Narrow Path

new skirt pattern

2010-02-28T16:52:00.000-08:00

love this skirt pattern and she's giving away the quilt next to it!!!!!
http://lilatuellerdesigns.blogspot.com/

Quilting

2009-08-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

So my quilting class was a success and here is the finished product!

Ahh...the familar smell of pencil lead

2009-08-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry so long since a new post...but my hands have been covered in poop and throw-up for awhile now. We survived the 11 day pandemic that hit mi casa, and it wasn't all that bad because I had a lot of cuddly couch time w/ the younglings and more importantly lost 1 whole pound! That's right folks, it takes a pandemic for my body to drop a pound...or exercise, but I'd rather throw-up!
So back to the fresh smell of pencil lead...the other thing the sickies provided me with is a chance to sit down, sharpen the pencil and do some serious school planning. If you hate planning go to http://thepioneerwoman.com/ and you will find a dear friend. A friend of mine lead me to her blog and it is worth a glance...she also loves to give things away, worth 2 or 3 glances!
So, back to planning. I have about 3, 3ft high piles of books and such that I have been thumbing through like a mad woman, jotting down this and that, why, when, and how for days now. The entire time resembling some kind of mad scientist on the virge of a gigantic, world saving breakthrough, but no, just little ol' me planning out the days of my 5 kiddos for the next 9 weeks.
Pencil lead breaks and then you have to get up, out of the comfortable (right leg under the buttocks) position and sharpen it. After the 3rd step or so you realize that comfortable position #1 has left you with a lame right leg and you are going to hit the ground hard or grab on to something really quick. I chose the high road and grabbed the chair, didn't let out a peep but must have looked rather awkward. I heard, "You ok mama?" from my 4 yr old, hormonal mess of a daughter. Yes, my four yr old acts as though she were 13, gets angry at toothbrushes, Santa Clause, McDonald's and cries more than I do... for the love of God, just make her stop! That's been said a few times, but not by her loving mom, of course. I gently lead her into the path of righteousness, which happens to be my bathroom. Ok, I say it under my breath while leading her down the path.
But the pencil issue...so I went out and bought the mechanical pencils and thought, problem solved. I used it, it worked. Something was missing and I couldn't put my finger on it right away. Then it hit me, (Oprah calls these "ah ha moments" I think they are just normal everyday occurrences for women whose children have kept her up all night for 9 yrs straight and her brain is in a constant fog of floating thoughts and misplaced to do, to buy, to call lists) it's the smell of pencil lead. You know the smell...your entire elementary school smelled like that combined with nasty lunchroom aromas every morning. I loved that smell, disliked school, but loved that smell. They should make a candle and name it Schoolroom...I would faithfully burn it every morning.
So, I had no other options...it was back to the good ol' NO. 2 and comfortable position #1. I wised up and added a cup of Starbucks w/ coconut white chocolate creamer to the mix. It was lovely.

A fabulous line...

2009-06-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

check out this fab line for little ones...you'll love the design.

http://rebekahmerkle1.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-post.html?showComment=1245781757308#c1774886560690855078

Happy to be Home

2009-04-04T05:51:00.000-07:00

Little B signing Daddy
Laughing at Mommy

Clapping for himself! We are so thankful to have him back home. He is such a joy.

New Sewing Projects

2009-04-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

A diaper bag for a friend

A purse for me :)

Our own little Washington

2009-03-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

Tanner has been taking a writing class at our co-op. At the end of the term the children have to pick a famous American and write an essay about them. After perfecting the essay they dress accordingly and recite the essay in our "Faces of History "program. He was very nervous, but did an excellent job. Mom and Dad were very proud.

Here he is with his wife, Martha. :)

This is his good friend Ben Franklin.

Fun In The Snow

2009-03-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, it did snow in the South! We had an offical snow day, just so my kids could say that they had snow days! Our days of fun was complete with storage container lids for sleds, socks for mittens, and three layers of pajama pants for warmth! Enjoy the pics!
Bayleigh taking a snack break!

Oh so pretty!

Catching Up

2009-03-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

The past few months have been rather busy for the Costner Family. We have grown in number and in thankfulness!

