It Has Begun!

My pattern collection has started! I have been able to scour Ebay and find some of the absolute greatest deals. I'm still waiting on 5 more to get here but after that I think I'm off to a good start. Some of them are 3-6's but I figure I'll have some incredible patterns on hand when we do have anther girl...if we ever get around to it! Right now Aubrey's in a 6X and Evye's in an 8. So, I'll just put the smaller patterns away for later use. I can hardly wait! I wasn't all that thrilled about doing anything for the boys since I tend to think boys clothes are just better bought and they don't look so homely while running around. Girls clothes can look like they're from boutiques when sewn at home but to me most boys tend to just look like little orphans running around when somebody makes their clothes. But I was able to come up with a pajama pattern that is super easy and that I loved. So, I plan on making Garrison, Grant and Garrett some winter pj's out of some flannel or fleece. I saw some great fabric at Wal Mart that they would all love.

So here's my favorites that can be made for the spring! I hope to make their Easter dresses this next year.

I hope this one will be their Easter dress. It'd be the middle one on the right. I can already see it in pink for Evye and purple for Aubrey with a white sash and white little bows on the shoulder. I personally LOVE the red but the girls would never go for it. They're all out pink and purple girls. Way girlier than I ever was! Maybe I can talk them into red.

And Evye loves this one! She is all about prairie dresses right now and loved how much this resembled Laura Ingalls and Missy on Love's Soft Whisper

These are the ones that will have to wait for our next little girl

Much to Evye's dismay this was not her size. Still looking for this pattern in a bigger one for her. Being Evye she loved the shoulders on it, of course. I actually had a dress exactly like this one when I was about 12. Mother made it for me and I had forgotten all about it until I saw this pattern. Of course we can update it a little more than the pic with some fabric changes!

I just love this one too!

So there it all is! Off for fabric we go.

More Organizing Projects

Folding buddies

So, I'm not so sure it was the grandest of all ideas to take on organizing projects in the middle of the busiest season of the entire year. The older the children get the more active we stay. It's a ton of fun but there's just lots to see and do. And our schedule is painfully mild compared to most since I keep it paired down. I suppose I'm just a homebody and so going more than once or twice a week to a real function is just cramping my style. The children love it though. They love to go and are all amazing when we get out. At home is another story.

Still folding

So far today, Garrison and Grant tore apart Grayson's 30.00 hypoallergenic pillow, Garrett got ahold of 3 empty yogurt cups and after licking them dry continued on to fingerpaint his hair, his clothes and then the walls, Aubrey succeeded in making what had been a little puncture in the door into a gaping hole, kicked Evye in the chest and Grayson in the face and then completely slammed her glasses case in the door and demolished it...can you tell we're having issues with the mandatory glasses now??? Garrison chunked a car at Aubrey and cut her lip open for the 2nd time this week, Grayson slipped on water that no one saw fit to clean up and cut his chin open and then Evye and Garrison hit heads for the 2nd time this week too and Garrison now sports a huge purple knot on his forehead next to the one he inherited a few days ago. Let's see. Aw, yes.....I took on the project of completely rearranging our entire house yesterday since I am in the mood for change. So, what I gave up on and ran out of energy mid way through yesterday I had to wake up to this morning. And since I tend to freak over a messy house it all had to get finished today. Grayson and Evy'e constant bickering and all out fighting, Grant's deafening scream when he is outraged, Garrett's Grant-like scream, having learned from the pro himself, when an injustice is done to him....and there's a lot of injustices done to him.......and Aubrey's little anger issues due to her dislike of being made to wear glasses at all costs is all quite literally enough to drive a person mad. I was a little psycho by the end of it if you ask any one of my children. I think by the end of the day they were ready to put in for a new mom. Oh, and I forgot about the whole missing the toilet incident that 2 managed to accomplish today. Yes, they were sitting on it but somehow they missed it altogether. And did I mention that Grayson and Evye have to be shot with a tazar gun to motivate them to do absolutely anything? So, that would be my day. Pardon the vent. And people ask how I do it. Apparently, I don't do it.

