Pioneer Woman

We lost power for two days last week and I embraced my Pioneer spirit. I learned to cook on the fireplace. Pictured are the turtles I made and ate pretty much by myself.(Boo!) I also made chicken tacos with refried beans for supper the night before. I attempted a large cookie, but burned the sugar out of it. I even boiled water to take sink baths and clean. Watch out Caroline Ingles, I am giving you a run for your money. HAHA! Two days was quite enough.

Hudson's 2nd

Okay, so it has been a long while since posting. I am going to try to make it up in the next few days.

Today, HUDSON TURNED TWO!

My little guy turned 2 on February 28th. The weather was yucky the week before and his party had to be cancelled due to impassable roads. So he got to have 2 parties. The pictures are from Papa and Grandma's house. I tried to make an ice cream cake and, well, it didn't. Tasted good but, UGLY. As you can see, he decided to eat with his shovel.

The 2nd party for his 2nd birthday was with our dear friends the Allen's. Pizza and fun with Hudson's friend Keldon. He got a great remote control tractor.

Hudson also got a bag of outdoor goodies from the Crosby's. We have been using them every day in the dirt pile. Good choices everyone.

So he is now arounf 27lbs. as tall as his sister and follows everything she does. He is 100% BOY. Dirty and destructive. Loves to sit in the corner quiet and read books. A true blessing to us.

WE LOVE YOU HUDSON BOY!

Anticipation

No pictures to post today. No that we haven't had lots of time INDOORS to take pictures. Hence the title of the post, I am so ready to not see snow on the ground. Unfairly, I will get to next week as we make our trip to California. Although, from looking at the weather in Anaheim, it isn't always Sunny California. Rain forecasted for most days we are there. But, at least there is no SNOW! And I loved snow before this past month. Now I can't wait for it to go.

I am also anticipating more details on the message that God has placed in my heart. The word "UNITY" has been with me for the last few days. I have begun looking up verses in the Word about it. When I have a better handle on it, I will give you details. But, at our Tuesday night group we prayed for each other and I received a big glimpse into what I am supposed to get from this Word. My unity has to start in my marriage. Biting of lip...We were not unified this morning going over financial issues. So as you can read, I needed the message.

Which I guess is why the good Lord enables Ashley to grow 309 bushel corn and win a trip for it. We will have 4 days, without kids, in an unknown city with each other. Unity will either come or we will kill each other. Ask and ye shall receive. I wanted to dig deeper, and the Lord handed me a shovel.

After the trip...(and I am confident if someone doesn't make it back, it won't be me)

Look at me!

The kids got cameras for Christmas, and I downloaded the pictures. There are some great ones. And, Kaylor is very gifted in taking pictures of herself.

They can add Disney characters to the pictures, as seen below. We ran the batteries out once already. But they patiently waited for me to get to town to buy more and fix the cameras. We are back in business.

What I really loved as I looked at the pictures taken, was the perception of the taker. The kids see things that I wouldn't. They love to take pictures of the dogs, their toys, or even the TV. Made me remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Many around me, myself included, are trying to accomplish the usual New Year's resolution of weight loss. I was talking with a friend recently and she said, I have lost 10 pounds and am still a size (bigger than she wants). I replied, the size doesn't matter, it is how healthy and toned you are. But, then I added, and that you feel good about where you are.

My question is...Who out there feels good about where they are body image wise? NOT ME!! I try to put it into my head that God thinks I am beautiful as I am. Easier said than believed. Then I look at the fact that my inside person is not as beautiful as I want her to be. I believe that if I get her looking like I want, then my outside appearence will follow. Whether that be, I lose weight, get healthy and toned or my perception is changed. Something to strive for.

Just remember, we sometimes have to look through the lens with another's eyes to see a different side of ourselves.

The Reason for the Season

Well 2010 (Two thousand and ten) is upon us. We had a nice Christmas. Very quiet. My sister's for Christmas morning and Papa and grandma came out for the evening. The kids favorite gifts were cameras. There are great pictures on them. Will get them on another post.


We put our Christmas decor up and Kaylor was so upset that Baby Jesus was gone. Grandma, who has over 200 nativity sets, has loaned one that the kids can play with. So Baby Jesus, Mary & the donkey will get to grace the stable(barn) all year at our house.
She makes Joseph stay outside with the wise men and the animals. But she loves to play with it. And I can't complain when that is what she wants. Hudson loves the camel and building the fence. Which I just had to do for him.
Kaylor even loves to dress up as Mary. She puts her blanket over her head like a shaw. We did a lot of explaining about Jesus birthday being on Christmas and not much about Santa. It was a fun season.

