June 2010...just a little late

Forgive me for these updates and photos being a good 4 months in the past.

We painted the front porch this summer. This is the little man helping me wash all the wood railings down 1st.

And After:

Gabby turned 9 years old. Although I took the cake decorating classes so that I could make some lovely cakes for my kiddos birthdays, I was turned down for the job as she wanted to do her own cake. I printed off the directions and she did it all including switching out the correct tips. She is by far more creative and talented than I. (it's a pony).

Summer sunburns :(

They were all slathered down with lotion and all out for the same amount of time. Makensie has my skin and got it the worst. She turned red, pink and then back to translucent.

Gabby turned a nice warm tan and peeled a little on her shoulders.

Brian got tan and had a bajillion little blisters on his shoulders.

Enjoyed a beautiful rainbow!

Made a short notice wedding cake.

Worked at a fund raiser for 4H.

Attended a night of ministry where the gentleman tamed a wild horse in front of us in less than 2 minutes and correlated it to scripture. It was amazing.

Took in an area fireworks display. Notice Allen wearing a sweatshirt while the rest of us were sweating! Come to find out he was on the verge of heat stroke. It was a long hot summer for him.

So went the month of June.

4-H King

My name is Brian Griffin and I am 6 years old. Last week I was voted as King of the Bloomfield 4H group. As King it is my job to help collect donations this year for 4H. All the money goes to the Benton County 4H groups. There are many activities to participate in and learn. One of the events I am involved in is the shooting club. We are learning gun safety and target shooting. I really like being part of our 4H group and would appreciate any donation amount you could support us with. And if I collect the most money of all the other Kings from other groups I will win King of the Benton County 4H. Thank you.

What is 4-H?
4-H is the youth development program conducted by the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service. 4-H members can select from many activities in 82 project areas ranging from automotive to clothing to space camp.
Adult leaders, trained by county Cooperative Extension Service Faculty, teach projects to children using the "learn -by-doing" method. 4-H teaches leadership, citizenship, and skills children will use through out their lives. Each year Arkansas 4-H youth receive more than $80,000 in college scholarships at the state level for their 4-H work. Some scholarships are available at the county level.

4-H Mission
The mission of 4-H is to provide opportunities for youth to acquire knowledge, develop life skills, form attitudes, and practice behavior that will enable them to become self directing, productive, and contributing members of society.

4-H Is:
An nonformal educational program Community based and locally determined Primarily group focused and family oriented Volunteer operated Coordinated by professional Extension faculty.
Emblem

The 4-H emblem is a four-leaf clover with the letter "H" on each leaf. The letters in the emblem stands for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health - the foundation of all 4-H programs.

Just a Little Practical Joke

"...but a child left to himself, [or with dad]bringeth his mother shame."

Yes, the inquisitive young boy is emerging. I thought each family only had one of "those" kids that they had to worry about. But I'm beginning to think it's just boys in general. I refuse to believe I'm the only one so lucky to get two.

I wonder who did this?!!!

Yes this is Sharpie marker.

He used the Sharpie like a Q-Tip in BOTH ears.

I've been trying to clean out his ears the best he'll allow. So with all the ear and QTip chatter this week, we decided to play a little joke on Allen.

I cut a Q-Tip in half.

Then Gabby just barely held it in her ear and asked him, "Do you think I have this in too far?"

Christmas Gifts For the Cheap, I Mean Frugal

I had so many grand plans as always to make wonderful handmade gifts for everyone I remotely came in contact with...friends, family, neighbors, the mail man...I managed to get gifts for family done and that was about it.

This is the one I was most excited about. I found this 1952 gem of a book on Costmotology at the local print shop for 10cents. I picked it up for my sister Debi and held onto it.

Then I tore out all the pages (I'm sure Trish and other teachers and library enthusiast across the land are passing out right about now;)

Added a little matching fabric and some handles and duh da.... I'm sure Debi will love it when I remember to bring it do her as I forgot it at Christmas! rrrrrr....

Next I made aprons. Wendy had several apron tutorials on her site and I was blessed enough to have a great yard sale day last fall and found several square dance dresses for a quarter each. I made these into some rather cute aprons if I might say so myself.



Then I added iron on monograms for everyone. The 1st one I attempted was for my sister Gina. "G" for Gina. However, you'll notice that not only did I manage to iron it on upside down, I figured out later (by way of Gabby informing me of my mistake) that the pretty dot in the middle was suppose to be a period that I cut out to use seperately.


And then there were these coasters. I took glass from the shop and had the glass man sand down the corners and edges for me in exchange for a couple extra kisses. And decoupaged (with homemade decoupage paste) scrapbook paper on the back.


