The least of these...

At Thanksgiving and Christmas we often look for ways to reach out to someone in need. We must not forget the needs are there year around but this holiday season as you look for a way for your family to GIVE would you consider some formula, cereal or bottles for the babies served by LOVE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES?




Thanks for watching.

Blessings to you this special day...

Over the river and through the woods--
Now grandmother's cap I spy!!
Hurrah for the fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin-pie!!!
Lydia Maria Child


Enjoy this very special day with family and friends!!!

A family...

This post is in honor of Stefan Tarapchek who is valiantly fighting cancer today. He has blogged about his experiences over the last year since his diagnosis. He posted this poem when he was blogging about the importance of family and this Thanksgiving week is a perfect time to revisit it. I know you do not know Stef but will you say a prayer for him today? He has a sweet, loving wife and three little kids who are making this journey with him.





A family is a deeply rooted tree with branches of different strengths all receiving nourishment from an infinite source.

A Family is where character is formed, values are learned, ethics are created and society is preserved.

A Family is where all members contribute and share, cooperate and work, and accept their responsibilities towards the good of the group.

A Family is where holidays are celebrated with feasting, birthdays are acknowledged with gifts, and thoughts of days gone by are kept alive with fond remembrances.

A Family is where each can find solace and comfort in grief, pleasure and laughter in joy, and kindness and encouragement in daily living.

A Family is a haven of rest, a sanctuary of peace, and most of all, a harbour of love.


~Manny Feldman

Just another Monday!

I was tagged by dear Ohilda over at Bouquet of Blessings to play a meme and I thought I would tackle it!
THREE things you like about yourself:

1.) I am a Holiday-a-holic...I love 'em all! Throw in a big dose of tradition and I am a happy camper!! I talk about and decorate for each holiday and have totally influenced my kids in this manner too. It oftentimes drives my husband nuts! I am planning and scheming my attack on my favorite, Christmas, even as I write!

2.) I am a fun mom...I love to play and do crafts and throw a football. I love to have movie night, and bake brownies and throw the routine out the window (temporarily of course) and skip the boring, mundane housework for a game of SLEEPING QUEENS. (Have you played this with your short people? It is awesome!)

3.) I love animals. To the extreme! I often have more empathy for an animal than I do for a thoughtless adult. I truly believe that my children have learned so much through caring for our family animals. They have learned to nurture and love and meet the needs of these little creatures and have known the joy and loss that comes from caring for God's creatures! Having an animal nearby to pet and enjoy is SOOOOO therapeutic!

for the love of a pet...

Our beloved Asher was hit by a car two nights ago. He is alive and quite possibly will be well. time will tell. THAT CAT! In his short life span of 7 months we have come to adore this creature! To love anything can also bring pain. But, the kids and I agree that the pain is WORTH it. This kitten is FULL of personality and allows the kids to carry him and play with him anytime. He has led SUCH a POSHY life! Poor guy is in a lot of pain and we are committed to nursing him back to health. Emma makes the BEST nursemaid ever. (This photo was taken before his accident.) This world is such an ugly place...filled with pain and suffering for our people...I am thankful that God gives us these sweet creatures to care for...who show us unconditional love despite our many, many faults.


Sweet sleeping kitten.


Asher spends much of his life wrapped in baby blankets and cooed to like an infant. Emma carrying him around in his blankie!

Love the animals: God has given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled.
Dostoyevsky

The Mitchell grandfather clock...

I love things with a history, with a story to share...I love to imagine all the things that happened in the room where an antique sat...so you will understand how THRILLED I am to be the caretaker of my Mitchell family grandfather clock. My grandfather wrote out the clock's history and placed it inside the door. This clock was crafted in London, England in 1751. A man, named Freeman, bought it at auction in 1924 and brought it to the U.S. My great grandmother Grace bought it in 1926 and then passed it along to my grandparents when they broke up the contents of my grandfather's family home. It came to rest at Killeny Glen on October 8th, 2008. This clock is full of memories for me. It rings loud and clear like a trolley car and it reminds me of my grandparents home. It was the first thing you see as you walked into their house. My Nana still lives in that house. As children at Christmas, in the absence of a mantel, my brother and I would hang our Christmas stockings from tiny hooks on the side of the Grandfather clock. The ticking of this clock adds a warmth and life to Killeny Glen that I truly embrace every day.




My grandfather penned a poem regarding this clock:

I am old and worn, as my face appears,
For I've walked in time for two hundred years,
Many have fallen since I begun,
Many will fall ere my race is run.
I have buried the world with its joys and fears,
In my long, lone march of two hundred years.

Who needs to shop for Christmas presents when you have...

SOCKS!!!


Socks are plentiful in our household...especially with the sudden disappearance of flip flop season. (Madeleine would like to argue this with me.) I would like to venture that we have about 50-55 pairs of socks that go through the wash each week...7 people times 7 days plus Nate, who changes his socks too often and minus Mitchell, who does not change his socks often enough!!

Sam removed a huge pile of socks from the dryer and they kept him busy for MORE than an hour!


