Welcome to ~True Blessings~

Just me and my boy!

2012-01-07T10:30:00.000-06:00

Good Saturday to all~ Today its just me and Caleb,my 5 year old superman son.My husband is at work. My 15 yr old is working with his grandfather.And my girls are helping their grandma at the church kitchen,preparing food for tomorrow. I thought that was lovely that the girls volunteered. My 13 yr old likes to bake cookies.And my 10 yr old is always more eager to help with any cooking.When she sees me cooking dinner,she most often asks if she can help with anything.I can see that she takes pride in helping me.She really likes a picture I have of her standing up on a chair cooking an egg at 4 yrs old :).She likes to show off that picture. My 13 yr old likes to bake and she prefers to do it alone,however they never let her do it alone,so she needs to work on learning how to work with others. I always tell her,she needs to be patient and more tolerable. And dont we all?hello? :)
Okay so in the morning ,after everyone left,I cheerfully told my 5 yr old,"hey buddy it"s just you and me today!" and he replies with "I"m going to beat you up!" Can you tell what he likes to play with our 15 yr old son. BOYs will be boys! He made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich .I like my kids' independence. Thats how my mom raised us. Not to be imbecils. Sounds harsh but it's really not.
So I got up and brewed some coffee,made some eggs for me and Caleb,accompanied them with toast and some orange juice.
I let him play on the computer for a little bit,on pbskids.org,then i send him off to play outside.He is now back inside. He is so smart and cute. Yesterday when I picked him up afterschool,he had a flower for me and put it in my hair and said he wanted me to be his sweetheart~
Monday is my 13 yr old's birthday..and today about 9 cousins are coming over,so my husband suggested maybe we should go ahead and celebrate her birthday today.However I'm not sure about that,I will ask her if thats something she would like,she will be 14 and her cousins are all boys under 10,,lol yeah I can already see the look on her face.I was thinking a nice dinner just us at home as it usually is.Either a store bought cake or homemade and I like to have everyone write out what we love about her,and its according to how old they are.LIke she will be 14 so we jot down 14 things, and or her name and we write a word that describes her for each letter. And we also have a game where we have 1 minute to write as many names that start with the person's first name letter. And gifts. My mom and sisters are really good about remembering all of my kids' birthdays,and they come to the house without me having to ask them to come.
Well i have some closet work and laundry to deal with.
God bless.

week of the grapefruit!

2012-01-05T10:44:00.000-06:00

Hi! Our winter break is over.I really enjoyed being at home with my husband and kids for two whole weeks. Now kids are back in school,and husband at work of course. We are all trying to go to bed earlier. It hasnt been so easy especially for the kids .
Well I thought I'd share something kinds funny..
As the title states,it was indeed week of the grapefruit.
This is what I mean:
I read on a blog about a lady drinking grapefruit juice for breakfast.
I thought,huh why not buy some grapfruit and make fresh grapefruit juice.
I bought 4 large grapefruits.
With 4 kids at home,my portion of those 4 grapefruits was half of one.
So next store trip ,I bought a bottle of grapefruit juice.
Then my sis in law informs me that she has a fribroid,the size of ??
a grapefruit of course!
Which she already had it removed surgically of course and is doing well :)
and that is the grapefruit themed week story!
till next time!
by
me!

update on water fast and other news,,

2011-10-20T16:18:00.001-05:00

Hiya! been busy here with the everyday things,you know ,school,breakfast,excercising,tidying up,confronting the laundry monster.....and oh yeah that 10 day water fast!!!
Now first off, if I ,me ,moi,yo,was able to go through this 10 day water fast ,then anyone on this planet can also accomplish it...not even kidding you.I had already attempted twice and failed miserably .The main reason I did it ,was to see what kind of benefits i would get from it.If you google benefits on water fasting,it will inspire you to do it,especially if you have a chroninc disease.Your body basically rids it self of toxins,uses up stored fat as fuel,and revitilizes your organs ,etc... things I noticed was clear skin,tightened skin,in areas where you would least expect it,i'm talking bout' below the belt areas..:) and something that comes in pair,okay nuff bout' that! i will have you know that if my husband,the disciplined one,would not have done the fast with me,I would have given up around the 3rd day.Everyone is different,I happen to have a lot of nausea the last few days of fast and yes a lot of vomit,bile to be exact(other people feel great ). From what I read,it is toxins being dumped in stomach and mixing up with bile,hence causing the nausea. It was an interesting experiment that I can live to tell about it,no longer curious,and I would do it again ,but maybe not as long.I also lost about 20 lbs in those 10 days. You do gain most it back but the difference is that now your whole system is working more efficiently. I am no expert,so if you are interested in doing it,consult with your doc.
In other news,this 35 yr old momma of 4,will be wearing top braces as of tomorrow afternoon ( I can't wait to see the look of disgust that will be on my kids' faces).I developed a gap between my 2 front teeth.And I do not like it one bit.One dentist said it must have been me being allergic to some metal and another said since I have other gap on side ,that eventually teeth shift.Well now I have found a new dentist and best thing is,it is with in walking distance. I went in today,got my teeth cleaned,and tomorrow God willing I go in for top braces.My main concern is to close gaps,my teeth are pretty much straight.I dont really care to get braces on my bottom teeth,it is only a couple teeth that are slighlty crooked,no biggie,but I am missing a molar,so I am getting a bridge for that. Cost wise is not as bad as I thought:3000 buckaroos.The good thing is I have a whole year to pay it off at 0% interest ,so thats a big plus!

Kiddos are still in school,except my two youngest.
Evenings are now cooler,in the 40s ,and for dinner I will be making chicken flautas with rice and salad for dinner.
okay so now I must go to make that yummy dinner,so when my kids and husband walk in their tummies can smile~
God bless you!

fasting is no fun!

2011-10-06T19:20:00.000-05:00

Hello.Haven't posted in more than a month.In the mornings after dropping my kids off at their destinations,I go to my sis-in-law's house and we walk for about a good hour.Then we eat breakfast at her place(i did provide breakfast once,just for the record:).Then we talk for a little bit,then I come home and do housework,laundry,picking up,putting away things ,etc...I also blog,of course!
She's reading a personality book.And we have different personalities.She's choleric/melancholic and I'm sanguine,so she is the disciplined one ,hence my walking routine.And I keep her laughing,so we are a good team.
Anyways ,my husband and me are doing something crazy!! It is driving me bonkers ,but I believe it is well worth the sacrifice.We are doing a 10 day water fast people! or health reasons.Thankfully we do not have any chronic diseases ,but there are so many health benefits,that we figured we'd give it a try.He is on his 3rd day and I'm on my 4th day.Not fun at all!! At all!! My sis in law is ,well by faith was diabetic,and she did the fast and is no longer on diabetic medicine,she no longer needs glasses,and so many other benefits that she reaped.The main thing with me is dandruff..
Well in another post I will journal my fasting experience day by day.
God bless~

kiddos back in school

2011-08-22T13:22:00.000-05:00

Hello,i hadnt posted ,just been busy.Never have i had such a disorganized,unmotivated summer...really..I'm usually excited about having a summer schedule and really sad when my kids go back to school,and today my two younger ones went back,and they were both excited and nervous,and I did get a little sad,but found comfort in that they were okay,they like school,and all that good stuff. Why I dont feel myself..well since March or April the Lord began to do some pruning in our marriage,and its a difficult road to go down...I have to take courage and obey,im scared,anxious,am confused ,not sure of Gods will...and am just tired...kinda like an adult tantrum... God is merciful ...yup,
well God bless you~

shopping needed

2011-08-04T10:32:00.000-05:00

i need to go shopping for school supplies and some school attire.I dont go crazy shopping ,i really need to shop wisely.We did an inventory on school shirts and bottoms ,so we know what we need to buy. yesterday I went to the school meeting for my 8th grader and today for my 9 th grader,
Do you know that when my son was 6 months old,momma here got pregnant ,and so he was 1yr and 4 months when she was born,and although I wouldnt have it any other way,it was hard! At times both would cry and then I would cry and sometimes I didnt even know who to care for,so since baby girl was either wet,dirty or hungry ,i would quickly handle that and give my son some tlc. Those days were busy,but fun also.I actually wish I could be pregnant right now..big sigh.
Well I need to get going ,so see ya!
God bless~

today today

2011-08-02T12:59:00.000-05:00

there's just always something to be done ...not much up to anything lately..however things will be changing pretty soon as my two older kids go back to school in 7 days to be exact.i have 2 school meetings to go to this week.
lately my husband has been working on finishing up building his tool shed,so I've been outside with him,then i help put up the tools,we cover the pool,and water the garden,come inside ,shower ,read.We've been reading the bible together,then lights out.
there's always things to be done in house,like laundry and washing towels,dishes,putting things away,shining up things,etc...
I need to go the store,we are out of everything.we have lentils,beans,rice,so we do have some basics,but i need to get eggs,fruit ,some leaf veggies,milk,bread,jelly,some pasta and meat,cheese,etc...and i have some coupons for FREE icecream,syrup and cool whip.looking forward to that,plus my daughter is baking a chocolate cake.I will need to excercise in order to get away with this.
For dinner I'm thinking salad or a chicken breast sandwich,not sure yet,but definitely something fresh healthy and pronto!
Okay off I go to make a list,and head to the store..ugh...i hate going to the store but i know i should n't complain.
God bless~

home life and thoughts~

2011-07-27T10:53:00.000-05:00

good morning to all~ Today after I kissed Robert goodbye.I prayed and read the bible a while.I then ate breakfast alone in a a dim quiet house.All kids were still asleep.I then looked for a scripture to send via text to my love and this is the one i chose ,which I just so happen to absolutely love,it makes me all giddy inside:Isaiah 55:12You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
After ,did some laundry ,made bed and tidied up throught out house,helped 10 yr old make breakfast.ate again ,which i shouldnt have,now I HAVE to excercise.One of my brothers is coming over for lunch,he's also bringing a fuel filter,which my husband is going to try and replace,he has never done it,but I like that even though he doesn't know how,he is willing to learn.
My 13 yr old daughter baked chocolate chips yesterday and today after breakfast I let the kids have cookies and milk,(I say eat the sweet stuff in the morning that way they burn the stuff out through out the day) ,anyways so before handing them the cookies,they each had to recite a bible verse,and my 10 yr old daughter in particular is a little shy about speaking spanish,for some unknown reason,she reads very well in spanish,i think mostly cause' her siblings will tease,anywho so she must have wanted those cookies bad because she made herself remember a verse and in spanish,she did try to cheat at first and use the same verse she always uses,which is God is love,but i told her she had to pick a different one,so she spoke 2nd Timothy 1:7,where it states that God has not given us a spirit of fear ,but of love ,power,and asound mind.
And then I went on to share with the kids how the fear it is talking about ,is any and all types of fear,how a large part has a lot to do with our thoughts,how we think,what we think,what we set our minds to ,if we will decide to hear the enemy or God's truths.How fear is the number one tactic that the enemy of our soul uses to keep us from moving forward.So today I encourage to cover your ears from all the filthy lies of the enemy and focus,FOCUS on GOD'S truths!
God bless you~

here sittin' but not for long.....

2011-07-25T13:04:00.000-05:00

and thats' because I have a kitchen to deep clean.Yup sure do! Saturday us girls deep cleaned the living room,my bedroom,and which I'm excited the home gym is outta there and into the newly built tool shed by my wonderful husband and son~ so now our bedroom looks nice~and roomy. And also all tools that were stored inside laundry room,kitchen and any other place,are now in their new home.My husband is happy to finally have his own tool shed.it is a good size though.he put two windows in it and it's a barn style shed.very cute.Once it is painted ,i will post pictures.

Speaking of pictures,I do need to be posting pictures,it makes blogging more fun.

Saturday after a hard work day ,we went to the store and came right back home.I cooked dinner which was beef stir fry,and noodles.Showered and went to bed.

Sunday to church,both morning and evening services.Our pastor was giving the 2nd part of how to handle family conflicts,the whys,how to and all that good stuff.
I believe it all boils down to LOVE,because if we love how God loves ,then we will sacrifice ourselves to put others before us,and when we put others before us ,we have a servant's heart ,and this is when we are most like Jesus~ and knowing that we are pleasing Him,brings joy ,peace to our hearts.Peace follows obedience~Those who love God ,know his commandments and follow them.Oh God's ways' are wonderful and are to bring us blessings~

My sisters went to church last night and this brought joy to my heart,because it came out of them.I didn't invite them ,they actually texted me to let me know that they were going.One day not too far,hopefully they will make the decision to follow Jesus.
This reminds me of that day,15 years ago,when my husband,came from work singing and smiling"..I have decided to follow Jesus,I have decided to follow Jesus!" and he did,he got baptized and God 's blessings have never ceased~

Today is Monday,and after Robert left to work ,i prayed and went back to get some much needed sleep.After I got up,my kids were all up,one of them had already made herself some oatmeal.I've had waffles and cereal on hand,however we've ran out,and I also need to think up a grocery shopping list.I made eggs with ham and some yummy refried pinto beans,we ate and then we walked over to my mother in law's house ,because one of my sister in law's was going to be there to take my teens and her teen to the church ,to participate in a trip to a homeless shelter to feed the hungry.however there was no room for my two,because they can only take 10 kids at a time,so my sis in law brought them back to her house.My son stayed at HEr house,he was helping them cut the yard,plus I'm sure he didn't mind,since they have a new puppy,and he is a dog lover ,so good combination.
Girls are watching a little house on the prairie episode.5 yr old is playing with his cars on living room area rug,and I have a kitchen to clean,but these girls are not going to like that announcement,but it must be done .
God bless you all~

trying to be more consistent...

2011-07-20T09:41:00.000-05:00

In everything! Not just posting but excercising.If I want to see results,consistency is key right? RIGHT! this is a healthy lifestyle ,i think if we apply this to cleaning house,spending time with our husband,our kids,reading the word ,eating healthy, and prayer is abig one etc....you get the point...These are all good things to be consistent in ,because they bring great results. We cant just excercise our muscles once a month and then be dissapointed when we just cant seem to have any energy for our daily tasks.
ANother observation is that one good choice follows another.If i just finished excercising ,then that will make me think twice about grabbing a high caloric unhealthy meal and so forth.It will defeat my purpose and then we are back to square one.
I believe no foods are offlimits ,but all in moderation is safe.
okay ,well today I gotta go pick up some books from the library and to the thrift store and then come home and sew some buttons onto a few of my husband's work shirts...so off i go.
God bless ~

catching up.

2011-07-18T12:09:00.000-05:00

Hello.Tis now noon and today has been a slow work day....but I did manage to get in a great denise ausitn workout,and afterwards I ate half a can of tuna with a tbsp of reg. mayo on 1 slice of wheat bread ,and about a 1/4 cup of cashewsw/peanuts.I am pleasantly full.However I do need to go to the store and buy fruit,milk,eggs,lettuce,yogurt,oatmeal....but until hubby gets home ...why you ask...because someone ..ahem ..lost her debit card ,ordered a new one,lost it again ,reordered a second one ,and is waiting for it to arrive.I know ,I know,I should have just looked more carefully.
moving on...life has been busy.
13and 14 yr old ,left friday for a missions trip to San Antonio,and today being their last day,they are spending it at Fiesta Texas.They are arriving late tonight.
Last Thursday ,all my sisters in law were over with their kiddos,and we had a fun day.My husband took the day off from work to be here with us ,and he worked on a shed he is building.
Other than that,we've just been home,relaxing mostly,going to church.
Last night after church,we went to Tampico,it is a snowcone place,but i never get snocones ,only the kids do,i get a corn in a cup and a mango milkshake..yummy.
i have so much work to do right now that I dont even know where to begin.I have to start ,and thats always the hardest part....so off i go to be productive!!
God bless you~

full summer this one is

2011-07-05T14:24:00.000-05:00

Hello.I am sitting here in the living room,with a yummy cup of coffee w/some amaretto coffee creamer.My daughter and sis in law are watching "Pride and Prejudice",which by the way,I love that movie,and now I know why...Lizzie bluntness and fearless attitude reminds me of me,and Mr.Darcy reminds me of my husband's serious character,which is what attracted me most about him.I love him so much.
I cleaned,rearranged stuff and threw out some more,for about two days.i am convinced laundry is a monster indeed.lol You see Saturday we invited two families from church and to make room in our cozy home,I had to do some rearranging.In previous posts ,I have already mentioned,that in the future,which we wish was here already,we plan to build astaircaseto the upstairs bedrooms and bathroom,the bedrooms are not completed or the bathroom,but we cant proceed with out the architect plans ,much less the permits,so we have been waiting for MONTHS,and we have been praying about this,for some unknown reason the architect keeps postponing our meeting,but we are more than ready,however God knows all things and we have to be patient regardless.

And so while we wait,we bought our girls beds,and we are using the dining room as their temporary bedroom,and we put the dining room table in the living room,but in order to make room for that,we first gave away our coffee table,and huge entertainment center,and we did throw away a lazy boy chair(too wobbly already),and constantly cleaning out,trying to be diligent about what we really want to keep and bring in...I went through our collection of books and movies,gave a lot of that away,mostly to my sister in law,mom to 6.
Saturday we had a really nice time with both couples,interesting conversations,kids mostly played in pool,we had cheeseburgers,fries,watermelon,veggies ,chips and dip,ice cream,coffee,then Sunday we went to both church services,and in between services,we stopped by my mom's house for a short visit,half rested at home,then off to the evening service.
Monday was Fourth of July ,as we all know,we were at home most of the day .My husband is building a tool shed,so he worked outside most of the morning and afternoon.My in laws and other family members ate breakfast here at my house ,so as soon as they left,i cleaned up the house ,washed a couple of loads,and then left around 7ish to my mom's house,where most of my family was gathered,except for my brother who live sin Georgia,and another one who is in jail~
We were the only Christians there,it's a little odd to watch them ,because of how different we are now as Christians,and how different they are from us.with very little convictions and discernment.After the wonderful fireworks display,my wonderful husband and I were able to come home and thank God,that we came to know God and are Christians.There is no other way to truly live,until you come to the Lord,and live for Him,and according to His statutes..
And today,my hubby went back to work,my 14 yr old son went to work with his grandpa.I got up @6:20,packed Robert's lunch,and snacks,then prayed and read some scriptures in the 58th chapter of Isaiah,where it talks about rebuilding ancient ruins.i absolutely love what that implies.God has saved me and my family and he has begun to rebuild the ancient ruins in my family,beginning with me..I must pray and and be strong in the Lord,to not get tired of praying for my family and future generations.Prayer is power,Prayer changes things.God is good,He can't turn us away ,when we humble ourselves before Him.One thing I encourage you who read here,is to ask God to put a burning desire in our hearts to be pure ,out of love for God,not just because it is the right thing to do,but because we love Him so much,that we desire to please Him,not caring to go against the current of this world.Not being popular....
Afterwards,I didn't plan on this,but I went back to bed,and slept for about an hour and a half,and I felt rested.Then it was time to get up and get going for what was planned for today.I picked up my sis in law and her 6 children,and we stopped at Fiesta Mart.I left the van air on,with my sis in law and kids,while I quickly grabbed some food items,and came out to a hot van,battery ran out,and so we asked for help,and this nice lady gave us a jumptart.We struggled a little ,because her battery was sideways ,so we could quite get to he positive knob thingy,and two kind men came to help us,and we were good.One didn't ask us for anything in return,but the other did.We only had 75 cents,but he was happy with that..hehe,so we finally came home,and kids changed and jumped into pool.i came in and made a large batch of buttermilk pancakes,sausage links,and my sis in law made scrambled eggs.I brewed some yummy coffee.We cooked ,served it,ate it.Kids are back in pool,some are playing on grass with toys,and some ,well 2 females,a 13 yr old and 32 yr old are watching Pride and Prejudice..sigh,did i mention how much I love that movie,favorite so far...
And inless than one hour ,we are heading off to the zoo!Yup you read correctly.On the 1 st Tuesday of each month,after 2p.m.,the zoo admission is free! so that seems great for a large crowd,wouldn't you say!
And ,tomorrow ,we do not know,we have no plans,but i do know that this child,my 13 yr old needs to go to the library,so maybe God willing that will happen tomorrow.on thursday,my sister in law is coming over,so we planned....
tis' all for now,God bless you!