In January little guy arrived and changed our world around. He has many medical needs and a full time nurse that accompanies him. We have been inspired by his consistent smiles and love for life and amazed at his ability to endure the worst of things. Born with his liver and intestines outside of his body, partially deaf and blind, unable to crawl or walk, on oxygen and with a trach, liquid feedings through a g-tube in his tummy, and unable to talk or cry...but little guy is full of smiles, kisses, hugs, and claps. In just a few short days of arriving he learned sign language for mommy and daddy and started to make up his own. He loves the kids and they are amazed by him. He just melted our hearts with his silent laughter and silent tears. I will never forget the first time I heard him cry, it reminded me of the day my boys were born, Chris and I both cried with joy for him. In Feb he ended up in the hospital with a blockage in his intestine. They removed a portion of it and put all of his parts back inside his body. This was rather complicated and he ended up back in the OR for another round of fixing the tummy. This time it worked, but he has had a hard time adjusting to all of this and is on a ventilator to help him breathe. This past week he has made huge progress and will be coming home soon. Here are some pics for everyone.

Spike

2009-02-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

About a month ago we awoke to my 9 yr old crying and saying that his cockatiel Gomez was sleeping on the floor of his cage...presumably dead. He was and so we buried him with much remorse and regret. You never really appreciate your pets until they are gone, and we sure did miss Gomez's constant chatter and song.

While I was detained, Daddy took the crew on a little shopping trip to the pet store and came home with this little guy...a Chinese Water Dragon. His name is spike and he is loved by all, even mom. I love him because he is not a snake! :) Here are some pics of Spike.

Pics and Pumpkins

2008-11-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

My camera is semi-functional now....but here are some fun pics of the kiddos.

The Sunset Quilt

2008-10-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

This is my most recent creation for a dear friend of mine, in celebration of their new son. It is my first landscape of the local Blueridge Mts with the sun setting behind.

Contentment

2008-10-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

For care is to the mind as a burden to the back; it loads the spirits, and, with overloading, sinks them.

Thomas Watson

Amoretti: And the moment we've all been waiting for . . .

2008-10-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

Amoretti: And the moment we've all been waiting for . . .

Quotes and such

2008-10-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

"A plump wife and a big barn never did any man harm." (*personal favorite*)
"Eat yourself full of what we got."
"Kissin wears out, cookin don't." (so not true)
"Make with a smile for once."
"Some folks are wonderful nice."
"Look for the Orange milk cans at the Entrance."

Taken from the Amish Homestead Cookbook

Tanner's Pen

2008-10-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Travel To The New World
By Tanner Costner
Oct. 2008

In 1620 the anxious pilgrims, who sought freedom, decided
to journey to the New World. They sailed on a scanty ship named
the Mayflower. During the trip, a perilous storm sprang up,
causing strong gusts of wind and whirling waves. Fearfully, the
pilgrims took shelter below the gun deck. They crowded
together as they watched the chilly seawater seep through the
cracks of the wretched ship. The drenched and freezing pilgrims
were frightened as they listened to the booming thunder. They
prayed for mercy.

Goodman John Howland, who was tired of being cooped up
below deck, foolishly progressed towards the upper deck.
Instantly, a humongous wave tossed the battered Mayflower,
sending Goodman into the freezing water. As he fell, he grabbed
onto a rough rope. He was transfixed.
Luckily, sailors observed Goodman fall overboard. The
cunning sailors, who took action, pulled him in with a huge hook.
He was thankful be safe on the boat. He thanked the gallant sailors
and slowly walked below deck. Meanwhile, the faithful pilgrims
prayed for his safety. Goodman was safe. The journey to the New
World was difficult.

Tanner's Pen, the writings of an 8 yr old boy

2008-10-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

The English Settlement
by Tanner

In 1607, a troop of English men successfully sailed to the New World. They landed in Virginia and named it Jamestown, after their king. In Virginia, the land was a swampy wilderness. The settlers, who struggled for survival, grew weak because they did not want to work. Sadly, over half of the starving settlers died.

The settlers, who were inadequate, would not have survived without the cunning Captain John Smith. John Smith kept peace with the agreeable Indians and traded goods for food. Cleverly, John Smith devised a rule...No work, no food. He saved the settlement.

The settlers did not collect gold, but gathered useful tobacco. They grew the tobacco and sold it to England. Jamestown Virginia, the first English settlement, is still a city today.

Amoretti: And another fortnight gone!

2008-09-26T20:48:00.001-07:00

Amoretti: And another fortnight gone!

A New Year In Classical Education

2008-09-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

It has been quite sometime since my last post on Homeschooling, so I thought I would write a little about what we are doing for school this year. It's rather exciting, in a scary sort of way! :)

This year we are starting something new. We enrolled the kids in Classical Conversations, which is a rigorous, classical, co-op that meets one day a week. To make it more plain, it is like sending your children to a private classical academy one day a week.

