tamara b

Bits and Pieces

2012-01-25T23:05:00.002-06:00

Sweetheart Supper invites are done. Not as cool as I'd like them to be but I decided not to put hours and hours into their design this year.Judah's birthday is coming up soon!!!Our small group is doing a study on biblical manhood and womanhood. Very interesting and I'm enjoying learning more of what that looks like.I love my Awana kids. They're fantastic.I love my 3 kids. They're fantastic

Snow Day

2012-01-22T18:17:00.006-06:00

We had a fun afternoon of sledding down the hill. This was the first time the kids would sled down the hill by themselves and enjoyed it. While I love sledding with them, I look forward to some sledding events that don't need momma and daddy with every step up the hill.After one collision, Judah even lost his boot. Those boys were a blast to watch together.Isn't he gorgeous? Yes, I think so.

Happy {1/2} Birthday

2012-01-16T16:32:00.002-06:00

Around here our school celebrates half birthdays for summer babies. Scott was super excited about his birthday. He had several things to look forward to:being a line leadercelebrating his half birthdaysharing daysmart board dayhis family coming to schoolThis afternoon the littles and I joined S at school for his half birthday celebration. We walked in from recess with Scott where he generously

Thai Peanut Sauce

2012-01-16T12:25:00.003-06:00

I bought a pre-packaged thai peanut sauce thing at the local grocery store. As usual, I loved what I ate but hated the price I paid for a packet of seasoning and some noodles. So, I started my hunt for a Thai Peanut Sauce recipe. I found several recipes that sounded good but wouldn't work. They required ingredients that I didn't have on hand. For those who know me, you know that I try to

A Few of My Favorite Things

2012-01-15T20:24:00.003-06:00

Bite Sized Update Coming Right Up:Date NightWith the kids at the inlaws for a sleep-over, Ryan and I had a little date night. We met up with two other couples. One couple we see regularly, the other couple I haven't seen since I changed jobs in late August. It was great to see them, even though our time was short. I was thankful the kids were being cared for and getting some time with their

Bad Mom?

2012-01-12T17:12:00.002-06:00

Bad mom moments this morning according to Scott:I wouldn't make him a bagel. I let him choose a cereal instead. He chose one we never eat and have purchased to make a dessert with. I said no.I took him to his Physical Therapy appt for his GI issues. He had to miss the movie time during music class because his appointment ran long.I can easily think of ways to fix the above problems. Guess

Giving Up

2012-01-11T22:13:00.002-06:00

Some weeks ago I decided to give up a few different things in my life to simplify it. Have you ever given up something during Lent? I know it's not the season of lent but I felt like there was so much distracting me from what I wanted to be a priority. I felt like I was spending more time looking in the mirror at my physical self than my spiritual and emotional self. Who cares how good my

2012-01-08T21:13:00.000-06:00

Guess what this momma and her little chicks were up to this morning. We collected all the broken crayons we could find. And a few that weren't broken just for good measure. Then we began the paper removing process.I was amazed this part kept their attention the WHOLE time. Here's what we used for our little project:The oldest impressed everyone when he "broke a world record" by breaking 4

Coming Soon: Sweetheart Supper

2012-01-07T10:10:00.002-06:00

In just over a month many of us will be celebrating Valentine's Day. If not with our spouses, then with a group of our close friends. We'll get dressed up, go out to eat, maybe go see a movie or play some games. But there are many who have no one. They've either lost their spouse or have never married. Who will celebrate with them? It reminds me of the Reba song "All dressed up with no

Like Mother Like Daugther

2012-01-04T21:48:00.004-06:00

Guess who got new boots in our family...That's right.Not just momma Bethany has been begging for some red boots so she could match her Grammy who has red ropers. We looked at lots of boots. No red ones. I couldn't talk her into the cute ones with pink on them. She HAD to have the brown ones. Oh how adorable she is... even if she thinks her brown pants match her brown boots.And you know what,

Wrapping Gifts

2011-12-14T16:47:00.001-06:00

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Christmas Greetings

2011-12-10T23:54:00.003-06:00

I've debated and debated the Christmas card thing because I love receiving them. But I found two good excuses why I should not send them out this year:When my hard drive crashed in October, I lost my spreadsheet with everyone's addresses.For the amount of time I'd spend labeling and stuffing envelopes, I could actually use it to CLEAN my house that's become last priority lately.I know I only said

