Charisse McNeil

Pending Sale

2010-06-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

Just updating you all here before I'm not able too.

Our house is finally pending and we are to be closing on it July 21st. So my life consists of packing whole eight years worth. WOW! You don't realize how much you have accumulated on stuff those years. We are in process to find another house up Northern Oregon. So, right now we are in the waiting process to hear back from our offer on another house.

Other News...

I found out I am pregnant 1 months ago. What a true blessing that is, for we have been trying and not happening for two years. I finally started to get rid of my things just to move on and heal and look what happen then. So, I have been very sick with nausea since I was four wks along. My girls are so excited and say that this CHILD has to be a boy, they want a brother and they are very strong on it too. Well, I would love a son too, but that is up to God what he chose for me. Boy or Girl, this child is truly a blessing from God and I LOVE IT DEEPLY. Grow my child, for I am right here, feeding you healthy foods and giving you strength to grow perfectly.

2010-03-31T16:07:00.000-07:00

FOR SALE

I'm finally updating my blog here. It has been eight years this coming June, living in this house. We have finally decided to put our house up on the market. Hubby's job is relocating us toward northern Oregon to Washington. After eight years of putting sweat equity in it, we are finally ready to sale it and get a step bigger house for our family. We will see what all happens and in a month or two.

Slowing down

2009-11-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

As you all can see I'm slowing down with this blogging....

What have we been up too......

Went on a church function end of Sept. beginning of Oct. to Yachet, Oregon.

This was our rental house we stayed in " The Gathering Place" We were there for about two weeks. Loved the house and we hope we can stay there again next year.

Schooling....... has taken my time this year with our stay at home schedules and running around activites to the girls classes. Here are some art projects we've done so far...

Recess time.... let's use our imagination

We are in fall projects now. Been busy doing leaf art prints and tracing leafs on papers.

What I've been up too...... well it's called READING SOME BOOKS....

and another interest I'm going to start doing...

Another BIG projects going on again... House remodeling...

AND MOST OF ALL..... spending quality time with husband and daughters.... AND RELAXING.....

As you can see I've got alot on my plate already.

The girls reciting one of their poems

2009-09-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here’s Ashley's illustration for herELEPHANT POEM

and the girls acting it out

More Dance Outfit Pictures

2009-08-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

I finally got my girls together in their dance outfits for pictures. We went to a Rose Garden here close by us, right by a bike path. We brought a change of clothes to change after pictures were taken. We then walked on the bike path and found a very peaceful spot in the shade, with a view of Willamette River and had a picnic together. After that we walked further on the bike path to a park and girls got to play for an hour before we headed back home. It was a MUCH needed outing with my girls. These are the days when I want to grab hold on too and share my favorite memories with them as they get older and need that remembrance what all great times mommy and daughters had together.

I LOVE YOU MY DEAR DAUGHTERS OF MINE, NEVER FORGET THAT!!!

Who all is looking

2009-08-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

I really don't know who all is looking at my blog. I think I only have one or two people looking and I haven't decided to keep this blog going on just for those two. I have opened my comments to ANYBODY at the moment to see. If you are looking and not commenting let me know. I want to see ALL who is coming to my blog and want me to keep this going.

Thanks for your comments.

My daughters all dressed up

2009-08-15T10:48:00.001-07:00

Losing Teeth

2009-08-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

Our little (not so little) Ashley has lost her first two teeth already.

Our First Tooth

She lost it on the day of our Lula BBQ, eating on an apple and saw something on her hand after first bite and just tossed it into the grass( not realizing it was her TOOTH). She then scream "MY TOOTH IS GONE". It was a needle in haystack to find it in the grass, so it's lost.

Our Second Tooth

We lost this one a month and half later from our first tooth. I had to pull this one since she didn't want to bight into a carrot so I wiggled it around and it finnally came out. We did get to keep this tooth and we put it in a zipblock bag in my keep sake box. NO TOOTH FAIRY VISTIED US..... DON'T TEACH LIES TO MY CHILDREN...

Baking Bread Time

2009-07-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

I had the girls help me make whole wheat bread the other day. We used this as a learning process of how it works. Ashley and Hannah want to cook and help with meals now. I have walked out to the kitchen in the morning and Ashley is trying to help mommy and gather things together on plates for breakfast. She even one morning came and brought me a plate of banana, raisins, muffins, orange juice, AND to top it all, a beautiful bouquet of flowers in the middle of my plate. These are the times when a mommy will cherish this memory forever in her heart. I LOVE my two daughters and I will NEVER think twice about living without children. They are my life, and I am theirs.

Cooking School Time

Learning how to crack egg properly without shell going everywhere

Watching How Yeast Rises

Time to Add Ingredients

Kneading Dough

Dough is Kneaded, Ready to Rise

Finished Rising

Time to Punch Dough Down

Look what We made, Nice warm Whole Wheat Bread

The Finish Product

Portland Zoo

2009-07-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

We went to Portland Zoo two weekends ago with a good friend of mine and her children. The day was nice to start with, sunny and a little cool breeze to it. By the end of the day it poured on us and we ended our day there and drove home. Daddy was gone that weekend on a work project, so we went and had a girls day on Friday. We purchased a year packet for the zoo this year, so we will be there several times this summer and fall. After the zoo, we drove home and I took the girls to Papa's Pizza and let the girls play there. What fun!!

Ashley Tap Dance Recital Performance

2009-06-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for not posting updates on my blog here. So.... Here's what you've been waiting for. Ashley's dress rehearsal and her dance performance
I made here a special dinner too. She wanted hot dogs, watermelon, french fries. I made my own hotdog wraps this time, and I made her homemade chocolate ice cream, with home made donuts. YUM.. Yum... it was good.

AND..... What a performance day it was. We were so proud of Ashley that day. We had many friends and family come to this too and we have many pictures to share of her in her dance outfit.

Hannah's Dance Rectail

2009-05-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Hannah Dance Recital

Hannah had her first dance recital last weekend. It was a big one for her since it was her very first time performing on stage like this. She loved performing and wants to keep going for next year too. We went through Hosanna Dance Studio. It was well worth our money at the end, as how much we paid for her to attend this dance studio. I was well please with her teacher and with the kids who were in it. I even ran into many home school mommies who help me on home schooling questions I had.
Well, on Thursday last week, she had dress rehearsals and we had to plaster her hair up in a bun with gel and hair spray. She had a very crunchy head when it dried to perfection. We then headed off to dress rehearsal were I had to drop her of back stage and leave her with an adult watching her whole group. I then went to the main seating hall and waited with Ashley to watch Hannah perform. I was able to record her on dress rehearsal day since they asked on her full day performance not to record and personal videos. Hosanna had a professional video production come in and record the weekend performance. So, here's her three video's from Thursday performance.

Her Dance Performance video

Final entrance, Ending dance

Before Dance performance pictures

After Sunday Dance Performance

She got gifts from grandma and grandpa McNeil: Teddy Bear necklace and flowers.

Family Dinner at Park
After we took many family photos of Hannah and family we went home to cook Hannah's special meal she wanted. I asked her a week ahead of time what favorite meal do you want me to make for you and you know what she said, hotdog's. I laughed and told we can do that and we will make homemade French fries to go with it too. After we cooked our dinner we packed it all up and went on a family picnic to Hendricks’s Park and took some more family picture's us enjoying our day together. After the park we took the girls to a special place for dessert. We took them to TCBY and bought the little cups of ice cream. They have NEVER been there before and this is a ONLY special occasion treat, since we try hard to avoid sugar and white flour with our kids. We ended our day well loved and fulfilled with all that happened that day.

On Monday we had to get kids in their costumes again for group pictures. Each parent took their own pictures. Hosanna just had a back ground set up for us to use.
I think most of them turned out great. We just kept on snapping making sure we got plenty good shots of different poses. Hannah still has some community performances to do before she is all finished for this school year.

Picture with Hannah's Teacher

ASHLEY TAP PERFORMANCE COMING SOON...... Her story and pictures May 29th. I have group photos for Ashley this Thursday. I think I will try to down load the videos to YOUTUBE too and see if I can get better quality than what just got down loaded on here.

Interview with God

2009-04-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this beautiful video....

If you can't view this movie, please go to www.TheInterviewWithGod.com or visit this Internet Marketing Business site.

