Monday, December 31, 2012

Happy New Year and update

Happy New Year!

We are all healthy and happy this last day of 2012.

My husband is on the way to the airport to pick up our oldest daughter.  She spent the last week with my mother-in-law in FL.  This was a big thing for us.  In the past we have not let our children spend the night with anyone unless it was a whole family thing; visiting friends or family.  She turned 15 on Dec 11th and my mil has wanted her to visit for a while now.  So it was time.  :)

Now for some updates on our family:


M.D. our oldest like I said turned 15 this year.  She started high school in the fall and that was fun.  We are branching out into multiple curriculum choices to meet the high school requirements.  Our core curriculum wasn't meeting our needs for all of the classes she has to take in high school.
She has an interest in horses and anything Native American.  She has been playing a flute (Native American style) that she picked up a thrift store.  When we went to the TN Valley Fair in Sept. she found out about a Flute Circle that took place once a month near our home.  So we started taking her to that.  One of the men in charge gave her a better flute made of PVC pipe.  We didn't know you could make one of that material, but it's durable and sounds pretty good.  Her goal was a nice wooden flute.  She got one for Christmas.  It is a drone flute (one side plays the notes and one side plays a continuous note for a very beautiful, melodious sound).  She got her picture in the local paper last month.  See that here.  She is still saving her money for a horse and I got her a book on horse training that she wanted.  She  is also writing a book with her sister.



Our second oldest D.R. is excelling at school.  She turned 13 this last October and has finished her 7th grade math.  She is finishing up the rest of her 7th grade and will be starting 8th grade early this year.  One of the benefits of homeschooling is that we can go at their pace and not hold them back.  She is the one writing the book with M.D.  They have almost finished it.
She is very interested in spy technology and law enforcement.  She loves Sherlock Holmes and got the complete set for Christmas.  She also got a violin for Christmas and will start learning to play that.
She also has an interest in video.  She has been doing short movies of her brothers and sisters for a while now.



Our oldest son, ST3 is now 11 and will be 12 in Feb.  I measured all the kids in April and again in November and honestly he grew 3 inches in that time.  In fact, I think he has grown since than too!  He is a great help with the younger boys and our 2 year old just loves him.  He is very interested in weapons (isn't every boy?) and he likes parrots.  He wants a Golden Conure parrot.  He recently had the opportunity to visit Parrot Mountain here in Pigeon Forge and had a wonderful time.  He also has wanted to play the saxophone and so got one for Christmas that he can learn on.



Our 4th child second boy, M.J. is our family entertainment. :)  He is very funny and quite the little actor.  He turned 10 in September and is so full of energy.  He loves Calvin and Hobbes.  He wants to play the guitar and got a red one for Christmas. 



Our 5th child, third boy, M.E. is a very serious child and yet can be quite a clown himself.  He sometimes acts older than his age, which is, as of yesterday, 9.  He is very generous and always has something to give to a sibling or parent on their birthday and Christmas.  He loves tigers and has a large collection of stuffed tigers, plastic tigers, tiger clothes, tiger pictures, tiger books, if it has a tiger on it he likes it. :)



A.M. is our third girl, sixth child.  She is our little princess and likes all things girly.  She is 7 and will be 8 on March 1st.  She is a very big help to me, especially with her baby sister.



N.D.  is our 6 year old ball of energy.  He is very smart, very curious, and gets into a lot of trouble because of those two things.  He is also very loving and is quick to give a hug.  He is also our 2nd left-handed child (D.R. being the first).


A.L. is 5 and our other little princess.  She likes to do everything her older sister does, but also loves to play with her younger brother, who is only 13 months younger than her. :)



A.Z. is our 4 year old superhero.  He likes Spiderman and his favorite Christmas present was a Spiderman costume that his older sister got him.  When he's not Spiderman he's Hulk.  Or he's watching Cars or Cars 2.  Those are his favorite things. :)



B.V. is 2 and he is NOT going through the Terrible Twos.  We don't believe in them.  He is however, very curious, clingy to Mama, loving, learning to talk, and just all around cute.



C.D. is our 10 month old babydoll.  She is crawling, eating, smiling, standing up to stuff, still nursing, and has 5 teeth.  lol  She is everyone's favorite toy.

So far, there are no more additions on the way, but that doesn't mean we don't want more.  We would love more children.  We are just in the waiting period now.  As you can tell by their ages, they are pretty close together.  But I have had a couple of longer breaks in between and suppose that this is what is happening now.

My husband and I have learned a lot this past year and are hoping to apply what we've learned to our lives this coming year.  We are looking forward to exciting things happening soon.

Hope you all have a wonderful New Year!


Until next time...

 JenT

Monday, December 24, 2012

shameless advertising



Yes, I am shamelessly using my blog to advertise for my etsy shop

Thank you.

Until next time...

JenT

Sunday, December 23, 2012

early Christmas





 Just a hint of what our early Christmas was like.


Until next time...

