Howdy New Year!!!

Hey I just thought I would let you know that I was thinking about all ya'll as the clock flips over.

Happy New Year!!

KjS

What more can I say...

Well what more can I say? I have only 15 minutes of Christmas Day left to say it so, "Unto us a Child has been born, He is my King!!"

Take a look at the blessings I have this Christmas... Two little girls who want me to make them a treehouse... a hot wife... a little girl who got her horse for Christmas and one little girl who got one front tooth...

We are wondering if the tooth fairy saw Santa and if she will increase the dibs since Lovebug was a pretty good kid this year.

Merry Christmas all ya'll!!!

I'll try to do New Year's update since I am off until January 5th...

Later Gators,
KjS

Christmas Memories

The days are flying bye. Hubbie has had a wonderful break from work.

Christmas with mom & dad was wonderful. We had a sweet early Christmas with Hubbie's mom & dad.

We laughed at mom's Wii and enjoyed making all the Miis. Golfing off the cliffs was my favorite. I enjoyed the scenery! The girls had a ball with bowling. Ladybug has a very entertaining swing hop. Baseball would be a next favorite with seeing all the Miis up for bat! We're encouraging Grandaddy to bat, but he's not biting.

We then had to go bowling.. real bowling. Santa hats for this occasion was a bonus. Playing two rounds was fun. I was ready to retire. Hubbie came in a solid first and Ladybug had a clear second.

A highlight was visiting with Aunt Patty & Uncle Donnie. We laughed at beauty treatments for a turkey neck!! Then we toured Facebook and found my cousin Julie! I think mom was nearly convinced to join... but time did not allow.

Uncle Eric & Hubbie both got and gave cool shirts... Read the Manual & My Lifeguard walk on water. The girls also enjoyed a good visit with their cousin. They played inside & outside & her Nintendo ds was a hit.

Grandaddy had a couple days off. He said his favorite gift was a scale!! His work at Wal-mart keeps him busy. He's driving mom's car since we took his to the shop. By God's grace in a collision a week ago he was not hurt when his driver door was hit and the glass flew.

Mom and I had a lovely visit. We had a shopping day that took us from the mall to the knitting store then the grocery. We could have enjoyed a long summer day because the short winter day came to a close way too quick. We both got a new J.A. Henckels knife that cuts really well!

Hubbie was my hero. As dinner approached after our late return, he was a huge help. He jumped right in to frying oysters and shrimp for a yummy meal with Aunt Karen & Nicole. He got plans to build a tree house and an axe too. He's also outfitted with many clothes.

I was thrilled hubbie gave me a wonderful classic Ipod. It is all I wanted!!! It is fully loaded with all our music. It has movies on it of Colorado and most of 2008. Before leaving for home the Ipod was dressed in a very cute pink skin. The girls watched movies on it as we traveled.

That's the high spots. Memories made!! Will we remember... girls bouncing on pogo sticks, the surprising Coconut & Cheesecake kisses, lots of Queen Anne chocolate covered cherries, emergency peppermint Oreos for Santa??? puzzling and then is the gooey lava,...

We had an early Christmas w/ G'ma & G'pa from Ohio. It was so special for them to come for Lovebug's baptism and celebrating Christmas was a bonus. We enjoyed a shopping day.... camping out around the fire... The guys projected reworking the dog house. We used the cold evenings to look for Christmas lights. We had a great stop at Santa's workshop in Marshall. Santa Land was huge with lights especially the tunnel!

I know I'll look back to a wonderful celebration... a feast with family... all to remember Jesus' birthday. Every good and perfect gift is from above! Thank you Jesus!

Grace! ss

Our Christmas Piano Recital

"It was awesome when I got to play two things on the piano and play the part of a shepherd. Eeee. Yippeee. That was fun. Love you G'ma Carol and G'pa Ben."

Saturday was full of practices and Lovebug's first piano recital. She worked on Jolly O'le St. Nick & Away in a Manger. She played each piece and did a great job. She sweetly sang along as she played and snapped the count.

Ladybug: "I liked it because I was Mary and I loved that I was in it." She had a very special spot as Mary in the living nativity. She made a lovely Mary as she rode in on a stick horse. She sat sweetly for the entire recital. Afterwards G'ma Carol told her she was lovely with her blue eyes and flushed cheeks... she said "She knew."!!!!

Lovebug does well on her piano practice. Generally, just a mention from me and shes off to practice. Often she needs a cup of encouragement... and I so love the Christmas music she plays! She pushes herself and struggles when she hit wrong notes. She learning and that's wonderful!

