Well I cannot believe it has been so long since my last post......

Between the kids and the all day long nausea I was out of the picture for awhile....

Well since my last post when we were scared but excited to be expecting twins, we have grieved the loss of one of the tiny babies, I had an ultrasound around 14 weeks that confirmed my worst fear that 1 baby was no longer viable........ God knows what we need and I take comfort in knowing that one day we will be reunited with our 3 babies in Heaven..... the ultrasound also showed a nice healthy baby that is so loved and so wanted, God is good!

We have had the house on the market for 2 months and have a contingent offer on it so please pray for a fast sale, for them and us!

With summer break started here, I am planning my menu for the lunch time chaos that can erupt if I am not well prepared!

I am also looking into having cloth diapers made for the baby so I have been searching the net for patterns that look easy

Well that is all for now off to start supper......

Well if you read the entry before this one you would see that we are thrilled to be pregnant again

I went in for an ultrasound to see how far along I was and to see where the slight bleeding was coming from......

So I was very nervous thinking the worst and the technician started the scan and said oh here is baby A and here is baby B YOUR HAVING TWINS!!!!!

I said Ha Ha you are pulling my leg I have 5 kids at home we prayed for just 1 baby

She said well you are going to be taking twins home

We are excited and scared at the same time!

I have lots to get in order in the next 6 months to get ready, I would love to hear from anyone that has twins

Am I allowed to tell you?  I havent told alot of family and especialy not my kids....yes my wonderful husband John knows he was the only one so far that was like *no your not*

*you are kiddin me* Reactions so far have been wonderful to my secret, hmmmm I wonder who will be the first to make a not so nice comment, my oldest sister, my friend,hhhmmm not looking forward to that............do you want in on it have you figured it out?????????

I can't wait to tell you!!!

I AM PREGNANT

I just found out and I am bursting at the seems to tell you!

I am a little nervous and scared though since I just had a miscarriage in late November/early December, I am trying to keep the verse in Jeremiah going through my head and be positive that the Lords will be done but it is so hard not to pray that my baby stay safe untill time to be born...........

so any and all prayers on our behalf are greatly appreciated.... I will keep you posted

does anyone else out there find themselves trying to keep their kids busy?? I never used to worry about it but with the extreme cold weather and not wanting to use the TV as a babysitter I have been trying to find stuff to do  with them........ Today I think we are gonna go to the $1 theater and see Chicken Little......... the girls have also been interested in making yarn dolls and braided necklaces, so I am sure that will be on the agenda as well today, I need to find a super easy bread recipe to try and make with the girls too............

hhhmmmmm well off to search the web for some bread recipes for the girls and I to try!

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I have made this my key verse for my life remember how I said I worry, well this verse was laid on my heart and I will write it everywhere and learn to dwell in the Lord's plan!

Well the day is almost upon us to put our house on the market....we have been so busy *getting it ready* that we have had little time for anything else

My dream of having a true country Homestead is getting more and more real and I have to say mixed with my happiness is apprehention of the *unknown* the housing market here is not too bad yet but I am really concerened about getting the land we want combined with  a liveable home!

I feel so silly praying for God to *help* us attain the house we want, and I know we are not to worry about tomorrow for has the Lord not even fed the sparrows, but it is so much my nature to worry!

I have read these in other bloggers posts so I thought I would join in

Four favorite blogs...

1. urban pioneer
2. 4 lil blessings
3. Violets Homestead 
4. The Land is Calling

Four favorite movies... I'm not sure... how about the four last movies:

    1. Willy Wonka (old one)

    2. Dreamer

    3. Racing Stripes

    4. Aristocats

Four favorite TV shows:

1. Amazing Race
2. Alias
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Apprentice

Four favorite foods:

1. Mexican
2. steaks
3. Pizza
4. really anything I don't fix!

Four places I want to visit:

1. Scotland
2. Alaska
3. Hawaii
4. Spain

Four sites I like to visit:

    1. my parents

    2. my friend Traci in VA Beach

    3. Chincoteague Island

    4. Tar Hollow State Park

Four places I've lived:

1. Smithville Ohio
2. Norfolk VA
3. Virginia Beach, VA
4. Apple Creek Ohio

Well our trip to the cabin was wonderful! Hocking Hills in the winter is just as beautiful as every other season!! If any of you have the chance Hocking Hills is a wonderful place for families.....all the caves and falls that you can walk to are just superb!http://www.hockinghills.com/

is the place to go for information....... my hubby and I walked around up and over Ash Cave and it was just magnificent!