Spic n'Span

2011-07-01T09:17:00.000-05:00

Hello!Today is a spic n span day,meaning we will shine up everything!We clean everyday ,but today we will go a few extra miles....I,we got a lot of :
organizing
wiping,
washing
folding
hanging out to dry
picking up
rearranging
blah blah blah
you know ,just one of those days...and well cause we're having company ,and out of town family .It's not to impress,but rather to show we care enough to spruce things up for our guests,and then when all is spic n span,off to buy food items and other necessities.have a happy and Godly 4th of July everyone!
God bless America!

finally a break to blog!

2011-06-23T13:59:00.001-05:00

Hello!On Monday ,we mostly stayed home,on Tuesday,I agreed to go help my mother in law prepare food for a meeting with all the church kitchen staff. I decided to make a salad similar to one I ate at a french restaurant..Okay so the salad was several types of lettuces with apple slices and candied walnuts,which by the way,I had to make myself,since I had a hard time finding them,and i added a honey rosemary vinagrette dressing,and I served the salad on slices of toasted french bread with fried goatcheese!it was really good.Goat cheese is expensive!
after that we came home,rested ,and then got ready to attend this dinner meeting,and ate and drank,came back home.
Yesterday ,I was mostly home.Sunday night i had been asked if I was available to participate in the picking up of the offering and I needed a lime green blouse,so I went on the hunt to a nearby thrift store,and I found a brand new blouse with tag still on.
I came home,noticed dryer was not working,rested a little a hubby,then I jumped and made chicken salad sandwiches,served them up,showered while hubby declogged dryer vent,then kissed hubby goodbye.

i went to church alone,and the family stayed home and watched It takes two,with the Olsen twins.They do not get tired of watching that movie,for some reason.They are cute so....
At church i sat alone and just focused on the service,and it was wonderful,the teaching was about honoring our parents,no matter what age we are,not to focus on the negative,but on the great qualities of our imperfect parents,to honor them even though they weren't model parents.God calls us to honor,He didn't specify to honor only honorable parents,we all make mistakes,and to know that we are/were loved.Honor them while they are still alive~
After church ,I quietly came in,all were in bed snoozing,including hubby,but I gently hugged him and he smiled and turned towards me ..
Today we woke up early ,and since I knew one of my sister in law"s was going to be at my mother in law's house, we invited ourselves over,all 15 of us ate breakfast there,we hanged out there just laughing and talking for a good 2 hours,then came home and let me just tell ya that the house is not a huge mess,but it does need some work done,especially laundry,and floor,we have a pool and sand ,so that has a lot to do with the condition of these floors,dishes are under control,beds are made,mostly all picked,just need some wiping done....so off I go to work and get things done.
I also need to go to the store and buy some food,oh yeah and clean the fridge and freezer,buy some bandaids,and some more summer shorts, which means another thrift store trip,but for that,I just might wait till Sunday ,that way I get a discount.I also need to make dental and vision appointments ..agh!
I have no idea what we're having for dinner ...yet,but it will surely be something quick and delish,...okay need to get this huge ball rolling
God bless ya~:)_

Life as it is....

2011-06-11T10:52:00.000-05:00

Good Saturday! School has been out since the 3rd of June.We purchased a giant pool,18X52 to be exact and it has been fun fun fun.Our days go something like this:

hubby wakes up,then I,I pack his lunch.Kiss him goodbye :)
I like to have quiet time,prayer and reading time.
Then a little after 6 ,I wake up my 14 yr old son,he's working with his grandpa for the summer,and when school is in ,he helps him out on most Saturdays.
After he leaves,what I've been doing is actually going back to sleep..yup much needed beauty sleep.After a couple of hours,sometimes less,the girls wake up,but it's usually the 5 yr old first.
They are good about getting their own breakfast.i just have to make sure I have food in the house.
We do chores.Before school was out,I did a lot of decluttering,and so this has reduced the cleaning time by a lot.Streamlining your home is necessary,in my opinion,and afterwards to really be careful about what you do bring in the home.Shopping wisely and practicing self control.If not ,we end up back on square one.Plus it helps to have some extra cash in the bank,for things that matter more or those unexpected emergencies.
After chores,I let the kids have free time,which usually their first choice is the pool! And family also come over and join the splashing fun.
I meanwhile get some other things done,Just trying to keep up.Yesterday ,I finally got to see the floor of the laundry room,I kid you not.I was in a laundry rut for a good 3 weeks.The last few weeks of school,we got so busy,with so many events,that I didn't have the energy to fully focus on the laundry,but now we're good ,so I'm glad.
The kids get hungry,swimming will do that to you,so lunch is something quick,and they eat it outside.play some more,or they come in and either read,watch a movie.
bible reading is on our agenda this summer.This week we read the book of Judges and Ruth.Today ,being a Saturday ,we might not read as much,however still,a couple of chapters is better than nothing. Our goal is to not just read the bible,but to comprehend,so each of reads a chapter or two,then a brief summary is given,to make sure everyone is understanding of what is happening.
then dinner tme rolls around,clean up,load dishwasher,clean table and sweep,tidying up as quickly as possible.If church night ,well then we get dressed for church,and if not,maybe some movie.almost never any television.
Then it's bed time.
And this is a typical day around here for this lazy summer days.
And now I'll pay a visit to one of my sister in law's house,with 6 kiddos to play with .
HAve a great day and God bless you~

Life is busy!

2011-05-26T17:39:00.000-05:00

Since it's almost end of school year,we know what comes with that.....parties,award ceremonies,graduations,going to the store multiple times to get different things for different kids at different schools.Shopping for clothes and gifts,and oh yeah trifold posters for projects. Field day!!! Soakers day!!!And the list goes on and on.No wonder i don't have the energy to shower at night.Good thing...no GREAT thing school is almost out..just 1 more week and we can breathe a sigh of relief.I already thought about one thing that I want to get done so badly .
You see at the beginning of the year ,our Pastor encouraged all of the church ,to read the bible in one year.And we started off great,reading almost every single night,but in the last month and a half or so ,we have not read together,.Life just got sooo busy with testing,and homework.....and I want to get back on track,so starting this summer,with God's grace,we will get alot of reading accomplished.Now me and my husband read daily.I mostly like to have my alone time with God in the ripe morning ,when everyone is still asleep.
Reading the word of God needs to be at the top of our list every single day,even if 5 minutes is all you have time for.God's word is powerful ,uplifting and everything in between.
Tis all for now!
God bless~

D-mode

2011-05-17T10:28:00.000-05:00

I am still in decluttering mode.In the near future ,God willing,we are turning the attic into two bedrooms and a small bathroom,which will also require a staircase :),so the size of our living room will be reduced by about a third.We have been looking at what furniture to get rid of.We already gave away our coffee table.The one I had was given to me ,when we moved here,and it wasn't really my taste.I mean it served us well and quite sturdy,but just not my style.Too fancy.I like more casual and practical,so hopefully when we do get one,it will need to be with storage.Also we are giving away our 9 foot wide entertainment.It is a very nice 3 piece E.C. made of oak,but it takes up too much space and very heavy.So for now our TV is sitting on a small table my dad made for me a few years ago.I have began the process of looking and re-looking through books and movies that will no longer abide in this home.Trying to keep it as simple as possible.I really do want to be a smarter shopper.Not just buy things because they are cute,then you end up with too many odds and ends.Remembering that the more we own,the longer it takes to clean! And asking myself how much do i really need it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dinner will have to be something quick and simple.I like simple :)
We have a very busy evening.My 13 yr old daughter did the kind of art that the author of "The Very Hungry caterpillar" ,and her art with others',is going to be displayed during the summer in The Museum of Natural Science.And tonight they are having a ceremony and the family of the students are invited.Before we leave for that,there is a mandatory meeting at her school ,to inform us about the 7th grade spring trip coming up on Sunday.It should be quick so after the meeting ,we'll dash off to the opposite side of the city.And I give God and only God ,all the honor and glory,because as Christians,we know that in the bible it is written,that any good in us comes from God.

Well off I go !
God bless you~

Full House...unexpectedly

2011-05-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

it is now 10:33p.m..We just finished watching a movie.Kids are in bed.Robert is showering.And this morning let's talk about the unexpected.I was blissfully relaxing in my home with my 3 youngest,when myMIL calls and says if I can watch two of her grandkids that are at her house,just for a little while you know,so I said ,sure.Then when I notice she gets home,out comes from the truck,6 of her other grandkiddos,and they all run overhere.it is only 2 houses down.So yup before you knew,we were making a big ol' pan of ham and eggs,and a large batch of pancakes.it was a fun (definitely for my kids)and busy(for me :)} day.Yes I had different plans,but hey God's purposes are even better~

Green Pastures Giveaway!

2011-05-10T11:11:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let ya' now that there is a Green pastures cod liver oil giveaway at http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/2011/05/70-green-pasture-products-giveaway/

Today...

2011-05-03T08:26:00.000-05:00

I have a breakfast to attend ,for moms who have volunteered a lot at school.They are giving us an honorary breakfast.
I am home alone now.
Everyone is at school and at work.
Today I need to give the garden a good watering,although I was waiting for the "thunderstorms"that we were suppose to get yesterday and nothing!
I also need to focus on the laundry as usual .I feel like we do not have so much clothes,but when washing ,it seems otherwise .
House is pretty much picked up .
Besides the laundry room washing clothes ordeal,I do have a corner in the kitchen,that needs some tyding up,it's where my husband stores some of his tools,until he builds a tool shed.
And there is a closet that needs organizing.
I also need to sort through my book collection again,and only keep what i really think I will read.
Dinner will be penne pasta,with creamy dause and chicken breast ,and fancy green beans.
Yesterday we had shrimp cocktail.
I went on a fieldtrip with my 9 yr old daughter,to a roller skating rink,and it was more like Falling rink!

tis' all for now.
God bless~

thankful for~

2011-05-02T21:15:00.000-05:00

Focusing on the great and not the bad.

I am thankful that I am saved.i was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ,15 1/2 years ago.never in a million yrs would I have thought I'd be baptized.never.I remember saying to myself that I would do all I wanted while young,and when old ,I would then get baptized.I am so glad I didn't wait.
I am thankful for who God gave me as a husband.I tell you what ,they don't make them like my husband anymore.Hardworking,fears the Lord,responsible.........
I am thankful for my four children ,God has given me and Robert the task and privilige of raising.Difficult but rewarding.
I am thankful,because God has truly blessed me more than I ever imagined.I have gone from "wishing" to "have inherited".He is the giver of all good things.I am exceedingly blessed.Everything we have belongs to Him.Everything he has allowed us to obtain,has been given to us ,even though we have not deserved it,and most times we haven't even asked for them.He gives because He just plain wants to.
I am thankful for God's sound doctrine.It is our Life manual,our daily bread,it's where we go and always come back satisfied.HE is our satisfaction~
For worship music.Fills my soul with joy,encouragement,lets me pour out praise to the one and only TRUE God,HIS name is JESUS of Nazareth!!!!!!

God bless you all!
Come to Jesus,you will not regret it~

Lots on my mind~

2011-04-28T16:45:00.000-05:00

Good afternoon.i have had terribly busy days for the last two weeks.Just a lot going on.Today I went with the 4th graders on a field trip .It went great.Kids had a lot of fun.Although we could have gone somewhere closer,and have same fun.i have been volunteering at school a lot,especially helping ut with the pre-k class.I have a preschooler.I am sad and mad to say that there are so many mean people in this world.I have now reported 3,since I began helping there.One is a young man,I do not know his position,but while working,he was on the cell phone,and being so mean to the little ones.Another one,was my preschooler's sub-teacher.Such a mean spirited mean.2 moms told me their children were crying ,not wanting to go to school,because the sub was mean.And I am a witness to this.I was in the classroom for about an hour.She is cold,rigid ,and just plain mean.There are other ways to teach than to intimidate kids.I hate the idea that that woman and many others get paid to mistreat children.The 3rd teacher I reported,was a math teacher,who has physically abused many kids.At least 7 that I know of.I know for a fact that a lot of teachers are awesome,but a lot are awful.And I d o not care ,how bad the child is,a teacher is to teach ,not set a bad example.And a teacher has no business teaching,if all they are there for is to make enough to pay the bills,and not care an ounce or have a passion of teaching.Over with my rant.

Updating....here we go!

2011-04-20T18:14:00.000-05:00

Hello me! Another busy week.Last week 40th Church Anniversary was wonderful!
Last week and this one i was asked to volunteer at my 2 younger ones' school,during cluster time.So that's what i've been up to.Mostly being at home,which I enjoy it soo much when I do not have to be out so much,but sometimes there is no choice left seems like. I have really been enjoying going to go help out at the school .Interacting with all those precious preschoolers and ks.
Laundry has been creeping up slowly,so that will be my main focus for a little while tonight and tomorrow until it is complete.
I also decluttered a bit.Purple Heart is my new best friend:)Starting tomorrow ,our Annual Church Convention begins! So we will basically not be here much,but to drop dead asleep. It is only 35 minutes away,but it never ends early.We just go and have a grand old time with our Christian family praising the Lord and being edified by God's word.

For dinner we are having plain ol ' hot diggity dogs and some icecream.My 14 yr is getting them ready.This is all for now.God bless~

Laundry Marathon and other musings...:)

2011-04-11T18:51:00.000-05:00

Good afternoon ! Today has been a very productive day..I praise the Lord for that! A laundry marathon more like it.I asked God for His sufficient grace to get a lot accomplished,and you know what..He answers prayer! I am not done,tis' only 6:42,so I know that by His grace I will get a lot more accomplished.it feels good to keep busy ,knowing we please and honor God ,knowing you have worked efficiently,rather than choosing to be lazy ....(unfaithful) (ouch).

We celebrated our Church 40th Anniversary.Isn't that awesome!?! We celebrated from Wednesday -Sunday night,and it was a blast ,and we went to bed late each night.We ate,showered,got dressed and zoomed to church.Let the kids socialize a little bit ,then came come.And SLEPT!
Our convention is coming up in 2 weeks.

I celebrated another birthday , I turned 21 ...I mean 35..oops ;P

Okay back to work!

God bless~

Hola America!

2011-03-29T09:50:00.000-05:00

hiya! dropping in to say hello,hiya ,hola!
Yesterday I had a long to do list aside from chores,and even went and helped my MIL clean the church kitchen.A lot of work.There were a few of us ,so not as bad.from my to do list, most of it was accomplished.My SIL gave me some cactuses she brought from Mexico,and my son finally helped me plant them.Our garden is growing ,but not so well.:(
I hope it gets better.I won't give up on it.Today I need to deal with laundry.I hate dealing with laundry...sometimes.Okay enough of that.:) Life is not perfect.It is challenging at times,in marriage,teenagers,....but God's Grace is there when we need it most ..sigh.
Thank you Lord~

declutter day!

2011-03-26T09:22:00.000-05:00

hello!
Made crepes with nutella and strawberries for breakfast.
Girls have decluttered their drawers and clothes wardrobe
Son after stating that nothing on his desk was trash...I gave him the look,and he got to work.
4 yr old is blissfully playing outside after being treated for poison ivy :)
I have cleaned up the kitchen..diswasher *aka* Kitty is working ;)
we are next going to go through our books and say good bye and thank you to a few.
At about 11 we will jump in van and pick up lunch at a church fundraiser(salvadorean pupusas..yum!)
Tonight we are going to church service.My son is going to be an usher or pick up offering.On Saturdays our youth leads the service.
And afterwards the United Teens ages 14-17 parents(us) are having a reunion with the UT teachers.
So hopefully we will be all decluttered by then.I am even getting rid of a breadmaker.YUP!!I never use it.It was given to me by someone whom it was given to and I used it a few times ....plus I enjoy making bread by hand so I truly have no need for it.It is just taking up cabinet space ,that can be used to store my electric griddle.Now that ,I have more use of when pancakes are on the menu!
Okay I'm off to work.
God bless us all,cause' we sure need HIM~

short break

2011-03-23T10:04:00.000-05:00

hello.Today I am focusing on laundry.I have about 3 more loads to go.I had an early start this morning.I also need/want to declutter.I feel I am constantly doing this, but clutter can easily take over if we don't watch it. I need to send back a picture frame I bought,because they sent me the plastic instead of the wood one. It is really nice ,but the plastic is..well not wood and plain fake. I don't like fake anything.I find that I like authenticity in everything.I mean who doesn't right.I like to be honest ,really honest,and I like people to be honest with me ,even though it might hurt.Okay so anyways ,I need to keep the ball rolling.
Yesterday I spent the day with my mom.Today I was tempted to go again,since my sister was going to be there,but I just can't.It's like I need to be here in order for me to catch up.And I so want to catch up,but I also like to take my time.Well I will now put on a Beth Moore teaching and get to it !She is so funny and gets to the nitty gritty.
God bless you~

Checking back in!

