I can't give it up

This is my favorite food. I could eat popcorn everyday and I would never dull of it. It is perfect you can eat it with your fingers, it's salty, and fun to eat. Popcorn is something that I can not give up for lent. Just looking at the picture makes your mouth water, doesn't it?
This is my famous popcorn pot. It is a heavy cast iron dutch oven and it works wonderfully. All you need is some olive oil and butter in bottom and your good to go. Of course you must salt the crunchy treat after you dump it in a bowl.
And look who has raised their ugly head in my house again. The dreaded sock monster has returned with more power. There was a full scale battle last spring and I was victorious. There remained only a slight remnant and it seems that the remnant grew. I do not know where this monster gains his strength but I must beat the beast.

Oh No!

Whoever would like to see a picture of me big and pregnant needs to check out nanaporcupine (My Mom's blog). She posted a picture of me the day before Wyatt (my fourth) was born.

This little girl

This is my third daughter ,Constence, and is she something else. I do not know if it is because she is the third child or what but she is different then all of the other children. Usually she is a very soft spoken girl and almost whispers. I am constantly telling her that she must speak louder while she is telling of her dreams or about a story she made up. She will talk quietly to herself most of the day and imagine the wonder and exciting things. All she needs is two pony tail holders and their will soon be a adventure happening. But watch out if she if fired up about something because she can be a ball fire. The loudest thing in the house running to and fro. She will laugh so loud and squeal that it makes our ears hurt. Her whole goal in life is to be 14, have braces and talk on the phone. So I guess I better watch out. A few days ago she had a bad dream during the night and talked about for most of the morning. She told her dream to everyone and we were all getting a little sick of it. Suddenly she starts telling me that today she will be praying to God so that she will have good dreams. When a child speaks of such things it helps to let you know that something is sinking in. This morning I was reading her one of her favorite stories and she wanted to know both of the girl's name. Wouldn't you know it, but this story did not give us the name of the main character. It was a beginner reader book. She then decided that she would name the little girl. After a little while she comes into the kitchen and tells me the girl's name. "I named her Sarah, Mommy" she said. "Oh", I said. "Yeah, it's in the bible you know." said Contence. I just smile and finish making the oatmeal.

James won

I must brag about the beautiful springer spaniel that won at Westminster last night. James was just wonderful. I really did not think that he would win. As the judge was looking at all of the dogs a second time he walked right by the springer and did not even look at him. I was very surprised when he won the competition. He is just beautiful without any spots and his markings were beautiful. Does anyone else enjoy dog shows as much as I do?

Vanentine's Day

Wyatt's Birthday party on Sunday was very nice. We had my husband Mother, our friends the Bolin's and our friends the Kuhlman's over for goodies. We had cake, ice cream, brownies, nuts and popcorn. I thought I should have a little more than just cake and ice cream because there were 27 people in all. I was a nice time to visit and watch the little guy open a few gifts.

Today is Valentine's Day and the children are all very excited. They awoke to find a little pack on homemade valentine cookies taped to their door. They were surprised that I let them eat both cookies before breakfast. I knew that I would be making waffle this morning and they always take such a long time. The cookies would then buy me a little time.

Oh Yeah, when I went online my Google home page said that it was -3 degrees. My feet are chilly today.

Super Duper 2 year old

Here is the newly potty trained Wyatt. He really think that he is a super duper. He came up with this word when we bought him his superman underwear. Today he wants to wear his favorite pair outside of his pj's so he looks really super. He also like to wear his cape very day.

Here is a picture of Wyatt when he was only 1 day old. Now little guy is turning two years old. This afternoon we will munch on a large cookie for his small birthday celebration. My friend Leslie sent a gift for him and he has been looking at and wanting to open it all week. He will open that gift today and maybe one small one from us. On Sunday we will have a few family and friends come over for a larger birthday celebration.

Potty training 101

I now have a potty trained 23 month old. We began training 3 weeks ago this Tuesday. The little guy is doing just wonderful and has only had 6 accidents. I thought I would make a list of training hints.

