This is worth the read...I promise!

Well, it started out a very nice thought...to go Christmas tree hunting in the Bear Paw mountains. Phil was game and it was going to be a fun family outing. Then after about 2 hours of driving in a snowstorm, Phil had been dubbed "Clark" and we decided that we should have made the Christmas Vacation movie and made millions. You just don't even know these roads here...and to have a born and raised Californian drive them in the middle of a blizzard can be quite amusing. Isabelle made the comment, "We need a tree that Santa can bend over and put lots of presents under!" Can you imagine what Phil's comment was after that one?!?! Yeah.
The whole bunch of us, making our lips smile even while they are frozen stiff. My sister-in-law made the comment, "You all look stranded there...should we send the search party?"

It took Phil and I a matter of 2 minutes to pick out the... uuumm "perfect" tree. This is it in route to our home.

We were all so proud to take this picture...we had been the first to cut down our tree! We all couldn't wait to go home and decorate it...and warm up!

Yeah...not so much. For some reason it looks WAAAAAAY better out there in the Bear Paw mountains.

Don't worry...the story gets better! After spending literally hours trying to move things around on that thing...trying to cover the exposed light strands, and hanging our 50 ornaments on the 5 branches, we had about had it. We got it done though and Phil said, "It is what it is...our first "real" Montana tree...a little different than a California "real" tree.

So, we went to bed.

Then in the middle of the night, we heard one of those dreadful CRASHES...I knew what it was, but Phil was very concerned that is was one of the kids fallen out of their bunk beds.

I wanted to cry, but there is something really funny about...

A MAN RUNNING OUT OF A ROOM IN HIS LONG UNDERWEAR!!

So we both laughed while picking up the pieces.

Charlie Brown, give me a call, cuz I think we have your tree!

Happy Birthday Abraham!

Born at 4:44 pm on December 13th, 2000. He weighed 7lbs even and was 21 inches long. Even from birth, he was as mild tempered as his dad. 9 years later, he is just about the sweetest boy ever! He is a hard worker and very considerate of his brothers and sisters. When he gets embarrassed, he sucks in his cheek and bites down on them. He turns beet red when someone compliments them...or sings Happy Birthday to him. He is not sure what he wants to be when he is grown, but I do know he is Mechanically minded like his daddy. If I have an electrical or mechanical problem at home when Phil isn't home, he jumps right in and amazes me with what he figures out! He loves legos, hunting and reading about anything "manly" or that would be about hunting, fishing, cars etc.

He is very particular about the way things are cleaned and with his things, sometimes to a fault, but he is getting very good at how he responds when one of those things is touched or moved.
Our family and I would be so bold to say that most anyone who comes in contact with him would say we are so very blessed and impressed with the young man he is becoming!

We got to go out to Nana and Papa's for Christmas tree hunting...another post all together...and have and early Birthday party! Thanks Nana, Papa and Steven!

The Duggar Family

Our thoughts and prayers are with Jim Bob, Michelle and Baby Josie. She was born 3 months premature and weighs only 1lb 6oz.

http://blogs.discovery.com/tlc-michelle-duggar-blog/

Guess what I found!

The abominable snowman... ...him or the kid off of A Christmas Story movie!!
I had to shop the thrift stores FOREVER to find enough winter coats, snowsuits, snow pants etc. for all the kids. I laugh every time I put this on Sophie...she can hardly move!!
Those beautiful mountains you can sort of see in the back there are the ones my mama and step dad live in and also the ones we will be hunting for our very first "real" Christmas tree tomorrow!! Thankfully it has been a bit warmer here. After about a week of below zero temperatures, the kids are happy to be able to go outside and play in the snow they have been eagerly waiting for. It is a terrible thing to see it out there, but not be able to go out and play in it!

Nothing like this...

There is nothing like potato soup and homemade bread on a cold day!

POTATO SOUP

About...

(I say about because there is no recipe for this one.)

7-8 potatoes

1 can corn

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 cups milk

6 slices bacon (cooked and broken into pieces)

1/4 cup sauteed onion

1/4 cup cubed velveta cheese

Salt and pepper to taste (I use quite a bit of both)

Peel and cube potatoes, cook in boiling water until almost done. Drain

Add all remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat till hot.

The bread is my favorite Amish Recipe...I will post that later.

Christmas Decorating

I love to decorate for Christmas! We have actually had everything up since right before Thanksgiving (I know...I am one of THOSE), all but our tree which will be going to cut down our very first one on Saturday.