">Interview with God

Sea of Life

2009-04-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

There are times when we just want to give up and hide under covers and never want to get out, and then we remember there is a reason to keep on going. You start to think of beautiful things and words of encouragement and hear the sounds of the crashing waves of the sea. This is the SEA OF LIFE.
Open up your hearts with an encouragement to succeed and never give up on life and your dear friends. Pull out a tissue, let your tears flow down, release that emotional tension you have had lately and HOPE and PRAY that you will find it through GOD.

I miss my music teacher Mr.King. He would NEVER allow me to give up and feel this way as I'm feeling right now. I have put three years into devoting myself to music and learning it. Has my three years been for NOTHING? A couple of weeks ago, I FINALLY performed my duet with my dad, my third duet all together. This was my very first duet I worked on with Mr. King when I started learning to sing and it's a very special one too. Mr King and I put this piece together. My Duet was called, " My Soul is Full Of Troubles". It had been VERY frustrating to work on it and put away and work on it and put away for over a year. How can anybody really get it down and feel the words in their heart? I know I have pleased GOD and that is what really matters. Have a pure and pleasing heart for God, he will bless you. I'm not going to fully publish this story on what REALLY had happen, for It is not right and Christian.

I have also experience chicken killers again. I lost two last year and I have lost two this year, upon the hands or feet of my children. I have broken down again with my girls. This time it was two different times it happened. I got four black sex links first and one of them got squeezed to hard and died. John got two more chicks, red production this time. They were only two weeks behind my black ones and did fine age range being put together with my black ones. Well, I just lost my second chick last Friday, one of my red chicks this time by a child's foot, tripping over it outside. She stepped on its head and it died shortly after that. I simply looked away for a minute or two and this was what happened. I simply don't know how to handle my emotions with my children again. I made them as punishment to dig a BIG hole and bury the poor things. They can't EVEN go five feet upon my chicks at this moment. You would think doing it once would traumatize them but they simply don't understand how to treat things nicely, with love, and respect.

So I'm very emotional, low of patience, tired mama, and I need time to look upon happy things in life. I am sending you happy thoughts and peace of mind for days up ahead.

Let Go and Let God

When your troubled and worried and sick at heart
And your plans are upset and your world falls apart,
Remember God's ready and waiting to share
The burden you find much too heavy to bear--
So with faith," Let Go" and "Let God" lead thy way
Into a brighter and less troubled day.

---Helen Steiner Rice---

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

Whenever I am troubled
and lost in deep despair
I bundle all my troubles up
and go to God in prayer....

I tell Him I am heartsick
and lost and lonely, too
That my mind is deeply burdened
and I don't know what to do...

But I know He stilled the tempest
and calmed the angry sea
And I humbly ask if in His love
He'll do the same for me...

And then I just keep QUIET
and think only thoughts of PEACE
And if I abide in STILLNESS
my "restless murmurings" cease.

--Helen Steiner Rice---

JUST FOR YOU - BECAUSE I CARE

WISHING YOU A PLEASANT DAY
A MORNING FILLED WITH FLUFFY CLOUDS SO BRIGHT,
BUTTERFLIES FEEDING ON YOUR LILAC BUSHES
A LADYBUG ON YOUR SHOULDER...SO LIGHT.

WILD FLOWERS SCATTERED ALONG THE PATH
A COUNTRY ROAD TO TRAVEL ON,
A KITTEN TO GIVE YOU LOVE
A MEADOW LARK TO SING A SONG.

FINDING AN APPLE TREE IN BLOOM IN A FORGOTTEN ORCHARD
MAY YOU HEAR THE WILD GEESE FLY OVER,
LOVELY PINK ROSES TWISTED AROUND A FENCE POST
HONEY BEES SEARCHING A FIELD OF CLOVER.

WATCH QUEEN ANNIE'S LACE BENDING IN THE WIND
SMELL THE AROMA FROM A FIELD OF FRESH CUT HAY,
FEEL THE BREEZE AS IT STIRS A TREE BRANCH
ALL THESE ARE PLEASANT THINGS TO YOU I SEND TODAY.

A COUPLE OF BABY BUNNIES - THEIR NOSES TWITCHING
A DOE AND TWIN FAWNS GRAZING NEAR A BROOK,
MAY YOU HAVE SOME TIME TO JUST SIT ON A LEDGE
ENJOY THE SCENE AROUND YOU - AS YOU LOOK.

MAY YOU WITNESS A MEADOW OF FIREFLIES
AS THEY PASS THROUGH THE EVENING TWILIGHT,
SIT ON A BLANKET UNDER THE STARS EATING MARSHMALLOWS
TOASTED ON A BENT STICK ON A CAMPFIRE LATE AT NIGHT.

ENJOY A WALK THROUGH A SNOWY EVENING
THE TINY FLAKES FLOATING DOWN WITH SUCH GRACE,
LOST IN A MAGIC WORLD ALL YOUR VERY OWN
EACH FLAKE DELICATE LIKE FINE PURE WHITE LACE.

MAY THERE BE RAINBOWS IN YOUR SKY
AS THE RAIN SLOWLY FADES AWAY,
AND DEW DROPS CHANGE COLOR
AS THE SUN COMES UP EARLY TO SHINE TODAY.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW
LIVE EACH HOUR AND SPEND IT WITH TODAY,
THERE IS MUSIC TO SOOTH THE SOUL
MAY GOD BLESS YOU DAILY...I PRAY.

SPEND SOME TIME IN AN OLD PORCH SWING
GOING BACK AND FORTH THROUGH THE AIR,
I SEND YOU ALL THESE WONDERFUL THOUGHTS
BECAUSE ABOUT YOU I TRULY CARE.

---author unknown--

Lost in the Woods

2009-03-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

OUR YEAR ROUND READING.... Journal #1

If you haven't read these books yet then, I fully recommend you do and see the "Lost in the Woods" movie too. This is on of our favorite author's to read and the girls want me to read them almost everyday. We check them out at the library almost every time we go. Check out their site and found more about the authors.

A Little School Help

2009-03-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

I decided to post a helpful web-sites for home schooler's or anybody who is interested in extra help with learning.

Home School curriculum should check out:

"My Father's World" curriculum
Konos curriculum
Saxon curriculum
Bob Jones curriculum
Sonlight curriculm
A Beka Curriculum
City Creek helpful math tools
K-3 Teacher Resources
Starfall online pre-school learning
Spelling City online games
Home schooling books order form for many curriculums in one book -- Free catalog---
The Old School House magazine and curriculum
Progressive Phonics -free reading books to print out

Arts and Craft's sites:

DTLK's art's and crafts

Enchanted Learning craft's and pre-schooling stuff

Art idea's from a teacher's blog

Another teacher's art blog

Science sites:

Singing Science Records

Fun Educational Stuff :

Kidz Know It musical songs and games

EdgeZone Games

Bible Sites:

Ten Commandments Song

Here are a few things I know for helpful idea's for you all. If you have any great sites you know please share them to me. I'm ALWAYS looking for new helpful tools.

School days # 2

2009-03-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

Here's another continuation to our school days daily routine.

The second thing we do every school morning is "Calendar time"
We say our 12 months of the year, tell what month we are in, say our 4 seasons of the year, say our seven days of the week, know the difference from weekday to weekends, tells what day was yesterday with date, says what day is today and date, and tomorrow with date, and tells me what kind of weather we are having today.

We also learn how to read a normal calendar and cross out the days we passed already.

Both my girls are involved with this project every morning. Hannah can even say her 12 months of the year and 7 days of the week to me know. Since Ashley is VERY good at this subject now, I even have her be the teacher and I'm the student. She loves to play switch-up and it makes her smile and that's what I love. We tend to have a happy day this way too.

I know this a couple of months ago but this was when I was starting to take pictures of things they were doing with school.

Live Butterfly Kit

2009-03-02T16:48:00.000-08:00

I just today ordered 5 live caterpillars and sent in a card to receive 3-5 more caterpillars. I already have a butterfly tent for them so all I needed was live caterpillars. I'm very excited about this and it will be a great spring science project for my girls. Next fall I will order live tad pole and watch how they grow into frogs and learn all about what kind of habitat they live in. Here's the website I ordered from. I'll take picture of our caterpillar learning once we get them.

Il Divo

2009-02-27T08:45:00.001-08:00

I thought to share you one of my favorite group singers. If you haven't heard about them or heard any of their music then you got hear them now. Here's a link to see a music video from them doing "Amazing Grace".