A Nice Gift

2011-12-02T05:52:00.002-06:00

Hello all, guest blogger this morning. It's "the husband". Due to my current state of insomnia I find myself awake at all hours of the day/night, with no one else around. This has been giving me time to get extra things done.I thought I' post a quick note about my wonderful wife. My family has had a tradition of giving each other tree ornaments every year when we decorate the family tree. This is

Family Fun

2011-11-27T22:56:00.002-06:00

Can you tell where we went to have fun today?That's right, I got to join this good lookin' crew at the local bowling alley. Fun was had by all today. The best part, I thought, was when we got home and it was nap time. Yes, I was one tired momma!

Highlight

2011-11-26T20:55:00.003-06:00

Today was a stay-at-home day. That means it's Saturday at our house. The kids usually love S-A-H days and the movie night and popcorn that precedes them. Anyway, today I wanted to be doing some deep cleaning, pulling out the winter coats and that kind of thing. Instead, I just hung out with my kids. The boys got haircuts, they all played in the bath and then made a game of getting lotioned up. We

Scott

2011-11-22T22:37:00.001-06:00

I'm embarrassed to say that I hardly know what day it is. That might be caused by the recent travels and then my even more recent three days of being bedridden because of my back. So as I was reading facebook for a few minutes waiting for my pain reliever to kick in, I saw news that rocked my world. It was a post by my friend Amy about celebrating her brother's 32nd birthday. For those who

Weekend in Kingsburg

2011-11-14T22:46:00.006-06:00

For over a year now, I've been talking about going home. The driving factor has always been my grandma's. They're not getting any younger. And should anything happen to them, I'd be on a plane and headed home. So, why not go why they're healthy? It was more than that though. I wanted to catch up with my friends and family. I wanted to share with them about my heart for Ethiopia. So, when I heard

Done.

2011-11-06T22:19:00.003-06:00

Last night was pretty rough when Bethany was curious and stuck her hand under a running, very textured, treadmill. I couldn't get downstairs fast enough when I heard the screaming. Then the sight of her hand literally made me sick to my stomach. We washed, she screamed and daddy got her bandaged up. She continued to scream and wail. I couldn't fix it which make my heart ache and my stomach hurt

halloween pics

2011-11-01T04:08:00.001-05:00

A few Halloween pics. Judah got mad at something right away and did his normal "shut down" mode where he wouldn't smile, talk, or even show anger. So very frustrating. His kind of drama is so different than Bethany's. Anyway, we managed to have a rushed but good time anyway. Stopped at a hand full of friends houses plus their neighbors and got too much candy. Carrying a candy bag and a

witchy

2011-10-31T14:42:00.001-05:00

Tonight my kids will once again put on their Halloween costumes. Scott and Bethany already did so once for school but I didn't get to see them. Tonight, I will get pictures of my Star Wars boys and my witchy girl. This morning while chatting with Bethany, she asked me what I was dressed up as for halloween when I was a kid. When I told her I'd been a witch once, she was so excited. She's

Beyond Prejudice

2011-10-04T20:46:00.002-05:00

For months I have looked forward to reading this book titled Beyond Prejudice. Author, Raschelle Wurzer, writes beautifully as she intertwines history, faith, and politics with a love story. I started out reading a chapter each night of this ~200 page novel. Within several weeks I'd have the book finished. But it's one of those books that once you pick it up, you can put it down. I'd find myself

Pumpkin Patch, Parade and Park fun

2011-10-01T20:56:00.003-05:00

Today while dirty dishes sat on my counter, and laundry needed folded, we were out having fun. First stop, Kahler's Pumpkin Patch where we checked out the roosters and then picked out our pumpkins with Nikki and her kiddos.From there, we headed to to the Brick City Days Parade. We stopped at our favorite parade spot to buy a few cookies and then grabbed a spot to sit and watch the parade with

Great Night

2011-09-20T20:58:00.002-05:00

Tonight wasn't anything special. But at the same time, it totally was. We were just living life together. The boys were helping Ryan "recycle" cardboard - each boy taking their turn recycling. Bethany and I dealt with the rest of the recycles. She was such a big girl carrying big cardboard boxes creatively in her arms. After the 'ol wood truck was loaded up with recycles, Bethany was super

