Birthday Joy

Happy 7th Birthday to my sweet little LR! 

Your smile is contagious and your boundless joy brightens our lives!
We love you! 

Menu Plan

I didn't get around to posting yesterday.  Too much on my plate.  We finally had someone come out and take a look at our leaky pipes.  It appears that he was able to fix the leak, but he thinks maybe there is another one somewhere that we haven't found yet.  I guess we'll see what the winter brings.  That's what you get when you buy a house "as is."

Anyway, here's my menu for the rest of the week:
Tuesday:  Baked potato bar
Wednesday: Lasagna (I've been craving it...it's a super easy recipe, but not the cheapest.)
Thursday: Crock Pot Chicken Stroganoff
Friday: Ham and Hashbrown Casserole Bake (Shh!  If I call it a casserole my husband won't eat it.)
Saturday: Chicken Quesadillas (Per request of my 9yr old.)
Sunday: Leftovers

There it is folks!  I've done my weekly shopping and I'm fully prepared.  Love that feeling!  What's on your menu this week?

~Melissa

Wisdom Matters

We've hit a bit of a rough patch with rules, discipline, and obedience around here lately.  With five kids, we try to be very clear about what we expect, and as consistent as possible with consequences when there are infractions.  Lately though, limits have been tested, and buttons have been pushed.  What seemed to be working before is now broken.  You know that verse "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him?"  (James 1:5) Well, that's me.  I've been asking God to give us the wisdom that we need to make the right parenting choices.

If ever you're having a hard time as a parent, you should head straight to the book of James.  Talk about encouraging, and at the same time, very humbling.  I've been reading it, re-reading it, and now I plan to memorize one particular verse that I landed on today about wisdom. (Siesta Scripture Memory Verse 21)

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy." -James 3:17

I am a person that naturally loves lists.  So when a verse in the bible has a list in it, I sit up and take notes.  In this verse, the list is instructing about what wisdom from heaven looks like.  Let's take another look.

Wisdom from above is:
first pure
then peaceable
gentle
reasonable
full of mercy and good fruits
unwavering
without hypocrisy

Anyone else have some difficulties with that list?  Reasonable, unwavering, and without hypocrisy are probably my top three that I struggle with.  Hmm...I can't pray for wisdom without expecting opportunities to practice the things on this list.  The good news is that I don't have to develop these character traits on my own.  God is helping me to become more like His Son every day.  He has given me His Holy Spirit as my helper, His word to instruct me, and prayer as a means of communication with Him. 

Yes, I have all the tools I need to be a Godly parent.  And the good news is, you do too!

"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." -2 Cor. 9:8


Seeking to Know Him More,
~Melissa

My Trunk or Treators

We took the kids trunk or treating last night in a safe, well lit, monitored parking lot.  It was at my in-law's ACE, put on by the Milton-Freewater PTA.  I am so glad my kids don't care that their costumes were mostly homemade, and they didn't complain that they didn't get enough candy.  (There were only a little over a dozen cars participating.)  It was fun enough for them that we were all out together having a good time and there were even a couple of games set up for them to play.  When we were done we went inside to store to say hi to their Papa.  I love being in town with family!

*Not pictured here: JS*

BC the Pirate

CD "Bones"

LR the Good Witch

RL the Cat

Menu Monday

Well, it's the last day of October and I am ready to face a new month.  November is one of my favorite months.  Not just because we have three birthdays in November to celebrate, but because family gathers together for Thanksgiving, and this year, my Brother in Law is returning home from Afghanistan and he and his fiance will be joining us here in town for the holiday.

Tonight's meal is already in the crockpot, so it will be waiting for us after a fun round of "Trunk-or-Treating" in the parking lot of my in-law's ACE Hardware.  I also baked banana-chocolate-chip muffins for snack this afternoon.

Monday: Round Steak and Rice
Tuesday: Chicken Enchilada Soup
Wednesday: Tater Tot Casserole
Thursday: Chili and Corn Bread
Friday: Breakfast
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Pizza Night

Have a wonderful week!
~Melissa

Our First Break and other Fun Events

We certainly have had an interesting week here!  It all started on Tuesday.  The internet and our phones were down most of Tuesday because a construction crew hit a fiber optics cable line about an hour from our house.  It knocked out the entire region's internet/phones, which made work a little challenging.  We had to do most of the day's transactions off line at my in-law's ACE where I work, and our Dollar Plus store had to accept cash only.

A little after 1:00pm I got a phone call from the school that RL was in the nurse's office with a chipped tooth.  She had fallen off one of the toys at recess.  The school nurse told me it wasn't that bad of a chip but it was best to have it checked out because it was one of her permanent teeth.  After talking to RL and determined she would be ok to until the end of the day, got off the phone with her, and made a dentist appointment for 4:00pm that afternoon.

Not an hour later I got a call from the school again.  I picked it up thinking RL had gotten worse for some reason, only to find out that my 8yr old son, BC, had fallen off the spider toy at recess and possibly broken his arm.  Since we haven't experienced any broken bones here yet, I asked the secretary's opinion (the nurse had already gone home) about what I should do.  She said he could probably wait until the end of the day also, which at this point was only about 40 minutes or so.  I opted for that, instead of pulling all the kids out early and taking them all with me to the clinic.