1. There must be a lot of hype leading up to training day. I am talking "super bowl" hype. I started talking about potty training about 2 weeks before we started. We looked at his favorite underwear at the store. We talked about how these underwear could not be dirty and he must keep them clean. All of these discussions were done in a very upbeat and positive way.
2. More hype : we talked about how fun the potty chair would be and he watched older brother and sisters use the potty.
3. The day before we bought a new potty chair for him. (Our old one would be used in the upstairs bathroom but there would be a new one down stairs.) Hey, if $6.99 helps train a boy why not pay the money.
4. We bought the Superman underwear that he had been looking at for a few months at the store. He carried them through the store and we made a huge deal about them being kept clean and dry.
5. He got to the unwrap the potty chair and underwear when we got home.
6. He sat on the potty without a diaper and reminded what would happen when he woke up.
7. Before bed we (he was involved) set out his pile on clean underwear (I always have at least 12 pair on the back on the toilet) and we also got both potty chairs in position and ready.
8. Right before he went to bed, we went to the bathroom and looked at the potty. We put his favorite superman underwear by the potty and I told him that tomorrow he would not ware any more diapers. He would go pee on the potty as soon as he woke up in the morning. After that he would get to wear his underwear.
9. I made him repeat the words I just said, "Tomorrow I will not wear diapers, I will pee and poop on the potty."
10. Then bright and early as soon as I heard him we hurried to the potty and he peed on the potty. Huge HUGE excitement is them showed by everyone in the house and the little guy was given a small (one smarty) piece of candy. This reward is then given every time he pees for about a week.
11. That whole morning until noon you talk to the child about keeping their wonderful underwear clean and dry. You remind the child every five minute about staying clean and dry and have them sit on the potty chair every ten minute at least.
12. Chips, popcorn, drinks and snacks are given as bribes for sitting on the potty chair. He can see the snack but will not have it until he has sat on the potty chair.
13. When the child has an accident then you must be disappointed and he should feel bad about messing up his underwear.
14. Practice time. From ten location in the house he will practice saying "I have to pee" running to the potty chair, being placed on the potty chair and standing up. I say the same exact thing every time we practice and talk him through the whole thing. Your job is to teach and you must tell and show them everything.

This is how your life will be for about three days. Mom and Dad must be wonderful actors and make this very fun and exciting. On the first day of our training with Wyatt my wonderful husband came home and ran a bath for me then said" Go enjoy your bath, I will take over." Of course he also knew the whole training routine. Believe me, I needed a break by that time. At the end of that day we had over twenty picture book and other various toys in the bathroom from spending so much time in there. My older two spend the day reading to and playing with my four year old and letting the dog out so I focus on training Wyatt. Meals were also very simple that week and we did not go anywhere until church on Sunday.

Here is another resourse that will aid you in training your child. I found this book very helpful.

What can I do?

It has been a long while since I have done any serious blogging. It seems as thought my "blogging" is catching on with people in my family, and now I find myself pondering different subjects. I want to talk about them and many of the ideas in my head are still in their infant stages. Please hang in there if I fumble with me words.
One of my favorite lines from Luther's small catechism is, " I can not by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him". It runs through my mind often and I find myself wondering "What can I do?" Well I know what I am capable of; becoming angry, frustrated, lazy and not wanting to be in my vocation. This is me, a sinner, 100%. I grumble often at doing everyday tasks such as cooking and cleaning. I need patience in dealing with my children, and I, as a sinner, have none.
But during all of this the line from Luther runs through my head. A light is ever present even through I sometimes can not see it. The Holy Spirit had called me and because of this Jesus Christ is in me and he does not grumble. So even though I can not do all of the things required of me I know that he can. His work is ever present in me even though I may not know it. He is always in me taking care of my children, cooking for my family and teaching my children how to pray. I, as a sinner, could never do those things but Christ living in me can. For this I can simply say Amen!

spa night and snow time

Here are pictures of a fun night spa night the girls had while Birk took our oldest son to a hockey game. The girls wanted facials, a bubble bath, manicures and pedicures. I was a busy Mommy that night but my girls loved it. They even had one of my special chocolates while they were in the tub.

We also had snow in Nebraska and the kids loved. The younger two love to eat the snow. Constence made sure the she and Wyatt at the "most sparkly" snow to munch.

Here are the four children in front of the house. Excuse my mess front porch but I do not clean my porch in the winter.

