B#10 Turns 1

I love the simplicity of first birthdays. No huge parties needed. Tons of presents not needed. They are so content with the simple things in life. If only we as adults could be so content with the simple things!

Apples

 

B#5 was a huge help to us girls!

 

 

A friend gave us about 80lbs of apples recently so we have been hard at work trying to use them wisely. Another friend asked me to teach her how to can so on Friday she came over and we made lots of pints of applesauce for her and her daughter. Then on Saturday the girls and I, along with a friend of theirs, finished up the apples by making apple butter, applesauce, apple pie filling and drying some with some cinnamon. They sure were yummy. We still have apples from our trees to do but we may save them for apple cider.

Funny

While shopping at Michaels recently we found this marshmallow Yoda. DH is a Star Wars fan so we thought it would be funny to buy it for him. I didn't actually think he would eat it but he and the boys did. I think it would be hard for me to eat something that green:)

B#7's Camoflauge Cupcakes

For B#7's 5th birthday we thought we would make Camouflage cupcakes, courtesy of Pinterest. They were alot of work. Hmmm kind of reminiscent of the Cookie Monster cupcakes we did last year. It took 3 of us girls to put the different cake batters in at the same time and getting all three colors of frosting to come out of the bag at the same time was interestingly messy. But in the end they turned out well and it is always worth the effort.

We Skyped with B#1 while he opened his presents since B#1 is in Tech School in Texas.

Projects

I have been in the mood to do some projects lately. I guess now that B#10 is almost 1 I feel like I am coming out of a year long fog. He still wakes up several times a night to nurse but we have a relatively good schedule. Feeling like fall is coming on also makes me want to do some creative things. Last week before 1/2 of the family left for B#1's Boot Camp graduation, the girls and I started recovering our dining room chairs. My mom sent me some lovely dark plaid fabric which she got for a steal of a deal. It goes so well with my dining room and should hide stains well. I took a before and after picture for you so you can adequately appreciate the difference.

                                                           Before..stains and all

                                                                    After

I love, love, love chalkboard. I have wanted to paint one of my cabinets in my kitchen with chalkboard paint for a couple of years now. I still haven't gotten brave enough to do that but I did find some chalkboard paint looking adhesive backed paper to use for labels on my storage jars and recycleable trashcans.

This was how they were before. I like the way this looks, at least the way it would look in a good picture. If I could combine this with chalkboard that would be lovely.

These were the tools I used to finish this project...

 

 

I also made (with the help of B#4) a burlap table runner but I think I will save pics of that for after I get my fall stuff put on it.

Our First Day of School

For our first day of school, in our Bible Time, we were learning about Creation. We learned that the Hebrew name used for God in the Creation account in Genesis is the name Elohim, which means Creator God. We also learned two Hebrew verbs used in the creation story. Bara, which means to make or create from nothing. We learned that bara is used when God created the earth. We also learned the verb yatsar, which means to form or fashion from a predetermined pattern. I found these things to be so amazing. We know that, despite what Evolutionists would have us to believe, God spoke the world into existence from nothing yet Scripture shows us clearly a few verses later, using the verb yatsar that we as people were formed or fashioned in the plan that He had. We did not form from monkeys or microscopic life.

So for school we made things out of clay and baked them. The kids had a good time and I think Sculpey is a fun medium for them to use. It holds its shape so well, even holding up to my feeble attempts at making a dinosaur for B#8. Then you bake it and it will last, at least until little hands get ahold of it and break it which unfortunately did happen to several of our things.

On a side note, I had an interesting conversation with my daughter-in-law recently about Creation. She was telling us that when she was in Elementary school they went outside with balloons filled with paint. They were instructed by their teacher to throw up the balloon and when it landed and splattered everywhere that was what the Big Bang was like. I asked her if her paint fell in to a rose, or an eyeball or anything other than a disorganized splatter. She confirmed that No it didn't form into anything when it fell. In my opinion where her teacher was trying to teach the Big Bang theory, she was actually confirming Creation. God is a God of order, not disorder and His Word is true and can be trusted.

This verse comes to mind when I think of schools teaching Evolution as fact when in fact it is a theory...Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galations 6:7

Sticky Bun

B#4 likes to do B#9's hair for her everyday. Our favorite hair style that she does is a messy bun, which daddy affectionately calls a "sticky bun".