2011-03-18T08:44:00.000-05:00

good morning blog land! Today I have tons of work to do ,so this will be a short post :)
Okay so we went to San Antonio for a couple of days.We visited the Alamo;very interesting and exciting to be there.We walked the streets of downtown San Antonio,the River Walk .... a lot! We were exhausted,and headed back to the hotel.Kids were anxious to jump in the pool,After dinner and pool,we watched a little bit of TV and off to lalaland we left.Next day we went to Fiesta Texas,from about 10am until 8p.m. we headed back to Houston.i will post some pictures later on today.And yesterday was busy here.I watched my niece and nephew.My mother in law brought dinner and we ate it out on the deck.She brought lasagna and french bread and I made the salad.Dessert was ice cream.
After all this activity,I went to the store and returned some videos,and of course bought some much needed food.Came home ,kids unloaded,girls put groceries away.And we all grabbed our bibles and read .We finished Deuteronomy and began Joshua.It made me wept where Moses only gets to contemplate the Promised land but not enter it.All that time he struggled with the people of Israel and didn't make it,because he disobeyed the Lord. Big lesson here ..BIG~
God bless you all!

Our weekend and my Monday~

2011-03-07T16:25:00.001-06:00

Good afternoon.My husband came home already,however he has to go get a truck inspection and renew the car stickers,and he's going to stop at the store to buy some tortilla chips.I guess we're both craving.No not pregnant but I wish I was :)Anyways we had a very good weekend.On Friday we went to prayer service at church.Afterwards came home to bed.Saturday morning my daughters and 5 yr old son, and I ,went to the middle schooler's school to volunteer for a BBQ fundraiser.I was supposed to help for 2 hours ,however we only stayed for one.They had a lot of volunteers and most setting up was done in the 1 hour,so I came home.I wasn't feeling too well.We've had very warm weather,but Saturday it was chilly and windy.I took a nap,and then decided that I better get going,since I had so much laundry to deal with.It just seems as if everything was out of sorts,then we had some attitude issues,all of us.It was not good,and as I washed the pots and pans,I prayed and ask God to clear the air and bless us with His peace.Things got better.We got ready to go to visit a family that invited us over for dinner.After hubby got home,we headed off and cooked and ate.Kids played and watched a movie.Us women could talk for hours and still want to talk some more.I think grown women should have slumber parties.Now that would be so much fun.Which just got me thinking about the Annual Women's getaway.I have not made an effort to go ,but this year I need to go and recharge if you know what I mean mommas!

I am sipping on some chamomile tea.When pregnant from my first son,I craved chamomile tea,like there was no tomorrow.Weird craving huh? Well i must have drank it daily.And when he was born ,he was the best baby ever! Never colic or sleep issues.Just a calm baby.I still drink it to help sleep or when that time of the month arrives.

Okay so back to our weekend...After visiting for a few hours,we came home and went to bed.Sunday morning I got up early and folded and hanged up laundry.Asked the girls to help tidy up the living areas.And oldest son to tidy up his closet ,in order for him to have the privilege of visiting his friends after church.I like that my son is self motivated.When he was young,he was so shy and I had to give him a push to go play with the other kids,and now he is Mr. Social.And since he was in prek,teachers told me he had leader characteristics.I tell ya one thing moms,always make time for prayer ,always.

Sunday we went to both services morning and evening.In between,we went to Sears and ate at Wingstop.Then came home and napped.

And today Monday ,was just kinda an emotional day .I think it's because of that time.I craved chocolate with almonds.When I went grocery shopping,I made sure i bought a Hershey's chocolate bar with almonds and didn't care a hoot about the caloric content :)

I was in such a daze today .My head still hurts a little ,but I'm more focused thanks to God and His mercy.I decided to focus on washing all the bed linens .I opened a window in the kiddos' room to let the air blow in.Most of the house chores were done.A lot of times when we aren't feeling our best,the tasks that need to be done seem bigger than what they really are.I also believe our soul enemy tries to make us look at it like this,but for every occasion ,we can meditate on God's truth and be done with lies from our enemy.God has not given us a spirit of fear,but of power ,love and a sound mind.Yes a sound mind my friends! So remember that truth and hold on to it~

okay so for dinner ,a roasted herbs de Provence chicken is roasting,I will soon add small red potatoes and green beans.Sounds bueno.And here are a few pictures.

I restocked the fruit basket(s) and i thought it looked beautiful and thought ,my cup overfloweth indeed~

believe me when I say this cake is delicious.It tastes nothing like local bakeries .This recipe is from a bakery in Mexico.I madeit for my dear husband who's birthday was last Wednesday.

And this is not just a box with a superman cape......

It's Superman Robot.My girls made this for C,he 's on the inside.

I hope you enjoyed this post.This is how I would be talking with you if in person :)

We have a garden!

2011-02-28T16:27:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday ,my father in law and 14 yr old son planted seeds for our garden.I am so happy!! My father in law lives 2 houses down,and he just came over one day and took the initiative and prepared the soil.Another awesome thing he has done ,is plant 4 myrtle trees and several fruit trees ,and last year he planted about 7 palm trees.We are so blessed to have a family member with 2 green thumbs.Everything he plants seems to grow! And I love the fact that my son is working with him.That's what I call an ainvolved grandparent!

Love this picture~just precious!

Inlove already!

A unique way to say hi,from our 14 yr old son.Cute right?

Decisions decisions!

2011-02-23T12:43:00.001-06:00

Last night as kids were tucked in bed,I remembered I had to return a movie before 9pm , so I grabbed my purse and van keys and rushed to the store.After returning the DVD,I grabbed a shopping cart and , went on to buy something for breakfast for the next day.I walked out of that store with a loaf of bread, 1 gallon of milk,3 cucumbers, 1 carton of eggs,and a bottle of 100 % maple syrup.Short list right,however would you believe it took me a good 30 minutes just for these few items.Most of those 30 minutes were spent on the cereal aisle. Yes the cereal aisle!
I probably read most of the cereal labels .I just could not bring myself to buying them sugary cereal .Now don't get me wrong,I sometimes do buy sugary cereal, for a "treat",an unhealthy one that is.We tend to like the unhealthy it seemsThe way I go about buying cereal,is that one week I buy the Fiber One cereal and/or Honey nut cheerios,these would be considered "healthy",the Cheerios not as much,but still compared to say Cocoa Puffs.Or whatever organic cereal for reasonable price is available.And then the next week I do not buy cereal at all.Plus cereal lasts a good 2-3 days(about 1 large box or 2 medium ).
On other non- cereal days, for breakfast I make pancakes, eggs and spicy sausage ,scrambled egg sandwiches on sugar free whole wheat bread with a slice of turkey and a slice of cheese,as natural and fresh as I can get um'.Sometimes I buy all the ingredients to make fruit and yogurt parfaits,like fresh or frozen berries,whole plain yogurt,and organic granola.
Back to yesterday...well I had become so overwhelmed with all the sugar in the cereal and lack of fiber.I felt like a 4year old wanting to throw myself on the floor and throwing a full blown tantrum,fun.
Note I had also considered pancake mix,but it's just as bad,I prefer to make it homemade, and never mind oatmeal,this would only be acceptable if it was the only edible item in our house.So now being overwhelmed , right there in the cereal isle of Food Town,I cried out to the Lord,I know it sounds silly,but i did and I just said"please Lord guide me ,this is so frustrating,I do not want to give my kids so much sugar,it is not healthy in Jesus name!"
And then a light bulb came on ,and it was like He said ,"How about some french toast on whole grain bread?" My thought response was "well duh!! why hadn't I thought of this?" lol
So I grabbed the syrup ,no eggo or aunt jemima's syrup here (okay okay only on certain occasions)grabbed a sugar free 100 % whole grain bread loaf.paid and went happily quite glad with the choices God guided me to.My husband called me while I was in line,and asked "where are you??" and I was like "Sorry I got carried away reading labels"
Morning rolled around,and I was so sleepy, Turned on the oven, sprayed a cookie sheet with cooking spray,placed the bread ,and poured over the egg,vanilla,cinnamon powder,real honey,and almond milk mixture over bread and popped into the oven .25 minutes later we had a healthy breakfast ,thanks to God's guidance.
And this reminds me that we need to give God the glory in everything!

the whole shebang!!

2011-02-14T10:38:00.001-06:00

Good morning to all and to all a Good morning!can you tell I've had 2 cups of coffee.A good brand to try is Melita. So this Monday morning ,2 of my kiddos did not go to school! My now 5 yr old has had fever since Saturday night,a runny nose,sneezing,cough,and my 13 yr old daughter has swollen tonsils.The doctor has always told me she has huge tonsils,but I would really prefer she not have them remove.So with that said ,they have a doctor's appointment at 12;30 p.m.If we get out early I might stop at Hermann park.You should google Hermann park pictures.it is a beautiful park.So romantic,and it's great to go there,because it is right next to the zoo,so when we go to the zoo,afterwards we picnic and play at the park.
Saturday was my son's 5th birthday party.It was busy.We have too large of a family and I can't really ever sit down and talk with my guests.Oh well the kids had a lot of fun.It's great that we have a large yard and a swing and tree house.I had a few games for the kids.On the menu was buffet style chilli/cheese hot dogs and /or Mexican style hot dogs with all the fixings you could imagine.I baked the "famous bakery in Mexico" cake recipe,except for the frosting.I still need more practice on making the frosting,it is a little bit hard to get it just right,but practice makes perfect right?As always my daughters helped out a lot and let me not forget my sister in law Dalia,she was of great help as well.My mom and one of my sisters arrived early thankfully and they also helped out tremendously!!I find that I underestimated the work load on this party since I wasn't really cooking ,like on my daughter's 13 birthday ,I cooked up 5 briskets ,rice,charro beans etc....And I' also so grateful because my husband left work early and I felt a sense of relief when he got here and felt everything was going to be alright~
Well nonetheless we all had a great time especially my now 5 yr old.He was sooo excited to see his friends and cousins here.
Isn't it funny how when we are little ,we can't wait to get older and when we are older ,how we wish we could go back to being kids and stay there.
You know my husband and I really would have preferred to just have a small birthday dinner with the kids,instead of having the whole shebang,however because we saw how much Caleb wanted a party,and because we love him ,we gave him what he desired,and comparing to how God also gives us the desires of our heart ,just because He loves us.
Here are a few pictures of the "whole shebang"

playing pin the cola on the burro

here's my niece hitting the Superman pinata.the night before ,i overheard my 4 yr old say to the pinata "we're gonna beat you up tomorrow okay?"oh and inthe background you see my fatherinlaw ,always swinging a grandchild.The kids adore him!!I love that no matter with who my FIL is talking to,if a grandchild walks up ,he ALWAYS gives them his attention~

taking a bite out of the yummy cake

and this is my silly 9 yr old ,walking out to the van as we were leaving to Sunday evening church service,always manages to make us laugh even when she's not trying.She reminds me of me.In her own world making herself laugh~

I have managed to clean up the kitchen ,daughter managed the dining room and beds.I need to sweep bedroom and a few more tidying up before we head out ,and also decide on what's for dinner hmmm.
Hope you have enjoyed reading here!
May the God of Israel bless you!

What a day!

2011-02-08T19:59:00.000-06:00

Good evening! the cold weather is back.Last week there was a posability that it would snow.It didn't.It was quite cold though.The weekend was beautiful! Warm and sunny! Tonight the temperature dropped and tomorrow even more.
A family from our church lost a son on Saturday in the early hours to a gun shot.He was young and not a christian.Please help me pray for God to pour His grace ,comfort and strentgh over this family who is mourning.
On a lighter note....today i went to Kohl's ,to redeem a $50 coupon.I went and bought 6 too expensive coffee mugs if you ask me.They had a lot of really good specials.I went ahead and took advantage of those 50% off marked items.With what I purchased,I was able to organize my laundry room shelves with metal frame fabric totes and foldable totes also.I also bought several portraits for our loooong waiting pictures to be hanged.Can you believe that we just hanged up our wedding portrait?!And my children's baby portraits.I wanted to buy some frames from Joann's ,however they were out of stock,and after I bought and hanged up the ones from Kohl's,they email me that they are back in stock! Bummer! I might still get a few of those from Joann's..
Anyways I was very happy with the outcome.My kind husband so patiently hanged up the frames ,even after all that shopping.I was so exhausted,excited,and also felt kinda weird to do so much shopping,since if you know me,I 'm not one for shopping for fun.I also bought some dinnerware.I have had enough shopping.
Then since Saturday ,was both my dad and mother in law's birthday.They came over in the late evening.We had already given my MIL her gift in the morning,so my daughter made a pineapple turnover cake,brewed some coffee,made sandwiches for a late dinner,and gave my dad his birthday gifts.
This coming Saturday my baby turns 5!! I don't think we will have a big birthday bash,but maybe a family dinner.We'll see how things turn out.
I am tired .I did a few laundry loads.Swept.Cooked chicken soup for my 13 yr old daughter.made tuna salad for dinner.We also went to bed late last night.We watched "The Trial".It is a good movie.It's about a lawyer who lost his wife and kids.So he 's depressed,but then he takes a case and finds hope and healing,through the people he meets,a christian widow/counselor and realizes that things became much easier when he stopped asking God,why his family perished.I recommend it for 12 yr olds and up.Not that it had any bad scenes,most of the scenes are in court.I just think younger kids won't find it interesting.
Okay I'm calling it a night!
God bless you~

Today.

2011-02-07T18:14:00.000-06:00

Good evening! While dinner is a cooking..what's for dinner you ask? Jasmine rice and some chicken breast strips with homemade alfredo sauce and french style green beans.Okay nuff' of that :)

Today my two oldest children did not have school.After dropping off my two young ones to school,I walked over to my mom and dad in law to give them some letters I printed out for my father in law's customers.Whilst there ,one of my sis in law's called Antonia,my mother in law ,and learning I was there,she said she was a coming over ,so I could teach her how to make whole wheat tortillas.I was not in the mood,but was willing to cooperate(too early) Anywho,so while waiting for arrival of SIL ,I put myself to work,unloaded dishwasher (wow what heavy work ..{insert evil grin}) then reloaded the 'servant" and proceeded to wash remaining dirty dishes and pots by hand.Once my dear SIL was there,it was decided that lesson would be cancelled since my MIL already had white flour tortillas.Me happy.You see it's "that" time and I'm achy all over ,otherwise I am my cheerful upbeat self.Mother in law cooked up a delicious breakfast in a 1 ,2,3 add some coffee into the mix and we were all around the kitchen table.My mother inlaw,my sis in law ,her daughter,me and my daughter.Sweet picture~
After visiting there for about 2 hours,I came home with my daughter...son was with my father in law working.We began housework,it's been a productive day ,but kinda of a slow work day, but none the less productive~Laundry washing is still happening.Some people only have 1 day dedicated to the laundry,but not I .I just feel for me ,for this family ,I need to be washing a load daily..or else ,we all know what tends to happen.;)

Right now the kids are watching "Battle of the Alamo".They looove to watch this movie.We are waiting for my husband to get home.He left work at 3,however today it's "Shopping for drinks for church at Sam's Club Day".he goes about twice a month.He just called and should be home in a few minutes.
After dinner,we will read as a family together (Bible) and my 14 yr old son is going to a youth club at church .They go every other Monday,and visit either an orphanage ,nursing home,homeless shelter,or a hospital.Isn't that something awesome to be involved in?!? .I'm sure they will learn so much from these outings.So far this will be his 2nd time going.He just joined.They will also be taking a trip later on in the year to help fix up some of the smaller churches from our organization.It's called "Impact Now".I know they will be impacted as well as those they visit.
Well this is all for now.
God bless~

Disapointed with a capital D!

2011-02-04T11:46:00.000-06:00

My post title is my big tantrum I am throwing.Although i just need to get over it and stop being a big baby,you see, we (well the weather folks)thought for sure it was going to snow here in Houston,however it did not and well we do have ice! Any who I made pancakes for breakfast ,and I also am cooking chili in the crock pot for dinner.We got invited over to a church brother to a birthday dinner,so I don't know if maybe we'll just have the chili tomorrow,or we'll see how things unfold. My husband and the kids are watching a silly movie with John Travolta and Kristie Alley.I am {was} disappointed about no snow,but God knows what he is doing .all for now .ciao.God bless you~

Saturday haps

2011-02-02T16:26:00.002-06:00

****yesterday's post.

Good afternoon.This morning I visited with one of my five dear sister in laws.We really are like sisters,well we are sisters by the blood of Jesus Christ~

We ate breakfast at a small restaurant.Her husband joined us.I then took them back home.

Here in Houston,the weather is c-r-a-z-y! Can you believe it was about 60 degrees this morning ,after school,it was about 37 ,and tonight it will be in the 20s and windy,and we might get snow on Friday!! yay! We never get snow,so flurries is a huge deal here!

Our character is formed by what who we socialize with,what we read,what we listen to ,and and what we read.

Here is a picture of my 9yr old (in black) at her friend's house.Saturday I took my daughter to play with her friend.And they finished up a project and played on the trampoline,rode the go kart ,we ate chicken breast sandwiches ,and watched Nacho Libre movie.Hilarious.

Our character is formed by what who we socialize with,what we read,what we hear,and and what we read.

My husband was at work,so I asked if he would like me to rent a couple of movies .And I drove over to Blockbuster and rented What Would Jesus Do and The Way Home.Both wholesome christian family movies. I made shrimp cocktail ,we viewed,ate ,icecream for dessert and called it a good Saturday night~

And just because I think this picture is so bright and pretty and 'coctel de camaron ' is definitely one of my favorite dishes .Shrimp cocktail mexican style,oh yeah!
{shrimp,avocado,lemon juice,2 different kinds of hot sauces,mild and hot(tabasco) ketchup,h2o,cilantro ,olives,chile serrano,tomato,and crackers}some people like to put in onions however hubby and I are not fans ,actually come to think about it,none of us are,unless they are minuet and either cooked or fried.Ciao and God bless!!!

a little bit of everything....