What good looking guys.

Some of you know that I'm taking voice lessons and I value anybody who can sing WELL and BEAUTIFUL and classical music ONLY. Sometime I might share you some of my personal solo music I'm working on.

After the Winter God Sends the Spring

2009-02-25T19:57:00.000-08:00

Springtime is a season
of HOPE and JOY and CHEER,
There's beauty all around us
to see and touch and hear...
So, no matter how downhearted
and discouraged we may be,
New HOPE is born when we behold
leaves budding on a tree...
Or when we see a timid flower
push through the frozen sod
And open wide in glad surprise
it's petaled eyes to God...
For this is just God saying--
"Lift up your eyes to Me,
And the bleakness of your spirit,
like the budding springtime tree,
Will lose it's wintry darkness
and your heavy heart will sing"--
For God never sends THE WINTER
without the JOY OF SPRING.

--Helen Steiner Rice---

Having Troubles

2009-02-23T19:48:00.000-08:00

I seem to not be able to download picture's on my blog lately. I have some photo's from our last ski trip we took two weeks ago to share with you all. I think I'm having problems all together with my computer and I need to totally reload and install all programs again on my computer. What joy!! So, please be patient for me to up date on this blog for this week.

Picture Tag

2009-02-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

I guess I have been picture tagged.

This photo is of my oldest daughter, Ashley 14 months old with our dog Laddie. This picture of our dog Laddie is before photo; before he got REALLY sick and we found out he had diabetics. We adopted Laddie from a tragedy (homicide) of a nearby neighbor who died. The cops were looking for a home for the dog and we took him in. We would see Laddie and his owner go on walks all lot and liked how he behaved with kids and nobody wanted him, so he became ours. He was the BEST dog I’ve had, before he got sick. He was 25lbs over weight when we got him, and he lost about 28 lbs being sick. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The worst type to have, the type we had to give him insulin shots twice a day. That became VERY expensive and he was still going downhill slowly . We just had to put him down when it got to the point he just wasn't eating anymore. Our kids still talk about him and still tell people our dog died (2yrs ago)

It's amazing how are children grow. Ashley was very adorable, a little chubbier then. She was running around by 12 months with VERY high energy and it hasn't stopped. I miss that little baby, but not about potty training part. I don't miss that one bit.

* Picture tag rules *

Go in your photo folder and click on your fifth folder and scroll down and click on you fifth photo in that folder and tell a little story about that photo.

School days #1

2009-02-05T14:28:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start a series about school days and what we are doing this year in kindergarten for Ashley and preschool for Hannah. I figure we should start out with the VERY first thing we do at 9:00am(school time starts in my house).

We say our "Pledge the Allegiance" EVERY school morning.

We all used to have to say this in school and NOW PUBLIC schools have taken it out, because it has the word "UNDER GOD" in it. What a shame to this world, I for one, WILL put it back in my girls schooling.

Help Yourself to Happiness

2009-02-04T17:38:00.000-08:00

Everybody, everywhere
seeks happiness, it's true
But Finding it and keeping it
seems difficult to do,
Difficult because we think
that happiness is found
Only in the places where
wealth and fame abound--
And so we go on searching
in "palaces of pleasure"
Seeking recognition
and monetary treasure,
Unaware that happiness
is just a "state of mind"
Within the reach of everyone
who takes time to be kind --
For in making OTHERS HAPPY
we will be happy, too,
For the happiness you give away
returns to "shine on you."

--Helen Steiner Rice--

My sign language poem

2009-01-27T19:33:00.000-08:00

This is my poem I recited at our tea party, read my poem and the girls to refresh your memories to our videos.
I wish I had somebody read the poem out loud so I could have been more smoother on recited my poem. I didn't have it memorized, so I had to look down and read it.
This is when I had longer hair of course, before 15" got chopped off.

Ashley two sign language poems

2009-01-27T16:52:00.000-08:00

These are Ashley's two sign language poems she recited at our tea party. I didn't get it recorded live that day so I recorded on my camera to post it for you. Right in the middle of recording you can hear my phone ringing. Of course I didn't get it!! We recorded it several times since she forgot some lines and just stood there all upset so, I wasn't going to MAKE her retake it again because the phone range and she did much better this time around. You just get real life noise in the back ground.

Snowboarding at Hoodoo

2009-01-22T07:52:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday we went finally up the snowy mountains to snowboard. It was a nice springy day, just wished they had more fresh snow. No powder snow just only groomed snow. We went to Berg's ski shop and rented Ashley her snowboard. She was SO excited to go. Last year I rented ski's and worked on her with skiing but this year we decided to teach her what both John and I are doing. Which worked out nice since we could take turns teaching her while the other went down on more advanced runs (like black runs). We also had some friends came along and went snowboarding too, their first time with snowboards. They are advanced skiers so it was kinda tough for them to start at the bunny hill again. Our day was great and Ashley was getting it down faster than we thought she'd do. She wants to go back this year, which we will, once they get more fresh snow. We had some friends watch Hannah during the whole day and she did great too. Hannah say's she wants to go next year. I guess we will see with that, she doesn't like to be out too long in the snow at home. Just thought to share our adventure up the snowy mountains.

Our two friends who came along too

Fire Station Field Trip

2009-01-13T19:16:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I organized a fire station field trip with my homeschooling group. We had 27 heads, including parents and little children. We went to Fire Station #2,(on Chambers's and 2nd street). Our tour guide fireman was AWESOME, they put in all lot of effort to please mostly younger elementary students and answered all our questions, including the kids very well. We got to take a more detail tour of their living spaces they live in for three day shifts or more. There are three groups of fire fighters that take different shifts of the week. I was amazed how well the children behaved. It so tells you that homeschooling children make a difference on listing compared to public school kids. When the tour was over I got in my car and was SHOCKED on what time it was. The tour was suppose to be only an half an hour and they had us for @ hour and half. WOW!! I think this is SO far my best field trip I've taken in my beginning years of homeschooling. I want thank who all came to the tour with me. I, as a mother wanted to do this for my children who I LOVE DEARLY. I fully recommend taking a tour to a fire station, well worth it.

What's New in our Lives

2008-12-23T15:38:00.000-08:00

There has been so much going on in the McNeil house hold. I thought to share all the latest things in our life.

First Big item, we got a new car a Subaru Forrester "04" with turbo engine in it. It's John's everyday work vehicle. We needed something newer and something that had less miles on it to last. John's going to go through all lot of miles on it, as he travels more now, and we needed something really reliable too. So, Thanksgiving weekend, we traveled for an hour to go look at this vehicle, saw it on crag's list, and really liked it.

Next big Item,

We got John's office built in the garage and he's finally getting it organized. It's a little cold right now it there. No heat, just a propane heater to help take the chill out. Soon we will put heating/AC unit in it, but it's not to important since he's gone 80% of the time travel around town or out of town to clients.

Next Big Item,

I finally got the girls room changed from baby room to a bigger girls room. Butterflies, and flowers is their theme now.

Next Big Item,

John and I re-range our living room, and got rid of our entertainment center and bought two book shelves and we couple of months ago bought ourselves a flat screen T.V. We needed to make more space in our living room and this was what we decided to do. Our re-ranging living room is still in progress.

Next Big Item,

I got my hair cut a couple of weeks ago, the shortest I've ever done. I'm starting to get used to it and love it.

Next Big Item,

A week ago we went and bought me my own snowboard set-up for an AWESOME price. We have been renting every year for me at a ski shop and Finally I can own my own set-up. John has own his own set-up since before we got married. Now we just only have to rent for the girls. We plan on taking Ashley this year and teaching her to snowboard finally. She was to young last year for a snowboard and this year she wants to learn and I can get help from John more on teaching too.

Yes, we have been busy on changing things in our home lately and some of it will slow down since we are crossing things down on our to do list for house projects.

