"The cup of tea at the arrival of a country house.....

......is a thing which, as a rule, I particularly enjoy. I like the crackling logs, the shaded lights, the scent of buttered toast, the general atmosphere of leisured cosiness." ~ PG Wotehouse


A friend from high school and her family came for a visit today. The kids awaited their arrival anxiously! It's always fun to have visitors! This is the kids' lookout spot. They always perch at these windows to wave at those coming to our home or departing! (And yes...the window is open!!! It's 50* out! It feels wonderful...although very rainy and muddy out!)


Little toes balance themselves on the base boards of the room....trying to give their little owner some much needed height to see further out!.......

The house, cleaned, sits in expectant arrival of our guests....




We have a nice visit. They stayed for a few hours. We had lunch and talked. It was a little zaney with a total of 5 little ones running around...but fun nonetheless and always great to visit with her and her family! :)

Yes, this is my second post for the day...but I know sometimes the long winded posts like my previous one of the day...aren't too fun to read. But if you are looking for some loving encouragement....check it out! It's from my heart to yours! :o) I figured this will be a good post to leave for the weekend!

Thanks so much for coming by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! :)

"May the road rise up to meet you.....

may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand." ~Irish Blessings Quote

It's raining. The sound of the drops hitting the roof is so relaxing. I love it! And I love that if it is raining....it's probably melting the snow outside! Yippee!!! Not having an attic makes storage and such really difficult....but oh how I love to hear the pitter patter of the rain drops on the roof of our home...so I am kind of glad we don't have an attic. The soothing sound of the rain is worth not having storage for things! :)

Yesterday...as I was reading in Romans...I felt encouraged by some verses that I wanted to share. I am sure many of you have read them...but sometimes hearing them again just makes them fresh in your mind! The emphasis added is mine!

♥Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Rom. 6:4

♥For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Rom. 6:14-15

♥But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Rom 6:17-18

♥But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom. 6:22-23

Aren't those verses so wonderful to read?? We, who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and walk with Him, have such a refreshing freedom in this world. We walk with a newness of life. (Notice it says WALK and not just TALK.....there is a big difference between talking the "talk" and walking the "walk"....Make sure you are walking!!!) We are free from sin...for we are not under the law (the old covenant)! We are under grace! To think salvation comes from works makes Jesus' death seem in vain....Salvation is a beautiful gift from our Lord to us! He took the blame for everything and suffered it for us! He loves us that much!

Being free from sin does not mean we have a free pass to sin as we please. Accepting Christ means we are servants unto Him now. We strive to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. We are each human and struggle with sin daily. But isn't it soooo good to know that even though we make mistakes...as Christians...we are saved anyway!!!? I find that so freeing and humbling...to know that my sins are covered by the blood of the Lamb.

I know many who read my blog are already Christians...but I am sure there are some who are not. I just want to encourage you.....if you are a Christian~make sure you are walking the walk and striving to live a life pleasing to Him! And if you aren't a Christian....know that there is a free gift of salvation waiting for you. He wants you to take it! I want you to take it! It's the most important choice you will ever make in your life!

If any of you want to talk....need prayer or anything at all....feel free to email me. My link is in the left sidebar. I am not perfect. I am not great. But I serve a perfect and great God who can heal you of any hurt or need you have! And I would love to pray for you!

Also....my friend Mya is having surgery today...if you can lift up a prayer for her today...I know she will really appreciate it!!! Thank you so much! :o)

Thank you for stopping by! I pray you are encouraged and blessed by the scriptures I shared. I know my heart feels filled when I read them! I hope each of you have a lovely day!!!

The Boys' New Haircut

When Mama Cat's away....Daddy Cat and the Mice will play.......

I went to Walmart last evening. We needed dog food and a few other items. It is about a 15 minute drive from my home. I got home later to my sweet lil guys with these haircuts!!!!......

I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. The boys just think it is fantastic and Chris just laughs. Oh well....I guess it could be worse. They do look cute. We'll leave them for a bit and then probably buzz them off. I was just so shocked when I got home from the store! The boys were quite proud though....look at those smiles!!! (No, they don't sleep in the same bed...lol..this was Jaxson's bed and I wanted to take a couple pictures before it was time for sleep...so X came over so I could take their pictures together!)

Thanks for coming by! :) Let me know what you think of my boys' new do...LOL!

My Second Finished Cardigan!!!

A few posts back...I posted about the hat and booties I knitted for a friend's baby shower that is coming up. Well, I decided to knit a cardigan to add to the set and I finished it up last night!
I am happy with how it turned out.
Remember the first cardigan I knitted? Well my neighbor was over the other night and wanted to buy it!!!! I feel weird asking for money for it...so I told her she could just have it. Well, she took it home with her and said she would come up with a fair price for it! I couldn't believe anyone would want to buy it!!!!! I was thrilled and humbled. It is so nice to receive compliments...but I always get so embarrassed too...ya know?