JenT

Saturday, November 24, 2012

LotsaBlessings

If anyone is interested in 18 inch doll dresses or nursing covers, either for yourself or for a gift, please check out my etsy shop.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LotsaBlessings
Latest nursing cover addition



Until next time... JenT

my family


Native American Flute playing, picture taking, horse lover
Mystery loving, book writing, reader
Parrot loving, organizing, lego-maniac
Dimple showing, energetic, funny man
Fire-loving, serious minded, future grill king
Princess loving, fingernail-painting, dress-up girl
Hug-giving, left-handed, ball of energy
Sweet and sour, sassy, loving girl
Cars loving, sweet smiling, superhero
Just turned 2, big helper, sweet boy
Crawling, teething, sweet baby
Our family
Just a different pose




So there you have it...our family pics for 2012.  I FINALLY got them done. :)
I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving...and if I don't get a chance to say it...
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa...Happy/Merry Whatever You Celebrate!!!!!  And Happy New Year!!!

Until next time... JenT

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

first teeth





You probably can't see it, but little Miss C.D. has two bottom teeth. :)
She got her teeth the soonest so far.  She's 8 months (can you believe it!) and she's had them for about 1 month.  Her older brother just above her got his at 10 months; all the rest got theirs at around a year.
Yes, she's sportin' her denim skirt and jacket here.  Soon I'll have some family photos to put up.  We'll all be in denim and red (hopefully).



Until next time... JenT

Thursday, October 11, 2012

partriotic pillowcases - Heads at Ease






I love to sew.

I love to give.

I found out how to do both!!!

Heads at Ease (a wonderful play on words, by the way), makes and ships pillowcases to our military stationed overseas.  This also gives me a way to support our military.

If you sew and want to get involved, please contact Sue and let her know.  She is a super nice lady and is very patient to answer all your questions.  She even emailed me some instructions for sewing pillowcases.  They are very easy and I think a good project for the beginner seamstress.  I still love easy projects. :)

If you don't sew, but want to help out, you can donate financially.  Just visit the site to find out how. 

When you visit the site, be sure and check out the thank you notes sent by the recipients; especially the USS Truman.  They are heartwarming!



Until next time... JenT

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Homestead Survival site

http://homesteadsurvival.blogspot.com/

A wonderful site I thought I would share with you.  It has some fabulous things on it.
You're welcome. :)


Until next time... JenT

Saturday, September 22, 2012

I'm still here...


It's pathetic, I know.  My blog that is.

I'm not hiding away, I promise.  :)  My priorities have adjusted, I guess you could say.  More time with the children, less time on the computer.

And if you have tried to contact me through my blog using the email address, that too has changed.  I cannot even access my old email account.  So I have changed my email on this blog and if you want to email me, try again.  Please.

One thing that has kept us busy is a couple of local fairs we entered.  My oldest is quite the photographer and she won several ribbons this year.  About 95% of the photos you see on here lately are from her.


So hopefully even though school is back in, I can update more often.  Just stay tuned...

Until next time...

JenT

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson (book review)

 I received an Advanced Reader Copy to read and review.  It was not a problem, I assure you. :)



When it comes to suspense, Dee Henderson is my favorite author.  Her books are very well written.  She has just the right amount of romance without taking away from the suspense element.  Her build up is great.  She doesn't give it all away in the first 3 chapters, but lets the suspense hang and slowly feeds you a tidbit at a time.  Full Disclosure is all Dee Henderson.  I love the fact that she has pulled in characters from her other books.  This is a totally stand alone read, but it makes you want to read her other books.  If you have already read them, it's a delight to see the characters you already know put in an appearance.  Ann Silver is someone I would like to have for a friend.  And Paul Falcon is so right for her.  They are both such strong people, but each has their own personal vulnerabilities.  They complement each other very well and are able to support the other one's strengths and help overcome the weaknesses.  Their personalities are just right for this story.  There is a lot of patience required in the case and they both have it in abundance.  That patience spills over into their relationship which is also an area it is needed.  I can't say more without giving away the whole book.  It is definitely a book worth investing in.  I highly recommend it to all Dee Henderson fans, and anyone who loves a good story.

This book is not an overly romantic book, but it does have romance in it.  It is very conservative in taste and I absolutely loved it.

You can wait until October 2 to buy it in the stores, or you can pre-order it now through several online bookstores; www.christianbook.com and www.amazon.com are a couple you can pre-order it through.

Enjoy!


Until next time... JenT

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

No Bake Energy Bites aka Mudballs

Do you ever want cookies, but don't want to heat the house up by turning on the oven to bake them?  Well, here's your solution:



No Bake Energy Bites
(My kids call these Mudballs.)

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all together well
Place in refrigerator and let chill for 1/2 an hour.
Roll into balls, ready to eat 
Store in airtight container for 1 week in refrigerator. (that is if there are any left)
 
I got this recipe from a friend of mine and she said I could post it here.  I don't care much for coconut so we leave that out.  I do like nuts, so sometimes we add those in.  Obviously this is a recipe that you can tweak to suit your own tastes and those of your family's.  Enjoy this great summer recipe!

Until next time... 


JenT

4th of July sale - denim skirts


Hey there folks, here's another sale at my favorite skirt store.  Have fun shopping! :)

Until next time...

JenT

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

and now we are 5...


I wonder what this is?

  
Wow...this is really taped up!


 Look!  Just what I wanted!


Lots of pink!

  
Yummy!!

 I had a good birthday...and now I'm 5!!

Until next time...

JenT

cutesy toes

 I couldn't resist. :)




Until next time...

JenT

over 100 degrees







Well?  What do you do when it's over 100 degrees out?  
We play water games.

Until next time...


JenT

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

another skirt sale!!



Another sale from my favorite skirt store!  Enjoy!
Just a little fyi: I'm wearing this skirt today.  Check it out!!



Until next time...


 JenT