Happy Birthday, Lily...

Lily is 5!

Happy Birthday, Lily!!!!!!!

We made chocolate filled brownies and hot fudge cake with ice cream.

The hot fudge sauce in the bottom of the cake is oh so good.  I found this recipe on a blog that I visit, but now I can't remember where.  So, if it is your blog... thank you and drop me a note and I will give you credit for the yumminess of this cake!

Grandma sent a hula skirt and a lei...

So cute!

This was Lily doing the hula...

Galen challenged her to wiggle her hips so she had to show him her stuff...

Five is so cool.

She has such big changes coming this year. 

I am so glad that we get to be here to see it all!

Happy Birthday, Lily Hillbilly!

This is the Way...

This little boy is currently suffering from a cold.  Sniffly, sneezy, runny and stuffy... all at the same time.  He wakes up and crawls in his mommy's lap, telling her that he can't breathe through his nose... and this makes him fighting mad.

So, now he is wearing his 6 shooter with a bandana tied around his head like Rambo. 

This is the way 4 year old boys fight off a cold.

Not a Baby or a Toddler...

Today we are cleaning the house... just like every other saturday.  However, tomorrow is not like every other sunday...

Tomorrow is Lily's birthday!!!!

5 Year Old, baby...

I am planning on making a hot fudge cake for her... have any of you made this?  The picture looks so yummy.  I hope she loves it!

Take a good hard look at 4 year old Lily...

Everything changes tomorrow... right?

I mean, 5 is not a baby or really even a toddler anymore.

Dramatic stuff ahead, I'm sure.

I will post birthday pictures as soon as possible...

Happy Birthday Brother...

My big brother is great!

I love him dearly!

I love to tease him... dearly. After all, I am his little sister...

Today is his 40-something birthday.

So...

Haaaappppyyyyy BBbbbbbiiiirrrtttthhhhdddaaaaayyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sisters...

When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder,

who stands a chance against us?

~Pam Brown

I don't have any sisters... I've always wanted one or two or... Well, you get it.

My daughters are so blessed.  We have 7 girls and one boy.  There is no shortage of sisters around here.

The love they share with each other blesses me.  I love watching them share their lives with each other.  Someday, they will look back on this time and cherish it.

A Recipe and a Picture...

My family loves good food.  I cook a lot.  We love trying new stuff and aren't ashamed to say if we love it... or not.

One of our all time favorites is Mac-n-cheese.  Now, I know that isn't new and most people have a recipe they love.  We used to make it the "old" way... with flour, butter and milk... and then I found this recipe about 10 years ago.  We love it and haven't gone back to the old one since.

In case you are wondering... the stuff in the blue box... is nasty!

So, No... We don't eat that stuff.

Macaroni and Cheese

(I usually double the recipe... but I'm feeding a crew)

1 box pasta (whatever cool shape you want to use... sometimes I do 1 1/2 boxes)

1/2 package velveeta

2 C cheese (cheddar and monteray jack is such a nice combo)

1 egg

1 Cup milk

Coat the inside of a 9x13 casserole dish with butter or margarine.

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

While that is cooking crack an egg into a measuring cup, whisk it good.  Add milk until it is around 1 cup... sometimes I do 1 1/2 cups.  Mix and set aside.  Cube your velveeta.  I make it small cubes.  Grate the cheese.

Once the pasta is finished... not mush people... but cooked, place half of it in the buttered dish.

Place 1/2 of the velveeta and half the grated cheese over pasta.

Pour 1/2 of milk mixture.

Repeat layers.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for around 15 minutes.

Take out and mix well.

Sprinkle paprika over top and cook for additional 15 minutes.

Take out of oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Yum Yum!

I have been known to throw in a cup of sourcream on occasion or top it with some toasted bread crumbs.

I usually serve it with homemade rolls and a vegetable.

The picture has nothing to do with the mac and cheese... except this girl can put the stuff away!  She loves it and will ask for seconds and thirds until her little tummy can't hold any more.

Lulu and Bud...