We made springerale cookies, (my didn't look as great as this link, but I did get to use my SU stamps) homemade caramels (fabulous!), orange julius cookies, Chai Tea mix, hot chocolate mix, puppy treats (in the shape of cats) & jello spritz cookies with the press.

We spent Christmas lunch with Allen's family. It was nice, Kathy is a terrific cook and I always enjoy hanging out with them.



This is Allen's mom and dad with all the Grandkids. We took photos of each family and all the grandkids in less than 20 minutes.


Then we headed to my folks for Christmas night. The next day we started family photos in a more professional atmosphere and it lasted almost 4? hours. And Adina (talented sister in law with an eye for good shots) is going to post those soon...right? I thought all the guys were going to loose it. They had to dress up and wait for the girls to primp and do hair and pose and kids were starting to fuse. It lost it's fun quickly for Allen, but I'm sure once we get the photos back, it will be well worth it.

I think I've mentioned before what a great host my mom is. Every holiday gets a big deal made out of it. I stayed up late Christmas night helping finish pies with her in the kitchen. It is always nice to go "home". She always has a huge spread anytime we go home and the house is always decorated. The entire sunroom was filled with pies, candies, desserts, chips, dips, manicotti. Every year, she makes bon bons and my favorite pie ever, sour cream raisin. My dad makes several different batches of homemade fudge. We got in an afternoon of Bunco as well. We love playing games and it is fun as the grandkids are getting old enough to play along.

Almost every room at my parent's house has a decorated tree. This is the guest bathroom, and she has mini shampoos, soaps, etc hung on for decorations.


This was the tree in Allen and I's suite.
This was the little bathroom tree in our bathroom, also decorated with bathroom goodies.


This was the tree in the toy room with all the homemade and odds and ends ornaments.


And I didn't even take any of the trees upstairs. Some day mom....I'll make you proud, but this year the kids were lucky I got a tree up. :)

Santa comes every year to Grandma Connies and brings gifts for all the little kids.

And this year he brought a six pack for all the big boys as well. :) Yes, at Christmas.

Here is Wyatt helping the other "babies" as he calls them eat all the gummy bears that were left unattended.

Don't Do Today What You Can Put Off Until Tomorrow

Or is it the other way around?



If I would just regularly sit down and update this blog quickly nightly, I wouldn't have these hodge podge of things I'm wanting to record and overwhelm all 3 of my friends that read this. :)



Makensie is taking ballet lessons and had her 1st recital. She felt really good about what she achieved. She is graceful and beautiful.




We are so thankful for her teacher, Miss Anna, as she has done a wonderful job instructing the girls and helping them to appreciate and use their bodies to glorify the Lord. And thankful that Miss Anna is offering this to our home school group.










We celebrated afterwards with Pizza and a cake.




We had round 2 of the Keepers of the Home with using royal icing to decorate Christmas Cookies. Once again thank you to Miss Kathryn for opening her home to a great group of kids and the mess that comes with that.


I always thought it would be fun to make a gingerbread house but was pretty intimidated with it. So we bought a $7 kit at WM this year and were pleased and plan to make it a tradition and maybe even make our own gingerbread next year.

Sugar Overload.

Our stockings (that my aunt Helen custom made for us) all hung by the fireplace with care, with hopes that the kids don't have nightmares from the wall of death above.

I had to share this photo of Brian. He was having a donut and coffee (yes I give my kids coffee, and they have even shown up at the local Mothering group with a sippy cup of it and I don't feel quilty...much.) He went and got the newspaper, mind you he can't read yet, to look at and be a "real man". I don't know where this came from because Allen doesn't drink coffee or read:)

Celebrated with friend for her birthday. (That's the cake to the left of me that I made for her)




Went to Kansas and enjoyed some snow! (I realize this isn't a great photo to show fun in the snow like the 4 foot drifts out in the country would have been, but it just then dawned on me to take one.)


Brian asked for a tuxedo for christmas....???....Aunt Gina bought him a shirt and tie...which he LOVES and has worn several times now for any reason he can.

This is the card that Gabby made me for my birthday. She drew the cat and cut her out. She loves art. She was blessed with art lessons for her birthday (thank you Aunt Gina) from Rich Davis when he taught the homeschool group this summer.

Makensie had 11 inches cut off her hair, by Aunt Debi. We are going to donate it to Pantene.

And of course now that she no longer has long hair a friend informed me of this site for hair styles for girls.

