Ulrich Korner

Christmas Cards

2010-11-13T21:39:00.005-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again when I start getting ready to make our Christmas cards. Today I took the kids out to The Old Guilford Mill where I took some BEAUTIFUL pictures of the kids.

Once again, I will be going through Shutterfly.com for our holiday cards as I absolutely LOVE their selection this year! They have so many options not only for Christmas cards, but also for gifts too.

Today I went onto the Shutterfly website with my pictures that I have chosen, and the options seemed endless! I have narrowed down my choices to a few, but still need to decide whether I want to do our traditional flat card or switch things up a bit this year and do a folded card OH THE POSSIBILITIES! Whichever one I finally decide on, I know I will not be disappointed! I may even throw a Christmas gift in my order too!
...but I won't tell you who will be getting it.

I'm Baaaa-aaaack!

2009-12-17T12:55:00.002-05:00

Due to circumstances that I could not control, I have been out of blog-world for a little while. Our Internet modem had decided to just quit. Thankfully it was still under warranty, and we were able to have a new one shipped to us. In the meantime...no Internet! What a strange time. Honestly, I can say in ways I liked it, and in other ways I HATED it! Now we are back though, and it feels great!!

It's quiet

2009-12-08T22:17:00.002-05:00

It's quiet here now. Everyone is asleep, and I finally get a little time to myself...but I am TIRED! Yesterday and today all seem to be a blur. I fell on Saturday night and sprained my ankle and I must say Don jumped right in and is taking real good care of me. The kids have been helping me too. Mackenzie has been following me around the house and helping me with my chores. Olivia has been constantly checking up on me and worrying about my leg. Jaidyn has taken it upon herself to make sure the baby is entertained. I am, really proud of those girls! I will be posting tomorrow a little bit that we have been doing over the past couple days, but for now...sleep calls me!

Christmas Parade

2009-12-06T19:06:00.001-05:00

This is our second year at our town's parade! What is great about it is that we don't even have to leave our front yard to go to it! After the parade we came inside and warmed up with coffee, hot chocolate, and homemade coffee cake. YUM!

You Better Watch Out!

2009-12-03T13:59:00.002-05:00

OK, so yes, I am one of those apparently horrible parents that actually let their children believe in Santa. When my kids were real little, we would go through extremes to make Santa a "real" part of their Christmas.

Every Christmas Eve, my dad would get dressed up as Santa Claus, and come to our house. He would never come in, but we would see him outside walking by the living room window where he would "accidentally" drop a gift for the kids.

Well, needless to say, I guess I still go through extremes with it. Now some people may like to bash my parenting skills, and tell me I am a horrible person for lying to my kids, and how Jesus is the true meaning of Christmas (which they know), and that I am ruining their lives by letting them believe. Yadda-Yadda-Yadda. But I will still let them believe in Santa if they want to. ANYWAY, with that rant done, a funny thing happened to us in the grocery store today...

We were just checking out, and one of my kids decided to throw an attitude because I would not buy them a toy. YES my kids do that sometimes! Well, lo and behold, a sweet elegant elderly lady with gray hair and glasses came up to us. She was wearing dress pants and a pretty Christmas sweater. She asked me (which we still get all the time) if the girls were triplets. I said yes, and then she proceeded to talk to all 5 kids about how beautiful they are, and how well behaved. Then she asked if they were excited about Christmas and if they were being good. Well at that point, the proverbial light bulb went off in my head. Boy was I going to take this one and run with it.

After she left, I was walking to the car, and I said to the kids, "Do you realize who you just spoke to?" After they answered, "No", I went on to tell them how I think that may have been Mrs. Claus. Every once in awhile she will go out with the elves to check on whether the children were being good or not. Not every child gets to meet Mrs. Claus. We were one of the lucky ones. WELL, that did it from there. Ever since this morning, I have never seen such courteous and helpful little children in my life! I don't know who the nice lady was (maybe it REALLY was Mrs. C.), but if not I still want to thank her for making my kids' day!

My Poor, Poor Baby

2009-12-03T13:52:00.003-05:00

Today was Maddie's 4 month checkup, and I for one was NOT looking forward to it. I hate bringing my generally happy baby somewhere knowing FULL WELL that she is going to go through some excruciating pain at some point. Oh well, we went, and we survived!

Maddie's "stats" as of today are:
Weight: 12 lbs. 12oz.
Length: 23 inches long

The Dr. (again) gave me the go ahead to start her on solids now, but I am going to wait until she hits the 6 month mark. I think that generally that will be healthier for her. So January 14 will be her big day!

Today

2009-12-02T13:51:00.002-05:00

Today is such a cold and rainy day! It's one of those days that I can justify having the Christmas lights on all day as well as the candles in the windows. What would make this day perfect would be dinner cooking in the crock pot and bread baking in the bread machine. But alas, I do not have those two going. Oh well, I think I am going to start my Christmas cookie list today. Yes, that's what I'll do!

Christmas Decorating

2009-12-01T19:14:00.002-05:00

The Christmas decorations were put up over the weekend, and the final part to be done was to put the ornaments on the tree. So, last night we snacked on fresh baked cranberry bread and eggnog, watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", and decorated the Christmas tree. Of course the kids thought it was "the best day EVER!". We had a good time, and Don played photographer so we even got some pictures.

PHEW!

2009-11-30T13:42:00.002-05:00

Today has been a little bit of a stressful day so far. Right now I am sitting at the dining room table while Tru is here with me working on his Social Studies. The girls are in the family room. ALL of them, and I have yet to even start school with them today. We may just have to take the day off for them. I'm not sure what's going on, but it's just been one of those OFF days for me.

Oh well, I still have plenty to be thankful for. Even though he's giving me a hard time with his schoolwork, at least he's healthy. Even though they seem to have been fighting a little more than the norm, at least they're healthy. Even though I think she's miserable because she's teething, at least she's healthy. I am grateful for that, and will focus on that as I continue this challenge called TODAY.

Maddie's Dedication

2009-11-29T20:29:00.003-05:00

Well today was a VERY full day. This morning we dedicated Maddie at church. It was a special time for us since we were able to do it as a whole family. Don's sister Cathy and her husband Bruce were there, as well as our sister-in-law Brenda and two of her sons Bob and Billy. I was a little sad that my family was not able to be there to be a part of her special day, but all in all it was a good time.

This evening we went to Bill and Brenda's church for the "Hanging of the Greens". There, we were able to celebrate the first lighting of the advent wreath, and celebrate our first week of "HOPE". It was a beautiful service, and we learned quite a bit!

Now that the day is done, I can finally relax for the first time, and reflect on our wonderful day. Goodnight All!

Ending Our Week Big!

2009-11-28T22:03:00.002-05:00

Here are just a few pictures from the rest of this week. As you can see, right after Thanksgiving we started right in on the Christmas decorating. We're not finished decorating yet, but once we are, I'll post those pictures as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T22:48:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Wow! What a day! I must say, I am BEAT! I got up this morning at 7:30, and have been going non-stop ever since. I will say this - today was a success! My goal was to try and make today a nice memory for my children, and I think they really enjoyed the day. Another success was that my turkey I made...AMAZING! I was a little worried about it since it was only the second turkey I have ever made. My first one was when I hosted Thanksgiving 12 years ago for my in-laws the month Don and I got married. It was a disaster, and every year after that I MADE SURE I was not responsible for the bird. Well...this year I ended up with said responsibility. So, I did my homework, and passed the test! It was so juicy and YUMMY!

Well I wasn't planning on this being a long post, I really just wanted to hop on here and add to my list of things I was thankful for. Today, on Thanksgiving I am thankful for my salvation. I often find myself wondering how God could love us in spite of our (my) sinful nature, and just the fact that he does blows my mind! For a long time in my life I thought God was an unapproachable, easily angered kind of God that I could only go to if I was good and needed something. But I have come to realize that He is the opposite! HE LOVES ME! He thinks I'm awesome! I may never completely comprehend the depth of His love for me, but that's OK. Just the fact that He is ALWAYS there for me to run to and that I can go to Him anytime for anything is amazing to me.