These two pictures of my back yard torn up are for the purpose of putting in a septic system. There was not one when we bought the place. Don't ask where it went. But it is now installed and planning a patio.

The kids helped daddy put the dirt back in with a kitchen spoon and kids rake. They enjoyed the piles of dirt. Mommy enjoyed knowing they weren't going to fall in the "hole."

Here is a shot of the two. Kaylor is slinking down. They are the same heigth and Hudson weighs about 3 pounds more.

KEEP YOUR RESOLUTIONS! HEEHEE!

Highlights of Last Week

Okay, I said there was nothing else for the rest of the year, but I had a few moments. Yes, I should be down on the eliptical. But, I can't make myself do it. This past week we had Keldon for 2 afternoons, went to the Craft Bazaar, did a Christmas craft and caught up on house cleaning from the last 3 weeks while I covered the nursery at church. We had a group of hunters come in for Pheasant Season and spent an evening with them. We even got to go to dinner with Aunt Cat, Kyky & Garrard (haven't done that in a long time). We are trying to decide what to do for Christmas, if anything.

Which brings a subject I have been pondering on. As I am trying to decide what I want my children to learn and what if not important, I have really had some feeling about holidays come up.

I so often get weird looks when I don't feel that it is a big deal if our family(ies) get together on the legal day of a holiday. Do we really need a specific day to get with family?

Santa...oh a hard one. I have been asking friends who gets the glory at Christmas. Santa, parents or Jesus. When it comes to gifts...Santa. Why does he get to give the most exciting, most wanted, most expensive gifts? So backwards. I feel this distorts children's thinking on so many subjects (money, respect, behavior) So we have decided that only one gift will be from Santa, and it will not be the expensive one. I want to begin to grow a Christmas Legacy about the real reason we celebrate this holiday. And a fictisous(sp) character is not getting a spot in it. The only reason we have decided to do any gifts from Santa is so that when other children ask if Santa came and what they got, they can truthfully say that they got something with a "From Santa" on the package.

Well, that should be enough for today. I am thanking the Lord for the double stroller I used this morning at the Bazaar. Kids did not want to be there, so the stroller was great for purchases. I have also never got thru that thing as fast as I did. Will try again next year.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells! Jingle all the way! This is Kaylor's new favorite song. Learned it from Boz the Green Bear.

Catching Up!

Well the kids got to go see there favorite show LIVE! Seasame Street, Elmo Grows Up at the Civic Center in Amarillo. We even got daddy to go. The kids sat in awe through most of it. Hudson finally crashed and slept through the last 30 minutes. We had to spend the extra $$ and get the Elmo toy that the seat vendor was selling. A huge hit, still playing with it. I, myself, really enjoyed the show. Definitely something that will be repeated.

I took this picture today, December 5th, to show how much my baby has grown. In the last year we have STRUGGLED to get the potty training part of life complete. And I do say STRUGGLED. She didn't care if she was wet, just leave me in a diaper to enjoy life. Well, the light clicked 2 days ago. I had finally given up and didn't care if she was 12 when we got it accomplished. (OK, 9 would have been my top age) Kaylor has been doing great and only wears a diaper during nap and bedtime. She prefers commando, but I have explained that we have to wear panties. Hopefully a few family and friends doesn't chime in on this subject. :) So in the picture Kaylor does not have the diaper hiney. The white poking out of her pants are her BIG GIRL PANTIES!!!! Yeah!

This is however a great lesson in God's timing. I wanted her done when I wanted her done. She had to do this for herself. When I decided to back off and chill out, she decided that it was time. Oh control! I have had to give up so much of it lately. And I look at it now and realize that I have survived.

I have been reading Ecclesiastes to verify that control is not mine to have and joy in what God has given is in order. I love the NLT for 3:22 "No one will bring us back from death to enjoy life after we die." Man that hurt me. Poke. Poke. Jab. Jab.

Finally, our family picture from Thanksgiving Day at Papa and Grandma's. Finally got the kids to smile and Ashley sour. This is it for the year. No Christmas cards. Will do a picture in the Spring.

Be blessed and remember the true reason for the season.