A cup of encouragement with a splash of joy and a bit of cinnamon!! Grace! ss

139 Degrees!

The hot water is on a low setting... the installer said with children he woud not set it higher!!

The water is 139 degrees!!! That's above the 130 dust mite killer temp! That's hot enought to me.

My lessons on Hot Water Heaters:

Before removing the old water heater, check the dip stick.
Lots of "calcium" in the faucets... it is not calcium, check the dip stick.

The dip stick should be as long as the heater is deep in our gas unit. Ours was merely 3" long.

With the heater half out we decide to run the dip check... maybe we could have lived with the old water heater and a new dip... alas, we are already half removed so we went with the new hot water heater.

In hot water!
ss

A Sign of Faith

Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved!! Acts 16:31

Lovebug turned to Jesus on May 24, 2004. She prayed to Jesus as she cleaned her room. She told me. Again she proclaimed to Daddy and I that evening. She followed up with phone calls to family and declared she knew Jesus. She asked Him to forgive her sin and invited Him into her heart.

I know then the angels were singing, Luke 15:7. Her name was written in the Lamb's book of Life. Revelation 21:27

This summer she began to ask about baptism. Generally, she asked a week before a baptism with timing impossible to even invite far away family. Even our friends were out of town. She did not give up.

Courage! October we crossed paths with our Pastor. Quietly she asked me if she could ask Pastor Jim. With courage, she asked to be baptized. Then and there the plans were made for a December baptism.

With great joy all our family decided to come. Hubbie's parents from Ohio... a big drive. Memem brought a family friend as Grandaddy had to work. We got a new hot water heater for the occasion. We thought they would appreciate hot showers!! It was so fun to have a house full for something other than a hurricane!



Sunday, December 7, 2008, Lovebug was baptized to proclaim she believes in Jesus. This was not to get her to heaven, but merely a sign of her faith to tell all she's going to heaven! Her daddy had the joy to baptize her as the custom of our church. Our family was in the cloud of witnesses.

Here's more on the Sinner's Prayer... and more on baptism.

I'm thrilled to see her grow in her faith & obedience. Praying she'll honor Jesus all her days!!!

Grace!! ss

Happy 9th Birthday Love

NINE!! Nine. Nine years.

The day was packed! Museum. Lunch. Skate. Basketball. She picked to do it all and we did.

Happy Birthday Lovebug.


Nine. I worked before this child came. From this day, that was another life, so long ago. I love being mom! She is growing in so many way.

Her name means "strong one."

She is strong! That's true. I pray her strength is in the Lord. It is easy for her strength to be against me... Life is much more fun when our strength is paired and we fight the same things. She's learning so much and has so many verses of the Bible to guide her path.

She is a leader to her sister. We work on the strengths as a sister and that she's not to mother. The girls play together... swing out side... chase & play with Maple. They often clean rooms together... that's required when they don't work independent. They play webkins together learning to share. They often have together time to work thru their struggles.

For her ninth she wants a laptop. Yet she is enjoying her own email. The light up shirt she's worn for countless days. She said she's been in the stripe footie socks for 3 days. I'm thrilled she likes them. She also got a pair of boots and a pair of unmentionables. She too is thrilled. She's been so thankful for her birthday.

We ended the full day with a birthday dinner at Hop Hop... translation Ihop. Fun was had by all.

We are truly blessed!! Grace! ss

AO Exams

AO3 & AO1: Term I is behind us now.


We are into exams...


It is time to spin a web, tell a tale, weave a yarn... We've climbed a mountain and it's time to look back on all where we've been... what we've learned...


And so started our exams... We've gone low key this time... more casual... Lovebug begged for her exam papers of the past.... not this round... This is our time to remember and see what sticks.


We've really enjoyed poetry this round. We all have had favorites. Here's a look at our poetry...


Grace! ss

Stop Wanting It

"If you want something and cannot afford it, stop wanting it."


As we drove along I turned on the radio to eliminate the rising level of the girls. Little did I realize the truth that Ladybug would hear...

They issued a challenge... and I just kept driving... not a second thought....

Yet that challenge hit Ladybug square on... you see, she wants a horse. A real big horse that she's just learned she need an acre for. She really wants a horse. She asked Santa for one... and fyi Lovebug asked for a computer!!

Ladybug realized she could not have a horse... and the truth to stop wanting what you cannot have... is huge. So she learned right there, while I drove. We've talked this over and over for months now.... she could not keep a horse in her room... there's not room in the backyard... over and over...

God worked in her heart to stop wanting a horse.

Oh, Lord open my ears to hear your truths!! I'm thanking HIM for sharing the girls truths with me!! There's so much to stop wanting!!!

Grace! ss