I called my DH and asked him if there was any way he could make it home in the next half hour and updated him on the situation.  He told me he was already on his way home and he'd go with me to the school so that one of us could take BC to the clinic and the other could take RL and the rest of the gang to the dentist.

It was a long afternoon, but one tooth cap and one arm splint later we were all back at home for dinner.  Turns out RL chipped enough of her front tooth that they had to cap it to avoid further possible damage.  As for BC, they sent him home in a splint with a broken humerus bone (just above his elbow) because they needed to wait for the swelling to go down before putting it in a cast. 

The rest of the week was a piece of cake compared to Tuesday, but on Wednesday the internet was down again due to the same exact construction crew.  I think someone needs to be fired.  Then this morning I noticed that my rear right tire was low so I took it in to be looked at and get air.  Good thing I did because it had a pretty big leak and it was almost flat by the time I got there.

BC got his cast on this morning and he will have it for 4-6 weeks.  He chose Orange for two reasons.  First, Halloween is on Monday.  Second, his school colors are Orange and Black.  At least we won't lose him in a crowd!  Mom got first dibs on signing it.  I gave him a Sharpe mini to carry around with him and I'm sure it will fill up fast.

So that's my week.  I am glad it's the weekend.  I'm looking forward to an uneventful one.  Tonight I plan to take dinner to our neighbors that had their baby two weeks ago.  Other than that, I'm just going to hang out with the fam.

Have a great weekend all!

~Melissa

10 Things Tuesday on Friday

Ok.  So it's not Tuesday.  But sometimes a girl just has to stop and give thanks.  Otherwise, the events of a very trying week could consume her thoughts with negativity.  Why allow that when there are so many positive, good things to dwell on? 

1. Little man is feeling much better and so am I.  We spent lots of time cuddling this week.  Not that I would ever ask for one of my kids to be sick, but it really does bring out the "nurturer" in me.  Even when I'm not feeling well myself.

2. Fall has finally decided to show itself.  Last year I didn't get to savor my favorite season because it seems like we went from Summer to Winter overnight.  I really do love the many colors of the leaves and the warm days and crisp nights.  Not to mention the tastes of Fall like apple cider, and pumpkin spice muffins and lattes!

3. Although I am definitely not a morning person, I really have enjoyed watching the sun rise over the beautiful hills that surround us here.  We have a big picture window in our dining space that nicely frames them.  This morning was a particularly glorious sun rise with oranges and pinks and purples reflecting off of a few scattered fluffy clouds.  If only I could paint!  I would capture the image forever on canvas.

4. I've had some great dinner conversation with my kids this week at the dinner table.  I know that the days will quickly come when there will be kids missing from the dinner table due to activities and sports.  I want to cherish the moments that we spend together eating dinner as a family.  My favorite night was when we went around the table and showed our appreciation for each kid by highlighting something special about them and then giving them a round of applause.

5. We finally got half of our firewood delivered yesterday.  My garage is filled with the fresh scent of Oak.  I'm so thankful that we have two fireplaces to help heat this big home this winter.  When it does get cold here it gets really cold.  If I remember correctly from the last time we lived here, it can even get to sub zero temps.  That's without a wind chill factor.  I will say that I'm glad that those days the sun is usually shining bright.  It may not warm us, but I can face the cold days a lot better when the sun is shining.

6.  Here's a sad one from last weekend, but it's worthy of sharing.  I went to my dear friend's dad's funeral last weekend.  She was my babysitter growing up so I knew her dad pretty well.  I was so thankful that my husband watched the kids for me for the weekend so I could go and support her. 

7. While I was driving across the state to get there I had a lot of good worship and prayer time with God.  I really enjoyed the uninterrupted time (6 1/2 hours one way) in the car.  It felt like catching up with an old friend.

8. The funeral was in my home town so I got to stay at my mom's house.  While I was there I visited with my Grandma, who lives just down the hill.  I loved waking up in the morning to hug my mom and have a cup of coffee with her.  My sister joined us on Saturday and she and I went to see a movie together Saturday night.  That's something we haven't done in years!  It was wonderful to visit with my family, even though it was only for a couple of days.

9. While I was away, my neighbor had her baby!  I am waiting to go take a peek because I know how difficult the first week home can be.  I will eventually put together a meal for them and a basket of goodies for their other two children, but for now, they have family taking good care of them.  I am so thankful that God put us next door to them.  We've already become good friends.

10. We're going to try out our Pastor Friend's church again this weekend.  We've checked out a few other churches in the area and none have really been for us.  LIFE Church is very lively and they are seeing lots of people come to Jesus every week.  They have a really good kids' program and great worship.  I love to listen to the Pastor preach because he has a lot of passion for God's Word and how it applies to our lives today.  I hope that we can finally get plugged into a church that is right for our family.

Well, that's 10!  I sure do have a lot to be thankful about!  It's like I always tell my kids: When you're having a bad day (week), just be thankful!  Find something positive to think about and that will make it easier to walk through any trial that comes your way.

To quote the wise prophetess of the book of Judges, Deborah, during a difficult time of her life, "March on, my soul, be strong!"  (Judges 5:21b)

Have a great weekend all!
~Melissa