30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 5

Day 5 - Your Siblings
I have three older brothers who are wonderful!!  They are all older than me (so yes, I'm the only girl and the baby) but I have to say, there is nothing better than having three protectors!!  I seriously don't think anyone has better siblings than I do!

My oldest brother, Kel, is a missionary in Brazil with his family.  He and his wife, Deb, have 4 kids.  The oldest two are in the states - Kaleb is married and graduated this past May from Cedarville University.  He and his wife now live in Colorado and we miss them!!  Alicia is a senior at Cedarville University majoring in nursing.  The other two (shown above) Marisa and Micah are currently in Brazil. Ten things about my brother Kel
1) He  is extremely organized and very much a planner. 
2) He is also very caring with a compassionate heart.
3) He is a lot of fun to be around.
4)  He is a great preacher and teacher - he was actually my 6th grade Sunday school teacher!!
5) He is a Godly man.
6) He is a great father who adores his children (and his children adore him too!)
7) He is sincere - if he says he is going to do something, he will.
8) He's honest - if you ask him his opinion, he will tell you.
9) He's got the best laugh - it's one of those "big" laughs that you can't miss . . well, I miss it because I don't get to hear it very often!
10) He's a hard worker - when something needs done, he does it - he's helped us move and never complained!
I miss him and the rest of his family very, very much and am looking forward to when they come home again!

The next brother is Jeff.  He and his wife, Nora, live in Indiana with their two children - Brittany and Brandon.  Jeff is a high school principal at a Christian School.  Ten Things about my brother Jeff:
1) He is fantastic at what he does - he is so good at working with people and running a program to its fullest potential.
2)  I have to say that Jeff is very intelligent - I would place him in the "genius" category.  When I was in grad school, I would call him and ask him to explain my statistic class notes, which he could do easily. 
3) He's a great teacher - whether speaking in church, teaching a class or seminar, or just talking one on one, he's very good at explaining things in an understandable way
4) He's fun - he's got that sly sense of humor; very subtle so no one knows it's him . ..
5) He's Godly and follows God's leading
6) He doesn't give up - even when life throws him lemons, he doesn't give up.
7) He's tough - I don't think he feels pain, seriously.
8) He's kindhearted.
9) He's a great father - he has two wonderful kids who I think agree!
10) He's level headed - he is not an over-reactor (is that a word?)

Last but not least is Ken.  Ken and his wife, Lynnette, live in Michigan and have three kids, Braedon, Seth and Kate.  Ken is the preacher. Ten things about my brother Ken:
1.  He is a great preacher - sometimes, when it is your sibling, it is hard to listen to them preach, but Ken has really become an awesome preacher.  I wish I could hear him more.
2. He's a caring person, wanting to make sure others are happy.
3. He's a lot of fun.  Seriously, he really is - he makes us all laugh.
4. He's a great dad - just look at his kids :-)
5. He's a Godly man - he really follows what God teaches. (I guess that would be practicing what he preaches!)
6. He's likable.  Because Ken and I have always lived fairly close to each other, I've had more opportunity to see this play out.  "Everyone" always seems to like him.
7. He is a worker - whether it be to help other people or to finish his own house, he isn't afraid of a little work.
8. He is outgoing - he isn't afraid to talk to people.
9. He has a ton of energy, even in his "old" age - I've seen him as a camp counselor, youth pastor and now as pastor - that energy always carries through.
10. He's kind - in the way he treats both friends and family.

I could say a lot more about all of my brothers but I don't want to bore you :-)  I will say that when we are all together, we laugh and laugh.  If you looked in the windows, you'd probably think we were crazy.  But isn't that what family is? Crazy fun!!!  I'm so thankful for my siblings - I know that no matter what happens in my life, they will always be there.  We may not talk often but we are always there for each other.

Worship Wednesday - Hallelujah

I heard this song on the radio coming home from church last week and just really enjoyed it so I thought I'd share!  It's call Hallelujah by Heather Williams. I had never heard of her before nor had I heard the song but it stuck with me all week!  I wish it would play on my player but this Link will allow you to see the video. 