The kiddos are doing enormous amounts of memorization this year and doing student presentations in front of their class every two weeks. Tanner is in an English Grammar class that is akin to taking steroids, and a writing course that is, how shall I say it, a form of sanctification for mom?! Tanner and Dawson are beefing up their math studies this year with Logos' Classical Math series and Gena is enjoying learning Phonics with the Phonics Museum. Bayleigh has mastered the art of innocent interference and seems to be just as quick to learn her states and capitals as the others.

I am always amazed at how quickly the children soak up facts and hunger for more. They are simply knowledge vacuums right now.

Nothing like a good give-a-way!

2008-09-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

Ladies, some of you have never heard of the skirty, but it is this ingenious invention enabling little tree-climbing girls(like mine) to frolic modestly. And best of all Amoretti Designs is giving away a pair! Along with some salt! To check it out go here: http://rebekahmerkle.blogspot.com/2008/09/and-another-one.html

Enjoy,

Karla

A New Place

2008-09-13T17:22:00.000-07:00

We are settled in now and enjoying our new home. The kids are able to run the property with the dogs, go fishing, wade in the stream, ride their bikes on the long driveway, and sit on Grandpa's swing on our front porch.

We are home.

And Chris is really enjoying moving the grass!

The Pooh Quilt

2008-07-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

Our camera suddenly decided to stop working, so this is the only picture I have of my last quilt. This was made for a friend, at church, in celebration of her son. Several of the expectant moms are placing orders now, who knew!

Patchwork Project

2008-04-26T17:45:00.001-07:00

I have been working on this primitive patchwork, meaning nothing is measured :) for a couple months now. This will be a shower gift for a friend of mine. (Hopefully she won't look at my blog!) Her little girl is named Tovia. I am looking for the perfect fabric to finish out the back, and added some embroidery work this week. This definitely will not be my one and only patchwork...I'm having to way much fun with it!

The Apron Skirt

2008-04-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

Found this on Etsy...just love how you can take a vintage table cloth and a doilie and turn it into a skirt!

(You'll have to excuse the boobies!)

you can find this here

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11289368

And the girls version too!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11291867

Maybe I will head out to some second hand shops this weekend!

Beauty School Drop Out

2008-04-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

It's official...

Bayleigh has dropped out of Beauty School after an unfortunate accident with her blunt training sheers. Who knows what will become of her hair in the future!

Everyone is writing a book

2008-04-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.
—Cicero

Paperback Swap

2008-03-12T13:28:00.001-07:00

This is such a great way to get rid of books and get some on your to be read list. You simply list your books, then mail them to the swap member and get credit to choose any book that you want. You get two free books for joining and it costs nothing to be a member! Free books!!!!!
I have sold and recieved 6 books, they came in like new condition and very quick ship....much better than ebay!
Here is the link!
Enjoy!
http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php?r_by=ccostner4@yahoo.com

New Home

2008-02-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

More pics to come! :)

Burying Talents and a little ranting!

2008-02-16T07:42:00.000-08:00

Can a talent really be wasted in the Kingdom of God? Is putting the talents, bestowed to us by God, to use in our homes as wives and mothers akin to burying them in the sand?
I don't think so...and as Proverbs 31 points out, the talents given to her centered around her glorious household.
So why do women, in churches across America, believe that if they stay home and devote themselves to giving to their husbands and children, that they are not using their giftings to God's glory? They truely believe that God is displeased with this, and that they are of no evangelical use to his kingdom? They are called "pew warmers" and "luke-warm" by many pastors trying to recruit more workers for church programs. But is this how the bible views mothers and wives?
God says that they are of great vaule...far above rubies.
So why do women buy into this so easily?
Feminism. It swept into the church on the wings of "ministry"and implanted itself into the silent doctrine of our fellowships. So that if a woman doesn't teach enough, sing enough, do enough for the church, she becomes convinced that she isn't of value to God. But the word tells us that a man who finds a woman of virtue is blessed. These messages are so confussing to women and even more confussing to our youth.
The church encourages young ladies to explore their giftings through education, but discourages marriage and children...at least until you have exhaused all that the world has to offer.
Ladies, open your eyes to truth. Read God's plan for women and evangelize the world! Generations will be changed because of your hand, your words, your love, your work in the home. The hand that rocks the cradle, she reforms the world!

