"What did you say? Calm?"

"Keep calm and carry on."

Blew that this afternoon! 

Should have just walked away...

Sunday lunch with my Momma's raspberry jam and bread!

"How come I got so many tomatoes in my cup?  Mom, do I have to eat them all?  I really don't like the big chunks." whined Alisa.  Honestly, I think she was trying to get her sister in trouble.  A helpful Ashlynn kindly offered to ladle everyone's soup into their cup...surely, she fished out all the tomatoes into one cup.

And yes, we had just come home from church...weren't we still supposed to be focused on

loving God and loving each other?

"No, just eat around them.  Hmmm, I don't have any tomatoes in my cup." I stated.

Ted dumped a few of his into my cup...he doesn't care for the big chunks either...the kiddos laughed.

"Yep, that's what Moms are for...taking the chunks of stuff we don't like!" giggled Alisa.

I felt loved...

that's what Moms are for...

well, that and making yummy jam!

Maybe next week's lesson should be about thankfulness for fruits and vegetable...and sisters.

A coach quote of the day "You can't play defense when your arms are folded!"

The Eagles met the Hurricane-s.

The fans watched, clapped, and sipped.  The coaches kept busy.

The ref whistled, instructed, and watched.

The neighbor buddies faced off...

and they are still friends!

The game went fast and furious today. 

An unexpected lunch at DQ for Customer Appreciation Day and more basketball defensive talk...

using the salt and pepper.

I remembered Aunt Pat making these cookies...

using a cake mix when we went to visit.  I have Mom's recipe for chocolate crinkles, but I was curious what was needed if I used the cake mix.  I googled for the recipe. 

1 chocolate cake mix

1/2 cup veg. oil

2 eggs

powdered sugar to roll the balls into

Bake at 350 for 8-10 min. 

The powdered sugar melted into the cookies...so I dusted them with more...

and then laughed.  Hey, Uncle Brad, want to join us for a cookie that will make you cough?!

Happy Friday...hope your weekend is yummy!

Hey, Mom! Look...another way to use your raspberry jam...

on pancakes!  The kiddos chose the yummy real maple syrup! 

Thank you again!

A little treat...

got mixed reviews. 

Straws with chocolate balls inside that dissolve into the milk.

"What's in it?" she asked with furrowed brow.

Homemade oatmeal pies...minus all the extra stuff they say to put in...

I was going for the Little Debbie style pies.

Bake and allow to cool.  Add a tablespoon of marshmallow cream and sandwich with another.

Take it to your best taste-tester and watch him enjoy it.  Then ask if he likes it...

he said, "Maybe not so much cream."  Really?  I was thinking thinner oatmeal pie pieces!

Either way...the house smells wonderful and they taste delicious...

especially with a cup of coffee!

The kids haven't touched them.  Oatmeal just isn't one of their favorite foods.

Silly kids...this oatmeal has marshmallow smeared on it!

I feel...tired...today.

I have been in my quiet place with my cup of coffee, went to Africa, visited the pond and forest, colonial America, music lessons, Woodmans, the garden, heard about the battle with Joshua, listened about the secret maple tree, cyber-visited my sis, investigated IL state facts, crunched some numbers, folded laundry, cracked the whip, baked a treat and supper, and now I'm to infinity and beyond...sipping yet another coffee. 

I feel like all I do is say that I am tired. 

It is more of a mental tired...I acknowledge that...after all, as our children say,

"All you do is sit around all day."

A nap sounds delicious...but it is out of my reach...it is now 5:00pm.

Supper is looming and Bible study/Kid's Club awaits.

I guess...when I think about it...I have good reason to feel tired...it has been another busy day.

And we get to do it again tomorrow...well, some of it...I think...Greece is the next stop.

What I meant, I guess, is not what they heard I said.

There are times...I feel like I am talking to the trees.  Sometimes...I am talking to myself...it seems.  And at other times...when I am not talking their language.

I was explaining to them that when Dad came home, he was going to do his schoolwork on the computer.  If we still had work to finish at 2:30pm, we would "head upstairs and camp-out at the table."  I came upstairs and this was where they were working...cutting and gluing for their notebook projects.  "You should sit at the table...you'd have more room."  I explained as I stood in wonderment of their work surfaces...and glue...by the furniture...oi!  "Mom, you told us to camp-out up here...this is how we camp-out usually..." they chirped.

An ordinary supper goes extraordinary...

when you let them sit on the floor around a card table and watch a funny movie.  A treat after working hard in school and a surprise because it is the beginning of the middle of the week.

Wise words...once taught by all.

"You have to learn that what you do is your own responsibility, no matter why you do it!" Dad said.

"Well, that's ok for grown-ups, Dad, but it's awful hard for kids." replied the son.

"You need to learn rules when you are a kid, or you won't ever learn them." Dad explained.

Now days...everyone plays the blame game.

Parents run interference for their children...never allowing them to feel the full affects of their choices. 

"I did what I did because you are you, because you did what you did,

or because you told me to do it." 

It is now socially acceptable to avoid responsibility and accountability.

These same parents reminded their boys...in these words..."Don't forget, God is always watching you!"

Proverbs 1:10

God is holding the one making the choices responsible...

He is holding me responsible for me.

He is holding you responsible for you.

God's Word still teaches this...God hasn't changed...nor will He!

The feeling is mutual!

If I were still a classroom teacher...today would have been like when I would dump horribly, messy desks over so students would have to go through piece by piece cleaning, sorting, and organizing.  The internal feelings are still the same...aggravation that such chaos can happen right under my nose, frustration with both the student and the teacher for missing things that were asked for, and irritation that this whole scenario will happen again during the present school year.  The common denominator...me!  That makes the whole problem even more disheartening...about the time I think I have things under control...I find out otherwise.