...and so the short post has become a semi long post! Oh well, that's OK. I will be signing off for now, but will return again tomorrow with some pictures from our holiday. Until then...sleep well. I know I will!

Holiday Baking - PIES!

2009-11-25T20:42:00.027-05:00

Well today, Thanksgiving Eve, was a full day! Jaidyn, Mackenzie, and I made pies with mom's homemade piecrust.

We set the table for tomorrow's dinner, and we even managed to get our daily and weekly chores done! I AM BEAT! Don was kind enough to bring home pizza and a movie so that I didn't have to cook tonight, and now that I have finished getting the brined turkey going, I am finally able to relax.

It was a good day. Baking, Christmas music in the background, happy children. What More can I really ask for?

Like I said earlier it was pie day today, and our first order of business was to get the pie crusts made.

Once the crusts were made, we were good to go on our pies!

Apple Pie:

The Helper: Maddie (she kept me company)

The Ingredients:

two of Mom's unbaked piecrusts
9 Macintosh apples
flour
sugar
salt
cinnamon
nutmeg

The Directions:

Mix together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

Peel, core, and slice apples. Place in bowl.

Mix apples with flour mixture until apples are coated.

Turn into pastry lined pie plate, and dot with butter.

Cover pie with second pie crust, and poke holes to allow steam to escape.

Wrap edges with foil to prevent excessive browning.

Bake.

Pumpkin Pie:

The Chef: Mackenzie

The Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
(OR 1 3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice-thank goodness I had this on hand because I used all of my cinnamon in the apple pie)
2 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can Evaporated Milk

The Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl.

Beat eggs lightly in large bowl.

Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture.

Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie shell.

3.Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. (Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.)

Pecan Pie

The Chef: Jaidyn

The Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup pecan halves or broken pecans

In a medium bowl, beat all filling ingredients except pecans with wire whisk or hand beater until well blended.

Stir in pecans.

Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.

Cover edge of pastry with 2- to 3-inch-wide strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until center is set, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking.

Thanksgiving Week - Day 3

2009-11-25T15:52:00.002-05:00

Day Three:

My girls have been playing Christmas Music non-stop since they discovered the "Holly" station on XM radio. Today, it was on...again, and a song that I have heard DOZENS of times really stuck out to me. I never took too much notice to the words, but today I did.

The one line from that song that is stuck in my head is,
Have a very Merry Christmas,
And a Happy New Year,
Let's Hope it's a good one,
Without any fear.

This brings me to what I am thankful for today. Today I am thankful for God's protection on my family. There are so many people these days living in fear for one reason or another, whether it is far away in another country or close to us here at home.

My children are healthy and happy, as am I and Don. My parents and brother and sisters are all healthy and happy, as is all my in laws, nieces, and nephews. God has kept us all safe this year, and my heart has has been filled with gratitude for that today.

Thanksgiving Week - Day 2

2009-11-24T19:25:00.004-05:00

Day Two:
Today I am thankful for my children. I have THE BEST children in the world! They are kind and polite to others, they love to laugh and have fun, and I am having the time of my life seeing the world through their eyes.

Truman- My Truman is the kindest loving little boy in the whole world. He is ALWAYS sensitive to the needs of those around him. This is a trait that will take him far as he gets older. He loves his family and is protective of his sisters. Truman is going to make a wonderful husband to a very lucky girl one day.

Olivia - The oldest of the triplets is my "brainiac". She is one smart little girl! I love to watch her think things through, and come to her own conclusions. She is very quiet natured and loves to just hang out with momma.

Jaidyn- This girl is a force to be reckoned with. My Jitter-Bug is the smallest of the triplets, but you do NOT want to mess with her! There will be NO walking all over this girl when she grows up...we always say she is all New York! Not only is Jai tough, but she is also funny! My little comedian really knows how to work a crowd!

Mackenzie- For so long Sissy has been the "baby" of the family. The youngest of the triplets is my sweet sensitive girl. She is going to be an AWESOME mom one day. She is always there when you need a hug and her family is the most important thing to her. "Peace on Earth" was actually on her Christmas list this year!

Madelyn- My little mommas girl! What can I say? She can light up a room just by smiling. I love how my baby loves to cuddle with her momma, and is content to just sit on my lap. She was the perfect addition to our family this year, and I thank God for blessing us with her.

Holiday Baking: Cranberry Day

2009-11-24T16:09:00.020-05:00

Today has officially been dubbed "Cranberry Day". We kicked off our Thanksgiving Dinner baking with Homemade Cranberry Sauce, and Homemade Cranberry Bread. Our house is smelling SO GOOD!

The Cranberry Sauce:
I for one really do not like cranberry sauce, but it really wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it on the table, so this year I decided to make it. Well...actually Truman got to make it, and it was all done in the bread machine! AMAZING!

The Chef: Truman

The Ingredients:

3 cups of cranberries
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of cranberry juice
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. orange rind

The Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Transfer to loaf pan fitted with kneading paddle.

Place in bread machine, and select Jams/Jellies setting. And VOILA! Cranberry Sauce!!

We ended up with a couple of jars of this so we may be having it with Christmas Dinner too (since it can be refrigerated up to 6 weeks).

The Cranberry Bread:
Cranberry Bread is another staple that is always on our Thanksgiving Dinner Table. We eat it with our dinner, but it is just as good to have it with dessert too. Now this is a cranberry dish that I DO like!

The chef: Olivia

The Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup orange juice
Grated peel of 1 orange
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons hot water
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

The Directions:

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

In another bowl, beat egg.

Add orange juice, peel, butter and hot water.

Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Gently fold in cranberries and walnuts.

Spoon into greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan.

Bake at 325° for 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Tune in tomorrow for PIES with Jaidyn and Mackenzie!

Let the Baking Commence!

2009-11-23T17:41:00.002-05:00

I LOVE to cook. Anyone who knows me knows how true that statement REALLY is! And what better time to go nuts in the kitchen than Thanksgiving week, right?

This year we are hosting Thanksgiving Dinner here at our house, so I will be making the turkey. I will also be making homemade cranberry sauce, cranberry-orange bread, stuffing, rolls, and 3 (THREE) pies. My SIL Cathy will be doing SMASHED potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, corn, and cheesecake.

So with all that needs to be done, I like to spread out my baking throughout the week. Tomorrow is "cranberry day". I will be making the cranberry orange bread with Olivia, and cranberry sauce with Truman. I will attempting the sauce in my new bread machine that Don got me for my birthday!

Thanksgiving Week-Day 1

2009-11-23T15:58:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving week-MONDAY:

Today I am thankful for my husband who loves me for being me.
Even when I come up with crazy ideas, he supports me.
When we have gone through our darkest times in our lives, he was a comfort - even when HE was hurting too.
This is the man who allowed me to go back to college and get my degree while he stayed home and watched our four children under age 3.
He loves to laugh, and is one of the funniest people I know.
He loves to find treasures hidden in God's Word, and is VERY knowledgable when it comes to learning about who our Heavenly Father is.
I look up to this man because he puts his family first at ALL times.
He loves his children, and is a wonderful example of God's love to us.
I thank God for giving me such a wonderful man in my life.

All I Want for Christmas

2009-11-22T19:04:00.006-05:00

Ok, so it is now on the list for THREE of my girls. Two front teeth are the request of the season for
Olivia

Mackenzie

and Madelyn

Who do you think will get theirs first?

ADVENT

2009-11-20T14:32:00.003-05:00

Wow TWO posts in one day!

I have been thinking about Advent lately, and really want to do it this year with my kids. This is another Tradition that my parents did with us kids, and I always loved how every Sunday night in December we would take the time to do this. So now...I need to get myself to the craft store so that I can make our Advent wreath. It starts November 29 this year, so I'd better get moving on this.