2 days till Christmas

I have four beautiful nativities on my buffet in our dinning room. The large one was bought by us at hobby lobby. The have nice sales on nativities before Christmas and my husband thought we needed a larger one for the house. The tiny glass one was given to me about 11 years ago by my sister. I have a nativity Advent wreath (on the left). It was given to my by my Mother, she is very good at catching my little hints that I toss around. I do not have any blue candles in it because I have looked at three stores for them and could not find them. This item will now be on my list every time I go to town so that I will have them for next year. We do have a white Jesus candle in the center that we will light after our Christmas Day Divine Service. And finally, I was just given the Nativity snow globe by my husbands Grandmother. I have a few other snow globes but have not posted the pictures of them yet.

On our piano in the dinning room I have two German Christmas pyramids. The one on the left was bought in Germany by my Mother. We lived in Germany from 1989 till 1992. My Father was in the Air Force and was stationed over there while I was in high school. I miss those lovely Christmas markets that they had there.
And here is the infamous "large red candle". I do not like, let me say it again. I Do Not Like The Red Candle! My husband teaches Sunday school at our church and he got this two years ago from one of his students. I was making fun of the thing even before it was unwrapped. I really believe that it will be a part of my Christmas decorations forever. It is the thorn in my flesh.

Now folks you really must understand that I am kidding. (A little) Now I may not be able to post again before Christmas because I am having a house full of people over for Christmas Eve day. I wish everyone a most Blessed Christmas. And to my Mother and Father who will read this, I Love You!

six stockings

These are my children's Christmas stockings. I finished little Wyatt's yesterday. I had lost my pattern to them so I had to free hand Wyatt's and I think that it turned out just fine. Each of the kids have a snowman on theirs because the kids always make everything fun. I also made the boys stocking green and the girls red to help keep track of them. The girls also have stars on them because girls like to make everything pretty.

Here are the grown up stockings. Mine is red and with a star and my husbands is green. I put two trees on ours because the two of us together keep all of our "little snowmen" in line.

Muddy Mess

What fun for a young puppy. Rain, and a flower pot full of potting soil can make a big muddy mess. This was what I found outside my back door yesterday afternoon. Toby had so much fun digging in my flower pot. Needless to say he became a huge muddy mess.

And here is little Toby. His nose is usually pink with brown spots but I guess the mud took care of that. My husband took the dog straight to the tub upstairs and gave him a bath. I have mud splattered on the walls around the bath tub so after I am done posting this blog I will washing the tub.

A week before Christmas

The Crismon I made for church turned out OK and at least it is finished. It took a lot of work, time, and patients on my part. Maybe I will be able to two next year. It was fun but just hard to try to find time to sit down and make it.

This is my little snowman collection. The one in the center is a music box the plays Frosty The Snowman. The kids love it when we play the music and sing along. We got three of the little snowmen for free when we bought our dinning room set. The candles are very homey looking when they are lit.

My husband bought me this willow tree nativity last Christmas. I love the simple lines it has and the humble look of it. It helps to remember the humble beginnings of our Savior.

I also love snow babies and this in the only free standing figure that I have. I have many little snow babies hanging on our Christmas tree. My Mother started to give them to me when I was 18. My husband bought me this little figure.

We also had a 4-H Christmas party this past weekend. The kids wrapped the gift that we bought for some area angle trees. We were able to buy six gifts and they had fun wrapping them. After we did a craft we all ate to much food and then caroled for a little while. It was a beautiful night for walking around town.

A Christmas stocking

This stocking crocheted for me by my Grandma. My sister has a matching one and we used them every Christmas when we were at home. I have only one like this so I decorate with it in my little downstairs bathroom. My parents were not planning on having stocking for us when we were children. I do not think that it was a tradition that they celebrated. As a little girl, I had another idea. The idea probably came to me while I was watching a Christmas special on TV. I was two or three and on Christmas eve, right before my sister and I went to bed, I ran to my Father's dresser and got two of his socks. I used magnets and hung them on the fridge in the kitchen. My Mother asked me what I was doing and I told her that Santa would put toys in the stockings. She looked at my Father and they both thought oh oh. I believe my father ran out the nearest gas station after we were tucked in bed and bought a few little things for our stockings. One item was a tiny stuffed bear that we had for some time. I am sure my grandmother thought it would be better to have a Christmas stocking them my father's socks.

Christmas 4

Each of my children have a Christmas bear. This all happened by accident and was never really planned on my part. When my first daughter was born, she was given the first two bears for Christmas. It turned out that a son was born to us 16 months after my daughter. I then went a bought a bear for Constence when she was one years old. Each of my children also receive a rocking chair from my parents for their first birthdays. So the bears of each child then sits in the appropriate rocking chair. The kids and I just bought Wyatt's bear this past week. They help make the house very festive this season.

