Yesterday

Was Adam's 15th birthday.

We planned to surprise Adam with a bike but it didn't happen. Jessica and I had invented an errand we needed Adam to go on. Then we were going to just happen to stop at Walmart and surprise him by letting him pick ten speed. But he was in a stubborn mood and wouldn't do something he needed to do. I didn't tell him that plan was to get him a bike because I wanted him to willing do what he needed to do just because it was the right thing to do. So yesterday we gave him the money and told him we'd get the bike later. Amazing, what he needed to do got done almost immediately. I am picking him up after school to go look at bikes.

Jessica knows that Adam is a typical teen boy--which means always ready to eat!

Adam also got some clothes and DVDs.

Jessica and I had a drama showcase to attend. The boys stayed home and played Wii.

Taco Soup, Purpose Driven Life and Acts of Kindness

Okay, first, did anyone watch the short Who Dunnit video I posted yesterday? Were you all expecting it to ask you to figure out who did it? I was. And I only saw about five of the changes and really, I thought I was just going goofy. I'd make a terrible detective although I do enjoy watching Murder She Wrote on DVD and have recently discovered Diagnosis Murder on DVD. I hadn't watched that one before.


Yesterday I browned ground beef and then early this morning I put the ground beef, tomato juice, tomato sauce, kidney beans, black beans,corn and taco seasoning in the crock pot and let it simmer until lunch. We ate it with shredded cheese, tostidoes and sour cream.






We read Purpose Driven Life chpater 38 and had ice cream. Hmmm. I wonder how much weight I've gained from our Purpose Driven times? We have two chapters to go and then take a mommy-written final. Those passing will go to Chilis for lunch. No one has to take it. And if they don't want to take it but still want to go, they can just pay for their own lunch.





I'm proud of my kids for their acts of kindness. Jasmine sings to certain people at church which brings a smile to their faces. Jessica, along with her Sunday School class, collected several black trash bags full of coats for coats for kids right before Christmas. Both Tyler and Jessica went to one of the less fortunate public schools with their Explorers group. They were each paired with a first grader. They asked the child what they wanted for Christmas then bought him/her a gift. Ty and Jessi both invested a chunk of their own money to buy the gifts.


Tyler rides home from church in a van with some others. One man is in his late 50's and is paralyzed and living in a nursing home. He hasn't been to church in a few weeks due to the weather. This week Tyler went to Walmart and bought a chicken for the man and took it to the nursing home and visited with him. Tyler was getting ready to ride his bike to the store and the nursing home which is many miles but, like everywhere else, we have had pretty cold weather this week so I took Tyler and then picked him back up.


I love it when the kids show their compassion both verbally and also with acts of kindness.

Who Dunnit??

This is really short. Watch it all the way through.

Thank You!

We have been friends since we were 12!

















I also have money I received today that I have to spend : )

Happy Birthday

to me.


I'm the little one.


Jessica put something in the fridge last night and I peeked after she left for school this morning : ) Yum!!

Happy Three Kings Day

I'm not going to explain the holiday again but you can read last year's post here.


Jessica made Jasmine a hat and scarf in sewing class. Obviously they do more than just sew. She is working on a latch hook rug right now.

Shoes out for Three Kings' Day. More about this on last year's post.

Jessica reads about the Magi from Matthew 2.




Jasmine having monkey bread. I don't make a traditional Three King's Cake--this is it.





Adam with the Monkey Bread. Ty wasn't up yet. He doesn't start back to college until tomorrow and he waits until the others leave to get up.




Jessica brought the left over popcorn home from the theater. She hates to see them throw it all out. What we don't eat the goats will get.

I mentioned a while back that we had done the classes to recertify foster care and were given local approval to do respite care. However, Tallahassee says they must get our GA records before we are approved. They have contacted GA every week starting Sept 9 and GA is being totally uncooperative. So, as of yet we are not certified and it looks like we won't be because GA won't send them and Tallahassee won't accept us without. It really makes me angry when I see all these ads about needing foster parents and we finished our classes in early August.

Slow Time

We had a really slow week last week. The older two worked a lot of hours so it was too quiet around here. I also had a fever most of the week and Jasmine did for a couple of days too. She did go to see Where the Wilds Things Are. She loved it. Rick took her and wasn't quite as thrilled.



We didn't have church Wed evening so went to the 75 cent skate.







Adam and Jasmine made cookies.

Today the younger three went back to school. Tyler doesn't return until Thursday (my birthday).

Jasmine started back to gymnastics and dance today.










I drove Tyler to the college bookstore to get his books. He got off easy this semester--$290. Last semester was over $400.