Homemade Salsa

Thinking

2011-09-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hmmm....It's hard to know what to make of this blog now. I was just reading the last entry and it is very telling about my memory. I have no recollection of writing that first paragraphy that mentions "forever and a split second." I really like that description of life, though. It's on the blog so I guess I wrote it.

I think I'd like to make this site about things I'm learning; spiritually, in parenting and even in the meaningless (we learn meaningless things, too).

I have nothing right now, but let's see what happens.

2011-02-18T21:31:00.000-08:00

It's only been one week since my last post and it almost feels like a year. Time is such a funny thing. One minute you feel like time is going by so fast, but when time is filled with so much busyness you look back at a week and if feels like forever and a split second all at the same time. I like that phrase - maybe I'll rename my blog "forever and a split second" :).

Right after my last entry we got a jolt of electricity sent through our house that knocked out almost every electronic device we own. The good news is that the electric company has admitted that is their fault and are replacing all of our items. This includes a new stove, dishwasher, computers, TVs, DVD player, etc. It's a blessing and a curse. It's awesome (and we are extremely grateful) that we get to have all these updated electronics, especially since some of our things were old, but it's been a very stressful week shopping for all these things and arranging for repair and/or delivery. I don't think I've ever felt more maxed-out.

God is so good, though. It's amazing how there are billions of people on this earth and still he is so detailed that he can pay attention to all my little facets of life and all the other billions' at the same time. Wow! I can't even wrap my mind about that.

Well, that's all I have to say about that.

Maybe when I retrieve all my lost data I will have some pictures to share. Hopefully, in the near future. Blogging info seems to be the only info that's safe :)

2011-02-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

I don't know what to write, but I just finished a very hot bath after a long day and I thought it would be a good time to write. So, we'll see what comes out :) It's 10:30pm (which is early for me), but I'm really tired.

This morning was the usual and a bit stressful routine. Getting the kids up, dressed, fed and off to school is not easy and we have a new bus driver who has started to come 3 minutes earlier just to make my life that much harder. It took me until today (Friday) before I could get used to just a three minute difference.

As soon as I returned from the drop off I had to get ready for my 9am aqua class. I barely made it, but it was a good class. When I was done I went over to the basketball court to dance with Brandi for a little bit with her Zumba class. I came home after that, but it was already almost time to pick up Rachie from school. I was there early enough to do a little advertising with the other moms and tell them about my new Zumba class at the church (that felt productive). I came home and ate lunch with everyone then took Ryan up to the church for piano lessons and practice for the Harris' plus cleaning the church for Sunday. I also helped Becky get her van unstuck :) - Hopefully, all that snow melts before Sunday or we'll have a lot of stuck cars.

I took Izzy and Chloe with me and we picked up Will. When we got home I had about 45 minutes to prepare for my next two classes and take Ryan, Izzy and Chloe with me to the gym for the first class which was Family Spin. All the classes went well. Since Ryan was still swimming when I got out of my second class, I walked over to Cyndi's Zumba class and danced with her a little bit. I definitely did not like her style, but it looked like everyone was having fun.

So, here I sit after all that. While I was in the bath I read a little nugget out of a book someone gave me for encouraging pastor's wives. It was by Jack Hayford's wife (I can't remember her name right now). She said she had had a long season very similar to the day I just described right before she left on a trip to Israel. She said she had spent most of the trip on the bus and not at the sights because she was just too tired. She did, however, stop to see the shores of the Sea of Galilee and she felt she her Jesus say, "Do you have any bread?" She said "no". She felt him say, "But, I do. I have more than enough bread for everyone." I've been encouraged by this thought before. I've heard speakers say that they have cried out to God saying, "I can't do it all." Then, immediately hear a reply, "You're right, but trust in Me because I am more than enough."

Somehow, God is getting me through. He's giving me opportunities to spend quality time with my children - even though I am working about 20 hours a week. He's keeping my body healthy, even though I'm working out more than any normal human being should. He's blessing our work at the church - even though we can only devote just a little bit of time. He's keeping it together for us - where you would think it should be falling apart. When we trust in Him, He is faithful and will never let us down. I haven't ever seen it.

I ask God for permission for a lot of things these days: about what I pray and things I ask for, about how I think and feel, about what I do or decided not to do...He's been giving me answers and I'm trusting I'm right where I need to be and if I go to far or not far enough - He'll make that known. In the meantime, I'm going to let Him carry as much as the burden as I can.

2011-01-17T14:25:00.001-08:00

Ok. So, Nicky asked about the story in which we became the local pastors at Gateway Church Black Forest. I didn't create an outline before I started typing so, hopefully, this will all make sense and be in the right order.

