My Goals

Goals for 2009

Personal Goals:
Lose 25 pounds
Stop drinking soda (I know .. Dr. Pepper is a soda)
Spend more time reading to my children.
More mother daughter days with Lindsey...she is getting older and busier.
Read the the Bible this year using Motivated Mom's schedule.
Go to bed by 10 PM no later and get up by 6:30 AM daily.

Homeschooling Goals:
More read aloud time.
Involve Jack more in the lessons when possible.
Branch out with Allison to include more art, cooking, sewing, in addition to the core subjects.
More arts & crafts with the kiddos.
Bi-weekly planned trips to the library.
Looking at changing our calendar to year around possibly.

Financial Goals:
Live on a budget.
Live on a budget. (needed to say that one again)
Cook at home. Only one meal per month out.
Pay down debt.
Work with Allison & Jack on giving, spending, & saving money they earn.
Teach Lindsey to balance her checkbook.

Homemaking Goals:
Set a chore chart with kids and follow.
Teach Allison how to clean her bathroom.
Start letting Allison plan meals and help cook more.
Try at least one new recipe a month.
Back to menu planning for the month.
Back to once a month grocery shopping!!
Declutter home.
Declutter attic....this is separate from the home and needs a weekend or 3.
Work on sewing skills with sewing machine.
Learn and teach Allison to embroider.

Welcome 2009!!!!

99 Things to COMPLETE

99 Things to complete:

This meme I copied from Lindsey @ Simple & Sweet. Pop over there and see her list. The ones I have accomplished are in BLUE and the ones I hope to try this year are in RED! Feel free to copy and post to your blog.

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped ... (bungee swing yes)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies or Campfire Candy
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House- drove by it but didn't stop
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

43 things I have done in my 33 years on this earth. Another 3 I plan to do this year. Seems like all the adventurous things I have passed on ....hmmm I always thought I was adventurous ...O well. Have a Happy New Year

Picture with Santa

I only wish they had Jack sit on the other side and Allison lean in. Oh well after waiting in line for and hour and a half then having 30 seconds to snap 3 pictures this was the best. Jack is still telling Santa what he wants for Christmas in the picture :O)

Merry Christmas!!

Sunday was the Christmas Play

Of course my camera was acting up as it seems to do more frequently these days so I got absolutely no pictures to turn out, but my mother sent me some so I am sharing a picture of our newest starlet.....

And a picture of our sandwich professional....

Holiday Crafts

We are wrapping up loose ends with homeschool this week in preparation to be off for 3 weeks for the holidays. This leaves us extra time to do some crafts this week. So far we have made reindeer with our hands and feet, and also crayon stain glass looking angels. Enjoy our photos. (there are lots of photo's :O)

Allison with her reindeer!Jack is very proud of his. He could not figure out what I was doing tracing his foot and his hands.The light from outside made them look washed out. We hung them up in the dining room!Jack working hard to grate his crayons.Allison got the easy grate....not quite sure that was fair hmmm?

Jack's finished product.Allison's finished productMy only comments about the stain glass project is to advise anyone who wants to do this to use supper thick construction paper or trim the melted crayons better, because ours show through our dollar store paper.

Hope you enjoyed our craft photo's we enjoyed making them!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Pictures of Jack from the week...

I am not sure how, but I took 52 pictures this week and Jack was in most of them. No decent pictures of either of the girls ... so enjoy the pictures of Jack :O)

Child Labor .... Jack loves to vacuum with our stick vac...(I know hot pink :O)


Look my big boy bed!!! Goodbye Toddler bed!!!

SO Comfy.... Yawn!!



Jack & Dad @ company Christmas party for the kids ... Allison opted out of this one and we did her shopping for everyone at the dollar store.

Trying not to touch ....

Just a quick note ...

We are still alive ... just trying to tackle all the Christmas, Play, Goodies that need baking, and oh yeah homeschooling.....whew.....

I have all our Christmas done, but nothing wrapped so I started today.

Allison's Christmas play is at 6pm Sunday .... we have one more practice Saturday after the Santa breakfast at church. (OH I almost forgot the Santa's breakfast)

Jonathan's kids Christmas party at his work is tomorrow night.

