Fall "tisses"

Fall is in the air even though it is still pretty warm here.
I put this together the other day with a simple grapevine wreath, a
sprig of "berries" and two different wired ribbons. I especially love the leafy
patterned one. It is a gauzy fabric with coppery metallic leaves painted on it. I thought it
was gorgeous with the green ribbon behind it.
Total cost? $8.00 (walmart)

And I took this picture tonight. We were over at my parent's house for dinner
with my Grandpa. We like to go over and "hang out" with him all to ourselves
when they are away. I think he thinks we are babysitting him but he's just a
great guy and we love to be with him!!

Ivy is especially admiring. Here she was on the porch and asked him for a "tiss"
from where he sat in the kitchen.

Wednesday Night

I am getting ready to do some grocery shopping today and then tonight, despite the shopping, is pizza night: Little Caesers $5 large and a side order of breadsticks for a buck--once we get the other kids here we will probably have to switch to 2 pizzas and 2 breadstick sides. Grand total: $12--not bad for a night out for a family of 8!

On Wednesday nights we go to our church for their mid-week meetings. I love the mid-week format. They call it LCU (Life Change University) and it is structured in such a way that it is easy to find a topic of interest each "semester". Steve often has taught classes and when he does, I go to those, but other classes I have enjoyed have been on Creation Science, General apologetics (defense of the Faith), and more specific apologetics classes.

This semester, though, I am the teacher. Well, the teacher's assistant anyway! My friend Marie enlisted my help in teaching a class to young girls on Proverbs 31: 10ff. The big project we are working on is in the height of production right now: each girl is making a small pillow. Tonight I am taking my sewing machine and Marie is taking hers and hopefully we will helping a lot of the girls to sew their pillows around the edges, leaving a gap for the stuffing (next week?). This is a huge undertaking but especially so because we have about 24+ girls (quite a bit more than we should have allowed) and time is at a premium! I think we'll do all right but I expect this week and next to be kind of crazy!

What are you up to?

Don't buy stuff you cannot affort!

This is so funny but the funniest part is how it is so true!

Stoned

Why don't I remember my camera for the best times?
Two times today I wished I had my camera. First was actually me wishing I had had my camera before I got one section of my landscaping finished. ( I told you I always forget the "before" pictures and end up with "during"!) The other was this evening.

We started running low on stones for our landscaping efforts and decided to make a family outing to the creek. We had a good time and found a perfect spot where it wasn't too swift or too deep or muddy or anything else like that. We were able to load the back of our big ol' Suburban with quite a pile of stones and then took some time to play and, not surprisingly, watch each of the girls take a turn "falling" into the water. Ivy is the only one whose fall probably was 100% accidental!

It would have been so fun to post some pictures of the outing but unfortunately someone forgot the camera. OK, Ok, it was me.

We really would have enjoyed a video camera too. We cracked up when our girls proved to be extremely crawdad-shy! They would only catch them in plastic cups and then wanted to bring the last little guy home. Steve said no but I said, "if you can pick him up, you can take him home!" thinking that was the same as "no". Now they were motivated! One of them almost touched it but then it must have wriggled around because they both jumped back screaming! Steve and I were laughing so hard!

Steve couldn't resist so he went over and showed them how to pick it up. And would you believe it? Annette finally did! So we brought 'Julian' home. (Sorry, Bethany, I know you liked that name...)

Hey! I'll take a picture of him and post it later so that you can all enjoy our souvenir too! At least I can get one picture to represent our day. ( I was forced to recycle an oldie but goodie of Ivy on this post)

Steve's mom is still doing poorly. I guess she won't be having surgery till Friday. It looks like his Grandma is a lot more stable now. They have made arrangements for her to recoup in a nursing home for a bit.
Thanks for your prayers. I know they would still appreciate them.

I think I'll go snuggle with my honey for a bit now that the kiddos are in their beds. They all have the sweetest little smiles on their faces tonight.

Babies--not mine--and other stuff...

I wish...


...That my housework would once in a while do itself when I wasn't looking.
Actually, I could be looking; that would be fine, too.

My sister just announced to us this weekend that she is expecting!!! I am so excited! I am really looking forward to holding the sweet little one! (shhh... don't tell Kari, Lynn, or Elise, but I am planning on being the favorite Aunt!)

One of my sisters-in-law is having a baby also! Theirs and Beth's will be close in age. That will be so fun for them. With their two and our three (not babies, though, for us), we will be adding 5 new children to my side of the family this year. There is certainly room for more (Hint intended!--yes, you know who you are...)

I bought a few things for my front landscaping today. I am eager to plant them but I am planning to re-do the layout first. Oooh! I am glad I typed this in here! It reminded me that I want to remember to take a "before" picture. I always forget and end up with a "during" picture if I get one at all.