Our advent schedule this year looks like this:

First Sunday of advent : Hope
light one purple candle to symbolize Hope
Prayer
Read Isaiah 60:2-3
Extinguish the flame

Second Sunday : Peace
Light two purple candles - Hope and Peace
Prayer
Read Mark 1:4
Extinguish the flames

Third Sunday : Joy
Light two purple candles (Hope and Peace)
and one rose to symbolize Joy
Prayer
Read Isaiah 35:10
Extinguish the flames

Fourth Sunday: Love
light all four candles - Hope, Peace, Joy and Love
Prayer
Read Isaiah 9:6-7
Extinguish the flames

Christmas Eve
After Sunset...
Light all four candles and add the fifth white candle
(the light of Christ)
Prayer
Read Luke 1:68-79 and Luke 2:1-20
Keep the candles lit a bit longer, or safely
throughout the evening.

My Christmas Budget Challenge

2009-11-20T14:24:00.003-05:00

Well, I am just about finished with Christmas shopping. This year I gave my frugal little self a budget challenge. I decided that I was going to get what the kids wanted on their Christmas list, but I was not going to spend more than $10 for each gift. That has become a HUGE challenge...but not impossible! I have been able to get $30 gifts that they asked for-for as little as $5!! Between sales, coupons, and REBATES I am rising to the challenge, and succeeding!

I will admit, I was a little worried when I saw things like MP3 players on ALL FOUR lists, BUT it is all coming along just fine! I am VERY happy about that, and I am thinking we are going to be having some VERY HAPPY children Christmas morning!

Traditions

2009-11-19T14:46:00.003-05:00

Recently I had a conversation with my brother-in-law and sisters-in-law about traditions. I love traditions. I love how they make me feel. I love how they make my family feel. I love to think that what traditions I share with my children may be passed on to their children and even down more generations.

As Thanksgiving approaches I remember some old traditions from when I was a little girl, and some new traditions that I have started with my kids. One of these traditions that I would like to keep is a memory of my grandmother. Every year we would go to her house for Thanksgiving Dinner. I remember her house would smell like roasting turkey and spearmint gum as we would enter, and my Aunt Jackie and Uncle Jerry would already be there with a glass of wine and the appetizers that they brought. There would always be assorted nuts and M&Ms to snack on before the big feast.

After dinner the pies would come out. Apple, pumpkin, and pecan were the choices. Always made by my mom, and ALWAYS made from scratch (which she so graciously taught me how to make). We'd already be stuffed from dinner, but we'd still always try to have as much pie as we could...because it was JUST THAT GOOD! Dessert would be followed by a craft with the kids hosted by Aunt Jackie (who was an elementary school teacher), and she always had THE BEST crafts for us! We always loved that part! After dessert, we would try and get my dad and Uncle Jerry to turn off the football game and get them to set up the screen projector so we could watch old slides from when mom was a little girl. We would laugh at how excited Grandpa would get about his reminiscing on old family vacations to New Hampshire and Maine, and we would giggle every time he said, "Oh I remember that spot on the Kangamangus Highway!"
KANGAMANGUS...I still laugh every time I hear it.

Just as the slides were coming to an end, Grandma would come into the living room with a tray with glasses on it filled with eggnog and a pinch of nutmeg on top. My favorite part! When we drank our eggnog with family all around, it always said to me, "We now officially welcome the Christmas holiday".

I LOVED that part. That is the part that I like to pass on to my kids. Every Thanksgiving as the day comes to an end, I like to bring out the old traditions of my childhood with eggnog and watch as my children take part in them too. One NEW tradition we have added to that is our "Secret Santa" picks. As we drink our special "Christmas Drink", my children each put their names in a hat, and then pick one out to see who they get to buy a Christmas present for this year. They get to buy for each other, and always love to give each other gifts.

I love traditions. I love how they make my children smile. I love to think of how they are going to pass them on even when I am not here anyore. Traditions. What are some of yours?

Meet the Browns

2009-11-17T12:58:00.006-05:00

Friday night we met up with the Brown's for dinner at Cracker Barrel. Deanna is a lifelong friend whom I treasure. She, Jeremy, and her two beautiful children were on their way from GA to NY to spend Thanksgiving, and we were able to visit with them for a little while. I look forward to their trip back, as we will get to see them AGAIN for a little bit!

I had a great time catching up with Dee and Jeremy, talking to little Eli, and meeting little JoJo.

I told Don, however, as we were driving away that I was a little jealous of them because I wanted to go where they were going! NY. Oh well, hopefully very soon we will be able to get up there. r kids at the end of the night. It's hard to believe how far we've come--Growing up as best friends, and now-just look!

We were able to get a picture of ALL of our babies!

New Years Resolutions

2009-11-17T12:54:00.002-05:00

Yup! I'm starting early.

Thinking ahead.

Starting today, I will be writing in THIS blog DAILY. WHOA! Did I just say daily? I guess I did! SO....all of you will be seeing ALOT more of ME!!!

2009-04-13T12:04:00.001-04:00

The Results Are In!!

2008-12-08T12:14:00.002-05:00

And the EMMY goes to...(drum roll)...

CONGRATULATIONS John!!!!!

It SNOWED last night!

2008-11-21T12:16:00.002-05:00

This is the most snow I've seen since I moved here 2 1/2 years ago! Although it REALLY isn't alot compared to what I've grown up with, I still was excited to see it this morning. I took this picture from my front door...I thought it looked like a Christma card out there this morning.

Doughnut Muffins

2008-11-10T10:11:00.002-05:00

It's been awhile since I posted a recipe. I thought I'd share this one since it is a favorite breakfast here at our house! The kids have them two or three times a week, and they are SO EASY! So here it is, and ENJOY!!

Ingredients:

1 egg
1/2 c. cooking oil
1/2 . milk
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. sugar

Using a fork or wire whisk, beat egg in mixing bowl. Add oil and milk, continue beating. Sift flour with sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add to mixture and stir lightly. Turn into 12 greased muffin tins. Sprinkle each muffin with a sugar and cinnamon mixture and put a dot of butter on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

A Political Post?

2008-11-05T12:47:00.003-05:00

So today I woke up, and guess what? My bed is still here in the same house, my kids are still here, as is my husband, I still taught a class to my kids, there's still food in the fridge, the economy is still what it is, and the sun is still in the sky!! AMAZING!! The way people are acting one would think that the world is coming to an end because the president they voted for lost the election!

This is my one and ONLY political post. I as a rule do not like to discuss politics with people in general, because to me it's just about the same as discussing religion...at least with the people I know. EVERYONE is right (in their own eyes).

I don't like to tell people who I voted for whether my candidate won or lost, and when it's over I don't like to rub things in people's faces if they won, or act like the America is on a mudslide to hell just because they lost.

Actually, this election had me up in the air at times. In the end, as with alot of people I would imagine, my ultimate decision came down to one issue. ONE ISSUE!

Neither candidate is a horrible person, and neither candidate will save America either...so...with that said the RIGHT person is in office ONLY because the ONE who controls which leaders are put where put him there. Whether I agree with it or not! So whether you voted for our new president elect or not, we should all be on our knees THANKING GOD for him! Because only GOD is the one who knows what the future holds, and maybe, just maybe the President who holds the office is just the person who can handle it.

So, President-elect Obama, although I did not vote for you this election, I thank God for you, and I will make it a priority to pray for the job you have ahead. I will pray for strength, and courage, and wisdom in your decision making, and I thank God for putting you in this most important position because I know that ULTIMATELY, all things are in HIS control.

11 Years!

2008-11-01T13:07:00.002-04:00

Today is our 11 year anniversary! I can't believe it! It seems like it was just yesterday that my dad was walking me down the aisle in the middle of what felt like a hurricane. Literally the wind and the rain was SO not like November in NY.

They say it is good luck to have it rain on your wedding day, so I took it and ran!

These past 11 years have FLOWN by! So much has happened, yet it still feels like it was just yesterday. There are things that have happened in in our marriage that I would never wish on anyone. Things that people still ask me, "How did you get through it?" I can honestly say that if God did not give me the husband that he did, I honestly don't know...