Lots of clothes...this is not even 1/4 of what they folded

And then to top it all off Brad loves change in every way....except when it comes to his home. He'd keep everything in life the same had he not married me. So, I went and changed up the house and he, of course, did not really come to terms with it all that well. That kind of ruined any great mood we had going last night. I eliminated the TV from the den. It rarely ever gets watched. We have become so careful about movies now and don't even have any reception in the den anyway that it just doesn't serve any purpose except taking up room. They are all so active outside that on the rare occasion that it is on nobody's watching it. Not even Gavin is liking Einstein.....whereas Garrett as a baby was just nicknamed Baby Einstein since it thrilled him from about 3 months up. And suddenly I am beginng to feel the cramp of 9 people in 1,800 sq feet. The house stays incredibly uncluttered and minimal, and honestly rather sparse, but I still saw ways to improve. I figured the entertainment center could go in our room to replace the armoire that is older than we are. Then the bookshelves that sat on either side of it could either make their way into our room too to serve book duty, a much needed job, or find a place in the den since we still need some form of small toy storage. So, Grayson and I moved and shoved and pushed furniture and, of course, Brad had a freakin cow. He did manage to move the ET center for me but he was mad when he did it. He said it now feels like the Grand Canyon gap between the 2 couches. But, to me, it all said more room to spread out and more play area so it's not the whole claustrophobic thing going on. And it freed up a window so now we can see the whole window instead of having furniture 1/4 of the way up it. I love windows!!! And then we were able to put the tree in front of it to make it Christmasy and homey from the outside....since Brad is not really an outside light person. I figure I'll eventually turn him into one. Now......if we had a person to actually hang the lights he'd suddenly become Russ Griswald in only a matter of minutes. Anyway, we have yet to hang a single picture on any wall in this house but when we do, if we ever do, I think it'll be great. It did kind of work the way it was though. So, after Christmas we may just put it all back and I'll start shopping for armoires at garage sales..or just paint the one we have and give it a new look. I'm sure it would make Brad's day to put it all back since he doesn't see any need to ever change anything...whereas I love moving and rearranging every so often. The age old Mars vs Venus maybe? And we usually never differ on much of anything but I guess something has to come up sometime that neither of us ever see eye to eye on. But being Brad and loving me as incredibly much as he does he gave in. He still ceases to like any of it but he succumbed to the change due to his complete and total love for me. Sooooooo...........now I feel kind of guilty. Cause it's not exactly like it was trashed out the way it was...not even a little bit of an issue of failing to work cause the layout worked great. But I just figured seeing as how I spend 99% of my time here and he spends less than 50% of his time here I'd make it work for me. And to his credit it does kind of feel like the grand canyon in there. So, maybe after Christmas we'll keep moving until we find something that will work and not be as entirely cavelike in the overall foot space.

More kids wearing the Bumbo

But, some of those things are just a small glimpse into what keeps everything spinning around here. And the kitchen ceases to ever be the same since the dough ornaments were made. So, that drives me insane. Organization......with everything in it's place. Brad says I have OCD about it. But he fails to see Mother gave birth to me and she is the queen of OCD. I am not! Just ask Scott! My poor children will probably sadly attest to Brad's overall assessment of my behavior when it comes to house issues. Oh well. It's good for them and they'll grow up appreciating clean houses. A clean house and a little responsibility never hurt a kid.

My sweet Grayson

So, here's one of the cabinets I took on in my whole skitzing out about the crap everywhere issue going on.





Before.....who knew a cabinet could hold this much crap??????

Middle...this would be the cabinet throwing up all over the counter. Yep, all of this was in there.

After.....sweet organized peace. And just so we all know.....the spices Mother gave us that were born the same year I was did not make it into the cabinet.

This would be the pantry. I didn't get any before pics of it. But I was still just as proud and feeling just as much better after this was done.

So, I think I feel a little better. I'm still mulling that one over. I'm not exactly sure if my sanity has returned....or if there's any hope of it returning. I'm thinking not. You know it's bad when your children are begging you to take a nap in hopes that you'll be in a better mood in a couple of hours. So, I took a nap on the couch while they continued on in their 14th hour of school since they had seen fit to fart around for the 1st 13 hours of it and we're still doing it. Did I wake in a better mood........ummmmmmmm, no. But tomorrow's a new day........and Brad will be home!