Our kids (probably like yours) have all types of personalities.  Some are sweet, loving, caring, hyper, friendly, cuddly, independent, joyful, grouchy, etc...

Most of the time they are a combination of these things.

We have two four year olds.  No they are not twins.  They are 10 months apart.  When you put these two together, you never know what you are going to get.

Sometimes they play house or school.  You know, someone leads and someone follows.  They take turns.

Sometimes, they play wrestling or spiderman, or starwars...

This is when they are advesaries.  They fight against each other and someone comes out the victor.

We lovingly refer to this dynamic duo as LuLu and Bud...

You know, kind of like Bonnie and Clyde...

Trust me on this one...

The name fits.

This pair can get into more mischief and somehow not know who did whatever the misdeed was.  They can fight like real enemies, but ususally they just absolutely love and adore each other.  Lulu sticks up for Bud and Bud does the same for Lulu.  They are partners in crime.

As soon as I think I have them figured out, they change tactics on me.  They have that esp connection, I guess.  They are in this together, that is for sure.

Full of joy...

and spunk.

Lulu and Bud are the perfect combination.

That's My Bird Story...

The little ones made birdfeeders at church.

You know the one...

You take a pine cone and cover it with peanut butter and birdseed.

We hung the three birdfeeders on the back deck.

...and waited...

Finally after a couple of weeks of absolutely no bird sightings...

We looked out the back door yesterday and all three birdfeeders had birds eating off of them!  The kids were so excited that there was screaming and jumping... and scaring the birds away.

They keep coming back though!

Now the kids have figured out that they need to be quiet and not frighten the birds away.

I have taken this sudden welcoming of birds as a sign...

You guessed it...

That winter will not last forever.  In fact, even though it is only January, I believe that this is the first "real" sign of spring.

Scoff if you will...

Remind me of the months of cold weather ahead, the storms, the frigid temperatures...

I saw the birds!  And they are telling me that warmth isn't far away...  They are speaking to me of sunshine and green grass.  They told me about leaves budding on the trees and flowers pushing up through the soil.  They told me about children running around outside for hours, wearing their little bodies out so that they fall asleep without any effort.

I hear you giggling, but...

That's my bird story and I'm sticking with it!

Breakfast...

At least once a week (sometimes more) I like to make a really special breakfast.

Pancakes with strawberry jelly, oranges, bananas and yogurt.

Oh baby!

Puzzle Time...

Sometimes you have to break out the big ammunition to calm down the house.

Puzzles seem to do that for us.  Therefore, we keep them set aside for a special time... When Mom thinks she may lose her mind.

My Hubby Bakes...

I have felt a little overwhelmed with the cookie making this last week.  I got behing, you see.  In a house with many children... you just can't get behind.

Do you know what my sweet hubby did when he came home from work?  He went straight into the kitchen and made a double batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  I could have kissed his wonderful face... but there was chocolate on his lips...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together...

1/2 C white sugar

1 C brown sugar

1 C butter, softened

Then add...

1 C pumpkin

1tsp vanilla

1 egg

Sift together dry ingredients then add to wet ingredients.

2 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice ( I leave out if I can't find it easilly)

1/4 tsp salt

Add...

1 C chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly before removing from pan.  You can frost these if you like although I don't anymore. 

Frosting...

In saucepan, heat 3 T butter and 1/2 C brown sugar over medium heat until bubbling and thick.  Cool 10 min.  Stir in 1/4 C milk.  Add 2 C powdered sugar and beat till smooth.

Baking...

Can you stand it?!

 This time of year...

I just love warming up the house by baking...

anything!

I don't eat it.  That has been a hard learned lesson.  I do, however, love making yummy stuff and sharing that way with my family.  They, in turn, love eating it.

Then I don't get fat and they get to have a special treat.

What Happens...

What happens when a little brother decides to tell on a big sister...

THIS!

Beauty is Pain...

Sometimes people assume that mothers of lots of daughters just love doing hair.  I will be the first to tell you that this is not always a pleasant job.  Sometimes, they cry.  Sometimes they hide. Sometimes they just don't want to get their hair done.

