TN3JCarter
is going to flip but yes, I changed my blog AGAIN.  I just can't
get a look that's really me.  Or maybe “me” is constantly changing
my look.  Either way, as I sit in my bed battling fever, body
aches and whetever else it is I caught from my sweet little ones I had
to do something.  My body hurts no matter what I do. And my eyes
hurt too bad to watch the junk on TV.  Advil isn't really helping
either.  I think this is one of those times I wish I had bat boots
so I could hang upside down.  My feet are the only thing that
don't hurt.

So many things call.  The Christmas
decorating, baking, taking care of the family.  And all I can do
is snuggle in the bed aching and popping Advil.  It's ironic on
the days I'm so busy being laid-up-sorry in the bed sounds
wonderful.  I think it's without all the body aches though.

Hope you have a great Friday.
Julie

7 Things To Do Before I Die

1.  See all my children accept Christ
2.  Experience God's healing power
3.  Go somewhere romantic with my husband for a week
4.  Meet one movie star
5.  Homeschool one of my kids through highschool
6.  Travel the country in an  RV for 6 months with my family
7.  Go sking in CO one more time with my hubby

7 Things I Cannot Do

1. Get organized in a way I'm really happy with

2. Crossstitch

3. Get my children to do all the housework while I sit around reading and eating bon-bons.

4. Begin reading Lord of the Rings.

5. Golf

6. Play mini golf ( I get so mad)

7. Keep all my kids well through one whole entire winter.

7 Things That Attract Me To My Husband

1. His love for Jesus.

2. His biceps.

3. His butt.

4. When he puts his tool belt on.

5. When he plays with our children, reads to them or gives me a night off

6. He's a great encourager!

7. He's not scared to be funny.

7 Things I Say Most Often

1.  “Be kind to each other.”

2. “Have I told you I love you today?”

3. “Sparky” (dog)

4. “Do you have your shoes on yet?”
5.  “I'm hot.”

6.  “What's wrong?”

7. “It's too expensive.”

7 Books or Series I Love

1. Bible

2. Codependent No More – Melanie Beattie

3. This Present Darkness – Frank Peretti

4. Piercing the Darkness – Frank Peretti

5. Victory over the Darkness – Neil Anderson

6. Dominion – Randy Alcorn

7. Deadline – Randy Alcorn

7 Movies I Watch Over and Over Again (or would watch over and over if I had the time)
1. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

2. Ms Doubtfire
3. The Hunt for Red October

4. The Titanic

5. The Little Drummer Boy

6. West Side Story
7. The Sound of Music

7 People I Want to Join In, Too

1.  NotQuiteJuneCleaver
2.  Lisalouhoo
3.  tn3jcarter
4.  funnyfarm
5.  sagerats
6.  thewestiecrew
7.  dandelionseeds

This Thanksgiving
weekend we did the normal Thanksgiving thing.  It was
wonderful.  Good food, good friends, and a wonderful family. 
Friday before we ate we spent some time in the back yard…

…trying to decide which tree needed chopping down.  (Photo above….men trying to decide upon tree)

A few days ago my oldest son and I chopped down a small tree with a
hatchet.  I was concerned about losing digits so I was afraid to
use the ax.  I was amazed at how good it felt to chop down a
tree.  I think the last time I did that it was with a chainsaw
SEVERAL years ago.  I could just see myself dressed Little House
on the Prairie style gathering wood for the morning fire.  I AM
WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR!!!

My son and I took turns chopping at the
tree.  My four year old even took a couple chops.  After a
few burning muscles, a little sweat and a few “ughs” we were rewarded
with the cracking sound of timber falling.  It's been a long time
since I heard that sound.  It was a very rewarding sound….,the
sound of hard work, of sweat. 

Or course we had to have
something creative to do with our newly chopped tree so we decided to
make a bridge over the creek that leads to the woods.

Son #1 on our bridge

Of
course one downed tree led to another.  My son and I didn't chop
down all of the trees.  My husband helped too.  Then Friday
our pastor got to experience the same thing as we added to the
bridge.  He was also amazed at how good it felt.  Something
about an ax, wood flying and something to show from it when you're done.

We
all got a lot of pleasure out of walking across our bridge once we'd
gotten a few trees in place.  Even Little Kitty (he's not so
little, huh?) got a chance to try out our new bridge. 

The
smartest one, baby girl, thought staying out of the way was a better
idea.  We had such a great time.  I found myself very
thankful for the strength to chop wood, and wonderful modern
conveniences like electricity, a warm house and boiling water on a
stove (not the Little House on the Prairie wood stove).