When we first got married in 1994, Vance was the Associate and Youth Pastor at Elim Chapel in Ocean Beach, CA. Circumstances led us from there after two years to here in Colorado Springs where Vance became the Assoc/Youth Pastor at another church plant 30 minutes south of the Springs called Restoration Church. Neither of these ventures ended well - sad to say.

After a few months sabbatical we ended up at Mountain Springs Church; another young church plant and we got involved on the worship team. This was in 1999. We did lots of ministry: worship, youth, young adults, men and women's ministries. Our hope was that one day we would be invited on staff. We went from 2 children to 7 children at this church not including our loss of little Michal Noel, which the people of MSC were amazing in the support for us.

Through all of this, Vance's desire to be back in full-time ministry increased. Once, while Vance was painting the home of his daughter, Nicky Cruz spoke strongly to Vance about getting back into the ministry. About 5 years ago, we visited this little church at the end of our road. It wasn't for us, but we were still drawn to it. About two years ago people started speaking into Vance's life again about getting back into the ministry. He started a men's group on Thursday mornings that has been meeting at a coffee shop ever since.

Last summer we called the Rocky Mountain District Council for the Assemblies of God and started inquiring about open churches. There wasn't much selection, but there was a sudden need in Woodland Park, a little town about 45 minutes up the mountain. Vance and I ministered there for 5 weeks. The district decided to close the doors of that church. At this point we were still officially at Mountain Springs, but we had visited other churches so we were still praying about searching for more churches through A/G, pursuing MSC a little stronger since they were getting ready to plant 5 churches in the next five years...Oh, I forgot to mention that this little church at the end of our road had closed and we even went up there to look in the windows and daydreamed if it were even possible to buy it ourselves. At the same time our next door neighbors were thinking the same thing.

So, here were all these options. Then, I had a phone call from a friend. We're not real close, but we've known each other for a long time and she and her husband were just called into a ministry at a family camp. She said that while they were going through their decision making process, God lead her to the part in the Bible where Jesus is healing the blind man and at first he sees just shadows and then Jesus touches him again and everything is clear. We felt there there were many roads to take (a fuzzy picture), but there was only one that God had in mind (seeing clearly). As I was talking to here a little more and telling her about all these options, she said she got a chill when I mentioned the church at the end of our road. Both of us believed that was the Holy Spirit.

That little church reopened at Easter of 2010 and we visited just before we went up to Woodland Park. We liked it. There weren't any fireworks, but it was a far cry from what it had been before. After our time in Woodland Park our next door neighbors started talking to us about really giving this little church a chance. They felt this is where they needed to be and they so wanted us to be a part as well. This gave me such a good feeling - to be wanted :).

So, we started going and the first Sunday back, Vance was very bold with the pastor and told him what we wanted. We wanted to be back in full-time ministry and we felt like this was the time. We weren't sure how he was going to take that. The following week we invited the pastor and his wife over for dinner (the week before our next door neighbors, the Garcias, had had them over).

This was a great dinner. Our testimony had so much in common with theirs. It wasn't coincidence. It was a kindred spirit. At this dinner, Pastor Derek was bold as well and said that out of all the people that wanted the position of senior pastor at this church, he was most interested in Vance. This was about three months ago - I know, right?

I started leading worship every week the first week of November. Vance started speaking that month as well and the first week of January we were installed as the senior pastors. This past weekend was the first time I have ever spoken in front of a congregation. I enjoyed it. I spoke on God exalting worship. I never would have had an opportunity like that at Mountain Springs - even after 12 years of being a member. I am so thankful to God for His direction. I'm thankful for the 12 years of being developed and trained and for all the experiences that have led us to where we are now. Right where HE wants us.

Is that cool or what?

2011-01-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

Well, since I have four followers (lol) I thought I'd better stay true to this thing. I wanted to post on Sunday. What a beautiful day for church and family. Vance and I get to church before everyone else does so we can turn on the lights and the heat and fireplace - turn on the sound system, start the coffee - all that good stuff. This last Sunday morning at 7am we walked up to the church steps in the cold and fog. Vance looked over at me and said, "Doesn't this feel good to be the first ones here at our own church? This is our church." It does feel good to have our own work; that God has chosen us for this location and for this time.

We've been absolutely taken by this little church for so long. The location is beautiful and at night when the lights are on, the place just glows like a little cottage in a Thomas Kinkade painting. It truly is a light on a hill.

The rest of this week (and it's only Tuesday) has been a little frustrating. It's been hard to stay on task and get anything done. However, I am overwhelmed at how God has been answering all the prayers that have gone out for Vance's business and we can actually start paying off a few bills.