2011-01-27T18:40:00.000-06:00

Hello! Today has been a full day! This morning ,one of sister in law's ( I have 5!!and all live close :) ,which is good ,since we all get along great. Okay so she invited me over this morning to one of her sisterinlaw's,and she's into the herbal Life products,so for breakfast ,instead of having say eggs and toast ,I had a glass of water with mango flavor aloe vera(very good by the way),umm a tall glass of hot raspberry herbal tea,and a large chocolate flavor malt,it all very good.We visited for a while.Then I rushed home and tidied up,even broke a sweat.The reason why I was rushing is because my sis in law wanted to go eat out for lunch,so we did and then drove off to Walmart ,and purchased a few items.
Came back home,finished sweeping ,tidied up some more.Picked up children from school.
I am now babysitting my niece and nephew.They are watching Spy Kids.We will be eating dinner in a few minutes.We are just waiting for the rice to be done.i made hot wings and chopped up a bunch of veggies,and rice.
I am a little tired,but over all feeling good.Tomorrow I need to focus on laundry and bathroom.
till later ....ciao bellas!
God bless you~

In my cozy home~

2011-01-24T14:15:00.000-06:00

Hello.Here I sit in my cozy home.I already .....

cleared the table and the counters,

I emptied the dishwasher and neatly stacked the clean plates,and placed the glasses,next to the coffee mugs,
I washed a blue pot and a frying pan,Caleb wanted an egg this morning :)
I washed the blender ,where I made chocolate breakfast smoothies(next i'll leave out the coconut oil and flax seeds lol)
I started dinner in the crockpot !
I made my big ol' bed and cleared the dresser ,where everyone fixes their hair,
I wiped and scrubbed the bathroom good and shiny,
folded the pretty pink towels and placed them in the town bin,
took out the trash out from the cute white trash basket,
put a new roll of toilet paper,
shined up the mirror and faucet....
swept the floors,
put books back in their slots on the bookshelves...
turned on a french vanilla candle in the dining room...

here in my cozy home waiting for my husband and kids,a hot meal awaits them and a clean fresh house~
Thank you Jesus~

Mexican Pozole~

2011-01-21T09:40:00.001-06:00

Good morning or shall I say Buenos dias! I have been cooking beef stock for a good 20 hours now,I will probably shut it off at noon.I also got some chicken broth going in the crock pot.The chicken bones I got from the pozole soup I made last night for dinner.

It is typically prepared with either pork

and beef,or a mix of pork and chicken.I rarely buy pork meat,so I had a pack of chicken legs. It is a quick ,simple ,easy ,and healthy meal.

Okay, ideally the pozole is served with the meat shredded ,but as I served it I just took the meat off the bones(so maybe boneless chicken breast would be the best option for you) .You put the chicken into a pot,I had about 3lbs.Cover it with more than enough water.Add about half a garlic ,salt to taste ,(I also added onion powder) The chile that gives it its distinctive flavor is Cascabel chile.it is the long red dried chile.For about this amount of chicken,I added about 10 -12 chiles,it gives it a little punch and special flavor, removed the seeds and threw them in with chicken,after a couple of minutes ,I removed the chiles and garlic and blend them really well, then throw it back in with the chicken.And let it cook till' the chicken meat is falling off the bones.

This is served with tostadas or chips,shredded cabbage,chopped radishes,cilantro(optional), lemon wedges,and salsa if you prefer it spicy(er).I included a picture of salsa making.I fry the tomatoes in olive oil,and Chile de Arbol .This particular chile is very hot,so if you don't want to burn your tongue,for about 1 large tomato add 1 or 2 chiles only.Add a pinch of salt then blend.Serve the pozole in a bowl,then the cabbage ,cilantro,radishes,salsa,are placed in the pozole if you wish.And don't forget the chips.I made this chips and are easy to make.Just cut the tortillas into wedges,spread out on cookie sheets ,spray with cooking spray and bake at 350 for 5 -12 minutes.

ENJOY!!

beef stock going strong

finished result.It was so good,and perfect for this cold weather~

And I completely forgot to mention,the actual pozole,a few minutes before you turn the chicken off,add a 28 oz or 32 oz can of hominy into the pot,and just let it cook for a few minutes,duh,that's like my favorite way to eat this with and I totally forgot to mention it!
God bless~

dinner in pics

2011-01-19T21:24:00.000-06:00

Hello.I wanted to share our dinner in photos.Must try recipes.Enjoy!!

this is the frappe waiting to happen......cups in freezer

my recipe box I bought in Mexico at a market

lentil soup w/bacon and Amish bread .yum.

close up of our "friend"

and our wonderful dessert ,a peppermint patty frappe.recipe can be found here:http://artschilipepper.blogspot.com/2011/01/frappe.html thank you Mrs. Wonderful Kathleen~

2nd loaf of bread.delicioso!! I beleive recipe can be found on Allrecipes.com
this is one is definitely a keeper ;)

as you can see ,pictures are not in order...these are the loaves before they were put to the test!

Kitchen is now tidied up .Kids in bed and now I must go to sleep.Good night and God bless.

Unplanned but good.

2011-01-17T21:40:00.000-06:00

Good evening.I thought I'd do a quick post ,since hubby is in shower.Kids are in bed.Today was a busy day here at our house.My sis in law asked me last night if she and the kids could come over today,since no school day. And I said sure! So morning came,and I assigned chores to my 3 eldest and I went to the store to get some groceries with my rambunctious 4 yr old,he is my store partner and helper :)
I grabbed a few items ,came home to a picked up home.I am glad I can count on my kids for this.I then made ham and eggs. Then sis in law arrived and I made some more breakfast. We ate,tidied up ,talked,drank coffee,played with her adorable 1 yr old,talked some more,drank more coffee.We made 2 loaves of bread ,lots of banana muffins.Kids played and played,watched some toons.We made spaghetti for lunch,salad,and fresh homemade bread.She left around 6 pm.Then hubby ate dinner,kids and him later cracked pecans.i bathed 4 yr old.Then kids took showers.We read 4 chapters from the Bible.We already finished Genesis today. So overall it was a very busy good day and this is all for now.Tomorrow I will spend the day with my mom :)
Good night and God bless~

about a lot of things post

2011-01-11T11:06:00.000-06:00

Hello .I am sitting at my computer chair with a mexican candy in mouth ,a bottle of water and another mexican candy that will be consumed.I planned it a few minutes ago. Anywho ,so this Saturday ,was my 13 th year old's birthday dinner/party! yay! I officially have 2 teenagers and I love them which is why I have been hurting cause' it seems like they automatically assume you know nothing and they know everything.I am really trying to act and speak wisely,cause ' I remember what it feels like to be their age and I know they are very good children.I was a mess at their age.I was not raised in a christian home,i went through many things that i needed to be healed from and some things are just best not shared,especially with my children,unless i have to .
Okay well I cooked 5 briskets,yes you read right,5 big ones.I cooked a pot of of Charro beans,and it was actually my 1st time cooking charro beans,and everyone loved them.I also cooked a few pans of mexican rice.My daughters and one of my in laws made several batches of cupcakes and beautifully decorated them! They helped out sooooo much!I am very thankful for them. My husband cleaned the yard,he came up with the brilliant idea of making a stone fire pit,he also set up some cement blocks and put a 12 ft long wood plank,where we made smores.That was a hit ,kids were very excited about that and the weather was perfect for this. My 14 yr old son,cut the yard and cleaned up the yard also.My girls helped with house work.I mostly spent my day cooking and cleaning of course.Then guests arrived and ate ,talked .......Kids had a blast ,my daughter was very happy,with her gifts as well.We took her to the mall the next day of course.

Sunday i did not take a nap,so i nearly fell asleep in church ,cause' i was so tired from Saturday.We had a great service.Our pastor has been teaching about the benefits of fasting,and how to do it correctly and it made me realize how this country has a spirit of gluttony.Not only in the area of food,but in every area.We are spoiled.And we might think we are being blessed but all this gluttony is distracting us from living the life God wants us to live.How will we ever learn to be content with what God gives us if we are constantly seeking instant gratification in things and food and clothes and bigger houses ,new cars.I believe if we focused on growing spiritually and getting the satisfaction we truly NEED for our soul from God himself,then we would not FEEL the need to bring more junk into our lives,more stuff ,more food ,more this ,more that. We really need to slooooooooooooow down and refocus on God.Are we truly seeking Him???
I tell ya what, I need to seek more of God.If God's will is for me to be a homemaker,and I am to be content at home, and doing everything wholeheartedly as unto the Lord,and I am not??? Then I need to ask God to forgive and ask Him to let me see things as He sees them,to open up my spiritual eyes and to change my heart and for me to do all these things with Him in focus,and not expect a good job pat on the back from my husband,nor my kids,especially not teenagers.
I need to remember the bigger picture,that just as Jesus died for me,I need to die for Him.Where there is love there is sacrifice.Stop it with selfishness,who ever said this was about me?Not God.A servant has no rights~
Tomorrow I am going to chaperone on a school field trip.
I need to go the store and buy food and clothes hangers.
This is my rant for now!
God bless.

Pictures from our 15 yr anniversary dinner and other things~

2011-01-04T10:06:00.000-06:00

Good Morning! Well so much has happened ! I have had an awesome two weeks with my kids and husband at home.I seriously felt sad yesterday just knowing that hubby was at work and kids had to go back to school today.I think they were also excited. I loved that my husband was with us the whole school break,I think before he has been only half way.And it is different when dad is home ,for one all schedules go through the window,because they way my hubby is ,he wants to wake up,have a banquet breakfast,and then head out...where??? doesn't matter ,let's just head out that door!He did get some projects done ,which i totally forgot to upload ,but will definitely do so on a future post. My goodness,we cleaned,read,watched movies,talked ,ate.Looking now,it seems like laundry was the one thing that did not get done ..yikes! but I am working on that! This year our church is having a Fasting Chain,like a prayer chain but only fasting,It is for 21 days ,and I believe it is going to be a tremendous blessing to many.a spiritual revival~And also the whole church is to be involved in the reading of the bible in chronological order,we are all so encouraged.We already read but this is perfect,because we are all doing it together as a family.We are on chapter 12 of Genesis,and we gather on our bed and read along while my husband reads or last night the kids took turns.We read the chapter and give a short summary of basically what was just read.okay well here are pictures of the french restaurant we went to to.it was so delicious,seriously the salad i had was sooo good,it had warm fried goat cheese on mini bauguettes and some kinda honey raspberry dressing and the grapefruit dessert was ummm perfect.

enjoy the pictures..oh and a picture of my kitchen ..just because i liked how tranquil it looked,all were in bed and the kitchen was closed.:)

this is a gift from my sister Mayra

Our 15th yr Wedding Anniversary~

2010-12-23T16:38:00.000-06:00

Hello! Great news! Today is me and my wonderful husband's 15 yr wedding anniversary.I was 19,and he was 20! Wow time flies.Last night I cried thanking God for truly blessing me with a good hearted man.I have nevermet any other person like him.I didn't get lucky,it was God's mercy.His mercy endureth forever.Growing up in a home with close to no affection ,i wanted to never marry ,had no hope,nothing to look forward to.at a very young age,i tried to end my miserable life,but God intervened and rescued me from the pit of hell,and brought me out of darkness into His beautiful light,and now this life I enjoy it with the man God had for me~ so blessed,and I would marry him again!And we are celebrating by going to an authentic french restaurant.I am sooooo excited! Au revoir!

They have taken over!!:)

2010-12-16T20:27:00.001-06:00

Good evening ~As I sit here and type,my 14 yr old son and husband are still assembling this ,in our bedroom.Yes,that is one of my pillows on the floor under pressure.No pun intended.

Yes ,that is my dresser overflowing with nuts and bolts.

And yes this is our bed full of bars and weights and cushions.....

that will turn into this!

I can already see what will become part of my night routine.....

"tone and then roll over and pass out"! Nice.

This monster will only last in the bedroom for a couple months.Once my son's bedroom is finished,then it will be moved on over yonder :).In the meanwhile it will welcome anyone who walks into the bedroom.

Good night to all~

God bless you~

seriously!!

2010-12-14T14:58:00.000-06:00

Hello Good afternoon.In a bit I have to go pick up my young ones from school.Yesterday around mid morning a sister from church called me and asked if I could give the teaching for Ladies Prayer group.
Well I didn't get serious about till 9pm and ended up going to bed till past 12.I kept waking up so i did not get enough sleep.Hopefully i will take a short nap once hubby is here. I worked on the teaching this morning till about 10 :20.I talked about "Feminism" and it is just such a profound topic that it seemed endless,but thank God I think I got the message across. what God had put in my heart to share.

After prayer i took my sis in law home and we had lunch at her house.Which was chicken tamales with green salsa and charro beans my mom in law had cooked on Saturday.

I came home,got a load washing ,tidied up my room and a few other things.

And seriously! as title states,I have another parent meeting ,this time it's "bring your favorite dessert" I think it's for tonight!yikes i better double check.I'll just grab something or I don't know we will see!
Well this is all for now!

God bless you~

a moment to self!

2010-12-10T17:15:00.000-06:00

hello friends ! finally have a moment to self! Well let me tell ya that I've just been running around a lot lately! like on Monday I went to a school field trip with my 9 yr old daughter.I didn't ride on the school bus ,because i needed to make sure i left on time to pick up my 12 yr old daughter from school ,all the way across town ,to take her on time of course,to her therapy appointment,physical therapy,i need a phychologist!

Monday evening ,after i took my sister home,cause' she accompanied me on the field trip,i went to a thrift store looking to buy a winter coat for my 12 yr old.And i ended up going to 3 more stores till i found her one at Marshall's.I also bought 2 school uniform pants for my 4 yr old.,a couple of winter leggings for the girls.
Tuesday night we had a school meeting for an art exhibit.that was fun.well it was either Tuesday or Wednesday.last night i had another parent meeting potluck/caroling by the campfire.all these things are fun,but time consuming and tiring! yes indeed,but it is sacrificial love...where there is real love,there is sacrifice right??

Life is hard,but i think we need to just hold on to Jesus,and drink from that water and refresh our spirit,mind,and body .Just like we hit that refresh button.I have learned that I need His grace for the smallest of things,even to be able to wake up in the mornings when all i want is to stay under my cozy bed and hope that someone would take me a freshly brewed cup of coffee to my bedside...sigh...and then "BOOM!" ,reality hits with the "mom,come on i gotta go,or mom where is the sock basket,mom sign my agenda,mom i need to pee,mom tell Joe to get out of the bathroom,mom !mom! mom!....
and in those times when iam so tempted to scream back like there is no tomorrow,i just muster "help me Jesus,your grace Lord,right now,please"and He rescues me cause Jesus is my super hero!
Aren't you just so happy that God promised to be with us every single day..i don't even want to imagine what my life would be like if i did not have a relationship with God.

Well this(blogging) is therapy more me also Tereza :)
So here is what's going on this weekend..
Saturday :my 12 yr old will be taking her SAT test .I pray she does excellent.I have to take her to school by 7am.and pick her up at noon.
Then at 3 it's my nephew's birthday party ,he turns 6 years old.!
Sunday we go to church and my son is losing privileges because he got detention twice this week and he has no excuse for that.
okay well have a great weekend!
God richly bless you!

quick check in!

2010-12-04T09:28:00.001-06:00

Good morning! My husband is at work today.My 14 yr old was very interested in going to work with his grandpa..humm...he has his eye on an i pod.For you moms who have teens and ipods,do you recommend them.are they safe?do they have access to the internet?

My daughters are playing and cleaning at times.we are washing the linens!! and cleaning out their room.sweeping that floor for sure!
I think we are going to church tonight.The "United teens" which is kids ages 14-17 are leading tonight's service,which I believe is an awesome opportunity to serve the Lord and be involved.You never know when they might recieve a calling.
Blessed [are] they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah
Tonight we are making homemade pizzas.I already bought the cheese and pepperoni.We will be making our own dough.
This is all for now ,I am in an organizing mood.weird huh? which is why i need to get going ,cause' those are far in between!
love ya!
God bless you ~

after diner haps..

2010-12-01T19:03:00.000-06:00

hello.we had turkey tamales for dinner.I had made brown rice to go with it ,but i burned it ..again.Lately for some odd reason (carelessness) i have burned the rice several times!
Anywho tamales alone are fine.
9yr old is emptying dishwasher.
12 yr old is doing homework .
14 yr old is reading.
oh wait 12 yr old and 9 yr old are "play" arguing.
hubbby is looking at advertisements.
4 yr old is playing of course.
And I am on the "puter" while some rooisbos tea is brewing.I just discovered this delicious tea.look up the benefits.plus it is caffeine free! :)
I have a load in the washer and have another load to wash.
I took my 12 yr old for her 2 weeks arm check up.well she needs some therapy ,becasue her arm doesn't have full flexibility.So i have to schedule that A.S.A.P.
tommorrow night we have another get to gether at church ,this one is being hosted by the kitchen ministry.
this morning was chilly..in the 30s.I hope we have a cold cold winter and it snows a lot!
this is all for now.
God bless you.

catching up.......

2010-11-30T09:32:00.000-06:00

Hello.Good morning to all.Kids are in school.Husband is at work.My house needs minimal cleaning ,and what i mean by that is that the laundry monster is under one load.things are picked up and floor is clean. Today I will be heading to church prayer.Tonight we are going to the last marriage reunion meeting of the year,so we are having a special dinner. I am in charge of bringing the plates and cups for about a hundred people.
I haven't posted as much as i have wanted. I will try to post more often . I have just been busy with the everyday things of life. Yesterday i took my 12 yr old to get her ears checked.She has strep throat and is now on antibiotics.

Wednesday she has another appointment for her 2 weeks check up after the cast has come off.she finally was able to have full motion,so i do not htink she will need therapy.
This morning started great....I woke up at 4:20 ish to pack hubby's lunch,which was last night's spaghettin dinner,then i kissed and hugged him goodbye.went in bed prayed and read the bible for a good 45 minutes .I did NOT plan on going back to sleep,however mission failed and i dozed off around 530ish,then woke up to Charles Stanley preachiong(radion on) and so i woke up 12 yr odl to shower.She has a lot of curly hair ,so she prefers to shower in the morning. After this i commited the mistake of getting back in bed ,because i fell back asleep and this time it was even harder to wake up.
My 9 yr is a safety patrol ,meaning she has to be at school by 7am,so i dragged myself out of bed,still in my night gown,put my glasses on and,put on a thick jacket,shoes on,van keys and drove her to school.,but before leaving i got after her for not wearing leggings,first because that skirt is right above her knees,and she knows better,so she has to put leggings on,i told her to either put on leggings or to change skirts.she put on some tights.I bought her that skirt at the beginning of the school year.
anyways so i dropped her off.
then came back and got my 4 yr old dressed. My 12 yr old didn't realize that i had already made some ham and cheese sandwiches,and whined about me not making breakfast.that really made me mad,not because she was asking for food,but her whining,and getting ahead of herself,and her dependence on me .I think she is old enough to get breakfast on her own,if she sees that i have not made anything.I don't know about other moms,but this bothers me.Just like my 14 yr odl was all whiny and compaliny cause' a certain pair of jeans was not washed,and i said ,well son you are old enoughto do your own washing. I have decided that on Saturdays ,they will do all the laundry from now on.
I realized then after dropping everyone at their destination,that maybe ...just maybe it would have been a better morning if i had just stayed awake and not fallen back asleep!

Well unto other things..Thanksgiving was good. We had lunch at my sisterinlaw's house and dinner at my mom's.It was kinda fast.by the time we got to my mom's i just wanted to come home and go to sleep,mostly i think it is because they are not christians and they have different kind of entertainment and assume it will be amusing to us as well.
This is all for now.God bless you~

part of my life lately in pictures..