Middle son and Sparky

This was written April 2005.  It's a great story so I thought I'd share it with you guys……

You
must have at least a small sense of humor when raising children
otherwise you'll go nuts.  Between the constant questions,
repeated answers and “why moms” there are days I wonder how mothers who
have gone before me look in the least bit sane.  I find I also
gain a greater appreciation for my mother with each passing day.

This
is the week I decided to go and visit a friend who lives about 6 hours
away at the beach.  I had originally planned to go by myself with
our four children but my husband decided to come along at the last
minute.  How I thought I’d make the trip by myself is beyond me
but I guess if you’re going to dream it’s important to dream
big!! 

What prompted me to write today was an incident that happened even
before we left the house this morning.  I still chuckle thinking
about it.  But let me start at the beginning…

About 3 months ago when I realized my husband and I were probably
finished having children I decided I needed some other kind of baby so
I began looking at puppies.  We have three boys ages 6,5,3 and a
daughter who just turned 10 months old, 2 cats, and 1 fish.  We’ve
had as many as 10 fish but for some reason I kill all but one. 
God must know too much even when I don’t.

I remember
thinking that certainly a cute little puppy would fill that baby void I
was already beginning to feel.  Our daughter was already beginning
to crawl, cruise and utter words like, “Dada, Ma-Ma, Dis and
bye-bye”.  By the beginning of February when she had turned 8
months I was just searching for an excuse to buy a puppy.  I
stopped by our local pet store several times, talked myself out of a
dog and then left only to return again a few days later to see what
else had arrived. 

One evening as my husband left for a business trip I gathered the kids
in the car to “just go look” at the puppies at the pet store. 
Seriously!!  No more than an hour later we were the proud owners
of a Feist/long hair Chihuahua mix my 5 year old promptly named
Sparky.  My excuse – his birthday was only a few weeks away. 
Sparky has turned out to be a delightful little dog but I’m quickly
learning the disadvantages as well as the advantages of having a small
dog. 

 
This morning after packing for 4 children and myself I help my husband
load the car then get all four kids into their car seats. (No small
feat!) I then turn to look for Sparky.  She usually comes when I
call her although she isn't alway in a mood to cooperate and be
persuaded into the car or the house when she’d rather be outside. 
So this morning she was in one of her favorite places enjoying the
spring day underneath our gazebo.  It’s a great cool, dark place
that our cat used to inhabit before a little black and white 7-pound
dog took over his world.  I called for her several times and she
would peep her head out from underneath the gazebo totally content with
being in a spot where she thought herself completely
unobtainable.  So I grab the broom and whisk it around underneath
trying to convince her that coming out really was a good idea. 

 
Now my husband and four children are sitting in our van watching me and
I could only imagine what my husband was thinking….“ And she had to
have a dog!!” or “I wonder what dog tastes like on the
BBQ?”   After a few minutes of watching my antics with Sparky
my husband hops out of the car and marches inside the house.  I
was only half paying attention to him until I saw him walking across
the lawn towards me with a bottle rocket and a lighter in hand. 
Normally my husband’s barbarian ways only cause me to shake my head in
bewilderment but this particular morning he was more like my
savior.  Laughing at the mental picture that was forming in my
head I smiled and graciously stepped aside.   

After securing the bottle rocket into the ground so it wouldn’t
actually go under the gazebo, just blast off while staying in the
ground beside it, my husband stoops to light the thing.  By this
point most of our family is out of the van or watching from the car
window.  As we stand with fingers stuck in our ears the
unexpecting Sparky hears “BBLLAAMM” as sparks fly in random fashion
into the air and fall upon the ground.  She shot out from
underneath the gazebo like a greased watermelon in a pool on the 4^th
of July.  Scared but perfectly okay she sits in the backseat as we
pull out of the driveway.  And I chuckle as I think this time we
can certainly “Chalk one up for dad!!!!”

My first TWO piggie tails!!

I have to admit my ever increasing blogging slump!  UGH….

It's frustrating at best.  I've changed templates three times hoping it would inspire me.  NOTHING.

Where has my creativity gone?  I'm beginning to think it's missing just like TN3JCARTER
went missing a couple weeks ago. I'm so thankful her husband found
her!!  If anyone's seen a brain running around full of wonderful
ideas it belongs to me!!!  It may come when beckoned if you have a
fist full of chocolate.  Desperate measures may need to be taken
so have plenty!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Julie

This
year we've decided to home make all of our gifts.  It's been fun
to find the crafts I think will be fun for the kids.  And it's
been a lot of fun making the ones we've done so far.  Family Fun
has a great website with wonderful craft ideas.  Do you guys know
of anymore??

One we've decided to do this year…
I
purchased some of the clear flat marbles and then printed pictures of
the kids on and hot glued them on the back.  Then added a
magnet.  They are so cute.  We even decorated some as funny
faces, reindeer and added things like JESUS ROCKS behind some of them.

