almost....

Due to some oversight by a loan officer (argh....don't get me started), who decided to tell us TODAY that we needed a very specific document from a bank, we were not able to close on our house.

We tried, and tried, and TRIED....but if you have ever dealt with a bank, a specific branch of a large bank, on a FRIDAY AFTERNOON.....well, you would know that all we spoke with today, in our *many*, many attempts ~ was a voice mail machine.

ARGH!!!!!!

I cried a bit, I got angry A LOT, I calmed down and thought "God is not surprised by this" and "God has a purpose for this".  And I felt....somewhat better.  Still sad, still a bit angry, but okay.  Technically, we have until next Friday to close, so we aren't breaking contract, but STILL.  We wanted to do it today!

We will deal with this issue (aggressively) on Monday morning.

~Bank officer beware~

;)

and the winner is....

We have made up our minds!

We are happy with our decision and I look forward to my new washer & dryer!!

We close on the house today (3:30pm) and then we take possession no later than 15 days (I'm hoping for less, but I'm content with the 15, I'm just excited!).  Then we have a week to do "changes" - such as moving the laundry hook-ups to the new "laundry room" (plus a bit of painting, cleaning, childproofing and possible bathroom items: we need a shower door plus tile put in around the tub).

Luckily, my parents are coming up for that WHOLE WEEK to help us out!  That way, I can take the baby, my radio, and supplies and actually get work DONE ~ sans curious lil' ones!  Awesome~

So for now, pack-pack-pack......ad nauseam.....(actually, I'm very excited, but who gets excited about packing?!  I'm still throwing things out and decluttering as I go, which is great!)

Thanks for all the advice and info and opinions about the washer & dryer.  I'm not quite willing to divulge what we picked....you'll have to wait until I get some pics.....;)

Speed Queen?

Hello fellow bloggers~

Ever since we found out we would be purchasing a new home, I have been thinking about my new washer & dryer.  My dh told me we could get a new set when we bought a house.  So I've been researching all the major brands, trying to find the best deal, the best quality, for our situation/needs/finances.

Yet it seemed all the major brands had very mixed reviews.  I was thinking about a front loading machine, 'cause they are 'the latest thing' and so they *must* be the best, right?!  Not necessarily, so learns I....

Just recently, my wonderful dh stopped in a small, local appliance store and began talking with a sales lady about our situation.  She told him that the lower priced front loaders (mind you, by lower price, we're still talking at least $1200.00 - not exactly chump-change!) would simply wear out on us too quickly, especially with how much use ours would get.  great.

Since we can't afford the *really* expensive front loaders (over $2000), she instead recommended a brand called Speed Queen.  Ever heard of them?  Nope, me neither.  Yet she gave GLOWING reports, talking about how long they lasted, what a great warranty they came with, how big they are and how well they clean.

So I got on-line to check 'em out.  Sure enough, glowing reports!  I couldn't find ONE negative review.  So it's not front-loading.....who cares?!?  We have a well, so we don't pay for water.  The cycle is faster than a front-loader, so we'll pay less for electricity.  Yes, the dryer cycle will be a bit longer, but the reviews on the dryer are fabulous as well.  I'm thinking we'll be in good shape~

SO ANYWAY......has anyone heard of this brand?  What do you have to say about it?  Does anyone currently own one?  What can you tell me about it?  I'm actually *looking* for some negative reviews, I can't find any!!

Either way, I'm gonna have a new washer & dryer....... in our new home.......... in our new family laundry room!!  

WHOO-HOO!!!

Look Up!

Cute, eh?

It's our family silhouette from WiddlyTinks.com

Look at all those sweet babies.....

Up too late...

Those of you who know me well may be surprised by this....ahem, *cough, cough*....but I am NOT a morning person.

Okay.

Stop laughing.  Stop snorting.

ANYWAY, I *have* gotten better - sometimes - I think - maybe...

The point is, my dh was gone for 3 days and I missed him terribly.  I just can't sleep at night without him - which makes for VERY BAD mornings.

All that to say:  I'm tired.  Very tired.  