And to put up with me??? THAT IS NO EASY TASK! It takes a special man to deal with someone who is always dreaming, and who pushes to make things happen. Sometimes the dreams are just that. Sometimes the things I try to make happen are not the best things. Sometimes always having a new idea is not a good thing...BUT...he has ALWAYS BEEN THERE!! And for that I say to the world, "I love this man I married! Thank you Don, for loving me even when I'm acting crazy...Thank you Don for loving me even when you need to step in and tell me to come down out of the clouds...Thank you for loving me when you stand behind me in my endeavors...thank you for the demonstration of Christ's unconditional love that you have given to me every day since the day we said, "I DO".

I look forward to the adventures that are ahead because I know that together we are AMAZING!!!

I love you!

The EMMYS

2008-10-21T09:37:00.002-04:00

My brother John just got nominated for ANOTHER EMMY! Here is the piece that got it for him. I AM SO PROUD!!!!

Today is my anniversary...

2008-10-09T13:09:00.009-04:00

...no not my wedding anniversary-that's in November. Today is the six year anniversary of the day I entered the hospital with the triplets. OK, so some of you might think it odd to turn that into a special day, but for me it was a HUGE moment of my life.

I had been on complete bed rest at home since September 28, and I thought that was torture. I sure didn't know how much harder it was about to get. At home on bed rest, my days consisted of: Wake up, Don would make breakfast for me and Truman (who was 18 months old at the time), get ready for work, and then I would be left home alone in bed until Don and Truman came home after work. Then Don would make dinner (or someone would bring us some), and the routine would start all over again the next day. I was allowed to get up for bathroom privileges only.

Until October 9. That night (a Wednesday), Don and Tru were at church, and I was home alone again. That is when the contractions began. At first, I thought they were just Braxton-Hicks contractions, but since I was an extremely high risk pregnancy, I decided to call my doctor. My doctor said to come to the hospital to check it out...we were not going to take any chances...

I called my parents to come pick me up, and on the way, we stopped by the church so that I could tell Don what was going on. I remember telling him, to not even bother coming up...I was sure they were gong to just give me some sort of "magic pill" and send me on home.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

I entered the hospital on the Eve of October 9, 2002, and did not leave until December 31, 2002.

Those 3 months I spent at VBMC, I spent fighting for my girl's lives, and for mine as well...literally. There was one point where we could have lost one or all of them if we made the wrong decision. Thank God we made the right one. And after I delivered them I spent a few days in ICU because it was touch and go with me! But...WE MADE IT! And that is why I celebrate this day!!!

here is a picture of when I was 7 months pregnant, and Tru came to visit me in the hospital. I'd show a pic of 9 months, but I don't want to scare anyone!

This is NOT NY!

2008-09-20T16:41:00.003-04:00

I was in my living room today, and looked outside my front door. This is what I saw going down the street...

This is a scene that NEVER happened in my neighborhood when I was growing up...although I always wished it did! It's things like this that makes me love where I live. But then I get homesick for friends and family and wish I could pick up my street and move it back home.

Andrea's wedding!

2008-08-22T16:10:00.000-04:00

This about sums it up! What fun we had!!

At First Cast!

2008-07-09T20:41:00.002-04:00

Truman's first fishing trip of the summer with Pop Pop was VERY rewarding! As soon as he threw his first cast in, this is what he got!!! Way to go Tru!

Why we call her Sissy

2008-06-29T09:05:00.005-04:00

On the left is Mackenzie, my "Sissy". Above is her Aunt Betty (Don's sister) as a child. She is also known as "Sissy"...now you know where she got her nickname!

Tru and Grandma

2008-06-28T19:52:00.002-04:00

I found this picture the other day of Grandma and Truman. Boy I REALLY miss her.

Today I played with my kids

2008-06-17T15:02:00.006-04:00

I left the dishes in the sink (so far). I didn't clean the bathroom (yet). And my bed is unmade (for now). Instead of doing my morning chores, I made a mess with legos and Star Wars guys, and I gave the triplets a makeover. HOW PRETTY!!!

HEY!

2008-06-16T16:03:00.001-04:00

Check out DON's new blog at: pappi-don.blogspot.com

you will learn ALOT!!!!

Working my way back to blogging

2008-06-16T14:16:00.019-04:00

It is a slow but sure process for me. For some reason I have a hard time blogging when I have no good pictures to post! Go figure...

I have no good pics because my camera does not work. My camera does not work because it needs new batteries. Therefore it is ultimately MY OWN FAULT! Oh well I can still tell you what has been going on the past couple months can't I? The pictures I DO post today, please forgive. I have taken them with my camera phone. It's better than no pics...I suppose.

MARCH- we finally moved into our new house. It is a Cape Cod style house but the inside layout is a reverse style. This means that when you walk in the front door, you see no stairs. They are in the back of the house off of the family room. I really like this house. There is plenty of room for the kids to play outside, Truman made a friend with the next door neighbor's 10 year old son, and our other neighbors are some cows and a horse on the farm across the street. It is a very quiet neighborhood in a very nice community. For that, I am grateful!!

Left: The view from my kitchen window
Below: My neighbor Nutmeg

APRIL - Truman and I finished FIRST GRADE!!! I am so proud of him. He is reading everything he sees, but he says his favorite subject is math. This year along with the core subjects, we also went through the entire Bible, and created a timeline of events from creation through the New Testament. I am so proud of what he has accomplished this year, and I must say...I CAN'T WAIT TO DO SECOND GRADE!!! In the fall we will be studying American History and Geography. The girls will be joining us this year so that will be an interesting ingredient to our homeschool mix!

Here we are on a typical school day. We have so much fun together!!

The girls in their Easter outfits. SO CUTE!

MAY- The end of April into early May, life just up and got CRAZY!!! For years, I have wanted to start my own business, and the time has come after much, much, MUCH prayer. I will be honest, I was scared. Mainly because I needed to make an investment, and that SCARED me. Living on one income with six people in the family THESE DAYS? Life was really giving us no room for any error. So to make a decision like this is really a HUGE step of faith. Each day I walk by faith as I am now getting this show on the road!

I have become a jeweler with Premier Designs Jewelry, and let me tell you I LOVE IT! It is by no means easy for me since I don't know too many people around here right now, but I am meeting them! I am having so much fun, and am loving it!!!!

So here is where I work!! A little corner upstairs...

I have also tried my hand at gardening! I have started a "fool proof" indoor herb garden with an Aerogarden. Let me just say...SO COOL!!!!

I keep my garden in the dining room, and we have been eating from it in almost all of our meals. I have more than I know what to do with!!! (In the garden: mint, parsley, basil, purple basil, thyme, dill, and chives)

JUNE!- Well here we are! What are we doing now??

We have been enjoying SUMMER! Well trying to at least...This yankee still can't get used to this heat so early in the year...

Right: Early blooms of summer (from the rose bushes in my front yard)

Above: Nephew Kenny's highschool graduation (with his parents) GO KENNY!!

An evening at the lake-
nothing says summer like swimming and a picnic

What in the WORLD???

2008-05-16T18:35:00.002-04:00

I know I KNOW!!! How long has it been? 5 months. 5 MONTHS! I could tell you there is a reason I haven't been on for so long, but that would take DAYS!!! So I will give you the short version.

A Christmas Prayer (Part 2)

As I said in my last post, Truman's prayer for Christmas was answered. What I did NOT say was...so was mine.

I had wanted to get home to see my grandma. She wasn't doing too well, and I mentioned to Don, that I REALLY wanted to see her. So...we went home, and I got to visit with her.

Growing up, grandma was our "designated" babysitter. I always loved to be with her, and she always made me feel like there was nothing else she'd rather do than be with us kids. She was the kindest person you'd ever meet, and she always made me feel like I could do no wrong.

I was so happy to be able to visit her, and then...four hours into our 12 hr. trip home, I got the phone call from my sister Andrea. Grandma had just passed away. I COULDN'T believe it! In a way I really could because she really wasn't doing so well, but...I JUST SAW HER!

When my sister told me this I felt like a part of me had gone too. You see, I am a very sentimental person when it comes to family and to tradition. It is hard to explain, but I felt like my old life (of being a kid, and having my family the way it was when I was little) had just ended...I guess the fact that I had just turned 30 a couple months earlier didn't help either...but that's another story.

