Skillet - O Come, O Come Emmanuel (Official Music Video)

Skillet released a new Christmas Song - with an old carol.  I thought it was a good way to start out the listening season!  :-)  

Our weekly Snapsot

 Here’s a look back at our week 

Saturday night we had a snow storm and ended up with about 7 inches of snow.  Church was canceled on Sunday so we had fun in the snow before shoveling. 

A few of our teens ftom our co-op played Christmas music at a local retirement community. 

We started the reading of our Grinch calendar 

We had dinner and played a game with my brother and sister-in-law, Kel and Deb. 

Josh and Nate attended a teen brunch with friends from our co-op on Thursday.  Nate and I then headed downtown Grand Rapids for his semi-annual pulmonary appointment.  After we got home I realized we didn’t take our photo in the sky bridge like we normally do!  

On Friday I attended a funeral for a gentleman that we knew first through his job at Meijer as the manger but later through lots of our friends that were related to him.  He was a great example of Jesus.   

Weekly Menu - The Countdown Continues

Winter is here and it hit hard!  Lots of snow, freezing rain, more snow, and cold.  I enjoy the changing seasons but, even for me, this intense bite of winter is just a bit much.  I keep looking ahead in the weather hoping for a few more days of 40 degrees HA!  

Here's the plan for the coming week: 

Friday - Shrimp and Grits 

Saturday - we are off to get our tree! I'm planning Meatballs and Homemade Mac and Cheese to enjoy with decorating. 

Sunday - Turkey Breast, potatoes, and a veggie

Monday - Chicken Noodle Soup, crackers and bread

Tuesday - Pasta Carbonara 

Wednesday - Youth Group (Chicken Noodle Soup or Tenders) 

Thursday - Josh has his final drum recital this evening which means a quick early dinner.  I think we should have leftover chicken and or turkey breast so I will just make a big pan of fried rice.  It's easy to eat and quick to make! 

December Goals

 

It's really hard to believe that it is already December.  At the end of this month I'll take a look back at my 2026 goals and see if I stayed on track.  It's interesting sometimes to see how my goals have changed since January.  Things that felt important 12 months ago are not such a big deal now.  Anyway, I am really supposed to be talking about December goals!  Listed below are the items I'm hoping to accomplish this month as I wrap up the year.  

1. Have all gifts purchased and wrapped by December 20th.  

2. Plan Nate's birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese.  It's not that much - really just pick the date and reserve the space.  

3. Take a couple boxes of books to Baker Bookhouse to sell.  

4. Continue with my current "habits" - Swish and Swipe, Making my Bed, The "resets" (Monday Morning, a quick walk through at night, and a weekly blessing hour), Taking out the trash from all rooms on Wednesday, and finally sticking to the laundry schedule.  

5. Organize the garage.  I'm not focusing on a deep clean but rather just organizing what is there for now.  The complete clean-out needs to wait for spring when it is a little warmer! 

6. Read my advent Devotional.  

7. Review my 101-1001 goals - I had some that I was hoping to get done this year; so check my progress and see if I can wrap any other goals up by the end of the year

8. Scrapbook - my goal is to be able to scrapbook every single day over Christmas break.  I haven't decided what my main project will be but I'd really like to finish 2011 and 2025.  

9. I have 2-3 bins that hold all kinds of Co-op supplies.  I plan to sort through them all, organize it, get rid of what I will never use, and try to use up supplies this next semester without buying new!  

10. Plan the first 2-3 weeks of both of my co-op classes

11. As I'm writing this at the beginning of December, it makes me a little sad to type this one BUT . . .. undecorate for Christmas inside and outside by December 31st.  The same way I decorated - literally one bin a day.  

12. Write my resume (in case the perfect work from home or super simple part time job happened to drop in my lap that would fit perfectly into my schedule with my guys) 

13. Write my 2026 Goals including picking out my 12 piano songs to learn and 6 songs to sing at church.  I would like to copy them and put them all in a binder so instead of having a bunch of books hanging out on the piano I will just have my binder.  

