Color With Your Child

My children love to draw and color. I keep a ready supply of paper, pencils, and crayons in a box under our bench in the dining room along with paper nearby. This way, when the inclination hits, they can grab a piece of paper as well as a drawing medium, and go at it.

Rachel drew this photo of a fairy in fairyland, and I helped her color it! We had so much fun. If you want to spend some good, quality time with your child, try coloring or drawing with him/her. It doesn't have to be Picasso-like, just some stick figures if it pleases you. They just enjoy having you close by and doing something with them. And to tell you the truth, it is a lot of fun!



The kids have been telling me that my tummy is getting HUGE, so here is the obligatory pregnant momma photo:

It doesn't do the size of my tummy justice, because trust me, it *is* getting HUGE! I think after having so many children, things just "fall out" a bit sooner (grin). Oh, well, I shall just choose to enjoy the blessing of carrying this little one. Oh, and by the way, we shall have our ultrasound on December 4th! This way, we will get to know this precious one even better. Any dibs on whether we will have a boy or a girl?

Blessings,

Camy

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Big Waters!

My husband's grandfather turned 96 the other day, and we were blessed to be able to spend it with him, his wife, Aunt Cathy, Cousin Kelly, and Cousin Riley.

Our children refer to Grandpa as "Grandpa 'Big Waters" due to the fact that Grandpa and Grandma used to reside along the shores of the "big waters" of Lake Michigan. Grandma is known as "Grandma 'Big Waters."

The funniest moment occurred when Aunt Cathy took a photo of Grandma and Grandpa together. She asked Grandpa to smile. It took him a little work, but suddenly his face burst out with the most delightful smile. We all broke out into joyous laughter at the sight of Grandpa displaying a smile that took him a bit of work.

It is comforting to know that Grandpa and Grandma Big Waters are able to be together in a nice, assisted-living environment. We are also amazed to observe Cousin Kelly help attend to their needs. She always seems to know just what they want...sometimes even before they ask. Kelly is an example of a dear heart who cares deeply and with much love. We can visibly see Grandma's delight at having Kelly there.

If we could all do this for one another, especially for those who really need the help, not only would those being served be blessed, but those who do the serving as well. There is something about caring and serving others. Jesus said if we held onto our lives, we would lose them; yet if we let go of our lives (an example would be service to others) for His sake, we would keep them.

I like that so much. I pray for a servant's heart and that my children would also desire to serve others as well.

When we visit Grandma and Grandpa Big Waters, it is evident that they and the other residents at the assisted-living home, depend on others for daily care, comfort, and survival. It is very humbling for me to be there, witnessing personnel feeding, wiping mouths, and aiding the old and infirmed human beings who live there. I never leave without having something to pray or think about.

Caught On Camera

In the above photos, I am scolding someone...but whom? As you can see, Sam is around the corner looking like he wants to do something shocking. It is likely that I am saying, "Sam, you better watch your back, mister."

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! We'd love to hear your comments. Click HERE to do so.

Blessings,

Camy

The Fall Round-Up

Here the hungry boys pose patiently, waiting to eat these freshly, baked oatmeal muffins. As you can see, Sam (in hat) is rarely without his "gun", which is actually part of one of our dining room chairs (?????)...LOL!

R.I.P, dear aloe vera plant. You once flourished in our home and added comfort and relief to burned and irritated skin. You brightened the living room with your greenliness. Now, you are but a victim of a heinous plant-beating crime.

Greyson holds the weapon used in the plant-beating crime. It is confiscated as evidence "exhibit A."

The guilty perpetrator confesses after a bit of questionning (wink).
This is what you do A LOT when you live and strive to survive with 6 brothers. And as you can see by Rachel's smile, it's kind of fun sometimes (grin).

John, with his weapon at-the-ready.

Frolicking in the leaves.

Noah, #6, ready to lay a hit on somebody.

Malcom getting into position.

The victorious Pop Warner Peewees Greyson and Elijah.

We had to take this picture to show Sam trying to fit his enormous head into a too-small-for-him football helmet.

Things are slowing down a bit here. We are all catching our breaths before it gets busy again.

Take care and say "hi" by leaving us a comment HERE.

Thanks!

Camy

We're now in the homestretch of football season. One more game!


At this point, our whole family is exhausted....even the football players themselves. We are thankful for an upcoming, short break. We are contemplating winter sports at this time with the boys.


For your listening pleasure, I have added a playlist of some of my favorite music (see sidebar). Perhaps you can take a listen as you read the blog entries!


I love these chorus lyrics by Mark Schultz in "He Will Carry Me"


Even though I'm walking through the valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him whose love will comfort me
And when all hope is gone and I've been wounded in the battle
He is all the strength that I will ever need
He will carry me....




You will see that my playlist is full of songs that encourage during the struggles of life. These songs really lift my spirit, and I hope you will find them a blessing as well.

This week we are trying to clean and organize (after all the chaotic activity during football season). Shoes are our biggest project right now. We have 3 large laundry baskets full of shoes! LOL! They are a blessing, but we need to weed out some of them. We only have 18 feet in our house to put shoes on (grin).

Have a blessed and wonderful day!

(p.s. We got to hear our baby's heartbeat! Rachel and Sam accompanied me and got to hear it as well. At the same appointment, my blood was taken, which Greyson and Elijah were thrilled observers of the process...quite a homeschooling fieldtrip, eh?)