Please pray for Steve's family. His mom is having kind-of emergency gall-bladder removal surgery today and his Grandmother is in the hospital. He said that they think this may be Grandma's last days here but I don't think she would mind that one bit. She has been looking forward to going to heaven ever since her husband beat her there.

Anyway, it's just a tough time for the family with Wendy being in the Hospital too and if Grandma does pass on, then Steve feels like he should go north but is swamped with work... So pray, if you will, for His will. Thanks.

Party!

It actually did rain on Hannah's birthday, but not after she opened this gift of an umbrella from Annette. Incidently, I have noticed that Southerners say "UMbrella" while Northern raised people say "umBRELLa".

Hannah turned eight on Tuesday! Her friend Rachel came over for a visit
and Her mom and little brother, Neil were with us as well.

Rachel and the birthday girl. My family will notice the crown on Hannah's head with mixed feelings. Remembering that Mom made it one year and how Dad made us wear it until WAY after we thought it was fun. How embarrassing it is to have several of your teen buddies over and to have to endure the videotaping of "the coronation"! Still, as with many things, now we can look back and have a pretty good laugh about it. Thank Goodness!!!

My mom got Hannah trick candles for her cake. Hannah hasn't ever seen them
since they are such an 'old joke' that I have never gotten them. So, that means that for Hannah they were Hilarious!
And as a side note, again for my family, the candle blowing time will bring back memories from the distant and recent past. If we actually aged a year for every candle we blew out, we would all be in our Two-hundreds by now! It is hard to get a video record as well as make sure someone has remembered to "man" the still camera and turn it on and have the flash work and get the shot before the candles were all out!
Trick candles solve all the relighting problems! Of course, you don't get your wish granted as a reward for blowing out all the candles in one breath, but at least Dad would get his!

My brother Evan ( who says he will read my blog if I put pictures of him on it) carried in one of Hannah's gifts:
a scooter!
I got this at a yard sale for a couple of dollars but it was still in nice shape with a good paint job. I invested $3 in the tassles on the handlebars, though. My dad was worried she'd know I'd bought it used. I told him, not only will she not care,
she will probably be really impressed that I found it!

She was pretty impressed!

I also gave her my old digital camera. She loves to take photos and I wasn't using it at all anymore. She has a film camera which she loves but the cost of film and developing prevents her from using it much. Now, with her own blog, she will be able to take her pictures more freely! My mom gave her some art things that we are looking forward to trying out--maybe today. I am looking forward to teaching her how to use the pastels!

Rachel and Neil gave her some really nice gifts: a great purse, a lovely headband, a china doll, and a box of ponies that are like the My Little Ponies but have a Christian theme! So cute. The girls were arguing over them before one minute had gone by!
A compliment to the gift, not the girls! We're still a work in progress...

How do you like it?

Surprise!!!!

I finally figured out how to change my headers and stuff. Woohoo! I am so excited! I'll post a couple of pictures of Hannah's birthday later. That IS what I came down here to do, after all. Now that I have frittered away all this time--especially considering the fact that this is Wednesday and I have to be at church tonight, I must--absolutely MUST, get something done!!!

Something not involving the computer, that is.

Happy 8th Birthday!

Dear Hannah, Happy Birthday! I can't help but think of the day you were born. You've heard the story many times but I get to remember it in my heart. There is just nothing like waiting to meet your first child and then meeting her at last! We were so excited to meet you that we didn't even remember to check if you were a boy or a girl for several minutes!I am so glad we chose to have you be born at home. What a special time it was to just be with you that night. I woke up so many times just to stare at you and your daddy and I were so tired after you were born but still, when we had the chance to go to sleep, we just stared and stared at you in awe and love.

One thing that you have always held special is that you were able to meet Great Grandma A. before she went to Heaven. I always have thought it was sweet how you talk about that day as if you remember it even thought you were only a month old! Your tender heart shows when we sing Grandma's favorite song and you and Great-grandpa always get teary-eyed. You were the only Great-grandchild she got to meet. I wish she could see how beautifully you have grown...

Happy Birthday, Sweetie! You will always be my first baby--Even if you aren't always the oldest! We love you soooo much. We are so proud of how you are becoming your own person and how you love those around you. You are so full of life! The best part is, you are full of Jesus! That is the best thing of all!

Hugs and Kisses and, nope we didn't forget,
Eight birthday spankings (and one to grow on!) from your loving family.
--especially me, your mama

Making granola

Today I made some granola. I am not a big cereal-eater but I do like a nice, crunchy bowl of granola. I think it is the home-baked comfy-ness that I enjoy.

Here is the recipe I used. I got it off of the internet quite a while ago. My recipe is on a piece of printer paper that is very stained with granola ingredients--translation: a good recipe!

Honey Granola

Start by melting 2/3 cup of butter (see? I told you it was comfy!) in a saucepan
over medium heat.

Stir in 1/2 cup honey and 1/4 tsp salt. Heat briefly.
Now, doesn't that smell good?

