11/28/06

The week is starting off with a bang and busy as always. I am thoroughly enjoying my lights and Christmas decorations, though. :) Last night I just sat on the couch with Wesley... he read to me but I kind of fell asleep for a few minutes... and then I just looked at the Christmas tree and other lights. I just enjoy them all.

Steve picked up our new woodstove insert yesterday. It is sitting in our garage waiting to be installed on Thursday. We are really excited about it. Steve just had to take a peek. :) I will probably take a picture of it so don't be surprised. hee hee

Here is a picture of the middle of my mantle today. It is a porcelain set that used to be my grandmother's. I love it. I used to have it on the table in the foyer but decided to move it to where I had Mary and baby Jesus last year. I don't do change well, but sometimes it IS OK. :)

Wesley is now in the bathtub so Mikayla is waiting to take hers and is serving all of us "coffee" and such. She calls us her customers. I think she's going to enjoy cooking a lot more than her mother. At least, I hope so. ha!!

Well, no papers to grade tonight! YIPEE! I plan on finishing my Christmas cards. Gotta get 'em out soon!!

Have a great day and go enjoy your Christmas decorations...or someone else's. :)

11/26/06

We have had a great weekend following a downpour rainy week. We were able to get some of our Christmas up through my days off and got our tree on Friday. Our tree is quite cute and we were tickled with it when we found it. I don't always have to have "the perfect tree" but a cost- effective one is nice. ha!!! Steve and I put the lights on it on Friday night and the kids and I decorated it last night. We had to move it from the "normal" spot this year because of our wood stove insert we are getting. Steve was afraid it would get a little too hot. I actually think I like it better where we moved it. Not that we moved it across the whole room or anything, but change for me is hard in any aspect so this was BIG for me. ha! You wouldn't believe how many times Steve and I moved furniture to get the room looking right...and all for a Christmas tree!!!

Usually I put the round ball red, green, gold and glittery ornaments on my tree. Well, this year, that didn't happen. lol Wesley and Mikayla were so excited about their ornaments that they started on those. I used to have a "system" but now that is all out the window. ;) They were thrilled to see all of the ornament boxes with their names on them. I LOVE Hallmark ornaments so I always put their names on the ornaments bought for them. They pulled out all of those and left mine in the box. Our tree this year is filled with homemade ornaments, Hallmark ornaments (mainly) and those that were given to me or ones Steve and I had bought when we were first married. Our tree is one of wonderful ornaments that fill me with memories each time I look at them. I will be sharing some of them up close during the season.

I gave Wesley and Mikayla each 3 new Hallmark ornaments this year. My tradition started out with one. Last year I went up to two, and this year it became three. ha!! I just can't help myself. I got one that is a box of chocolates. ;) I'll definitely share that one this week!! I got Steve the "Grinch" ornament as well as the movie because he has been "complaining" that he never sees it on TV anymore. I solved that problem for him. I gave Mikayla the Cinderella Slipper, Tinkerbell and Pansy Fairy. Wesley got the John Deere tractor, old Ford truck, and Chevrolet car from 1961. They were so excited.

The kids had fun decorating the tree. They did better this year than last year. They loved all of the memories they had of their ornaments, too. I was able to share with them some tidbits about their ornaments they may not have remembered.

My memories were a bit saddened, though, at the realization that some who were here last year aren't here this year. I thought of my adopted grandfather who passed away in August, and Miss Pearl who passed away at the end of October. She dearly loved Christmas and looking at our tree when she kept the twins. I still can't believe they are gone.

I still have a few things to decorate around the house, but they'll get out eventually. I changed around my mantle a little bit this year so I'll share that. I always want Christ as the focus on my mantle. I treasure the porcelain pieces that were my grandmothers. I look forward to seeing those each year.

Well, it is back to reality and school tomorrow so I need to get off of here and get some things done. I'll be back soon with another picture of Christmas. :)

OH..forgot...I recently found out that none of my pictures I entered in two contests won anything. That is alright...I truly didn't think they would. There are just too many people out there that entered. Truly, as long as I enjoy my pictures it really doesn't matter what other people think. I know I am still a work in progress. lol

11/23/06

Another year for which to thank the Lord. I am humbled each day when He shows me areas I need to work on improving. He continues to show me I need to make sure I stop whining and start trusting Him in everything. I have grown so much in that, but I also know I have so much more to learn. I am thankful for the Lord's patience.

I thought I'd share today what I am most thankful for this year. The list will seem a lot like times in the past, but today I just want to praise the Lord for His goodness to me.

