Caramel Rolls

I added some butter and brown sugar to some cinnamon rolls to make caramel rolls for our breakfast this morning. They are rising beautifully! We need the heat as it was -23 degrees this morning.

Mike has been on 32-hour work weeks so the night shift this past week was really nice. He got home at 10:45 P.M. instead of 2:45 A.M. That works for us! However, last night the kids were still partying and a few were still awake when he came home. :)

Nothing is scheduled on the calendar for today. Not even school, but three of the kids have some work to catch up on. Such is life...

Farming

Well, I will have to admit that my free moments have turned to farming lately. I don't have a farm like my friends do; I've been trying to build a profitable farm on Facebook. I get to have a few of the pleasures of having a farm but without the smell. :) If you're on Facebook and have a few extra minutes, please send me some trees and/or animals.

Today we had a family over for lunch before Mike had to go to work. They have seven children and are expecting another later this year. It was lots of fun, and Tracy really enjoyed it because she had friends to play games with her. I made a couple roasts with the potatoes, carrots, and gravy to go with them, and they brought some chocolate chip cookie bars. Of course, the bars went over better than the meal. :)

Tonight the kids and I went to Awana. Melissa brought snacks for her age group so we made and frosted cookies for that and brought grapes too. Emily finished the hardest section in her book (John 10:10-18,) Jason finished his book, I'm not sure about Aaron, and Tracy got to go swimming. She's been helping with the 3rd through 6th grade girls, and those that were at least half way in their books got to go swimming.

Tonight was "Take a Picture with Sparky" night. When Laura and I got back from dropping Melissa off, Sparky was already there. Laura stood there looking and looking and puckering and puckering farther and farther before she finally started to cry. She sat on my lap, holding me with a "death grip" and eventually fell asleep. Later in the evening I happened to mention "Sparky" while she was on the floor coloring. She dropped the crayons and climbed onto my lap again and wouldn't let go. I'll have to say that it was one of the calmest Awana nights having to take care of Laura without Mike there. :) We didn't even try to get a picture of her with Sparky this year because of her extreme fear, but you can see her last year in this post.

Cinnamon Rolls

I think the cinnamon dough rose. :) I was trying to give the yeast a head-start by putting it with the sweetener and water before the rest of the ingredients because it is out-dated. I forgot about that and dumped my regular water in the bread machine after I had the other ingredients in there so ended up with a double batch. I know children like Aaron won't mind, but I think I'll bring a pan over to the family with the twins and make them a meal to go with it.

A Fun Day

My family made a quick trip up to see us today so we had lots of fun visiting, eating, and playing games. After they left, the day seemed kind of boring so Mike and I figured out the taxes since his W-2 came in today's mail. We e-filed the federal as we've done for the past three years, but we still do a paper return for state. It was fun doing that this year because we will get the education credit for the kids' school supplies and music lessons. Oh, the dog has been sulking ever since they left because he wanted to go to their house for a visit.

This evening I sent out several "gifts" to some friends on Facebook and have decided to swamp my mom with cows tomorrow morning when those renew. :) She keeps giving me cow things for gifts and commented recently that she's supposed to be getting cows. :)

Other than that, things are going well. Laura is up and going full-swing because she got a late nap. There's a possibility I may get to babysit the twins on Tuesday while my friends go to a hockey game to hear some other friends of ours sing the National Anthem. I sure hope it pans out. Babies grow so quickly, and I've missed seeing them two days in a row now. :(

Oh, we "fancied" the girls' hair today for Grandma's and Grandpa's visit. It took a lot of time; now I know why I don't do that on a regular basis. :)

Another Day

I would guess I'm spending too much time with the twins because Laura is playing more with Tracy and only using me to nurse.

Psalm 95:1-11

1. Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods.
4. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also.
5. The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land.
6. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear his voice:
8. "Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness,
9. When your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they saw My work.
10. For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, 'It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.'
11. So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest.'"

