L-O-V-E his eyes! This picture is screaming for some photoshop magic...! 
1.25.2010
Our osh-kosh model!
Last week I got to spend some quality time with my nephew! The light was almost perfect. So I snapped some raw shots of the boy! He is SO sweet and I love how these capture him!
L-O-V-E his eyes! This picture is screaming for some photoshop magic...! 
L-O-V-E his eyes! This picture is screaming for some photoshop magic...! 
1.18.2010
1.15.2010
Mas
I wanted to post some more of the ornaments I made this Christmas. These I made for the kids I watched for 3 years until June. =(
I wanted to make thier first initial with their personality...girls are WAY easier at this! It was so easy to add some pretty and glitter!
I did like how the car turned out! SO cute!
I was pretty proud of the flad too!
The smudging made me sad! I guess that's the nature of the beast working with sharpie and sealer! Cute none the less!
Choo Choo!
I wanted to make thier first initial with their personality...girls are WAY easier at this! It was so easy to add some pretty and glitter!
I did like how the car turned out! SO cute!
I was pretty proud of the flad too!
The smudging made me sad! I guess that's the nature of the beast working with sharpie and sealer! Cute none the less!
Choo Choo!
1.14.2010
Family Fav Friday...
Well, a day early! Looking ahead to tomorrow I knew that I would SO not be able to post with all that we have going on! =)
Inspired by my sis, I decided to post "how to" something we love! And I mean LOVE! These have become a fast fav around here! Even dad, a picky cookie eater l-o-v-e-s these cookies!
Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup sucanat w/honey
1 cup sucanat (I use just 2 cups of sucanat)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/5 cup fresh soft white wheat flour (if I don't feel like grinding, which is alot! =) I just use unbleached all purpose. Works the same just a lower nutrition value)
1/2 cup flax seed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup coconut
2 cups chocolate chips
I am not a huge fan of chocolate...ok, I don't like the stuff. We used many different things and I think I finally found "the one!" They are PERFECT! They stay to themselves and if I am having a particularily detest to chocolate day I can pick them out. BUT, they stay pretty much to themselves and I love what they add without over taking!
Plop 'em on a greased pan. This is my preferred size. They stay soft and chewy!
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. At this size it took more like 15-17 minutes. Catch them when they are golden that way they are not crackers later!
Enjoy! 
Inspired by my sis, I decided to post "how to" something we love! And I mean LOVE! These have become a fast fav around here! Even dad, a picky cookie eater l-o-v-e-s these cookies!
Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup sucanat w/honey
1 cup sucanat (I use just 2 cups of sucanat)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/5 cup fresh soft white wheat flour (if I don't feel like grinding, which is alot! =) I just use unbleached all purpose. Works the same just a lower nutrition value)
1/2 cup flax seed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup coconut
2 cups chocolate chips
I am not a huge fan of chocolate...ok, I don't like the stuff. We used many different things and I think I finally found "the one!" They are PERFECT! They stay to themselves and if I am having a particularily detest to chocolate day I can pick them out. BUT, they stay pretty much to themselves and I love what they add without over taking!
Cream butter and sucanat and sucanat with honey into a grainy paste. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Mix dry ingrediants and stir into creamy mixture. Add coconut and chocolate chips.
**WARNING** this dough is EXTREAMLY thick. It does not just blend and stir together like it says. I'm just saying.
With my FAVORITE unitasker make some 1" cookies.
Plop 'em on a greased pan. This is my preferred size. They stay soft and chewy! Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. At this size it took more like 15-17 minutes. Catch them when they are golden that way they are not crackers later! Enjoy!
1.07.2010
kid-isims
I babysit for a Bible study at my church. There are a lot of kids in this small group. The other 3 babysitters and I are very creative when it comes to how we spend our time. We like to keep things moving! =)
Tonight we were playing 4 square. For those who don't know what it is: there are 4 corners in a rooms and they are labeled some how. For the younger kids we just do colors. The person in the middle closes their eyes and counts while everyone runs to a square/corner. The person in the middle then guesses a color and whoever is on that color is out.
Back to the story...one of the little boys walks over to me and asked me if I wanted to know a secret. This is how the conversation went.
Him: wanna know my secret?
me: sure!
Him: I go to the color that he last called.
me: you what?
Him: like, he just called blue, so this time I am going to blue. He does not call the same color twice.
*smile*
And we think we are smarter...HA!
Tonight we were playing 4 square. For those who don't know what it is: there are 4 corners in a rooms and they are labeled some how. For the younger kids we just do colors. The person in the middle closes their eyes and counts while everyone runs to a square/corner. The person in the middle then guesses a color and whoever is on that color is out.
Back to the story...one of the little boys walks over to me and asked me if I wanted to know a secret. This is how the conversation went.
Him: wanna know my secret?
me: sure!