1. My salvation through Jesus Christ.

2. My family
-Mom and Dad...they have been through a lot but show that true love lasts the test of time.
-brother...who teaches me so many things that I am listening to and learning from
-Steve...who loves me unconditionally and helps me SO much. He also makes me laugh. :)
-my sweet children...who just act a little too much like their mother sometimes..

3. Friends who make me laugh and let me cry...who love me unconditionally for who I am.

4. The warmth of hugs

5. The feel of my children's feet in my hands. Mikayla's are still soft, but Wesley is beginning to get that "boy" feel to his...more rough. I cherish those sweet feet.

6. Food...why should I even complain about what is in front of me? I have so much more than others..

7. My home...it is ours and God has blessed us so much for there are so many who have nothing.

8. Warmth of heat....and a new stove insert on its way. I thought so much in the past few days as we have had the Noreaster of those without heat. I was thankful I still had heat even though I didn't have my fireplace.

9. Clothes to wear....It is so easy to go shopping and look at all you DON'T have, but when you look at what you DO have it is a humbling thing. I am thankful I have warm clothes to put on my body. I just need to make sure I still fit in them. :)

10. The ability to hear, speak, touch, taste and see. I have been able to see many wondrous things this year that are a part of God's Creation. He blesses us each day with another day of His glory.

11. My cat...she keeps me company and loves to be near me. :)

12. Our dogs...they love Steve and I love them from afar. :)

13. My children's laughter

14. A job that I enjoy

15. My extended family/ inlaws

16. My children's accepting of the Lord as their Savior this year.

17. Tractors and butterflies

18. A clean home...when it can happen. :)

19. Christmas tree ornaments!!!

20. God giving me the ability to learn how to photograph objects and people. I DO NOT know it all by any means, but I am thankful He is giving me the ability to learn more and more each time I take photographs. I am thankful to those who have given me the opportunity to take photos of their children/families. What valuable experience I have gained from that. I am also thankful for my photography friends who give me pointers. I love my little hobby. :)

The list could truly go on and on but I guess I need to finish up. God is good all the time...All the time God is good. Thank Him today for His goodness and remember that without Him you are nothing. He holds those who know Him in the palm of His hands and He will never leave us nor forsake us. I am so thankful. Try your hand at a list of thankfulness today. You will be amazed at all of your blessings.

11/21/06

Short week at school. I am thankful. :)

We are having a Noreaster around here and it is COLD. It feels so much colder because of all the rain. It is amazing how that will chill you to the bone. It makes me so thankful for my home and the warmth it has in it.

We are getting our wood stove insert next week sometime. I am looking forward to it because I have missed our fireplace!!! It is amazing how much I have missed it. Just for old time sake I posted my fireplace picture. It surely would be nice to have that right now. ha!

I am going shopping with one of my best friends tomorrow. I am excited... it has been a long time since I have done something like this. Steve is watching our kids and hers. Of course, her kids are my daughters best friends so she is in hog heaven over that. We're supposed to go bowling with everyone later on. It should be a lot of fun.

I'm working on my Christmas cards. I find that I never fully get certain things done because I add another thing to my list. ha! It won't take me long to finish them, but I know that I am may not work on them tonight because I just want to crash. I need to get back into my hot chocolate mode but my friend got me hooked on sherbert floats. hee hee

You know, I just realized I have had my digital camera for a year now. I believe I got it a year ago this past weekend. Have I said lately how much I love that thing? What a joy it is not to waste film anymore and take as many pictures as my heart desires. :)

I don't have papers to grade tonight so I am off to chill by the fireplace with no fire. I'm just glad to be still for a few moments. Enjoy your evening and if you live in my area... try not to get too wet. :)

11/19/06

Here are a couple more pictures from the lake yesterday. It was such a beautiful day.

Well, this morning Mikayla woke up with a high fever again so I took her to an Urgent Care. The doctor said her throat was bad and her lungs sounded bad. He gave her a strep test and a chest x-ray. Thankfully, her chest was clear so he felt she had bronchitis instead of pneumonia. Her strep test came back negative, but he said many times they give a false read. If you had seen her throat like I did then it would be evident something was wrong. He put her on a strong antibiotic and a stronger cough syrup. She is feeling much better tonight.

Wesley is doing a lot better, too. None of us went to church today. It was a bit of a weird day.

We watched a lot of movies this afternoon to give the kids time to be quiet and rest. That is what they needed more than anything else right now. I am so glad they are feeling somewhat better. Unfortunately, Mikayla will miss her Thanksgiving Feast at school tomorrow. Wesley missed it last year because of an ear infection. I was so hoping they both would get a chance to be there this year, but it is not to be. We'll have to celebrate hers tomorrow night like we did Wesley's last year.