I thought it would be fun to share some ideas and pictures of how we decorate, so if you would PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do the same, leave me a comment so that I can go see your blog! I love new ideas and it would be like visiting one another's homes without leaving the house, and at the end of these pictures, you will see why we have been sticking close to home these days.

This is an inexpensive way to add a little Christmas. We hang over sized Christmas balls on fishing wire from the ceiling. This is a picture of the homemade hot cocoa we make every year. Here is the recipe:

6 cups dry milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. cocoa

Mix together while the kiddos take a box of candy canes and use spoons to crush them inside the package and then dump into your mixture. Use 3/4 cup per coffee mug of hot water.

Another inexpensive way to decorate is to use a fun wrapping paper and wrap your large pictures. We have these everywhere in the house. I even wrap the kids school desks for Christmas. My mama used to be the janitor in my school when I was a child, and I loved to walk in the classroom and my fellow students would oohh and ahhh over my beautiful desk. I decided just because we home school doesn't mean my children can't experience this wonderful gift!
This is our guest bathroom picture gift there with "Stinky Bear". My dad is a very talented artist, and this is one of my favorite pieces I have of his in my house.
We have jars we keep at the table with forks and spoons in them (another brilliant idea from my mama) and I have special jars for Christmas.

Here is where we keep our Nativity and little sculptures of angels my daddy also made. You see this right when you walk in our door...a reminder of why we celebrate Christmas.

I have garland strung with lights all around the house...I think I will keep this around until Spring when all the snow is melted and gone. It just makes things feel so nice and cozy!

More garland and lights along with a few more of my dad's creations.

This is why we have been sticking close to home...you can't even see the mountains, which are also covered in snow, due to the fog.

Your turn!

My little brother's room...

So, my mom asked me if I'd help her paint my new little brother's room. We were originally going to paint a strip of camouflage around the room, but nothing ever turns out to be that simple in my brain...I tend to be a little extreme at times.

Anyway, I thought since he loves hunting and all, that it would be neat to make it look like there was a blowout or shotgun hole through his wall, so I googled torn wall paper and found a few pictures of what that might look like. I didn't have any of the tools or paint that I would need, but was bound and determined to get it done.

While my mom so thoughtfully watched my children and with nothing but a 3 inch sponge brush, q-tips, and a lot of prayer...this is what came of it.

I am not telling you this for any other reason than to say...If you have something you want done, or something you have always wanted to do, give it a shot! You might just be very surprised with yourself! God gives us so many amazing gifts and tools and we are the ones putting a limit to what we can achieve. I love to paint, so this was fun for me, but I struggle with limits on my life in so many other areas. While painting this, God just gave me a little analogy and I thought I would share. We don't always have the smarts nor the correct tools to accomplish many things, but as believers, God equips us with all we need.

Craft Fair

Gabrielle has been knitting for these last few months, and her diligence paid off. She made close to $50 dollars. She had to pay her daddy for the supplies and set aside here tithe, but even after that she added a good sum to her Christmas shopping fund!

The rest of my children would like to learn to knit now so that they can reap such benefits...funny how that works!This is our table at a glance:
We hat covered wipe cases, baby shower sets, crayon rolls, vinyl covered children's aprons, adult aprons, bible covers and purses.
I also did a couple gift basket ideas.

I put up a photo album and had gift cards so that people could place orders for children's clothing as well.

My mama had a table for photography and hand colored pictures so that everyone could see how it is done.

Thankfully all the hustle and bustle didn't interfere with nap time. Sophie slept 3 hours!

Mama and her girls...My sister Rikki and Katy are on the ends. It was a fun day filled with enjoyable company!!

My Sugar Plum Fairy

We did a craft show this weekend and to advertise dance classes, my mom had the girls perform a little piece of the sugar plum fairies. It was so cute. These wigs will be the talk of the town for awhile I am sure!
Yes, that is snow in the back there...we got I think 4 - 6 inches and the temperature was supposed to drop to 25 below. It got pretty close I am sure! My kids are in heaven...although we have to let them stay out about 15 minutes at a time. They are already all chapped and wind burnt. Kids!! They don't even care...they just want to roll in the snow!

All the girls...Gabby's there in the middle.

Living with margins...

I have been reminding myself of a wonderful talk given by my woman's ministry leader, Mary, awhile back. She spoke of living with margins thus giving the Holy Spirit room to work in your life. If your days are so jam packed that you are running here and there only to fall asleep in your bed at night exhausted, there is no room for God to use you.