ANYWAY-grandma's passing put me in some sort of funk, because I really didn't want to let go of my "old life". But...I really didn't have a choice now did I? So, I have come to the realization that I had this unconscious habit of holding on to the past, and that really isn't healthy at all is it?

So now I look forward. I remember grandma with all the love and honor that any one person could have. I miss her terribly. But I still look forward. I have so many new memories to make for four little children of my own, and my prayer and goal is to make my kids feel as loved, and wanted, and appreciated as grandma made me. That way her legacy lives on through them and their children.

A Christmas Prayer (part 1)

2007-12-23T09:59:00.000-05:00

It began sometime in late October I think. We had been talking about the upcoming Christmas holiday for some time already. I was sitting on the couch next to Truman and we were watching T.V. when one of those commercials with the "happy cows" came on. While it was playing, Tru turned to me and said, "Mom, that's the BEST Christmas present that I'm gonna pray for." I looked back at Truman wondering why in the world he wanted a cow for Christmas...so I asked him. His answer was, "No, I'm going to pray for snow this Christmas." Now the chances of our having a "White Christmas" in NY were always hit or miss, but the chance for a Christmas snow in NC???

Anyway, I did not discourage the little guy. Instead I told him that I would pray for that too. Who knows? it could happen. Right???

As October blended into November and November into December, the weather got...warmer. Still, I did not forget to pray for snow for Christmas. Truman still believed. So I did too.

Then the phone call came. My family wanted to know if we had time to come up and visit. It would be my sister's Christmas gift to us. Don just happened to have the week before Christmas off for his vacation, so we decided (again last minute) all pile in the van and head on up.

This is what we arrived to:

Well...as you can see, one little boy got a BIG prayer answered for him this Christmas!

YUMMY muffins!

2007-12-15T11:31:00.000-05:00

I just made up two batches of these muffins. One to freeze to go with Christmas breakfast, and one to eat! They were D-licious! Just thought I'd share:

Eggnog muffins

3 cups of flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 tsps. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 egg

1 3/4 cups eggnog

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Mix together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl

2. In seperate bowl combine eggs, eggnog, and oil

3. Add wet ingredients to dry. Stir just until moistened.

4. Fold in raisins and nuts

5. Grease or line muffin tin. Fill 2/3 full (should make about 16-18 muffins)

6. Bake 20-25 min. at 350 degrees

7. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 min, then remove muffins from pan.

Festival of Trees

2007-12-06T12:24:00.000-05:00

Last Friday I took the kids to downtown Greensboro for it's annual tree lighting. What fun! there were street vendors and people singing on the side walk. Near the tree there was a stage set up for performances, and about a half hour before the lighting, everyone began to sing Christmas carols. It was such a fun time with joy and happiness in the air. You just couldn't help but smile to be there. Bagpipes, Gospel music, Country...it as all there. There were people dressed up in Old World costume and caroling all around. And there were TONS and TONS of people. At one point I felt like I was in Manhattan during the holidays...

Here is Olivia right after she got a candy can from "Father Christmas"

Countdown to tree lighting "...5...4...3...!"

Sissy dancin' the night away with her Uncle Bill

A day at NC Zoo

2007-12-01T14:36:00.000-05:00

Turning 30

2007-11-14T15:57:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago (October 28) I celebrated my 30th birthday. It came and went with no great fanfare, but all in all it was a good day. Don took the day off, and we went out and bought a pumpkin and an outdoor firepit. That night we enjoyed dinner outside around a beautiful fire.

Today I got this beautiful Hallmark birthday card from my mom, I just had to post it:

How to make a beautiful life

Reflections for a daughter on her birthday-

Love yourself.

Make Peace with who you are

and where you are at this moment of time.

Listen to your heart.

If you can't hear what it's saying in this noisy world,

MAKE TIME for yourself.

Enjoy your own company.

Let your mind wander among the stars.

Try.

Take chances.

MAKE MISTAKES.

Life can be messy and confusing at times,

but it's also full of surprises.

The next rock in your path might be a stepping-stone.

Be happy.

when you don't have what you want,

want what you have.

MAKE DO.

That's a well-kept secret of contentment.

There aren't any shortcuts to tomorrow.

You have to MAKE YOUR OWN WAY.

To know where you're going is only a part of it.

You need to know where you've been, too.

And if you ever get lost, don't worry.

The people who love you will find you.

Count on it.

Life isn't days and years.

It's what you do with time and with all the goodness and grace that's inside you.

MAKE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE...

The kind of life you deverve.

Love always,

Dad and Mom

This weeks menu

2007-11-10T10:44:00.000-05:00

I thought this would be a fun post...a bit different. Here is what we will be having for dinner this week:

Sat: chicken and rice in the crock pot

Sun: brown sugar glazed ham, pirogies, and salad

Mon: Italian baked chicken, pasta side, and green beans

Tues: Goulash and corn

Wed: Chicken fried round steak, parsley potatoes, and mixed vegetables

Thurs: LEFTOVERS

Fri: Birthday Dinner at Bill and Brenda's. I'm making dessert: German apple cake and pumpkin white chocolate cheesecake! YUM!

Coming soon...

2007-11-10T10:43:00.000-05:00

Lots of pictures and lots going on...WILL BE POSTING SOON!

Rain

2007-10-26T13:37:00.000-04:00

It's our third straight day of rain...and I am THANKFUL!

Tis the season...

2007-10-21T21:01:00.000-04:00

To be baking that is! The girls and I made these yesterday, and they were D-licious! Here is the recipe...and a warning- this recipe makes ALOT! We made 3 dozen muffins, so we were able to freeze half to eat for breakfast on a chilly autumn morning. And now the recipe:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

4 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin

1 1/2 cups canola oil

3 cups all-purpose flour (I used half all-purpose and half whole wheat)

2 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins or use paper liners.

2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and mix in sugar, pumpkin, and oil.

3. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Blend in the egg and pumpkin mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Transfer to the muffin pans.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove muffins from pans, and cool on a wire rack.

Dry Spell

2007-10-21T19:57:00.000-04:00

Wow! I cannot believe that I have gone a whole month without posting a single thing!!

Quite a bit has happened over the past month, and we have been trying to adjust to the many changes going on in life right now. With that said, please accept my most humble apologies concerning my neglect to all of you readers here in blog-world.

And now for our latest updates...

I would have to say that our largest life change right now would be our decision to homeschooling our children. I believe that this decision has been a long time coming, and I am happy to say that we are THRILLED with this school year! We are using a fairly new curriculum (I guess you could say-comparing it to the "big-time") called My Father's World. A couple of things I love the most about this new adventure is the bonding that my kids and I are experiencing, and also the chance to actually SEE my children learn. To me THAT is the most amazing thing!

On October 1, Don got in the car and made the 12 hr. trip up to NY to come and get his family. We had not seen him since August, so needless to say it was a VERY happy reunion! Our last day in NY was bittersweet. Were were happy that we were finally going to be together as a family, but we were also very sad, because we had to say goodbye once again to Pop-Pop, Grandmama, Anj, and Grace. That day we did our best to cram as many fun things into it as we could.

Sunday morning, we went to church, and got to see a concert of a group that had used to come to the church when I was a little girl! I was VERY excited about that because we hadn't seen the Couriers in YEARS! I will have to tell you, that morning I was definitely taken back to my childhood...

After church we headed on out to an apple orchard in East Fishkill to relive another childhood memory. Apple picking followed by fresh made donuts and apple cider. I can honestly say that I have NEVER seen the trees so FULL of fruit! This was so much fun!

Last, we headed our weary little bodies on the Memorial Park in Beacon where we just hung out and the kids ran and played and got REALLY tired! Even my grandmother got in on this part of the outing!

I love this picture! Four generations!

I guess it is more than safe to say that our trip to New York was a wonderful time of reminiscing, and also making lots of NEW memories! We miss everyone terribly now, but are still fresh with the wonderful thoughts that we have of our trip!