The cabin was equally as great, the hottub was awesome and the view was great

It was fun too just being alone with John we never had a honeymoon and in 15 years and 5 kids of marriage this is only the 2nd weekend getaway we have had  anyways I highly reccomend Hocking Hills it is great for couples and families!

Hollar at me if you do freezer cooking!!! I cannot believe how this one little kitchen *help* has Blessed my family so very much! A few friends and myself get together about every 6-8 weeks and gather recipes we want to use and decide how many of each we want to make then I call and make plans to use our churchs kitchen which is great for cooking in to set the date. I then make the master list of ingredients needed and, off to the market to find the best deals on the things we need............... The 1st several coooking times seemed like they would never end but we have it down to a science now and it goes pretty smoothly and fast!

Our favorite recipe is Ham and Potato Casserole! Here are several links to recipes we use...

http://www.christysclipart.com/oamc2.html

http://snider.mardox.com/kitchen.html#_wmh3_944292079

www.30daygourmet.com

We have several  2nd hand stores here in Ohio called Village Discount........ they buy truckloads of donations from the AMVETS and resell the stuff......... well  every so often they send out coupons to those who have signed up and so on Monday my gram, my mom, my sis and I went to Village Discount with coupons in hand to find the bargains...... every week they change the 2 colors that are 1/2 price and on Mondays 1 of those tags is .50 ya can't beat that!!!! I have gotten good brand name next to new clothes for my kids for $2.00 and under most of the stuff is under a $1.00 that I buy you just can't beat the deals!!!!!

Now the Goodwills in our area have raised their prices and I just have a hard time paying $3.50 for a pair of jeans for my teen daughter, I can get a really good sale at Old Navy for $4.99 for new ones anyways

Well the bug has hit Olivia she was up all night throwing up! So I just pray no one else gets it till after Wed. we are going to the nursing home to visit my grandparents

Well my son Carter and I woke up with a stomache bug!! Ugggggggggg I was so looking forward to Church and Sunday School this morning I am helping out in Carters class with my friend Mary the teacher

The jury is still out on the yogurt, I haven't heard any positive or negative comments about it!

Well disaster struck our dinner last night..... I went to the Upward basketball awards with Caralyn well I had told Brandee to put the spaghetti pie in the oven at 3:30...... well I came home at about 4:00 to a  house full of smoke... the foil pan that the spaghetti pie was in had a hole in it and the juice was spilling out onto the bottom of the stove and burning  So I quickly pulled it out and put it in another pan and shut the oven off and I thought I could just scrape out the gunk and turn the oven back on WRONG!!!!! the smell was so bad and the smoke kept rolling out ssssoooooo I shut it all off and called my DH at work and told him to meet us in Wooster we were eating dinner out  Well it worked out fine (just I was really mad cause this was NOT budgeted in) and we had a nice dinner with some friends that were at the Mexican resturant at the same time..... so last night before bed I sprayed what oven cleaner I had left in the hopes of cleaning it today but now my tummy so maybe John will be so kind and clean it for me

Well today I venture into yogurt making!  My friend has lent me her yogurt maker while they are on sabatical for a year in Colorado so I  bought all the ingredients to make it and I cannot wait till it is done to try

my recipe that I am using is this

1/4C cold water
1T unflavored gelatin
(the above two ingredients are optional, but they make the yogurt firmer and more like what you are used to from the supermarket)
3C dry milk powder
1.75 qt (7 cups) lukewarm water (110 degrees Farenheit)
1/2C plain yogurt for starter (or 2 5gram packets of freeze-dried yogurt starter; convenient, but more expensive)
 
If using gelatin, sprinkle the dry gelatin into the cold water in a small saucepan. After gelatin is absorbed, bring mixture to a boil and completely dissolve gelatin.
 
In a large bowl, stir warm water into milk powder until dissolved. Add gelatin mixture. Test for correct temperature (105-112 degrees), then add plain yogurt for starter. Also, if you want to add sweetening &/or flavoring, now is the time; I use 1/2C raw or regular sugar and 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract. Mix well, pour into incubator & let go for 6 hours or until mixture is gelled. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight for best consistency. Makes 2 quarts of yogurt.
 