Hanging out in Central Iowa

2011-09-10T21:42:00.002-05:00

This has been a great weekend to be with Ryan's family in Central Iowa. Not only are we here to speak at Ryan's home church about our Ethiopia trip, we're also celebrating Uncle Mike, Kevin and Grandpa's birthdays (even if they're not here). We've had a great weekend so far. It's always great to hang out with Tera and the kids, Uncle Mike and Aunt Betty. We played outside in the yard, made a run

ISU vs. Iowa

2011-09-09T07:16:00.001-05:00

Raising money today for FOVC's Feed Hope Relief Project. These two necklaces are themed ever so slightly for each of the teams playing this weekend. They both utilize paper beads made in Ethiopia mixed in with some beads from Kenya. Necklaces made by yours truly. Will you buy one? Can we sell it to the highest bidder, starting at $20 each? What are you willing to pay?

Getting a new kitten

2011-09-04T19:37:00.004-05:00

When we went on our horseback riding adventure, the kids fell in love with the kittens. We agreed to let them have one. But because we were headed other places after we left the Glenn Farm, we couldn't take a kitten with us. Today, our generous friend, Allan, offerred to grab the grey tiger striped kitten that Ryan wanted and bring it to the clinic. When the kids saw him pull up, they were

Off to Preschool

2011-09-01T07:35:00.001-05:00

It's been a long time waiting for this little girl but today she's headed off to pre-school. She'll have a great day with Mrs. W, Mrs. D and the her classmates! I love you precious girl!

Proud to be an Iowan

2011-08-31T22:20:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting to blog about a cool Iowa story for over a week now. But finding the time to do so has been tough. When I saw it again on the news tonight, I thought I had to do a brief post of why I'm proud to be an Iowan. First off, I must say that I'm in counseling now that I finally admitted that I'm an Iowan and not a Californian. But anyway. A few weeks back I heard of a local

2011-08-26T22:18:00.001-05:00

I am thankful. And have a full tummy.

Good Grief

2011-08-26T10:18:00.001-05:00

With change comes grief. But not a bad kind of grief. It's a good kind. Today is my last day in the office I've worked in for 9+ years. This office is like home to me. After all, I spend 9 hours a day here. This morning will be my last drive to work. Will I meet the Donlon's on the road? Will deer run across in front of me? Will the recycle truck be at Gunder? Will I get all my stuff

Today is the Day

2011-08-25T11:04:00.001-05:00

I hope you enjoy your first day of first grade son!

Great Grandma

2011-08-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

I miss my grandma's. A lot. They're both alive. But they live where I grew up in California and I live in Iowa. I don't get to see them much. Haven't seen my one Grandma since 2008 and my other for over a year. I'm long over due. In the mean time, I'm blessed to have a third Grandma. She's Ryan's Grandma but she loves me like her own. While we were in Des Moines Monday, we made a point to head

It is Finished

2011-08-22T23:36:00.001-05:00

I'm glad today is done. Granted, I would have loved to been in bed 2 hours ago. As it is, I'm sitting here blogging with no glasses/contacts in and I'm tired and my eyes are blurry. I'm brilliant, I know. I thought about sharing with you about the chaos of my day and maybe I still will tomorrrow. But I couldn't find anything positive to share. Yikes, I gues it was a bit chaotic. But as I

shutterfly... a love hate relationship

2011-08-18T23:26:00.001-05:00

I love shutterfly. They sent me a 50% off books coupon. I ordered 3 of the "faces of Ethiopia" books. Cha-ching on the savings there. I love shutterfly. Last time they jacked my order, they gave me a $10 off coupon which I also used. I hear another cha-ching on the savings. I love shutterfly. They had a free shipping on orders over $50. More savings. I don't love that I couldn't get

Hat Day

2011-08-18T09:16:00.001-05:00

It's a hat day today. In light of that, I found a couple of hat pics from the archives...

did I really

2011-08-16T22:40:00.001-05:00

- Did I really feed my kids popcorn and smoothies for supper? - Did I really just stay up past 10 when I desperately need sleep? - Did I really have the chance to see the President and not give a rip? - Did I really buy hair dye to cover the "silver lining"? The next few days are busy. Granted, my days are always busy. But in a week's time, I will be in DesMoines for doc appointments for

Horseback Riding

2011-08-13T15:57:00.006-05:00

One of the benefits of working with farmers (both Ryan and I do so), is knowing who to call when you want to take the kids out to the farm. With our little cousin, Isaac, here this week, we wanted to take him out for some fun in the country. When we got there, the horses were being saddled by Lyneen. Unfortunately the kids quickly looked past the horses when they saw baby kitty's in the tack

