Its warming up here...

It is really warming up in Northern Indiana! We started out the week the temps in the single digits at night and below freezing during the day, and now it is 47! My daughter received an ice fishing for Christmas and has been itching to try it. Today they went back to the pond and one last go before the ice gets too thin. Aubrey and her dad have been fishing almost every night this week. They love it. Me? Not so much. I cant get the idea of the ice cracking while I am standing in the middle of the pond out of my mind. Today they caught 6 blue gill and we fried them up for dinner. The kids loved it!

Until it gets colder again, the ice is off limits. At least she got to use the pole right when she got it rather than waiting for it to get cold enough. Daddy/Daughter time is very precious and they love to spend it together hunting, fishing and hiking the farm. I couldn't ask for more than that!

Blessings!

Cybil

Loving my husband

Joe and I have been married for over 14 years.  I love him sooo much but as we all know we hurt those we love the most.  At the end of January we will have had our adopted son in our home for 1 year.  This has been a really tough year for our marriage.  So much adjustment and frustration.  This morning he came home from work and held me in his arms and told me how much he loved me.  I really needed that! With 5 kids, our relationship can get put on the back burner....or even out with the trash.  I never want to forget that Joe comes before the kids. Without him, there would be no them. He was first and needs to stay that way in our home.  We are heading off to our daughters basketball game tomorrow and hopefully will get lots of conversing done in the 3 hour van ride!

Blessings!

Cybil

Someone stole the Christmas tree!

Those were the exact words of my son when he woke up and found the tree gone from our living room. I had taken it along with all the other decorations after he had gone to bed on Sunday night. Call me scrooge, but when my tree goes up the week before Thanksgiving, I am ready to have my living room back!
Christmas went well this year and we all made it through, but I am tired and ready for spring. I am being tested for Mono, so we will see if maybe some of my aches and pains, tiredness and depression might be from that. sigh.

Blessings!

Cybil

Today my husband turns 40....

Today my husband of 15 years, turned 40. He is a wonderful guy with a heart for the Lord and he loves us all very much. I was kind of shocked when he confided that he was a little distrssed about the whole thing. REALLY??!! Forty is not a huge deal to me, of course I am only 35, so what do I know? He just kept thinking about when he was a boy and his dad turned 40 and how old that seemed. He also remembers the day we brought our oldest daughter home from the hospital 13 years ago and sees just how fast time is flying.
 No matter what he thinks, I still think he is very young at heart.

My 40 year old Joe!



Getting it all done....

I went to the elementary school today to deliver the gifts for the teachers, bus drivers, secretaries and principal. I also took in the kids exchange gifts and food supplies for their Christmas parties. This makes me excited because now I can see the top of my dinning room table!  My older girls took their gift to their bus driver only to see that there was a substitute. They were disapointed and asked the sub when Ron would be back only to find that he wouldn't be back until January. I understood. His wife died last year and its too painful to be at home during the holidays. We will save his gift. It got me to thinking about all of the people that view Christmas with heavy hearts just wishing the whole season didn't exist. Those who have lost loved ones, those who may be in foster homes or nursing homes or youth facilities or even prison. Lonely people and those who struggle finacially and Christmas is just a heavy burden for their pocketbooks. Christmas is not so merry for everyone. Let us all remember that the greatest gift you can give this season is love and the witness of Christ. After all, it is His birthday.

Blessings!

Cybil

4 out of 7 isn't too bad.....

The detestable stomach virus is making the rounds in our house. YUCK! It has hit 4 of the 7 of us. Aubrey on Saturday, me on Sunday, and two little boys today. Praying it has hit its limit. Cleaning up puke is right up there with shoveling chicken manure.

Blessings!

Cybil

Made noodles today....

Today was noodle day for the teachers. I like to give the elementary teachers Christmas gifts of appreciation for all their hard work. I have a cousin who was a teacher and she was telling me about the tons of lotion and candles that she would recieve from her students. I always try to think of something different and honestly its difficult to come up with new ideas. I made lots of noodles for the local farmers market this summer and they sold really well.  I decided to make up 12lbs of noodles ( teachers, bus drivers,  secretaries, principals), bought 16 oz. cans of chicken from our local butcher, made little bullion and spice pouches and will bag it all with a recipe for Chicken & Noodles. I hope they like it.

Blessings!

Cybil

Please DON"T share....

My #3 baby is sick! Not a head cold kinda sick, but the puke/diahrea kinda sick. UGH! Sooo praying that she dosent share it with the rest of the family......especially on Christmas break!
This is probably one of the only times I tell my kidos NOT to share. My poor baby looks like a drowned rat laying there on the couch. Could'nt even pull herself out of the shower, she was so weak. {Sigh} 

Blessings!