2007 Thanksgiving Pics

Well, here it is!!! The entire crew...almost. My youngest cousin is missing but that's about it. Granny is sitting in the middle of the couch and everyone of these people are here because of her. In here are her 3 children sitting around her......my uncle Larry on the right, Mother on the left and then my aunt Maryann sitting on the arm rest on the left beside Mother......and all of each's families. In that group are 6 grandchildren and their spouses for a total of 11 grandkids (still waiting on Scott to get married!) and then all of our children for a total of 19 great grandchildren and then one on the way. All of the kids up on the shelf are mine and Jackie's...except for the one being held by my cousin on the left. That would be her oldest one she's holding onto.

My cousin, Kristi, was finally able to get high speed internet out in the neverland area she lives in too. So, this is my entire family. It is so amazing to me that everyone of these people are here because of the life that Granny and Grandpa created. Sometimes I wish so much that he were here to see it all. I wonder what he would think about this massive crew and know that we all exist as one big family because of his life here. He'd be incredibly proud, as Granny is.

Granny, or commonly known as Great Granny around here. She's still so pretty. Hopefully I will follow in both she and Mother's footsteps as I age. I've definitely got some good genes going for me when it comes to aging and beauty. You'd never guess she's in her 80's.

This is Jackie's, my sister's, family:

Curtis

Jackie due in April w/ #9

Madison (13) w/ Garrison

Curtis Wade (12)

Maggie (10)

Pearce (8) w/ Grant

Milly (7) w/ Evye and Aubrey

Mercy (5) w/ Evye

Charles (4)

Channing (2)

Here's my younger brother Scott...still waiting on the "right one" to come along:

Here's a few of some of our crew. Most of the time they were all spread out w/ Jackie's children as is evident by the pics!

Me w/ Aubrey and Grant

Garrison in all of his characteristic personality

Some of my uncle's family and my cousins:

My Uncle Larry (his wife Kaye was taking all of the pics but can be seen to the right of him in the group pic) and middle cousin Lindsey...she has the other set of twins in the family, one of them is in Larry's lap. She also has a little boy 20 months older than her twin girls.

Lindsey's twin girls w/ Madison

Lindsey and Aubrey discussing glasses

My oldest cousin Kristi w/ her 1st baby Christian Layne

Kristi's husband Paul

My Aunt Maryann and her husband Lou who have no children of their own...except a dog that died

So there we all are! How much fun it is to have such a big family. I cannot help but wonder what it will be like as we and our children all grow. We remain a very close family and always get together on Thanksgiving and Christmas as an entire crew and then meet up throughout the year for different events. What fun it is to have all grown up together and remain so close and be there for each other as we all enter the different stages of life and are now parents...at least most of us! I love my family and I love how close we have all stayed to each other. It makes for a very fun holiday season!

Look What We Found!!!!!

After weeks of mourning his loss he showed back up..........much to Mother's dismay. He was found by Aubrey herself, stashed inside the coffee table. No one has opened that table in ages........or so we thought. Apparently somebody has. Aubrey was standing around the other day just messing with stuff as always. As she was opening up the table for no apparent reason a pink floppy bear leg popped out...having been stuffed way too tightly into the given area. She threw open the table and out he flew. She was quite ecstatic, to say the least. I have to admit I think I was about as happy as she was. I just wanted the opportunity to at least save him. And though in his absence he motivated me to get rid of still more more stuff I don't think I'm really ready to trash him. I have a vision of eventually making a shadow box for each one of the children and in it placing the 1st outfit they ever wore, along with a copy of their footprints, a lock of hair from their 1st haircut and their cherished, raggedy toy.

New Bear vs Old Bear...we had an extra one of these that my sister had given us a long time ago as a backup bear that we had forgotten about. Here is what Aubrey's bear looked like when Uncle Ben gave it to her as a baby gift and here it is after 4 1/2 yrs of intense love.

For Grayson his cherished needed sleeping item was a diaper rag. He had to lay his head on a diaper rag or he wouldn't go to sleep. He did that until he was 3 1/2. It wasn't any one specific one. It could be any of his but it just had to be a diaper rag laid out on his mattress and eventually his pillow. I still have one that has his name on it from having labeled it during the many years I worked in the nursery and had his stuff up there with me. For Evye, it was a big pink bunny. She was as attached to that as Aubrey is to her bear, though Evye gave Bunny up a little sooner than Aubrey ever would've willingly given up Bear. Aubrey still cries for Bear, though not nearly like she did. And sweet Bethany sent Aubrey a bear that she is now sleeping with. So, it kind of curbed the bear longing at night though it is not quite the mandatory "pacifier" that her original bear had become. She calls it her "new bear" but is content to only sleep with it and not drag it around all day risking losing it.

