JULY 30, 2009 (2008 Highlights)

I just found this as a "draft" from December '08! Unfortunately, the post will stay in chronological order and show up Dec. 20th. I attempted to do a post on highlights from the past year. I only managed to cover up until my birthday in March. Here are just a handful of photos! Enjoy!

Until next time...

blessings,
joie

My birthday with the boys (Jim was working) -- after blowing out the 30+ candles. I couldn't believe they used that many candles! When I told my sister Donna, she said, "May we always have 30 candles on our cake -- and no more."

Jared, my snow boy!

A regular site in my house!

The boys and their cousins when we visited last February for Nana's birthday!

Jared when he got his guitar for his birthday!

Right around New Years

Jared just being himself!

January fun! Love the delight in Owen's face!

Few more photos:


reading and coloring by candlelight while the power was out last weekend

Owen and his friend singing their hearts out during the Sunday School program at church! The photo doesn't capture it, but at times during the singing, Owen looked so angry, as he forced out his LOUD singing! These two guys were singing so loudly, people were giggling -- notice the lady in the choir behind them!

Nathan and Jared in the choir -- the kids were asked to wear mittens/gloves.

this was the scene down the country road where I grew up -- on the way to my parents'/sister's Christmas party.

blessings, joie

LET IT SNOW!

Again, I can't seem to move photos like I have before. This one belongs down below! See **below

**You can now sign up as a person who "follows" my blog. I'd LOVE it if you'd sign up for that! It would mean alot to me to know who "follows" my blog. I know a bunch of you do, but I'd love to know for sure who enjoys reading my blog!! Also, I LOVE comments! Please feel free to leave quick notes now and then! It's a great inspiration for me!

Right now it's snowing -- we're supposed to get at least 6 inches. Jim's out driving in it -- don't expect him home until 9 or so!

Here are some recent pictures. I have lots more to post, but I wanted to do this quickly. Last week, we lost power for 2 days due to an ice storm. How something so breath-takingly beautiful can be so destructive is amazing. Some had power out for 5 days! It certainly helps us to appreciate the things that we have -- when they're gone!

I will post my entire newsletter on line in the next few days, but I wanted to show you one of my bargains from after-Christmas shopping last January. I got this letterhead -- 40 sheets -- for .50 a pack! I love that the border can easily be printed over. It's a pain when you have to fit everything within top, bottom and side borders. In fact, I stopped using letterhead because of that...until I found this last year! It's so fun!

Here's our little town in the snow -- after the ice and snow. There's ice under the snow on the branches.

**I didn't send this as a card, but I had fun with my FREE Picasa photo-editing program making this! I can now add text to my photos. THIS picture shows more of the ice on the trees. It was INCREDIBLE!

I LOVE this one. This was on my kitchen table on Friday night -- I said to Jim, too bad we didn't have any sand to put in these containers so we could just poke tapered candles in them -- it was much more secure this way than in candle holders. Anyway, he said that we had play sand in bags in the basement! We never used it for the boys' sandbox 5+ years ago! I loved the picture. Then our friends, Don and Ellen sent a photo Christmas card today -- of snow on a weed. It was beautiful -- great photography! Beautiful card! So it inspired me to look through my photos of recent past, and this one caught me eye. I love that I can now add text -- white, in this case -- directly to my photo. Wouldn't this be a great Christmas card?!

I'm taking a break from stuffing envelopes with cards, photos and Christmas letters! Nathan was a big help this year as he addressed most of the envelopes -- and did some stamp and return-address label adhering!

That's all for now. Until next time...

love, joie

BOOKS!

**You can now sign up as a person who "follows" my blog. I'd LOVE it if you'd sign up for that! It would mean alot to me to know who "follows" my blog. I know a bunch of you do, but I'd love to know for sure who enjoys reading my blog!! Also, I LOVE comments! Please feel free to leave quick notes now and then! It's a great inspiration for me!

I want to share with you a couple Christmas books that I just love.

First is a book that I just received in my Christian Book Distributors (or CBD) order called The Backyard Bears Present The Story of Christmas A Nativity Play by Karen Schuler. It's absolutely adorable! If you're a bear fan, you'll just LOVE this book. All the pictures are photographs of stuffed bears putting on a Christmas Nativity play!

Here is my favorite yearly Christmas book from Gooseberry Patch that I just love! I usually get one each year for a Christmas gift. The first half of the book is about crafts to keep and give the second half is about food -- food for gifts and food to eat! There's also another series with a very similar theme called The Spirit of Christmas. I have several of those too. I just love pouring over them before the holidays start to get myself into the "making" season (starts in September; however, I never manage to start my "making" until the first of December!)

Jotham's Journey: A Storybook for Advent is a FAVORITE of Nathan & Jared! This book was out of print for a number of years. This year it's back in print, at least for the time being. We've had a copy, but I bought another one from Christian Book Distributors for only 6.99! (Suggested retail price is $10.99). This is the 4th year that we are reading this Advent story. The boys just love it! I won't read it to Owen for a couple more years. The description on CBD says 4 and up; but I think that's too young, as it can be frightening for one so young. Jared was going on 6, when we first read it. Let me say this about Jotham... besides encountering thieves and robbers, as the book describes on the back, he encounters an evil murderer! I don't want to soften it. It's meant to show us that evil is not only found in a modern-day world. Evil has been around from the beginning of the world. The author wants us to understand this -- that we need a Savior! The short devotionals at the end of each chapter are wonderful, thoughtful reminders of our need for Him now in each of our lives. The book means alot to me and the boys. There are great opportunites for family discussion as well. I can't speak for girls, but my boys love the suspense, adventure and excitement in the book! My hats off to Arnold Ytreeide for sharing this great book that he wrote for his family. There are some who want Advent to be peaceful and quiet. Jotham's Journey is probably not for those.