We have a schedule (loose schedule) that includes doing your hair daily.  This way, if we need to make a quick trip out the door we aren't running around at the last second trying to get ready.  Besides, I don't want to look at their messy heads all day long.  Some days, especially before Sunday morning church, it is like an assembly line with the girls lined up waiting for mom to give you the perfect style.

In this house, we have 1 child with extremely straight hair.  She is considered the lucky girl of the whole bunch.  She never gets bad knots.  She can take a shower and air dry her hair and it looks amazingly beautiful.  The rest of us have varying degrees of curly hair.  This hair is difficult to brush and is always full of knots.

We work pretty hard to toughen up their heads when they are young so they won't complain as much later.  Sometimes, though, it just hurts.  I can testify to this.  I straighten my hair 5 out of 7 days and I have pretty curly hair if I don't do something with it.

They are learning lessons during this time.  They learn about cleanliness, order, schedules.  They learn that sometimes we do things because they need to be done whether we like it or not.

And...

As Mommy is fond of saying...

"Beauty is Pain."

Fun Learning...

What are you up to, son?

Reading...

The kids love playing with letters.

We received some magnetic letters for Christmas.  These have become a favorite activity.  This occupies some little minds for at least 1/2 an hour.  Anyone who is a parent of little ones, understands how long that can be!

They line up the letters of the alphabet and spell their names.  They are starting to put short words together.

Who can beat fun learning?!

Mmmmmm....

Lemon Walnut Bread...

I think I am in love...

How Do You...

How do you spend a cold, wintry afternoon?

My kids love to spend it playing Chutes and Ladders with Daddy.

You know, kids don't need you to spend tons of money on them to have a blast!  They just want your time.  They want your attention.

They want you!

Why Do I Doubt...

Do you ever doubt?  I know I do.  Sometimes, I secretly... quietly... only letting the deepest recesses of my mind acknowlegde it... doubt that God will supply our needs.

And then he does something so amazing that I wonder how I could ever doubt him.  I wonder why I ever let Satan that foothold.  God has NEVER let me down yet.  He doesn't always answer me in the way I expect or in the way I would choose for myself... but He always answers, and with my best interest in mind.  He is so amazing.

Yesterday, a couple from church stopped by our house with 5 or 6 boxes of puzzles, books and educational stuff for the kids.  This stuff had been sitting in their basement and when they prayed about who it should go to, they immediately thought of us. 

Today, someone brought us potatoes, broccoli, onions, 3 turkey breasts, and a huge bag of tortillas.  Why?  They didn't have room for it and wanted to bless our family.  They, again, prayed about it and felt God leading them to share this stuff with our family.  God supplies, people!  He supplies!

I am sitting here, writing this blog in amazement.  I am so amazed at how God not only blessed our family, but their family as well.  A double whammy! 

When we face what sometimes feels like huge challenges, God never forgets about me.  Little old me...  Little, insignificant... sometimes doubting ME!

He loves me and you...  He really loves me.

So, why do I ever doubt... when I know He holds me in His hands?!

Update on Adoption Friend...

As many of you know, I have a friend whose family is in the midst of adopting a couple of beautiful children from Haiti. They broght their daughter home on Christmas Eve. Thank God for his blessings. Their son, however, didn't have all of the completed visa stuff. So, they were planning to have him home before summer.

Then the earthquake happened.

They do have some documented proof that he is alive and where he is at the moment. Thank goodness another adoptive family was over there when this all took place and is able to verify.

My friend and his family are now trying to work with our government to get their son an emergency visa so they can bring him home and get him out of the destruction. Please pray for this family. This young man needs to come home to his family. Pray that the government makes a way for this child to get off of the streets and come home to a loving family that can't wait to wrap their arms around him.

I Am Smiling...

This was the laundry that was done for the day...

Below are my laundry baskets...

Now, I just wish you could see the smile on my face!

It is so rare, in a house with this many, to ever see the end of your laundry... and even when you do see the end for the day... you know that tomorrow is just a few hours away... and it all starts over again.

But...

For now...

I am smiling!