The kids had fun playing while I knitted and Chris read. (We are completely fasting from TV this week. It doesn't bother me too much...I am not a major TV person...except I do like to check the news so it's been tough not to watch that...but I just check it online when I have time!) We are fasting that so we can spend time in prayer about our economy and the hearts of people and ourselves. Our church is doing it. Most people are giving up meat and sweets and such. We are giving up TV....I think that is a thing that can really be done without. My kids only watch a little PBS in the morning, normally,...and now not even that for this week. I explained to them what we were doing and they seem good with it! :o)

Thanks sooo much for all your kind comments on my blog header!!! :) I really appreciate them! Some have asked how I made it....I downloaded Picasa 3 (for free). And then I used the collage feature! If anyone tries this...I encourage you to do it when the kids are asleep or other priorities are taken care of. I thought I could do it quickly and it actually ended up taking me a chunk of my morning the other day...and that bothered me. I do not like being on the computer too long and if I would have known it would take me that long...I would have waited to make it.
Anyway....if you do make one...let me know! I would love to come see it!!! :o)
Have a wonderful Wednesday!!!!

A New Blog Header!!!

A few of you have seen already....but for those that haven't...I wanted to share my new blog header! :) I am so excited...I made it myself!!! It's me and the things I love!!! I didn't mean for it to end up so big....but oh well....I have too much to do to change it now. I spent enough time working on it...I don't want to spend any more time on it for a while. LOL It was a new thing I figured out and my computer was being slow...I get frustrated when too much time is spent sitting here at this computer...so I don't want to mess with it again for a longgg time!

Thanks so much for taking the time to drop by and visit with me! :) I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!!! :o)

Like Daddy, Like Jaxson......

Jaxson got lots of attention from mommy and daddy this weekend! The other two kids had fun weekend plans.......
:) Xavier went away for the weekend with my mom and sister to my aunt's surprise birthday party. He had a lot of fun and according to my mom was very well behaved! :o) YIPPEE!

Madelyn went to her friend Alaina's house to play for all of Saturday and then got to spend the night and go to church with them (which is also my mother in law's church)! So she had a ton of fun as well! Playing old school nintendo at Alaina's aunt Kelly's house and eating pizza and playing with the babies...Madelyn had a GREAT time!

So Jaxson had a nice time being an only child for a day or two! ;) After daddy's shower...he shaved and then "shaved" Jaxson's face too..hehe! Such sweet memories!


And below...here he is getting his shoes on for church! I just love a kid in overalls....and a plaid shirt ~ seriously one of my most favorite outfits EVER! :o)

And...after most of our snow had melted and my little heart got anxious for springtime....it happened. It snowed....again. It's snowing as I type this actually. Look at all that.....

The picture doesn't even acurately portray the amount of snow that is there....Oh how I anticipate the arrival of spring!!! Come spring! Come!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Thanks so much for all your kind comments and thanks so much for stopping by! :)

A Good Fairy Dusting....

...is all a cookie needs! :)

And when I say "good"...I mean GOOD! The kids had a blast sprinkling (and pouring) sprinkles on sugar cookies I made yesterday! :)

These are the true definition of sugar cookies!!! LOL They have buttercream frosting on them and then lots of sprinkled sugar and sprinkles! :)


Healthy...? No!!! But a ton of fun...? YES!!! :)

Here are a few we made.....(we ended up with more...but I took this final picture so I could put the camera down and focus on helping...and cleaning up...LOL)

Thank you for all the kind comments on the hat and booties I knitted....I decided to go ahead and make a baby cardigan to go with the set too! I will be sure to post about it when I finish! :) Hope you all have a lovely weekend!!! :o)

Handmade With Love

Tonight I finished knitting a baby hat to go with the booties I knitted previously. :) They will be for a new mother-to-be that I am friends with. This is her first baby! I will give them to her at her baby shower in a couple weeks! :) I really enjoy watching people use/wear things I have made. It gives me such a warm feeling!
We don't see these friends often. It is actually the sister of my brother in law. They don't live close....so we see them mostly at my nephews' birthdays etc. I do hope that her sweet baby will be able to get good use from these items!