2008-02-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

Non Nobis Domine

2007-12-10T12:09:00.000-08:00

Non Nobis Domine
NON nobis Domine!— Not unto us, O Lord! The Praise or Glory be Of any deed or word; For in Thy Judgment lies To crown or bring to nought All knowledge or device That Man has reached or wrought.
And we confess our blame— How all too high we hold That noise which men call Fame, That dross which men call Gold. For these we undergo Our hot and godless days, But in our hearts we know Not unto us the Praise.
O Power by Whom we live— Creator, Judge, and Friend, Upholdingly forgive Nor fail us at the end: But grant us well to see In all our piteous ways— Non nobis Domine!— Not unto us the Praise!
Rudyard Kipling Written for “The Pageant of Parliament,” 1934

Christmas Sewing

2007-11-28T07:41:00.001-08:00

This is the night gown I have been working on for Genevieve, I am also making a smaller version for Bayleigh. I still have to finish out some of the trim and add a few bows. I can't wait to see them open them on Christmas morning!
Thanks mom for all of your long distance sewing advice!

Fall Leaves

2007-11-28T07:22:00.000-08:00

Fun in the leaves at Pa Paw Kerry's house.

Adoration...my favorite hymn

2007-11-13T16:01:00.000-08:00

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

1665

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation;

O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation:

All ye who hear, Now to His temple draw near;

join me in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, Who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,

Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth:

Hast thou not seen How thy desires e'er have been

Granted in what He ordaineth.

Praise to the Lord, Who doth prosper thy works and defend thee;

Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.

Ponder anew What the Almighty can do,

If with His love He befriend thee!

Praise to the Lord, Who with marvelous wisdom hath made thee,

Decked thee with health and with loving hand guided and stayed thee.

How oft in grief Hath not He brought thee relief,

Spreading His wings to o'er shade thee!

Praise to the Lord, Who when darkness of sin is abounding,

Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,

Sheddeth His light, chaseth the horrors of night,

Saints with His mercy surrounding.

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!

All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.

Let the Amen Sound from His people again,

Gladly for aye we adore Him.

Grandpa Dawson

2007-11-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

Robert Lee Dawson.

God has been so gracious to our family by allowing my beloved Grandfather to pass quickly with assurance of his salvation. The children and I arrived on Sat Night, we visited him in the hospital on Sunday and had wonderful conversation. Dawson made him laugh with his super human skinny trick and Bayleigh entertained with her smiles. Grandpa Dawson fell asleep early this morning surrounded by his wife and daughters. I am so thankful that the end to his suffering has come. Glory be to God! Please keep my family in prayer this week as we move on with funeral arrangements.

Karla

Dawson's 6th Birthday

2007-10-24T08:25:00.001-07:00

Dawson had a blast with all of our friends and family at Chuck E Cheese! Enjoy the pics...there are several, it may take a bit to download.

History

2007-10-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

The boys are learning all about ancient civilizations...right now they are learning all about Pharaoh Menes. He was the first Egyptian ruler to unite upper and lower Egypt and establish the city of Memphis. When he united Egypt he wore both upper and lower crowns together...we made replicas. Enjoy.

Science Museum

2007-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

Dawson wanted to go to the science museum for his birthday. They were having a special day about spiders and everyone dressed up. The kids had a blast.Dawson is trying to keep his eyes open...I have 100 pictures of him with closed eyes!

Bayleigh playing peek- a -boo with Daddy.

Tanner and Gena in the sand pit.

Being 2.

Spiders...big ones! We learned that Trantulas are not deadly...getting bit is like getting stung by a bee. The Costner's were not willing to find out!

Nurse Gena

Oh, snakes too! This one liked Gena, but she wasn't as friendly!

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

We made our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch last week. The hayride with Mrs. Farmer is their favorite part.
Gena was very happy!
Bayleigh tries out the tire swing.
The boys love playing with their homeschool friends.
Bayleigh passed out, holding her pumpkin and a lap full of candy corn!

No Gils Allowed...the tree house!

2007-10-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

Chris has been working on a tree house with the boys. Here it is.

The first sign said..."No Grls!" I told them they were missing a letter and this was the new sign!

Tony and Abby

2007-09-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

Tony is so handsome.

He looks so much like Abby but has his father's temperament.

He loves watching the children play.

Abby finally looking herself again.

Tony is helping Dawson with the sidewalk chalk...he and Abby both enjoy eating sidewalk chalk for some reason!