There is so much to be thankful for. Everyone is healthy (accept for a little issue I've been having with staying regular, but that TMI isn't it?) :) - Thank you, God for even the littlest things YOU pay attention to. He surprises me every day.

2011-01-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here's how my day went yesterday. Woke up at 7:30 and got Will and Rachie ready for school. For Rachie that meant a bath - goodness that girl can stink. Then, braiding her hair. I got both of them breakfast, dressed, lunches made and backpacks ready. Then I put Tristan in the bath just to use the water and he wanted to play.

We arrived at the bus stop just in time. Then it was off to church by 8:30 for prayer - Wow! God is really working!!! Left just in time to pick up Glen from school 10 minutes late. Drove him back home to change into Zumba attire as quickly as possible and out the door to the gym to teach a 10:45am class. I posted this on FB and had three people show up because of my post. There were about 30 in the class. I got to talk to a lot of people after the class, including David Peace a terrific sound guy and friend who is going to help me tweak the sound at our little forest church.

I left the gym just in time to pick up Rachie from school (10 minutes late). Came home and made lunch for everyone. Mac n' Cheese with oranges and blueberries. My good friend DeDe made me dinner to prepare for our prayer meeting which was at 6:30pm then we had a couple of people from the meeting come by after for dessert. Jeanne showed me how to can my homemade salsa. We did two cans. I'm so excited about this new skill.

It was a full day, but good. The only thing was Ryan didn't get any school work done and today he's working with Vance, something he really enjoys doing, but he will be missing out on school again.

Today I have to go to Sam's for milk and stuff. God is really answering our prayers in regard to finances. It's very cool to be a part of so many people's prayers and see God get the glory. It's not terribly fun going month to month, but it's still cool to see God be so faithful even in the most minute things.

2011-01-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

Today, Vance woke up at 5:30 am to start his new men's prayer group at Gateway. Glen woke up at 6:45 am for his first day back at school. It makes me so proud to see him set his alarm, wake up, get his own breakfast and get out the door to catch a ride with the Garcia's.

So, with all that going on I got out of bed, got everyone else cereal (Cocoa Puffs - so nutritious) then got them all dressed and out the door by nine to get to Morgan's first eye doctor appointment since she got her glasses. I was really concerned that the glasses were too think. I tried them on and couldn't see a thing. I just couldn't believe that she would need such a strong prescription. Her eye exam went great and they are definitely the glasses for her.

Off to all the other errands - bank (where Ryan turned quarters for bills and everyone got a sucker), post office (where I forgot the most important things to mail at home - doh!), church (where I met with the piano tuner), late to pick up Glen from school on the other side of town, McDs for lunch (again, nutritious), Sam's to return a $100 aerobed without the box or the receipt - amazingly they exchanged it. The great thing about Sam's is that because it's a membership thing they keep all your records on your card. So cool!

Now, we're home and the Littles are down for a nap. I'm about to take one. I still need to get to the post office (again) to get these MK items out, do payroll, prepare for Zumba tonight and fix a nutritious dinner (ha!).

A New Year

2011-01-03T13:18:00.001-08:00

The last post on this blog was almost 8 months ago. It actually feels longer. And as no one is going to be reading this I'm going to go ahead and promise myself to keep track of 2011 (at least once per week. We'll see.

Morgan's second month wearing glasses.

School 2010

2010-05-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

I need to make a video of the 09-10 school year. A success! Just below is a picture of EVERYONE at the table with one seat open for teacher.

The video below needs a little explanation. Almost everyday I do a little schooling with the "Littles". They write, color, paint, mold clay and build with blocks. We've also made it a habit to watch Between the Lions at 11am. Every one of them gets a kick out of singing the theme song as loud as they can.

This year has been the best out of the four years we've been homeschooling. I feel like everyone has learned a lot. It's just been a successful year all around. It's been hard work and a little stressful, but I can look back and say I'm proud of the progress we've made.

A couple of weeks ago we did a school field trip to the zoo. It was a great trip! I would say the Grizzly Bears were my personal favorite.

Tristan's Vocabulary

2010-04-16T07:51:00.000-07:00

Ugh! I ate right before bed last night and my body is telling me, "Don't ever do that again!" So, instead of running around cleaning and helping everyone with school work, I thought I would sit for a few minutes and write a blog entry.

Tristan is going to be 20 months in just a few days. I'm so glad I still have little ones. I pray that God will help me gracefully go through the seasons as they grow because, right now, it's heart-breaking to think there won't ever be another Terry baby learning to smile and walk and talk. These stages are so precious.