So Gabby let me practice on her:

The Weekend Update

What a fun weekend. We took the kids to the drive in and met some friends there Saturday night. They were so excited and had no idea until we pulled in. The features were UP and Hannah Montana The Movie. Some of us watched UP and the others of us watched Wyatt crawl in and out and up and down, hop up and down the drive, get in other people's van's and grab other people's food, take the kids to the bathroom, get another slice of pizza, wipe hands and faces and answer questions about the movie. We did NOT stay for the 2nd feature. The girls and I had already seen it for Makensie's birthday and I was exhausted from worry about where little man was heading at all times.

Saturday we were graciously invited to have supper with friends. He is a mean griller. We've had several of his masterpieces over the years and last night had a smoked brisket. Yummy.

Also over the weekend, I've touched up on my Super Metroid skills. Brian enjoys to play video games and it is so encouraging to him with I just watch him play or ask him how far he has gotten in the game. But he loves it when I will sit down and play with him some too. I've actually enjoyed myself more than I thought I would.

Griffin Redneckisms

Griffin Redneckisms

*If you have a boat that the neighbors have turned in as junk.
*If the city has ever sent you a ticket for a complaint of junk and it turns out it was on the pickup.
*If your picnic area is filled with your garage items because your garage is filled with junk.
*If every time you want some new junk, you check with one of your relatives that seem to have everything in their barn. Lead weights from inside tires? Check with Steve. Cigarette vending machine? Check with John.
*If your friends have ever brought junk over for the city wide clean up and you kept it all.
*If you are slightly put out that the city has a 2-a-year limit on yard sales per address.
*If your kids look forward to yards sales and salvation army for back to school shopping.
*If you don't have even money to buy new clothes because of the satellite dish payment.
*If you don’t have money for groceries but do have money to take a fishing trip.
*If you don’t have money to make your house payment but you do have money to buy a new gun.
*If there is a place in your budget for chew.
*If you have a designated place on the shelf for the "spit cup" so there are no more spils or cup mix ups.
*If you own 3 dozen trophies and 2 dozen are from tractor pulls and the others are from bow shooting.
*If you kept the arrow you shot the possum with.
*If you kept the nail and x-ray that you shot your foot with.
*If your 7 year old daughter wants a Trick My Truck birthday party.
*If your husband’s best friend has the Dukes of Hazard's Horn on his truck.
*If your husband’s best friend took a family vacation with 4 kids to the Dukes of Hazard's Fest 12 hours away.
*If you are planning to borrow your brother in laws house to go on vacation this summer.
*If your father in law's only purpose for working is to have beer and cigar money.
*If your daughter has a fox and deer hide hung on her wall.
*If your daughter thinks the living room, with the 3 deer head mounts, 1 fish mount and skull mounts, is the most beautiful room in the house.

*If there are more dead things on your walls than living things within them.

*If your kids are afraid to go in your in-laws den because of all the animal heads on the wall.
*If your in laws have an outhouse and use it.
*If your dad is making plans to bury a single wide and put a double wide on top.
*If there are train cars in your yard to store junk.
*If you buy so much at an auction it takes 5 men 3 days to load it all.
*If the city asked you to put up trees to hide your house.
*If you buy vegetable oil buy the gallon, potatoes by 50lbs, and eggs by 20 dozen at a time.
*If your family reunion has ever been confused for a weight watchers convention.
*If your kids meal request for their birthday has venison on the menu.
*If you have a pet pig and you live in town with no fence.
*If your church’s attendance record drops by 10% when your family doesn’t show up.
*If part of the prerequisite of choosing a church is that the dress code includes jeans.
*If your Christmas tree is still on your front porch March 1st.
*If you know that you can recycle your Christmas tree to a nearby pond for fish.
*If you can only use the back door because the front door hasn’t opened for almost 2 years.
*If you have "What to say to a social worker" posted on the inside of your front door.
*If everyone in your family owns some article of camouflage clothing.
*If your kids are only 4 years old and know how to butcher a deer.
*If you were excited about getting to use your chain saw after the ice storm.
*If you were excited about using your generator and showing off your survival skills.
*If you were slightly dissappointed when the electricity got turned back on 5 weeks earlier than thought.
*If your husband thinks that taking the cap off the wine cooler for his wife using only his belly button seems like a great way to impress our guests.
*If you hit up your friends for beer bottle caps to help complete that special craft project.
*If you are not above looking in neighbors recycling bins for coupons.
*If your kids mastered their cutting skills on your coupons.
*If you buy Excedrin tension headache by the case.
*If you buy seasoned salt by the case.
*If you’ve ever used duct tape instead of stitches.
*If people mistake you for being drunk.
*If you’ve ever used an air compressor for cleaning rather than the vacuum in the house.
*If you've ever used the leaf blower rather the broom.
*If your kids love to watch Dirty Jobs.
*If your kids know who Jim Shokey is and have an autograph.
*If your kids know who Paula Deen is and have an autograph.
*If your kids know how to count points on antlers.
*If your mother in law taught your husband everything he knows about fixing a vehicle and it’s a more than some mechanics.
*If your mother in law ever fired a shotgun in the house to make a point.
*Your mother in law bought herself a new fancy lawn mower with cup holders as a birthday gift.