Our Mountain Vacation

2007-09-14T05:13:00.001-07:00

Bayleigh loves "the ponies."

Dawson enjoying a cool down with the most exspensive popsicle I have ever bought.

The caverns had a strange effect on Dawson!

Down town Blowing Rock. We ate at a cool pizza parlor.

Bayleigh with her baby goat...she talked to it like it was one of our puppies.

Lineville Cavern

Adult Teeth!

My sister, my pal.

Can we please stop posing for pictures!

Gena at the park

Tweetsie Railroad

Sweet Smiles

Bayleigh the gold miner !

Tanner waiting to get in Linville Cavern

Gena posing in front of a huge rock flow formation...we named giant pickle.

We had a wonderful time! We stayed in a great cabin, that one of Chris' clients so graciously let us use. The boys loved shooting their bb guns and going on trails, and I loved rocking away on the front porch. Chris had to drag me to the van when it was time to leave!

School in the corner :)

2007-09-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

This is my little corner of the world. Chris made me a frame for our marker board and now we have cork strips to hang our history and bible timeline cards up and grammar posters. On the other wall we have our ancient map up, to which we add a yellow medallion that corresponds with each card we study. The kids are enjoying school and learning a ton already. Today they learned how to use a dictionary and the meaning of Antonyms and Synonyms. They reminded me that it was time for lunch around 1:30! :)

The new hair do!

2007-09-04T20:21:00.001-07:00

I have removed the bad hair day pictures, at my husband's request, and wanted to post the new cut and ear rings for grandma to see.

Enjoy!

More Puppy Pics

2007-08-22T13:21:00.001-07:00

Dog Pile!

Our Yellow Girls
They are growing so fast!
She is so sweet!

Allie, our new addition!

2007-08-13T12:10:00.001-07:00

Well, we finally choose our pup. This is Allie, she is a fox red female lab. The kids are just in love with her. You can see her red coat in some pics better than others. She is just beautiful.
One of my yellow girls decided to take a swim after I filled her water bowl with nice cool water! It has been in the 100's here, and these are smart dogs, they know how to stay cool!
She fell asleep in the water!

This is our black female runt. Dawson has named her Hope, with the hope of us keeping her!

Huck's first movie

2007-07-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a little movie that I took of our only yellow male at 2 wks old. His name is Huck. Huck is just beginning to open his eyes and look around. So Cute!

Abby's pupps

2007-07-14T07:56:00.001-07:00

Abby is doing a wonderful job with her 11 pups! So far we have five with homes and 6 more to go! The yellow ones will turn into a fox red color like their father. Enjoy the pics!

This is Drake, the handsome dad.

This is our Abby.

Puppies

Abby cleaning our only yellow boy.

We are constantly taking head count!

First Harvest

2007-06-29T04:31:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, I am a country girl at heart. I could not be more happy with my first harvest from the little garden. What a pleasure it is to pick beans and cucumbers and take them inside to clean and prepare. The kids are just amazed, and so am I!

Here's a pic of our first picking!

And God Gave the Growth

2007-06-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

Gena is very proud of her tomato plants!

And I am very proud of my weeds...I mean beans!
And this is a cucumber, believe it or not!
I would show a picture of my squash, but it was squashed! The culpret has yet to turn himself in!

The scripture in 1Corinthians 3 can be applied here, "...and God gave the growth."

Abby's big belly

2007-06-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of our lab! Her tummy is much bigger than it looks in the pics and we still have 10 -12 days to go! We are expecting at least ten pups!
Funny Story:
Gena saw this picture and asked what those things were on Abby's belly...to which Dawson promptly replied..."Those are pom poms!"

Bayleigh's "Happy Day"

2007-06-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

We had a family birthday celebration for Bayleigh this year. I can't believe she is 2! I made a big meal and Chris picked up cupcakes and ice cream. It was just us, but Bayleigh didn't seem to mind. All day long she was walking around saying Happy Day! Here are some pics of her enjoying her "Happy Day!"

Genevieve and the Garden

2007-06-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

Well, we are officially on summer break. Although some studies never stop, such as reading and the scientific art of making a total mess of the house in less than 10 mins! LOl!

So, I have exactly 9.99 mins to give you an update!

April was a wonderful month for us as we welcomed Genevieve Elizabeth into our family permanently. The adoption jump started the healing process for her and we have seen much wonderful progress in her emotional development and growth. We are still working hard and she is still learning to love and trust.