The Missions

2007-09-22T15:43:00.000-04:00

For years my family has been good friends with the Maxwells who are missionaries to Africa. Well the Maxwells are back in the states for a little while, and we were able to visit with them for a few days. A couple days before they arrived, I told my kids that were were getting a visit from missionaries from Africa, and the girls especially were excited. At church this summer they had been learning about sharing what they had with children less fortunate (i.e...such as the children in Africa)...so every morning before they finally came, the girls would wake up and ask, "Is today the day the missions are coming?"

While they were here, the kids had so much fun. We were able to get a picture in right before they left...

Mackenzie was very sad to see them go...she cried a little when they left. I had never seen her get so emotional about someone she had just met. She grew quite attached to this couple, and they left a BIG impression on my little girl.

I just had to add this one picture of Mackenzie doing Jenny's hair one night. The girl's called her Shoshee, which is Jenny's African name...

Our Field Trip to Pawling NY's Butterfly Farm

2007-09-16T20:39:00.001-04:00

Gardening

2007-09-11T16:51:00.000-04:00

I have recently become VERY interested in growing my own food. It's so much fun to go out in the back yard and pick things for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Here the girls are out with Pop Pop in his garden seeing what they can find for breakfast. He's got a little of everything in there

Here's what they found: Peppers and basil to go
with bacon, eggs, toast, and grits! YUM!

Here is another picture of dinner: Southern fried cubed steak, mashed potatoes and from the garden-collard greens, and tomato cucumber salad!

...as intrigued as I am to start my own garden, I am still leery enough of snakes and spiders that I think I will start out with a nice sized container garden!

My son, MY BOY!

2007-09-11T16:48:00.000-04:00

His new interest...
He found this in my parents' basement. I think it once belonged to my brother!

Grape Jelly and Apple Pie

2007-09-11T16:15:00.000-04:00

OK, so you're probably wondering what these two things have in common??? Well the answer really is quite simple! These are the products of a new desire that I have had lately to learn how to do!

When I was growing up, my mom would faithfully make grape jelly, apple pie, cinnamon rolls, and honey-whole-wheat bread...all from scratch! Yeah, that's right...WITHOUT a bread machine! I still remember bringing a loaf of just-made bread into school every holiday season as a gift for my elementary school teachers!

I have now realized that the time has come for me to learn from mom, and keep on with the tradition. I will admit...I have been a little intimidated to even try an learn these thing in the past, because MOM IS THE QUEEN of baking! I'm not kidding! her homemade apple pies are FAMOUS! Well needless to say...I DID IT!!! And I must say, it was a joy to see the finished product too!

For the grape jelly, we started out by going out into the back yard and picked the grapes off of the vine! Yes...when I say "from scratch" I really mean FROM SCRATCH! After two days of hard work, we were able to enjoy the "fruits of our labor" and will again and again probably for about a year!

As for the apple pie...the main thing that intimidated me the most was that mom makes the most amazing pie crusts! Well...once again I learned her secrets! And I won't reveal them until my daughters come askin' Here is a picture of MY FIRST APPLE PIE! Yeah, I'm a little proud of it...

Fair anyone?

2007-08-29T13:59:00.000-04:00

The kids just inside the entrance to the fair

Last Thursday Mom and I took the kids to the Dutchess County Fair. This is a yearly fair located in Rhinebeck, NY and it is something that I have gone to every year for as long as I can remember. Once again, the weather was PERFECT for this little outing, and we had loads of fun. The highlights of our day were:

seeing the farm animals,

Truman grew attached to this little goat as soon as he saw him. He had to make sure I took some pictures of his "little buddy".

seeing the exotic animals,

above: the cutest baby animal at the fair

left: this guy was a little to camera happy for my taste. He ran up to the camera as I was taking this!

and of course the BEST part...our yearly tradition!

We cannot leave the fair without getting a famous 4-H shake...

I got strawberry - YUM!

What a fun time we all had!!!

2007-08-26T23:52:00.000-04:00

Olivia and Mackenzie getting water for their sand castle

Wow! It seems like it has been forever since my last post! SO much has been going on that I have been finding it hard to stop and record it all. SO here I am with so much to say and so little time. I figure I will just add on one day at a time...

Last Sunday (exactly one week ago today) was SO MUCH FUN! We woke up to the smell of bacon, eggs, blueberry pancakes, and COFFEE!!! Pop Pop was at work in the kitchen...I remember when I was a kid that this was a Sunday morning tradition. Dad would make breakfast for everyone while the rest of us got ready for church...yeah, yeah, yeah now you all know our dirty little secret-the real reason why we were always late for church was because we were FEASTING!

Anyway, after we ate, Anj came over, and we packed a lunch and all headed out to Lake Taconic for a picnic. Let me tell you, it was the PERFECT day for it. The weather was sunny and in the low 80's, and there was virtually NO humidity. What else made it perfect was that the beach was pretty much empty. So we just set up camp right on the beach instead of looking for the usual picnic table in the grass.

Truman and Jaidyn getting in on the fun

Pop Pop taught Tru how to skip rocks...and he did it!

That day we played in the sand, went swimming in the lake, slept in the sun, and even got some fishing in too! Truman went off for awhile with Pop Pop before we ate, and actually caught 4 fish! After we ate, I went with Pop Pop to the other side of the lake (we had to drive because it is so huge) and I caught SEAWEED! A ton of it!

Tru's catch of the day!

After we came home, I got the kids bathed and ready for bed while mom made a peach cobbler for desert. YUM! The girls picked out a movie to watch while we ate, so that night's viewing was the Sound of Music.

Needless to say, it was a GREAT DAY!!

Random

2007-08-16T15:39:00.000-04:00

Can you guess who's who? I can! (thank goodness)

Sissy

2007-08-16T15:25:00.000-04:00

As I was looking over all of my previous blogs, I realized something...I have posted quite a few stories about all of my kids...all but Mackenzie. I have not intentionally left her out, it's just that she is such a calm, laid back individual and rarely gets into any mischief.

So in honor of Sissy (that's her nickname), here's one of her stories:

This one actually happened today, and it is not the first time this has happened either...

Sissy loves food. She loves to eat. She'll eat anything. ESPECIALLY candy. Sis will go through whatever it takes to get something to eat including fake an illness or disease. Today's illness? I'll let you guess. Our conversation went just like this:

Sis: Mom I'm hungry

Me: Sissy you just had breakfast, just wait a little while and I'll get you a snack.

Sis: OK

two minutes later

Sis: MOM I really need to have some candy NOW because my sugar is starting to go down!

Did you guess what she has now??? Yep, my poor dear 4 yr. old has just diagnosed herself with diabetes.

Battle Scars and War Wounds (Take 2)

2007-08-14T16:43:00.000-04:00

AAuuuggghhh!!! Don't you just hate those days that I described in an earlier post? Well, I just had my second one in the past 3 weeks. (All too soon if you ask me!). Yesterday, I was sitting on the couch with Jaidyn while she was playing with a plastic jewel that had fallen out of one of those plastic tiara's you get from Walmart. Now let me just preface what I am about to say by stating that although Jaidyn is 4 1/2 years old, she is also TINY -well she prefers to say petite (she only weighs 27lbs!).

Now, although she is little, she knows FULL well not to put little things like these little jewels in her mouth, and therefore I was more than comfortable leaving her alone for the 2 min. it was going to take me to go upstairs, grab something and bring it back down.

NEEDLESS TO SAY...I just barely get to the top of the stairs (what's that like 15 seconds?), and Jai lets out this ear piercing scream.

Me: Jaidyn WHAT IS THE MATTER???

Jai: There's a DIAMOND in my nose!!!

Me: WHAT???

Jai: THE DIAMOND FELL IN MY NOSE!!!

So as I went running back down the stairs, I was thinking, "There is NO POSSIBLE way she is talking about that little jewel she was playing with...It was 3 times the size of her nostril!

So, I sat on the floor and looked up her nose and saw...NOTHING. I went into the family room where she was and found...NOTHING. That's when I started to check to see if I could feel anything on her nose, and I SURE DID!! That sucker was so far up her nose it was right next to her eye! I could feel it on the outside of her nose through the skin!

Trying not to panic I called my mom at work and she came right home. After calling around to a couple doctors, it was quite obvious that I would be taking my second trip this month to the Emergency Room.