2010-11-10T18:23:00.001-06:00

hello ! i am finally able to post some pictures and thought it would be fun to post pictures that give a peek into what we've been up to in this busy life.

Well besides the cleaning,morning rush,laundry,grocery shoppping,errands,and all that other stuff,oh and we can't forget the nasty diarreah and vomit causing virus who has hit 4 of us and hopefully has come to an end.here is a picture of one our dinners last week,they are a typical mexican dish,chicken flautas served with rice and cucumber salad.

this was my sister's birthday cake,she made tons of cupcakes and my kids had a sugar high

this picture was taken at a fieldtrip i attended with my 4 yr old ,the place is Old MacDonald's farm.Lots of fun ,my sis took all the pics .i was feeling quite miserable,it was my turn with the nasty virus remember? I wanted to go lay down on the hay pile and take a looooooong nap however i was in charge of a group of eight 4 yr olds ,so nap was not a good idea :)

this I call "the great divide" I was just sitting there minding my own business and took a picture .kitchen and living room.

this here are some of the kids on the fieldtrip ,my son is the tall dark and handsome one in the blue superman vest ,ms.T is the blondie and let me tell ya ,she is not shy ,i almost caught her kissing another little boy and I said "t ,no kissing" and she said "why not?"

this is mr 4 yr old playing with fuzzy caterpillars

this was Saturday night while watching a movie together and eating snacks of course.

this is a view i took early morning,it was crisp and cool and the sun rising in the horizon

this pic was last night's dinner,which I want to share the recipe for the creamy pasta.I am almost positive all will enjoy ~

and has my bunch been busy picking up pecans.i kid you not,the pails and bags of pecans have began to spill into the dining room,bedroom, mud room.....

well this is all so random but hope you enjoyed anyways .
God bless you!

gotta get going!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-03T10:06:00.000-05:00

hello! I sit here and really shouldn't!!
I have so much to do...
get to prayer.
go with sis to curves gym(she invited me to go,she got free passes cause' she sells Avon :)

go to the store and purchase something to cook for dinner,plus we have company!!
you shoud see my living room,it is "pictures galore" ,I have been organizing photos for days and it is mind boggling!!
of course laundry is always there!
and I have some ,not much housework to get done,a good 30 uninterrupted minutes will do.
and oh yeah I have a cake to bake.
then its pick up kids
homework
dinner with my family and another church family.We have been wanting to get together,and since her husband works nights ,today was best date since he is on vacance'
then clean up,and you bet i have paper plates and a dishwasher aka best friend!!
well i have to get going oh and please please pray for my sis in law ,she has 2 kids and a newborn she had on Friday,her boyfriend whacked her good and he is a threat to her and the kids,she left him and is not sure she is going to press charges,please pray that she will,he needs desperate help and so does she ,she needs to let God restore her soul and her traumatized children.
Last night I felt so much thankful for having a peaceful home and a God fearing husband,who all he wants to do is lay in bed with me forever,that is what he told me this morning and I was too sleepy to reply but in my mind I tought of something funny..."okay that would mean someone would have to kill us in bed and never be found .."LOL aren't I terrible?
okay. got .to. GO GO GO!!!
GOD bless you!!!!!!!

happenings!

2010-10-28T22:27:00.000-05:00

Hello! This days have been quite busy. I started going to the women prayer/bible study on Tues.-Thursdays..so yeah.It's a tremendous blessing to go and be able to leave everything and focus on praying,praise and listen or evengive a short bible study.So Monday mornings I work the hardest,and did I mention that I have a dishwasher!! I am so excited.I even named her "Kitty" cause' it's a kitchen aid.I joke about it being my favorite child.

Yesterday was such a busy day like all day till bedtime. Okay,my sis went with me to prayer,then we picked up younger kids and went home for about 45 minutes,then we left to go pick up older kids from middle school.My 12 yr old daughter has a fracture ,so she had a check up at 2:40p.m.After we left the doctor's office,we bought dinner from Chipotle.My husband was suppose to pick up my 14 yr old son to go and help him at Sam's.I've mentioned that about twice a month he (hubby) buys all soft drinks,water,juice for church kitchen. And since we had gotten some Chipotle,we decide to meet up at a beautiful park nearby.I wish I had taken pictures.It so romantic there.Hubby,sis and kids,we all ate there ,then 14 yr old left with hubby and we headed back home.I dropped my sis and kids off at home ,while I attended a school meeting.I actually enjoyed being alone,plus the kids would have been so bored.

After meeting,I picked sis and kids up and we ran in and out of a thrift store.It was almost closing time .Then I dropped of my sis at home !It was nice to have her with me for a day.Then kids and I headed home and straight to bed.Well first I needed a hot relaxing shower! After shower then straight to lala land it was!

Today I woke up,made flour tortillas ,ham and eggs.Packed hubby's lunch.Made some more for kids except without the chile.brewed some coffee for moi.Dropped off my 9 yr old daughter,she is a safety patrol,so she has t0 be there before 7am! Then I come back and pick up the rest of the bunch. pre-k-er gets dropped off and middle kids bustop is at that same school ,or I take them to school.
Then I came home and got ready for church.Went to church ,came back home,pick up older kids,then,blockbuster,then younger kids,then went to rent some movies.Got home and hubby and kids collected pecans for a while,like 300 pecans per person!!

Meanwhile took a catnap,then I tidied up a little bit.Started on dinner.I made some rice and barbecue chicken.A friend called to see if I could babysit her 13 and 8 yr old.They are really good friends with my kids,so it was fun.They gave me money for pizza so I ordered pizza.And one of my sis in law's was here with her kids.And by the way tomorrow she is having her baby boy! She is excited and nervous.i wish her well.

My kids are in bed now,however my friend's kids are still here.I can tell they are sleepy.They are watching a family movie here in the living room with hubby. I am so sleepy,but I think hubby and I are going to watch a movie.Maybe maybe not.

Tomorrow I am volunteering at church to help decorate the dining hall.We do not celebrate halloween,instead we will be having a special kids service with fun wholesome activities and on Sunday there is going to be a drama about the 7 angels of Revelations.

busy busy days.I am learning to be a better listener and more wise at what comes out of my mouth.It is tough being a parent,whether it is 1 child or 11 children.I believe God uses our children to mold our character.We learn so much from them! I just read today on a blog,that there was a comment about a woman saying how she use to be so patient until she had twins,but it wasn't so,what happened was that having children made her flaws come out~ And I have many flaws,but God is good to show us our flaws so we can recognize them and bring those flaws to him and to cleanse us daily.He is slow to anger and quick to give mercy and grace,in those weak moments when we feel that we are about to crumble,He can show up if we call on Him.

So moms don't be so hard on yourself.God loves us with all our imperfections and is there with us by our side,just lean on Him~ God bless.

Saturday Post!!

2010-10-16T09:54:00.000-05:00

Good morning! And a beautiful crisp morning it is...I sorta slept in,cause' I do get up every morning to pack my hubby's lunch(at 4:30ish) ,then I went back to sleep,I woke like twice due to some ugly dreams I was having,then I finally got up around 9am.My daughters cooked breakfast,which consisted of scrambled eggs,biscuits and sausage patties.I got up,they had already eaten,so I ate alone and brewed some coffee,made my bed,picked up a few things off the floor and started a load of laundry.I am now enjoying a cup of coffee,and my children are outside picking up pecans!! Oh yes ,because we have 8 pecan trees.
This Saturday I want and need to stay home.I want to declutter,wash the high mountain of laundry ,dry it,fold it,hang it.Kitchen is clean,only breakfast dishes are in sink.A sweep throughout house is needed. Ah yes,the french doors need to be shiny of course,even though it will NOT last! I want to simplify simplify simplify!!! It is hard though sometimes when you are in decorating mood,but it is not practical,therefore I will get rid of things ,these things that I do not need!They are just clutter! The less things I have the smoother things go.
Anyways husband is working ,he gets out at 3pm.Afterwards he will probably want to go somewhere,but I don't know about that.I guess I will have to go if kids want to go...maybe to buy me a dishwasher,now that would be oh so nice :).
Yesterday I volunteered at my kids' elementary school.My sister's 21st b-day is coming up,she's having a b-day dinner.The other day she texted me to ask me if you can make cupcakes out of cake mix...so funny.She's so goofy.My daughter is going to be in a church drama,so I to give the fabric material to the lady who is making the costumes,she is going to be the 1st angel of Apocalypse.I can't wait to see it. Okay well this is all for now!
God bless you~

hello!I am still here :)

2010-10-11T22:07:00.001-05:00

Well I have just been of course busy and too lazy to type up anything or there is just so much to write about,this is only but a glimpse into my life.
So ,kiddos are asleep,hubby is reading..I will join him in a few minutes,just wanted to come and say hello....We actually just got back from a marriage retreat,yes pure bliss,just my babe and me,in a luxurious hotel in front of the beach,it was a church event.75 couples were there,we had guest speakers from Nicaragua.It was all very very good.
Tomorrow I have a busy morning...take 9 yr old to school,then my mom inlaw is in charge to take my sons to school,due to the fact that 12 yr old and I have to be at the bone & joint clinic at 7:50,she has an appointment,we have another fracture..sigh,small one though thank God,then I will take her to school ...so good night,I have many things to do before I leave...

finally posted!!

2010-09-28T13:33:00.000-05:00

{originally written on Friday ..i think}good evening !well this week has been a very busy one!!! I'm serious,a stay-at-home-mom is hardly home! this week alone i have attended 4 school meetings,2 openhouses, 1 duke university talent thing meeting and a "coffeew/the principal" meeting,which by the way was my favorite,due to the fact that they served yogurt parfaits and coffee..:)
anyway so that is just part of life right??
fast forward to Tuesday.....
okay so today is Tuesday ,Yesterday i went to the doctor and she prescribed some allergy eye drops. After that i came home and tidied up a bit.then before picking up my kids from school,i wanted to watch a movie on netflix.I enjoy watching independent and foreign films.However it took me about 1/2 hour of browsing and in the end the movie i did pick had some nudity so i just turned the thing off.The ratings on foreign films are not very specific,most are not even rated so i guess staying with family films is safe-r.Anywho after picking up my 4 yr old,i went by walgreens to pick up the drops and bout 9 bottles of chemical free shampoo that was on clearance..yay me,and some gum,was supposed to head back to school to pick up my 9 yr old{she has patrol duty hence later pick up} so as i am driving home,my sis in law calls and i totally forget i am suppose to tgo pick up my daughter and as i am entering the drive in ,i dash back out and pick her up.then came back home ,and for dinner we had a salad,salmon,and fried tatoes' ,it was quite yummy. {Hello again..i started to write this ,this morning ,but my baby (4yr old ) wanted to walk over to grandma's}
Well it is now 1:16.On my way to the doctor's,my son threw up twice ,so i made a quick trip to Kroger's,bought some baby wipes,some paper towels,crackers,a can of organic chicken noodle..just to have something quick,I already thawed the chicken to make a nice chicken soup for tonight.While at doctor's .he throws up again..poor baby,he is doing way better now,he got a shot of penicillin,and a dose of ibuprofen.he ate some lunch ,on my way home i bought him some gatorade.he calls it alligator .
So as you can see life has different speeds,sometimes we are on slow ,other times we can barely catch our breath..Gos is still God and worthy of all praise.So thank Jesus for giving science & intelligence to doctors and for medicine~

Evenings here usually are sorta calm i said sorta :):).9yr old gets home and takes care of her homework in a jiffy,while 4yr old plays and or might watch something on tv.Hubby rests and sometimes he takes a nap.At 5:15 he picks up our 2 oldest at the bus stop,then if dinner is ready ,we eat or eat till 6ish.Although last night we had a very late dinner,as to why,I really do not know.After this I usually have several things going ,like signing homework agendas,bathing son,story time, doing some laundry,hanging out with my hubby or just talking with the kids. Quite honest ,i do not do the dishes every single night,so me nights i am way too tuckered ,but for the most part i try to,or else a monster awaits me in the morning and there really is nothing better than waking up to a dish less shiny sink,other than of course having your own maid and chef,but then again,i would have no privacy ,and i like to be alone so that wouldNOT work well lol. okay so i am sure i am boring you with my ramblings. ciao bellas and God bless

better get going!!IT'S someone's birthday ;)

2010-09-18T10:16:00.000-05:00

hello fellow bloggers! today Saturday is my 1st born's 14th birthday! Me and the girls woke him up by singing him the birthday song and popping balloons .We are having a birthday dinner.My super duper mother inlaw cook is making mole and mexican rice..delish. And i am making a delish cake,a famous recipe,don't ask how i got it ;) I am also providing appetizers{veggies &dip,chips&salsa} and dinner for the little ones. So i have a lot to do so i desperately need to get off this computer!ciao!God bless you~

just here in my little corner of the world

2010-09-13T10:24:00.000-05:00

hello! all is good. I have been busy with life and have not had any motivation to type something up. I have actually spent a lot less time on computer.My in law is now my neighbor,so we have more visiting with each other,or more errands,too much going on. We are good though.I deleted my facebook account again for sure though,it is just a big time waster and if we really want to commmnunicate with someone ,all we have to do is pick up the phone or pay a visit.I am focusing on laundry today agh!!!!okay well have a blessed and very very productive day! may you rest in work ;)

going good :)

2010-08-24T18:29:00.001-05:00

hello.
my son did really good on his 1st day of school.
i know it is the Lord peace over him and I
i still had a good cry ...he seems to be enjoying pre k
home alone now..weird..adjusting
a lot of time to focus on getting this house in order
rearranged living room furniture
worked in bedroom today
tomorrow tackling kids' room and laundry !!!!!!!
God bless~

my 4 yr old son is leaving me!!

2010-08-21T10:38:00.000-05:00

Hello~ This week has been busy.I have a sis in law who was suffering from domestic violence ,so she visits me daily to not be alone. I am listening to her and giving her advice.She is only 22 yrs old. she has 2 kids and one on the way..sigh. She is divorced from her 1st 2 kids father,he still oves her though . and she is not married to new baby's father.I pray she stays away from that man,and focuses on her relationship with God,and hopeful that the Lord will restore her marriage~.
                   On another note,I have been doing some shopping for back-to-school.I am having mixed high emotions about my baby going to pre-k.I am very sad to see him go,but I have been praying for him ,and for his teacher and class mates and crying and praying and crying:( :):(:)This is life,we have to let go.I remember when my 14 yr old left home for pre-k.I was a mess then and am a mess now!!!! And last night while I was crying my heart out,I was laying in bed,almost 2 am,and I said to God ,to please please talk to me ,wherever I opened up the bible,that how people do not believe God would do it that way,but I truly believe He answered me in that way last night,I mean about saying "okay where ever i open and point is what i needed to read.." And i do not think God will do this all the time,because we need time to study,but in my desperate moment last night ,He heard my cry from deep with in my aching heart and soul and in His wonderful loving compassionate faithful way ,answered my call.And He said , Do not be sad and cry for My joy is your strength!!Now don't come tell me ,that was just a coincidence!:)
So his little backpack is ready and nap mat..sigh,but all will be okay.Not my will but His.I even thought,that it hurts so much to be a mom, we love our children soooo much and it is so hard to see them be pulled away.I even thought that if I knew it hurt this much to be a mom ,that I would not have become one...ugh pure ignorance right??I am sorry and yet what a privilege to love in that way...  this made me think about how much more our     Father in heaven loves us~:):) Oh how He loves us.

            On the home front,I have dishes to wash,i do not have a dishwasher yet,but that is a okay .    you know something..growing up,we did not ever have a/c ..nope and you know something else,we survived!!lol I would actually feel so cold,in an aircondioted home or building,also we never had a dishwasher.Nope no siree,one dish at a time.First the cups and glasses,then all the plates,bowls,then silverware,and last the dreaded pots,that of course had have to been soaked from beginning. Then the putting away. My mom would get after me for using so much dish soap,then she would complain about them smelling too much like say lemon ,and I would reply"Mom they suppose to smell like lemon,cause of the lemon picture on the bottle !"lol. My mom taught me how to clean:)

         My husband did not go to work:):):) ...so we enjoyed a big breakfast.......................pancakes,over medium,eggs,bacon of course,milk,coffee,butter,syrup,and toast!  Kids did some chores, i haven't.And hubby is at a Worker's Union meeting and will be home by 12 ,and 4 yr old wants to watch Super dog cartoons on yo utube that means I am off baby! till later.God bless you~

long and HOT dAY!!

2010-08-14T23:20:00.000-05:00

hELLO.tHIS MORNING I found myself feeling very irritated and my 2 oldest kept bickering,my 9 yr old was happily cleaning ,yes you read that right.I wish i could fly... I looked up online a ranch my sis i n law visited once and we headed out there. We had a lot of fun.We toured a mansion,a house ,a log cabin,kids picked cotton,fed pigs and chickens and other things,We came back home after a few hours,showered,ate snacks and now we are off to bed.Good night and God bless~

one thing different each day ;)

2010-08-11T19:38:00.000-05:00

Hello! Besides the everyday clean up basics,I have been focusing on something different each day...today it was cleaning the refrigerator! So tomorrow I have to go buy groceries!

tools

el fridgo

goings on!

2010-08-04T10:31:00.000-05:00

Hello! I have been too long on the computer this morning,which is good but not good! lol
So yesterday ,i did get some house work done.I managed to clean up my bedroom,which was much needed!! :) And i am so glad i did,because hubby enjoyed a nap when he got home.Our bedroom is very dark ,so I left a small lamp on,and it just makes the room seem so peaceful. I also cleaned the kitchen floor ,which was horrid!! I tried a new cake & frosting recipe,which required me to stand at the stove for a good 30 minutes with the hand blender ,and let's just say ,stuff flew off ..a lot of sticky stuff. The cake was delish!:)
I also visited one of my sister inlaw's.It was her son's birthday,so we brought pizza over for lunch.We came home.And later on ,we went to Ikea and purchased 3 spanking new twin size mattresses for our 3 oldest,which they were excited about. And now I have about 3 sinkful of dishes to tackle and focus focus focus on laundry room!! Also my sis in law is coming over and that will be nice to have some adult company ! Yay! one day at a time!

keeping it going....

2010-08-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

quick hello! I am decluttering,wiping down,throwing away,sorting,washing,drying,folding washing,scrubbing...
so see ya ! :):)

filthy floors!

2010-08-01T16:37:00.000-05:00

You know this summer ,i have not gotten to clean my floors how I really want to. Too much traffic! Lots of visitors,children running through etc.....Hopefully when they get back in school ,I will get the opportunity to see shiny floors again! :) For now all is well~
Tomorrow will be a busy day.Older kids go to school. I haveto go to the Elementary school to register my 4 yr old. And go pick up my eye glasses.
We will leave for evening service in about an hour.

housework!

