camera!...CAMERA!!! Oh, where is that thing?!

Oh! What beauty! Our first snow here and it is covering the ground...Where is that thing?!? My camera, I mean....I KNOW I saw the box....where is it?!!!

Grrrr!

I want to share pictures...but, OH....I am still in the midst of moving in.

Yesterday, I went walking down our private path to the beach. It was cold and windy, but absolutely beautiful! At one part of the path I could turn around and see our house behind me and the water in front of me!

On the way back I saw three deer! One crossed in front of me!

Today, we watched the birds, Junkos, as they nibbled at the bird seed we set out for them.

On a different note...
I am going to work up a schedule to help me create order around here. I printed up a weekly calendar for the next three weeks today. I plan to write down what I want to accomplish each day (after homeschooling, of course) and I may try to share it...maybe it will help someone else!

And, Sue...thanks for your moving tips....I tried to comment on your blog and it was eaten by the internet monster!!! I didn't have time to retype the comment as times were very busy...they still are!!! Peace will come in due time! I am going to try to take a quick walk before dark so I must tend to the pressing things at hand before I do!

In His Presense...
Heather

Internet Finally!!!!

For those of you who are wondering...yes we are officially MOVED!!! Boy was it a fiasco though!!! I wasn't ready...last week we were tying up loose ends...my hubby still has to go back to clean out his shop. But we are now UNPACKING boxes...ugh...this is the hard part...finding a place for everything.

I gave away about 15 boxes of boys clothes...on top of the bags that I gave away...not sure of the total there. I am still in the process of weeding out extra stuff.

But the best part of all this chaos is that I live in a beautiful area...we have to cross a moss-covered bridge everytime we go somewhere and come back...the deer like to graze nearby...and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the fireplace in the living room and the wood stove (that has glass in the door so you can see the fire) in the kitchen!!!

Today I went out twice gathering kindling...what beauty!!! Even in the freezing cold!!!

The first weekend we stayed here we walked down to the beach (remember it is a river beach, not far from the ocean, though)...it was just beautiful!!! However, you could smell the ocean!!! REALLY!!! It made me long for spring, although at that time winter seemed very far off...now it is here!!! And freezing cold...snowing & sleeting...but I still love the outdoors here!!! Much better than before when all you could hear was the cars going by.

Here I can feel God's presense...in the rustle of the leaves of the Holly trees...the whistle of the wind...the songs of the birds...and the beauty all around! This is where God wants us...I am amazed at His blessings!

At the foot of the Cross,
in His humble presense...
Heather

Life since baby girl...

Wow, has life been busy!!! It seems that I never have time anymore to stop and breathe... Today, at least right now, I am stopping for a moment to write...I have neglected this journal of sorts for a great long while and I just need to vent a little...

Since baby girl was born, I have been VERY busy. My five-year-old loves her so much that I have to watch her VERY carefully...she likes to pick up baby girl and carry her around... Yes, it is dangerous, nerve-wracking, and sometimes overly helpful. She just loves her sister SO much!!

I also have to try to balance the times when my 4-year-old and five-year-old hold baby girl...they tend to fight over who gets to hold her...AND if the other gets to hold her, then the other one cries... To them, she is a living baby doll! Baby girl does really well with it, but it does stress me out some.

My almost 9-year-old son is excellent with baby girl, he just loves her to pieces...even though he really wanted a baby brother.


MOVING
I'm changing the subject for those of you that have a hard time following me! I like to give a warning sign...it was one of the hardest things for my husband to get used to...me changing subjects that is!!!

On to our moving process...well, I have been packing boxes, and trying to get all of my laundry washed and sorted out. I am not keeping everything, and I have decided to get rid of all my boy's clothes for the time...with the exception of newborn clothing. I just don't want to move that stuff again, you know?

I have probably gotten rid of 7-8 trash bags of clothing already, and there is more to get rid of yet. I am also going to get rid of some toys...we have too many!!! The thing is, that my attic is full of stuff that I haven't used since we moved in here...if I haven't used it in 5 years, why keep it? It obviously isn't doing me any good except causing me a bit of stress...everytime I think of the attic, I get a little frustrated.

Anyway...this moving thing is probably the hardest thing I have had to do in a long time!!! Any tips you have for me, I am sure will be helpful!