As we headed on up to St. Francis in Poughkeepsie, mom and I were surprised at how calm Jaidyn was through this whole ordeal. I was sitting in the backseat holding her hand, and she was rubbing my arm as if she was reassurring ME!

About 15 minutes in to our 30 minute drive, I began to pray for Jaidyn. Not only for her nose, but for my relationship with her (we butt heads CONSTANTLY). For a while now I have felt the need to spend some one on one time with her, but it just hasn't happened. I also prayed about my own issues...yeah, I find that I can be controlling, and have trust issues! LOL!

So after giving the situation to God COMPLETELY, I decided to check her nose again. As I looked into her nostril I was shocked to see that the "diamond" had traveled back down and was sitting just inside her nostril! I only tried once to get it out in fear that it would go back up to where it was, but it was so large that I couldn't get it out. So we kept on going to the hospital, but we were relieved that we could now see it.

As we got into the ER, one of the nurses tried to get Jaidyn to blow the jewel out into a tissue, but the poor thing was so confused she kept blowing IN. Of course that made me all the more nervous that it was going to disappear again.

After trying that for a little longer, the nurse had us sit in the waiting room, and when we sat down, mom suggested that since it was RIGHT THERE, maybe I could massage her nose from the outside. So I did. And guess what??? IT POPPED RIGHT OUT!!!

From the commotion mom and I made, one would've thought that she had just given birth to my first grandchild!!! We were ELATED!!!

Needless to say, we were once again spared the whole hospital process.

I know it's hard to see, but here is a picture of my new grandchild...To put it into perspective it is about the size of an M&M.

Left: Jai and her baby
Right: So happy it's out!!

Going Home

2007-08-13T13:39:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, July 9th, I packed up the kids and the dog and we headed on out for an unexpected vacation home to NY.

(Here they are right outside of the car that they just spent the last 13 hours in!)

It was just a couple days before that we decided to go, so it was like a pleasant surprise.

After living for about a week in 100+ degree weather, it was WONDERFUL to come up here while there was an unseasonably "cold spell" (On Friday it was a high of 58).

This was taken right off my parents deck during our "cold spell"

Saturday I took the kids to Middletown to visit "Aunt Bonnie" We had such a fun day swimming at her house. Here are a few picks from the visit...

Here are some of the kids in my parents backyard playing on Sunday...

As you can see, so far the kids and I are having TONS of fun!

Even Howie is having a good time playing with mom's dog Chelsea!

DEFINATELY MORE TO COME...

Battle Scars and War Wounds

2007-07-31T21:11:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how one single happening can completely alter a whole day's events. Such a day occurred for me yesterday.

So, it started out pretty normal. Tru playing XBox with dad, girls playing in the living room, and I having a nice conversation in the dining room with my sister-in-law Brenda. The next thing I know, Olivia is crying and saying she's bleeding. Now normally, this is really not THAT huge of a deal. Olivia is my tom boy. She is always doing SOMETHING to scrape her knees, elbows, or whatnot. In fact right now she is sporting a goose egg on her forehead from a spill she took almost a week ago.

Well...not this time. Cathy brought her into the dining room to show me the war wounds, and needless to say she was POURING blood out of her foot! The poor baby stepped on one of Tru's transformer toys, and as a result had a huge gash in the crease of her little pinkie toe.

When I first looked at her injury, it looked real bad. It was a VERY deep cut, so...Brenda, Don , and I all piled into Brenda's car and headed out for the emergency room. On the way there, the bleeding stopped, and after another look, it looked like we would be able to treat the injury ourselves.

After a quick trip into Eckerd's drugstore for first aid supplies, and some M&M's for the patient, we headed on back home. Once we doctored her up with a bandage and some Tylenol, daddy settled her on our bed, and propped her foot up with a pillow, and indulged her with a story from her new Bible about Samson - the strongest man.

Now that day 2 has come to a close, Olivia has been up for a little while walking, but I put a quick end to that when I saw her bandage coming off for the second time. I worry that she is going to open up the wound again SO...for the next few days, we will be keeping a low profile for awhile so that her foot will have the chance to heal properly.

Here are a couple of pics of "Wee-wa" after we set her up today on the couch in Gernie's living room.

1 Corinthians: (To my children)

2007-07-23T09:31:00.000-04:00

I corinthians says it all....A friend of mine sent this to me and it was so wonderful I wanted to share it with you!

Though I teach my children how to multiply, divide, and diagram a sentence, but fail to show them love, I have taught them nothing.
And though I take them on numerous field trips, to swim practice and flute lessons; and though I involve them in every church activity, but fail to give them love, I profit nothing.
And though I scrub my house relentlessly, run countless errands, and serve three nutritious meals every day but fail to be an example of love, I have done nothing.

Love is patient with misspelled words and is kind to young interrupters.
Love does not envy high SAT scores of other homeschool families.
Love does not claim to have better teaching methods than anyone else,
It is not rude to the fourth telephone caller during a science lesson, does not seek perfectly behavedgeniuses, does not turn into a drill sergeant, thinks no evil about friends' educational choices.
Love bears all my children's challenges, believes all my children are God's precious gifts, hopes all my children establish permanent relationships with Christ, and endures all things to demonstrate God's love.
Love never fails.

Where there are college degrees, they will fail; where there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
For we know in part and we teach in part. But when the trials of life come to our children, the history, math, and science will be done away and faith, hope and love will remain;
but the greatest of these is love.

Isn't that GREAT??

7/7/07...My son's OTHER birthday!!!

2007-07-08T00:04:00.000-04:00

Today has been one of the best days of my life. Let me begin by saying that Truman lately has been VERY sensitive when it comes to God. He is always asking questions about God, and making little comments here and there. For instance, when we were looking for a church, one Sunday we turned into the parking lot of one we were "trying out", and suddenly he exlaimed, "HEY! this is the church I drew in my picture! Jesus is here!" If any of you know Tru, he tends to be a very shy boy, but for some reason he was drawn to this church. Needless to say...he was right...we've been going ever since! Another time, he overheard his older cousins fighting. Tru was quick to step in to remind them that they need to stop the fighting and that God wants us all to love each other.

All of this I believe adds up to what happened today...Truman was sitting in the dining room coloring with his cousin Conor, and he asked me, "Mom, what does it feel like to have Jesus in your heart?" Needless to say my mind started to go a million miles a minute wondering how I was going to answer this question, wondering where it was going to lead, and wishing I had someone there to witness what I hoped was about to happen. So I explained that having Jesus in your heart was a good feeling because we know that He saved us and that He is ALWAYS there for us.

After I explained all of this to him, I asked Tru if he wanted to pray and ask Jesus to come into his heart. He said he did! So right there, in the dining room I got to pray with my son as he accepted the Lord. It was the most amazing feeling! I wanted to tell EVERYONE! 7/7/07 has unexpectedly found itself up there along with the best days of my life!!!

PS> Tru is also THRILLED about the fact that now he has TWO birthdays!!

Did somone say, "FIELDTRIP"?

2007-06-23T15:57:00.001-04:00

This past week Don's cousin Bonnie and her husband John came down from Middletown, NY for a visit. The kids and I always look forward to her visits because she is SO funny and loads of fun! While she was here we took a visit to the Greensboro Natural Science Center. Even though it was VERY hot that day, we still had TONS of fun! Here are some pictures from our fun time...

Summer Fun

2007-06-17T16:35:00.000-04:00

Well, today is Father's Day, and poor Don got up and made breakfast for everyone (by himself), then after church he made lunch out on the grill for everyone. While outside, the kids found some fun in the little pool behind Gernie's house. Here's some pics from their day...

COMMENTS!

2007-06-16T19:51:00.000-04:00

Just to let you know...I have been getting feedback from people saying they have wanted to place comments on certain blogs. Well, I think I have fixed the problem, so now anyone should be able to post comments. Hope to hear from ya!!

Toys and Gravy!