Tristan still has that little baby walk. He is so cute the way he waddles around and then tries to run. I need to take more video of that. He doesn't say much, but he does have a few words and, of course, they're as cute as can be.

His first word was, "Momma". When he first started saying it I was sure he was using it for nursing. Whenever he wanted to nurse he would say, "Mom, mom, mom, mom" over and over. Now, I know he's referring to me.

He says, "Dadda" on rare occasions, but most of the time he refers to Vance as "Momma" as well. I think Vance gets a tiny bit discouraged about this :).

He shakes his head for "yes" and "no". You can tell he still doesn't have the greatest control over his huge noggin and really has to think about it when he nods. He says "ook" for both "look" and "milk" and lately he has started to point a lot for things he wants. He says "bop" for "stop" and he kind of breathes the short "a" sound for "what's that?". That's pretty much all he has for now. He says "un" for everything else. I never know what "un" means.

I have to see if I can take, edit and post more video. Our computer is fixed (we got the "Blue Screen of Death" about a week ago), but it's running kind of funky. So, I'm going to try to find some time to do video editing on the laptop. We'll see how that goes.

Bye for now...

2010-04-07T12:11:00.001-07:00

If you get the chance, go back and take a look at last Easter's post.

Easter 2010

2010-04-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

We didn't go to church this Easter. Are you gasping? I am. I talked to Vance about several options. My favorite was New Life. We talked about going to our church Saturday night or even a new church that had it's grand opening Easter weekend at the end of our road. I would have liked to see Vance's parents sing in the choir at their church. Vance just wanted a quiet weekend home (if that's possible).

Vance has been working a lot lately. More than he's had to work in almost two years. It's the economy. Work is slow, so we can't afford employees that we have to pay $15-$20 per hour and the ones who make less are not capable of running things alone. Vance is doing almost everything himself. Like he did when we first started.

Easter morning Vance started up all the vehicles that have been sitting over the winter. The mustang started right up, the van didn't. The lawnmower started, too. Vance hooked up the little trailer and Ryan gave everyone a ride around the property. Easter Sunday was the most beautiful day we've had yet this year here in the Springs.

Here are some more pics...

This will be the last year Ryan gets to hunt. Next year he'll be a hider.

That's all for now...kids gettin' into trouble.

2010-04-07T11:33:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we had a huge snow storm. In fact, I got stuck driving home in it which turned out to be the worst nightmare. Never have I been so scared driving. But, that's not what I wanted to write about.

The boys made two snow forts. The picture above was Glen's (just to show you how much snow there was). The picture below is what was left less than a week later. And today, April 7, 2010 it is snowing again. I see some blue sky now, but there are still some flakes coming down and we have almost four inches. I don't mind it, but I am looking forward to summer. You can't complain when the weather is so unpredictable - it makes life interesting and not boring. There's always something to talk about - ha!

Grandma's Birthday

2010-03-31T10:23:00.001-07:00

It's been two weeks now, but on Sunday, March 21 we got to celebrate Grandma's birthday with the traditional and very yummy ice cream cake. How will we ever be satisfied with just the regular birthday cake? Grandpa and Grandma brought the cake (even though it was her birthday:). The Terry family absolutely loves it when Grandma and Grandpa come to visit - with or without cake.

These get-togethers always make me think though...our house isn't the most peaceful place to visit. I know it's a season and having so many young children can stress everyone out. One reads so many Christian books and blogs about how we should strive to have peaceful and comforting homes. That's not what you'll find here - no matter how hard I try. Don't get me wrong - I'm not giving up by any means. I will continue to "fight" for peace and tranquility and a clean home and will do my best not to get discouraged when all is not perfect. Hopefully, all our friends and family can look past the imperfections because both Vance and I agree; we love having all of you over!

Grandma, I hope this is the best year yet!

2010-03-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

Rachie skiing!

Part 5

2010-03-16T11:49:00.001-07:00

I have about 7 minutes. The rest of the ski week just went so well, more skiing for me, more playing at the park and then the highlight of the whole week; date night. On Friday night Vance and I go to the old Irish Pub. This is the third year in a row we've done it. It's about a 5 minute walk from the condo. So, we leave Glen and Ryan in charge (usually after the babies are in bed) and we head out.

I absolutely love this place. We order the corned beef, mashed potatoes, cabbage and peas plate. It's huge and we share it with a Caesar salad. The guy Johnny Motambo always plays live with his guitar. He's very funny and about every other song or so a group of people come up to do shotski. It's this old ski that holds four shot glass and four people count to three and then drink. Johnny Motambo usually does this really loud shotski song. It's a ton of fun. Vance and I have never done it. But, this time there was a girl named Becky and she was with two of her friends and she said she would pay if we'd do it with them. I can't handle liquor at all so Vance did it. She told him to choose the drink and he chose rum. She took pictures and told me she would email them to me, but she hasn't done that yet. We'll see if she ever does.

