"Leaning On The Everlasting Arms" x 7

Okay, this is just fun. This worship leader interprets the old hymn, "Leaning On The Everlasting Arms," as it might sound if written in different decades of the 20th century. I think you will enjoy it. :)

Birthday Girl

Today was a big day for our youngest--she turned twelve. She decided she wants to celebrate her birthday when we go to Bandera, but we had to do something. So, this morning before breakfast, we blew up a big package of balloons . . .

And attached them to various surfaces. Jeremiah, Hannah, and Samuel drove in last night for a little visit, so Jeremiah helped decorate the doorway.

A fun entrance for the guest of honor.

And there she is, in all her 12 year old glory. :)

Kregg made his delicious pancakes--always a big hit.

Hannah decided that, since Mackenzy worked very late last night and slept in, missing breakfast, we should recycle the balloons and surprise her as she exited her room.


It was rather anticlimactic, though, because, silly me, I posted this picture on Facebook and she saw it on her phone before she came out. :)

It's hard to believe Rebekah is twelve years old! What a blessing she is to us. 

A Mad Dash to Fort Worth

Kregg reading 1776 while waiting for the shuttle to our rental car

Our son in law's sister got married a couple of days ago. Hannah was taking the pictures for the event, and she had asked us months ago to come help with Samuel. We flew into Dallas Friday night and headed east to Fort Worth.

Downtown Fort Worth underwent an impressive revitalization several years ago and is now a charming place to visit.

Saturday morning, we had breakfast with Samuel. Oh yeah, Hannah and Jeremiah were there, too. :)

I went along with Hannah back to Dallas for the bride's hair and makeup sessions so that I could take care of Samuel while she was shooting pictures. Kregg and Jeremiah went to lunch with Jeremiah's grandparents. We drove back toward Fort Worth to the wedding venue where Hannah photographed all the stages of preparation for the blessed event. Since she, Jeremiah and Samuel needed to be in some of the photographs, she got the settings ready and I snapped those shots for her. When Samuel's cameo appearance was complete, we took him with us so that Hannah and Jeremiah could enjoy all the festivities. Actually, it was just an excuse to have Samuel all to ourselves.

He's getting so big! We went to a Mexican food restaurant for dinner. He has a huge aversion to naps, or sleeping of any kind while traveling, so when he fell asleep in the car seat after dinner, we drove around for a while.

Kregg drove me past the house where I grew up. I lived here from the time I was about 3 until I got married. I didn't know what to expect, since I haven't been by it in years, but it looked very well cared for and loved. :)

Then we passed my elementary school. The neighborhood has certainly changed in all these years. It used to be strictly rural, and now it's in the heart of suburbia. 

We tried to get him out of the car without waking him up, but it didn't work. 

The Hilton in downtown Ft. Worth is the hotel President Kennedy stayed in the night before his assassination. I didn't know that. But there were historical photos throughout, and it was really interesting to read about that day.

We had to get creative with our diversionary tactics, so we used the desk chair from our room to do laps up and down the hall. Samuel thought that was pretty fun. Kregg and I took turns, changing out when we got too tired. Samuel was perfectly content. :) 

We flew back home Sunday, tired but happy. It was great to get to spend some time with our kiddos. 

Between 5 pm Friday and 10 pm Sunday

We left home Friday in time to pick Kregg up from his office on the way out of town. It was Caleb's birthday, and we were headed to Abilene to take him out to dinner. Since Kregg's parents also live in Abilene, we always have the additional blessing of seeing them. 

Back at Grandma's and Grandpa's, we sang "Happy Birthday" to him. Grandma had made a scrumptious birthday dessert. Oh my.

Saturday, I took Caleb to a Christian bookstore. Boy, was I glad I had some "school money" saved up, because they had an amazing sale going on and we found many, many wonderful resources. Kregg took several of the kids to the zoo. It's amazing to us that a town as small as Abilene has such a wonderful little zoo. 

He took some great pictures. 

We had dinner at their house and then started home. We always want to bring Caleb home with us, but we let him stay. This time. :)


It's hard to believe he's 20 years old!! What an incredible blessing he has been to us all these years!