I've included a few samples and the way we're making the photo magnets.  They were harder to photograph then the others.

Hope
this gives you a couple ideas.  The glass beads were 1.99 at Hobby
Lobby.  The magnets I got at Walmart for less then 3.00 and the
rest is home made things we had laying around the house and of course
I've used the computer and printer.  Have fun.

Send me your ideas!!!

Julie

We just returned home from a visit to NC to
see my family.  It was a great visit AND it feels so good to be
home.  My husband is fast asleep beside me.  My cat is curled
up on the other side…..(I'm supposed to be asleep)…..
Ah….home.

It's times like these I ponder the fact that Jesus had no home while he
lived here on earth.  Can you imagine how much we'd long for home
after sleeping under trees and in stranger's homes?  I know Jesus
was God but he was also fully human.  The human side of Jesus must
have longed for home, a place to retreat after a long day of
ministry.  We long for our physical homes when we've been away for
just a short while, but Jesus was in HEAVEN….with GOD.  Excuse
me if I say WOW!!!  Can you imagine longing for that kind of
home???  My little brain just can not wrap around that. 

Family can mean so much.  The older I get the more I feel like my
family is the body of believers.  I feel I've been blessed with a
wonderful family in Christ.  The believers I fellowship with are
such great folks.  I have a wonderful family who raised me and a
few years ago God blessed me by allowing me to meet my birth
family.  I was adopted at the ripe old age of 8 weeks old and grew
up in NC with loving parents.  It's been a real journey to meet
another mom, another dad and 4 additional siblings. 

This weekend was full of family and wonderful fun things for the
kids.  We played football, played at the park, rode the train at
the park, attended a college football game, swam at an indoor pool, and
visited with my family.  The kids had a great time with their
cousins.  I even got a few minutes to let my sister (the expert
hairdresser in the family) rip out some facial hair.  Who invented eyebrow waxing anyway?????  Had to be a man. 

No matter how wonderful the trip what is it about coming home? 
It's like putting on your favorite pair of blue jeans. Familiar. 
Comfortable.  Wonderfully you.

As I enjoy all the comforts of my earthly home this evening I am aware,
once again, of my longing for my heavenly home.  This place is
just a pitstop along God's eternal plan for my life.  As much as
my kids enjoyed the park and all the activities of the weekend I can't
wait to see what God has planned me when I come home!!!

Guess I better join my husband, cat and kids in La La Nighty Night land…..

Good night
Julie

Aren't the best ones stolen (or borrowed)???  I have two I've
thought of today as I looked at my newest issue of Family Fun. 
It's such a great magazine! ( www.familyfun.go.com )


Great idea #1
I got this idea from a magazine but
can't remember which one.  The family in the magazine celebrates
Thanksgiving each year by using a white tablecloth on the table. 
Each year the children and adults write the things they are thankful
for with fabric markers.  Each year they pull out the Thanksgiving
Tablecloth and have loads of fun adding to it and reading what was
written in the previous years.  Isn't this a great idea??? 
Especially if you have small kids….you get to see how their
handwriting progresses as well as their spelling and vocabulary. 
We're beginning ours this year.


Great idea #2
This is from a friend my husband used to work with.  His family
celebrated the “BER” months beginning in September thru December. 
I remember he loved the fall months and so they decided to celebrate
all of them instead of just the usual holidays.  They made up
their own family traditions (or stole some) and celebrated at the
beginning of each month with a special dinner. 
Sometimes they dressed up and danced.  I remember them just doing
silly memorable things that I'm sure their kids will carry with them
their entire lives. 

If you have any wonderful family traditions I'd love to hear them!!
We also make special pancakes every CHRISTtmas morning with reindeer,
snowman and CHRISTmas tree cookie cutter looking things we use on the
griddle.  Warning:  always use lots of cooking spray on the
shapes.

Happy Ber months….
JULIE

Every have one of those days where you'd like to stay in the bed with a good book and be invisible?    I've had one of those days today.  Church was blah.  Shopping with my very picky 6 year old for fall clothes was blah and now as we prepare for homegroup (our church's version of sunday school) I'm thinking “blah”.

I did my best to be invisible at church today, having nothing to say to much of anybody.  I'm not a caffeine drinker but I tried that this morning.  Didn't work!!  I guess we all have days like today when we'd just assume the world rotate without us.  Today was mine.  I hope that means tomorrow when my husband leaves for the week I'll be on top of my game again. Sometimes I wonder if I don't experience some type of grief when he's getting ready to leave for the week.  I don't usually recognize it as that but maybe that's part of what's going on. 

And now I'm thinking….why do we have to label everything?  Can't I be okay being blah without knowing the reason???  Sometimes I think trying to figure things out is our most common sin. 

BLAH!!!!