2010-07-31T12:37:00.000-05:00

Good morning! sorta it's past 12. So my middle schoolers go back to school on Monday.yikes!too soon if you ask me,but they are excited to go back . They attend a very good charter school.It's a tough school,very challenging but it 's for their benefit! I already bought them the basics..shoes,socks,and bottoms. School supplies until they receive list. Today I am organizing the home as much as possible and getting rid of things i do not need or want or use.We don 't have a shed or a garage to store things so I have to find a place for them pronto. I need to put my 4 yr old down for a much needed nap so this is all for now!

a great day..

2010-07-27T07:31:00.000-05:00

I am confessing that today will be a great day,just because God is good~

So Hello! Yesterday was a busy day.

My son had an early appointment ,8:30 am to be exact! Thankfully to my God ,he will need surgery on his arm,his fractured is healing wonderfully.Thank you Jesus Christ.

On the other hand,I want to ask for prayer for a 4 yr old precious little girl,she has 4 cancerous tumors in her tummy ,I think her liver :( and she has begun chimo ,supposedly for 2 years,so please pray for her and her parents.i take comfort that God knows all things and His thoughts are higher than ours~

My sisters,mom and brother in law came over yesterday.We had fun.I cooked chicken breasts and made a pineapple/mango salsa ,it was really good.I threw in a whole bunch of other things:lime juice,cilantro ,a seeded jalapeno,a nut mix from target that contained dried yellow raisins ,cranberries,sunflowerseeds,pine nuts,almonds,and also some avocado.We also played charades.hilarious!!

Afterwards we took them home and stopped by at my inlaws,but no one was home ,so on our way back home ,I rented a movie for the kids.Hubby and i watched a short documentary on Hitler,what caught my attention the most was about his mistress>I do not know if she ever became his wife,but they showed a lot of actual footage of her,being silly goofing off with other army men's wives.They talked about how HItler hated any kind of fat! so she was seen excersising a lot,hanging on trees ,stretching and on those gymnastic bars....anyways yet she wrote in her journal as being a privilige to be married to the greates man....it's on youtube under documentary and bibbliographies.

So today will be a great day.I am having some kids over,so I need extra of God's grace ,also on Thursday,a sister from church is coming over so I have a lot of laundry to deal with :):):):)

red dress

2010-07-25T16:16:00.000-05:00

Hello.I posted this picture up for another blogger,because one of her daughters reminds me of me when I was little, a little...
Anyways I thought I 'd share some not- so- funny -back -then dress stories. I loved my dresses.My dresses were ..well...mine :) .You see I was the only girl for 15 years. I have 5 brothers and my dad spoiled me. My mom said that she let one of my cousins borrow one of my favorite spaghetti -strap dresses ,when I was about 4 yrs old,and when I saw my cousin wearing my dress at a birthday party, I basically attacked her.Not proud of that story ,but I actually remember that ;) I also for some odd reason had reddish hair,then it turned jet black and super straight,now it's wavy and dark brown.
Another story,bad one also hehe. It was when we were going to do our first communion back in the days, when we went to a catholic church. I already had my dress ,and I heard someone say that my neighbor's dress was prettier than mine and can you believe that I got so jealous ,I must have been mad at her ,because that girl and I were actually really good friends, well I went over to their house and stained her dress with something purple. I look back and think about how evil I was. That is bad. I am sure I got a goood whooping by my dear mother :-0

me and big brother,preschool age

This makes me reflect about how in church ,with our own christian sisters ,there is a lot of competiveness.It's like junior high & high school all over again. I am glad to say that I am over that. I have never really been a trend setter ,much less a trend follower. I just like to do my own thing,which is casual feminine and comfortable more solid than prints. Anyways there are people that are still like this ,sadly but true. Some people live for this... looking high and mighty .I've heard people boasting about where they buy their brand name clothes. Now don't get me wrong,I also prefer quality clothing ,but I always first check in the thrift store and or clearance rack,because that is what I can afford and we do have to take manage our money wisely. You could still shop used clothes and be conceited,so it's not so much where you shop.but what is in your heart.There are wealthy people who are humble. What we should be doing is dressin g for the Lord ,bringing glory to God ,and not to ourselves!!We do not have to break the bank,and much less flaunt what we can't buy with our own money...Like someone said ..."we spend money we do not have to impress people we do not like " and I want to add "that we become like those we do not like when we do this,and we are not being the unique human being the Lord has made us!"
okay well this is my rant for today!'
Happy Sunday!
singing....
"My God is so BIG,
so Strong and so Mighty,
there nothing my God cannot do!!!"

what to do ....

2010-07-24T11:59:00.000-05:00

Hello! Just here with the kids.
Have gotten some chores done ,not all.I still need to wash the dishes done.I can not wait to have my dishwasher installed!!
It's hot and humid,and I need to shower.
For dinner or lunch I am making cooking lentils,porkchops and green salsa.
I need to go buy some mayo for tuna sandwiches.
For breakfast my 12 yr old princess cooked biscuits,patties and scrambled eggs.
Well for my 2 oldest,school is almost back in,on the 2nd of August,which means..shopping. I do not like to go shopping,but alas it has to be done.My daughter needs skirts and son needs some slacks,new shoes. I buy their shirts at school.
Have I mentioned my 4 yr old is starting preschool...and I do not like that. I do not like this part of life..letting go of my babies...as much as they misbehave sometimes. I truly believe God uses children to train us moms. Especially when there is rivalry ..oh my goodness,I sometimes just want to dissapear.
Husband is working of course.
He has a project to get otut of the way,he's made a barbecue grill out of a gas tank,and he has to add the legs,scrape it ,sand it and paint it.
Then he will start on building the bedrooms and a 2nd bathroom ,on the 2nd floor.
I feel whiny but I need to be more thankful.
I really am blessed ,so I will focus more on that.
I have a great husband,not perfect ,but who is?
I have 4 healthy and bright children.
I am healhthy and capable.
We are saved~
We have all we need and then some.
Life is good ,but
God's mercy is better than life.
Thank you God for your new mercies each day!

From Mexico to you~

2010-07-22T18:54:00.001-05:00

Hello ! we are back we had a great time with my husband's family in Mexico.The days

mole

flew by ,we did so much together and here are a few pictures to share with with some of the fun we had. Okay this is homemade mole that was serted at a Quinceanera.This picture taken on our way there.

candies galore at the Mercado(market)

on our way to the rancho

more pictures from the Mercado.fresh produce,herbs,flowers...

cactus ..nopalitos ,delicious in red salsa

a cute corner of an uncle's house

an old man walking

these are gorditas ~ a sweet bread ,some were of cheese,baked by my hubby's aunt in this panadero (sod oven)

cake made by my sisinlaw for a 15th cake..yum :):):){BTW I have the recipe..yeah!}

pastel is cake

some crazy chickens that belong to an uncle

Boots galore..everyone wears boots in Matehuala

gorditas in the making

a lot of scooter riders in this city

Daddy and his little cowboy~

Momma's handsome fella'

manteles means tablecloths

at a fabric store,bought a vinyl tablecloth,bright and cheery

a boutique
below pic ,selling fruit and clay pots

looks like Spain

at the supermarket

flower power*

city bus

below :a made bed

an amergency outhouse :) nice!

brooms at my husband's grandma's house

cooling pinto beans..neat huh?they leave there over night .

children playing in the "streets" of the rancho

some pesos

Laundry day..look at the cerros

laundry day at some spring pools roasted corn anyone?movie where "the mexican " was filmed.cute really old town up in mountains.check out the sinks in a rest area ..molcajetes..originally for making salsa or grinding spices.

Hope you have enjoyed these pictures...a totally different lyfestyle..long days :) no rush hour..lots of visiting .:)
God bless you~

cleanin' n packin'

2010-07-06T17:15:00.000-05:00

Hello! Just like the title says ,we are cleaning and packing. Heading to Mexico for about 1 week and a 1/2. Trying to leave the house clean,not going to stress out,and packing.We will probably end up going to the store really late to buy snacks and food for the road. My 13 yr old bought a portable DVD player with his work money.They will be allowed to watch a couple of movies.It is a 12 hour trip.

God willing ,we leave tomorrow morning and we should arrive there around dinner time.

Well our 4th of July weekend was one of the best.It was awesome.Big family get together. If you read here ,please say a prayer for my brother Christian,he is in jail. .

One of my sisters in law got diagnosed with severe depression.Please pray for her ,she has 6 little ones~

Well this is all for now.God bless you and remember to pray for God to give us the desire to live a holy life that brings glory to HIM~

La familie'

2010-07-04T17:39:00.000-05:00

Hello~ Let's see this week we (girls,4yr old and I) have been pretty much at home.It has been raining a lot!! Some days visiting with my sis in law.I love the rain ,so no worries here. My 13 yr old has been going to work with his grandpa. Friday we got ready for church.There was going to be a special missionary service,however since it had been raining sooo much,a lot of families got flooded in,so they could not leave their homes or some roads were flooded.

We were all excited to meet our niece/cousin ,Phoenix ,so we headed to my mom's house. She is beautiful,and so cute ,and silly.She has warmed up to the girls and my 4 yr old. Not so much to us though.I wonder how she feels or what is going on in that little mind of hers. She is 4 yrs. old. My brother didn't meet her till' about a year ago. I am happy that he was so excited to find out she has a daughter. He is being a good daddy,he is sweet and protective. My girls love her!

Last night we had a family gathering at our house and it was nice,loud,and enjoyable! My brothers and sisters are a hoot! They like to tease big time and mess with me ,for some reason! We laughed a lot. My family is not perfect,but I love them .Family unity is a must,christian or not.:)

The family gathering ended past 11p.m. As soon as the last guest left our property,we brushed our teeth,changed into our jammies ,and off to lalaland.

This morning we all headed to church.My husband is off for 2 weeks!! So after speaking to his brother in Mexico,getting informed about road and safety,we decided that we are going to go after all. And can you believe ,that we have not told our kids the news of that! We will pack tomorrow and clean this house,to find it clean when we get back home,God willing everything goes well. I am excited about it sorta .

And right now we need to start getting ready to head to our evening service.Oh this morning's service was so beautiful.Our pastor preached about the day of Judgement ,and about how we need to truly repent and live a holy life that glorifies the Lord. As I praised the Lord,I began to repeat "I declare my Freedom in Christ.." and I felt His sweet presence fall upon me ,it was beautiful .The Lord is good~

Well this is all for now!

God bless!

quick night post!

2010-06-28T22:53:00.000-05:00

Hello! Today has been a busy busy day! I took care of a friend of my girls.And after chores,I let them play on the computer..it was a rainy hot hot day so we mostly stayed inside. They did go out a few times to play on the swing. My 13 yr old is going to work with my father in law. I did a "photo session" with my guest.She wanted me to take pictures of her ,in a dress she borrowed from my daughter. Speaking of which, a few people have been encouraging me to take photography classes,because they see how much I love to take pictures and they say I have great skills... I'm thinking that I just might take their advice. I do remember being a teen and wanting to be a photographer :):)
Kids are asleep and I need to be there !! We have a busy Saturday.Big family gathering at my mom's house. Tomorrow I am taking her to do an errand.I have a few of my own. I have to get up early to make breakfast. I need to start packing for Mexico! And leave this house in order. I need to finish washing all the dirty laundry! yikes ! so much to do!! Well for now I will go and sleep and rest.God bless~

Saturday morning!

2010-06-26T10:48:00.000-05:00

Hello! Here I am,with the kids. Hubs is working . So this week,has been another fun ,busy week. Let's see Monday,we had a christian family visit us .We made shrimp cocktails and sweet bread for dessert. Tuesday, I cleaned and cleaned. Wednesday, kids and I headed out Conroe,which is 30 minutes away.Kids swam in the pool,while I had great conversation inside with adults!!! My sis in law grilled burgers and hotdogs. She also cooked white beans wit pork meat ,and her mom made corn bread. Can you tell they is country??LOL From Tennessee actually. Anywho so we came home about 6:30pm ,hubs was home already watching the world cup. Thursday my 13 yr started working with his grandpa,mowing lawns. Hard work,which I am very glad because young men need to learn what it really means to work hard and that my father in law knows. He raised my husband and did a great job,my husband is one of a kind,a true gem. Today we have no plans whatsoever,so we will see what comes up.We need to do something,besides laundry.
this is all for now.
ciao~

busy summer days~

2010-06-23T08:42:00.000-05:00

Good morning. I have not had enough sleep,so I am not in the best of moods,but I am clinging on to Jesus ,because I so desperately need Him to have a quiet spirit~~~ :) .

After my hubs left for work,I prayed and read the bible,then I fell back asleep,but I was having a bad dream.And I have noticed that even in my dreams, God comes to my rescue. our enemy is like a lion,but our God is the LION of the tribe of Judah!!

SO after I got up,I took some nasty ,but good for you fermented cod liver oil,and a Tbsp. of coconut oil. brewed some coffee,made gluten free pancakes. Which by the way ,in my opinion,do not have the best taste. I didn't have enough of the regular pancake batter I use,so I mixed in some of the gluten free mix in it and they were not half as bad, with a few crunchy slices of bacon,butter & syrup. Kids started waking up and eating.

I need to do a quick tidy up,throw in a load.

Today we are heading to my brother's house. I am actually regretting saying I would go,just because I am so so sleepy.Since we do not have to be there till about noon,I think this momma will take a short nap..plus tomorrow we have another outing.To the zoo we go ..again...this time with 2 more kids.They are good kids,but kids will be kids.Hopefully all goes well.We will go to the zoo till about lunch time. Then move on to the beautiful park next to zoo and have a picnic.Kids will get wet in water playground.Today they are jumping in the pool. Maybe me too....hopefully we will buy a pool soon after we get back from Mexico....just 2 more weeks.

Well Summer is here! Enjoy it!!!!

God bless you~

meant to post yesterday afternoon...but life happens :)

2010-06-23T08:26:00.000-05:00

Okie doke so it is now evening,almost 8:30pm. Hubs is fixin' to take a shower,he just finished watching the soccer game. !13,8yrol,& 12 yr old are reading. They are readers without a doubt,it's a double edge sword.Today I woke up at 4 :15ish to pack hubby's lunch,Ithen prayed and read the bible for a good hour.

I am reading through the book of 1st Kings and I read and read over and over until I make sure I am understanding and keeping up with the kings of Israel and Juda and what not.It can get confusing.Anyways so afterwards I fell asleep and could have slept all day if I had not fought to keep eyes awake. I finally dragged my self out of bed at 9ish because my 4 yr old was calling me.

Kids were already up and I had to go buy some groceries. SO I rushed to the store,still half asleep.Left kids at home ,leaving my almost 14 yr old incharge. bad idea..sorta. Long story short, him and 12 yr were fussing about 4 yr old. He has been saying a lot of "bad words" like callin g people "alien" and my son tried to put hin in time out and my 12 yr old likes to baby him ,and I talked with both of them ,but I blew up at first.I messed up.

Instead of listening to them first,I first punished then I decied to listen. I have no excuses. I was assuming ,how hard is it to just keep on eye on your siblings.??When I left they were all in their favorite reading corners,reading quietly....but I guess next time I will take them with me. I should have remembered ,how bad me and my brothers were ,when my mom would go to the store and leave us alone. Now we were bad with a capital B!

Well anywho so I lowered their punishment and basically assigned extra chores,(odd enough they seemed happy doing them) and did not allow them any computer time at all,but they did watch tv but not until 7pm. After chores, we made a library trip and put gasolina in the minivan.Came back home ,had a late lunch of tuna salad,carrot and cucumber.

Hubs got home,he and C napped:) .KIds were blissfully reading. I took a mini nap and made some coffee.

Now to today: I could not sleep because I drank coffee very late ,so I got up and finished washing a few dishes and wiped the counters,then I finally fell asleep!

birthdays galore!

2010-06-17T10:48:00.000-05:00

gOOOD morning! Today is my baby sister's birthday! She is turning 19 yrs of age and she is my baby .She is lovely ,a responsible young lady,hardworking and what I most love about her ,is that she doesn't go with the flow,she doesn't let the current take her,she is still a virgin and nowadays that is a rarity:) ...and even though she has not given her life to Christ,she has decided to do things right. When she was born I was 15 yrs old,so I became her second mommy,not only to her but to my 20 yr old sister and most of my siblings.My mom was always pregnant and I was either holding a baby on my hips or changing a stinky diaper.I loved growing up in a big family . I have 5 brothers and 2 sisters. We plan on going over to her (my mom's) house later on to congratulate her in person and to give her a little something:):)
           Annnnd tomorrow is my 8yr old daughter's birthday ! How cool is that???
I ordered her a "laura" style dress with apron and all (Little house on the prairie) and should be getting it delivered by today or tomorrow, I also ordered for her and my 12 yr old a nightgown and cap like the ones "Laura "& "Mary " wore. I just might get one for moi! I loooove that series and wish we were neighbors with the Ingalls....Caroline and I would definitely be BFFs !!LOL ...I would make sure of that!!! LOL

And thank you Kat for saying a prayer for my wee one. He woke up today being him self or shall I say back to being "Super MAN!" or how he says "CHUPE MAN!" I so prefer to him running and jumping than being sore in bed. Thank you precious JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     My daughters are making birthday cards for the birthday girl. And my 13 yr old son is writing back to his pen pal friends. It is the Lockwoods children from the missionary family in Mexico. They are very very sweet.
My 4yr old is playing with an airplane.
                Lots going on this weekend. Saturday there will be a garage sale at church,In the youth service there is going to be a drama. Sunday is Father's day:)
           Speaking of Fathers ,y'all know my hubbis is the the best father in the world right? Yesterday while we had company and a full house...lots of kids....I didn't whether Caleb was going to have to taken to the doctor,so my husband called and offered himself ,cause' he knew I would have to take all the kids w/me....so I made an appt. ...hubby left work early ...and he & C went off to the doc's office...turns out it was like a 24 hr virus. Great sweet daddy!
             House is pretty much picked up.I just need to go buy some dish soap. long story short...someone borrowed and finished it up...at first it kinda upset but then I felt bad about it,so I just got over it.silly things.
so now I'm off to the store and then maybe to my mom's house.
I wish everyone a blessed day~

full house today!

2010-06-16T06:23:00.000-05:00

Good morning blog! :) Today 5 kids are coming over.They are friends of my kids from church. I really do not mind them being here.They have a lot of wholesome fun.
Bad thing iS my 4 yr old starting having a fever last night.....hopefully it is just a stomach bug my 8yr old had on Monday ....although she did not have fever.Please say a prayer for him,his name is Caleb .thank you.:)
Okay well God willing today will be a wonderful day,and as soon as the older kids arise,we will go to the store and get some food and lots of disposable plates!
Have a good one~

up too late!