*If your lawn mower has no hood because it needs worked on so often it is a waste of time to put the hood back on.

*If the city ever declined your application to participate in the parade because your lawn mower was too loud.

*If anyone in your family ever picked up a deer for meat off the side of the road.
*If anyone in your family ever sawed the antlers off a dead deer on the side of the road
*...ever picked up a dead raccoon
*...a dead fox
*...a dead beaver….you get the point.
*If you even just have extra trash bags that you carry in vehicles so you can pick up roadkill for hides.

*If ever found a package of frozen meat from the middle of the street and brought it home for supper.
*If your work trailer is valued at more than your family van.
*If you have a wooden leg off a kitchen chair that you carry in the van to hit the dash so that it will start some days.
*If the last time you moved you gave away your car because you didn't think it would make the 2 hour trip.
*If the kitchen bar stools are braced together from parts of other chairs.
*If you’ve ever had a possum under your kitchen sink.
*If you’ve ever tried to trap a possum and caught a skunk instead.
*If you keep your dryer lint because it is an excellent fire starter.
*If any of your 4th of July celebrations include homemade fireworks that set off the car alarms 100 yards away.

*If at weddings the favorite food is the giant roasted hog in the middle of the table.

*If you've ever got a great deal on a hog because of some over grown hernia hanging off it's side.

*If you have so many kids that you've heard the comment, "you need a bigger TV" more than twice.

*If you have live worms in the frig, on purpose.

Camp Out

For Gabby's birthday party we did a camp theme.
Plan:
Invite 6 girls, with Makensie and Gabby = 8
6:00pm arrival and settle in the tents
6:30pm roast hot dogs and have chips and watermelon, grape pop, water or bug juice
7:00pm decorate Tshirts
7:30pm Games
8:00pm Songs around the campfire
8:30pm dirt cups and open gifts
9:00pm pick up time for girls not staying all night (I'm guess most little girls will want to go home)
9:30pm flashlight tag
10:00pm pj's & potty
10:30pm story time and drift off to sleep

Actual events:
I got excited and ended up inviting 14 girls
13 came
12 planned to stay all night
7:30pm all going as planned, played "poor kitty", drip drip splash
8:00pm all girls are wet and want to put on PJ's
8:30pm pudding and gifts
9:00pm pickup for the 1 child
9:30pm flashlight tag (have to say that the reaction to finding the pig in the dark, that some didn't know we had was quite funny)
9:45pm Girl #2 wants to go home
10:30pm girls are hungry and need popcorn and water.
11:00pm Girl #3 requests to go home.
At this point I'm thinking that we could possibly get a call from any one of the neighbors within a 6 block area requesting the screaming to stop.
So we start a round on Alleluias
Oldest reads a story she has written and we say prayers
11:30pm giggling and concern about any possibility of a storm. I assure them, "we MIGHT get a little sprinkle, but I'm right here and IF we get a storm, which is not likely, we'll go inside."
12:00am finally everyone is in and settled and starting to quiet
12:02am out of no where, lighting strikes brightly and thunder shakes the ground.
12:02:02am Is it called screaming or shrilling? 8 little girls spilling out of the tents, dragging their sleeping bags, pillows, stuffed animals, flashlights, looking for shoes, running in all directions like little ants that have had their line disrupted. (2 little ones were completely obvious and in a deep sleep through all of this.)
12:03am The hero Allen came running out to the rescue.
12:03:02am Gagging and "oh gross!" from the peanut gallery because Allen didn't have a shirt on, only his shorts.
12:05am Allen is carrying in a little one that was still asleep as we carrel the girls upstairs trying to keep them to a whisper level to not wake the baby.
12:30am mattresses moved, sleeping arrangements picked, girls laying down
12:45am Allen makes a trip up to shhh the giggles with their 2nd wind.
1:00am Allen makes a trip up to shhh the wrestling
1:15am Allen makes a trip up to bring the ring leaders down (Makensie and Gabby) to separate so all the girls will calm down.
1:20am the girls head back up with friends
1:22am let the good times roll!
1:45am I head upstairs and tuck them in, let them know I would be rocking in the playroom that they needed to shut it down for the night so that they can all go home a little rested so they can come back.
1:48am snoring.....
8:00am First patter of little feet making tracks to the bathroom and then down the steps.
8:30am have Wyatt changed and 2 Excedrin migraines and a coffee in my body. All the girls are up and packing up. Start making pancakes.
9:30am all kiddos are fed
11:30am all kiddos are picked up (except for this little straggler of a boy from across the street). It's a rent house and a new tenant that lost their home last month due to a fallen tree during the night of the bad storm. He's same age as Gabby and has been here for close to 6 hours now.
We had so much fun. What an amazing group of young ladies.
Unto the least of these. Lord open our home and make your presence known.