Ministering to the Orphans

2011-08-12T13:55:00.001-05:00

Family Life has a good article about 10 ways to minister to orphans. I really liked their first suggestion. But I was dissapointed that FOVC didn't make their top 10... apparently they just don't know about FOVC yet. James 1:27 [the bible] does tell us to care for the orphans and the widows. Check out this article (or the FOVC website) to see what you can be doing to follow God's command.

just chillin'

2011-08-07T22:35:00.001-05:00

a few of the kids chillin' on my trampoline tonight...

Worth a thousand words

2011-08-07T22:12:00.002-05:00

Earlier this week while another mom and I were having a meeting about VBS snacks, Bethany and Kenlin were using a calculator as a phone and taking orders for fuel. [Guess what Kenlin's mom does for work???]. Then on our way home, I was listening to a voice mail, and Bethany wanting to be like her momma, grabbed her flip-flop and began using it as a phone saying "I called her on my shoe cause it's

Sweet Corn Days

2011-08-01T22:19:00.001-05:00

One portion of our weekend included Sweet Corn Days in our town. This picture shows the kids enjoying some sweet corn. Guess which one wasn't so enthused.

Summer of Memories

2011-07-27T10:45:00.001-05:00

So I went to Life 101.9's website to nominate a friend for their "Summer of Memories" contest. This is how the contest rolls: When you were growing up, summer meant a break from school and a chance run and play. Now summer can feel like a busier time than the rest of the year. We hope this summer that you and your family are finding time to get away and spend together. But maybe you know of

wow.

2011-07-25T23:28:00.001-05:00

So, I've been wanting to make a trip to CA to see family and friends. Tonight I saw a picture from way back in the day of my Uncle Kenny and two of my cousins. My uncle died when I was 7. It was a walk down memory lane when I saw the picture. And it reminded me of reason #8 that I want to go home to Kingsburg. I miss my abuela. And reason #19, I miss my two cousins who I haven't seen in

Using my fresh Cilantro

2011-07-21T09:03:00.001-05:00

Two recipes I love right now. Thanks to my friend Meg for sharing them with me. Mango salsa I always wing it on the amounts…. but here are the ingredients: Diced mangoes White or Red onion (small diced) Cilantro Fresh lime juice Fresh lemon juice Hot sauce (like Tabasco) – little to taste Salt/pepper as needed Super simple but very tasty! ---------------------------------------------

Blessings

2011-07-19T08:15:00.001-05:00

I'm loving this song by Laura Story. The first time I heard it, I'd just been praying for a dear friend who was very ill in the hospital after multiple nightmarish things happening. Check out these lyrics: "Blessings" We pray for blessings, we pray for peaceComfort for family, protection while we sleepWe pray for healing, for prosperityWe pray for Your mighty hand to ease our

What a Day

2011-07-16T20:49:00.002-05:00

When your son is in the men's bathroom, needs help wiping and your husband is gone, what would you do? I called on Ben. He does not do that. So instead he cleared the bathroom and guarded it while I took care of the son who didn't want to put down his toys long enough to wipe. Grr. Good thing was that he knows his dad's full name when asked by the guy in the next stall after asking for his

These Two

2011-07-15T19:48:00.002-05:00

I miss these two ladies like crazy. Oh how I wish I could teleport them to Iowa so I could hang out with them for a weekend.With my Abuela, I'd love to make fresh tortillas and see if she'll tell me about old times.With my Nanny, I'd love to eat chocolate gravy, go for a walk and watch wheel of fortune after we plant some flowers.But since I can't do either of those two things right now, I'll

2011-07-15T06:52:00.000-05:00

This past week we've had fun with Grandpa and my two nephews. We went to the museum/aquarium, went fishing and celebrated Scott's 6th birthday. Here's a few pictures to share. In no particular order (because I'm too lazy to re-arrange them):Scott had a hand full of gifts. I love that there weren't tons of new stuff. I love that we mostly just hung out and celebrated. I love that one of his

Birthday Boy

2011-07-14T06:29:00.000-05:00

Happy 6th Birthday Son. We love you!