Tea Party

2008-12-08T20:03:00.001-08:00

Group Photo's all who came

The best party you could have for a girls night is off course "Tea Party". We had a glorious, no WONDERFUL time that night Dec.6th. The girls and I planned a big lay out and theme for that night too. This was a show and tell evening, and you came dressed up in your best accessory's and we even ALL had stage names for that night too. So my sage name was Mrs. Sadie Lynn, and Ashley was Miss Lora, and Hannah was
Miss Cinderella. I got out my china dishes and went Goodwilling for dishes and tea dishes. I got out my nice table clothes, and decorated the table nice with candles, water fountain, and of course FOOD. I made all the desserts. I made homemade donuts, and my first time EVER to attempt a two layer Strawberry cake. It turned out good I put in the middle strawberry jam with butter as a sauce and covered the cake with whipping cream and strawberry's. I also made homemade fondue.I do have to say that it turned out great and I got many compliments on it. All the other food was from other people. We had so much food left that night. After eating we all took turns doing our show and tell time and enjoyed every minute.

In order of show and tell:

Mrs Lilly Pad-- (my grandmother LeBleu) read daily life recipe's
Miss Laura -- Ashley recited two poems in sign language
Miss Cinderella( Hannah) and Miss Mamzelli RellaPink(Mimi)-- Ballet dance
Mimi La Rue(Brenna)-- Showed off her crochet scarf she did
Miss De Laura (Rebecca)--- Showed off her dance video of her dance class
Madame L'Herondell (Christine)-- Showed of her coat made from several goats that she grew up with
Miss Peacock (Angie) --- Showed off her scrap book pages she did for this party and ready to slip photo's in it
Mrs. Scarlet (Kim)-- Showed of "How to cut hair"
Mrs. Sadie Lynn (Me) ---- Performed a poem in sign language
Mrs. Ruby Rella (Elizabeth)-- resigned to perform anything---

It was a glorious time and we all enjoyed our performances and nice warm tea and food with each other. This is our first but not last "Tea Party".

My lay out for Tea Party invitations web site, English Party Invitation #1

My invitation to all said this in my card:

This is a show and tell tea party, just like old time people would do. No television to entertain us, only our great minds and wonderful stories. So, come to perform a song, recite your favorite poems, show off your arts and craft works, show school projects off, do a skit, teach us how to crochet or knit something, share stories, cooking secrets, anything that you think would be great to show off. Use your imagination and have the kids do something too.
Please come in your finest pearls, fancy hats, scarf's, fancy earrings, your finest accessories, and with an accent, and have a stage name for the night. Dress casual fancy all ready to have fun and ready to have pictures taken.
Please bring finger foods, and any tea you want to share. Dessert dishes will be covered by the McNeil girls. Ask if you are unsure what to bring. Come and enjoy this great memory and wonderful friends.

The Poem I had to go with it:

EVERYBODY NEEDS SOMEBODY

People need people and friends need friends
And we all need love, for a full life depends
Not on vast riches or great acclaim
Not on success or worldly fame
But just in knowing that someone cares
And holds us close in their thoughts and prayers
For only the knowledge that we're understood
Makes everyday living, feel wonderfully good
And we rob ourselves of life's greatest need
When we "lock up our hearts" and fail to heed
The outstretched hand reaching to find
A kindred spirit whose heart and mind
Are lonely and longing to somehow share
Our joys and our sorrows and to make us aware
That life's completeness and richness depends
On the things we share with our loved ones and friends
- Helen Steiner Rice -

Here's a slide show of the rest of the pictures

Here's Ashley's two poems she recited:

The Little Turtle

I had a little turtle
Who lived in a box;
He swam in a puddle;
He climbed on a rock.

He snapped at a mosquito
He snapped at a flea;
He snapped at a minnow;
And he snapped at me.

He caught the mosquito;
He caught the flea;
He caught the minnow;
But he didn't catch me.

--Valchel Lindsay-

Mix a Pancake

Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake,
Pop it in the pan;

Fry the pancake,
Toss the pancake--
Catch it if you can.

--Christina Rossetti--

Here's my poem I recited in sign language:

The Golden Chains of Friendship

Friendship is a Golden Chain,
The links are friends so dear,
And like a rare and precious jewel
It’s treasured more each year…
It’s clasped together firmly
With a love that’s deep and true,
And it’s rich with happy memories
And fond recollections, too….
Time can’t destroy its beauty
For, as long as memory lives,
Years can’t erase the pleasure
That the joy of friendship gives…
For friendship is a priceless gift
That can’t be bought or sold,
But to have an understanding friend
Is worth far more than gold…
And the Golden Chain of friendship
Is a strong and Blessed tie
Binding Kindred heart together
As the years go passing by.

Thank you all for coming to my wonderful tea party and thank you all you the readers to being my friend too. That night meant so much for me to bond and rekindle with close church friends. I was well satisfied on how it went well and everybody that came sure enjoyed themselves too. I want to be that Christian mommy who puts all her effort on pleasing and making smiles on people faces. SO smile because I love you all. Be happy and Always have a happy heart.

I'm Back

2008-11-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm back from our trip to Townsend, TN and actually we have been home for a couple of weeks now. We have been SOOO..... Busy that I simply didn't have time to update this blog. Everybody knows life sometimes can go like five miles a minute and you just don't have time to breath.
Well, I’m at that time in my life right now. I think I have so over whelmed myself with my schedule this year with home schooling and other activities. Ashley is enrolled with Home Source this year, which she has roller skating on Wednesday’s and on Thursday's she has tap (at Hosanna Dance Studio) and puppet making class at on site with Home Source. We even signed Hannah up with tap/ballet class on Monday's with Hosanna Dance too. So, I’m usually working with Ashley on her school work while her sister is in class and I do the same with Hannah when Ashley is in classes. Every other week I go to my dad's house and help clean his house for a couple of hours. I also have ensemble practice on Tuesday evenings and private music lessons on Thursday evenings AND......... I got myself in a play date/geography class with another home school mommy every other Friday's. Whatever time is left is for me to clean and cook and be mommy at home. Not much house cleaning lately and my house is a disaster zone.

The first project I did since we got home is cleaned out all of John's office stuff from the school room and FINALLY I can designate it as a school room/music room now. Though, John's office walls aren't built yet and in our garage are boxes and things just pilled high un-organized and staring me in my face as we come and go from our house.

Our next BIG project (this weekend) is to organize the girl’s room, bag and get rid of many toys, start turning their room more girly and fully rearrange their furniture. I will be spending some money to get Rubbermaid storage boxes to stop all this clutter in the girl's room. I also plan on getting some stencils and turn their room into a butterfly room with many frills to go around. It's time for girls to grow-up from baby room to little girl’s room.

The next big project is to go upstairs to our attic and take down all our baby stuff and get it ready to pass to a friend who is due mid December. I've got a whole year and half worth of clothes upstairs and we really want to lighten our load of clutter around this house. We've got many things upstairs that we to put on crag's listings and parting with; like an coffee table, bed frame and head and back board that we aren't using anymore. We also have our old TV and water bed mattress that's been sitting up our attic since we moved in this house six years ago (where has time gone, six years in this house). There are many more misalliance things that will go too. They will all go in a pile in the garage ready to be separated to pass to friends and Goodwill.

Next room is our living room. We are going to get rid of our entertainment center, as we just bought ourselves a flat screen TV and will mount it on the wall and buy two book shelves for our electronics to go on and many decorations to spruce up our living room. We need to give ourselves more living space in our house and fill not so cramped in this small house.

I hope my life will slow down soon and it will, once I make some changes with my schedule.

I have plenty of pictures to share with you all from our TN trip and school projects, and work on girls room ASASP.

Trying Something New

2008-09-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

I found this site lately and I might do this more often

for sharing my photo's. These pictures were taken
a month ago by our garden area. Ashley wanted
to dress up as a wedding girl and Hannah wanted
a scarf around her head with a beautiful bouquet
of flowers . I took all these pictures including of myself.

From the Words of my Mother

2008-09-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

September 1981... My Birth Story

From the words of my mother........

