A brother's love is so sweet!
Lily the cutie
Sants comes to visit Christmas morning
All our children and Santa
Friday, December 26, 2008
A Few Christmas Pictures
Joel in his new Spiderman sunglasses
A brother's love is so sweet!
Lily the cutie
Sants comes to visit Christmas morning
All our children and Santa
A brother's love is so sweet!
Lily the cutie
Sants comes to visit Christmas morning
All our children and Santa
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Another Sneak Peak
Here are a few more of my Christmas gift projects I finished.
Two fleece blankets
This one will be for Odell. I double layered it and tied the layers together.
I saw this monkey fleece and knew Alan would just love it! He likes monkeys(sorry Marcus). Alan's fleece blanket is double layered but instead of tying the layers together I machine sewed them and used my straight rotary cutter to cut a 3 1/2 inch border on the outside of the sewing line.I curved the corners too.Very cute.I have 4 more fleece blankets to make but each should only take about 20 minutes.
I thought Elena's sewing tin turned out very cute.I used the scraps I had of a group of dessert themed fabric that Elena liked.
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A few more neat things to mention...a kind family dropped off some groceries today!Cereal,milk,supplies to make a spaghetti dinner,and a bunch more things.How very kind!The kids were so exited because the family included chocolate milk! We heated it up as an after dinner treat of hot chocolate.Very tasty!
Another family dropped of a whole bunch of wood for our fireplace!I bet it will take us through the whole winter.Thank you!!!
Last night another man dropped off a Hyvee deli gift certificate for a dinner of ham and all the fixings for our Christmas dinner!
I try and share these kindnesses not to show how needy we are but to encourage those who might be afraid to step out in faith and do what God is asking you to do.It can be very scary to step outside of what is safe and comfortable but God is faithful and will not lead you somewhere and then fade into the background.He walks ahead preparing the way and will not abandon you.Our family is a living testimony to God's faithfulness.We really are.
Psalm 37:25
I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread.
Two fleece blankets
This one will be for Odell. I double layered it and tied the layers together.
I saw this monkey fleece and knew Alan would just love it! He likes monkeys(sorry Marcus). Alan's fleece blanket is double layered but instead of tying the layers together I machine sewed them and used my straight rotary cutter to cut a 3 1/2 inch border on the outside of the sewing line.I curved the corners too.Very cute.I have 4 more fleece blankets to make but each should only take about 20 minutes.
I thought Elena's sewing tin turned out very cute.I used the scraps I had of a group of dessert themed fabric that Elena liked.
*****************
A few more neat things to mention...a kind family dropped off some groceries today!Cereal,milk,supplies to make a spaghetti dinner,and a bunch more things.How very kind!The kids were so exited because the family included chocolate milk! We heated it up as an after dinner treat of hot chocolate.Very tasty!
Another family dropped of a whole bunch of wood for our fireplace!I bet it will take us through the whole winter.Thank you!!!
Last night another man dropped off a Hyvee deli gift certificate for a dinner of ham and all the fixings for our Christmas dinner!
I try and share these kindnesses not to show how needy we are but to encourage those who might be afraid to step out in faith and do what God is asking you to do.It can be very scary to step outside of what is safe and comfortable but God is faithful and will not lead you somewhere and then fade into the background.He walks ahead preparing the way and will not abandon you.Our family is a living testimony to God's faithfulness.We really are.
Psalm 37:25
I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Our 3rd Annual Frye Caroling Party Fun!!!
We had a great time at our 3rd Annual Frye Caroling Party!!!
Thank you to all who braved the snow and cold to come. Since it was very cold and snowy we stayed at our house and ate and sang and ate some more!! It sure was a fun afternoon.
The winner of our cookie drawing was Mrs. Sandy Lee! Sandy I hope you enjoy the cookies!
I did not take very many pictures but I took a sound bite and added it to one of my pictures so enjoy!This is my first try at editing.Pretty neat.
The food
Joel and Grace enjoying the fun
Thank you to all who braved the snow and cold to come. Since it was very cold and snowy we stayed at our house and ate and sang and ate some more!! It sure was a fun afternoon.
The winner of our cookie drawing was Mrs. Sandy Lee! Sandy I hope you enjoy the cookies!
I did not take very many pictures but I took a sound bite and added it to one of my pictures so enjoy!This is my first try at editing.Pretty neat.
The food
Joel and Grace enjoying the fun
My Homemade Christmas!!!