2007-06-16T19:32:00.000-04:00

Olivia is my scholar. She is always quick to correct one's grammar and is always looking to teach her sisters new things. It is quite rare when she is wrong about the pronunciation of a word so when these times come up that where she misinterprets something...it's usually a good one! This particular time, I was in the back yard with the kids. We were lying in the grass looking at clouds and they decided to get up and explore the yard. Being the cautious mom that I am, I cautioned to them to "stay away from the peach tree, because I think there is poison ivy on there." Well apparently Jaidyn did not hear me because a couple of minutes later Olivia yells to her with as much authority as she could muster..."JAIDYN! You get away from that tree! there's TOYS AND GRAVY on it!" Needless to say...that phrase has stuck, so if you happen upon a "leaf of three", be careful because it may be toys and gravy!

Avery-Lynn Madison Ulrich (2/20/2000)

2007-06-13T16:17:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking about my beautiful daughter Avery-Lynn lately...ALOT. True, a day does not go by when I don't think of her, but recently her memory has been almost non-stop to me. When I think of her, it is not out of self pity or mourning. It is more about hope. My kids pointed out a rainbow to me the other day and I thought about her and promises that God has given us. Before Avery, Don and I had suffered through 3 miscarriages. Then, miraculously we were pregnant with this baby that had actually made it through the first trimester! We believed that this child had a purpose in life, only we didn't know how quickly her life's purpose would be fulfilled. After we lost our daughter we held onto the hope that God does not let his promises die. I often think of this little blessing as a seed to what He had(s) in store for us, for just a year later we saw God's promise fulfilled. We had our son. Eighteen months later-triplets (without the use of ANY fertility drugs). At this time in my life, I constantly go back to to remind myself that God does not let His promises die. At times it may seem like they were broken, but in all reality, it is just Him at work. He sees the larger picture...you NEVER know what is right around your rainbow's bend!

Bucky meets Nemo

2007-06-12T15:03:00.000-04:00

Bucky and Molly are Bruce and Cathy's cats. While at Gernie's the other day, I walked into the room where our bird Nemo was to find this...

...needless to say, the official "meet and greet" went off without a hitch!

My Guy

2007-06-12T14:39:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of Don (right) and his brother Bill during one of their favorite pastimes... GOLF!

We celebrated Don's 37th birthday on June 10th! I keep making jokes and calling him "old", but in reality I really do love and respect the guy. It seems like just recently I have begun noticing some new qualities about him. You'd think that after almost ten years of marriage one know all there is to know about their spouse, but that really is not the case. I have begun to see this desire to know all that he can about God. The things that he is discovering would blow one's mind. It is not from a devotional, or quiet time, that I see this, it is more like he has made this his life journey. He has made it his mission to find out who God really is and in his spare time you can find him studying and learning just that. I find it amazing as I see him grow more and more in Him. It has become his desire to maintain integrity and also to reach out to others. Not only this, but I see more and more people (even strangers) come to him with their problems. I don't know what God has in store for us in the future, but let me tell you, I wouldn't be surprised if you found him one day either behind a pulpit, or doing some other great work for God!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2007-06-05T22:49:00.001-04:00

Today is my mom's birthday, and I would just like to take a minute to say "thank you" to her for all that she has done for me. From ever since I can remember, she has always been the first person to step up and give a hand in any and every way she possibly could. She has always been a giver to anyone who needs, and today my prayer for her is that she take some time for herself and enjoy her day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

PS. um...your card's in the mail

Time to Partay!

2007-06-05T22:37:00.000-04:00

Today was Truman’s “End of Year” pizza party at school. I, along with Olivia, Jaidyn, and Mackenzie participated in the festivities. We played outdoor games (including a water balloon fight), had pizza, chips and cupcakes, there was also an “in class” awards ceremony. Tru received three awards today: Most Improved Student, Excellent Behavior, and Super Student Award. As I watched him walk to the front of the classroom I remembered back to the first days of the year. He seemed so small and shy then. I hated watching him go into that big school all alone. Now when I drop him off, he always jumps out of the car and runs right in. He is always eager to learn, and I am so proud of his accomplishments. The pictures below are of Truman at his party along with his friend Tre`. Also are some pics of the girls celebrating Tru’s big day.

Those Daddy Maloni's

2007-06-04T09:30:00.000-04:00

One thing about my kids...they are VERY verbal when it comes to bugs -any kind of bug! A couple of days ago, the girls found a daddy-long-leg in the kitchen. After several shrieks of terror, and mama coming to save the day, I sat them down and told them a story. I told them about how when I was a kid, I used to catch daddy-long-legs and pull their legs off. Well, needless to say, this had them laughing for quite some time! A couple hours later I overheard Jaidyn saying to her sisters, "I HATE those Daddy Maloni's. The next time we see them, tell mommy so she can pull their legs off!" Needless to say I had to leave the room, because I was laughing so hard!

Howard Tyler

2007-06-02T14:28:00.000-04:00

For those of you who have not yet heard, we do have a new addition to our family... OH GOD NO! It's not like that! We have been blessed with a new puppy. He was born on Feb.20,2007 (Yes, that's Avery's birthday). Howie is a Beagle-Corgi mix , or what I like to call, a Beorgi. He is so cute, and so annoying! He loves to cuddle, and chew on the kids! They seem to love him none the less though.

Here is a pic of Howie (left) and his brother Kujo. This was taken during a visit to Gernie's.

To the right is a pic of Tru and Howie outside of Petsmart. This was taken the day after we got him, and he is sporting his new harness and Harley leash.

That's my Girl(s)!!

2007-06-01T22:01:00.000-04:00

So all through my childhood I have had this strange fixation with old movies and musicals. I have loved them for as long as I can remember. In fact some of my first memories of T.V. watching has been of Little House on the Prairie, The Walton's, and Mr. Roger's Opera's. Now that I am a mom, I am beginning to see these same traits in my daughters.

For some time now, our morning ritual has been: I get up, get Truman up and get him off to school. Then I come home, and the girls get up and we watch two episodes of The Walton's while I have my coffee, and they eat breakfast. After the Walton's we will sometimes hang around for an episode (or two) of Little House on the Prairie. This is always a part of my day that I look forward to because they really seem to enjoy it.

Other classics that they have been hooked on recently include:

Annie

(they love to go through Walmart singing "It's a Hard knock Life", and addressing their Aunt Betty as Miss Hannigan!)

The Wizard of Oz

(Olivia knows all of the lyrics to "Over the Rainbow"),

The Greatest Show on Earth, and their latest fixation...The Sound of Music.

All I can say is - THEY MAKE THEIR MAMA PROUD!

Where are we now???

2007-05-31T21:58:00.000-04:00

Well folks, I figured that for my first “official” blog, I would bring you all up to speed as to where we are now.

As most of you know, last year we relocated to North Carolina. In August I accepted a job with Wachovia Bank, and I moved into Don’s mom’s (Gernie) house with the kids. Not long after, Don followed in a big truck with all of our “stuff”.

After about a month of job searching, Don landed a job with Ashley Furniture Home stores in Winston Salem. So we headed on out of Gernie’s house and into our own. We ended up finding a four bedroom two bath home with a HUGE backyard.

In the midst of all of this adjusting from the move and relocation, Truman also had the daunting task of beginning Kindergarten. Let me just say that this has been VERY hard on me. From the moment this little guy was born, this had been my one DREAD. Needless to say, I thank God that we found a wonderful school for him that was filled with wonderful teachers. As this school year winds down I find myself filled with such pride and wonder at how much he has grown over this past year. He made it through, and now he has all the first grade teachers fighting over who will get him next year!

So, where are we now? Well, right after we moved into our home, Don and I made the decision that I should leave my job, and stay home with the kids. The main reason for this was because the stress of everything that has been going on was a little too much for them, and they needed some type of stability back in their lives. So now here we are excited to see where God will take us next!

Here we are!

2007-05-31T16:25:00.000-04:00

Well folks, after some great inspiration from my great friend Dee, I have decided to finally enter into this world of blogging.

As most if you know, we have recently relocated our little family to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In order to keep in touch with everyone I figure this to be the best route. So....if you are interested in what's going on in our little family please know that you are so welcome here on this page. Feel free to comment while you're here!!