I sometimes let mine go 8 hours. It will firm up more in the fridge. I like this recipe because it doesn't use up all my milk (for drinking) in the fridge and it is cheaper. Also, it doesn't require scalding, like recipes that use fresh milk, so it is pretty quick. You do need a thermometer...

Doesnt that sound yummy I will let you know how it turns out!

O.K. so am I alone in the insomnia world at night?  I know there are other women out there who suffer from this. Mine goes in waves some weeks I sleep really well and other weeks (like the past several) I just do not sleep well! So our normal wake up time is 6:45 well I have been up since 5:30 piddling around and decided to get on the computer!  I guess I should be looking up ways to combat this problem but instead here I sit typing in my aggravation

I am  excited the carpet guy is coming to measure to see how much the new carpet will be even though we are selling the house it is still exciting getting something new

So Phillip will go to preschool and I will work on laundry with my front load washer it is done in no time at all (with 7 in the family and regular washing machine it took more that a day!)

and try to  make dough for pizza tonight... mental not to self check and make sure you have all that is needed for the pizza

Do some of you feel that the work of your hubby is never done? (gee I wonder if THEY feel that way!) Anyways, my hubby works 3- 13 hour days plus 1 Sunday a month he leaves for work at 4am and works from 4:30 am -5:30 pm, now that is a long day! He does'nt complain he knows this is best for his family, for years he worked 3rd shift 11pm-7:30am (at Smuckers there is no hope of 1st shift till you have about 25+ years in) because it was the shift that allowed him the most time with the family even though he was physically and sometimes mentally exhausted he did it ...for us........

So on top of that schedule he is always in motion, we are getting ready to list our house for sale and so he has been getting it ready everyday, painting or fixing something or taking furniture to the storage locker. The kids have extracirricular activities to go to and our church activities that leaves not much down time for him except for ....Sundays......and that is the day we cherish most, starting our day out amoung our friends at church, followed by a relaxing day at home!

So I guess my moral to the rambling is that when I stop to think all that my hubby does he never stops he is always doing something for (or with) the family  Thank you Jesus for our a wonderful Husband  father and provider for our family!

Oh how time flies! Our youngest turns 5 today

I feel happiness and sadness at the same time...I am happy because he is healthy and growing into a great little boy but I am sad because perhaps God is choosing him to be the last little one in our family I was looking at pictures of him as a tiny baby and could not help but get a lump in my throat thinking of what a joy it has been to parent our little guy, no it hasn't always been easy but truly each and every one of our children were a privilage to parent (and continue to parent) I feel very Blessed that God has entrusted them to John and I, our lives would never be the same without them! 

So our plans today include taking his preschool class to Burger King that has a play area and let them play and have a good time (there is only 5 kids in his class)

and then we will go out to dinner at a resturant of his choosing tonight as a family!

Well Sunday evening is upon us, we had such a good weekend. Saturday DH went to work at 4:30 a.m. then was home by 1:00 for our DD basketball game, we ran into  Walmart and picked up a few things and came home to a yummy dinner of spaghetti pie and french bread then off to our DS basketball game back home for showers and nighty night

Our kids play for a program called Upward Basketball it is a wonderful christian program at the local *mega* church.

Sunday we were off to 8:15  church service and Sunday School we also enjoyed a delicious meal with our fellow Brothers and Sisters, what a Blessing to have such good Christian friends!

A short visit at Grandmas and Grandpas then back home for a relaxing afternoon DH watched the Bengals/Steelers game (GO Bengals) and I took a little nap!

So soon the new week begins and another opportunity to work on that simplify list

well the evening went better than I could have expected with 2 extra kids here

We did not end up with pizza but spaghetti instead, I forgot that the Amish bulk food store was closed for the day so no yeast for me (oh and Save- a- Lot does'nt sell yeast)

In my never ending quest to simplify I am setting a goal of going through at least the bottom cupboards today and if there is something that I have not used in 6 months I am getting rid of it! I have tryed to make a mental note of what I actually do use....... to keep.......

Fridays....... aaahhhh Fridays....... I love Fridays...

my work week for daycare is over, the kids will be out of school for 2 days no rush no chaos just us.....

The older girls have friends coming over and Carter will be going to a friends house... WAIT! what did I just say about no rush no chaos! 

Oh we will be fine, I really would like to know how other large families do the *friend thing* when you have 5 kids plus thier 5 friends that adds up quick... we will have pizza and pop every kid likes that right

Well I have prolonged the start to my day too long.

Many Blessings to those who read my ramblings