I check work, but when everything isn't recorded as a grade, some things can be missed. The blank stares I get when I ask for things are probably just a reflection of the look on this teacher/mom's face...I only have 3 students...not 25!  It is amazing that papers can be tucked, stuck, folded, and left in books even when reminders and instruction are given.  The fact that I am not the teacher adds to this...I know what the lesson plans say...but I don't hear the instruction given to each student each day.  Former teachers, bosses, and Ted's voice resonate in my head, "You have to inspect what you expect."  Imagine my surprise as I flipped through each student's book and folder (we don't have desks...or those would have been flipped!)...

our fifth chair filler expressed the over-all feeling that has entered our schoolroom.  I don't know exactly when he penned this...but the pain has been building.  It is a yearly January feeling...that we just have to power through...till we see the light at the end of the tunnel in May.

Combatting those Monday morning feelings...

by whopping a can of biscuits on the counter...

cutting holes in the middle and frying the dough in grease...

covering the golden, fried dough with various sugars... 

finding yet another delicacy on which to put my Momma's raspberry jam...

licking our fingers and getting a whole week's worth of sugar into little bodies before 8:00am...

washing the unhealthy goodness down with a fresh cup of coffee...

and enjoying every. single. minute.

Last night at choir, our director commented about how January felt like a month full of Mondays to him.  We all chuckled...and then got looks on our faces like..."Yeah, that is exactly what it feels like."

Saturday morning hoops

A new part of Upwards this year...cheerleaders.  Contrary to popular belief...

the boys do not like running through the tunnel!  Half of them ran around it and the other half put their heads down and ran as fast as they could...to the amusement of their coaches who had heard their comments.  

Ready...you know who you are guarding...let's go!

"Hands up!" 

"Use your team!"

Eagles vs. Gators

My third favorite Christmas present...

a bean bag!  This works perfect...heat for a minute...and warms my feet.

A break from the cold and snow...

We got several more inches of snow yesterday!  But not enough to cancel the tropical themed night for pizza and a movie that we were invited to attend.   We stomped off the snow and received a lei as we made our way into the gym with our beach chairs.  The white falling snow is mesmerizing, but we enjoyed the contrast of bright, fun colors for the evening!

Guess how many shells in the jar for a treat from Starbucks!  Ooooo...pick me...75.

There were 37 shells.  Ted was way off with 289...snicker, snicker.

How tall are you?  We have no concept of how to work surfboards.

I won a door prize!  Actually...we all did at some point.  It is fun hearing your name drawn to get treats to enjoy during the movie...but we were full. 

Pizza, pop, ice cream sundaes....

Shall we call this the candy walk?

and more pop and popcorn! 

We watched Soulsurfer.  What an amazing story!

We brought home all the treats...unopened.

A fun way to warm up on a cold, snowy night !

A tart morning at the table...followed by something sweet

There are some days that start well...and then take a sharp turn.  There has been a hovering fog of meddling and picking this week, and I have been tempted to shut myself in my room all day and just let them duke it out...no holds bar!  This morning, there was unmannerly slurping of milk at the breakfast table..."Enough, that is not necessary.  We are not three years old anymore.  Drink your milk like a lady." I corrected.  Two of the chair fillers decided to agree audibly and be meddlesome...to which our fourth chair filler retorted tartly, "I am not trying to be a lady right now...that is not my goal."  The third chair filler attempted to correct her with, "It should be your goal!  While you are little, you are learning for when you are big..."

"Yeah, when I was little..." the fifth chair filler started.  "Just leave me alone...you take care of yourself.  When you were little..." she began to argue back."

"You don't know my life...your life is not in my body...so just..." he smarted back.

Lest you think I did not stop this...I did.  I sat and listened in bewilderment trying not to spill my coffee down the front of me.  There was a commanded silence as they finished and cleared the table.  As they brushed their teeth and gathered for our time of devotions, I was armed and ready...

you see...today brought us to Proverbs 20.  I am so thankful that God knew what we needed this morning...we stopped in verse 3...and then verse 11. 

Not my words or rantings...God's!  I needed His help...and I sat in thankfulness as I watched the truth soak into the three children that fill the chairs in our home.

"It is honorable to cease from strife."

"Fools meddle."

"Even a child is known by his doings..."

Another use of my Momma's raspberry jam...on french toast bake!

I sat alone with my cup of coffee and Bible to re-start my mind and body.

I filled out my Wednesday night Bible study questions. 

Some days...I just need to do that...

I will not be a mother who allows sin to ruin her day. 

I will not believe the lie that children just need to be children and have bad days.

Proverbs 20:5-7 describe the mom I want to be...understanding, faithful, just.

So much easier...and fun too!

I had sugar cookie dough and leftover frosting in the fridge.  I had been browsing the ads the other day and saw "Dunkables"...cookie sticks with a little cup of frosting.  I'm still weary from cut-out cookies...baking, decorating, sprinkles...THIS IS A PERFECT WAY TO USE UP THE LEFT-OVERS I HAD! 

Everyone liked them...as long as you don't double-dip!

I'm thinking of pink cookie sticks for Valentine's Day with heart sprinkles...

HOW FUN IS THAT?  And easy too!!!

Naming the bones

We had to summon the help of Mr. Bones again...Teddy had us sitting on our patellas.

"This stuff is addicting!"

"I'm glad I went with you today!  This makes going with you worth it!"

I'll buy and share treats with my children...which means time with Mom is not the hilight...

so is this considered a bribe?!