But I'll be back soon ~ now that Dean is home, he's gonna help me find a new template.  YEAH!!  It's time to spruce things up a bit around here.

But not tonight.  I'm going to bed.

'Night, my friends, God bless you & yours~

Pants or skirts?

Ugh...

Every once in a while, I get a pants-fancy.  It's when I get it in my head that I'd like to own a few pairs of pants - maybe some capris - oh, just for the heck of it.  I'm not all "legalistic" about girls wearing skirts/dresses, yet that's what I like, so that's what the gals in this family wear most of the time.

Anyways, I've been trying out a few pairs of capris recently, just at Wal-Mart and Meijer....and I am quite disappointed.  Well, not really all that disappointed, rather just reaffirmed in my skirt-wearing chosen-style.  I'm a skirt kind of gal, I guess.

It's what I like.  It's what I'm comfortable in.  And after five babies, my body (even though it is the same WEIGHT as when I got married) is no longer in the same SHAPE as it used to be.  I am no longer able to wear pants comfortably.....at least not right now.  Maybe if I were to put a bit of effort into it (i.e. EXERCISE  *shudder*), that would change, but for now, I'd like to be comfortable and stylish and pretty.  So skirts it is (rather than dresses due to nursing right now).

Soooooooooooo.........while Dean & I were ransacking the house, looking for more "stuff" to sell at our Moving Sale, I actually went through my fabric and sold some of it.  What I have left is stuff I would actually use!  I also found a basic skirt pattern.........so I'm gonna put the two together and whip up some skirts.  I'll have to tweak the pattern, see what length I like best, etc., but I hope to have some new skirts for spring/summer here real soon.  YEAH!!

So if you notice that we are a mostly girls-wearing-skirts kind of family, don't be all intimidated or judgemental or whatever.  I just like skirts.  I just like feeling girly - even though I've been a tom-boy (and still am somewhat) most of my life!  Weird, eh?

Here's hoping this pattern is SUPER-SIMPLE~

Pictures to follow (hopefully)

MOVING SALE

Friday & Saturday:  8-3

If you are in the vicinity, and you are my friend, you MUST make an appearance (but I won't make you buy anything, okay?!).

Talk to everyone else later~

stealing my joy

I've been letting others steal my joy.

There it is, plain & simple.  Hmmm....I wonder *why* it took me this long to see it?

At least I can see it now ~ and I can do something about it.  I can stop allowing it to happen, for one!  And I can do my best to counteract if, for another.

You see, I am CONSTANTLY being told/asked/commented upon or even downright criticized and barrated for our family size.  It is few and far between that a sweet lil' old lady will tell me how beautiful my children are, or how wonderful it is to see a larger family.  Nope, most of the time, I get stares, glares, open-mouthed astonishment and ridicule.

And no, I'm not exagerating.

Yet, with all that, I have a choice.  I can CHOOSE what to focus on.  Do I really *believe* what the world is telling me about my family, about my beautiful children?  If not, then I need to let it go, let it roll off my back.  Without being rude, IN LOVE, *truthfully*, I can respond to these comments - let them know what a blessing my babies are and how happy I am!  

It's going to go one way or another:  either their comments are going to steal my joy or my response will open their eyes (even if just a smidge).  Which way do I want it to go??  It really is my decision - not theirs.  Thank goodness.  Thank GOD!

So there ya go - just thinking out loud here.....

And lastly, here's a pic from our homeschool co-op today:  we are doing a "Tree of Life" and this was part of the Animal: Mammal section - they are kangaroos with their little pouches, so cute!

p.s.  and to anyone who has commented recently about reviewing curriculum or a website or whatever.....it's just been crazy around here with the moving process.  Once we are settled in just a bit into our new home, I may get a chance to check out your sites, your information.  Sorry for the wait....I'll do my best!  Thanks for thinking of me~Lori

a homeschool log

Just one more quick thought........

If you homeschool, especially with many small ones in the home, you should keep a homeschool log!  There are times when my days fly by so quickly, I'm just not sure what exactly I've done all day?!?!  I know that I was busy, that I worked hard, yet what exactly did we do??