Hanging Out

2011-07-13T09:39:00.000-05:00

We've been busy the last few days. I was able to take yesterday off and hang out with my kids, 2 of my nephews and their grandparents. We ventured to the Mississippi River Museum for the day. A few things I learned yesterday: - Look in the seat of the van before you have your husband cancel your debit/credit card. - When husband does "freeze" the card, make sure your backup credit card

life

2011-07-11T09:41:00.001-05:00

These were both taken a few weeks ago. Scott's black eye is now gone. I'm sure they'll have new bumps and bruises this week. The kids are having fun with the many new friends and family that are around. Some friends are staying with us for the next month or two. They came Saturday. Plus my dad and two nephews flew in on Saturday. They're staying 1 week. Last night we had 4 more

my son

2011-07-03T23:51:00.001-05:00

My kids are growing up. It's been a busy weekend with food prep, visiting friends, etc and my kids have been rock stars at just going with the flow. Anyway, tonight Scott was so cute. We were playing with sparklers and he would have nothing to do with them. He was chasing lightning bugs. At one point, his friend killed a lightning bug and Scott was upset. When I went over to see what Scott

2011-06-27T06:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Princess!

2011-06-24T09:53:00.003-05:00

When it gets warm again, we'll be making great use of our Deluxe Kid Wash. We got the idea from my favorite kid magazine Family Fun. I came home from work one day to see a bunch of PVC pipe on the back of his vet truck. The next day Ryan spent the afternoon with the PVC pipe and the printout instructions found here. Curious kids sometimes helped and sometimes hindered.The next day, even though it

My husband is a rockstar!

2011-06-22T13:19:00.001-05:00

Recently while trying to organize my hard drive, I found the following article (it's a few years old now) and thought it would be fun to share. He is amazing. I've also included a picture of him at work, although it doesn't go exactly with the story. Happy reading friends. The Interesting Life of a Veterinarian

faces of et

2011-06-17T06:32:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

waiting

2011-06-16T20:56:00.000-05:00

Like I just mentioned on my other blog, I've been busy with everything but blogging. Life has been fun, and annoying lately. The annoying part is likely due to the fact that I'm busy and not making much time for disobedient children's attitudes. Thought I'd share a few quick funnies from the last week: 1. Bethany cried and whined when I dropped her off at Grammy's on Tuesday. Mom informed

Met Them

2011-06-10T09:30:00.001-05:00

One of the goals of my trip to Ethiopia was to meet Judah's birth mom and brothers. I knew that we would be in the general area of Judah's mom. I didn't know if that would mean a 2 hour drive down a dirt road or what. What I didn't know is that she was a 20 minute drive from where we were staying in Soddo. On Sunday, Tuto went out on his motorbike with the information and a picture in his

in DC

2011-06-10T09:17:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the United States. Oh, how I love those words! We're in DC and just had lunch for breakfast. Thanks to the wonder worker Dr. Jo, I slept well about half of the flight! In just a little bit, we'll be loading for our last flight. We'll land in Minneapolis, then pray that our shuttle guy and luggage find us quickly, then start the 4 hour drive home... oh, I'm eager to be there.

home stretch

2011-06-09T07:56:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to share with everyone that we're on the home stretch of our trip. After a bad start to the morning, we just arrived back in Addis Ababa, where we'll fly out from. It was an amazing but difficult few weeks.Please continue to pray for our team. That everyone will arrive in Addis safely and then return safely. Pray for God to bring Shalom to our team!from the guest house where the

2011-05-29T19:42:00.008-05:00

We went on a little walk. I took the camera along. Today I heard Shane talking about God's attribute of being "beautiful". Shane's seminary professor summed beautiful up as "all things desirable". What a way to describe our God. Below are a few pictures of some of the beautiful people/things God has blessed us with:Look at this beautiful smile.our Judah.our beauty queen.can't get a "normal" shot

Prayer Calendar for our Trip

2011-05-29T17:57:00.002-05:00

right click and save as if you want to print it for your fridge or put it as your wallpaper for your computer.