I felt this "marginal thing" ring true not only in this area, but in others as well.

When I was first pregnant with Gabrielle, I read the book, Baby Wise. It is about scheduling your children and how God designed their bodies to function this way. I took it to the extreme and really "scheduled" her. I think, no, I know there is a big difference between scheduling and making a routine, and took some of the wonderful knowledge I got from that book and molded it to fit our family. Using much God given common sense in the process. I do not believe in letting my children holler and scream because they are hungry, but I do believe in a routine that leads to known feeding times. Naps are strategically placed in our day. (This is my time to gather myself, refresh myself, have time with the Lord, take a nap if I need one.) The kids know when they will eat and that they are expected to do their table chores immediately following. They know that snack comes after nap and that they do not leave their bedrooms in the morning until beds are made and rooms are tidy. They know that when I say, "Quick pick up" they go to their station and we have a neat home in a matter of 10 minutes.

*Disclaimer: We all know that we would have everyday run smoothly, but the goal is to have a plan and to live "marginally".

All this to say that throughout the day, my question and answer time with the kids is kept to a minimal. They know what to expect and I know what is supposed to be happening at any given time in the day, however, should something arise, such as illness ;) or a friend in need...we can easily accommodate and when we move on to tomorrow, everyone knows what is expected and we get on with our daily routine. Also, at the end of the day, I don't want my husband to get the very last (if anything) that is left of me. I want to be able to put a hot meal on the table for him (One that I planned in our routine) with a smile on my face. When he asks how my day was, I don't want to have a list of issues that arose throughout my day and give him even more to deal with. I don't want to hear myself say, "I NEED A BREAK!" I want to schedule in those needed breaks so that I am consistently allowing God to fill my cup. I don't want to run around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get everything done, I want to know that because I planned sufficent time to accomplish all that I needed, I am rested and pleased with my day.

Anyway, I was thinking this all to myself today as the house was very quiet at nap time. Praise the Lord for giving me the wisdom to train my children (and myself for that matter) to have order in their everyday life.

Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

YUCK...after a round of strep throat, we are attacked by a whopper of a stomach flu. Will it ever end? I'm hoping after this one, our immune systems should be able to fight off just about anything!! Hope you are all doing wonderful...I miss everyone!
Oh, and happy day after Thanksgiving! We had dinner out at my mom's...a first time for us all being together in about 15 years. My mom took our Christmas pictures and they are so beautiful. Thanks Mama! God is so amazing and so very good!

Finally...

home again!
Lots has happened since my last post:
1. Thankyou so much for your prayers for my mom...she is doing much better! The spot on her kidney is not completely gone, but it is shrinking.
2. My father-in-law's surgery went fabulous and we got to California 3 weeks before his surgery and were able to help him gain a few pounds before he had to go in. He was in the hospital 10 days but his recovery went much quicker than the doctor's thought possible. We were able to come home just 1 and 1/2 weeks after he came home. He still has one more surgery that will probably be performed sometime in January.
3. I had a wonderful time catching up with all my wonderful friends! I love you all and miss you so very much!
4. PHIL SHOT HIS FIRST BUCK...AND IT WAS A BIG ONE!!!!!! It was a 4x5, and he was able to kill it with his first shot!!
5. We have all been sick with the flu and strep throat...on the mend though!!

Anyway, this is a quick post for a quick update...I'm excited to get back in the swing of things!

A blog break...

I will be taking about a month break from the computer starting tomorrow...I am on my way to California with the kiddos because my father-in-law will be having surgery. We will be staying with him and caring for him the best we can. Please keep him in your prayers...it is a very complicated surgery and he just finished chemo so he is still weak from that. I know I have asked for quite a bit of prayer lately, but I am so thankful!

On a good note, my mom is doing fabulous! She is home now and will need to go in for further testing in one month to make sure the growth on her kidney is shrinking. Thankyou for your prayers...they did not go unheard nor unanswered!

Prayers for my Mama

Just wanted to ask all my fellow bloggers to please keep my mom in your prayers. She has been very sick for going on a week and has been in the hospital for the last 3 days. She has 2 bacterial infections, but they can't seem to find an antibiotic that the 2nd infection is sensitive to...so, she keeps spiking high fevers, can't keep anything down and is very weak. She also has some kind of obstruction in her abdomen and they have someone coming in to take a look at that. The hospital here is really small, so they will probably be transferring her today to a larger hospital. Please pray for her health and for wisdom for the doctors to find out what exactly is going on and how to treat it.