14. Pick out these three things for January:  1 nonfiction book (I have a bunch saved in my Amazon "book list" to choose from), 1 verse for January - and write it out on an index card to hang in the kitchen and on my bedroom mirror  and the first writing scripture list (I'll explain this more when I write my 2026 goals) 

15. Write a "honey do list" for Darryl :-) LOL  I have a short list of things that are not in my wheelhouse; Darryl is really great at fixing things and putting things together.  I always chalk it up to being left handed - everything is backwards!  (Plus I have no patience for some things ha!) 

My last goal?  Simply to enjoy the season.  Enjoy the traditions, listen to Christmas music, enjoy our Grinch Calendar with the teens, find a few Christmas things to do together.  I want to savor December and not get lost in the rush of commercialism.  The lights, the Joy, the true reason for the season - Jesus. 

JJ Heller - Thanksgiving Song (Official Lyric Video)

Our weekly snapshot

 Here’s a look back at our week. 

We had a great Thanksgiving day (even if the Lions lost!) 

Weekly Menu --- Here comes . . . the holidays!

 We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving and now it is the full holiday "swing".  We even got winter weather this week to bring in that feeling of Christmas.  (I could do without the slick roads though!)  Here's the plan for the coming week.  

Friday - As is our tradition, we will head back to my mom's for a dinner of leftovers!  

Saturday - Fish and Chips (fries) 

Sunday - pork roast, stuffing, and green beans 

Monday - pulled pork tacos

Tuesday - my brother and sister-in-law are in town

Wednesday - Chicken noodle soup

Thursday - hamburger stroganoff and noodles 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Matthew West - Gobble Gobble (Official Video)

Since it is Thanksgiving Week -- This song must be shared! 

Our weekly snapshot

 Here’s a look back at our week! 

Our animals enjoying a snooze on a quiet Saturday. 

Joshua and Nate had a great weekend at Elite Retreat.  

Weekly Menu - Just like that it is Thanksgiving

 It is time for Thanksgiving.  It is hard to believe that we are at this time of year already!  I love as all the Christmas lights start to appear and everything just seems so festive! I have a few carry overs from last week as 1) the guys had pizza at youth group on Wednesday so I didn't have to feed them 2) Two whole pizzas were sent home with us on Wednesday so guess what we ate on Thursday night for dinner??? LOL  and 3) Darryl and I then had the Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup on Friday since the guys were off to a birthday Party!   

Friday - Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup 

Saturday - Dinner at my mom's

Sunday  -Chili and Fritos 

Monday - Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

Tuesday - Shrimp and Grits

Wednesday- Beef tips and noodles 

Thursday - Thanksgiving! 

November Goals

 Yes, it is a little late in the month to be posting these here but the good news is that I had them written at the start of November and have been working on some of them. I really post them here because I enjoy looking back at them in future years to see 1) What I accomplished and 2) To remind of things that need to be revisited. Any way, here's the list! (Sorry for the weird spacing and such - I copied it from a word document and it doesn't "paste" in quite the same) 

November Goals

Uncompleted Goals from August, September and October

1.     Scrapbooking Goals

a.    2025 – Complete February, March, April, May, June, July, August and September

b.    2011 – Complete April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December

c.    Make a list of the 50 states not visited in the album and find pictures for the ones we have visited.

d.    2 months of memorabilia – put in albums or have ready to go in albums.

2.    Flylady

a.    August Routine – Swish and Swipe

3

4l Living Room and Dining Room Deep Cleaning

a.    Wipe down the walls, dust everything, wash insides of windows

5.    Clean out the garage

6.    Fall clean-up of the yard

7.    Finish fixing the lawnmower

8.    Hang things in Josh’s room

9.    Fix the board on Nate’s bed

10.  Call Spectrum to change our bill

11.  Daily Devotions and Prayer Journal

12.  Co-Op

a.    Clean out my SR files and narrow it down to just want I need.