We were living in the duplex on Meriau Ln. at the time I was expecting miss Charisse. It had been a pretty good pregnancy except for a bad flu and some sinus headaches, and the motorcyclist that died on the lawn on the other side of the duplex when I was about 6 months along. But at the very end my body started to give out again. I started getting some of the same old bad symptoms and felt pretty ill. I was saying beseeching prayers asking for help to go through this, and the midwife was worried that I was carrying a verrry small baby. I was such a neat little package and less than the normal belly measurements at full term. She thought the baby was under 5 lbs and may have to be hospitalized upon birth, (they won't release you unless the baby is at least 5 lbs). I went into labor somewhere in the middle of the night. The contractions woke me out of a deep sleep. I laid there calmly timing them. At my last check up I had already been at 2 centimeters dilated and was sooo thrilled. I woke Robert up and told him I was in labor and the contractions were steady. We called the midwife and Lynn(This is my aunt to me, Charisse). An assistant midwife came to our home to check and make sure I was truly in labor. She said absolutely and that I was at a stretchy 3 centimeters. I marveled and was thrilled!!! We headed down to Cottage Grove where my clinic was. About a half hour drive south of Eugene. I was so hoping I would not have major contractions while cooped up in the car. I had exactly one! I was rather worried that maybe my labor had stopped, but we got there and my real midwife checked me immediately and said I was at 6 centimeters already! OH WOW!!!!!!!! UNREAL!!!!!!!!!! So I paced around in the living room of the clinic and joked and laughed with everyone. After an hour or so the midwife checked again and I was at about 8 centimeters and doing great! I can't tell you how ecstatic I was! But she detected that the baby was at a slight angle. about a 45 instead of backbone straight up. So, she had me get on all fours, kneeling and go through several contractions that way so the gravity and pressure would straighten the baby out. OK, then it DID get uncomfortable! Up to that point the pain was like nothing I had had with Lorrell(Charisse's sister). Not even close in the intensity. It was like day and night sooo much less painful!. Soon she let me up to walk again. For about an hour or so at the end the pain was pretty intense again but I worked through it. There was a gentle rain outside during my whole labor which was very soothing. I liked it. At 8 something a.m I brought miss Heather Charisse, all 6 lbs. 10 ozs of her(which shocked the midwife! HA!), into the world as the sun broke through the clouds and streamed through the windows in brilliant rays. Miss Charisse was wide eyed and bushy tailed. Looking all around happily. I let Lynn hold her on our trip back to Eugene as my gift to her which she yet thanks me for. Charisse still did not sleep as most newborns do, but looked all around in rapt attention the whole trip. When we arrived downtown Eugene we stopped at a crosswalk by the Hult Center and a woman walking two big dogs crossed the street in front of us, totally topless, and calm as you please! ha! I heard later she was picked up by the police. Anyhow, we made it home and I marvel yet at what a *miracle* her birth was. (In my mothers words written for a good friend of hers and mine Mr. King. I just added a few things in brackets for you, the readers.

My words....

And yes, I just turned a big whopping 27 today. Please no Happy Birthday comments, as I don't celebrate birthdays. I just thought to share you this story of my birth.

Life of Trials

2008-08-18T20:58:00.000-07:00

My "Life of Trials " post will be changed somewhat and I'll just give you the short version of what's been happening. Next post!!

Homemade Maple Ice Cream

2008-08-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

I've been asked for this recipe several times and I'm just going to post it on my blog so anybody can try my mothers homemade ice cream treat (always a treat on Fourth of July growing up).

Mother's Maple Ice Cream

In a 4 quart ice cream maker: If you don't have one just use a big soup pot, filled with 3/4 of water and a big stainless steel bowl on top of the pot and you have a double broiler.

In top of double boiler---

6 eggs
1 Cup of Maple syrup
1/4 Cup corn starch dissolved in 1 Cup of milk
1 Quart of half and half
Add milk @ 1-2 Cups

*Cook the first five ingredient's on top of a double boiler on high till it coats the spoon. Stir constantly!

Now Add:
3Tablespoon of vanilla
1 Pint raw cream
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

* Stir in well and remove from heat. Let it stand and cool down for awhile, then you can pour it in your ice cream mixer or put in refrigerator to use the next day.

This ice cream tastes very much like maple caramel. Your never want any other ice cream again.

Half Receipt in 4 quart ice cream maker:

3 eggs
3/4 Cup maple
1/8 Cup of corn starch dissolved in 1/2 Cup milk
1/2 Quart half and half
1 Cup milk

Follow the top directions--

The add---
1 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
1/2 pint raw cream
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice

*I took photo's of me making this but uploading is having problems so I'll post it without and come back to post the pictures.

Living in disaster

2008-07-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

Okay... Okay.... I'm living in disaster right now and have put all computer things in the back burner for awhile. I'm alive but just hanging in by a thin thread. I'm so exhausted and barely awake and just didn't take more time to up date you all. This story will take to much time if I put it in one blog so this will be a continuing story. I'll go to present to past.

Here is what our house looks like right at this moment...

Our east side of our house, first place where we started. That took all day Sunday and one hour on Monday.. We are doing the work ourselves with help with family and friends. We are using hardy board to reface our house.

During mid day yesterday... Look the disaster zone..

About finished by the end of the day yesterday...

What our back of the house looks like right now. We are replacing bottom of the boards all the way to the end of the house since there is dry rot from that white line and bellow. That's me working on closing the chicken coop up more with wire. As we have caught four baby opossums so far, as we drowned them. We are still needing to get the mommy who we hear some night's . We also have seen raccoons too. When we do catch the bigger ones, we still don't know what to do with them yet. One thing for sure, there're not getting released alive. As you can see in the picture we have a censer light that tells us if any predators come close. Our bedroom is that window right across from the coop, so we have our window open and can hear things well.
I'm living in a disaster zone every where outside and inside is all a mess. This is SOOO not me to have messes, but when you do remodeling yourself it takes longer and you have to live in messes. I guess I should be used to it right now, we've done many remodeling since we have moved in this house. I'm about tired out with this house projects.

Stay tune for our adventures leading up to this last weekend. I have plenty to share. "Life of trials.."

Without Power

2008-07-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

Just thought to let you all know we are going to have our power shut off tonight and hopefully be off for a day. EWEB is coming to shut it off, and then John's going to work on the rotten boards behind it and we are in a start on preparing our house for new siding. We had to get a permit for working around the electrical box. We are going to upgrade our electrical box while we have the power off and Comcast will be coming over too and rewiring wires so we can put our new wires higher away from where we need to reside. Yesterday, we also got a big shipment in with all our materials to reside our house, Over two grand worth of stuff. We are using hardy board to reside our house. Don't worry, our house will be painted the same color since we have many areas we don't want to redo and it would take us longer on details that's already there. So, if you want to contact me, email won't be the way for several days, or maybe the phone (?).

We are going to camp out in our backyard and have a little camping trip in our yard. I do hope that we don't have to have a cold shower for too long ;).

I will post updates on our house project as we get further on.

Just the nick of Time

2008-07-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

You can't call this better timing than this....

Well, after our long four day weekend, as John took of Monday for vacation time, He decided to work on building our nesting box for our chickens. We built a community box since it was going to be easier and more efficient on keeping it cleaner better. We finished it that afternoon and I put many layers of straw down. We have not gotten a handle or lock for the box yet but that will be soon. Well... a couple of days ago we have had a VERY loud hen that seems to squawk for many hours in the morning and JUST would not STOP. She was acting like she wanted out of her coop and paced up and down the fence line. She would finally settle down after a couple of hours. I figured she wanted her daily scrapes from us (corn on the cob, and garden veggies). I figured it is several week before we'll get our first egg as they are only 17 wks old.
Well... the box got finished on Monday and Tuesday evening the girls went in to play with them and I hear Ashley and Hannah running in the house saying.... "THERE'S EGG'S IN THE BOX". I just dropped what I was doing and thought, it's too early for them to start laying, have I counted wrong. Sure enough as I opened the box from outside, there were TWO Beautiful white eggs, small ones. I just ran in the house got my camera and wanted to embrace our first eggs in our memory. The girls wanted to hold them and I did not want them to drop them, it was hard for them to contain themselves.
WOW... Our first Two golden/white eggs and I'm SOO excited for opening that box everyday now to see those eggs in there and to finally have a taste of my raised chicken eggs. I came home today and found two more eggs in the box so there is two of my four laying now.
We have named our chickens finally but we can only tell one for sure since we put food coloring on their backs.

