while I am here,

I have a favor to ask. I want to change my play list (you know, the music that plays when you are at my blog site!!). I love what I have but need a change. I would love suggestions. What is your favorite Christian music song (or artist)? I am excited!!! Don't be shy, leave me a comment, PLEASE!

Sick of being sick...

Hello, from my L_O_N_G absence. It has been a long month. With school, church, Cross Training, Lutheran Pioneers, ST, karate, the basement, this pregnancy (which might I add we are in our 27th week, six days until the third trimester, 90 days to go!! Doing great, 12lb weight gain total, FAILED my glucose test miserably but have been managing my numbers with food, tons of movement! The only thing that stinks is because of the gd I now have to see my OB every two weeks.), Jeremy's job and yard work, we are staying busy. (oh yeah, in there some where we loaded my parents moving truck, moved a piano from their house to ours...) Then we tossed the wrench into to spinning wheels and our lives came to a screeeeeeeeching hault. SICK KIDS! (and me too but I was pretty minor compared). W missed four days of school and at his highest had a temp of 105. Diagnosed with an ear infection and strep throat. He still sounds funny (lost his voice at the very end of it all) but he is back to happy. H missed two days of school, his highest fever was also 105. Completely viral and we rode it out! D is still recovering. So far has missed three days of school. His temp also reached 105. Ear infection. What is getting him is the cough. He is playing nice today and resting in between, I am confident he will be back in school tomorrow. L is a wreck. At her highest her fever was 105. She has a double ear infection. She just got wiped out from it. She now has a slight head cold but otherwise only looks bad. The nice thing is all temps have broke and they are on the upswing. My temp never got over 100 (yes, that is just fine) and I had the headache that is going with all of this. I now have the cough, it is soooooo horrible, it is all flem related but I feel bad that I keep Jeremy up all night. Even if I go to a different part of the house, we are all coughing so it does not matter. I joked on my facebook the other day that there is a large blinky arrow sign outside my house advertising the coughing contest we have here. By the grace of God Jeremy is still healthy and working too! Through it all, we are blessed.
This week, W turns seven. That means we have lived in this house for seven years. Who would have thought when we moved in that we would have out grown it too! Never fear, Jeremy is here!! He is making (with the help of many other people, including our parents) more space in the basement. Much progress has been made. I can not wait to post photos!
I also, before the wrench, took some photos of our fall colors in our yard. I will try to get them posted this week.
Thanks for sticking with me. I will make an effort to not be gone this long again. What can I say, life happens.
Happy day.

Wordless Wednesday

Trained!

Pretty little lady staying "clean and dry". I walked into the bathroom to check on her this week and found her with her sunglasses on. It is really nice not having to deal with diapers. Happy day!

Birthday boy!

Happy birthday to my sweet D! Four years old today!


Such a sweet little heart who can cry over anything. We love you big guy! All he wanted was some "baboons"(balloons *we don't have the in the house due to latex allergies) and a party. For his birthday. This morning he got up to a bouquet of Mylar balloons. He was so excited but angry at the same time. "Mom, I only wanted one!" But when I told him there was enough to share with his brothers and sister he was happy again. Cake, ice cream and Auntie Mary after supper tonight!
Happy Birthday D!

New ticker!

I posted a fun ticker at the bottom of my page. Like I said, I beg to differ with the drs according to the dates but we will just humor them and go with it for now!
Happy day.

Truly a blessing!

H at Story book Island (June 2009)

This past week our son H (8.5yrs) has decided to take over the laundry duties. He does everything except fold and put away. He gets it all the way to the living room floor and then I take care of it. He is really good at it (even cleans the lint trap after every load). The coolest part (other than, it is not me doing it) is that he enjoys it. He is eager to get it done. If he is gone from the house for a few hours he will go down and check to see if there is a pile to wash. I think it makes it easier that we do not sort our laundry, we just wash it. But even if we did, I am confident that he could do it! Truly a blessing.