It was a very fun night.

Saturday, the boys and Vance went skiing for the last time and I tried to start packing everything up. Usually, we have to check out by 10 am and we never make it. This time we did. Checked out by 10am and drove home in a snow storm. It wasn't bad. Of course, when we arrived home we didn't feel like unpacking anything. The house smelled so good walking in. It just smelled fresh, kind of woodsy and a little like Hobby Lobby. Vance said this it what it smells like when we're not here to stink it up :).

Here are a few more pictures.

agh...for some reason I can't load the pictures. Look for the next blog entry :)

My Perspective

2010-03-11T12:20:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I posted on my Facebook status about how much I loved the movie Avatar. I didn't get too many responses. In fact, when the movie first came out I didn't hear much chatter on FB or elsewhere about the movie. At least in my personal circle, which is mostly Christian.

I had a conversation with my dad today and he had seen the movie back in December on opening night. He liked it, but had some issues with worshipping a tree, etc. I have a feeling this is how most Christians feel. Christians tend to blast movies such as Harry Potter and praise movies such as Lord of the Rings and yet both have many of the same elements.

Since I liked this movie so much it became a topic of conversation at Vance's Bible study this morning. There was a sense that if a Christian was all she was supposed to be she wouldn't enjoy a movie so much with such a message. Vance and I discussed this when he returned home this morning and agreed that it all comes down to perspective. Yes, Avatar was written and created by an extremely pagan man and I'm sure he meant to send messages such as: the military is made up of testosterone loaded, mindless warmongers, we (especially Americans) are destroying our planet and the real god is mother earth.

I'd like to share what I saw...

Every human is a creation of God. He knit us together in our mother's womb, he knows us inside and out and even knows the number of hairs on our head. Therefore, I believe that we were all created to give glory to Him. If we choose not to love Him there will always be something missing, there will always be a feeling that everything isn't quite right, never completely content, etc. But, we were still created for His glory and maybe James Cameron didn't mean to give glory to God, but He did - granted with some mistaken ideas.

On the way to the theatre the boys and I were talking about heaven. Just dreaming what it must be like. I told them I had been thinking a lot about heaven lately. Many times I think about a time in my life that was so good that I get these overwhelming feelings of nostalgia, wishing I could relive this time in my life. But, recently, I had the simplest thought - the best time of my life doesn't lie behind me but in front of me. No matter how good that time of my life was it cannot compare to heaven. I saw this in Avatar.

The main character, who is a paraplegic, gets a new and improved body, a body four times his regular size, a body so agile he can run and jump among the branches of trees hundreds of feet in the air. The Bible says that in heaven we will have new bodies...

Our present body is only a "tent" which we will put aside. 2 Co 5:1-3, 2 Pet 1:13-14
God, through Christ, will deliver us from this present "body of death" (which is the sinful nature). Rom 7:20-25
God has prepared us for the purpose of being clothed with our heavenly body. 2 Cor 5:4-5
Although we do not know exactly what our new bodies will be like, we know that they will be like Jesus. 1 John 3:2-3
Our new bodies will be like Christ's glorious body. Phil 3:20-21, Rom 8:28-30, Ps 17:15, Ro 6:5-8, 1 Cor 15:49, 2 Cor 3:17-18

When the main character learns how to connect with the beasts of this world it made me think of the passage with the lion and the lamb and how it must have been with Adam and Eve before the fall.

When all the tribes came together to sing and worship it made me think of how every tribe and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and how day and night we will be praising Him.

James Cameron was created by God and even though he has chosen in His heart (for the time being) not to serve Him, in my eyes He has unwittingly brought glory to the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

When we left the movie theatre it was as if we had just awoken from a dream. Have you ever had dreams about heaven, about being able to do something that would be impossible awake? I have and there were so many things in this movie that reminded me of these dreams. So, whether or not this movie was created to have people look down on the human race as a whole and how terrible we are - I CHOOSE to see something different and can't wait until I get the chance to see it again!

Quick thought

2010-03-04T15:02:00.000-08:00

I've been procrastinating all day, but I had to write down this one thought before I forgot - and then I'll start cleaning :)

The other day Rachie had an accident at nap time so I had to wash all her blankets, including her favorite blanket which she can hardly sleep without. So, that night it was still in the laundry and I told her she couldn't have it. Oh...and when she goes to sleep with her blanket she always gets a corner and puts it in her nose. It's the strangest thing, but it's her comfort - I guess it's better than sucking her thumb. So, when I told her she couldn't have it she said, "Oh, I'll never get to put a blanket up my nose again."