A blog that I really really enjoy is called The Purl Bee . There are some very cute projects I am working on for the kids.I am making the Purl Frog for Josh,very easy pincushion for each girl, and fabric beach balls for Lily.
So far I have most of Josh's frog gift done. I still need to make his top and a few other changes of clothes for him. Alan helped make the frog a battle shield and a pouch of swords. Of course, I had to make a feather bed, a fleece blanket and a quilt to keep the frog cozy! I made a cute storage tin to put the frog and all his supplies in. Playing stuffties it a big deal over at my house even with the boys.The boy version of the stufftie game has more to do with battles and blood shed than playing house but it keeps them entertained!
Here is a peak at what I am making for the girls.I have to explain...we go through so many canned goods around here and I had the greatest idea! The girls all have been asking for my needles,fabric scraps,thread,and the like to make mini quilts and clothes for their stuffties and barbies.I wanted to get them all their own sewing baskets with all the fun supplies to go with it but that would cost a semi-small fortune buying for 7 of the girls plus Josh! I thought hmmm...how about making them each their own sewing tin!That would be free and very fun to do.Anyway, here are my partly done decoupaged sewing tins.I still have to add edging,a final layer of glue,line them and add ribbon handles.I will fill them with stuff from my sewing stash.I did buy eight .88$ sewing kits that I will add to each.Other than the sewing kits these gifts are from things I already have around the house.Pretty neat.
I will make the pin cushions to put in the sewing tins and get Lily's balls done in the next few days.I have a few fleece blankets to make as well.I will take pictures of the projects after they are all done to show you.
So far I have most of Josh's frog gift done. I still need to make his top and a few other changes of clothes for him. Alan helped make the frog a battle shield and a pouch of swords. Of course, I had to make a feather bed, a fleece blanket and a quilt to keep the frog cozy! I made a cute storage tin to put the frog and all his supplies in. Playing stuffties it a big deal over at my house even with the boys.The boy version of the stufftie game has more to do with battles and blood shed than playing house but it keeps them entertained!
Here is a peak at what I am making for the girls.I have to explain...we go through so many canned goods around here and I had the greatest idea! The girls all have been asking for my needles,fabric scraps,thread,and the like to make mini quilts and clothes for their stuffties and barbies.I wanted to get them all their own sewing baskets with all the fun supplies to go with it but that would cost a semi-small fortune buying for 7 of the girls plus Josh! I thought hmmm...how about making them each their own sewing tin!That would be free and very fun to do.Anyway, here are my partly done decoupaged sewing tins.I still have to add edging,a final layer of glue,line them and add ribbon handles.I will fill them with stuff from my sewing stash.I did buy eight .88$ sewing kits that I will add to each.Other than the sewing kits these gifts are from things I already have around the house.Pretty neat.
I will make the pin cushions to put in the sewing tins and get Lily's balls done in the next few days.I have a few fleece blankets to make as well.I will take pictures of the projects after they are all done to show you.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Highlights
Hurray! Our furnace is fixed!It was a simple clogged hose or something like that...No worries Barb! This doesn't mean I will cancel our girls' Caribbean island vacation! ;-)
I heard rumors today that Lily was eating her poop while she was in her playpen...hmmm...I saw no evidence of that when I checked on Lily. I went to the source of the rumor and I was told it was true. Here is the scoop. Alan saw Lily sitting in her playpen this morning with her diaper off lying next to her as she sat as happy as a clam playing with a piece of her poop. What would an 11 year old do in this instance you might think...call his mom maybe,leave and pretend he knew nothing about it? No, sweet Alan took the poop away,re-diapered her and wiped off her hands and went on with his day.What do you think about that!? Good kid that Alan. I will need to remember not to put Lily in a dress without tights or a diaper cover anymore.Sorry Lily, no more poop eating for you!
Grant is very proud of his basketball picture in a 13 year old boy sort of way.Grant is in the green shorts. He really is enjoying his basketball season.
I heard rumors today that Lily was eating her poop while she was in her playpen...hmmm...I saw no evidence of that when I checked on Lily. I went to the source of the rumor and I was told it was true. Here is the scoop. Alan saw Lily sitting in her playpen this morning with her diaper off lying next to her as she sat as happy as a clam playing with a piece of her poop. What would an 11 year old do in this instance you might think...call his mom maybe,leave and pretend he knew nothing about it? No, sweet Alan took the poop away,re-diapered her and wiped off her hands and went on with his day.What do you think about that!? Good kid that Alan. I will need to remember not to put Lily in a dress without tights or a diaper cover anymore.Sorry Lily, no more poop eating for you!