UNDER the dining room table...with a metal basket.

Putting them in a hat...

Hey Sam! Whatcha doin'?? "Pouring" them over his head.

Who would have thought they could be such fun...NOW if his little fingers could just fold them!! SOON, very, very SOON!!!

simple pleasures

On a cold morning when I just can't get warm I need a little hot cereal! It is so warming and wonderful! I have great childhood memories of getting up in winter and coming down to breakfast. My brother and I would take a big sleeping bag and cuddle over the heat register in the kitchen while our mom prepared our breakfast. (Yes, we were spoiled!) We would sit up on our bar stools and enjoy the warming hot cereal, toast and orange juice. On some occasions my mom would put cocoa in the Cream of Wheat or oatmeal which was a real treat. I did NOT appreciate it then but I sure do now!
Thanks Mom, for taking such good care of us!



Only two of my five kiddos love hot cereal! WHERE did I go wrong??

Another birthday?? OH YEAH BABY!

Is it possible that Nate is FIFTEEN?!?!?!?! Hmmmmm, it certainly is! This guy is my oldest and oftentimes I refer to him as my Guinea Pig! Poor kid...he got Bob and I as new parents and he taught us a lot! Over the course of time and each additional little one we have realized that we shouldn't sweat the small stuff!

~In the big picture it really doesn't matter if you show up at church with yogurt on your shirt or a grass stain on your knee. It is your thrilled smile at sliding into first base that is important.
~Having you in bed at 8 p.m. SHARP is not what's important, it is having a chat about your day and a last cuddle and a kiss!
~Speaking harshly to you for spilling the Rice Krispies ALL over the counter and floor is not necessary. Trying to share with your baby brother should be celebrated!
~The laundry, the dishes, the floor sweeping can wait, another hand of GO FISH and a giggle or two is a memory we will NOT forget.
~And, lastly...forget the five second rule...it quickly went to the 105 second rule 'cause that last bite of Hershey's chocolate is too good to throw away!

Celebrating YOU today Nate!
Hope your day is the BEST!!!

Lovin' those ducks!

We love to stop at local parks...even for just a few minutes on our way somewhere to check out the play equipment and enjoy a few minutes of fresh air. We really like a park close to us as they have lots of friendly ducks. I love animals so much and although I would NEVER say I am a bird lover I do enjoy the ducks at the park. I would almost swear they know our van and as soon as my kids start spilling out they come flying from all over the pond knowing we have brought treats! Their favorite? Corn! The kids beg to go and we do go often.


Mitchell surrounded by the hungry flock. They are not aggressive and appreciate the food. The kids have to be careful not to step on them there are so many that surround them.

Nate is truly an animal lover on all levels. He picks up the ducks and they seem to know he will not harm them.

Emma, over time, has developed a relationship with the single male swan on the lake. His mate was killed and they tend to be a bit fiesty. Emma always seeks him out to make sure he gets his fair share of the corn. Emma calls him WINTER.

This is our favorite... meet Mr. Manners...he honks and makes ALL kinds of noise in greeting as he waddles over to us but always waits patiently for his turn to have a handful of corn. He is SOOOO full of personality!

Special Request

This is Sam and my Nana Boo in this photo. I just took these photos a couple of weeks ago. My Nana is incredible as she just had her 95th birthday in August and she still makes the best Corn Chowder and caramel corn when we visit. While we were there she played Rescue Heroes with Sam. He thinks she is really cool. How many four year olds are blessed to have their 95 year old great Nana play with them? My Nana and my Uncle Bill were in a car accident today. My Nana had been visiting my uncle and aunt in Arkansas. My Uncle Bill was banged up but alright and Nana has five cracked ribs.
Please pray for all of them will you?


My Nana is a musician and a teacher. She still teaches piano lessons and occasionally plays organ at church. Here she is showing Sam around the organ. She is an amazing and beautiful lady!

What will calm the stampede???

What a great day...beautiful weather but nippy...and when the kids got home we realized that NO-ONE had much homework. We whipped out what little they had and headed outside for some playtime and just enjoyment of this lovely fall day in the good old Midwest. In we came for dinner and then the kids went right back outside in different directions...Nate headed out back to throw the tennis ball for Camden and Bud, Mitchell was shooting some basketball, Emma had a handful of Barbies and had some make believe jungle adventure going in the newly cut corn stalks in the field and Madeleine and Sam went down to the woods to swing. When it was getting dark I called them to shower and head to their rooms for some reading and then to bed...aaaaaah, what an enjoyable evening. At this point in this little story I need to say that when we built this house Bob and I were both adamant that we needed wood laminate in the hallways...our family is very hard on carpet and it is hard to keep clean so we put wood laminate in what we call the "dormitory" hallway which is home to the kid bedrooms. That is when the stampede began...I believe it began with the rambunctious theft of an article of clothing. Then all five kids joined in and began to run, jump, scream or really SHRIEK is the more appropriate word during this "game" that began in good fun but we ALL KNOW that someone is going to end up mad and they did!! The noise was deafening! That is when the Hatfields and the McCoys gave up peaceful living and took sides and I got to be the sheriff in town!! Let's keep it real shall we? I yelled (yes I yelled, shouted, raised my voice at those short people!)"Settle down and GO TO BED!! NOW!!!!!"