Can't wait to hear your comments...click HERE to say "hey."

Never A Dull Moment

We sure stayed heavily occupied last week, as you can tell by the absence of blog entries.

Our family has a new addition. Meet "Kit", Rachel's new American Girl doll, courtesy of her Grandpa and Granna.

The addition of this doll to our household has created quite a stir. The boys are somewhat stupefied by this feminine creature. It would be their delight to kidnap Kit and rearrange her anatomy. However, their mother has strongly cautioned them against such a feat....as well as listed the possible consequences of such an event.

Needless to say, Ms. Rachel is so delighted with her new "sister", her reference to Kit. So sweet! Can you believe that we put away her dolls a few months ago after Rachel announced her new, profound interest in science? She still loves science, but she's not ready to put Kit into that stored-away doll box.

Here are a few other happenings at our house this October:

This is one of the myriad of Lego creations by Greyson and Elijah featuring the Indiana Jones theme. They've been hard at work building and taking photos of their masterpieces.

Did you ever make leaf paths when you were a kid? I remember making leaf houses on the playground in elementary school as a child. Here is a "leaf labrynth" (as Greyson has labeled it) in our front yard. Greyson worked hard raking and organizing this pathway, much to the delight of the younger children! They played for a few hours, running and finding their way around the winding maze. Greyson timed them as they navigated, which caused competition, which in-turn caused dissention, which led to arguing, tears, blah, blah, blah (grin).

Rachel is holding a plate of her bread creations, fit with sprinkles!

Still more bread....if we're lucky, this will last us 2 days.

As you can see, there is never a dull moment in our home, and we thank God for that.

Hope you and yours are enjoying October!

Send us your comments HERE...we sure love hearing from you!

Blessings,

Camy

My Haven and Place of Rest

This is my kitchen sink, my haven from the world. My place of prayer, solace, tears, laughter, rejoicing, sadness, brainstorming, ....you name it. It is clean right now, for the first time in weeks. I have been tired and pregnant-nauseous, which often inhibits my ability to tidy and keep the sink area clean and clutter free.

I love my 70's vintage orange formica countertop! Not only does it hide a lot of warts, but the yellow tones in the orange tend to brighten my mood a bit.

I love to put a few drops of lemon essential oil in my dishwater. The scent both relaxes and rejuvenates me at the same time, not to mention that it cuts grease. There are also two, small oil-burners for simmering various essential oils. These help to tone down cooking odors and cheer the air.

I like to put up reminders in this place of habit. To my right, I have an afternoon list, a verse, and a postcard from a dear friend with a suffering sister. Since I spend long hours at this spot, it is helpful for me post items that I want to keep in mind.
On the left side of the sink, I have poster that reminds me to be thankful for freedom of religion in this country. These are dear souls who have either been jailed or killed for their Christian faith in Sharia law countries. When I feel downhearted, a glimpse of this poster tells me that many of my worries are so minor....



I have learned to love the times spent at my kitchen sink, my haven and place of "rest." Getting lost in my thoughts, as well in piles and piles of dishes each day is what I do here.



Blessings to you this day.



Thanks so much for your comments. You can leave them HERE



~Camy

Pancake Sunday

On Sunday it is always my aim to cook up a pancake breakfast. Well, it does not always happen for various reasons, yet today it did. We wanted to share our breakfast with you all. (Oh, and by the way, the recipes will follow this entry)

Noah is not entering an "all-you-can-eat" pancake breakfast. This is meant for our family (grin). Thankfully, Noah has extremely strong biceps....despite that fact, however, he still struggles to hold the immense towers of pancakes steadily on the tray. (not to mention that he is a bit clumsy sometimes as well :o).

Here are Dad's special order banana pancakes (the ones I cook lastly because they really mess up the grill). We must keep the Dad happy and banana pancakes will do the trick (smile).

Elijah holds up his gluten-free special order. (Elijah, your shirt is on backwards)

Some of the children are literally fainting from hunger (ahem!) as Mom annoys them with another photo. (John, get a shirt on, would ya please??)

After all the hard work of carrying and transporting literal piles of pancakes from the kitchen to the table, Noah is rewarded with a giant stack of peanut butter & syrup covered hotcakes. Yes, he ate every last drop.

Everyone went away from the table satisfied...at least for a few minutes anyway.

Here are the recipes:

Basic Wholegrain Pancakes (adapted from the La Leche League cookbook) We quadruple this recipe to suit our family's desire for massive amounts of food.

2 cups milk (or other nondairy liquid)

1-3 eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups flour (we use freshly-ground whole wheat)

1/4 cup honey or other sweetener, optional

1/4 cup oil, optional

Combine liquid ingredients, sweetener, & oil. Combine well. Mix separately the dry ingredients, stir well to combine. Add dry ingredients to the wet. Stir until lumps are almost gone. Cook on a hot skillet or griddle.

Elijah's Custom Gluten-Free Pancakes

Stir the following together:

3/4 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup potato starch

1 tablespoon guar gum or xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

Stir the following together in a separate bowl:

1 cup of water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 egg

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Combine the wet and dry ingredients above together. Stir well until batter reaches thick consistency. Batter is a bit thick. Drop onto greased hot griddle or skillet, cooking about 3 minutes per side, turning twice. Each side should cook 2 times. Serve!

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Camy

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