Summer Vacation

2011-05-29T17:09:00.002-05:00

Right now, I'm wishing I was still in college so I would have a summer break. This summer is going to be crazy busy. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to all of it. Just wishing though that I had more time to focus on the fun things this summer which is hard to do when you (thankfully) have a full time job.JuneEthiopia for 2 weeksDental appointments for kids and me.Hosting NAB

2011-05-27T19:38:00.002-05:00

More time would mean more well thought out posts. But, what you see if what you get here... a busy momma sharing a little about life today. A few things from the last week or so: Rain, wind and tornados oh my. Sunday was a whirlwind of activity. Who knew that those whirlwinds would end up as a tornado. The storm came and the tornado sirens were going off in town. Our dear friends who survived the

venting

2011-05-26T09:15:00.001-05:00

I know it's really confusing to some people. I live in the country. Between C and WU. But our address is E, a third town. And since Ryan works in E, we go to church in E, and our address is E, we call E our home town. We do not call C home even though it's the closest town. It's no surprise that some people refer to us as being from C. It's a point of frustration for me. So, if you're

Thanks for sharing

2011-05-25T10:19:00.001-05:00

Monday I got a text message saying "Lots. We will share." When I downloaded the pic, I was pleasantly surprised. Last night we shared a meal with our generous friends and parents. The meal included fried mushrooms, roasted broccoli, grilled asparagus, grilled burgers, rhubarb dessert and ice cream. Thanks everyone for sharing your food and fun. We're blessed by each of you. And a big

Not Something I Should Forget...

2011-05-24T08:47:00.000-05:00

8 years ago today. Wish I would have remembered this morning :) Thanks Mom for the reminder. Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us. Especially my brother who spent his 21st birthday at my wedding instead of out with his friends. I love you all. But most of all, I love the man I married 8 years ago.

Soaking it Up

2011-05-23T22:49:00.003-05:00

I'm learning a lot from my sustainable food production book. The following quote scares me:"Remember, a foreign innovator or teacher is always closely watched. It is a serious error to introduce a technique or crop that is not a definite improvement."Okay, this isn't a new thought for me at all. Just a fresh reminder that I'll have a lot of eyes watching me. I want to do good, be helpful and

Find Me Elsewhere

2011-05-22T14:11:00.001-05:00

Today, I'm a guest blogger on the FOVC blog. Check it out to read my thoughts on being an "average" person and being able to help.Click here to read.

The Best

2011-05-18T22:09:00.002-05:00

I have the best dentist who cleans my teeth. Little secret is that I'm his favorite too. I happen to be his daughter in law. Only daughter in law.I have the best friends. Taking us mushroom hunting. Letting us borrow tillers. Praying for us regularly. Lots of reasons and explanations can go here.I have hte best mom. She keeps my kids so Ryan and I can go mushroom hunting. And when we come up with

Love This

2011-05-16T08:36:00.001-05:00

My girl talked the whole way home last night. I was tired. Had a big headache and she talked for 40 minutes straight. Well, that's not completely true, she did take a 3 minute pause. She is adorable. And though I enjoy her fun little personality, I also enjoy when she's quiet (aka when asleep) Thanks Uncle Mike for the picture of my napping child yesterday!

Lots to unload

2011-05-14T10:10:00.001-05:00

For sale in bulk: all boy clothes 0-2t and girl clothes 0-3t. Let me know if you're interested.

What a Joy

2011-05-13T18:26:00.002-05:00

For several months Scott has asked me if I would come to school and have lunch with him. My heart ached as I imagined him being made fun of during lunch and wanting his momma to beat those other kids. Or at least to eat with him and keep them from their nasty remarks.Fortunately, he wasn't being made fun of. After asking around, I found out that it's fairly common for parents to come to the

To Do List

2011-05-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

Dare I start one? I'm sure it would be over 100 right now.Write kids letters for each day I'm gone.Fill out the "while we're gone" paperwork for those who will have our kids.pray for my widows, 10 guy farmers and 5 trainees whose names I don't know.Give my husband some lovin'Read to the kidsClean the stinkin' asian beetles out of the window sill againThink about packingDrink more coffeeDrink less

TMI

2011-05-10T23:58:00.002-05:00

Lately, I've been more aware of how our culture belittles large families with the comment of "don't you know what causes that" and other similar comments. I've said stuff like that a million times to lots of different people. Not because I don't value large families, but because I think I'm funny. With my new awareness, I'm catching myself before I insert my foot into my mouth.Well, today was the

Another Book

2011-05-10T11:14:00.002-05:00

Got a new book yesterday. If I didn't have such a headache when it arrived, I would have started it immediately. I still need to get through "the connected child" but I want to continue to go through that one slowly. And I need to finish "A hole in our gospel" and will try to get that one done before this new one.Next up: When Helping Hurts. It was suggested by several friends and by my FOVC

