom of the apple so it would have all area...

Today, I went shopping at 5:45 am.  Why?  Well, it is "Black Friday" which means the stores are giving great deals on things my kids want for Christmas.  Each store wants you to buy the items you want at their store...thus, the great deals. Why is it called Black Friday? Some say.. that stores traditionally operated at a financial loss for most of the year (January through November) and make their profit during the holiday season...which officially begins on the day after Thanksgiving. When   recording gains/ losses in the financial records,   accountants would use red ink to show negative amounts and black ink to show positive amounts. Black Friday, under this theory, is the beginning of the period where retailers would no longer have losses (the red) and instead take in the year's profits (the black).  I came back home by 8:30 am..not too bad.  The crowds were NOT terrible..and I did not wait longer than 5 m...

Well, last year I ran 13.1 miles in 2 hours 24 minutes.  This year I ran 13.1 miles in 2 hours 18 minutes.  Along as I get better, right??? Before My after picture is hysterical...look like I either ran 13 miles or had 5 drinks. LOL....  Now, where is my gluten-free coconut cake! Happy Thanksgiving!  

We went to the horse farm yesterday (the boys and myself).  We mucked and groomed...groomed the mini-mini horses and the new race horses she got in.   Lots of fun... Noah and John-Michael...after working It looks like he is saluting me, but it is just sunny. Fat Albert is a HUGE goat that plays by head butting. He really is playing, but he head-butted John-Michael the worst place for a little boy.  :(  John-Michael still forgave him (he knew Fat Albert was trying to be mean, but I do guard him from Fat Albert).   Big Bravo..and friends.. Fat Albert Anna Bell sometimes thinks she should bite you...if you don't have a treat for her.  I am running my 2nd 1/2 marathon in the morning.  I will let you know how it goes. :)

Part of my "church" Did you know that a Church is NOT a building?A church is the body of Christ, the people you worship with...rely on when life is hard... call when you need sound advice.   When things are difficult, I call on these people..and..... guess what? They all attend services at different church buildings...not my church building...but ......they  help me, love me, and are there for me.     I can't "meet " with them  for "church"... as they live all over Atlanta and have been placed in different buildings by God's calling/ timing.    .. So does that mean we don't need a church/ building to go to?  Well, God is very clear that we need a Church/people to worship with each Sunday.  Hebrews 10:25  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.     Kid's of my...

This video is intended to show how "pathetically small" you and I are...but it MOSTLY shows how amazing our CREATOR is.   When you fathom our universe, HIS hand prints are all over it.  I guess that's what HE meant in Romans 1.  However, I don't feel pathetically small, but wonderfully loved...that HE would put aside His glory and come to earth as a baby. That's the gospel. That's the good news!   This creator LOVES us..... as little and as small as we are.  Pathetic?  Impossible, as we are in HIS image (Genesis ).   Loved? Oh, yes... The Good News! Phillipians 2  1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yo...

On Monday, we went back to the horse rescue place.  http://savethehorsesnow.org/savethehorsesnow/Save_the_Horses.html    We met a beautiful horse, Star, that was a show horse until a mule bit her ear off.  She STILL was beautiful but her owners no longer wanted her since she wasn't "perfect".  We met several other horses and helped groom Cheyenne.  We cleaned an arena and the petting zoo. (Yep, that means shoveling poo).   My three kids STILL want to go back.   After being there for two hours, we started the ride back home.  In the van, John-Michael said, "Mommy, my stomach hurt all day but when I was with the animals... I hardly though about it. "    I am so thankful that the sweet animals, that no one else wanted ...has helped relieve some of his pain. Tuesday was our last day at our Hybrid school (a school where the kids go one day a week for testing and teaching...and home school the other 4).   They g...

You may never understand why your husband can get lost in Home Depot or Lowes for hours ... yet can barely stand spending 5 minutes in a clothing store.... Well, IKEA.  (  go here to see it  )  ..... might be the great equalizer!  It is just eye-candy every...  Cool new pillows, kitchen gadgets, rugs, ..etc.... My husband took me there today... We came home with these...   Well, this is what they look like after opening the four boxes and assembling them... thank goodness my husband likes to put things together.  ... We were there for an hour or so.... but felt like mere seconds. LOL....

/What a fun day at the zoo!  IT was cold..well for Georgia...about 40 degrees..and many of the animals said, "Me,  come out??? Forget it!"  It wasn't until after 11 am that the animals decided to get a little sun. ... was closer to 50 degrees at that point.  I went with my three kids and my sweet friend of 25  + years and her daughter (who happens to be my daughter's best friend).   Po (the baby panda at the zoo) was 1 year old this week!  Such a cutie! Just turned 1...Po! Daddy panda John-Michael ..trying to help his Goat-friend snag a leaf or two..or three Madeline and Noah hanging with the elephant WE all loved the canary house. The canaries flew all over this HUGE enclosure and if they wanted...would land on your hand and eat seed that you purchased from the zoo..  One of my favorite things. Me..with my bird friend.. John-Michael was very patient...as were Noah, Madeline and Rebecca...as the...