Grant is very proud of his basketball picture in a 13 year old boy sort of way.Grant is in the green shorts. He really is enjoying his basketball season.
Our Frye Cookie Exchange Rap-Up
We had our Frye Cookie Exchange Party Monday night. We are all pretty tired of cookies but it sure was fun.I might just be the only mom who thinks that a few cookies can be declared an actual meal.
Here is Elena helping Cyrus make his cookies a few hours before our party.Cyrus was a little worried I would forget to let him make his.I kind of did but Elena remembered...did I ever mention that Elena is my right-hand-man(young lady in this case)?
All of our cookies
Our cookies from another angle
Cyrus had a great idea to have a cookie giveaway Sunday at our 3rd Annual Frye Caroling Party. We each put in one of our cookies as a part of the giveaway.Looks very impressive.
Here is Elena helping Cyrus make his cookies a few hours before our party.Cyrus was a little worried I would forget to let him make his.I kind of did but Elena remembered...did I ever mention that Elena is my right-hand-man(young lady in this case)?
All of our cookies
Our cookies from another angle
Cyrus had a great idea to have a cookie giveaway Sunday at our 3rd Annual Frye Caroling Party. We each put in one of our cookies as a part of the giveaway.Looks very impressive.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Thomson/Reuters Childrens Christmas Party
Thanks to Gail and Shawn Gray for taking pictures of Jeff and the kids at Jeff's work party this past Saturday!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Happy Birthday Jeff!!!
Jeff's birthday was yesterday but we decided to have a birthday brunch today after church to celebrate instead.
We made one of Jeff's favorite things:hash brown potatoes with sausage,onions, and eggs all mixed together.I know there is a name for it but I forgot at this moment.We had some fresh apples which are a rare thing at our house these days and a great chocolate chip/cinnamon coffee cake/birthday cake.An A++++ meal!
A few of the kids getting Jeff's birthday brunch ready
Happy Birthday dear daddy...
"What could this be?", Jeff wonders to himself.
"Hey,great!My own box of cereal!I do not even have to share!"
We made one of Jeff's favorite things:hash brown potatoes with sausage,onions, and eggs all mixed together.I know there is a name for it but I forgot at this moment.We had some fresh apples which are a rare thing at our house these days and a great chocolate chip/cinnamon coffee cake/birthday cake.An A++++ meal!
A few of the kids getting Jeff's birthday brunch ready
Happy Birthday dear daddy...
"What could this be?", Jeff wonders to himself.
"Hey,great!My own box of cereal!I do not even have to share!"
Thoughts From a Pondering Pooh Bear
I started this post planning to write a few deep and pondering thoughts but now I just can not remember what I was pondering so deeply about...I am sounding a little like Pooh Bear right now.Feeling a little like him as well...must be sampling so many cookies this weekend.
We had a few very generous gifts given to us this past week.A family dropped off 16 Walmart gift cards.One for each of us.I was very speechless! We will put them to good use!
We were blessed with the leftovers from our church's Candlelight Dinner... rice,glazed carrots and scalloped potatoes.SO good!Our church also brought us over a lot of cookies from their cookie exchange!Beautiful cookies.Umm...now my kids' cookies are good and all but there is something nice about another adult making cookies that you know you most likely will not bite into a big chunk of unmixed flour,hit an extra salty spot, or that they will not insist on combining all cookie frosting into a grey/brown color.
A family passed on to us a bunch of very nice older boy clothes and jackets as well as a few warmer jackets for the littler girls.Just in time..."The weather outside is frightfull...". Thank you!!!
Jeff drove most of the kids up to his work's children Christmas Party Saturday.They all had a lot of fun.On the way home his van overheated.We still did not get it fixed but he thought it would be OK for the hour long journey but it was not.Sadly, now even the heat is not working so they were all very cold!
A few nice men stopped to help and pointed out that the van had a flat tire as well!The kind men helped put on the spare tire.They even had fancy tools and let the bigger boys screw in the tire screws with their electric screwdriver.Jeff and the kids made it home OK.They used the van to drive to church this morning and finish up a few paper routes they could not get done because of the van trouble.
Notice that I was cozy at home the whole time...I REALLY do not like cold weather.It is -2 right now and I am sure the windchill is making it even colder.Now I am under 7 blankets with a small electric heater close by.Our house is very cold tonight.One of our furnaces is not working very well so it is very cold in the old part of the house.I suppose I could go to the warmer part of the house but I am OK as long as I do not move.Summer when will you be back!