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T20:21:00.004-05:00

Stinkin' blogger. It won't upload the pics I want it to. Grr. I had it all written out in my head to match with the pictures I tried to upload twice. But, noooooo. Grr. Anyway, I'll share the text version and maybe add photos later that would be well worth checking out. They're on facebook if you know me there. Okay, here it is.Saturday we celebrated Mother's Day with my mom and Ralph. Clouds in

On Call

2011-05-08T07:56:00.003-05:00

My husband is studly. And amazingly intelligent. And a wonderful veterinarian. And a great cook. And so much more.Last Sunday night Ryan was the on the on-call doc. So, when Farmer Allan called with an emergency, I asked if the whole family could go. The calf was sick enough (and prices are expensive enough) that Famer Allen decided to bring the calf right into the clinic.After Farmer Allan

my Girl

2011-05-04T22:26:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I look out the window and see my precious little girl picking beautiful dandelions. I grabbed the camera and rushed outside to catch her in the act. She met me on the sidewalk with her hand reached out to me and said "I picked these for you momma". I didn't get the picture I was hoping for but this was 100 times better. Thank you Miss Bethany, you melted momma's heart. And then

Done With One More

2011-05-02T17:27:00.002-05:00

So, I just finished Decision Points, President Bush's memoirs. One of my recent goals is to get through the who-knows-how-many books I've started.Adopted for Life. Also DoneThere's No Me Without You. That one didn't gather any dust.Now back to a few others: The Connected Child which I'm slowly moving through. And I don't think I ever finished A Hole in Our Gospel. I can't remember any others I

Egg-citing stuff in our lives

2011-04-24T18:14:00.004-05:00

It's been a long and busy weekend. I'm glad to be planted on the couch.Back UpdateWhile doing my back exercises this afternoon, Bethany did them right along side me and loved it. Good, maybe I'll have an exercise partner now. Have been feeling pretty good but today was a little much. Still have tailbone problems.GrandparentingLast night the kids stayed the night at Ryan's folks. Well, sort of. We

More Bullets

2011-04-22T21:25:00.002-05:00

I think bullet points is all the energy/time I have to update right now. Honestly, I'd prefer to do a well thought out post but I have so much to do right now and so little desire to sit that long. So here's an update in bullet points:I've tried to minimize the details of my kids' drama that gets shared on the net (aka with the world). So, I'll keep this general and you can email if you're

2011-04-19T21:16:00.001-05:00

Real quick randomness: 1. Bethany knows her verses. Most days she won't even rattle off one of them to me if I ask. She loves to memorize them with her Grammy. Tonight, she rattled of 10-15 of them for me. I even captured it on video but it takes a long time to upload so that aint happening right now. 2. Bethany also "read" the bible story of Jonah to me tonight. She, just like her

What a weekend!

2011-04-17T23:00:00.003-05:00

Last weekend was 45 degrees warmer than this one. We woke to a winter wonder-land on Saturday. Isn't it mid April??? My 2-hour drive to Iowa City wasn't ideal. Snow covered roads while driving through snow/sleet mixture the first hour was no fun. Got to hang out with cousin Tera for a bit before the eye doc appointment. It's always great to spend time with her family. We headed to the

T.I.R.E.D.

2011-04-15T19:37:00.002-05:00

Two nights in a row working till 6pm at night. I fell asleep at 730 last night and was awake at 1am but would have loved to sleep for 11 hours. Ryan is a wonderful husband and father. I pray for him often. Eating popcorn is a favorite meal of mine - either because I like it that much or because I'm lazy. Driving down the road, the strong winds almost blew me off the road. Scary. So, I'm trying to

hard momma moment

2011-04-13T21:20:00.001-05:00

Tonight was a challenge. I brought it on myself though cause I was in a constant state of rush as soon as AWANAs was over. Then Bethany calls my mom who helps her with her AWANA verses to share her great news. It was totally cute. The phone gets passed to me and I hear how naughty my youngest has been the last two days. As in was corrected for being naughty and climbed out of my mom's lap

My Girl

2011-04-11T22:23:00.002-05:00

I love my girl. She's great. Here's a few things I love about my girl: 1. When she tells me "you're driving me nuts".2. When she asks for privacy in the bathroom, and then calls me in a few moments later to help wipe.3. Her auburn-ish, curly-ish hair.4. Her beautiful brown eyes that talk while she talks.5. Her independent personality aka her desire to dress herself, fold her own clothes and put

Today's Favorites

2011-04-10T20:25:00.002-05:00

Scott: Having a big ice-cream cone after he "outran" the storm! Bethany: Just playing with grammy after church! Judah: Watching the magic school bus. Hee, hee. Ryan: Well, he's not here but I'll venture to guess for him: playing Axis and Allies with Ignacio! Me: Spending time with my son Scott on our adventure out on the farm.