Him: I go to the color that he last called.
me: you what?
Him: like, he just called blue, so this time I am going to blue. He does not call the same color twice.
*smile*
And we think we are smarter...HA!
1.03.2010
struggle
I don't want to complain. In reply I hear a resounding, "then don't!" But, let me explain...OK, maybe it is the sugar coated word for complaining. Just listen...read.
I am not normal. I never have been and I have surrendered to the fact a long time ago that I don't think I will be. That doesn't bother me. I like being "abnormal." I know where my convictions stand and I will stand for them. So with that, I do not wish to be in the "in" crowd, nor do I want to keep up with anyone.
The past few weeks have been fun catching up with friends home from school. It has been nice to see them and hang out. Reliving high school! =) It really is nice having them home but, this is what bothers me. People seem to think that they need all this focus. That school some how adds this importance that those of us who chose not to go don't have. It does not matter where you go, what you do, it seems, in other's eyes, you are important.
Today's message was a good one. Don't get me wrong. I gained a lot from it. It struck some cords that have been pulling on my heart for a while. BUT, the part I did not enjoy is how much emphasis was put on students. "How much students needed to hear it."
My struggle is not with a some-teen credit schedule, 2 jobs, an enormous work load, crazy hours of homework and studying, an oppressive professor, negative peer influence, being away from family, and fighting for my faith on my own.
My struggle is with nagging parents, too much advice, tired workers, volunteers dropping like flies, scheduling not working out, procedures failed following in a sick child, meetings with my boss, training, the requirement of being an adult yet the not being viewed as such, and an 18 month old's nap and meal time to take into consideration.
I am tired. I struggle with my job. Some days I don't want to do it anymore. I was talking with a friend who is home from school and one thing he told me is that I just don't get how hard it is. He's right, I don't get it. In the same vain, He doesn't get it. Just because they are in college does not mean that those of us who are not don't struggle with things.
I am reading in Psalms and time after time David is crying out for God to save him. His next breath is literally hanging by a thread. His tomorrow is being hunted down. That was a real trial. So, no, I am not struggling like the Psalmist. That's when I have to step back and see how much light that sheds on the situation. I am not going through anything compared to him.
So, I guess my soap box is this. Why do those who come home from school get so much attention upon return because they are "struggling," while those of here day in and day out are left to our own because we have it "easy?"
My song still stands, I'm waiting on the Lord...because his promise is this, I will renew my strength. I will soar on wings as eagles. I will walk and NOT grow weary. I will walk and NOT grow faint.
I am not normal. I never have been and I have surrendered to the fact a long time ago that I don't think I will be. That doesn't bother me. I like being "abnormal." I know where my convictions stand and I will stand for them. So with that, I do not wish to be in the "in" crowd, nor do I want to keep up with anyone.
The past few weeks have been fun catching up with friends home from school. It has been nice to see them and hang out. Reliving high school! =) It really is nice having them home but, this is what bothers me. People seem to think that they need all this focus. That school some how adds this importance that those of us who chose not to go don't have. It does not matter where you go, what you do, it seems, in other's eyes, you are important.
Today's message was a good one. Don't get me wrong. I gained a lot from it. It struck some cords that have been pulling on my heart for a while. BUT, the part I did not enjoy is how much emphasis was put on students. "How much students needed to hear it."
My struggle is not with a some-teen credit schedule, 2 jobs, an enormous work load, crazy hours of homework and studying, an oppressive professor, negative peer influence, being away from family, and fighting for my faith on my own.
My struggle is with nagging parents, too much advice, tired workers, volunteers dropping like flies, scheduling not working out, procedures failed following in a sick child, meetings with my boss, training, the requirement of being an adult yet the not being viewed as such, and an 18 month old's nap and meal time to take into consideration.
I am tired. I struggle with my job. Some days I don't want to do it anymore. I was talking with a friend who is home from school and one thing he told me is that I just don't get how hard it is. He's right, I don't get it. In the same vain, He doesn't get it. Just because they are in college does not mean that those of us who are not don't struggle with things.
I am reading in Psalms and time after time David is crying out for God to save him. His next breath is literally hanging by a thread. His tomorrow is being hunted down. That was a real trial. So, no, I am not struggling like the Psalmist. That's when I have to step back and see how much light that sheds on the situation. I am not going through anything compared to him.
So, I guess my soap box is this. Why do those who come home from school get so much attention upon return because they are "struggling," while those of here day in and day out are left to our own because we have it "easy?"
My song still stands, I'm waiting on the Lord...because his promise is this, I will renew my strength. I will soar on wings as eagles. I will walk and NOT grow weary. I will walk and NOT grow faint.
1.01.2010
2009
2009 was a different year for me. This year marked the first one I have lived completely as an adult. To most this sounds so dumb, but for me this is a HUGE thing. I didn't want to grow up. I had plans to live blissfully stuck in the days of my youth enjoying Anne of Green Gables syndrome to the fullest. But, life had to move on and, unfortunately, I had to go with it.