We went to church Sunday morning, then we had a lunch meeting with a precious young couple from church. We left there, drove back to Midland, loaded up, grabbed Mackenzy, and left for Lubbock. She had a fitting scheduled for her wedding dress and that was the only time that would work. It gave us a good excuse to visit Samuel. 


And Jeremiah and Hannah. :)


We drove straight into town and headed for the bridal store. Hannah met us there so we could visit while Mackenzy was being fitted and while we shopped for the dresses for Elizabeth and Rebekah. Jeremiah picked up Kregg, Josh and Ben (You should have seen how quickly they bolted out of the bridal store!) and took them to a more manly store: Guitar Center. We had been trying to find Caleb's birthday present, but it wasn't available in either Midland or Abilene. Lubbock, however, had just the thing. They made their purchases and then we met back at their house. They left so quickly, I hadn't even seen Samuel yet!!

And he's crawling!! 

Hannah had completed editing the engagement pictures of Kris and Mackenzy, so we got to see them. Oh my!

Then it was time for dinner again.

It's so hard to leave and go home!


We pulled in about 10 last night after traveling 660 miles since Friday at 5. It was a glorious weekend.

"Chick Fil A Song"

I'm assuming here, that all of you love Chick-fi-A restaurants as much as we do. The drive-thru at our little one close to my house is often wrapped completely around the building, sometimes even 1 1/2 times. So when Caleb showed me this, we had to laugh. :)

If Shakespeare Told "The 3 Little Pigs"

Photo credit

Okay, I don't like the "fake cigarette," but this is hilarious! As a homeschooling parent who intentionally attempts to expand the vocabularies of our kids, I can really appreciate his efforts. I think you will enjoy this little video:




And then, here's the video explaining the cigarette, just in case you wanted to know. 

Where Are My Car Keys?!

Samuel is getting cuter by the day. We haven't seen him for a few weeks and when Hannah sent me this picture and these two videos, I immediately felt an overwhelming urge to grab my keys and drive the two hours to see him. NOW! 


Instead, I am being a responsible grownup and staying here. For as long as I can stand it! :)

This is really low-light, but you can still hear him practicing his growling. Little boys have to be able to perfect all those "man noises," you know. :)

Now that his growling is coming along nicely, it's on to the "raspberries."


Where are those keys?! Who needs sleep anyway?  I could drive up and be back before breakfast! I'm sure Hannah and Jeremiah wouldn't mind me waking him up in the middle of the night. :)

Ice Sculptures

The Boy Scout Troop our boys are involved with is quite adventurous. They go on a trip each month during the school year. This month's offering was a ski trip. We decided that the girls and I would tag along, too. From our house in flat West Texas, to Ruidoso, New Mexico takes between 4 1/2 and 5 hours. Just a short drive for those of us who live out here and have to drive a ways to get to most anything.


Coming home, we had some weather with which to contend. It began a light snow mixed with a little sleet yesterday morning. The entire way home, we were in the middle of some form of frozen precip. Thankfully, the roads never felt slick, except in a few places.


We had fought the entire way to keep the windshield thawed, with the temperature in the low 20's, but had no idea what was happening to the exterior of the Suburban and truck. Pulling into the garage, I opened the door and looked down. The running board was covered in the strangest ice sculptures.

We had already kicked most of the ice out of the driver's side wheel well when I thought to grab the camera, but it was filled up to the very edge of the tire! I've never seen that happen before.

The ice was only a couple of inches above the surface of the pavement. I can't imagine how it wasn't knocked off.

It almost looked like the sides of the Suburban were covered in feathers. I would have thought they would be facing backwards, in the direction the wind would have been sweeping the sides. In fact, they faced forward! How is that possible? I would LOVE to have seen the physics of this ice forming demonstrated in a wind tunnel. Wouldn't that be interesting?

Never A Dull Moment

An old, but still appropriate picture of the four youngest.

That's my motto, and has been for years. When relaying the latest chapter in "You Won't Believe What Happened At Our House or To Our Family," I often sum up the retelling with, "Never a dull moment."