I am off to grade all the papers I brought home for the weekend. It definitely hasn't been a normal one!!! God is good...He took care of us through it all. For that I am truly thankful. Have a blessed day!

11/18/06

First of all.... we found Mam!!!! God was so good to lead us to where he was. None of us slept well last night. Wesley cried a lot of the night and I shed a few tears myself. I kept having weird dreams all night, too. Mikayla was precious, though, and drew Wesley a picture and told him he could keep her lamb until he found his. The faith of a child!!! This morning I asked Steve if we could check school one more time before we went to his dad's and he agreed it would be a good idea. I told the Lord that I knew HE knew where Mam was and to please lead us there. When we got back to school we checked my room and then Wesley went to check out the bathroom... and he found him!! He must have taken him with him there before we left for the doctor. I told him that we needed to thank somebody and he said "Jesus!" He prayed right then and thanked the Lord for helping him find Mam. I felt so much relief.

We went to Steve's Dad's and Step-Mom's today to celebrate Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful day and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Steve and I went for a walk with all of the kids. I was lagging behind a lot because I was taking pictures. :) Who would have thought THAT? I got some pretty pictures of leaves that I am sharing with you in this post! :)

When we left we got home and found that Mikayla girl had 103 degree temperature!! It jumped on her all of a sudden!!! I couldn't believe it. She doesn't hurt anywhere so we're thinking it is viral, but she has had a cough for a long time and I am concerned that it is walking pneumonia or something. Between Wesley and now Mikayla we aren't going to church tomorrow... I think we may be taking her to the doctor tomorrow, too. It seems we are having one saga after another this weekend!!!

Enjoy the pictures. :) Hopefully tomorrow will be better for Mikayla Girl.

11/17/06

We are in a bit of distress around here tonight. Wesley has lost "Mam"..his beloved Lamb he has had since he was three weeks old. I had to take him to the doctor after school today because he was not feeling well and his ears were hurting. He said he remembers throwing "Mam" back into the van when he got out at the doctors but doesn't remember anything else. We had to pick Mikayla up from her play date afterwards and I was so hoping that he had carried it in there and accidentally left it. They have searched their house, too, and haven't found him. I even went back to school to see if we actually left him there instead, but I couldn't find him.

I must say that this is affecting me as badly as Wesley. I want to sit down and cry!! Mam is so much a part of our family and I always said that when they grew out of their "lovies" I would take them and keep them myself. I truly am "sick" about this.

I was so upset that Wesley misplaced him that I haven't brought myself to think about asking the Lord to help us. Total shame on me. My daughter was the one to put me in my place. She ran in to ask me to come see what she typed to God on the computer. I walk in and this is what is in a Word document: "dear god ples hep as to fid mem ples god ples hep as to fid mem htac you" (dear God, please help us to find Mam, please God, please help us to find Mam. Thank you.) First of all...how precious is that...and second of all it made me feel like someone had slapped me for me to be so upset over this and not take it to the Lord.

I truly don't know if we'll find Mam....Steve has now gone back to the doctor's office to see if maybe he fell out of the van and could still be in the parking lot. Mikayla gave Wesley her lamb that is just like his but has pink on its feet instead of blue. That was precious, too. Everyone...just pray that we truly do find Mam...

I have papers to grade but am not in the right frame of mind for it. I'll just go do what my daughter has already done and ask the Lord to guide us. I realize it is only a stuffed animal, but what memories and special moments we have had with Mam. I just didn't want them to be over at age six!!!

11/15/06

Just thought I'd share a few fall pictures today. When I got home from school I actually had a little bit of time to enjoy walking around the yard and take a few pictures. I actually took quite a bit but only a few turned out. I knew it wouldn't be much. :) That last one is of the sun going down in our back yard. The clouds were kind of neat looking so I tried to capture it. Enjoy the pictures today!!

11/11/06

Today I finally took some pictures of fall leaves. Two of the trees in our front yard were looking very pretty in the morning sun. I still didn't capture what I had hoped, but they didn't turn out terrible. I took a ton of pictures and only selected a few. It is hard to deal with the sun coming through the trees. Here is one of my favorites. You can click on it to see it larger. :)

I did scrapbook today, however, I had "things" that distracted me. One example: wasps. It seems we have wasps entering our house somehow. Between Thursday night and today we have killed about a dozen. They are just flying in our house. Steve seems to think they are coming from the chimney. I can't understand how since we just had it cleaned, but it could be a possibility. There were two that came in this morning. I was brave and killed one of them, but the other one was big and I needed Steve to help me with that one. He made fun of me.... I will be the first to say I don't do critters very well. The insect kind or the small mammal kind. Other distractions were washing clothes, the beauty of the day and wandering outside taking pictures of leaves and going shopping with my Daddy. All in all it was a nice, relaxing day, though. I cherish these kinds of days!!!