Ya know, it is always fun and games until somebody puts an eye out!!

Kentucky Moments

WHAT?!?!? Our annual Kentucky weekend is over??? So fast? We sure had a great time!!

Connor enjoying the pool...I was trying to think of HOW MANY TIMES the kids swam... ALOT!!!

Jillian and Grace very seriously watching for their bell cue. Cousin Cindie had them pick out there own "bling/glitz" for the show...cute huh?

The kids program was Christmas themed this year and even included the little ones...here are Caleb and Sam ringing bells!

Here is Madeleine's Christmas ensemble. Thanks to Cindie and Howie for organizing and pulling off a really awesome show!

Our family farm is beautiful! There were still some colorful trees waiting for us!

Did someone say CHICKEN FIGHT?!?! Although the boys think they are ultra tough Grace and Madeleine were pretty fierce in that activity.

Mitchell and Caleb havin' a good ole time!

Ariel has decided to be a scuba diver...cutest diver I have ever seen!

Monday! Monday! MuuuuuuuunnnnDAY!!

Good Morning! Well, we had a long and refreshing weekend away! How nice it is to LEAVE the old routine and then how nice it is to RETURN to the routine! I LOVE ROUTINE! I LOVE SCHEDULES! So, we ate all kinds of good food (and really bad FOR you food) and we totally blew off bedtime and we swam and yelled and played games and ate more snacks and bad for you food! It was a really cool weekend.

I am off to the Mudroom to do some laundry!!!!


To family...I will post some pictures later!! Thanks for a really great weekend.

Favorite Photo Sunday!!!

The kids and I are skipping town for a LONG weekend and I thought I would leave you with four days of:

MY FAVORITE PHOTOS!!!


What a goofy group...I love it that the kids do stuff like this...makes me sad to see this photo as this is at our old house...we love our new home but our old one has SO many memories!!!

Favorite Photo Saturday!

The kids and I are skipping town for a LONG weekend and I thought I would leave you with four days of:

MY FAVORITE PHOTOS!!!



An ALL TIME favorite for both Bob and I...this FABULOUS FIVE are always filled with energy and lots of CRAZINESS!!

Favorite Photo Friday!

The kids and I are skipping town for a LONG weekend and I thought I would leave you with four days of:

MY FAVORITE PHOTOS!!!



As we impatiently waited for Sam to come home from China...Kim, (Sam's foster mom) was so kind to send us MANY wonderful photos. THIS photo is one of our all time favorites...the one that let us know FULL WELL that Sam would truly fit RIGHT IN to our family!!!

Favorite Photo Thursday!!

The kids and I are skipping town for a LONG weekend and I thought I would leave you with four days of:

MY FAVORITE PHOTOS!!!



This is Bob's birthday in 2007. The kids loved putting together this photo collage for Bob to put in his office...he absolutely LOVES it and has it right on his credenza in his new office space. Aren't they a fun group???

E - I - E - I - Ohhhhhhhh!!!!

A few months ago we moved out to the country...I often make it seem as if we moved MILES from civilization which is NOT the case. We did move from neighborhood living where houses were pretty close together to a property with acreage. We LOVE it so much. We have corn and soy bean fields and a horse farm as our neighbors. We enjoy the fields and the woods...we are truly blessed in our new home. The kids have been excited to watch the combine take the field corn down and then they head out to play and pick up loose corn to feed to the ducks. Here are my three youngest plus Asher the GIANT KITTEN (his is only six months old!) playing in the field. If you look close, Clarice is rolling at Emma's feet. The cats follow the kids all over like dogs.

OH! How I LOVE fall!! AND, my barefooted, country kids!!

Choose Life

I was contemplating the saying or adage: That which does not kill us makes us strong. My thoughts on this very trite saying is that it is skeptical and lacking in hope. I rest in the fact that I have hope for a future. Today is a "big" day for my family. Not just because it is a huge day at the voting polls but because it is the anniversary of my brother's death. The day never is forgotten nor will it ever be...it is a day to replay memories...they are good memories. As I have prepared for this election today I have prayed and given it to the Lord as HE is in charge no matter the outcome. Just as he was in charge the day that my brother entered into heaven. We do not "celebrate" his death but celebrate his life and the time that we had with him.

Today, I will pray that as we elect our next president that we, as Christians, will CHOOSE LIFE in this tumultuous time in history. I will be thankful that we have the privilege to vote and elect who will lead our country...but the future...my hope is in God who is ultimately in charge.

One vote

Celebrating LIFE!!! Choose LIFE when you vote!

I am celebrating the birth mothers, both in the United States and Internationally who chose LIFE for their children!!!!





Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.
Psalm 127:3

CHOOSE LIFE!