2010-06-14T23:48:00.000-05:00

Good evening. It is after 11pm,and we (kids &I) are still up.Hubby is asleep.Can you believe he decided to go in at 3am ,since he is working 12 hrs., he wants to be able to get out at 3 to go buy the drinks to stock the kitchen pantry .He does this twice a month.I love it when he goes in at 7 though :)

I am letting my kids watch cartoons.I bought a 'Adventures in Odyssey" video at the thrift store for 99 cents. We ,except our 8yr old,she was left practicing for a drama at church,while we shopped:):) .My husband got himself a couple of dress shirts,my 13 yr old a belt,I found a copy of "Pilgrim's Progress Parts 1&2" for a whopping $1.91! I have never read this but I have heard about it and am sensing it is a treasure~

I also bought 2 really pretty white picture frames.I have an idea about hanging pictures of my kids as babies during bath time ,in the bathroom. I also found 2 long flowing skirts,a beige one and denim one,a gray blouse and a toy airplane for my 4 yr old.

I finally decided what'diet' to stick with and it is weight watchers .I have actually done this before ,like 12 yrs ago. When my eldest was a about 5 months,I had 20 pounds to lose ...I lost 13 and then got pregnant again!! So now I am making a really hard effort to have discipline and believing that I can do this with Christ .There is no reason why I can not lose weight.I am a freed person and choose to not be a slave to anything!

I am washing a load and drying another.Today alot of housework got done.My children worked very hard. They still complain sometimes ,but other times I find them actually working cheerfully.The main thing I want them to learn is that any job no matter how small,can be done cheerfully and that work comes before play! The second part comes more difficult for me,especially when first thing I want to do is jump on the computer,but I have to remind myself of what is more important,what am I teaching them? About housework...my 13 yr cleaned up their bedroom,cleaned up living room ,swept floor and mopped.I tackled the kitchen,floors and all,the bathroom ,which needed a major clean up,the french door windows.When my husband got home ,he taught our 13 yr how to change a tire all on his own,he only guided him,Although he (my son) has helped my husband before ,but this time he did it all alone.Isn't that cool ? Plus he (my son) also cleaned the van out, cleaned the dining room,swept and mopped and he is in charge of the trash also.

Last night I did not get much sleep.My 4yr old had taken a long afternoon nap,therefore he could not fall asleep,he kept getting up and going back and forth to his bed and ours.My 13 yr old son, for some reason decided to sleep on the sofa and every time he moved ,I would hear it creak..I had cramps in my legs ,maybe cause I walked 5 miles in the morning and I think I did not stretch well enough afterwards,and to top the night off,my 8yr old daughter was calling for me at 2:45 on the dot...she was sitting on toilet with diarrhea and vomit on the floor..so yeah ..I know. I could not even get up at 4:30 (or as he says "playing dead" lol)to pack my husband's lunch.He said that was okay that he would grab a burger..thanks my love :-)! I am packing his lunch after I get off the computer and laying his clothes out for tomorrow so he wont be scrambling for anything .
My daughter is doing way better thank God~
We have no specific plans for tomorrow.We might have 2 kids coming over, but has not been confirmed.
Hey Friday we went to the zoo,and were quiet exhausted.I think I already posted about it though.Oh well ,we checked out the new Dinosaur section.They actually had real dinosaurs!just kidding of course. They were life -like and moved and roared.
Okay well this is all for now ,have a great night sleep,as I plan to ,I drank a cup of chamomile tea and am ready to clock out!
God bless you and your loved ones!!

so here what's up..

2010-06-12T10:44:00.000-05:00

Hello! here I am at home with my kids.They are watching toons'.!3 yr old has already done some yard work ,and 8yr old picked up sticks trash and toys to get them out of way,12 yr old cleaned up kitchen and dining room.
Yesterday we had a full day at the zoo. very hot ,we took lunch,because we were not fixin' to spend a ton of money on food there. We munched on tuna sandwiches,kosher pickles,watermelon,and last but definitely not least,homemade chocolate chip cookies made by my 12 yr old thank you very much!
After zoo,we took sis home ,visited with my mom a little bit,and believe it or not I wrestled a little with my 2 little sisters. They are 20 and 18 by the way.When they were born I was a teenager,so I cared for them like a mommy would and when I got married I cried so much for them ,because I would not be there to comfort them and what not and they also suffered ,but we are connected and they love me and I love them.I sometimes feel like I am their mom and I think they wish I was ,but they don't obey me so what's up with that??
any who so we are planning our 2 week trip to Mexico!we are excited.By the way things are looking we might go until the 1st week of July ,as in leave on the 5th or 6th,because my brother's girlfriend might joins us,so we get to meet her ,and 2 of my brothers that live out of town are also planning on coming over.One lives 7 hrs away here in Texas,the other in Georgia.So if they do come out,we want to stay and enjoy the family time,because it's a rare get together,plus if my brother from Abilene comes ,we might get to meet his daughter,Phoenix,isn't that a cute name,plus she is quite the cutie~
My brother from Georgia,was telling me that his wife started getting all these bruises ,well turns out she needed sodium in her system.She is by the way a zumba instructor,so I am guessing she is over working her body and not eating and drinking enough.We will make sure she gets plenty of salt here in Texas.
Kids are getting ready to play UNO.so fun to play with. I need to make eye exam appointments for me and kids,but the office is not answering,what is up with that? have you noticed I am saying "what is up with that?" a lot .I think it sounds funny . these 2 radio hosts say it a lot and it stuck on.

Well so this is what is going on at our household.I need to get moving. Bye bye,have a great Saturday!

I can see the floor!!

2010-06-08T07:59:00.001-05:00

Hello my fellow blogger friends! Wow I can say I can now see the floor of my laundry room! woo hoo!! Yesterday was a very productive day.Yes indeed. In the last week,this house got very neglected and let's not even talk about the laundry!! Let's see on Memorial Monday,we were all day at a park/lake.Tuesday I was so exhausted ,from being at park and the Saturday before we went to the beach.On Wednesday and Thursday ,I stuck to the basics. Friday we went to church.We were gone all day Saturday,we went to visit my brother. On Sunday,after church,we didn't get home at the usual time,because we took my mom to the laundry mat. Got home and I didn't take a nap,which I should have done ,but didn't. Yesterday ,we got a lot accomplished. The television remained turned off for the most of the day :)
My 13 yr old son was assigned a projecto by moi. He basically redid his father's tool shelf thingy. He removed every little object from it,cleaned it out,painted it,replace the old adhesive paper with new ones ,that we got at Family Dollar.And put everything back in it ,neatly organized. I am very glad ,that God put in me the idea to give my son this project. He worked most of the outside on the front porch. It was a drizzly day and very hot & humid!! He learns that even if things are hard to do ,they must be done,and completed.
My girls did some major organizing and decluttering in their closet,drawers,swept,cleaned mirrors ,put away clean dishes,wiped the table,and my 12 yr old managed to bake 2 cakes for my father in law's birthday,. They cleaned it out and took out what they do not wear anymore. I focused on the kitchen and laundry room. I have seriously lost count of the number of loads that have been washed. I have been folding and putting away the clothes as they come out. I am still washing as I type. This would be my 3 rd load this morning...still 1 1/2 more loads and I can sing victory!! I also bagged every thing I have for donation!!

I really need to stick to a simple simple lifestyle. I can easily go to the store and want want want.Get ideas to decorate and what not,but I quickly gain focus and ask myself,"how bad do i really want that or how is it going to look,do i even need it,is it worth the price????should I even be spending money??" All these questions come to mind,and before you know it, I am putting everything back on the shelf. Another biggie is ," do I want to spend the money on this or save the money towards our vacation money??

Simplicity is best .The more we have ,the more we have to clean.If we have a lot of things,our houses always look cluttered. The more time we spend on caring for such things,instead of having more time to invest on the eternal things ,like teaching character/life skills to our children.

Today we might have visitors. I need to go to the store and buy some food.Food would be nice right??lol .
Okay well I need to go and get started on breakfast.My mother in law brought me some, fresh farm cheese from Mexico,fresh homemade corn and flour tortillas..yum.
Have a blessed day~

heading out...

2010-06-05T09:11:00.000-05:00

Good morning! I have been busy here.Just popped in for a quick post. MY husband thought he was going to work the weekend,but he isn't ..hallelujah!!! SO we are heading to visit one of my brothers,sadly in jail,but good thing he is off the streets and the jail he is in is only 1hour and a half. Please remember him in your prayers,his name is Christian~
             Any who I am suppose to be making pancakes right now,kids are awake ,hubby dashed to the Union meeting to vote,I have a load in washer ,and one in dryer....


         Okay we are done eating the yummy pancakes..waiting for husband to get here. after he left the union,he stopped by to buy a computer chair.We are dressed and groomed.ready to go.
Maybe on the way back we will go o n some kind of adventure..sometimes the best times are the unplanned ones~
have a great weekend and do not for get to go to church .Rejoice !

extra kids!

2010-06-02T10:43:00.000-05:00

Hello.So today I am watching my 2 yr old niece and 5 yr old nephew,my 4yr and 8yr old are home also. Their mommy is at the doctor's office. I agreed to watch them for couple of hours,thinking I had nothing on schedule.Until late last night ,my 12 yr old lets me know,that today was her project presentation ,between 9:15 -10:15.We took the kids,they behaved ,only the 2 yr old pooped..again.I changer her right before we left the house,and she pooped again on the way to the school.So we hurried back home ,as soon as my daughter & her group presented their Germany project.I learned that 45 % of Germans are catholic ~
As far as housework ,I need to go fix up that laundry room ,and wash those dishes .This morning 8yr old and I did a quick tidy up.I made my bed,took trash out,decluttered table,counters,gave them a good wiping,wiped up the stove top,swept kitchen,and 8yr old tidied up the living room ,and swept both living and dining room. The kids are now going to watch "Toy Story" ,they have been playing in the yard for a while and now want to watch a movie so I am letting them. It is very hot right now,and it is only 10:41.
I will go and get started on those dishes :)
I hope you have a very productive day.Stay busy and sing while you're at it!

Hello~am I too old fashioned or unrealistic???????

2010-06-01T15:02:00.000-05:00

hello y'all. here at home with my children.They are watching cartoons.4 yr old is napping. Yesterday we had a blast at the park/lake. We were there most of the day and came come till after 8:30pm.yikes! everyone took showers and to bed. I think everyone was tired and achey.I know I was cause' today I have been lounging most of the day.I took a morning nap till about 11 or 11:30. I needed that nap really bad. after i woke up,i ate some of the leftovers from yesterday.just 4 yr old and i, quietly sitting at the table. no tv.no radio on. quiet is very nice~ I like quiet.We should get in the habit of having quiet evenings.just try shutting off the dang tv ,sometimes it is not even being watched ,just making noise!!!
Well yesterday I got to talk a lot to a sister from church.She is married w/2 kids and she comes from a large family. I have always admired her family because the whole family is in the church,serving faithfully. We discussed several topics,oneof them being homeschooled and having babies and higher education. Well it seems like her and I have very different opinions. For example on the baby topic,she definitely believes that is left up to us as humans,although she said it was a virtue I had ,to want to have as many babies God wanted to give me.She said yes you feel like having a baby,but you have to analyze ,am I being realistic in wanting another baby....where I think that no matter what ,God will provide just because He said He would.On homeschooling ,she is completely more against it than for it,more than anything because of socialization and challenges our kids have to learn to face..I agree with her on this to some degree.I do believe homeschooling is a privilige,of course depending if the parent is going to be dedicated to doing so and involvement .Homeschooling is not for everyone.Now higher education. I am all for college,but and that is a big but (no pun intended) I can not say "oh my dream is to see my kids graduate from college",because it is not. My main dream is to see my kids love & grow in the Lord and to persevere.I do believe college is not for everyone .I do have a passion or conviction for my daughters to be keepers of their home, because the home and our marriages and children need to be nurtured. And if no one is at home,how can that be accomplished.

I have to say that I was quite surprised at the difference of opinions ,because I thought being a conservative christian,we would have more or less the same opinion.I don't know..this made me think,if I am too old fashioned or being unrealistic with my expectations. What do you think?.

many things to share~

2010-05-30T01:17:00.001-05:00

Good evening,
well today has been a wonderful day. Hubby went to work .I was at home with kids,we did chores,watched tv,communicated with my siblings on facebook.Had lots of fun with that! We almost went out of town down to Kingsville and then to South Padre Island,however kids were not too excited about that. Can you believe that my kids preferred to stay here in Houston,because on Sunday we are having baptisms and on Monday the whole church is invited to a picnic at a lake.:)

          Well after hubby got home from work,we quickly loaded on the minivan ,with a bunch of towels in tow and drove 45 mts to Galveston.As soon as van was parked,no later than 3 mts. ,all were in water being thrown here &there by the waves.Kids looked for crabs,played in sand,of course played in water.
lots of people there.
people walking dogs,
mommies pushing strollers,
couples walking holding hands,
others flying kites,
some were fishing,
reading,
riding bikes.....
......perfect day at the beach.
           After a few hours we ate dinner and came home ~All are now showered and fast asleep.I am thankful for a house,hot showers ,clean clothes,& comfy cozy beds..umm.

-----------------
On Fridays,we have prayer service and we do not always attend.This Friday we almost did not go.You see ,I don't know about you,but I have found myself whining a lot on church days.You see I love the Lord,I do,but I also love my flesh,true, I fight daily against it.My spirit yearns to be in His presence ,but my flesh,oh my flesh,prefers to do other things. I also realize we have an enemy,but we like Joshua,we have to strive & be brave,& obedient.So we quickly got ready for church.And God showed up a few blocks before we arrived at church.Before we left the house,it had began to rain lightly...well fast forward to the scene where God showed up. We were approaching a red light,slowing down ,rain starts pouring ,I mean pouring,winds blowing hard,just all of a sudden ,it was like a mini hurricane,winds were blowing away those orange& white posts that the city construction workers put up....husband & I notice an elderly lady @ a bus stop by the light we are approaching,I think to myself"maybe we should offer her a ride" she looked frightened..then hubby asks"should we give her a ride?" "Yes!!" ,so we turn right to get into parking lot behind the bus stop,and as soon as she is on,all is calm and back to a normal rain.Well,we chat a little bit with her,and we let her know we were on our way to church.And she asks if the one down the street.She mentions that her son,use to go there,but that his car broke down ,so he did not attend anymore.I let her know that our church provides pick up& drop off transportation.She says she will let her son know.

                  After dropping her off at her home,we proceed to church.Upon arrival,all I can utter to God,is thank you thank you and I;m sorry for whining in my heart for having to get ready for church. I realize that i need to ask God that I delight in Him,for my soul and flesh to yearn for His presence.And also that it is not about me,or what I will receive,but what he wants to do through us.Thank you Lord for your undeserving mercy.

__________________________
I'm happy to say that hubby is not working tomorrow!!! He is taking day off~ So God willing we will go to Sunday morning service together. Monday we plan on joining the church for the picnic at Lake Houston.We have not been there in years.Hubby and I use to go there when we were dating.

Okay well now I'm off to bed,so good night and God bless you all~

New day!

2010-05-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Good morning! Well I just wanted to pop in and bless everyone and wish you a very good and productive day! I have a lot of work to do and we are to stay busy so God bless you!

let the cleaning begin ..& other stuff

2010-05-23T22:32:00.000-05:00

Shalom~ Okay so we have had a busy week & weekend. My 13 yr old came back Thurs. and Saturday all 3 of the oldest went to church camp.They are back now and asleep and tired.My 13 yr old is in pain,from no rest,plus I think he's got a cold.I guess all that hiking got to him. Hopefully he will get enough rest tonight. Hubby is in shower. 4 yr old is playing .

I have a list of things I want ot accomplish this week:

* one is to declutter,really sort things out and keep it simple...refocusing
* reorganize laundry room
*CLEAN out fridge and freezer big time!!!
* organize kitchen shelves
Well this is all I can think of for now ...ciao

what's up for today~

2010-05-20T11:22:00.000-05:00

Hello! Today is my 3rd grader's Award ceremony at 1:30pm so my wonderful caring husband is coming home at 12:30 to accompany 4yr old and moi self! Also my handsome 13 yr old son finally comes back home from new Mexico!! I need to shower and get prettied up. Put load in dryer another in washer and wash the dishes ..i guess ;p
                   So life is good, ,that is a life with God! not a worldly life.

          Here are a few things my 4yr old says often that make me laugh:

" you are not nice"(usually if i don't let him do what he wants..)
"oh no go faster mom ,the bad guys are trying to get us,call the rescue heroes.." I then have to do the whole mayday thing.
" humongous!"
when daddy calls first thing he says"are you gonna buy me some candy?" (if daddy says no he then says "say yes." no hello daddy no how are you but bring me some sugar!
'oh ,i am suppose to behave?" "Oh ,I am not suppose to make a mess?"
"oh , I am not suppose to hit girls right?"
or when we are on the freeway he'll say "isn't this great?!?"
and there's ton of other things ,he likes to announce when he farts ,not to be rude,but just to let me know.

okie dokie this is all for now,I will now go and take care of business!
have a blessed day~

convicted~

2010-05-19T08:12:00.003-05:00

Good morning!Another beautiful day. Just got back from dropping girls off at school.My 13 yr old is still on his school Spring trip.Yesterday evening,we went to pick up my mom from Bus Station.She spent a somewhat relaxing week. My dad is working out of town.More like he did not have a choice.Well anyways,so this morning after prayer and reading the bible,i put in a load to wash at 5:30 in the a.m. ,read my fave blogs,threw clothes in dryer,dealt with some girl drama.It will never end will it?

Well this morning I went to some blog that I don't even remember through which other blog I found,but there was a link on that blog to setapart or setapartforhim.com,not quite sure,but you can probably google it. THere was a very convicting video about how we spend the better part of our day,is it on facebook? tv? friends? .....and how easily even good things can become idols,and it gives a testimony of a christian man who was thrown into solitary confinement for 1 yr in China,no light,no conversation,just 1 plate of food per day.After a year,when released he had almost lost his sight since in darkness for so long,yet he looked radiant ,and all his friends asked him what it was like to be in there,and he said it was like "a honeymoon with Jesus" now isn't that an awesome thing to be able to say ,but remember that he was stripped from everything and everyone.If we have idols inour life,we need to give them up,or if we don't give things up that can become idols or else it could be too late. We ,I do not want it to get to the point where I will be stripped of everything so I can too say it was like a honeymoon with Jesus. We can have fun and have hobbies,but God has to truly be #1 in our lives heart and mind. We can do all this and have that relationship with God.He can fulfill our every need,let's not wait till we have to be put in solitary confinement to find out. So I decided to cut my computer time by a lot and permanently delete my facebook account(already deleted). I just do not see the point of it.I hate it ,it is like online gossip.

