Christmas...Take 1

School Christmas Party

This is Trent's LAST school party.

Here he is with his friend Dolan

Playing a game in his classroom 

making a craft 

just being cute! 

playing Pictionary with Dolan 

Christmas

 We were able to all get together the Sunday before Christmas with the Buckners

Trent got a Nexus 7....do you think he liked it?? 

Troy was a little embarrassed when he realized his gift was a Taylor Swift CD and poster!! 

Don't be fooled ..he loved it! 

Grandpa got a power station! 

Our three sons! 

a family picture! 

Troy and cousin Maddie 

November & December....

So, I'm almost embarrassed to be just posting this NOW!

I just kept getting further behind as the weeks and months flew by.....

I just KNEW I had to catch it up, so I could keep everything in order!!!

So bare with me....

 Thanksgiving 2012....

Grandpa carving the bird

everyone gathered around the same table!

all 16 of us! (Tyler and Alisha came but arrived late)

 heading out hunting after dinner...

Maddie was the only one that shot a deer! 

The Tree

 We headed over to Kahler Tree Farm and picked out this lovely tree!

Troy picked this one out and we got quite a chuckle out of it at first.  Then we took a second glance and realized it would be perfect after it was in the stand! (as you can see it has no lower branches!)  Boyd said he was going to cut it down and burn it....then he decided someone might like it!

the fam with the tree!

Couldn't help but snap this picture of Trent's Christmas list.

Don't you just love the last thing on his list!

He's so adorable..I love him so!

AWANA GIRLS

Around Christmas time we usually do an activity with the girls.

This year we planned to do "Jar Mixes", chocolate molds & a few crafts.

 They always look so forward to this special week and have so much fun!

A couple of the girls working on a craft...

Starting to layer their jars... 

Using lots of flour...

putting the finishing touches on the jar 

playing UNO!

they always enjoy this week!!

That's how our December started to shape up!

Playing Catch-Up...

I had been having problems uploading pictures to my blog...and we all know, 

a blog with no pictures is not worth having

...so today I was trying to remedy it...and now it lets me load pictures???  Now I need to play a little catch-up from the last 2 months.  

Hold on and get ready to read about our Nov & Dec!  

I'll be back!

A Favorite...

A Recipe for you to try....

A Family Favorite or maybe MY favorite

and I'm the cook....

 so it's a "Family Favorite!!!"

Orange Jello

1 large orange jello

2 c. boiling water

1 small frozen OJ concentrate (which you can't find, so just buy a big and about 1/2 the can)

2 small or 1 large mandarin oranges-drain

1 can crushed pineapple-undrained

 topping....             1c milk, 1 small box vanilla pudding & 1-8oz cool whip

Mix jello & water together stir till dissolved. Add OJ, oranges & pineapple. Refrigerate till firm.

Topping-mix milk and pudding together; fold in cool whip.

Put on jello

ENJOY!

** I add 2 large cans of mandarin oranges..cause I like m oranges!..and I'm the cook**

**the other thing I like is, it's so easy!!**

** I like to put it in a shallow-er dish, so everyone gets the topping, not just the first 5 people!**

Even Better

Today I have taken a turn for the better....

I'm feeling much better today....everyday gets a little better!

I'm still sore but cutting back on the pain meds & I'm dressed and took a shower...=)..bonus!!

I've reached the stage of healing where I don't want to sit around anymore..I know most of you are thinking.."I would love the excuse to sit around for a couple days"..."I would watch movies, read a book, clean out my files, organize my pictures...."

As a self diagnosed ADD'er...I can only do that so long!!

I'm getting antsy....at first it was fine because I didn't feel good....but now the antsy's have set in..and I don't know why?  

Why is it I can't just relax and kick up my heals...I really don't have anything I HAVE to do! 

It's not like I have a mile long list of things to do.

The only thing I can come up with is..that's the way God made me...I know, deep huh!!!

It seems we always want something different than what we have...doesn't it??

Why are we never content with where we are?

Why aren't we satisfied?

I don't have the answers..I'm just throwing out the questions...

Maybe this is the year I need to resolve to be more content in my life?

What about you??

Feeling Better

Day after update....

I'm feeling tired and quite sore..but that is to be expected!

My surgery went well ..1 1/2 hours longer than they had expected.

Which made me under anesthesia that much longer...I'm already a light weight when it comes to being "under"....it takes me FOREVER to wake up.

So you can imagine how long of a day we had....we had to be there at 5:30am and didn't get back home till 5:30pm.

This morning Steve made me eggs & toast with a side of Vicodin!

He's taking good care of me!

Thanks for all your prayers on my behalf...I really appreciate all you & your caring for me!

If You Care....

If you care what's going on tomorrow in my life....

Thursday Nov 15 I will not be heading to the woods...instead to Spectrum Hospital.

I will be having a partial hysterectomy at 7:30 in the morning.  

We have to arrive at 5:30AM....is that really a time???

As some of you might remember, in '09 I had an Ablation...without going into more detail than ANY of you care to read about ..I was having issues!

This was my the only option!

As it would be...Steve met our deductible for 2012 with his Achilles Tendon Accident....so onward we go!