Red--- Trixy (the only one who still has the color left on).
Blue--- Sarah
Orange--- Hannah (who named that one?)
Green --- Beauty

We are having predator problems now and we are seeing opossum's nightly lately. On the 6th (Sunday) we had a BBQ at our house with bunch of our church friends over and a few people stayed late to see some of our fireworks show. As John went back to show our coop to a friend John noticed there was movement in their run area and saw a tail hide behind a wooden spool we put in. John realized that it was an opossum, baby one at that, and it slipped in by praying the wires open a little bit and jumped down. Now this opossum was too small to kill the chickens, it was after the corn on the cob's we left in there. To put it lightly, John and the friend stabbed it and it was lying wounded on top of the fence. We came back later to dispose of the body and it had disappeared from the fence. It must have slowly rolled itself down and crawled away. It wasn't going to live much longer since its insides were hanging out. I decided to get my dad's live animal trap since my chickens are in danger now.
My chickens are my pets and I will do whatever it takes to protect them. I have a shovel right by the back door as my weapon if I see any predators in the backyard. I'm not afraid to smack one (as I have already killed one baby that was in our garage). I had no problem on doing it. I will not be one of those sissy girls who send their man to do all the killing.

I uploaded pictures and they are coming out in code so I can't easily write my descriptions about the photo's, so you will have look and figure it out yourself this time.

My two Beautiful girls

2008-06-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

In their beautiful dresses for Pentecost

I just wanted to share you some of our latest pictures of our girls in their best clothes for church. These photo's were taken on June 16th (on a holyday) for us. I think they turned out great!
Yes, I'm showing my children off, I'm the mama and I think I deserved to some times. This is also for my family too. I love you mama, these are for you to enjoy!!

Miss Ashley princess (as she called herself that day)

They love smelling roses

Can you feel the love going on with the sisters......

Face to face with sister

My little Hannah is no longer a baby, four years old already

Ashley second dance recital

2008-06-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

I am finally able to sit down for a few minutes to post pictures of Ashley second dance recital at River Road Park, Wednesday 18th of June. The park had a summer school out carnival and her class was asked to perform in it. Ashley did very well, and we are proud parents to see our beautiful daughter perform again. As always, I do her up glamorous, and make it even more special to her. After her two performance, which was tap, and ballet dance, we got to go to many stations that had mini games for children to play. The girls both wanted to get their face painted so they chose which design they wanted "cat" design if you couldn't tell. How fun that was!! They also got to play in a blow-up bouncing play area twice (a favorite). We spent most of our late afternoon there and came home for a late dinner and mommy made homemade ice cream as a treat for Ashley and Hannah. It was very much an evening of memory for parents and children that will always be in our hearts.

Ashley Posing Before Dance Recital

Showing Some of her Moves

Her Fancy Hair Do

Bouncing on blow-up play gym

Cat Girls "Meow"

Purring Like a Cat

Let's see..... can you guess what's happening here?

Life

2008-06-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

These are the times when you realize you have been too busy for any down time in your life. Last week was very tiring at, the least. I was gone everyday doing errands or taking Ashley to T-Ball camp M/W/F in the afternoon at River Road park three times last week and on top of her dance class, so I was at River Road Park four times last week. I also had ensemble lessons that Tuesday night (as always) so I was busy that day too. I was able to sneak in a Goodwill run after my voice lessons and it's so much peaceful without my children and I can just brows the isle find something that's a great buy.
John and I went also gift shopping for the girls for just because gifts from our rewards credit card points and we got a hundred dollar gift card to Target. We bought the girls nice play kitchen dish sets and Ashley a new bicycle. They love it all and when I went to goodwill, I found a mini tea cups and saucers for the girls to play tea time.
Ashley has been working with riding without training wheels and she has just taken off the other day. She is pretty much on her own; the stopping with brakes hasn't gotten down yet. Little Hannah, has Ashley's old bike (with training wheels) and has taken off too. She loves it and wants to ride all the time know.

We are also been dealing with a dead vehicle (that has left us stranded several times) and know we have been looking around for a new car. John has been working on our car and has finally gotten it to start and is driving it to work to test how it's driving. We finally got out Trooper paid off this February and I SOO...... don't want to get into car payment again. We knew we would have to find a bigger vehicle when that time comes for the next child in our house arrives. For right now I'm driving my brother’s vehicle again (what joys, a two door truck). John the other day got the car working and has been test driving it to work lately, so, I hopefully able to drive our vehicle soon.

We also have refinanced our house again for the fourth time since we have been at our house (going on six yrs). So we were busy signing papers last week too. We are getting cash back to help us fix up our house. We have to reside our house, paint it again, finish our kitchen, put bigger electrical box in and run more wires, also refinish our bath tub (which is SO scratched-up), and a few odds and ends around here. So, we have a full schedule this summer working on our house. We are still working on chicken coop and will be for a couple of more weeks.

The other day the girls and I went to go U-Pick strawberries at Thistledown Farms, but they told us they aren't doing that right now and they just put out their first display of boxes out. So, we just bought two big flat boxes for $18.99 a box. We aren't having much sun lately and the crops aren't growing fast right now so things are not fully ready yet.

Tonight we plan on going hiking at Spencer Butt with some friends and the girls and I going together. Ashley and Hannah do well, expect I have to ALWAYS carry toilet tissue and hand sanitizer, since Ashley seems to have to do her number#2 businesses ever time. Even if she has already gone once or twice that day she still has to do that business (I feel like I have a dog, lol).

Stay tuned next week since Ashley has a dance performance with the River Road summer carnival on the 18th. I will get plenty of pictures and will post them up with my story.

Mr. King

2008-05-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

This a sad and hard thing for me to share, my music teacher died over a week ago with pain cancerous tumor. I'm still trying to get over it while telling myself that I will no longer have him there for me to pull my chin up with singing. There has been so many times I wanted to give up and he pulled me right up and gave me confidence of something I got in me(more a less, what he say in me). I loved Mr. King with all my heart and he was called my daddy#2. Those of you, who know me, know that I have taken singing very seriously and have put it my life several times a week. I told myself that I will even strive harder to reach my goals for my daddy#2 and for me. I will always give my teacher the out most respect and give all his songs he composed 5 fingers up to Excellency on true feeling of words of God. I want to just wrap up in all of his songs and feel close to God.

O Lord God of my salvation, I
have cried day and night before thee:
Let my prayer come before thee:
incline thine ear unto my cry;
For my soul is full of troubles:
and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.

Psalms 88:1-3

This text was our duet song we use for the song. This is a sad and hard thing for me to share, my music teacher died over a week ago with pain cancerous tumor. I'm still trying to get over it while telling myself that I will no longer have him there for me to pull my chin up with singing. There has been so many times I wanted to give up and he pulled me right up and gave me confidence of something I got in me(more a less, what he say in me). I loved Mr. King with all my heart and he was called my daddy#2. Those of you, who know me, know that I have taken singing very seriously and have put it my life several times a week. I told myself that I will even strive harder to reach my goals for my daddy#2 and for me. I will always give my teacher the out most respect and give all his songs he composed 5 fingers up to excellence on true feeling of words of God. I want to just wrap up in all of his songs and feel close to God.

Mr. King and I put together for me to perform this with my father. The bold texts are what we used in the song. I have not yet performed it and when I will, it will be full of deep emotions and tears in my eyes. I'm planning on dedicating this song to Mr. King, when I get it copyrighted.

And yes, I am a very deep troubled person who likes these more meaningful cries to God. I want to break down and cry and tear myself down and show all my respect to our Creator.

As for all you who want to know how my first duet went, well it went good. I did NOT pass out and matter of fact I wasn't as nervous this time as other times. God surly blessed me with that, though I wasn't perfect on my pitches a couple of times and did one mistake on coming in a little early (but that got erased out on the final copy). Mrs. Garland and I did very well on making our voices unison, sweet famine voices. This is only my first duet of many others to come. If any of you who want to hear the duet I have a copy and would be pleased to share it with you all. I will not give up on my goal and will keep pushing on with my singing.

I'm asking a favor if you would please let me know your favorite love songs. I need more songs to work on as my solos for weddings or any time themes.

Music Duet

2008-05-14T21:13:00.001-07:00

Mr. George King my music teacher(my second father)

We finally have come to the day when I will be performing my first duet this Saturday. This piece will be performed with Elizabeth Garland. The title of the song is "My Soul Doth Magnify The Lord". It will be performed in unison and I'm very excited but also nervous. This song was written especially for Elizabeth G. and me from our dear friend and second father(to me)Mr. George King. I will let you know how it all went and if I passed out during the performance(haha):). These are some pictures of me in our feast ensemble at Townsend, Tennessee taken last fall. I performed eight pieces.

These are our Townsend, Tennessee Ensemble group, not our Eugene ensemble group. Mr.King was our director.