We had a few very generous gifts given to us this past week.A family dropped off 16 Walmart gift cards.One for each of us.I was very speechless! We will put them to good use!
We were blessed with the leftovers from our church's Candlelight Dinner... rice,glazed carrots and scalloped potatoes.SO good!Our church also brought us over a lot of cookies from their cookie exchange!Beautiful cookies.Umm...now my kids' cookies are good and all but there is something nice about another adult making cookies that you know you most likely will not bite into a big chunk of unmixed flour,hit an extra salty spot, or that they will not insist on combining all cookie frosting into a grey/brown color.
A family passed on to us a bunch of very nice older boy clothes and jackets as well as a few warmer jackets for the littler girls.Just in time..."The weather outside is frightfull...". Thank you!!!
Jeff drove most of the kids up to his work's children Christmas Party Saturday.They all had a lot of fun.On the way home his van overheated.We still did not get it fixed but he thought it would be OK for the hour long journey but it was not.Sadly, now even the heat is not working so they were all very cold!
A few nice men stopped to help and pointed out that the van had a flat tire as well!The kind men helped put on the spare tire.They even had fancy tools and let the bigger boys screw in the tire screws with their electric screwdriver.Jeff and the kids made it home OK.They used the van to drive to church this morning and finish up a few paper routes they could not get done because of the van trouble.
Notice that I was cozy at home the whole time...I REALLY do not like cold weather.It is -2 right now and I am sure the windchill is making it even colder.Now I am under 7 blankets with a small electric heater close by.Our house is very cold tonight.One of our furnaces is not working very well so it is very cold in the old part of the house.I suppose I could go to the warmer part of the house but I am OK as long as I do not move.Summer when will you be back!
Frye Cookie Exchange Prep Continues
Days two and three of our cookie baking spree.
We have everything done except Cyrus's Chocolate nut cookies,one batch of snickerdoodles and chocolate crinkles.I did add a batch of chocolate bird's nest cookies which taste terrific!Maybe I can skip the snickerdoodles and chocolate crinkles.
I am sure by now you all wish you were a Frye!I am sure that if you "just happened to stop by" tomorrow night we would overlook that minor detail.
We have everything done except Cyrus's Chocolate nut cookies,one batch of snickerdoodles and chocolate crinkles.I did add a batch of chocolate bird's nest cookies which taste terrific!Maybe I can skip the snickerdoodles and chocolate crinkles.
I am sure by now you all wish you were a Frye!I am sure that if you "just happened to stop by" tomorrow night we would overlook that minor detail.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Frye Cookie Exchange Prep...
I had this fun idea to host a Frye Cookie Exchange this next Monday...the guests you might ask... just 14 of the cutest kids and husband in the world...yes, the world.
Well there is really only one flaw in my plan and that is my kitchen is the center of a crazy cookie cooking frenzy.Sixteen different types of cookies needing to be made by Monday.
Here is the cookie list:
Chocolate Chip (made)
Russian Tea Cakes (made)
Jimmy Carter Jumbles
Day and Night Cookies
Peanut butter and Jelly Thumbprints
Chocolate Macadamian (Sp?)
Oatmeal (made)
Hershey Kiss Cookies (made)
Frosted Sugar cookies
M & M Cookies (made)
Rice Crispy Balls
Peanut butter with peanut butter m&ms
Cocoa Puff Cereal Balls
Snicker doodles
Coconut Raspberry thumbprint cookies
Chocolate Crinkles
Evening # 1 of cookie baking craziness
Well there is really only one flaw in my plan and that is my kitchen is the center of a crazy cookie cooking frenzy.Sixteen different types of cookies needing to be made by Monday.
Here is the cookie list:
Chocolate Chip (made)
Russian Tea Cakes (made)
Jimmy Carter Jumbles
Day and Night Cookies
Peanut butter and Jelly Thumbprints
Chocolate Macadamian (Sp?)
Oatmeal (made)
Hershey Kiss Cookies (made)
Frosted Sugar cookies
M & M Cookies (made)
Rice Crispy Balls
Peanut butter with peanut butter m&ms
Cocoa Puff Cereal Balls
Snicker doodles
Coconut Raspberry thumbprint cookies
Chocolate Crinkles
Evening # 1 of cookie baking craziness
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