If I hadn't been so perturbed I would have LMAO :) I'll have to remember this one for a good laugh ten years from now.

Part 4

2010-03-04T11:58:00.000-08:00

I'm already out of time for today, but I wanted to post something that I thought was super cool in school today. For history, we were studying the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution. Get this, the Bill of Rights was ratified on March 4, 1789 - exactly 221 years ago TODAY. This has happened a couple of times and the boys and I always find it really cool when we study an important event in history and it happens to be the same day currently.

This is Tristan in the zero entry pool. He got quite comfortable after a few days and it was even hard to keep him from walking into sections that were too deep. I have another child with no fear. I think the only one who has any caution is Kael

Even though Wednesday was a day filled with lots of work (i.e. teaching Rachie to ski, keeping the babies occupied, etc.) we still went to the pool after dinner. I think everyone slept like rocks that night.

Thursday was Vance's turn again. They left early and came back as late as possible. I cleaned the condo, re-organized the food, dressed everyone in their snow clothes and went to the park. We made a snowman and I think they played long enough and hard enough to get all the cabin fever bug out.

Part 3

2010-03-02T11:48:00.000-08:00

I've got about 5 minutes before everyone starts getting themselves into trouble again. Glen, Ryan and Will are all doing Math. Tristan is taking a nap and Kael, Morgan and Rachie are watching Word World.

I left off on Tuesday, a great day for me because I got to ski with the boys and it really was a beautiful day. My favorite type of skiing is when the snow is well groomed and the sun is shining. Of course, that evening I took everyone to the pool again. Vance doesn't usually go, but since Glen and Ryan do pretty well helping me, it's usually not too hard.

Wednesday we decided to take everyone up. So, I packed a huge lunch and got all the babies dressed and we took a small stroller and skis for Glen, Ryan, Will and Vance took his snowboard. It wasn't too hard getting on the bus, but you should have seen the looks on the people's faces. We had to take two buses to get to the top because the Gondola wouldn't have held our whole family. When we switched buses, Vance left Will's ski boots on the bus. So, I continued with everyone and Vance had to got back and find the bus we took and get the boots. Ugh! What a hassle that was.

This ended up being a great day, however. I taught Rachie to ski. This was the first time we put her on skis. We didn't get to the mountain until about lunch time so I rented skis for her half day. $15. It was worth it. She did so well. I was surprised.

Glen and Ryan worked with Will. He skied for the first time last year, but needed a little refreshing. After a bit of practice Glen and Ryan took him up on the Gondola to the top of the beginner hill.

Vance and I took turns watching the "littles" and trying to keep them from getting too bored. We bought them some hot chocolate, walked around a lot, played in the snow a little and what was really great is that every day about 3:30pm people dressed as chefs come out with a plate full of freshly baked cookies and hand them out to anyone who is around for free. The kids loved this. Once we found this out, we made sure we were at the bottom of the hill everyday around this time. It's amazing how much of a crowd these "chefs" draw - some people can be very rude.

Out of time...will continue tomorrow.

Part 2

2010-02-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems to be that time again. The kids are eating lunch and watching Curious George. Yesterday, I put four frozen chicken breasts and a carton of chicken stock in a crock pot and today I have an extremely delicious lunch. I didn't have time to do anything else with it so I just chopped up some raw veggies and served it. It's a hit! Amazing!

So, yesterday I left off on the Monday of our Trip. As is our tradition, that evening we went over to the Community Center. They have the best indoor pools complete with a lazy river, a big water slide, climbing wall and diving board and the best part, a zero entry pool for the little ones with some cute little animal fountains and slides for their size. We stayed from 6 to almost 9pm. This is one of the best parts of the trip because the "littles" can't ski so they usually stay inside all day and then their only outdoor activity is the pool. It tires them out so they sleep soundly.

Tuesday was my turn to ski. Glen, Ryan and I went up about 10am (I was kind of lazy that morning). It was a gorgeous day. I'm going to see if I can post a video. I think it worked.

Beaver Creek is awesome because it has lots of jump parks for all skill levels and the boys (especially Glen) are getting really good at jumps and slides. I was having a blast. The snow was unbelievable. I called Vance at lunch time and told him it was almost like the snow was skiing for me. I've been working out a lot so I felt so much stronger this year than last year so I was jumping and sliding and doing black diamonds like never before. Definitely, the best time I've had skiing in years! The boys kept saying, "This is such a great day, Mom!" "That was the best run of my life!" Good Stuff!!! (this video is actually from last year, but a lot of the same stuff applies :)

2010-02-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

Ski Week Part 1

2010-02-24T11:12:00.000-08:00

I have another few minutes as the kids just finished lunch and are watching Curious George. This has become a daily tradition. However, it's a short show so...