Enjoy :-)

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 4

Day 4: Your Parents
My parents are some pretty special people!  My dad is a preacher and has been for about 38 years.  He is also an electrician, and electrical engineer.  For years, when my brothers and I were growing up, he always worked two jobs - one as a full time pastor and one doing electrical work of some kind.  Despite his busy schedule, he always had time for family.  He is excellent at explaining things (like geometry!) and always has a lesson to teach :-)  Beyond that though, he is also a great helper.  He is willing to help any of us kids when we need it!  My dad is caring, kind, and a lot of fun.

My mom is a pretty wonderful person too.  She was a stay at home mom for years but when two of my brothers were in college at the same time, she did work part time to help them out.  She also cleaned a neighbors house so she could send us each spending money.  She is willing to step in and help in anyway she can and her biggest pleasure, is helping her kids and grand kids.  Eventually she also became the church secretary for my dad and did that until she retired to stay home and care for my grandma who lived with them for several years.  Now, she loves to quilt, take care of her grand kids whenever she can, and take little trips with my dad.  My mom is fun, kind, and caring.

Halloween Memory Card Game

I had scene several versions of this game floating around on some blogs so I decided to create one.  This year we are using it more for identification of the different fall/Halloween things but next year, and for a few years after that I know it will be a fun memory game to play in October too!

First, you need to choose your pictures and print them.  I choose to use some photos actually created by someone else and had them printed at Walgreens as 5 x7's.  This saved me time and also saved a lot of ink in my printer.

Than, cut each photo in half.

I than rounded the corners on my photos - I liked the look better than the pointed edges.

You will also need scrapbook paper or card stock to attach the pictures too.  Cut your paper just slightly larger than the photos and, again, I rounded the edges.

Finally, I did laminate them with contact paper.  I would suggest, if you have access to a laminating machine, use that instead.  Contact paper isn't as permanent since you don't get the heat element and I do have a few cards that are peeling. 

Here are two links to help you with the project:
1) First, this was the original link I saw and it includes the instructions as well as a place to purchase and download Halloween/fall clip art . I had originally planned to do this so I had the pictures but since time was running out I "cheated".  http://oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com/2010/10/special-guest-post-halloween-matching.html

2) Here is my "cheating" post - this is from a blogger who created the cards and made them available to save and use.  The downside is using someone else's choice of photos but this saved me so much time, I couldn't pass it up!
http://oopsey-daisy.blogspot.com/2010/10/free-download-halloween-game-from-lil.html

I'm hoping to be able to make one of these games for Christmas too.  I think that seasonal things, like this, for kids are great because you can pull them out and play with them to get the excitement around a holiday built up.  What a great way to make memories!

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 3

Day 3: Your First Love
When I read this I knew it was "easy" and than I read Katie's post from Katie's Journey and felt a little guilty!  The first love that I thought of is my Husband because he truly is my first love, at least humanly speaking.  Spiritually, Jesus Christ is my first love without a doubt. But, I'm going to focus on my husband for this entry.  I met my husband, as I said in the previous post, through a match-maker service on-line.  He was the only person I ever dated (other than a stray "set-up" date here and there which always bombed) and we both knew by about the 3rd date that we were meant for each other!  We met On-line on October 31st, 2000; Talked on the phone for the first time the week before Thanksgiving; Met in person on December 16th, 2000; Got engaged on March 18th, 2001 and got Married on August 4, 2001.  Yep - that fast :-)  When you are old, like we were, you know when it's right (I was 28 when we met and he was 34).  He is my perfect match.  He balances me out completely - I am a planner; so I tell him all the plans for the next two years (hehehe) and he changes them - he has taught me it is ok to be flexible and that, surprisingly, doing something spur of the moment is ok!  He is kind, funny, and loves me just the way I am (which is the most important thing LOL) 

August 4, 2001

Sept 25, 2010 (He looks so serious, doesn't he?)