Does the Mom Make the Child?

Do any of you moms out there sometimes feel like you are ruining your children. That your failures are going to mold them for all eternity? Well, I have been having quite a few of those days and thought I would share a little nugget out of the book, "Easy Homeschooling Companion."

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith...(1 Peter. 5:8,9)

"Andrea Yates thought she was a terrible mother. She didn't want her children to go to hell, so she murdered them. Andrea loved her children. She told authorities that her motive for their murder was to spare them from worse evil. Andrea was victimized by the devil's lies and his tools of mind altering drugs. "The Murderer" - whose quest is to be like the Most High (Is. 14) - placed in Andrea's heart the thought that she was as God; that her children's salvation depended on her alone.

This philosophy - that we make our children - reveals our lack of knowledge of God. (Hos. 4:6) The Lord God Almighty is the only one who knows the end from the beginning. Just because the beginning or the middle looks bad doesn't mean that the life won't end well, that the child won't end up a godly, mature adult. People change. They mature, and there is always the life-changing miracle of Genuine Salvation.

Since we don't see the end from here, we have no right to think that our failings will ruin our children. This is putting too much importance on self and off of God.

Andrea Yates did not believe God's Salvation was enough. She felt she had to take the punishment for her failings upon herself. This is wrong. Christ is our righteousness. (Gal. 2:16) Our own righteousness is totally worthless. Only when we kneel before our Maker, confessing our inadequacy, will he make us adequate in Him. We really should do this daily. We need to lean more heavily on the everlasting arms in these days, when the devil walketh about so aggressively seeking our children - the ones who have been set apart for him.

These particular children are just the ones who will do the most damage to the kingdom of darkness. This is why there has been a hard struggle for some of us.

Even if all appears well in your childrens' lives, keep vigilant, always pray."

Sorry, It's a long one, but something I was very blessed to hear!

My Christmas Cards!!

I am getting my Christmas Card list done and I would love to send anyone who might possibly read this blog one of them. So if you would be so kind as to e-mail me your addresses, that would be fabulous. My e-mail address is rossieansolabehere@yahoo.com. Even my close friends and family...since moving, I don't have many addresses because I was blessed to be able to see you or hand them to you at MOPS.

It is getting cold here in Montana, and I am so excited to know we will have a white Christmas this year! That an my Christmas planner starts in October!! And the countdown begins!

A little extra!

There are certianly many things I am now discovering need to be done every day...with 5 children and 4 adults in the home. These are things, until now, I have not wanted to admit need to be done. The last couple days of doing them have made it much easier to keep a handle on things here:

2 loads of laundry...at least

vacuum

sweep

mop...thank God for the wetjet!

clean toilets...seriously, the amount of poo going into those pots is astonishing!

recycling...we are throwing away 2 garbage bags a day. It's a shame and I need to be better about recycling

Anyway, we have had to make a little extra room in our morning routine for these things to happen every day. Our morning routines include all the regular things such as dishes, pick up house, make beds and so on and then all the above things we did on "Big Cleaning Day" which has always been Friday. Now every day is big cleaning!

Birthday Pictures!

The beginning of a good old fashioned water balloon fight...until dad poured a bucket of water over Ezra's head. I also had to keep the water at a minimum...I did tell you all that we have to haul our own water out here about once a week! Rides on Gabby's horse!
Our cowgirl in training!

Saddling Dart for the first time with her very own saddle!

She was a blubbering idiot like here mama...couldn't even talk when she received her new saddle because she was crying so hard!

Gabby's trainer...aka her Auntie Katy.

Oh my!! 10 years old!

I hope all our San Francisco family are seeing this!!! Phil's first horse ride!! He actually got on from the other side, but misjudged it a bit and almost went right over top!

Finally, Sophie, who didn't like Dart one bit, got rides from her Uncle Jade!

UGH...

Is tomorrow already here? Did I really commit to a 6am pilates class with my mom?

Apron Winner!

Ok, so I have decided that I don't like drawings!!! I don't want there to be one winner, I would love all of you to win. Which has led me to a decision that totally counteracts that I don't like drawings...I am going to have more drawings!!

The name Gabrielle drew was...drum roll please...

Cara!!

So, Cara, if you could please leave a comment with your daughter's name, age and if she likes a particular character, animal, insect or color and I will get on your apron right away!!

All you losers...I mean, girls who didn't win ;) stay tuned, cuz I promise to do this more often!