2009 had many lessons stored away for me to find along the way. Some I loved right away. Some I didn't want to notice. Some made me regret finding them. All bringing it's own joys and growth along with trials.
In February I turned 19. I am about to end my final year of claiming "teen" as part of my title. I spent the day just how I wanted. I was working a very flexible job and I took my birthday off and spent the day with my mom, sisters, and my grandparents. Simple and quiet.
In March I gained a title that I will forever cherish! My oldest sister and her husband had their first child. Bubby came into the world at 8:23 on 3/28. Weighing a very perfect and even 7 pounds. He is the best...
...really you can't argue with that! =)
In May a day came that, as kids, we thought we would never see. My cousin who is closet to my age and one of my closest friends graduated from High School. My cousin and I grew up very close and enjoyed playing pretend and imagining our make-believe feats as he rescued me from danger. I can't believe that now both of us are done with grade school! 
Bec and I have known each other since we were 6 and 7. Many years. Many memories. Many lessons. An amazing friend and a beautiful sister in Christ.
2009 had many lessons stored away for me to find along the way. Some I loved right away. Some I didn't want to notice. Some made me regret finding them. All bringing it's own joys and growth along with trials.
In February I turned 19. I am about to end my final year of claiming "teen" as part of my title. I spent the day just how I wanted. I was working a very flexible job and I took my birthday off and spent the day with my mom, sisters, and my grandparents. Simple and quiet.
In March I gained a title that I will forever cherish! My oldest sister and her husband had their first child. Bubby came into the world at 8:23 on 3/28. Weighing a very perfect and even 7 pounds. He is the best...
...really you can't argue with that! =) In May a day came that, as kids, we thought we would never see. My cousin who is closet to my age and one of my closest friends graduated from High School. My cousin and I grew up very close and enjoyed playing pretend and imagining our make-believe feats as he rescued me from danger. I can't believe that now both of us are done with grade school! 
Bec and I have known each other since we were 6 and 7. Many years. Many memories. Many lessons. An amazing friend and a beautiful sister in Christ.In June a day came that I wished never would have had to. A family I had been working for every weeks for the past 3 years had to say good bye. His job took them 3 states away. This family was more than just a babysitting job. They had become like family. All 5 of them. I miss their hugs. I miss their smiles. I miss their laughs. I miss them. 
My whole family misses them. They were...are like family and it is never easy to say good bye!
In August I took a trip that has forever placed a love for the people of Peru in my heart. At 3:30 on a Friday morning I left the states and all forms of my comfort and headed south...way south. I want to go back but God has said not yet. 
In September my family headed to the Creation Museum in KY. If you have never been I HIGHLY recommend it! My family has been a Ken Ham fan for years and decided to save up and go! The details were amazing and the content was huge. We toured the museum for 2 days, stayed in a hotel (which we never do), and enjoyed some time with some family friends that live out that way. 
My whole family misses them. They were...are like family and it is never easy to say good bye!In August I took a trip that has forever placed a love for the people of Peru in my heart. At 3:30 on a Friday morning I left the states and all forms of my comfort and headed south...way south. I want to go back but God has said not yet. 
In September my family headed to the Creation Museum in KY. If you have never been I HIGHLY recommend it! My family has been a Ken Ham fan for years and decided to save up and go! The details were amazing and the content was huge. We toured the museum for 2 days, stayed in a hotel (which we never do), and enjoyed some time with some family friends that live out that way. Any way, it was so much fun being away from it all as just us. LLLLOOONNGGG story short we were able to get a back stage looks so to speak. Ken Ham's son-in-law showed us around the offices, where they make the website, magazine...etc.! Super fun!
If you ask Bean, the best part was meeting Ken Ham! =)
In November all my mom's family came in/over. We had 7 of the 8 grand kids on that side of the family present. It is the first time that many of us have been together in 6 years. It was fun to catch up and be together. Great memories...and fried turkeys! =) 
This Christmas we celebrated as we usually do. In the morning we celebrated alone. Mom and Dad TOTALLY surprised us with a Wii! Completely had NO clue this was even up their sleeves! We were pretty excited!
That night we celebrated with my dad's side. We had almost all of us there. 8 of 9! Pretty good for over half of us being adults with other schedules. 
Hellos.
That night we celebrated with my dad's side. We had almost all of us there. 8 of 9! Pretty good for over half of us being adults with other schedules. 
Hellos.Goodbyes.
Victories.
Achievements.
Completion.
Lessons.
2009 in a word, growth. God is still not done. He still has work to do. I am so thankful for his promise that he WON'T stop working on me until "the day of Jesus Christ." And everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen is for my good because I love Christ.
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