So I figured since I had to list 15 things about myself, I would list 15 things I love about my husband
1. He's tall - 6'3  I prayed specifically that God would give me someone tall!!
2. He's funny - he has such a dry, sarcastic since of humor - just like me.
3. He's compassionate
4. He's kind - he doesn't like to hurt other people and will sometimes do things he doesn't want to do just so he doesn't inconvenience someone else
5. He's musical - very musical.  He plays guitar but more than that he writes music.  I love listening to the CD's he creates on his own.  I keep praying that God would open a door for him in the music industry somewhere, somehow
6. He's a very hard worker - He works 2 jobs/6 days a week/80 hours a week so I can stay home. His "main" job is very physical - on average he probably runs about 10 miles a day to get his job done on time and lifts over a 1000 pounds each day too. 
7.  He's strong :-)  - Who wouldn't be doing what he does all day?
8. He's a fantastic father - he loves to get on the floor and wrestle with his boys and act silly.  They love to beat him up!
9. He loves good food as much as I do!  We are foodies and love flavorful food so we love to try out new things at restaurants.
10. He's an awesome driver - because he has had a driving job his whole adult life; he's a better driver than anyone I know. 
11. He's extremely intelligent - sometimes, I think I annoy him because I like to give the basics of a topic and he asks all the why's and how's which I never know :-) hehehe
12. He's my best friend - He would rather be with me than go out with a group of friends on a Friday night; he's rather stay home and play games at home than go out somewhere else. 
13. He's Godly - He wasn't saved until he was 30 after listening to the "Through the Bible Series" by J. Vernon McGee.  He's listened to the entire series on the radio several times over and knows his Bible better than I do.
14. He's quiet - I know that seems funny; but I'm kinda the loud one so one of us needs to be quiet :-)
15.  Most of all, I love him because he married me :-)  (He will ask me why I love him and this is always my answer LOL)  Just think, if he hadn't picked me - someone else would have gotten to enjoy this wonderful person!!

The 30 Day Blog Challenge

This seems a little crazy but, I've seen it posted on a couple different blogs and it looks like it could be fun.  This is actually day 2 so I'm going to go ahead and try to catch up !

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture and 15 Interesting facts
So 15 interesting facts about me:
1. I met my husband online through a match making service
2. Christmas is my favorite holiday - I decorate every room in my house beginning the first week of November.
3. I have a master's degree in Educational Administration (which means I have a degree to boss people around)
4. I have started creating lots of crafts recently - I never had the time before and now, am making the time
5.  I am a big scrapbooking fanatic.  I'm working towards being completely current so we can enjoy our pictures today instead of 2 years from now
6. I have been married for 9 years and have 2 kids
7. My favorite animal is a cat - all shapes and sizes :-)
8.  If I had the land and the time - I would own a Dog Boarding House because I enjoy dogs!
9. Flylady is my best friend - She helps me keep my house clean :-)
10.  I love Ice Cream - I can eat it anytime so therefore, we don't keep it in the house all the time :-)
11.  I LOVE Frozen Hot Chocolates :-)
12. I play the piano - even though I don't have the time to practice as much as I should right now
13. I greatly enjoy being able to stay home with my boys :-)
14.  If I could drive any vehicle, it would be a Truck (like a Silverado) with a crew cab - but I have to be practical so I only get a Trailblazer.
15. I'm a planner, organizer, and sometimes, a control freak :-)

This was taken at Easter but I realized I don't really have any too recent - guess I need to get out from behind the camera sometimes!

Day 2: Meaning Behind Your Blog Name
Mine comes from a phone conversation - I was setting something up over the phone and was asked what I did and I said I that I didn't work . .as I than stumbled over about 10 things until I settled on "I stay at home" LOL  So it is really meant to make people think because one thing I know, a stay at home mom, works harder than most people realize!

Polka Dot Pumpkins

Today, on this perfectly fine fall day, I decided it was time to make some Polka Dot Pumpkins but first, we needed to really get into the fall spirit so we did this:

Josh and Nate both had a ton of fun playing in the leaves at a local park . . and yes, Nate wanted to eat every single one!

Once we got home and both boys went down for naps I went to work on my polka dot pumpkins

First, you need to get three different colored pumpkins, at least - you could get as many colors as you would like!

Here are my three lovely pumpkins!  I thought it would be easy to find these - it wasn't.  The place we went to, though, had "millions" of odd colors and weird shapes so I plan on getting more next year!

You will also need a very good apple corer.  And maybe a mallet if the pumpkins are really tough!

Use the apple corer to "core" the pumpkins, saving the piece that comes out.

Than use a different color "core" to fill in the hole.

When you are all done, they will look something like this :-)  Aren't they pretty? 

Just a different way to add to your decoration for fall!  Speaking of decorating - I'm working on my last item for my porch for this fall; than I'll give you the "Grand display" (ok maybe not that grand but it does look pretty nice!)