My school co-op friend showed me her own log and just what she was accomplishing each day.  I was impressed (and a little nervous about our own accomplishments), yet when I decided to start writing down our daily lessons, formal or simple "life-lessons", I was amazed!  

Hey, we do A LOT of learning during our days!!

Just the other day, our carbon monoxide detector went off.  There's tons of learning there (yes, even at 10pm).  Today, Selah had a run-in with some Wood Nettle - the whole family learned quite a bit about the many types of "poisonous" plants out there, what they look like, why God made them that way, etc.  And those are just two examples in recent days.....yet I would have forgotten all about those incidents, not even realizing how much the kids were really learning.

In fact, a friend from church is the one who helped me remember how much "learning" we do day in and day out.  As a homeschooling momma, knowing that I was going to homeschool since the birth of our first son, I seem to always be thinking in "learning" mode.  What can my children learn from this?  Why does this happen?  Where did that idea come from?  Who invented that?

So now, I am trying to record these daily learning experiences (plus our more formal workbook pages, curriculum lessons, and co-op days) in my Butterfield Discipleship Academy Homeschool Log.  Ok, it's just a regular ol' notebook, but I made a fancy-shmancy label for the front of it, so that makes it OFFICIAL!!

Grab a notebook and give it a try.  Before you fall into bed at night, grab that notebook and quickly write down what you did that day.  You'll be surprised at how much you and your clan are learning each day.  

Amazing~

*Enjoying* all this cooking???

Ok, I have always considered myself a fairly good cook (at least, since I became a mom).  Decent, at least, although my dh is MUCH better at the "a little of this, a little of that" type of cooking.

Anyways, recently we have been eating out quite a bit.  I didn't really *see* that it was a lot, but it was.  Honestly, a few dinners a week, a few breakfasts, a few lunches......all spread out, it just didn't seem like that much.

But it was.  And it was expensive!

I thought I somehow "deserved" to eat out.  I mean, here I am, momma to many small children.  People tell me day in and day out how hard my days must be, how tired I must be.  I think I started to believe them.

Oh, not that my days aren't long or hard - they can be - but I was starting to drop into the self-pity mode.  Having many children, all so young, *can* be difficult, *can* lead to tiring days.  Yet it can also bring amazing joy!

ANYWAY, the deal is, we are buying a home.  This requires things like earnest money, inspection fees, closing costs, moving truck, yada, yada, yada.....  So while we're prepared for the cost of daily and monthly living, all this "extra" stuff has us stretched a bit thin.  Thin enough to squeeze out all that "eating out".

I thought it was going to be really difficult, adding even *more* to my days.  Yet it didn't turn out that way.  What happened is this:

I HAVE to plan my days.  I HAVE to figure out what we're eating and when.  What frozen foods do I need to thaw?  What baked goods to have to get baked?  If the kids need a snack after evening church, what do I have to prepare ahead of time?  Running out to the local McD's isn't an option, so what is my plan??

Yes, this keeps me in the kitchen a bit more, it keeps me HOME a bit more - which is a *great* thing!  It has lead to more time with my kiddos, more time as a family - even a family walk the other night.  And my confidence as a cook, a homemaker, has also increased.  I feel such accomplishment in taking good care of my family in this way.

Anyway, just wanted to share ~ it's been an interesting few weeks recently.  Our home is in complete chaos (at least it feels that way), as we slowly go through the house, finding and pricing items for our moving sale.  We've even begun packing a few boxes for the big move!  I keep thinking of all these things to blog about, especially many of the recipes I've been using lately.......someday I'll get back into the regular blogging mode.....someday.....;)

a magic trick

May I have a volunteer, please.....

...ah, yes, thank you sir!

You are getting very, very sleepy.....

Going.......

....going....

GONE!!

so sweet~

~Beautiful~

~Lovely bouquet~

The other day, a sweet lil' old lady arrived at my home.  She presented me with this gorgeous bouquet of flowers for my working with the kid's choir (her granddaughter is in the choir).  I don't honestly believe I should be getting flowers, but that's another blog...