Cybil

Determination!

The washer is sitting on cement blocks
IN a kiddy pool. Leak away!

Determination is the word of the day when it comes to my washing machine. I have a Whirlpool Atlantis washer and dryer that we bought new 6 years ago. I came home a few weeks ago to water in my basement and couldn't figure out where it had come from. I dried up the water only to find it happening again. It usually happened when I would fill the washer and leave the house. Ironic. My honey finally found where the washer was leaking and it is going to be expensive to fix. I am frustrated because to me, 6 years is not old for a washer. (My mother has a Whirlpool that is 35 years old and still works, though she dosent use it on a daily basis) They dont make things the way they used to. I have figured out a way to continue to use the machine without getting it fixed until after the new year.  It is really hillbilly, but I dont know what else to do. I am determined not to buy a new machine.

God is good, I must add, because we have a friend who offered us their machine that works fine. I am going to have the honey hook up both machines and try tofind another dryer because of the amount of laundry that I do.  So thankful that I live in the 21st centure and am not complaining that my washboard is broke!

Blessings!

Cybil

Its all coming together...right?

So who is ready for Christmas? I soooo wish that could be me. My cards are sitting on the dinning room table partially finished, not a single gift or stocking stuffer wrapped, shopping....not finished with that either, and I have only 10 days left!

Just not in the mood.

I have been reading the Gospels and the different versions of Jesus birth. It has been just about the only part of the season that I have enjoyed this year.

Lord, help me to celebrate the birth of Your Son with great passion and energy!

Blessings!

Cybil

Inspection 101

Tomorrow is the day for our annual foster care license renewal house inspection. Kathleen will come and check our smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, child cabinet locks, the gun safe, etc., etc. Not what I call a good time. Last year (our first for this), I scrubbed the tar our of this house. It was immaculate and the kids were spit shiny! I had the house decorated for Christmas straight out of Martha Stewart Magazine.

She didn't even notice!

 Well this year I am relaxing and not exactly enjoying the inspection, but not stressing over it either. I know they wont give up a foster home because I forgot one of the light switch covers. I should take this approach to many other things in my life and see where it gets me! 

Blessings!

Cybil

Thanks Kidos!

I was so proud of my kids today that I must brag on them, just a bit. We had some snow in our area so school was cancelled today. It just happened to be on the same day that my mother and I had scheduled to make Christmas candy.  I knew that taking all five kids to moms would be counter productive, but I also hated to leave them home all day while their dad slept. (He works 3rd) The have stayed home by themselves tons, but for the whole day and keeping quiet enough so they dont wake dad is another story.

Not only did they not wake dad, but they knew we were up for home inspection for our foster home renewal licensing this week, so they cleaned the kitchen, living room, and kept the basement in good order. I was so happy when I got home and the house was more than just standing! Sigh! Now I can relax and sample a few of the treats I made today.

Blessings!

Cybil

I am trying....

Christmas this year has been very hard for me to get excited about. Its been such a tough year and a half for our family in so many ways that I am......tired, depressed, blah. 

My husband had 3 stints put in his heart

Becoming foster parents

A horrible adoption process

Daughter #1 blew out her knee and had to have surgery, bed rest, therapy, etc..

Finally closing the adoption and dealing with all of the judgement and misunderstanding 

My dad has no set diagnosis for the 2 tumors found in his head

Daughter #3 had an emergency appendectomymy

Dealing with my diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

The huge financial stress caused by all of the above.

The stress of bring a 4 (now 5) year old into our family.

I just feel so tired after all of this. I sound so winey! God has truly brought us through, and I am so thankful for it, but I am beat.

This attitude is way out of character for me. Usually I am  just as excited for Christmas as the kids, maybe more.  Maybe over time I will get my zest for life back, but for this season....I am tired.

I am so thankful that I have my family, friends and an amazing God who always comforts me when I need Him.

To God be the Glory!

TheToy Box

Today was the dreaded day for cleaning out the the Toy box and organizing all of the toys. YUCK! Usually I do this when the kids aren't home (duh!), but for some reason I decided to tackle it with their help. Below is the finished product.

I dont think I will actually have to buy as many Christmas gifts this year. The "newly found" toys are a big hit. I might have to do this before birthdays as well! What a great way to save money. My daughter is looking over my shoulder as I type this and has some serious objections.

Blessings to you and yours today!

Cybil

Traditions....