Our Anniversary Get Away

2008-05-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

Our 7 year Anniversary Get Away For Two Nights
(First time ever away from children at night)

This is a story of our amazing anniversary getaway last weekend, first of May. Our anniversary is April 29th, but it was in the middle of the week so we waited to do something tell the weekend. I decided that we needed to finally get away and have some time to ourselves, more a less, time to reconnect and love that person even more. I found a nice condo to stay in Lincoln City that was very reasonable. I fully recommend you this place for a getaway on your next time out. The website is http://www.allseasonsvacation.com/index.html. The place is called SeaScape, a very awesome place, which has practically a remote control for everything in that place (an AHH...to a guy). We arrived to our place Friday afternoon and unloaded our things and went out to walk on a romantic walk, hand and hand, love in the air and mind I say, no kids to interrupt our holding hands this time. I almost couldn't believe what was just happing. Did I just enter honeymoon again? I pretty much thought so. Life is what has happened to John and I, and we were finding ourselves getting further away romantically and being the dull boring married couple who has been almost living separate lives lately. It's called having a husband working like three jobs and ME taking care of house, children, and daily everyday stuff. We would see each other at night and I'll get kissed a goodbye kiss, and a hello kiss and sometimes sit down to talk but that was pretty much what we got for awhile and I had a emotional break down and we talked all night long (pretty much) and decided we needed to get away to help us get pass this slump we were in. So here we are, taking a beautiful weekend away and loving it every moment. I thought I would cry not having my children with me at all times but I was so fully ready to step away for a couple of days from them. I didn’t shed one tear. I had a great dear friend stay at our house and take care of the girls and take them to church for us. She was the only person I fully trusted to do this for me and I knew they were in great hands and not being influenced at all in the (not ok things). She did great and my girls didn't want her to leave when we came home. Thanks Rebecca!!
Anyways, after our walk we came back to our condo and I made ahead of time, a fancy dinner.
Our Menu for our romantic first night in:
Chicken Parisienne
Tossed green salad
Rye bread
Green beans
Drinks--- John's favorite beer(Oatmeal Stout) and me Marinellis ( I chose not to have wine)
For Dessert:
Homemade strawberry's and marinberry cheese cake.

After dinner we brought our drinks to the couch with the sliding door open(to hear the ocean waves) and put on beautiful relaxful music(very low back ground), and had the gas fire place turned on, and John and I wrapped ourselves up in a blanket and just took in the scene. We talked for hours that night. Sabbath morning arrived and we made breakfast and quite enjoyed our time together peacefully. Soon after that we got ourselves ready for church (since we drove to Vancouver, Wash. for church service). It was about a two hour drive from Lincoln City. We hadn't been up there for some time, so we decided it was time to visit our other brethren. I got to visit with my sister more as we went over to her house after church for a longer visit. We stayed there for several hours just enjoying ourselves and being with my sister. Then mid evening we headed back to Lincoln City for a romantic dinner out at Kernville Steak and Seafood restaurant. Here's the web site for them http://www.kernvillesteakhouse.com/. I fully recommend that place as a feel good atmosphere, and awesome food. John had a steak with steamed veggies, and steamed red potato, and tossed green salad. I had their poached salmon with the same side dishes on my plate. It was very reasonable prices and the waiters were very nice too. Around midnight that night, somebody decided to do a few fireworks, and it disturbed our ocean sounds for awhile. Thankfully it didn't last long.
The next day we cooked breakfast in again, I guess we decided to test the fire alarm, since we were cooking hash browns on stainless steel pans and they stuck to the pans and made all lot of smoke. I've confirmed why I don't like stainless steel pans since they are very hard to cook with and you have to be experience chiefs to know how not to have them stick. It didn't take long for the smoke to leave since we opened the sliding glass door and the beach wind took it away fast. After breakfast we packed up and checked out of our place and went down to the beach again for another hand in hand stroll(a very cold stroll), the sun was out and beautiful but the wind was very nippy and gave us ear aches after it. We then wanted to go to the Lincoln City outlet center to shop a little and so we were there for a couple of hours walking around. We then drove back home and stopped in Newport for lunch and then finally headed home.

As we got back home John and I were sad to see our mini vacation go, but it was also great to be home with your children and your own bed. The bed in the condo was well.... you pretty much sank down and we aren't used to beds like that. John and I like our bed firm, not soft and fluffy. Both of us need good back support mattresses since it seems to help our sensitive spins.
The girls were well needing a nap by the time we came home so we pretty much had them clean their messy toys all around the house and off to bed they went. A few more minutes of peace was nice to say. Everything went well, as I was told. The girls didn't want Rebecca to leave our place since MOMMY and DADDY were home with RULES again. I just had to ignore those comments of wanting Reb here than mommy and daddy, I knew they were only thinking of fun, fun, and that appeals more to them at this age. I figured our next day was going to be hard but it actually wasn't and we had a decent school day too.

So this was our very memorable story of our anniversary this year. We will always enjoy bringing back those memories in future life together. I hope that this is the start of our mini trips together and many more experiences and closeness to come in our marriage together.
I have posted many photos of our trip. I seemed to get a few photos out of order sorry. Enjoy!!

Beach photos

Our dinner out

Me taking self portrait

Our Friday dinner together

Coming home from our dinner out

My smashed homemade cheese cake(it sill was good in tummy)

The happy couple

I had to take picture of John and his remote control ahhh....

Pictures of walking on the beach

John our dinner out(we didn't eat the white bread)

Picture of my niece Rachael (3yrs old, only two month younger than Hannah)

My sister Lorrell

My church dress, also my ballroom dress

The master bathroom

Fancy Kitchen

Another beach photo from the view of our condo

Living room

Big screen TV and fire place

More off living room

Master bedroom

What's been happing around here

2008-04-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

Well, my life has been kind of crazy and my blogging has been put to a hold for awhile. So here is what's been happing here for about a month.

*I had been intently cleaning my house for our upcoming Holydays (which takes weeks). My life was so focused on getting it done that many things got put off.

* I had my best friend (Ginger) get married on April 11th and most of her close friends didn't even HAVE a clue she was having a long distance relationship going for awhile and then one day(Kevin) just packed all his things up from (Montana, where he lived) and drove straight here for her. Well, that surprise ended up them being engage a week later and married several weeks on from that. So, I planned a bachorlette evening for her so we could have time with her and NEWS on what all just HAPPENED. Mr. Bachelor (Kevin) could not be many hours away from her and HAD to drop her off the restaurant to see if it was an ok place for him to trust us with her. I almost got mad since he thought I would do something a line of craziness. Well, as she was telling us some other BIG news, she also mentioned that she is going to have a private wedding and ONLY immediate family was invited. I just sat there in my chair holding back sobs, for we have been child hood friends (since 3) and I felt hurt and had to hold it in. I didn't want to say anything since it was her wedding not mine and I didn't want to hurt my best friend. I HAD to accept it like it or not. Her sister planned a bridal shower the day before she got married and I had so hard of time seeing those "newly weds, who couldn’t be separated,” and on how much I have lost my connection to my friendship with her. It sure put me in depression for awhile.

*We finally had our Holydays and had to do potluck cooking/Sabbath cooking for many days in a row. We had several days of late nights and full days as church services. I performed two songs in our local Ensemble choir and was working on getting ready for our next performance.

* I have been doing pre-school as much as I can and Ashley has dance lessons on Thursday afternoons. Ashley is reading many books now and we are about ready to start two vowel words by the end of this summer. I have been planning out things that I need to order for school next year and what all classes I want her to be put in with "Home Source". I think I will be spending about $150 for the girls this year. Most of what I will purchase will be used with my other children too, so it is not all bad to think about it that way. We will be starting school in Aug. sometime officially for Kindergarten since I will have many things throughout the year that will be given days off. But our school work now is going fine and I will be going through summer with her reading.