We also started working on our garden in April! I was determined to have a garden this year and wanted the kids to experience sowing and reaping. We planted two varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and green beans. The children had the super fun job of digging out all of the rocks, Chris manned the tiller, and I took pics! Here are some pics of our prep work and I will post some pics of the garden next week to show the growth. It has been very rainy here this week, bad for pics, good for garden!

We also are expecting another kind of harvest in July! Our black lab, Abby, is expecting her first litter of puppies! We have been told by our breeder to expect 10 puppies!!! Our pups will be coming from a very good bloodline and one of the pups is even flying to California to it's new home! The kids are very excited about the pups and Abby's growing tummy...we agreed to let them keep only one, although they would gladly keep them all! How exciting...a live biology lesson!

Finally a family picture!

2007-01-11T07:43:00.000-08:00

This post is for those who have been reminding me for sometime to get another family picture!

Here it is!

Kids With Santa

2007-01-11T07:26:00.000-08:00

Every year DSS has a Christmas Party for all of the Foster Families. They have pizza and presents, but best of all the children each get pictures with Santa. The kids loved it and Bayleigh quickly turned Santa into her newest fan. We all enjoyed ourselves.

Here are some pictures, enjoy!

New family pics!

2006-12-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

Kids having fun at chimmney rock.

Kids enjoying Chimmney Rock

Becca and Dawson at the park

Tanner looks so grown up and handsome!

Dawson being cheesy! "How about I look over there mom."

Dawson being really Cheesy!

Becca sporting her new duds

Our "Fruit of the Spirit" tree. We add a new fruit every 2 wks.

Bayleigh says, "Cheese" and rides on the pony.

Pumpkin pie from...scratch!

2006-10-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

Tanner insisted we make fresh pumpkin pie with one of our new pumpkins, so I did some research and found a "sure thing" recipe, or at least that's what it said under the title! So after we finished up school we made our pie! I photo-documented each glorious(laborious) step.

1. Pick the perfect pumpkin and give it a good wash.

2. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds.

3. Keep scooping and scrapping until all of the stringy stuff is gone.

4. Cut the pumpkin in quarters and put in a dish with a couple inches of water. Cover and microwave on high for 15mins.

5. Scoop out the stuff and put it in the blender. Puree until it looks like mush!

6. Make the pie crust...I'll spare you the gory details, but this is what ours looked like...I was hoping for some magical thing to happen in the oven!

6. Now to add the secret ingredients...You know the ones that aren't in the cupboard so you improvise. Ex: It called for 1.5 cans of evaporated milk...I substituted 3/4 can of sweetened condensed milk! LOL!!! Liquidfy and pour into pie crust.

8. Now bake at 450 for 15mins, pray and then 350 for 45 mins. Ah, my self cleaning oven doesn't do a good job of cleaning itself!! LOL!! This is what it looked like at 30mins when I forgot to turn it to 350!

9. After much prayer and reassuring Tanner that it would taste better than it looks, here's the final product!

I am taking orders...$15.00 per pie plus shipping!
They taste great, you just have to close your eyes when eating! Oh, and add a lot of Cool Whip to top it off. The Cool Whip is 50 cents extra.
Enjoy!
Karla and the kids!

Fun on the farm!

2006-10-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

We went with a homeschool support group to a local farm and enjoyed the fall weather, hayride, pumpkins and fellowship. This has been great for the kids, they love playing with their new friends.

Becca enjoys the hayride.

Tanner posing for the picture!

Dawson with his new best bud, Michael.

Bayleigh's first experience with hay.

Mrs. Farmer gives a lesson on how her fruit and vegetables grow.

Pics from PaPaw's

2006-10-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

Boys Rule, Girls Droole!

Fun with PaPaw Kerry!

Sorry you're sideways Mom!

Bayleigh's contagious smile!

Becca loves the Merry Go Round!

how we get through the day

2006-10-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

I know four seems like a lot of kiddos running around, but I thought I would show you how I manage them all(try to)!
It has been lovingly named the "chore chart." The children all have certain things that they are responsible for and if all of the chores are on the done side at bed time they recieve a paper quater to put on their allowance hook. It is a matter of training, but it saves me a lot of gripping and saves them a lot of nagging! Now all I need is one for myself!

Family life

2006-10-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

This Blog is for all of our friends and family far off. Enjoy our life with us, giggle at our kiddos with us, and enjoy our journey as we strive to walk the narrow path.