Having this many bodies living in such close proximity, there isn't much margin for error. Add to that the fact that we could be a test facility for the durability of various household products, and you just never know what's going to happen next. It definitely makes things interesting.


Case in point: yesterday


As you already know, we get up and start school early. So by the time lunch rolls around, the kids are ready for a short break. Yesterday, the "break" required an emergency extension. Our second refrigerator, located in the garage, had been yanked open and slammed shut just one time too many. 


The door fell off!


EEEEEEEKKKKKKK!


Josh and Ben, out of purely unselfish motives of service to their family, took on the repair. Of course, it did mean that their remaining schoolwork was temporarily suspended. They toiled tirelessly.


Joshua came in, after a while, to announce the job's successful completion.


But then Ben came saying,"Mom, something's not right about that door. I have to lift it, then shut it."


Joshua stopped, turned around, and went back to the garage.


After further inspection, he came in a few moments later with a sheepish grin on his mug, "We forgot to put the washers back on it."


They had to take it back apart and add washers.


So far, so good. The door is still hanging on.


We finished school, and chores, and dinner, and headed to the church building for our class on Romans. When we arrived home, it was time for the kids to head to bed. I thought everyone was settled in, so I went to my room to put up a load of laundry. 


Then I heard banging in the den. What/Who could it be?


Upon entering, I found Rebekah swinging a towel around. What on earth?! Then I realized that one of her finches was loose and she was trying to shoo it lower so she could catch it. Nothing doing. It eluded capture for quite a while. We thought we had it trapped, at one point, in the game closet. Boy, were we fooled. It escaped the closet and settled on a bookshelf in the hall. Rebekah got so close--she almost had it. At the last possible moment, it escaped into the kitchen/dining/family room. And we had NO idea where it was for a few minutes. Then we heard a little flutter and she saw it beside the refrigerator (the one inside the house whose door was still firmly attached). Stealthily, she inched closer. We all held our breaths, knowing this could go on all night long. It must have been tired, because it finally allowed her to sneak up on it and gently secure it for the return trip to birdie jail.


So much for a nice quiet end to a busy day. 


Each morning, it starts all over again.


After actually sleeping until the alarm went off this morning, instead of awaking an hour ahead and waiting for it to go off, I felt chipper and cheerful to begin a new day. 


Rebekah is not hungry first thing each morning. She would rather get a few school subjects under her belt and await hunger. Along about time for Memory work and Poetry Memorization, she is usually ready to eat. So far, so good.


I looked over at her. She was sitting at the island with her poetry, eating.


Her choice for breakfast this morning?


LEFTOVER, COLD SAUERKRAUT!! 


Oh my.


I have a strong stomach, but that's just not okay.


There was only a small bowl of kraut left (thankfully), and so she followed it with a Cinnamon Chex chaser. 


I'm feeling a tad nauseous. (We say it this way: NAAWSHUS, for emphasis)


I'm thinking it highly unlikely there will be any dull moments today, either.


I believe boredom may be highly underrated. :) 


Just teasin'! Wouldn't have it any other way. 




Hope your day is filled with fun twists and turns. 




After all, we wouldn't want you to get bored.

Things We Love: Photobooks (A Link-Up)

We take lots of road trips as a family. And always have. It was the cheapest way for a large family to see "the sights." With limited vacation time, and because we don't live close to landmarks or National Parks, there are usually many intensive days of driving to get where we are going.


But that keeps things interesting.


And provides infinite photo ops. We take advantage of those opportunities as often as possible so that we can preserve our memories and so that we can torture our children. It has been rumored that, because we are so efficient at making the most of every mile and moment, we can't even remember it all by the time we get home. It takes a while to decompress and debrief ourselves.


Those conversations are often filled with comments like,"Boy, I sure did like ____________ (fill in the blank with a landmark or activity)." 


Response: "Was that on THIS trip?"


Seriously. 


We have been known to drive in excess of 4600 miles during a 17 day trip. And that's with Kregg and I each driving a vehicle (since we don't have a vehicle big enough to hold all of us AND pull our home-on-wheels).