**I also hope to give her the Padalily that I won from Nesting Place! Out of over 300 comments...I won! I was so excited! And I won a wonderful prize! The only thing is that my littles don't need a seat carrier anymore....so I figured this would be a wonderful gift to give my pregnant friend!!! :) I picked out THIS star paisley one! I think it is so pretty! I wish I still had a wee one to use it for...but alas...tis better for me to gift what I am receiving! :) Thanks Nester & Padalily! :)

Today was grocery day...with all three littles in tow. It was raining/snowing outside with muck and sludge everywhere. I must admit...it was a pretty stressful time...although I am happy to report that I stayed under budget on my groceries...so that is a good thing! :) I do have a bit of a headache though...so I am looking forward to hitting the hay! :) Tomorrow (Thursday) I have housework and schooling to do (of course) but I would also like to make *sugar cookies* with the kids...my mom gave us a TON of sprinkles....I'll be sure to update about all that!

Right now though...my bed is looking very inviting. I aim to snuggle down into my quilts and read a bit of The Longing by Beverly Lewis before praying and drifting off to sleep! :) (It is the last book of the Nellie Fisher series...and although I am soooo loving to see how it all turns out in the end...I also hate finishing a series because there is nothing more of it to look forward to!! :)

Thank you so much for dropping by! All your comments on my last post were so encouraging! THANK YOU! :) I hope you are having a good week and if you aren't ~ remember to let God's strength shine through your weakness! :o)

"You don't have to cook fancy.....

....or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients."
~Julia Child

For supper this evening, I made chicken a la king over homemade biscuits and green beans. You can find the recipe for the chicken a la king HERE. I leave out the peppers and pimientos. And I use the chicken broth from the chicken I cook for the meal rather than store bought. I also use biscuits or homemade bread cups, toasted...instead of rice! YUMMMMMMMY! If you haven't tried chicken a la king before....it is soooo good! I definitely recommend it! :)

It was beautiful out today....the sun was shining and it was so nice...except still super duper cold! But I do love the sunshine! :) The kids played outside for a bit...and then were in playing the Vsmile for a bit while I made dinner. I am not a major fan of video games...as some of you may know...but I think the Wii can be fun sometimes...and I let the kids play the Vsmile occasionally...I like that it is completely educational but fun too!

Madelyn played a bit before supper. She is wearing her girl scout tunic....she had a meeting this evening! :)

The boys enjoy playing it as well....but since I took Madelyn's pic while she was playing...they both wanted their pics taken right then too....so one of Jaxson.....

And one of Xavier! ;)

I finished the booties I made for a friend's baby shower coming up. I am now working on a hat to match them! I am happy with how they turned out! :o)

And...I must share my excitement with you. My friend, Elise, and I did a swap...(my first swap ever). She had wanted some dishcloths...so I happily said I would make her some and she said she would make me something as well. I love toile fabric and had seen a super cute bag she had made before...so I asked for one as well....wellllll...it is in the mail...on it's way here! I am so excited! She posted pics of it HERE. Isn't it beautiful??? :) I can't wait!!! Thanks Elise!!! :)

Isn't it funny how some of my posts get lots of comments...others do not. I am never sure if my content is boring in some of my posts...or if people do read them but just don't comment?? I am never truly sure. Oh well....I just write what I want to share. :) I apologize if it is ever boring! :o)

ETA: Ack...I hope I don't sound like I am complaining....I certainly don't think everyone has to comment or anything! I was just curious about it all! I am sooooo grateful you all take the time to come by! I was just kinda "wondering aloud"!!!! :o)

I am so glad you stopped by. It's always great to know people have taken the time to read and share their thoughts with me! :) I know my friend, Brenda E., reads often...so here is me saying "HI Brenda!!!" ;o) Hope you all have a great Wednesday! (It will be a busy day for me...it's my grocery day...as I go every other Wed. and I have my 2 week menu to plan and such....plus schooling and the actual shopping...I'll be a busy bee!) Till next time! :o)

X's New Lamp!

Isn't this lamp neat? I know..it says acid on it...but have NO fear...there is NO acid anywhere in or around it! It's in X's room and he really loves it! My parents gave it to him! :) My uncle added the neat orange night light on it (in pic below)....

And here it is with the actual light on......


I layed down on Xavier's bed and this is his view.....it's really neat. When you turn off the lights...the little stars glow and it is so fun!

I did a lil rearranging in the schoolroom yesterday. Yes...I have a cold...but sometimes I just get sick of "resting" and I neeeeeed to do something...do you know what I mean? So I took down the big table used for my desk and organized things on shelves and did this.....

And I hung up this super big...super neat poster that my mom got the kids of the United States. It has such fun stuff on it....

Most of the weekend though....with this cold...I sat and worked on knitting. I have been working on booties for a friend's baby shower....but they both seemed to have ended up too big.

I haven't made a second one of the above bootie yet...but am working on a second one of the bootie pictured below!.....

And....I am happy to say that I finished the other mitten! Ta da!!!!......


Although I still have my cold....life goes on....so back into it I go...sniffling and sneezing all the way! lol I hope you all are doing well and had a great weekend! :)