My brother's friend bought Cars and The Little Mermaid for Wesley and Mikayla. They came yesterday so my brother brought them down. We are going to watch Cars tonight and Mermaid tomorrow night. The kids are quite excited. It will be fun to curl up together again. I'm off now to get ready for that. Enjoy your evening. :)

11/10/06

This is one of my favorite flower pics from the fair. It is of morning glories. I LOVE morning glories, but most people hate them. I just see a lot of beauty and elegance in them. They were pretty with the barn as the back drop.

Here is my weekly post, it seems. ha! Another busy week but a lot was accomplished.

In honor of Veteran's Day we had a special chapel on Wednesday that was WONDERFUL. I was brought to tears many times during the chapel just thinking about what these men and women have done to preserve our country. So many times we whine and complain when really we should be down on our knees thanking the Lord we are FREE. That freedom definitely came with a price. One of the speakers brought up a good point. Freedom isn't really FREE...it is paid for with a lot of lives. I am so thankful for those lives... those that fought long ago as well as those fighting now. It was a beautiful celebration honoring our Veteran's. I hope we do it every year.

Our weather is doing the typical fall time stuff right now. Very cold one day and hot the next. Today it was near 80 and this past Monday it was only in the 50's. My poor body is feeling it, too. ha!! I now have a cold that I am fighting. It is par for the course this time of year, though. You just deal with it and move on. It was a BEAUTIFUL day today and this weekend it is supposed to be the same. If I am to get out and take fall pictures I had BETTER do it quickly. Those leaves are going to be gone before I can turn around.

You know how I wrote about our fireplace being messed up? Well, we have looked into a wood stove insert. At first we were thinking we were going to have to wait to get one because they "ain't cheap"...but it seems as though the Lord is making a way for us to go ahead and get one. This past weekend when we had such cold, damp weather I was missing our fireplace something awful. I didn't realize how much I would miss it... figured I could do the "mind over matter" thing, but it DID NOT work. lol Still, though, I was content to deal with it unless the Lord showed us another way. I have prayed specifically for the Lord to work it out. We are still waiting to know for sure, but it looks as though we'll be having one for the winter. I am still sad that I won't hear the crackle of my fireplace, but the warmth will be there. We have also learned they are more efficient and we won't go through as much firewood. All I know is that I have left it in the Lord's hands and He will do what He sees fit.

My Daddy just called...we are going on a "secret" mission tomorrow to buy Mom's Christmas gifts. hee heee....I am glad he is doing it now and not December 21. He has done that before and it has been interesting... I was going to scrapbook all day tomorrow, but this will not be that much time. It will be time well spent with my Daddy. :)

The kids got to go home at 1:30 twice this week. They were SO excited. I am so thankful they have those chances. They need a break. Today they came home and finished cleaning the house (I started last night) and did their responsibilities and then they got to play while Steve mowed the grass. (He was off today for Veteran's Day) Apparently, they were down in the barn area where Steve had built a ramp for his lawnmower and log splitter and were pretending that was their house. Steve said they had all the bikes and stuff there. Mikayla told us that it was their house and there had been some robbers there that they had to get rid of. She said they were even in the back yard! To hear her tell the story is quite funny. :) I LOVE hearing their tales of adventure with their imaginations. I miss hearing them as often. School doesn't allow for that type of play as much as we would like.

Tonight we went out to eat (what is new?) and went on an errand. On the way home we listened to one of our favorite Christmas CD's (Patti Loveless Bluegrass, White Snow) and we were all singing together. It was wonderful hearing Wesley and Mikayla's voices with ours. Of course, to other people it may not have been pretty, but for us it was great. Steve said we should go on the road as the "Fowler Family Singers"... I think not. lol BUT...how sweet were those voices with ours. We had a "movie night". The kids watched the movie and Steve and I "passed out" in the recliner and on the couch. We are a wild bunch, you know. At least the kids had fun and got to watch the movie. They are now having a "sleepover" in Mikayla's room. :) Memories...that is what it is all about.