Believe it or not this is the exact same bear...off the shelf vs being used as a paci for 4 yrs

So, now having the real thing back I allowed her to sleep with it one night and then told her Bear was going away for good. Not wishing to lead her to believe something totally wrong I just flat out told her that he was going up in the closet forever since she was a big girl now and that way he didn't ever get lost again. She fought it and cried about it and still asks for him but it's not the sobbing of when she first lost him. So it is that Aubrey's raggedy old Bear is tucked safely into the closet and will eventually be framed to remember and cherish.

Holiday Fun

Okay.....so this would have been a good group shot had it not been for the 3 year old with no pants on and squinty eyes and the other 3 year old in abhorridly mismatched clothes of red shorts and a snow camo fleece shirt. Well, ok....and if you'd been able to see Garrett. But minus all of that it had the potential to be a really great snapshot.

Well, this is a few days late in coming since the days have been busy and Grayson spent 3 days with Mother helping her move....thus removing some of my help around here. Computer time has been somewhat limited. And to top the now lacking computer time off Brad and I invested in a treadmill as a sort of messed up, screwed up in the head gift to each other. What couple on earth decides to give each other a treadmill for Christmas????? One that's been married too long. "Here, honey...I love you so much I'm going to give you something to trim your a** down for me." No, not really. But it's a funny thought and it does sound a bit odd when you tell people you got a treadmill for each other. So, computer time now has to be bumped over in order for me to get out there and walk. I have visions of a skinnier me, thus a much more content with myself me. It would be nice to be able to fit back into my wardrobe again. It goes beyond vanity at this point. I just want something different to wear!

The beginning of the ornament process

The middle

Looking like Daddy....he looks like Brad's identical twin born 33 years too late. There's a picture at Nanny's of Brad as a baby and you'd think you're looking at Gavin