Accidents come in three's

I have so many happenings and ideas I want to write about and share, it just seems like the days are rushing by. Wyatt is growing and I even occasionally (as in twice) get an entire nights rest. As long as I get in 6 hours I usually feel pretty good til I can catch up with a nap sometime.

Accident #1 - My dad took on a pole and the pole won. He was setting a telephone pole and it slipped off the tractor and his head held catch it. The pole knocked him out, took one of his teeth and gave him quite the shiner of a black eye. He finally saw a Dr the week after when his headaches didn't subside. He has a concussion and whiplash.

Accident #2 - Allen was working with the screw gun and the screw slipped off the metal and went into the side of his hand hitting and splitting the bone between his thumb and pointer finger. He didn't go to the Dr. as he set it himself and taped it for good measure.

Accident #3 - My brother Jason who manages my dad's auto shop was doing who knows what at the shop and caused something to explode...in his face. He looks a little like a turtle with his hair, eyebrows and gotee gone. He didn't go to the Dr either because a couple a couple 2nd degree burns never killed anybody.

God's ideal of family is togetherness.

I felt especially convicted this morning as I was reading through His Word. He says that we are to work together as a family for profit and not as individuals. I have gotten really mobby the last couple of weeks feeling sorry for myself that I don't have something to call my own like my husband has his own business. He is out everyday. Not that his job is easy or even safe, but at least he gets to socialize with people over 4 foot tall that can carry on a conversation about more than what they want to eat, who's picking on them or asking for their bottom, face or nose to be wiped.

I love my children dearly and have to remind myself often in the midst of the 3rd load of laundry that day that I am living my dream. Well, at least my dream of getting to stay home. I pictured it a little differently than what it actually is, but I'm thankful for the opportunity all the same.

I sometimes find myself feeling alone on my own little island of dishes and housework and it is drained. Wishing I too had something more I could be doing to contribute to life.

Then as I was studying I realized that I already do have that opportunity. I often look at Allen's business as HIS business. But as a family it is ours. It is my chance to shine as his secretary, his bookkeeper, his encourager. I have really slacked the last couple of months even attempting to help out with all the paperwork feeling like this was his dream and that he should be the one to take care of it or hire someone to do so.

It is another of my goals to help him become more organized with all the paperwork, keep up with it so as to have one less burden and for me to be able to share with him the blessing God has before us in his business and for us as a family. I want our kids to grow up feeling just as much a part of this business as if they helped build it themselves. I wonder how this applies to 2 income families that do not own their own business? I know not everyone in the Bible was a business owner, but it seems that even if a husband worked for another man, that his sons and wife went along and did also. This will be something for future study.

Baby Shower Day

I am excited this morning. A dear friend is having a baby shower for me at 11:00am. We are having a brunch. My mom and sisters will be here shortly. My tummy is churning just like when I was a little girl. In fact, some of our family trips, my mom did not even tell me ahead of time the plans as I would get so excited and worked up in anticipation I would be sick the morning we were suppose to leave.

I am giddy and nervous for several reasons. 1st it is such an honor that someone would do this for me when we are on our 4th baby. 2nd it is such an honor that other ladies are planning to attend. There have been 23 ladies RSVP, which I didn't know I even had that many friends. I doubt there will actually be that many show up, as plans change, kids get sick, people forget and it is snowing today. But even that they thought they wanted to come, I just feel so blessed.

I am also excited to have my mom and sisters meet some of my friends, as when they are here, they are usually just around me and do not see any other extension of my life besides my house and kids and of course Allen. I often feel that they see only the struggles that we have been facing with getting our business going. I feel like a kid again today. Like I'm standing here saying, "Mom, watch this!, Watch what I can do!" I am hoping that they will see me today as a woman after God's own heart. A woman that loves others and that has been a positive influence in the lives of other women. A woman that they can be proud of.