Today I went to my moms with the intention of making cookies and candy for Christmas gifts and treats to eat. Snow delay in the A.M. set us back 2 hours, so the candy will have to wait till monday.  Thats OK though, I dont mind spending another day at the parents. Actually I love going over there. They still live in the same house where I grew up. Even though it has been remodeled in some places, it still feels very comfortable and homey. One day, I hope to call it "my house" where I can invite my grandchildren over to make Christmas candy and cookies.

Way too long!

Have mercy it has been so long since I have posted. I daily read most of my favorite blogs, but cant seem to be able to post myself I often get frustrated about what I want to express or am too depressed to get it out.  These last 18 months have been the most stressful of my life and of our marriage.  The stress has resulted in early onset Rhumatoid Arthritis. I am hoping/praying that the Lord will free me from this when things settle down, which they are...slowly. While I may be 34, I feel like 60. This is both depressing and frustrating as I love to be active with my family. I may add it to my "interests" and see if there are others who might have a similar situation. It could only help. I am currently on a heavy perscription to helpwith the swelling and pain, but would love to find another alternative.

Anyway, God is good and I will try my best to see the blessing in this.

Blessings!

Cybil

My absolute Best?

Colosians 3:23-24 (NIV)
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will recieve an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

This verse has been a struggle for me lately.  Well, I should say that it is popping into my mind on a regular basis. The Lord might just be trying to tell me something.  Imagine what might happen if I listened?

My home, marriage, children, schedule, my body, relationships, and even my walk with Christ can all get pushed aside  in the daily grind of life.  So exhausting!  I wish I had the energy to keep it all in perspective without the Lord reminding me of my shortcomings.

Honestly, I would rather do few things better, than all of the things poorly. Isn't that a goal that we all strive for? Or is it just me? Maybe others can do it all with great success..I just know that I am not in that category.  I need to remember that there is a season for everything and that some "items" on the list might just have to wait until a later date.

Lord, give me perspective and desire.......

Blessings!

Cybil

Today was the day! God is good! I feel so free now that this is over. We are not looking over our shoulders any more. He is ours and we are his. Thanks be to the Lord! 

This Day

Today is the day! We go to court in about 2 hours to finalize the adoption of our son, Cody. I am really nervous and excited and relieved at the same time! Its been such a long and painful haul. God is good and He will guide and protect us this day!

Blessings!

Cybil

Home Sweet Home!!!

Well we are home from our long weekend away camping. Our house always seems so big after a few days in the camper.  We love to camp and deffinately dont get to go as often as we want.  The weather was perfect! Jeans and sweatshirts the whole time! We are hoping that next weekend is the same as we are going camping again. I try to make it easy by having the camper always ready to go.  I have a fully stocked kitchen full of utencils, pots and pans, and small appliances that never leave the camper.  I do the same with dish towels and bath towels except that I wash those and return them right away so its always ready. I am currently working on getting enough blankets and pillows so that those dont have to be hauled back and forth as well.  We are thinking about getting a place at a campground that is about a half hour away and leaving it there for the whole season next year.  It would be our "summer place" LOL!! We would be able to get away more often when things are already there and waiting.  We'll see yet.  I know the kids would love it. I think I would like it too. 
My son had a great time as he won the 13 and under fishing derby! He caught a 10.5 inch bass as well as the top prize money of $38.  My daughter, Aubrey, had the lead for quite a while, but he caught a larger one.  The bitter sweetness of the whole thing was that He caught the winning fish with Her pole! Ouch! A good lesson learned for sure!

Blessings!

Cybil

13 Days and counting....

Thirteen days and counting before we head off to court for the adoption finalization! I had to go and see the caseworker today and look through our sons 5 inch thick file. Yuck! I was especially sickened by the letter that my husband and I personally recieved from the family and the letter that was specifically written for Cody from his family.  They must assume that I know nothing about what they did to him and how they treated him because the letter spoke of unselfish love and a desire to do the right thing. Its all a lie meant to make themseves look and feel better.  So irritating........ but alas, I cannot tell them how I feel the next time I see them at WalMart (which seems to be all the time) because then they will see the hypocricy flowing through my viens. How will I invite the sad lot to church after I have told them what I really think of them? I am hoping that after prayer and forgiveness I might actually one day be able to make that invitation......God knows. Cody and I were in the camper today getting it ready to head out for the weekend and he asked it had a basement! So cute and sweet!

Blessings to all!

GOOD NEWS!!!!

2008 w/ Madison at her 5th grade Graduation!