My handsome boy with those unchanging, stunning blue eyes

Anyway, about today, it's one of those cold, misty, gray, winter days. The world seems suspended in an icily cold, steel gray mist that holds everything in its grip. In an effort to lighten everyone's heart and make the most out of such a dreary winter day, hearts still heavy from Mother's move, I set to work making tortilla soup that seemed fitting for such a day, while the children worked on their school stuff. What a treasure it is to know that this time last year they were stuck up there in classrooms for most hours of the day and here they are in my arms now and in their own home laying on the couch and reading, writing and doing spelling words. There is nothing like the warmth and comfort of home....or the slavedriver of a schoolteacher that a mom can be on a cold wintery day! Once tummies were filled with warm liquid and everyone was sent off for naps the older ones set to work on the 9 baskets of clothes to be folded. Each basket had 2 loads each.....so, that's like 18 loads I think. It had kind of stacked up over the weekend. While they folded I nursed Gavin and we started the biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. It captivated them and held them in utter suspense as they folded. We took breaks to drink hot chocolate and read yet another chapter before starting in on the next basket while I read on. With afternoon hours waning and a few hours after they'd started in on the clothes they were finally nearing the end. 1 basket was left and clothes needed to be put away and/or hung up. Darkness was fast approaching and still there was no sign of the fog outside lifting. With Brad needing an overtime uniform and me needing to pick up my eczema medicine we loaded everybody up and set off for a foggy nighttime trip into town. It was quite the experience to be so many miles away from anything and out in the heavy, impenetrable fog in the thickest of dear season. We passed herds, not even realizing it until we were already upon them. They just grazed and stared curiously at the one lone car making its way through the night. Rooftops lined with Christmas lights loomed eerily in the shadows, just beyond the edge of real visibility, before being swallowed back up into the inky black haze just as swiftly as they had appeared. Some sat far enough off the road that one began to question if there really was even a dimly lit house sitting in the shadows or if was all a mirage as the haze hung heavily, though still drifting and moving about. As if I expected some miracle to occur upon arriving into town I was surprised to see that once on the loop we were not going to be driving out of it anytime soon. So it was that we joined the 3 other cars that had ventured out into this cold dreary night and made our way to the station. After delivering the needed clothes to Brad and him being interrupted by a call we watched the engine leave the bay....with bunches of little children squealing with delight at the lights flashing, sirens screaming and horn blowing. After watching it fade into the gray night we worked our way to the pharmacy only to have Gavin get hungry half way there. So, with Brad returning to the station so did we so that I could sit and nurse in the station parking lot. He grabbed his radio and came to join us so we sat and just had fun waiting, talking and playingn around while Gavin ate. After having said our 2nd goodbye for the night we once again headed in the direction of the pharmacy and then made our way to the river of lights. The children were thrilled, especially the younger ones that had no recollection of them from last year's many trips to the river. With that completing our late night trip into town we turned back towards home and back to the lonely highway, thanking the Lord for His continual protection from the many deer that lurked out in the darkness, standing on the fringes ready to bolt at any given moment. It was even more slow going on the way home since the gray fog had thickened and seemed to settle over the many dark highways that were already shrouded in cloudy blackness. 4 of the children were already asleep by the time we neared home. I hurriedly carried sleepy little kids out of the freezing rain and into the warmth of home. Quickly dressing them into footed little pj's they were all tucked in and everybody put to bed. Why is it that when it's so cold and dreary outside and you're supposed to want to stay home that it becomes one of the most fun times to get out in it and go see Christmas lights? I suppose we had all gotten our fill of being tucked warmly under blankets with hot chocolate and a good book earlier in the day and were all ready to get out and go see some stuff. The children loved it. You know, sometimes I wonder if one really is predisposed to their own internal body clock or if its what one's parents have done to them. Jackie, Scott and myself are all night owls.....and not by just a little bit. I mean, we're all 3 the kind that could stay up all hours of the night and then sleep til noon. I think that must be the reason I flourished and absolutely loved cleaning dr's offices with Mother. So, I have begun to wonder, have they all inherited the late night gene or is it because of what I'm doing to them as a parent?.......more often than not, keeping them up late and not even going anywhere until 6:30 or 7 at night. The whole nature vs nurture thing.

My little Peppermint Baby...complete with attentive sibling mauling him. Actually, together they kind of look like Christmas. Mistletoe and Peppermint.

Going into the oven for an experimental baking process. To everyone's delight they survived this process without falling apart.

Anyway, so that was our cold Christmasy fun today. But this past Wed Grayson, Evye and I set to work on our dough ornaments. I truly am so sick of them whittling down our collectible Christmas ornaments every year that I really did decide this year to make dough ornaments, string popcorn and cranberries and then, of course, create and hang paper chains. So, we set to work on the ornaments. Wow. Let's just say that was no small undertaking. But I suppose if it saved the remaining ornaments from an early demise and, in turn, still accomplished decorating the tree it was worth it....not to mention all of the fun we had doing it. Though I will say the whole salt dough on eczema thing will kill the hands. It was agony.....putting it quite mildly.

My smiley little baby doll




The finished product




After the ornaments were made, with Garrett completing the picture by eating a few, Grayson went on to Mother's to help with the move. As a matter of fact, Garrett ate another one today. He must be needing salt or something in his diet. One thing's for sure.....he got an entire week's worth of sodium in 1 bite out of one of those things. So, all Christmas creations were put on hold until Grayson returned home from helping Mother. With the infinite amount of laundry now caught up and folded and him back home we will continue our endeavors tomorrow by stringing the popcorn. They'll string.......and undoubtedly eat, drink and be merry......while I read on about Laura Ingalls to them.

It ain't over til the fat lady sings

Yet another attempt at a group shot.....the pantless kid is smiling much better but now the other one is being obnoxious....and of course now we have the 20 month old standing up walking away during the shot. Oh well. You get the general idea.