Well, I guess I should try to read my book. Steve has already finished the book before the one I am on and is needing to start this one. Unfortunately for him, I fall asleep too easily and do not get much read ...if any pages at all. I'll try to stay up tonight and read since I have had a nap already. lol Have a good one. Just remember... I may not post as often right now, but that doens't mean my life is boring. hee hee

11/4/06

Here is a picture of my sillies from Halloween. They were so fun and cute that night. :)

A good day today. I got up late and did a few things that needed to be done but did them at a slower pace. :) Then, I got myself presentable and was able to work on my scrapbooking for a bit. (something that has been SO neglected lately) Then, some friends of ours came over and we went out for a "photo shoot." I took them to a local park and took pictures of their family and then individually. I loved it. If it hadn't of been so chilly I would have probably taken more! ha!! It was a great day to be JUST ME. Sometimes I feel that I lose who I am in my daily responsibilities. It is so easy to do when you are pulled in so many directions.

I was talking with my friends tonight about how the Lord works and moves in our lives. I talked about how my week was a bit stressful at times but how the Lord stepped in and showed me what I needed to see and hear. He purposefully puts people and events in our paths to make us look more to HIM and not try to do it ourselves. I am finding that with raising these precious children I need Him more and more each day to guide me because I can feel so lost. As I was cleaning up the other night and reviewing the week I had had I began to think. (May I just say that vacuuming is a great time to pray and talk to the Lord because you HAVE to tune all other things out because you truly can't hear them! lol) I began to ask the Lord, "WHY can't this be easier? Why are things always so hard?" A still small voice said to me "If everything in life was easy you wouldn't need Me." Oh, how true that is!! When we are weak, HE is strong. When we fail, HE succeeds. When we are at our limit, HE supplies more.

I was also reminded during that cleaning moment that God loves us no matter what. He loves us when we don't obey Him for the fiftieth time. He never gives up on us. He loved me so much He sent His Son to die for me. WOW. The older I get the more I understand. I am so thankful He never gives up on me. Even though this week has been difficult in the parenting world, I can look back and see that the Lord has allowed some pruning in my life to help me depend upon Him. May God get the full glory for the pruning. May God continue to help me with the parenting trials I face. Only He can give us the help we need to raise these children to honor and glorify Him. It isn't easy in this world we live in.

Steve had to work for most of the day and all night again today. We have missed him. He has to work tomorrow, too. The kids fell asleep watching a movie and I just put them to bed. It was priceless seeing them asleep like that. I am thankful for those moments. I guess I'm going to go put myself to bed, too. Steve won't get home until late. I don't know if I can stay awake that long. lol Have a wonderful day. :)

11/3/06

Ack, it has been a week again. I just can't believe how busy life is and how I never get on here.

It has actually been a long week. I guess it was the time change. When I woke up yesterday I just knew it HAD to be Friday but I was sadly mistaken that it was Thursday. ha!

Miss Pearl's funeral was on Tuesday. Unfortunately, we found out the morning OF the funeral. They had not prepared enough for it and were going to wait a few days, but then decided at the last minute to go ahead with it. I was heartbroken because we were all going but at that short notice I couldn't leave school. My Mom was able to go and she said the service was sweet. It still causes me to have tears in my eyes when I think of Miss Pearl and the fact that she is gone. I have thought about her a lot this week. I am going to take Wesley and Mikayla to her gravesite this weekend so we can put flowers on her grave. They need that. They were quite sad that they didn't get a chance to go to the funeral, too.

It is our peak weekend to see the trees colors. As I have been driving down the road the past few days I have seen SO many beautiful colors. I just love when I see the sun shining through the leaves and casting shadows. I really miss having the time to take photos like that. With time change and school I get home too late.

On Wednesday I took photos for one of my parents. She wanted me to take pictures of her children for something she is doing for Christmas. She was very pleased with them. It gave me practice, too. I still have so much to learn. It is amazing how much differently you look through the camera lens when it is not your own children. I will say, though, that I tried to make sure I took the kinds of pictures I would want of my own children. I am going to take photos on Saturday of a family that are our friends. I am looking forward to it and hope that I will get some great shots for them.

Steve has to work all weekend. We will miss him. He helped me clean the house yesterday. (Actually, EVERYONE worked on this house...it was disastrous.) I appreciated him helping me because it surely can get overwhelming. The kids and I are going to have a relaxing evening tonight. We're going to have a "picnic" in the den and watch a movie before they go to bed early. They have had a busy week!!! Between Halloween and other stuff we have been on the go. OH...I have forgotten to post pictures of Halloween!! I'll get on that tonight.

Well, I need to go figure out what we're having for supper. :) Enjoy your evening. I'll share more photos later. The one above is the ONLY one of fall leaves I have taken that was worth much. Of course, when you only take 5 very quickly outside of your van at work when you are leaving one afternoon, what do you expect???? Maybe I can capture some this weekend....