* Last week a big tragedy happened with two of my chicks. I aloud my girls to be in the chicken coop (box) in our garage for a little and I went inside to do sometime and came back five minutes later to the door and called my children in. I went out to check on my chicks and I found two chicks in their dirt box dead. I immediately yelled at my children "what just happened" and yelled at them "you killed them" over and over with great sobs with hurtful feelings toward my children. For the first time in my life I fully lost control and I was red in the face and made them confess and sent them to bed. I called John, (in sobs) that our children just killed two of MY chicks (my pets) and one other chick is missing and couldn't get an answer out of the girls what they did with the other chick. I went all around in my garage thinking they shoved the chick in a box somewhere and was searching in rage for this chick. I had the garage door open for a few minutes and thought maybe it snuck out without me seeing it. So, I went searching all around our yard and neighbors yards and couldn't find it. I finally gave up and went in my girl’s room and asked them again what they did with the chick and both didn't answer and I just got up and said you just lost your dinner for the night and told them goodnight. I so needed a break from my children so *I* could calm myself down. I got the whole confession the next day on how they were holding the chicks and they more a less chocked them to death. We also, the next morning found the lost chick, which came out of hiding place back behind our washer/dryer all limping and looked cold. I picked her up and put her in the box with the other three chicks and turned on their heat lamp. As, I looked closer at this chick I saw that she wasn't able to move her head much and I wondered if her neck was somewhat broken. I don't really know how this one got injured but by several days past she was able to move her head more and eat properly. She is fully recovering now and can't tell she had this injury any more. The lesson I learned here is that, NEVER allow young children without supervision to hold anything that is fragile. My girls are BAND for even touching the chicks for quite some time now. I'm not sure when I can feel like I trust the girls again with the chicks. We all did our sorry’s the next day and many long talks of what they just did too. All is better, and I'm able to talk about it with much more ease and *LOVE* with my children now.

* Yesterday we worked all day on building the chicken coop. We finally got the outside fencing done and I can put them out during the day and bring them in at night since the building part is not finished and they have no inside cover. I have just temporally put a tarp tent in so they have a place to go when it is raining. I think they are quite enjoying their run and they have seemed to be more a challenge to collect for the night too.

*It is John and I anniversary (7yrs) tomorrow. We plan on going this weekend, for the first time since we have had our children, a getaway for the parents. We are going to the coast for two nights and driving up to Vancouver, Wash. to go to church there for our Sabbath, while our good friend (Rebecca) will stay at our house for those two days and also take the girls to church. I will tell more details more next week after we've gone.

That is pretty much the news you missed so far since my last update.

d so far since my last update.

Update on chicks

2008-04-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

Just thought to update on the photo's of our month old chicks. We are letting them go outside and roam when the weather is nice and spring like. They have grown very fast and is still growing like a weed. They like to fly to the top of their box and use it as there perch now. We are in the process on working on building their outside coop.

Roaming outside.....
Girls love to hold them still

Being chickens and scratching at everything

Finding yummy bugs to eat....

Ashley dance recital

2008-03-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

Ashley with her teacher

Two weeks ago Ashley had her very first dance recital for her Tap/Ballet class. This was a special occasion for the parents to see what their child was doing and of course we got plenty of photo's and video tape of it. We went and bought her a brand new outfit for her performance(she picked the outfit). As a mother, I felt very honored to see my precious little girl perform with great enthusiastic attitude. The teacher told us that she loves that she is not shy and will just pipe up to go first and has great spunk. As a mother who loves her daughter very much, thought to buy her some flowers for a treat at the end of her performance. She was dressed up for her class at the store and wanted to show everybody what she was wearing(a little conceded she is). She wanted everybody to see how beautiful she is. As we got to her class they had a 15 minute practice before performance and all the parents just stood outside the doors and waited for them tho be done. Hannah was very excited too, but she was wanting to perform too in her ballet outfit.
The performance was an hour long and we got to enjoy all the kids perform in this class. Ashley made friends in this class and she asked if we could sign her up again, and that is what we did. Her spring term class starts tomorrow. I have many pictures to share to you all.

Pretending to swim

After her performance pictures

Ashley being funny with her teacher

It's ballet time.....

Just being herself

What a ballerina you are

Ready to pose anytime

Dancing to their tap song

It's working now

2008-03-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

Just wanted you to now that anybody can make commits on my blog here now. Sorry, I didn't realize it was turn off to public users. So make comments.....If you please.

Chicks

2008-03-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

Our newest members of our family are adorable and quite MESSY! I wanted to raise chickens this year and have been longing for adventures of some farm life I can have in the city. I told John I really want to live on a farm and have goats, chickens, and some sheep, and horses. Maybe someday I will live on a land that I can farm on. You are allowed to have six hens in the city limits so I'm taking full advantage of me getting somewhat of a farm I can get. We got the chicks on Wednesday (after our field trip). I was told to get," White Horn Chickens ", for I wanted egg layers. They will produce more eggs more than other breeds. So, here we are with little chicks in our kitchen, in a card board box with a heat lamp on them. When we first got them they had no feathers to be seen and now their feathers have grown into almost to their backside. They are a week and half old now. They are also getting little stubs of feathers growing on their backsides for their tails. Yesterday, they started to jump up and flap their wings to get some air and I watch in amusement that they are growing so fast each day. John deided to experiment on what they will do with some dried up flower buds with a little stem on them and dropped it in the box. WOW!! They all of the sudden became a football show, watching them running with the flower buds while others are trying to take it away and tackle the other one. One would get it and others would tackle and grab it for themselves and it just went on tell the buds were all gone. We just laughed and wished we had this on video tape. It was so funny and the girls just laughed so hard that they were falling over with excitement. Our girls are constantly asking to hold the chicks, but of course we have already taken some days away from them to hold, as a punishment for not leaving them along in the box or treating them not nicely while holding them. It has been a constant battle for them to listen to me about the rules to having the chicks in the house.

I had one chicken when I was younger and I only had it for two weeks or less before it died. I think I should have gotten more since I think it wasn't kept warm correctly with help of other little bodies to huddle with. So, I get paranoid at night when all is quiet in the box and run to them checking if they are all breathing. They are like nursing babies and sleep all lot, and eat, and POOP all the time. I make sure I get them out at least twice a day to experience other things and mostly I am trying to tame them as my pets. I pet them on my lap and have them cuddle up with me and sleep away all cuddled up in my arms and hands. They have already becoming more laid back and wanting to be cuddled more with me. The girls are too bouncing and can't sit still real long so they can't get them calmed down to much yet on their laps. I will name them soon, if even I need to put food coloring on their back ends to know who is who at this age. We have plenty of wood to build a big size coop and they will have an inside building and an outside area for them to run around soon I hope. I have been taking plenty of pictures so far, so I will share some of them.

My girl night pizza party pictures of friends...you now who you are.

Huddled together in the hand of Christine

My time with them and working on taming them....also an intrigued cat

Pictures of the girls and the chicks

Upcoming Story of our new additions to family

2008-03-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned this Sunday....
I will be posting pictures of our new additions to our family," six baby chicks". This is the second half of our story happened on Wednesday.

Lambing barn

2008-03-12T20:19:00.000-07:00

Today we went to OSU lambing barn in Corvallis, which is 45 minutes away from Eugene. I organized a field trip through my homeschooling group (LaneCH). Half of the group canceled out so we had a smaller group than I thought. I had Julie Emmons come along with me and I'm glad that I invited her since I planned after going to the barn all the moms and kids would meet at Avery park.

http://www.ci.corvallis.or.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2636&Itemid=3448.

I was the only from the home school group to go there, and Julie came along with me and we had a wonderful time talking, in which I confirmed some news on a great friend of mine(Ginger).
We got to see many babies and a couple of live births. I was more interested in the whole watching than my kids. When they get older I think it will be more entertaining for them. They just wanted to pet the baby's and feed them. I took some photos of the birthing process and of some mommies and their baby's.

We got to see this baby lamb being born
1 minute old lamb

A hour old lamb and mommy still birthing the placenta

A poster of the birthing progress

A mommy and days old baby

Mommy and days old twin baby's

More pictures of older babies

A bouncing lamb on mommy

Just born twenty minutes ago

Snow Day

2008-02-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

Our snow cave we build (took hours to build, and use most of our snow too)

Ashley making snow angel

Little Hannah

Daddy pulling girls on sled

Daddy pulling Ashley down a little slop

Walking through Peterson Park

Snowboarding

2008-02-26T14:11:00.000-08:00

Ashley with her ski instructor

View from the top of Willamette Pass
My brother
My brother and me
Ashley in ski wee class
These are pictures from my snowboarding story of my other blog post.

My Second Blog

2008-02-26T12:45:00.000-08:00

Hi There!!

I am going to have two blogs set up. This blog I can put photos on my blogs since my other one isn't set up to do that. I will post on both sites for different things. So, this is my first post on this blog.