And on the other end of things, we have been incredibly, overwhelmingly, unusually blessed this holiday in our finances. We are always provided for in every way but usually it is very much a month to month journey. And with so many things needing to be updated 99% of the money was used for those purposes. Our air conditioner went out in the absolute middle of the TX summer heat while I was 9 months pregnant. After fervently praying about it we went ahead, putting in a new a/c, which is now paid in full. We are very much seriously committed to living entirely debt free in every regard. And in our commitment we have not had any new appliances in years. That includes the standard size washer and dryer we bought when we were married. God was exceedingly abundantly good when our washer died and we were given yet another great standard sz washing machine. We were both ecstatic since He did indeed meet our every need according to His riches in glory. Our dryer has served us well these many years. But as our family grew so did our pile of dirty clothes, as anyone can well imagine. It was very much an ordinary day to separate the 4 categories of clothes into 2 loads each. It was a great, very atypical day to accomplish all 8 loads...most of the time 5 loads were accomplished. There were days I longed for a bigger washer and dryer but for the most part it never really bothered me. Everytime I put a load in I couldn't help but think about, and be entirely grateful, that I am not living in wagon train days scrubbing the clothes of our family of 9 on a washboard in some frozen over creek or in the 110 degree heat. I remained quite content with our faithful washer and dryer. But as we weighed it out and carefully figured and refigured bills and the savings that would be achieved by switching to gas, using a more efficient washer that used less water and a better dryer that had an internal sensor to shut off when clothes were dry we quickly realized we would be saving quite a substantial amount of money if we used our funds wisely in this regard. So, together we shopped and continued to figure and refigure until we arrived at what we wanted. Waiting until they went on sale and also buying from 2 different stores also aided our frugal efforts, since a matching set was not imperative to me...as the salesman put it, I'm not going to be displaying them in my living room as new pieces of furniture.....we were able to save another 600.00. So, here we are with a new mega sz washer and dryer. It is quite a feeling to dump every bit of one category in at one time and have it all come out at the same time and actually have an empty laundry room when I go to bed. We have gone from 8 loads a day to 4. It's an amazing thing to me. Even still I marvel at it when I dump it all in. And we're all quite mesmerized as we watch it churn.


More of the finished product




Aubrey without her glasses






I am so grateful. I am so entirely grateful for a God who honors our commitment to being debt free and continues to provide for us in every way. In all reality I did not need a new washer and dryer. The ones we had still worked fine. But here we are blessed beyond measure.

"Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart be encouraged. Yes, wait for the Lord." Ps. 27:14.
"I wait for the Lord; my soul waits and in His word I put my hope." PS 130:5. He says explicitly that He will provide for every one of our needs and we wait with expectancy and childlike trust and faith that every need will be met. He has met them in in our past and He continues to meet them all now. He has blessed us with these children and He will provide for them in every way. He has called us into this place in life with this income and He will makeup the difference needed to raise this family He has given us.

"But God's not finished. He's waiting around to be gracious to you. He's gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right-everything. Those who wait around for Him are the blessed ones." Is 30:18




Grayson wearing the shirt proudly......."I'll do anything for a buck".

So it is that we have a new washer and dryer and our treadmill. It is so extremely rare that we can do these things that I am tearfully grateful for what we have been given. In being committed to living according to His principles we have indeed been overwhelmingly blessed. I love the feeling of knowing we have been considered trustworthy with His money and being trusted with yet just a little more to see if we can withstand the test and prove ourselves frugal and wise in every way, acting strictly within what He is instructing us to do with it. I want to be considered entirely trustworthy no matter the amount, whether it be 1.00 or 10 million dollars. I want to be that person He uses because He sees in us what very few others have the ability to do with finances.....listen implicitly, act accordingly, spend wisely and give freely. I want to know that the very beat of His heart is the beat of my heart in every area. To know that He has seen something in us that He can trust. Oh, what it does to my heart to know that He would find us responsible and trustworthy with His provisions....to see that He can use us as a vessel He pours through to bless others.

Other uses for a Bumbo

Note the oversized kid in the Bumbo eating a yogurt in the background

Discovering Christmas

TX winter before the cold front

How incredible it is to be so blessed.....to live the Blessed Life!!!!! And I'm not talking about what has been preached to us all of our lives from concerned parents or pastors. I'm talking about the real life thing that we are living out and knowing it because we see the fruits of it manifest in every way. I want to prove ourselves worthy of His trust with His riches....His most precious of riches, the gift of many children, and then the other gifts of His literal riches...finances. there are times when I wish we could've been a little freer with the money and not have had to buy a new a/c but I know that step by step we are showing ourselves worthy of His trust and commited to truly following His principles even when given the opportunity to stray and satisfy earthly desires.