On another note, Stellan (and his family) could really use your prayers right now. As could my friend Christy and her son A who is in a medical emergency himself. May God move the people in charge to speed up their tempo and get him out as soon as they can.

Fetal brain drain!

That's it, you read it right, that is where I have been. No brain to finish a complete sentence! God has decided to bless us with baby #5. We are 13.1 weeks (I beg to differ but that is what the measurements say so that is what the dr.'s are going with) that makes us due at the end of January 2010. We have been on a wild ride this past year not to mention this pregnancy. One of these days I will post more but today I just decided to post a couple of photos that were taken this morning. Enjoy! Happy day!

nice profile!

you can see the leg outstretched. One hand is on the chest (white) the left arm is straight up, hand looks like a feather coming out of the head.

Wordless Wednesday Bad day...

Well, it was supposed to be wordless but then I ended up with this photo to post... so we will call it "Bad day" instead. We were headed down the highway to go to the free night at the zoo when we heard an explosion (we all instinctively covered our heads). Our window had shattered. H was sitting by it but was not injured. We are all okay and it is all cleaned up. I will be fixed this week yet. I know I have been scarce lately. There is an explanation... coming tomorrow though because I am tired and I don't have the right picture for the post!!

Wordless Wednesday

We have a winner!

With the help of random.org number 12 was chosen. That means that DEB is the winner with the comment "Hello Anna - it was great seeing you last night. Have a great day." I will get that ordered for you right away!
I want to thank you all who commented. I wish I was money rich so I could share a bar with each and everyone of you.
Happy day.

Giveaway!!!

CLOSED

WELCOME! To my very first giveaway! I am giving away one of my favorite things: a MadeOn lotion bar. That's right folks, one just like the bar on your left in the photo. I love this product because it does not have any petroleum products in it (why the heck would anyone want the same thing we put in our cars on our skin? plus, it blocks moisture... and we use lotions to moisturize our skin? Three all natural products or synthetics?) A fellow MOMYS makes these and I asked her to tell us a little about the product.

• What is a lotion bar? The MadeOn lotion bar is a hard bar of lotion (like a regular or guest bar size of soap). Rather than pumping out lotion or squeezing lotion from a tube, this lotion rubs onto your skin, with your skin's temperature warming the lotion to absorb into your skin.
• Why lotion in a bar? The health properties of coconut oil and shea butter combine with the smooth and sealing properties of beeswax, which, when combined, are solid at room temperature. It doesn't take much body heat to soften the bar and these simple, pure ingredients work incredibly well together.
• Is it good for dry skin? The MadeOn lotion bar was MADE for dry skin. As someone who has fought the Band-Aid battle (reapplying Band-Aids after every hand-washing), attempted the gloves-on-at-bedtime routine, and gooped on the Bag Balm, I was ready to resign from any kitchen duties (hard to do as a mom!) I haven't had to use Band-Aids for dry skin cuts at all anymore.
• How did you come up with the combination? I tried a few recipes I found online when my 10 year old son had eczema. This combination fixed it within a few days. I was amazed that it worked for both of our skin problems.
• And the name? MadeOn? A sea salt company in Southern France has their employees sign and date the lid of the salt container once it is packaged. We decided to copy this idea to show that this is a fresh, high-quality product. I sign and date each lotion bar package after I make it. This does not imply a short shelf life, by the way. The lotion bar ingredients have a shelf life of 1-2 years, but chances are, you'll love it and use it up long before then.
• How else is MadeOn different from other lotion bars? Most lotion bar crafters attract the female gift-giving crowd - those who would buy it for its novelty, give it as a gift, and enjoy the fragrance of various scents. I take it a step further by providing a product with a purpose, which is to relieve dry skin. In addition to women, many men have serious skin issues and appreciate MadeOn's gender-neutral packaging. And for those who want first-class, the leather pouch adds that touch while providing a convenient place to wipe off any excess lotion. I wouldn't add scents unless they provide a specific health purpose.
• Who is the name behind MadeOn? My name is Renee Harris. I live with my husband and 7 children (ages 1 - 11) in beautiful Northern California.
• What's MadeOn currently doing? My two older sons help me sell lotion bars at the local farmer's market by giving out samples (contact me to find out where we'll be next). This week I'm making a lotion bar that works to repel mosquitoes... same 3 ingredients with citronella essential oil added as the repellent. My boys are sleeping out on the deck in the warm spring nights to test it out for me. I also have emu oil to try out in a lotion bar that will relieve sunburns. For the fitness crowd, I'm adding some cocoa butter to the original three, and for the bread bakers out there, it'll be avocado butter. I'm creating bars that match my current lifestyle and interests.
• And your website? http://www.hardlotion.com/ . That's where you can go to hear a podcast about MadeOn lotion, read testimonies, and, of course, place an order. You can also contact me through the webpage. Also, I need help "naming" the bars I listed in the previous paragraph. If you have an idea for a name, submit it and if I use it, I'll mail you a free bar of that type. Use the contact link on http://www.hardlotion.com/ .