What can you give up?

HAve a productive day and God bless you~

my morning so far...

2010-05-13T09:42:00.002-05:00

Hello! Well today I stopped at HEB to buy some mini cupcakes for a school party for 13 yr old son.! 12 yr old is at Spring camp trip.will be back on Friday ,God willing. Sunday morning my 13 yr old leaves for the 7th grade Spring trip. My 8yr old is on a field trip today at WIld life bayou Park. Hubby is at work.4yr old is coloring.We actually just got back from a neighbor's. They are having a yard sale and I went over to see if anything caught my eye. I bought 2 pairs of shoes,they will probably fir my 8 yr old. One pair is like a ballerina style shoe,it is black and sparkly.the other pair are sandals. I bought 2 wimpy kid books,a purple basket to put something in it. My sis came over yesterday.We watched "Tooth fairy" .It's okay,not great performances,but what do you expect.Mostof these movies ,you already know the story line....oh well,kids liked it.We also made nachos,her preference. I decided to please her.After movie I took her back home. CAme back home,bathed 4 yr old,and went to bed.

Here are a few things I need to get done for today:

make my bed
clear table ,counters,wipe
put clean dishes away
wash dishes
wash 1 load(yes ,I have been keeping up)!!
a light sweep
pay utility bills online
take a nap
return movies
get cash

Well I am off to tackle these things,ciao and have a nice day;)

red tennis shoes=happy child

2010-05-11T11:51:00.002-05:00

Hello>how do ya' like my title??lol .You see my 12 yr old is going on a Spring field trip and we stopped at Target to get some essentials and my 8yr old honey has been needing some tennis shoes.We have a ball with the things she likes..her sense of style if youwill..i think it's absoutely adorable....she found some red tennis shoes last night at target for 9 bucks and to her they meant the world.I mean she was so excited to wear them to school today ,that she neatly placed them on a bench we have in the dining roomShe was glowing this morning with her red tennis shoes. She is unique shall we say and I love that about her.She is the kind of person that wears what she likes period regardless of what other kids might say...she's so quirky and smart.Well anywho ,my 4yr old is missing his friends,the goats,i think someones' freezer is full right now :( Today we have a meeting at school @6 ,we are going to watch a movie tonight with the kids.I think for dinner I'll cook some lentils and some pork chops. I also need to catch up on sleep. Maybe I'll nap with my 4yr old. This morning I dragged myself into the shower,that was the only way I was going to be able to get out and take kids to school. later~

a new fresh day and much to do and talk about

2010-05-10T09:06:00.002-05:00

Hello~ Yesterday was a very emotional day,a roller coaster sort of day. I guess you could say ,I felt depressed,but I realized it was the enemy of my soul attacking me and I was not alert.But in the end hubby and I had an edifying talk,not that a problem is automatically fixed but that I will take to heart what we discussed and make an effort to better our marital relationship. Misunderstanding is a big problem here. sometimes I feel frustrated because say for example you make a totally good suggestion ,but you are misunderstood and taken as being manipulitave,when such thing hasn't even cross your mind. All I know is that we all have issues and we all need more and more of the spirit of God inside of our whole being.big sigh!!! I feel very good about our talk ,and I know that God was there with us,because if I would have listened to my feelings ,things would have gotten worse.So I am thankful to be a child of God. Something that my husband told me ,left me thinking and I believe he is right...he told me" you keep reading the way other people live and you will never be happy" GASP!!!!! It hit home,because yes lately i read other people's "perfect" lives and think "humm,why can't i do that ,or maybe if I do that,then our life will change forever.." when all along I have a great life,I have everything I want and need! I got sucked in by all these homeschooling families,which I think is great,however the more and more I read ,the more and more I thought that maybe I shoud homeschool,however ,I also realized that these families were led byGod ,to do so therefore their homeschool experience has been blessed. Although after bringing it up several times to my husband,he finally gave me the go-ahead ,but in my heart I knew he was/is not on board ,so last night after he exclaimed to me that phrase ,it was like an eye opener,I felt at peace. THis is my life ,my family's life,every family is unique,different needs,so whether you homeschool or not, trust that God is in complete control of you,your spouse,and your children's lives. Thank you Lord ,I feel peace about this,I am so happy ,and time after time realize what a blessing to have such a wise husband. You k now something else,I'm always trying to "encourage" my hubby to do more "spiritual " things with my kids ,when it is all about the life we live/lead.Our actions speak waaaay louder than our words.So what good is an awesome devotional,when our daily walk is sorry! My oh my, I think I've gained wisdom!Lol Now ,I did go through my favorites list and deleted a lot of homeschooling blogs. decluttering if you will. On Saturday ,was pre-k sign up,and you know I went and felt good about it. I know My kids are in the Lord's hands and will continue to pray for them ,live a Godly life and give them as much love and care as they need. What school they attend doesn't matter so much. It is the family life at home that is being lived. I was very bad in school ,but my life at home was hell.parents arguing,no family unity,no nothing,therefore I acted up,because I didn't care ,I had nothing to look forward to. But now things are very different.Salvation has come to my house and we are blessed.Yes we are~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sunday

Hubby got me some beautiful red roses~
kids and i did not go to morning service,i was having a pity party.like tim hawkins says"don't you christians judge me"lol
hub was at work
however i ordered lunch from a local seafood restaurant. yum.
Saturday
after hubby got home from work,we took kids to go ride go-karts,then lunch at whataburger
then we took my mom to the turimex buses at night.While @ her house,kids and hub watched part of Avatar,I chatted with my mom,sis,sisinlaw,brother,and sis 's boyfriend.
Today MOnday
way tired,got up and 4:30,packed hubs lunch
did not go back to sleep,was afraid i would wake up really late and make kids late for school
today i dropped kids off at bus stop,not all the way to school
am on my 2nd cup of coffee
just walked back from our treehouse to see what 4yr oldwas doing,he is now feeding his "friends" aka neigbor's goats.
by the way he pooped outsde today ,gave him a bath and he has the tenacity to tell me to say sorry for getting mad at him for pooping outside..ugh ..don't think so buddy
i have housework to start on ,not much,just need to focus on it for a good hour :)

Well hope you have enjoyed my ramblings...at least thanks for reading them,tell me what ya think,you do not have to agree with me,i guess i will say,enjoy your family,your life,your house,and be yourself ,meaning live your life not anyone's elses,of course all in God's ways,which are the best! God bless you****

almost leaving..

2010-04-29T10:47:00.002-05:00

I'm at home on the house phone,eating trail mix,just got outof shower,green tomatoes and serrano chiles are cooked,just need to blend those babies.Then I will quickly finish getting dressed and groomed~and will head out to enjoy another prayer service,although prayer is almost over ,but I will get to listen to the devotional~which is always so encouraging. God is good~no matter what~.have a great day!

life here lately

2010-04-28T21:28:00.002-05:00

hELLO. Today auntie Flo arrived and she is and she isn't welcomed.I know some women do the impossible to not let auntie Flo come,but I actually like the cleansing part of it,not the cramps though.
Okay anywho sorry if that was TMI,but it is a natural woman thing. Just "jotting' down all the randomness in my brain.
Yesterday and today I went to prayer. I will also go tomorrow.Us women folk are having a luncheon after the prayer meeting.And I signed up to take Salsa verde(green salsa),so tomorrow God willing,after morning drop off,I have to buy some tomatillos to make the salsa.
Anyway last night hubby and I attended a marriage meeting,that is held at our church once a month,and we enjoyed it very much.I learned a few things.No matter how good of a marriage one has,there is always room for improvement~
Today we walked to the taco stand,and then walked to eat at the park,then walked back home. I ate 1 tostada.
Now kids are in bed,hubby is showering .I need to go to sleep.I am tired.
I did not wash the dishes today ;p
however they will get washed tomorrow,and in the early morning I will throw a load to wash. so now I'm off to bed. God bless you~

this n' that but more on diet~

2010-04-22T17:11:00.004-05:00

Hello! Hooray we bought a Town and country 2001 minivan with 50,000 mileage for $4900.00!It is in excellent condition inside and out.Thank you Lord! I'm about to dash off to pick up kids at bus stop.Hubby is on his way home with the van.I am sure he will be smiling all the way home~ Right now it is 6:30 am,my girls are getting ready for school,my 13 yr old is still asleep as is my 4 yr old blissfully cuddled in my warm cozy bed. I brewed half a pot of coffee,have taken my shower and have a load drying. Today I am taking the kids to school versus just the bus stop.I have the time ,so why not,and plus most times when I do take them,the Lord gives me something to talk to them about~ You know I've taking in coconut oil and fermented cod liver oil,and although I feel a whole lot better,I do not believe in high fat,low fat,low ,high carb diets..I mean reading the bible,you learn that when ever the crowds were hungry,Jesus Christ or the disciples,the first thing they thought of was bread and/or fish. I do believe that coconut oil and cod liver oil are very good for you,however just like a low fat diet seems extreme,so does a high fat diet. I think we ,us who are trying to lose weight,just need to focus on the basics,instead of trying to find that magic diet.Eat to live and not live to eat. Also too much knowledge of anything leads to frustration.Seriously,then we can become obsessed about everything we put in our mouths. I was also thinking back ,that since grade school,we ate breakfast & lunch at public schools.And I doubt that the food has highly improved from back then,and we were not fat. In fact,we were quite slim.We did not eat tons of junk food in our home. One because I remember ,to have Leggo waffles ,or even syrup was rare. I think I dreamed of eating Leggo waffles,when I would see commercials of it on tv. Nowadays ,people probably have them for breakfast every morning or snacks,and pour the syrup on top of that. We hardly ever ate in front of tv,I think only when my mom wasn't home. Snacking is another thing. I have no recollection of any snacking going on in our home growing up. We ate breakfast ,lunch ,dinner and a rare treat once in a while. And that was that. The problem with weight ,came when I overloaded during all my pregnancies ,thinking I could eat anything ,just because I was pregnant. So as of today,I will no longer worry about eating organic,non organic or following a certain diet.However of course I believe in real foods,but a treat ,even a processed one *gasp* once a while ,I think will be okay.Most of our food should be in the refrigerator,not the pantry. Eat when you are hungry only. I think it is a better solution to bring down the portion sizes ,than what we are putting in our bodies.Not that it doesn't matter,but eating a lot of a good thing ,can do as much damage~ Also kids are less active.Stuck to video games and computers.SO turn off the tv,radio,computer, get rid of cable ,cut the snacking,eat more real foods,and have a treat once in a while! You know,I once heard on a radio program,that they had done studies on 2 pregnant women.One ate all organic food,the other conventional.The results showed that both women had the same amount of toxins in their body. So there you have it ,do not obsess. Let's focus more on worshiping God and not ourselves! Have a Happy Friday !

drama ! drama! drama!

2010-04-21T08:56:00.003-05:00

*Sorry I uploaded pics after writing post.As you read you will know why there is a pic of my daughter's hair :)And other pictures are just pictures of the beauty of Spring!

Hello!Wow this morning the drama was spectacular! My 12 yr old ran out of hair gel*gasp* and she asked her 13 yr old to let her borrow his moco de gorila translated to "Gorilla's booger" and he said "No,there isn't any more." Well I told her that she needed to respect her brother's decision,whether she liked it or not,but that I also knew he was not being nice.These 2 are almost always fighting,d/k why maybe the raging hormones but I try ,I said try ,to keep my cool and just remind them that they need to decide to love each other. Well after my son's refusal to let her have some of his gel, she said that she hated her hair! And BTW her hair is gorgeous ,but as we know, we got to have our hair just right.Especially ,my 12 yr old,her hair is quite curly and she likes to slick it down. Hopefully when she grows up ,she will learn to love it,plus I doubt her kids will get away from that gene. I guess we will have to keep a stock supply of gel,mousse,and hairspray in the house to prevent this from happening? The other day when her brother would not share his gorilla's booger,she happily complied to using lemon juice .My mom shared that tip with me.

Anyways so that was this morning.Right now we are SUV hunting.We think we found something.A 1999 Durango,we made an appt. with the owner to go and take a look at it. It is 2500 cash and good thing we got it. I am currently without a vehicle. My sis in law has been taking kids to the bus stop. My life is going on as usual.Yesterday I finally mailed off the envelope to the Dept of State with anything I could get a hold off to prove that i was born in the states. We have busy days and I like it like that.We have also been enjoying our backyard ,which is beautiful! It is full of cascading rose vines.I am eating more healthy.I am feeling waaay better thanks to God~ Laundry is caught up ,now I need to go and fold and hang and put away. For dinner we are having green curry chicken and brown rice.Hopefully we will like it.The only other time we have had curry chicken was from recipe I got online with a lot of ingredients and it was so delicious.And this time I am using a jar of Thai green curry that has been in my pantry for a while ,and I just have to stir it in a can of coconut milk.I have soaking the rice since yesterday afternoon.It is in the fridge now.

I was going to cook this yesterday ,but my husband brought home some barbecued chicken,sausage,potato salad from work.You see his Work group got honored for working 1 million work hours without any accidents or lost hours.The company made a huge deal,even the "big dogs" flew in from Florida. Because this is unheard of! Isn't this wonderful My husband happens to be the group leader and I know it is no coincidence ,it is God's favor and grace over him.Although his group co-workers are not christian ,they share his blessing by working with him,,don't ya think?

Well now I'm off to do some housework and go and play outside with my baby (4 yr old)!

Have a great and Godly day!

Sunday Post~

2010-04-18T13:52:00.002-05:00

Hello!Good afternoon.Well we got up ,got dressed,and my dad took us to church.We ate breakfast at the church cafeteria.After a nice breakfast.I went to the prayer room for a few minutes ,before service began.I then went in the church and praise God together with my sisters and brothers in Christ.Soaked in the message and came out stronger and peaceful.After church,I signed the kids up for church camp.It is only 2 days ,but they have tons of fun.My 3 oldest get to go.We then came home,and ate lunch.Kids ate popusas,which are a Salvadorian food.I bought them at church,I ate a beef soup,it's more watery than what a stew would be.It is not flavor rich like a stew,but it is very healthy for you.I am doing okay in this high fat/low carb diet that I decided to try.I ordered coconut oil and cod liver oil(which is so gross but oh so good for you).I ask for you all who read here to please pray for my health.I do not know what is going on ,but I do need encouragement and prayer. This is all for now.I ,we all need a nap.Hubby is at work.Hopefully we will attend this evening's service.When we have the privilege of the Lord to be in the church,then we should be,times are bad,the end is near ,our redemption is sooo near.Take heed to the Lord's calling.

fulldays~

2010-04-17T20:37:00.002-05:00

Hello.Kids are watching cartoons.Hubby is already in bed.I wish I could fall asleep as fast as he does. Must be a gift.He started going in at 3am!!His supervisor let him know that he wanted them to start working 12 hours.He can go in at 7am,but he chooses to go in at 3 because he wants to be able to leave at 3pm.Which is very good or else we would not have any family time.Well I surely cannot complain.So many people without jobs and having a family to support.It must very hard for those men and/or moms.We should always remember to pray for those families that are struggling and /or if you know of a family that is struggling,help/bless them with what you can. Well we have been very busy.With school,homework,doctor visits,picking berries from 2 trees that we just discovered on our lot.Literally we just stand there picking blackberries and into our mouths. Cleaning house,doing errands...Today there was a school festival at the school my 8yr old attends.We were there most of the day.Then we came home and rested a little bit.Hubby got home,he took a nap,while we started getting ready for my niece's 3 rd birthday party.We came home about an hour ago.I do not have a vehicle right now,and my husband is going to work tomorrow.I already asked my dad if he would give us a ride to church,better yet he should stay.So tomorrow God willing ,we will make it to church.Hopefully my father will join us. Well this is all for now. Good night and God bless you!

buried in paper!!!

2010-04-07T20:38:00.003-05:00

Hello~ Today has been an extremely busy day. I decided to take care of some important paper work that I needed to get out of the way. I took breaks to give some TLC to my baby (4yr),make my bed,wash the dishes ,some picking up. I needed to gather some paper for a bank loan. Also I filled out the Census, mailed that out and the Homestead exemption.And then on to the big one,which is gathering as much info as I can, to prove that I was born and have lived here. My mom brought me a package with pictures ,report cards,birthday invites ,and everything else she can think of........and I'm having to type up a letter exlplaining what everything is and typing in every address I lived in with my family ,and also all the residences I have lived in as a married woman,whew,it just goes on and on!And we moved around quite often! Oh well it has to be done. I even called my 5th grade teacher.He also got to be my 13 and 12 yr olds 5th grade teacher! Isn't that cool?? Well I am almost done.Tomorrow I'm calling the Middle and High Schools ,that I attended to get school records. After such nerve wrecking work ,I plopped on bed with my hubby,chatted a bit,helped 8 yr old with her homework.And we were all so unsure of what we wanted to eat.We couldn't think of anything,so finally I ask hubby if he wanted to buy ingredients to make shrimp cocktail .And so that is what we ate for dinner.After dinner,I managed to wash 2 loads of laundry,hang what needed hanging,put away folded clothes,clear table.I did not get to the dishes though.I'm not worried ,as I'm sure they will greet me tomorrow :) After kids were in bed,we started to watch a movie(Jane Austen style) ,but he decided to call it a night.Now I'm off to my cozy comfy bed.Good night ~

finally home!!!

2010-04-06T15:13:00.003-05:00

Hello! Can you believe me ,out of all people spent the whole day shopping!! It was painful let me tell ya!You see yesterday was my "29th" birthday(34 to be exact) and since it was school night,I didn't want to shop to the extreme.We did get to go out for dinner.During the day my parents ,and 2 sisters came over and brought me a cake,and a small one in the shape of a mouse,yuk! I did not eat it! Today I went to buy my birthday gift. I usually just receive them,but this time my hubby wanted me to go get something on my own,so I took care of that today.So after going to 3 Ross stores and 1 Marshall's,I bought a frying pan,a sauce pan, king size luxury 500 thread count white sheets,a Waverly bed comforter set,and curtains to match.I will begin to wash sheets ,when I get back from picking up my 8 yr old. And this past weekend,Thursday through Saturday ,we were at our Church convention.It was a blast,and we were e-x-a-u-s-t-e-d!!! Yesterday i spent the day washing laundry and dishes.Got caught up quite nicely.I am so tired right now,but I got to go so bye!!! Hopwfully sometime this week I will post pictures of bedroom !