It will be outpatient & with out any ill effects to the anesthesia....I should be home in the afternoon

Yesterday, I went to see my 93 year old Grandma Marian before my surgery.  She is getting older and more forgetful and she doesn't move like she used to....but I had the sweetest moments with her.  She asked me to kneel by her chair and put my hand in her fragile thin skinned hand as she prayed for my surgery to go well.  She started..."Dear Lord, I don't understand the human body but you do for we know you made it....Please bring Joanne to my mind on Thursday so I can remember to pray for her...."  

She has forgotten a lot of things these days but she still knows who made the world and who's in control!  She is a still a faithful prayer warrior even in her old age.

What a blessing she is to me!

This picture is from a couple years back.

MOM

Another Anniversary has come along.... 

It's the 11th Anniversary of losing my mom.

She was a wonderful Mom....the Mom God choose for me...the perfect woman to raise me!  

We all love our Mom's (and Dad's) not because of how perfect they are and not for what they gave us but because "they are our Mom"!  Plain and simple!

Sometimes when we lose someone, near and dear to us, we tend to exalt their being...."they were the best Mother!"....there is a tendency to "remember" that person as a person that was "perfect". You know you have been to those funerals when you look around & think "Am I at the correct funeral??".  I don't think my mom had no faults (and really some of her "quirks" now seem, well, funny and even sweet) she had her share of them.  But she did have a wonderful heart, a heart of helpfulness.  She wanted to help people, which drove her to get involved in peoples lives!  I have heard countless stories of how she helped people in different ways..she met people where they were.  She helped some find a sitter, she helped people financially, she counseled people and prayed with them!  You see, she didn't grow up in a Christian home..about as far from that as you can imagine....she didn't meet Jesus till she was in her late teens.  She knew what she can from and what she was saved from...and she wanted to share that!  Sometimes you wonder why God chooses to call His servants home?

Tho, we didn't always agree and we had our differences ...She is a big part of the reason, I am who I am today!  She molded me into the woman I am (I like to think that I turned out okay....=)).  I am acutely aware that I am NOT perfect and will never be, on this side of heaven!  But because of her, I strive to help people..when I see a need, I try to fill it.  I am also aware my kids would never call me a perfect mom! I do hope they see my heart and the love I have for them!  I hope they can see past this imperfect mom and realize I ask questions, not to drive them crazy but because I care!=)  I don't tell them what to do because I'm a control freak, I do because I want them to succeed...I want them to be great...I don't want to see them hurt!
To me, that kind of sums up my mom ...she certainty didn't mother like Dobson or Dennis Rainey or even Dr Spock!  She was an imperfect mom trying to do the best she knew and hoped God would bless her efforts!  So Mom, on this anniversary date of your death...
May you look down and be proud of the Daughter, Mom & Wife I have become!
Love and Miss YOU!

Surprise!!!!

A couple short weeks ago my Mother-in-Law turned 70!

Yeah, that's right 70!...

and boy was she surprised!

We all gathered at the Swan Inn and waited for her arrival!

Her immediate family went outside to be the "first" surprise 

As they pulled up....

Her 3 boys....Steve, Craig & Mike greeting her....

Steve & his mom 

overwhelmed with emotion 

the "second" surprise! 

the rest of the surprise waited in the basement... 

the Birthday Girl's crown & sash

The Birthday girl and her best man!

Ooops kind of blurry

one of the tables 

and another 

and another! 

Thank you all for coming!!

Family from near & far 

(Craig, Kristi, Florin & Nic drove 5+ hours that day and drove home the next morning...that's a lot of driving!)

Friends New & Old!

I know Bonnie appreciated each and everyone of you!!

 Thank you all of you coming and celebrating her special day with her!

A HUGE thanks to Karen (her sister) and Lynette (her niece) for doing all the behind the scenes work!

  The Academy Award goes to Uncle Jim & Aunt Karen for their stellar performance in the car prior to arriving!

Awesome night and fun memories!

School Days....

It's that time of year again...time for the kids to go back to school.

We have a Senior & a 5th grader!

Troy & Mr Crofoot, his Kindergarten teacher

Lets hear it now....Awww....he's so cute?!?!?

Troy as a Senior! 

is excited for the first day of his last year of High School! 

Trent starting his 5th grade year

He has Mrs. Freeland 

I pray for these boys often and hope we have a successful 2012-2013 school year!

AND Tyler is in his 2nd year at GRCC.  He will have to transfer (somewhere??) in the spring!

All Aboard....

::Groupon deal::

So I purchased this "deal" and we were running out of time to use it.

While the "guys" were still in the U.P. Trent and I took a ride on the Coopersville & Marne railway.

He had never taken a train ride before.

Trent as the conductor!

enjoying the view

Trent playing with my camera

me visiting with people on the train...I guess I thought I was the train hostess! Hahaha

I had to laugh (Trent & I are sooo alike!!) these people forgot their camera and Trent kept wanting me to take their picture...he was sure I should talk to them...take their picture and email it to them (most people would just sit back and look out the window!!!)  We can't wait to talk to people around us and "interview" them.....see where they are from, how many kids they have, what their ages are, did they buy this on Groupon??

back window....

We went to the bathroom ...it was in the other car...while Trent was walking between the cars we hit a bump!

The engine!

if you have a little train lover...this was a fun, not-too-long ride.

They also do a pumpkin train and Santa train.