Lindsey came home today from school at 4 pm and informed me that she needed to be at work at 5pm and I needed to bake brownies for her Spanish class for tomorrow.

Homeschooling ??? Seriously we are working right through everything the bug had not bitten Allison too bad yet so we are still plugging away. We started a new book today that is fairly short so that she can finish it and get the book report written before then end of next week. We will cover one more chapter in history with a test, and a few more pages in math and end with a test next Friday in that as well. So things are winding down and I have ten more things to do tonight ....just wanted everyone to know we are still alive :O)

Merry Christmas!!! Only 14 more days!!!!

Nativity Craft

I could not find the website that I first saw this craft on, but I remembered somewhat how it was done and just improvised were needed. (ans YES we always seem to do crafts while we are still in our PJ's) This could make an excellent homemade Christmas gift for someone!

First this is a child/parent craft and takes alot of help at least for my kids from me.

Items needed:

2 small flower pots

1 small saucer

felt

jute

2 heads from the wood pieces in the craft store

2 small bodies from the wood pieces in craft section

paint

glue

My kiddos painted the pots & saucer, and I painted the heads and small bodies. Then we cut out pieces of felt just enough to cover Mary & Joseph and wrap baby Jesus in. Cut 8 pieces of Jute about 5 inches long for Mary's hair, and 12 pieces of jute about 3 inches long for the hay in manger. Then I took the hot glue gun and glued the heads on the bodies and attached the hair to Mary and then glued the jute into the manger. Then we glued on the felt to the baby Jesus and Mary & Joseph and let everything dry. I think they turned out very nice. I hope everyone enjoys!! Merry Christmas!!Jack's Nativity

Allison's NativityA better shot of how the manger turned out.Enjoy the season!!!

My Stocking Arrived

A while back I signed up in a Stocking Swap where I swapped my info with a fellow blogger and we put together stockings full of things that interested the other. Let me just say....

WooWho .... I was so excited to receive my stocking from my swap partner Missy @ Fairy Child Heirlooms Weblog .

Look @ all my goodies she so graciously sent me....

Snowman Chocolates
Snowman Magnet & Cute Snowman ornament

Snowman Stickers ...which my 9 yr old claimed immediately :O(

Stacking Snowmen

Cute Snowman Soap

A little Snowman box with needlepoint thread inside

Recipe cards with snowmen on the bottom

A snowman notepad

and my favorite is the adorable Snowman Apron she included ... I love aprons and this one will work out perfectly for all my holiday cooking.

As you can all tell I LOVE SNOWMEN and she really picked up on that.

Let me just say a great big THANK YOU to MISSY!!!!

Putting up our Christmas Tree

Kiddos sorting the tree limbs Lots of sorting to be doneAre we ready yet Dad?

Finished product was well worth all the work!!! And the stockings are hung...

Merry Christmas to all!!!!

Our newest memeber of our family...

Dolly

Thanksgiving Day Pictures:


Grandpa Jerry, Pawpaw Don, & Jonathan enjoying pre dinner chat...My brother & sister in law ... Chris & KristyMy brother in law .... JR & his new dog Maverick

Jack with some of the table decorations.

A shot of some of the food. We had all the counters in my kitchen and another small table full of food. This was the only shot that turned out my camera was acting up.

Allison & Christian being sillyGrandma Marilyn & Lindsey

That's all the good shots I got from Thanksgiving, my camera was acting up :O(....but we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was the first time I have hosted it for my husband's family in all the years we have been married, but I had a blast. It was work, but worth every minute.

I know Thanksgiving is over, but

I know Thanksgiving is over, but I just now had a chance to post some pictures. I have been having computer troubles :O)

Okay these are PRE-Thanksgiving

Lindsey & Jack working on the Apple Pie
Their finished product ... that is suppose to be a turkey in the center at least it was when Lindsey out it in the oven :O)

Allison had the job of making the Brownie Pie .... I did not get a finished product picture....but it looked and tasted great!! Our finished Tree of Thanks. It turned out really great.I know not a ton of pictures, but I was so busy the camera rarely came out ... I know something odd for me ... but I did get a few shots!!!