The lace that is on the mantle was given to me by my Mother. My husband and I put it away so well the first year we had it, that we could not even find it in our house. This is only the second year that it has been in place for advent and Christmas.

Hen Christmas 3

We use the same advent calendar year after year. I like it because everyday one of the doors is then opened and we hang part of the nativity scene onto the background. The children take turns hanging the little ornaments onto the back ground.
The Merry Christmas wood decoration was given to me by my husbands grandmother. My kids are always hiding the snowman and Christmas tree from me. They usually are not to far away from the base.
Finally, this is a little cartoon nativity that the kids like to play with. I have had to glue the star back on top, but otherwise it is holding up well. I arrange the little figures as you see them here. But my kids like to have everyone crowded around the little manger or else they are all in a big circle. Every now and then I find that a few of them have wondered over to Advent calendar.

Hen Christmas 2

This is a Nativity that my Grandmother gave to me after I was married. It was the first Nativity we had and now it is placed on our mantle every year. It reminds of one that we had when I was a child.
Here is one of our family's favorite Christmas tree ornaments. It was given to me from my Mother after I had told her about it. We keep the little doors closed until after our Christmas Eve service. Then before the children go to sleep, we let one of them open up the little doors so that everyone can see baby Jesus.

On another note, I just figured out how to post all of the comments. I apologize to everyone that posted, I just found them today. I guess beta blogger is just a little different.

Scenes of a Hen Christmas

During the Advent and Christmas seasons I will be sharing scenes from Christmas within our home. I bought this cute little figurine when my third child was a baby. At that time I had a girl who was 4 and boy who was 3 and a little baby girl. The kids just loved that it fit our family. When you pull or push on the little blue stick it moves the older kids so that they are rolling a snow ball. The older ones would laugh about Constence being in the snow ball. Now every year when I get this little figurine out all of the kids have to take their turn "rolling" the snow ball. I am sure that this will be one of the things that they will always remember from Christmas time.

A secret

It seems that my little son, Wyatt, has been keeping a secret from us. He sucks his thumb. I had been wondering about this for a few months but never really caught him. Every few weeks I would see him sitting with a family member and his little thumb would be in his mouth. Just the other night he was drinking his milk out of his sippy cup and he was trying to suck on his thumb at the same time. After lunch today I put him down for his nap, then when I went back to check on him, I found him sleeping with his thumb in his mouth. He does not suck his thumb during the day or when he is playing, so for now I guess that it is very cute for a 1 year old little boy.

On another note we had a very nice Thanksgiving. The night before Thanksgiving, we went to one of our friends house for their open house. I cooked a very wonderful meal for my family on Thanksgiving and afterwards we walked down to the park and worked off a few of those calories. On Friday, I did some shopping and found a few good deals. Then that afternoon we watch the Huskers win their last game of the regular season with some of our good friends. This Saturday night they will get to play for the big 12 championship. We topped it all off with a relaxing weekend. The last of the turkey was turned into soup last night so tonight we will enjoy something other than turkey.

I saw this on a few other blogs I read. Have fun.


Words

1. Yourself: busy
2. Your spouse: trustworthy
3. Your hair: brown
4. Your mother: kind
5. Your father: solid
6. Your favorite item: family
7. Your dream last night: cooking
8. Your favorite drink: coffee
9. Your dream car: little
10. The room you are in: playroom
11. Your ex: none
12. Your fear: loss
13. What you want to be in 10 years? here
14. Who you hung out with last night? Birk
15. What you’re not? done
16. Muffins: blueberry
17. One of your wish list items: to sing in a opera
18. Time: AM
19. The last thing you did: laundry
20. What you are wearing: skirt and top
21. Your favorite weather: cool - 49
22. Your favorite book: The Notebook
23. The last thing you ate: Shreaded Wheat
24. Your life: Busy
25. Your mood: content
26. Your best friend: Birk
27. What are you thinking about right now? school
28. Your car: Suburban
29. What are you doing at the moment? typying
30. Your summer: busy
31. Your relationship status: Wonderful
32. What is on your TV? : Nothing
33. What is the weather like? Chilly
34. When is the last time you laughed? earlier this morning