Remove from heat. Stir in 3 cups rolled oats. I use the old fashioned kind.
By the way, in case any of you who notice the quirkiest details in life mention my
apparent left-handedness;
No, I haven't switched, but I did notice today that cameras are impossible to use left-handedly. Have you ever noticed that?

At some point, it might be a good idea to look up from the granola-making and check on the kiddos. One of mine was doing homework, one playing with the My Little ponies and this one was pulling bowls out of the cupboard and alternating stirring her leftover raisins from lunch with generous squirts from a water squirt bottle that I use for hairdos.

Spread the mixture in a cookie sheet. The recipe says to bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees but I always bake it a little longer, stirring once. I like it a little toastier.

It comes out of the oven looking about like this. Immediately, stir in about a cup of dried fruits and nuts (this amount depends on your tastes). Actually, if the nuts aren't already toasted I stir them into the granola a few minutes before I take it out of the oven.

I add whatever I feel like. Today, I mixed about a teaspoon of orange zest into the honey/butter mixture and stirred about a scant cup of coconut in with the oats. I had some sunflower seeds and dried pineapple, as well as a golden raisin/dried cranberry mix that I stirred in after baking. I have been wanting to try it adding slivered almonds and dried blueberries but I keep eating the blueberries before I get to it! My mom adds pumpkin seeds to her recipe. I like that, too.

Here is the finished product--golden and fruity-sweet and salty.

You know what? It smells really good around here right now!

I would also like to pat myself on the back for successfully taking all of these pictures without anyone noticing that I really should have cleaned up the lunch mess first...

Story Time

Ahhhh.... the life!

Hannah, who will be eight years old in a few days (I can't believe it!), is lying on the floor in her very messy room early this morning listening to the Narnia series being read on CD. She has already read the books herself and really enjoyed them. She also loved the movie and is looking forward to the next one. She got the CDs out of the library a couple of weeks ago and has been spending all her spare time the same way, lying on her floor. (When she isn't blogging, that is) I have encouraged her to clean while she listens since she's in there and all--and she does start doing it. trouble is, she is so entranced by the stories that she works in a daze and soon forgets what she was doing! That clean patch she is lying in is the progress she has made.

Now, I am expecting my friend Heather to get on here and make a comment about what she remembers that my room used to look like! I think that is why I don't make a big deal about Hannah's. She cleans it up probably once a week which is more than I had to do and she really is a big help in other parts of the house. I don't know if she left it there, but on her blog she was describing her family members and was going to write, "This is my mom, she is a lot like me." I think it's the other way around but very cute that she picked up on that! I think it must have taken me a long time to realize that my mom had a personality apart from just her "Mom-ness"!
Hannah wasn't talking about the messy room stuff. Just in general.

I am glad I can understand where Hannah is coming from so much of the time! I am often lost about Annette because she is SOOOO different from me. My mom will often identify with her personality, though, and I see a lot of her Grandma Eimers in her, too. So, at least I have translators!

Thanks for so many of you commenting on her blog! She is going to be thrilled!

Hannah's Blogging Adventure

My daughter Hannah is SUPER excited. Why? because for her typing class this year, she gets to have her own blog! I have actually been upstairs and heard her just squeal out loud at the computer with sheer delight! I remember doing that when I was younger! (But not at the computer. Probably something about boys...)

So, of course you are all asking, "Where is this illustrious blog and how can I visit it?!!" The answer is easy, my friends! Just click here! She is checking for comments as often as I let her!

Oh, and if you see comments on your blogs from Purple Princess, that's her screen name. She named her blog "Hannah Glamma".

Boomsday in Knoxville!

Every Labor Day, Knoxville has an AMAZING fireworks display. I mean, you really have most likely never seen anything like it. They shoot the fireworks off from a big bridge and you can see it from all along the river. They call this Boomsday. There are many that shoot way up in the air and many that are like the ones pictured where they span the bridge but don't sail off into the sky and explode. Then there are a bunch that actually happen on the water and then shoot up in the sky! This year they even had several times when the fireworks were shot off of the buildings across the river and behind us on another bridge so that the effect was that they wrapped all around--surround sound, if you will. The highlight of it all is the "waterfall" that they do each year which is really a sight to behold. All this is choreographed to music! You have to see it to really appreciate it.
This year we went with my sister Beth (who took all these photos except the last one), and her husband John, and several friends of theirs. We showed up a little too late to really get good spots but it was still really great. My brother Evan, who we had to convince to come, stood by me snapping pictures with his camera phone saying "Wow!" over and over.
Now, 350thousand+ people attend this event so you can bet that getting out of there was an adventure of its own. Still I think it's worth it--I always have to talk Steve into going, though. He says we have to wait a few years before we go again (because he hates crowds and traffic) but I am already planning to hit him with the guilt card since we should have our adopted children by then and wouldn't they be amazed....? I'll let you know if it works.