Thank you!

Renee Harris

Now, how to win. It is easy and you don't even need an account. Click bellow and leave a comment, any comment will do BUT remember keep it clean and nice, my mom reads my blog yah know. (if you don't have an account, type your comment and who you are... if I don't know you, a way to contact you if you win, and check the anonymous button). ONE entry per person, per day, Please. I will close this Monday May 25 and draw a winner Tuesday morning. I can not wait to give someone else a chance to check this product out!

Happy day!

Ten years ago this past week I turned 21 and my gift was Jeremy (we had met once two months earlier). His best friend took this photo and later... as in years later gave it to us. Real nice.

Eight years ago today, we were united in Marriage. God has truly blessed me with an amazing husband. His faith is flourishing, he is working hard even when laid off, he tends to the needs of his family. Sure, every marriage has its bumps in the road but with God's help we get through them together. Once again, as I said in January, instead of resolutions we focus on the blessings. My blessing, my husband. Happy anniversary J! I love you!

How I spent my birthday!

The same way I spent my birth day thirty-one years ago... with my mom of course! J had to work but left me with a kiss on the forehead and a happy birthday. H remembered (all on his own that it was my birthday and told the rest of the kids to tell me). We did some shopping so that we can make bread and made banana muffins (all the kids helped and even my non-banana eaters thought they were great). J got me a willow tree figurine (totally awesome because I have a whole bunch of them and he found one I didn't have). On mother's day we had my birthday cake (with my parents and sister) strawberries, fresh whipping cream and angel food cake, of course.

H sat on my mom for quite a while talking about the day I was born and a where we lived at the time. It was so cute I tried to get a photo, but he decided he did not want a nice one so I just snapped. It just floors me that eight years ago this very month he was just pudgy little five month old. Now, he is a gangly ball of attitude (with dirty feet!). I really had a nice birthday, thanks mom. (it was the 12th, tomorrow the 14th marks the day I was baptized thirty-one years ago). Oh, what a week! I pray you all had a wonderful Mother's day (I did not post because I spent the day with my family).

Next week in honor of our wedding aniversary (yes, all four in the same week!) I will be having my first giveaway ever!!! Just giving you something to look forward to.
Happy day.

Just had to share!

The other night I got off the couch (probably had fallen asleep but I can't remember) and walked into the kitchen to go down the hall and got the bageebers scared out of me by..... She must have come on out and did not want us to see her so she was waiting for one of us to hear her (did I mention Jeremy was probably sleeping too) and she fell asleep on the floor!!!

Haircut

Well, I got a hair cut. It is finally a style (after a looooong time of frumpy) and I decided I would let Jeremy take a picture and I would post it. It is actually cut to be wavy but Robyn my awesome friend and hairstylist blew it out for me to go to a party! This picture was taken after that party, after I got out of the windy back yard... please excuse the clutter and the chub. I will have Jeremy take another photo one of these days when I style it wavy. (for those of you that know me... know how much I love photos being taken of myself... this is rare, DON'T GET USED TO IT!)