Life Happens

2011-04-10T08:47:00.004-05:00

I don't know what it is about evening trips to Ryan's folks. For some reason we have a pretty high percentage of something going wrong with the kids. More than once we've had a child puking on the way home. More than once we've had a child pottying in their pants. Last night, we had both. We left the kids at their grandparents for 2 hours so we could go on a little date. When we went to pick them

Don't Feel Like It

2011-04-07T20:20:00.001-05:00

No blogging thoughts from me lately. I've posted a few things but not much. I just don't feel like it. I'm alive. I'm blessed. I have plenty of thoughts to share. Just overwhelmed with life. I haven't cleaned my house in two weeks. I've been living on the couch each night after work. I've been feeling a lot better. Thank you Jesus for healing! I've even been working outdoors for

Healing

2011-04-06T06:44:00.003-05:00

So yesterday my friend Michelle sent me such encouragement. I wanted to share the verse with you: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my

Suh-weet

2011-03-28T19:09:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I told you the other day about my back problem. Well, I spent 3 full days laying down with potty breaks and about 5 minutes at the dining room table with my family. For someone who doesn't normally sit still for 3 minutes, 3 days was a long time. When this happened, I began begging God for complete healing. Because I believe that God divinely connected to FOVC and a June trip, I was sure

Back Again

2011-03-24T22:16:00.002-05:00

So last summer I was having back problems. It's nothing new. Had just spent time on airplanes and sleeping on a slab they called a bed. Plus I was carrying a 2 year old around on my hip trying to bond with him. No wonder I was having back problems. Then I really did it in. I leaned over and grabbed up one of the kids to carry them in the house. I felt something slide in my back and doubled

Clean Water

2011-03-24T15:55:00.000-05:00

Judah: Momma, can you get me some more CLEAN water? Me: Sure honey. And when you get home, you can have all the clean water you want. People in Shanto don't even know what it means to have clean water. Wouldn't it be great to change that for them? You can. Do you have a piggy bank or a jar you throw your change in? Would you be willing to donate it towards FOVC's well drilling projects?

H20 = Health, Hope, & Opportunity

2011-03-23T12:55:00.003-05:00

Parent Teacher Conference

2011-03-22T21:34:00.002-05:00

We had parent/teacher conferences for Scott tonight. Scott is doing well in all academic areas. I'm thankful for that. I'm trying, through words and example, to develop his character. That's not so easy.This morning I heard a story from him in regards to me saying "yep". What he told me was that when they asked a certain little boy if he eats his own poop, the boy replies with "yep". Now, I

Mongolian Culture Night

2011-03-20T22:41:00.002-05:00

The missions committee of our church hosted a Mongolian Culture Night. There are 14 Mongolian students currently at UIU who treated us with a fun and informational night. I learned more about a country sandwiched between China and Russia, where the horses outnumber the people, where girls train their bodies to be contortionists at a young age, and where fermented mares milk is a desirable drink

Snack-Sized

2011-03-19T23:19:00.002-05:00

I love when Kerry does her snack sized posts. Yes, I didn't link to her blog cause I'm too lazy. My tiredness (ie laziness) is also why i've chosen the snack-size post for today.Word VerificationI despise having to do word verification when leaving a comment on someone's blog. Often times it prevents me from leaving a comment. So, just now, I took that off my both blogs. Feel free to leave a

:)

2011-03-19T06:59:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Ryan!We love you! Hugs and Kisses,Tamara and the kids

Green Theme

2011-03-17T07:25:00.001-05:00

As I understand it, I am part Irish. The only way I celebrate is by wearing a green shirt. No doubt, today is the same. Well there is a something a little different.Today when I think about all the green clothing I'll see, I also think about green growing plants. The plants that we'll be helping the women of Welayita start growing. Know how else that ties to my green theme? As these women grow