EVERYTHING ELSE...
Well everything else is going well. We haven't dealt with too much sickness this season, and we are still yet waiting to see snow. I am hoping the snow comes after we move, since we are moving to a place two hours away from here (and changing states).

I have been steadily losing this extra baby weight, so far I have lost all the weight I gained from my pregnancy except 5 pounds and I plan to lose an extra 15 to get back down to my goal weight.

We have been enjoying weekly fellowship with a dear Christian family that lives near us...it has been a true blessing! We won't have that when we move, but we will still drive up here to go to church each week...we can visit them some then.

Besides that, I don't have much to say, except I can't wait till things settle down again...if that ever happens...

I haven't been able to visit any blogs lately...I have had to limit my computer time.

I hope things are going well for you!
Blessings!
Heather

Picture of Baby Girl

Leanne, this is all I have so far...BUT I will try to take more soon! She is growing like a weed!

Blessings!
Heather

Purge by 2008?...How I'm doing...

Well, so far I have bagged up about 5 large trash bags full of shoes, coats, and clothing. When I get things bagged up, I immediately take it out to the van so it is ready to take to church. We have created a room for giveaway stuff temporarily. This saves me time by allowing me to just bring it to church each week! I REALLY don't have time to go to Good Will to drop it off, so this has worked really well!

I don't know if I am going as quickly as I would like, but I am putting outgrown clothes and such into bags every day! I am slowly working through my laundry piles and with each basket I fold I put a little more in the giveaway bag.

Yesterday I went upstairs with my boys to go through their drawers for things that they aren't wearing anymore. They gave me thumbs up for things to keep and thumbs down for things to give away. They were really helpful because I have a horrible time deciding what to keep and what to give away.

I will eventually make it up to my attic which has toys scattered all over it. My children have been up there snooping and such. I can't wait till it is clean again. I am planning to go through the clothes up there as well. I have decided not to keep very many of the boys things because I have so many girls. I really don't want to move more than is necessary.

I am also going to get rid of some cheap furniture...we just don't need this much stuff in the new house! I am aiming to try to really "keep up" on the new house. I don't want it to become a wreck as this one has...even though it usually "looks" tidy, I know it is not. I know that there are things hidden all over the house. My children sometimes clean by stuffing things under couches, and dressers. UGH!!!

The holidays are going to be very busy this year...I really can't believe that Christmas is SOO close. A week from Saturday we plan to do our Christmas giving....that is, I make up TONS and TONS of homemade cookies and we pass them out to all of our friends and my hubby's customers. Last year we handed out 10 platters of cookies. I have readied my pantry by stocking up on raw sugar, chocolate chips, and margarine...I don't cook much with butter due to the fact that my daughter is allergic to dairy.

And just so you know, I LOVE to bake cookies!!! I really do! Even if I get stressed it is one of my favorite things to do. I look forward to it every year...and it kind of dulls the ache that I feel for my family that I don't get to see over the holidays. I deal with a little depression over the holiday season if I don't keep myself busy...I think it is just due to being homesick for my family.

So, how are you doing?

Blessings!
Heather

A Change...

Over the next month and a half, we are going to be preparing to MOVE!!! Yes, you heard it right! We are actually moving states again! This time we are only moving about 2 hours east of where we are now, but it will be a BIG improvement from where we are now.

I am really excited and now I have a good reason to purge! So far, I have rid our family of about 4 garbage sized bags of clothing, shoes, and coats. There is still much more to go through and get rid of, but that's a start!

I am trying to construct a plan so that our move can be as smooth as possible. I really don't want to have to go through boxes once we are planted in our new home, so I am trying to figure something out.

God has really been present these days in finding us a new place to live with better circumstances. It is amazing to see how we have been blessed!

February 1st is supposed to be the big day. I will keep you posted!

Blessings!
Heather

Menu Plan Monday!!!

WOW!!! It's been a long time since I did this!!!

Monday: Crunchy Chicken & (dairy free) pork patties (baked chicken for me), mac & cheese, corn, spring greens salad mix.
Tuesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans or corn, heat & serve rolls.
Wednesday: Oriental Chicken Casserole, raw veggies.
Thursday: Spaghetti & Meatballs or Meatball sandwiches,veggie.
Friday: Pizza/or Stromboli & salad.
Saturday: Steak, baked potatoes & salad.
Sunday: Crock pot Baked beans, salad or dessert.

Join us at Organized Junkie!!!