So anyways, yes, they are beautiful!  The got even more beautiful over the next few days as the buds opened.

Yet they simply could not compare to the simplicity of yellow tulips, pulled up with the skilled hands of a 2yob wanting to bring his momma some flowers.

~True Love~

(and yes, I *think* they were from our own yard...)

down by the river...

Today, the kiddos and I went down by the river.  

(That's not *quite* as country as that sounds, seeing as how it's the St. Clair River (Claire?) between MI & Canada - not some lil' ol' creek in the backyard)

I love this blue river area ~ it's just so pretty.  We first went walking on the boardwalk (after extensive "training" at home on how to obey me when walking along the river - 'cause that's all I need, right?! is a child to fall into the freezing cold river, goodness!), then visited with some volunteers on the lightship, then headed over to a local park.  All went well there, except for Elijah and the monkeys....

Ya see, there were four swings together, so all my older kids were swinging.  Elijah (2yob) was doing great!  I went to swing him again (not too high, Mema, not too high) when all of a sudden he yells out "MONKEYS" and promptly falls backwards off the swing.

It was actually two black squirrels, which we have in abundance around here, running through the park.  I have no idea why Elijah called them monkeys - although he does have maybe 6 stuffed monkeys that he sleeps with on occasion.......the boy just likes monkeys.

After that fiasco (which was fun, except for the falling-monkey incident), we strolled around the boardwalk/park area, looking at all the memorials they have erected.  Most of them were for soldiers that died in war times.  I did my best to explain about war and soldiers (in language they could handle) and why we should respect and honor these people.  I'm not sure they completely caught on, but it was a start.

I definitely see many more days "down by the river"....

My Big Boy!

Here's my big boy ~ 7 years old!

He tied his shoes ALL BY HIMSELF today ~ Hurray!!

Way to go, Isaac - Momma loves you so much!!

Sunday first~

Here we are, buying a home for our family, and with this prospect comes some sacrifices.

Now, these aren't serious, important sacrifices - I realize this.  Yet they are sacrifices for us nonetheless.

Such as today, Sunday.  We ate dinner at home.

I know, I know....some sacrifice, eh?  The thing is, we arrive at church about 8am, leave about 1pm (today was 1:30pm), then we are back by 5:30 for evening services & Pioneers.  It's not an option.

So that leaves four hours for dinner (the mid-day meal which the children are STARVING for by that time), quiet time/naps, supper (the evening meal), diaper changes, clothing changes, nursing baby a few times in there, etc.etc.etc.....

It's busy.......and usually cranky (adults as well as children).

Yet we simply don't have money for eating out.  At least, not right now.  We have been blessed with being able to come up with earnest money & home inspection fees (above & beyond the down payment), but to do that in just two paychecks, we had to cut out the NON-essentials.

Like eating out on Sunday.

Yet you know what  (what, Lori?), I made Carol's Bean Soup (thanks for that recipe years ago Carol - it's still a family favorite for beans!) and it felt good.  It felt good to fill up the crock pot last night, knowing I was making a good meal for my family to enjoy after a LONG morning at church (it *is* work, afterall).    I was expecting to dread it, to dread an added responsibility to our already crowded day - but it wasn't like that.

*Our children got to play outside while waiting for us to get things together after church ~ not wait for a table big enough for our family at a local resturant~

*We were able to deal with behavior issues IMMEDIATELY - instead of trying to deal with those types of things in a less-than-supportive public place!

*The children got adequate time during their naps, since we were already at home ~ rather than being awakened still tired, and still cranky!

*I was able to make a lovely meal, including left-over dessert, for a FRACTION of the cost we incur dining out ~ SWEET!

So there ya go - a Sunday first!  Forced frugality.....hey, whatever it takes!!  Thanks Lord - thanks for your blessings~

p.s.  I can't WAIT until I'm in our new home....but we've still got some time.  We don't close until the end of this month, and I've got a Moving Sale before then.  My current home is a wreck and I'm okay with that (most of the time).  I know, I know....it'll be here before we know it.....I'm just so excited, I can't wait!!  Yahoo~