I wanted to write a little story about our recent ski week as I think it was the best one we've ever had. We've been going every February for the last 11 years to Avon, CO at the foot of Beaver Creek Mountain. We purchased a timeshare there and have used it every year since...

This trip started off a little rocky. First, it seemed I was a little more stressed than normal getting everything packed and loaded. We got out earlier than usual - about 4:30pm. We made it to Denver to stop for gas and when we tried to leave the gas station we couldn't get the van into gear. We played with it for about 30 minutes then started calling AAA and tow companies and any auto place that would be open on a Sunday. No luck.

Vance got the idea to call our neighbor Randy. Randy got on the computer and looked up the make and model of our van along with the issue and found out that if your turn the key in the ignition to just before the lights come on you can pass the fail-safe mechanism and put the van into gear. You have to put it into neutral and then you can start the van. IT WORKED! You should have heard Vance thanking Randy. Randy said to thank Bing (a search engine - for all you non-computer types :).

We would have arrived at our "vacation house" before 8pm if all had gone well, but we arrived just before 10pm. Everyone was really tired, but really excited. The first thing all the "littles" did was take of all their clothes and hop in one of the jacuzzi tubs. The first thing Glen and Ryan did was turn on the TV because there was cable. We finally got off to bed and it was a good night sleep. Everyone slept well - even Tristan.

The next morning we decided that Glen and Ryan should try skiing by themselves. They have the 5th and 6th grade school of shred which allows them to ski for free. So, they took the Gondola and were gone all day. They said they had a great time. This was the first time they've ever done anything like that. I was amazed.

I had decided that instead of packing up our whole house that the previous week at home I would try to use up as much food as possible so I could do our "regular" grocery shopping up in Avon instead of having to pack it and take it with us. So, I spent Monday shopping at the local Kroger store then went to Burger King to brought it "home". I also had some other errands: post office and Sports Authority. I felt like a regular local.

When I got back to the condo I put all the groceries away, unpacked all the clothes and got everything prepared for the week.

I think that enough for part one...look above for some pictures from our ski week.

2010-02-17T10:13:00.000-08:00

I've got a few minutes as I have fish sticks, tater tots and corn dogs cooking in the oven for lunch. Today is Wednesday and it's the first one I've had off in several weeks (not including the ski week, but that's not necessarily time off). I can honestly say that it feels weird to not have anything to do tonight. It makes me feel so much more free.

To add to this great day, Vance is around as well. He's been working down in Pueblo so he usually leaves at 6:30am and doesn't return home until 8pm. Today he has a small job here in town that should only take about 3 hours and he and his friend Kyle from Double Diamond Homes are starting on a huge renovation for our pastor today - felling trees. They're even going to let one fall on the garage - which they're demo-ing anyway. Hopefully, we can get some video of that.

I made a good breakfast of cream of wheat, toast and fresh oranges then we started school. Glen started with Algebra. My absolute favorite subject. It took some time, but he got used to the idea that "x" is actually a number and you need to go through all these rules and steps to figure out what "x" is. Ryan is reading (and still reading) Acts 3 and 4 and answering questions about the passages. He's been working on this assignment for two days. Today I told him he will be sitting there until he finishes.

After Glen was finished with Algebra I told him to find the Presidents book and choose one to do a research paper. He chose Theodore Roosevelt. He read about three pages of summation on President Roosevelt and stopped about every five minutes to say, "Mom, guess what..." I'm glad he's excited about it because he wasn't when I first told him the assignment.

Glen was really emotional today. I think it was because he couldn't get the math right away. He excused himself and said he had to go to the bathroom, but when he came back I could tell he had been crying. I asked him why he was upset and he said he didn't know. He said, "I don't know why I cry when I talk to you and Dad. It's so stupid. Even now I can't keep the tears back. I don't understand why I'm so sensitive." I told him that God made him sensitive and he said that he didn't like the way God made him. I said that sometimes I didn't like the way God made me either, but He knows a ton better than we do. Truthfully, I think it may be more than just sensitivity. Glen is 12 and already showing signs of puberty.

While all of this was going on I did an exercise for all the "Littles" plus will. We started with stretching. Then, I showed them how to do push ups and sit-ups. Then we did a song called Shake Freeze where you shake until the music stops then freeze. We Will Rock You was clapping and marching to the beat. Pollywog in a Bog was squats (that looked like frogs). I we ended with Fireflies - kind of a cool down - walking all over the living room pretending to be fireflies.