b.    Work on Secretary Procedures

13.  Piano

a.    Work on It is Well with my Soul for offertory

b.    Pick an easier song to work on for November

c.    Pick a Christmas song for December

14.  Clean the Outsides of the Windows

15.  Memorize Verses for June, July, August, and September. And October (101-1001)

17.  Move Dad Koll’s piano (this won't happen until spring at this point) 

18.  Fix and/or Sell the Pop-up

19.  Repaint all the things in the house white (that are white)

20. Read Non-Fiction books (June, July, August, September, October)

November Goals

1.     Accomplish as many of the “old” goals as possible

2.    Decorate for Christmas

a.    Outside

b.    Inside

3.    Scrapbooking Goals

a.    2025 – Complete October

b.    2017 – Complete January, February, March, April and May

c.    Memorabilia – Continue sorting and putting in albums. When this is done, begin work on updating Heritage Albums

d.    Scrapbooking Date Goals

                                          i.    November 9^th – Virtural Weekend (but only really free on Sunday)

                                        ii.    November 14-16 – Kids are at a retreat so I have lots of time hopefully

                                       iii.    November 21-23

                                       iv.    November 28-30 – Hoping to have my own at home “retreat” since it is Thanksgiving weekend (Meaning, just enjoying scrapbooking on the holiday weekend)

4.    Cleaning Goals

a.    Basement – Continue with the overall basement cleanout.  30 minutes a day (Usually Mondays, Tuesdays, and sometimes Thursdays).  Have my guys help carry up donations and trash on Tuesdays.

b.    Flylady

                                          i.    Continue with routines (making the bed, Swish and Swipe, Monday Morning Reset, 15 minutes nightly put away, and a Friday home blessing hour

                                        ii.    November goal is Laundry – more about setting up a better routine with doing certain items each day verses multiple loads all in one day.

c.    Deep Cleaning/Decluttering Room – Bathroom

5.    Holiday Decorating

a.    Take down the outside Halloween Décor

b.    Put up the outside Christmas Décor

c.    Decorate inside for Christmas

6.    Date with Darryl

7.    Enjoy a Family Fun Day (A new goal to do this monthly) 

8.    Do Prayer journal and devos

9.    Co-Op

a.    Begin working on class ideas for next semester

10.  Plan Nate’s 16^th birthday Party at Chuck-E-Cheese

a.    Pick a date and reserve when possible

b.    Create invites for him

11.  Write and Update my resume

12.  Fix the Grinch calendar (order new ribbon) and have all items for the pockets by November 30^th

13.  Memorize November’s verse

14.  Read one non-fiction book this month

15.  Goal is to have 50% of my Christmas shopping done by December 1^st.  Also need to plan money for Josh and Nate to shop plus stockings

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The Stand - Jaime Jamgochian

Weekly Snapshot

Here's a look back at our week! 

Last Saturday was our Co-Op's Drama Club producation of "Knock Knock".  Nate had one of the two leads.  It was such a great play and Nate did just amazing.  

Our first snow arrived early!  Sunday morning we woke up to snow  and it snow throughout the day.  Don't worry though, it warmed up by Monday and melted it all.  

Wednesday night the guys had youth group and played some fun games.  Nothing better than stacking Oreos on your friends face LOL 

A lot of people were posting their photos of the Northern Lights but this is all I saw.  It was still a beautiful cloudless sky but just without all of the beautiful color! 

Nate is preparing to test for his second black belt.  He had to show some forms to his teacher on Thursday.  I'm in awe of how far he has come in the last few years.  

Finally, we took the guys to Elite Retreat on Friday.  I snuck a photo of them working together to shut Nate's suitcase.  (He recently bought a nice suitcase from a local thrift shop for $4.00.  He likes carrying one back to camp with everything from his clothes to his blanket inside) 

They let me get a good photo of them before we left!  Elite Retreat is a camp that is invitation only - something you earn when you attend summer camp.  Their summer counselor can recommend them, which he did, and the weekend is designed for the campers who want to dig deeper into God's word and grow in their spiritual walk.  It is more intense and they teems build relationships with each other as well as with the counselors.  I'm so thankful that they both have an opportunity to attend.