To preserve our memories, we take lots of pictures. That's my favorite souvenir. And our very favorite thing to do with our pictures is to make them into a photobook. 


Disclaimer: Shutterfly has NO idea who I am. I don't receive a thing for saying any of this. I just like it when we find wonderful resources.


Having 72 gigs of pictures on my hard drive, I am concerned with backup. Just in case. So, before deleting pics from the memory cards, I back them up. It's best to not only put them on your hard drive, but somewhere else as well. An online site and an external hard drive are great. Then if something did happen to your computer, memory card, house, you don't lose them. That's what I always hear from people who have lost a house to a fire or something: they wish they could retrieve their pictures most of all their belongings. 


Anyway, Shutterfly (and other sites, I'm sure) give you a free, unlimited account to store your digital photos. And, very importantly, Shutterfly doesn't compress your files. They store them in their original size and quality--just like they are on your camera. When printing pictures, or making photo books, you want the highest quality file you can have. Set your camera to a large file size so that your photos contain the most pixels possible. That's where the quality comes from. And, if you go to all that trouble to take large file pictures, you don't want them to be shrunken when they are stored.


I've made photo books on other sites, but Shutterfly is my favorite. And they are continually improving the options they offer, so it's only getting better. I love the idea of scrapbooking, but realistically, it will not work in my life. There's no room for all the supplies. There's no room to leave a project of that size out. And so most of my time for the project would be spent dragging everything out and then putting it up. With photo books on Shutterfly, I can open the project, work on it for a few minutes, and then click "Save." That's it! Then I can come back to it when I have a spare minute or two. It's perfect for me.

Everything is customizable, from the cover, to the size, to the font, to how many pages you need, to colors, and embellishments, and numbers of pictures per page, etc.

We like the hard photo covers, but there are all kinds of options for the front and back covers, as well as the spine.

The options for the innards are endless. There are templates for pages with any number of pictures.

You can choose different frames, different backgrounds, different places to put text boxes.

You can always find an arrangement that best showcases the pictures you want to use. You need to think about whether you need horizontal or vertical layouts, or a combination.

You can even use a picture as the background for other pictures (as on the left page). They also have "stickers" you can apply to the pages (like the Wet and Wild in the right corner).

There's also a way to make one picture span two pages. Now you really need a high quality file to blow it up this large. This book is 12" x 12".

 I tend to use a lot of black backgrounds because it makes so many pictures "pop!"

They offer the option of allowing the website to fill your book for you, but I like to place my own pictures. They also offer "themes" for your book, which can come in handy. This one was a "travel theme," so they had already pre-selected backgrounds for that theme. You can use what they choose, or change them one at a time. I added the photo corners on these pages just because they looked cool with the backgrounds.

You can even put "stickers" on the back cover!


I made our photobook for the cruise that we just took yesterday. I have learned that it's best to make the book, and then wait until Shutterfly runs a special. When you sign up for your free account, they will periodically send you emails with coupons or specials. When you have your book completed and saved, you can simply wait for the next special they run. Through yesterday, they had free shipping on orders over $30, plus 1/2 off photo books, plus 1/2 off additional pages! So I was HIGHLY motivated to make the entire book yesterday!! I worked on it here and there between grading papers and reading to the kids. Thankfully, I had already uploaded all the pictures from our trip to their site and so they were there, waiting for me. I finished the book last night and it will be here in a few days. It's so exciting! And so easy!!


When you travel in herds, like we do, it's fun to order extras--like for Grandma, and Grandpa, or your married children. Especially when they have a BIG sale. Hope Grandma and Hannah don't read this, or they won't be surprised. 


Anyway, you get the idea: I'M A FAN!! And it fits right in with intentionally preserving the heritage of our family. Your finished projects are saved on their site, just like your photos. So if, in the future, one of the kids wants a copy of one of the books for their family, all I have to do is go back and order another one. Could it be any better?!


Just thought someone might need to know all of this. :)


Okay, I have NO idea whether this will "fly," but I thought it would be fun to try and start a new "link-up" for "Things We Love." I think it would be so wonderful to see what you come up with to share! It could be anything! Let's see what happens.