God is so good, He's so good to me! About a year ago my 38 year old, physically fit husband had to have 3 stents put into his heart. God was so good to us and walked us through a very scary process! For Joe, its genetic and really cant be reversed by lifestyle change, although we are trying to keep it from getting worse by watching what we eat and getting plenty of exercise, etc. Today was his one year check up and the Dr. was thrilled with his blood work results and said everything looked and sounded really great! THANK YOU JESUS!!! I need that man so much more than I realize and God knows this.

Perfect Peace

Before Surgery

Today was one of those days when, in the evening, you look back and shake your head in wonder. I recieved a call from the school at 10:30 that Aubrey (9) was having pain in her side that was making her cry.  She had said her side hurt when she got up, but I told her to go to the bathroom and get dressed for school. In other words: suck it up, your going  to school sweetheart! I got to the school and saw that she was in deffinate pain as she could'nt even stand up straight. I called the Dr, who was no in, but the nurse was skeptical because there was no vomiting or fever. Mothers intuition, better yet, the Lords prompting took me to the ER where it was confirmed that Aubrey had appendicitis. An hour later she was in surgery and I was in the waiting room eating Arbys that my husband was so sweet to get for me.  I felt no worry or anxiety which is shocking.  God was in control and I knew it.  What a peaceful day even though it was completely unexpected.

Reality Check!

I detest it when God shows me things in my life that need to be "checked". Initially it is very painful and then very humbling or even shameful.  I am not one that naturally loves critisim or being shown that I am wrong. I haven't actually met anyone who fits that personality type, but I do know those who handle it with much more grace then I do. Maybe I will ask them how that comes about....maybe not. Anyway, today I had my two older girls try on all of the jeans in their closet after we had a terrible morning before school. (my 6th grader assumed that last years jeans would fit and when I told her to lay out her clothes for school the night before, she didn't try them on...bad morning) After finding that only 1/3 of the jeans still fit, I decided that we would go for a walk to work off the pot roast supper and to help the girls get back into a healthy mind set. They are both a very health weight for their age and normally extremely active and athletic, but have gotten a little lazy in the last month with school starting. So, off we went on one of the wooded trails at the park and boy was I bookin it. I wanted to see them pant and beg for mercy. TREE ROOT!!!!! I tripped and went sprawling on the ground and boy did it hurt! CHECK! The girls stood over me looking at me like I had lost my marbles. It took both of them to help me to my feet. I was so pathetic. God showed me painfully that I wasn't listening. He showed me that my girls are just fine and dont need me badgering them about clothes that dont fit and getting enough exercise. For crying out loud, basketball season starts next month! Sometimes I get on a kick and just wont listen to reason....... thank you Lord for the tree roots in my life, painful as they are. Tomorrow morning they will be even more painful! 

Crazy Busy Days

My days are so busy the minute the first two kids get off the bus in the afternoon. They both want to tell me about their days and what the evenings homework is, who said what, what happened in gym class, etc... An hour later the second half of the kids will come home and we do the same thing all over again.  So many book bags to go through, papers to read and sign, and dates to write on the calandar for upcoming fieldtrips the I "have" to go on.......sigh. I love being a mom, but I do wish that this time of the day were a little more organized. In 15 years when my youngest has graduated, I will wonder at what boring afternoons I have.

Today I went out to my dads house to watch an Amish crew pour the new concrete floor in the shop. I wished that I could have taken Ethan out of school for the morning so he could have watched the four cement trucks and the crew hard at work.  I regret now that I didn't, he is such a grandpa's boy and whats a few hours of school compared to the memory of helping build grandpa's new shop.

We have 21 days left until we have to be in court for the adoption of our fifth child. A son brought to us through the foster system.  We are licensed foster parents who recieved this child on Jan 27th of this year.  We already had 4 children and were content with that.  God layed on our hearts the desire to take this child in as one of ours when we were not expecting it. It has been one of the most difficult journeys our family has ever been through, but God prevailed and we are blessed. 21 days....

Heading off to meet the new teachers for this year at the elementary open house. Should be a good time. The kids always love to show off their desks and lockers.  I always love to show off my kids! :) 

Greetings to All!

Today Is my first blog on my new site.  It is exciting to be able to journal and express myself in a way that can be repied to with encouragement, questions or even criticism. My days are so busy with all of my daily duties with the house, the kids, my husband, and all of the other obligations that consume my time.  I am looking forward to this time in the evening when I can reflect on the day and think about how I can be a better mom, wife, friend and above all, child of God. That last one can be a real kicker some days! With that said, I am going to jump in with both feet first and with eyes wide open! Looking forward to it!