There are some young children's books that I've collected over the years that I loved reading to Nathan and Jared and can enjoy them again reading to Owen! I will try to list them tomorrow!

Until next time...

love, joie

Two Days in a Row!

**You can now sign up as a person who "follows" my blog. I'd LOVE it if you'd sign up for that! It would mean alot to me to know who "follows" my blog. I know a bunch of you do, but I'd love to know for sure who enjoys reading my blog!! Also, I LOVE comments! Please feel free to leave quick notes now and then! It's a great inspiration for me!

For some reason I can't move photos on this blog. So this photo of Jared goes with a story I wrote at the end about the boys riding in Jim's truck! Sorry.

Just wanted to add a few more pictures that I've been meaning to post.

This photo is from years ago when N & J were little. I'm not going to even venture a guess! I just came across it (and several more cute pictures that I haven't scanned yet because my scanner stopped working again!)

Decorating the tree on Sunday. Notice the "gun" in Owen's pants! He always has some kind of weapon on him!

Page I did several weeks ago from summer 2007

Helping our neighbor water flowers -- also from summer 2007. Since taking this picture, I added journaling on the bottom left patterned paper square.

Click on the picture if you want to read journaling on any of my pages.

Two weeks ago, the boys had an opportunity to ride in Daddy's truck! It was so cool! Unfortunately Owen's turn was at night, so I don't think he was able to appreciate it as much. At the time, Jim wasn't working -- he was bringing the truck in for repairs.

Nathan

Owen

See Jared's picture at the top of the page!

blessings, joie

HAPPY THANKSGIVING (giving thanks should never end!)

**You can now sign up as a person who "follows" my blog. I'd LOVE it if you'd sign up for that! It would mean alot to me to know who "follows" my blog. I know a bunch of you do, but I'd love to know for sure who enjoys reading my blog!! Also, I LOVE comments! Please feel free to leave quick notes now and then! It's a great inspiration for me!

Belated Happy Thanksgiving Blessings to everyone! We had a nice day on Thursday -- eating homemade pizza (YUM!). Saturday, we spent the day and evening at Donna's with my whole family enjoying the traditional Thanksgiving meal! Unfortunately, Jim had to work, so he didn't make it until after 7! That's okay though; we stayed until after 10!

Things have been really busy here. Several weeks ago, we underwent the big project of changingrooms around. The original dining room, which has been a school room, play room and desk/office (not necessarily all at the same time) over the years was about to change again! Nathan worked very diligently on cleaning up and purging LOTS of toys and toy pieces. The "office"/scrapbook studio was in a small "bedroom" off the main area. That's NOW become the playroom and the large open "dining room" (originally) is the office/scrapbook room. The dining room was completely open on one wall when we moved in, but over the years, we've added 2 bookcases on the living room side, so more than 1/2 the room is separated. It's hard to explain, and pictures just can't show you the "big picture", so I'll keep this short. My "scrapbook nook" as I call it, is small, but much of what I need is an arm's length away. I have the use of 3 bookcases. One cool thing is I was able to use the boys' school table -- which they NEVER used except for loading up with stuff. I raised it up to a desk height and put 2 small bookcases on the back for a hutch effect. It's VERY HANDY! Right now I don't have much time to use my space, but I'm trying to squeeze time in here and there to work on Christmas gifts.

Friday the boys put up the tree and strung lights on it! It looks great! All I did was adjust one strand a tiny bit! (they'll make great husbands!) On Sunday they decorated it with me (I handed out ornaments with hooks on them) They each have a plastic shoebox (or sweater box) for their personal ornaments. (pictures to follow)


Playing "Go Fish" with Daddy on his day off

Thanksgiving dinner at Donna's

Owen with 'Operation Christmas Child' boxes at church

A 'soldier'! The thing on his backside is a vertical file folder rack; backpack in the front; and plastic storage basket on his head!

I'll write more when I get a chance. PLUS I have more pictures!

blessings, joie

FOLLOW ME!

I just discovered a feature for Blogger. You can now sign up as a person who "follows" my blog. I'd LOVE it if you'd sign up for that! It would mean alot to me to know who "follows" my blog. I know a bunch of you do, but I'd love to know for sure who enjoys reading my blog!! Also, I LOVE comments! Please feel free to leave quick notes now and then! It's a great inspiration for me!


There's a local furniture warehouse that has a small school bus set up for kids to play on. Every time we go there, we HAVE to get on the bus! And I usually have my camera with me! I remember watching the school bus driver when I was a kid and thinking it would be so COOL to drive it!

Jared on school bus

Today and yesterday were beautiful warm fall days! It's been such a nice bonus! The boys have had fun playing outside. We're enjoying it while we can!

football fever

Owen got a hold of these boots that I've had around for years. Unfortunately, I forgot I had them, and now they're too small. None the less, he jammed them on his feet and loves to have them on! I thought it was so cute to see one pant leg tucked in and one not! That's my boy!

the huddle -- Owen is the team coach!


Nathan took this picture. I have no idea why Owen is holding Nathan's guitar this way!

What's up with this?!

That's all for now! Until next time...

blessings, joie