Put to Work

I put my wide-awake girls to work at 11:00 P.M. :)

The Babies are Here!

My friend had a scheduled c-section this morning, and the babies were really wedged in there. It's no wonder; there was a LOT of BABY in there! :)

Here is baby Stephen, born second, who was 6# 6 oz.

Here is baby Michael who was 5# 12 oz. Both were 19 1/2 inches.They both have the perfect amount of light brown hair for baby boys.

Hi Mommy! I'm taking over your blog to let your readers know that the twins arrived safe and sound. Plus I thought it would be fun to post on your blog. :) Tracy

My Family Grew

My friend is having her twins tomorrow so I have her four other children here overnight. Once we get the call, I'll be taking them to the hospital to see their new brothers. I don't think there will be much sleep over here tonight; they're quite excited. :)

Matthew 6:9-13

9. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11. Give us this day our daily bread.
12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Invasion of the Dinosaurs

The kids got a kit for Christmas with some dinosaur molds, plaster of Paris, and paints so had fun making these the other day.



Today went well. We managed to get a little bit of school work done and the house fairly presentable. It even got above zero degrees!!!

UPS came and brought me pictures from Emily's birthday, Christmas, and before so once I date and sort them, I can start getting them into albums.

Another Day

Today (well, Thursday) we went about our normal weekday business when the phone rang. It was the orthodontist saying that they needed another impression of Jason's lower teeth since the lab was having trouble getting his appliance fitted. The poor boy! He already had to do them over again since they messed up on the time table for the new year's flex benefits so I felt badly for him.

I went to the grocery store and picked up some sale items from a "one-day sale" at our store. I'll have to admit that a lot of them were convenience items, but whatever works is what I do sometimes. :)

We got Emily's footprint stamped for her birthday thank you cards so hopefully we can get those written over the weekend and mailed Monday. Our friend with the twins is supposed to be having them Monday morning. At this point I'll have her other four children overnight Sunday and will bring them to the hospital Monday morning after the twins are born. Then the picture taking begins...

Check out this neat skirt a friend of mine made for her daughter.

Christmas Gifts

I thought we were done with "Christmas," but the last round of gifts showed up by Fed Ex today. :) Melissa has really been enjoying hers.

Isaiah 14:13 and Revelation 20:10

These are two verses Jason has been working on this week.

Isaiah 14:13 For you [Satan] have said in your heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north."

Revelation 20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Snow Crystals

Aaron enjoyed the snow crystals.

Let the Cows Come Home

Mike is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good. :)

Two Priceless Photos

Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits

Our fruit and yogurt parfaits were such a success at the New Year's Eve party that we made some more for home. We made them a bit sweeter here at home by adding more Cool Whip to the yogurt. The berries were raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries we had picked this summer, and I got the yogurt for 99 cents on a mark-down shelf and used about half of it. The Cool Whip was a 19-cent item at one of our grocery stores, and I probably used half of it also. The kids enjoyed counting out the blueberries to put into them, and I was cutting the strawberries to make them smaller. The raspberries were just "crumbling" on me so it was easy to put a spoonful of them in. I made some granola the next day to top them with, but the majority of the cups were eaten before it was done. :)

Emily's 7th Birthday

My New Year's Baby is 7 years old already! Time sure does fly by quickly. We were in Bemidji the morning of her birthday so she could open her gifts from Kim and we could share her cake with Grandma and Grandpa.



After we drove home, she had some gifts here to open from us and both sets of grandparents.


We made her a pizza for her supper.

Taking a Vacation

I'm taking a vacation from blogging for a while. See you soon!

Horses

We find horses in some of the strangest places in our house. :)

Another Try

We think we figured out the culprits on this Christmas card. It appears to be going to everyone who got a Christmas card from Winn and Betsy. Thanks for putting us on a mailing list, guys. :)

Blooper Number 1

Well, it is now 2009. I have written one check for our phone bill. I wrote 2008!!! :)