By the way, for the first time in ten years Jeremy "loves my hair cut" and a whole bunch of other people too! THANKS!!

Amen sister!

I heard a really good story the other day about a family that found themselves in a really bad financial situation. At church, the pastor (!) jokingly (really?) said something about not having any more children until they had things straightened out. Little did he know that she was already pregnant. She reminded him that while the Israelites were in Egypt under HEAVY oppression, God BLESSED them and they grew in number! It really makes you think... Who is God giving us? What huge plans does God have in store for them? It's not about us and our current situation...baby's are ALWAYS a blessing.

I wish more people would realize that.

Kari

what really burns me...

Anyone who has children (especially more than one...) has probably had a "friend" or even a perfect stranger come to them and ask them why they have so many children. And/or ask tell them they should not have any more. People have no idea how bad that burns. It really is NO ONE ELSE'S BUSINESS. I just wish that people would think before they speak. Oh yeah really, I should not have this many children?!? They are all here, which one would you choose we get rid of. Really people, give me a break. Some of us see children as a blessing from God, and nothing less. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
I want to direct you to my good friends blog. She has an awesome "children" post. (Mom, click on the word children it will get you there!)

My husband, my child?

Last week at church this subject came up again. A friend of mine came over to our family and counted my children and then counted Jeremy. I corrected her by saying "no, we only have four". She was shocked and told me that I am the only one who has not counted their husband as an extra child. I responded by saying "he can scrub floors and helps out a lot, I gotta give credit where it is due". But it goes beyond that. This is not the first time that people have said that, and I know people that count their husbands in that count. Not to say that I have never felt that way, years ago if you would have asked me I probably would have completely agreed. But as a couple and as two human beings we have grown in our maturity and in our faith and today, in our marriage and faith, that just isn't the case. Beyond the obvious perks to having him as my husband and partner, he is my comforter, an awesome daddy, role model, my prayer partner, church usher, my lawn mower, my muscles, my chore sharer, our HARD WORKER (ie an amazing bricklayer, patio putter-in-er, stone mason, landscaper), and I could go on and on. Sure, as sinful human beings there are days and times that we both act childish but never once has he called me a child and I don't plan to do it to him. (It also does not mean that we don't make our kids do chores, but you all know there is a difference.)
Next week marks our first date TEN years ago (he was my 21st birthday present) and the following week marks our EIGHT year wedding anniversary. I am proud to say that I am his, he is mine and we are His.
Now I know that these people mean no harm when they say this. But it gets me thinking that if we all just had another notch of respect for our husbands there would be fewer issues and a lot less splits in our society. Am I off the deep end or does that make sense?
There was a post I was directed to a couple of months ago and I saved it in my favorites so that I can reference it when I feel I need to. It is titled 12 Things You Should Not Do to Your Husband by:Camilia Brown. Here is number one of the twelve.

DO NOT treat your husband as one of your children. You are not running the household he is. So no matter how busy you think you are or how many tasks you might have to perform at once you should not address your husband in this way: “Honey come here! Do this! Hold that! Grab this! Deal with this or that!” Now I am all for asking our husbands for help when he is available to give it, but bossing him around is not becoming to a wife. We must conduct ourselves as his help meet and not treat him as if the reverse were true.

If you would like to read all twelve - http://www.visionforum.com/hottopics/blogs/dwp/2008/08/4251.aspx

So, now to my back. I am feeling much better. Cleared to do what I can but not over do it. I am still waiting to be allowed to ride my bike and get back to the gym. I have gone from three times a day at the chiro, to two, and now to three times a week! Pretty awesome if I do say so myself. I am working on my review of the laundry products (hey, I wanna get it just right), and also an awesome giveaway (yeah! It will be my first ever).

Happy day.