I felt like is was a productive morning and I wanted to remember it.

2010-02-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back, Vance picked up a young dog that was about to get squished up off of Hwy. 83. It was snowing and his poor little face was all covered with icicles.

We don't normally pick up strays because we always hate it when someone picks up our dog and takes him 20 or 30 miles out of our way when he probably would have just come back home, but this was a special case.

We called him Eli and he stayed with us for a week. He's a beautiful German short-haired pointer and he had a great personality, loved the kids and obeyed very well. So much so that it made us all start to think that we wouldn't mind if the owners never called us.

They did, however. I think poor Glen was the most disheartened. He really wants a dog of his own. Eli stayed with us for about a week and when the owners came to pick him up they gave us a $100 gift card. We'll have to pick up strays more often - HA!

2010-02-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

Pictures

2010-01-08T21:32:00.000-08:00

New Year

2010-01-08T21:06:00.000-08:00

The last couple of weeks have been the most abnormal in quite some time. My sister and her husband came for a visit and...I have to say things have changed a bit around here.

Actually, I should probably go back about 6 weeks or so. We started with a visit to the assisted living place. I took all the kids for a visit. I don't know what it is, but the elderly in these places absolutely adore children and it was great to see their faces brighten. Then, when I went to California with Tristan I watched as my sister and brother-in-law made it their mission to be missionaries wherever they went. My heart was stirred. Then, when they came here for a visit, we went to the streets downtown, to the tent city, talked to just about every pastor and homeless shelter in town, made videos to give people ideas how to serve their community such as "Laundry Love" where you go to a laundr-o-mat and pay for every one's laundry, shovel snow for people in your neighborhood just to show Christ's love and maybe open a door to talk about HIM. It seemed as though everyday they got up and asked, what can we do for the Kingdom today?

I still home schooled. I still cleaned the house. I still made dinner. I still did all my other jobs. What hit me hardest was that it wasn't that hard to take a few extra steps from my regular walk.

You know what the amazing thing is? I've been hearing stirrings of people doing or wanting to do this kind of thing all over the place. This week we had IMPACT meetings everyday at our church. New Life Church did the same thing. Every where I'm hearing people talking about changing the way people think about Christians and about church in general. For years the unchurched have thought of us as hypocrites, people with too many rules, we don't do anything for the homeless or for people in need. Our divorce rates as Christians are the same as non-Christians - what makes us different than the people who don't call themselves Christians? What I'm hearing is that Christ followers want to change that. What good are we if we've lost our saltiness?

For anyone who read this, go to www.forgottenchurch.com. Watch the videos, make some calls, get some people together, go do some ministry downtown, or some laundry love or just start a conversation, ask questions you never know what God is going to do.

2009-12-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

Isn't he cute...when he's sleeping :) We have this little rocking horse and Tristan fell asleep on it. Ryan collected all the pillows and bean bags and put them all around him so he wouldn't cry when he fell off. Just had to slip this one in.

So, update continued...

The love of my life turned 48 this year. Neither of us can believe that in just two years he will be 50. I'm sure everyone who has turned 50 has felt the same way. What's hardest to believe is that I will be married to a 50 year old - lol.

We continue our Terry tradition: Mom and Pops came over with the ice cream cake. Mom, I know you're reading this, our kids our going to grow up and remember how much they loved this tradition and will probably continue it themselves with their own families (as long as Dairy Queen stays in business :).

Rachie turned 5 in October. We went to Itz. The food was horrible, but the kids had a BLAST. Rachie asked for a doll house, which she got, but we haven't put it together yet *blush* - and we again had Grandma and Grandpa over for cake and presents. The picture above of the 4 "Littles" dancing has become a Terry family tradition as well. After EVERY movie, as soon as the credits roll, they all get up and dance in front of the T.V. I think Morgan started this one. It's the cutest thing you've ever seen.

There will be an update Part 3 coming soon. So much more to share about more birthdays and hunting season and other trips. Hopefully, it doesn't get too boring, but this is mostly for my memory anyway *wink*.

Three months!!!

2009-12-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

Three months goes by faster than the wind blows! I've neglected a little duty here. I have so much to share I hardly know where to begin. One thing is certain, I must add the great tool of keeping a precious log of the Terry family back into my daily activities.

Over the last three months I've gotten off all my routines. Vance's business is slow so I've focused on ways I could earn money to help out even if it's just a little bit. I've picked up some more classes at Villa and that's thrown off quite a bit because I do that in the evenings. So, basically it boils down to home schooling as usual during the day, but having to prepare approx. 2 hours earlier for dinner, etc. The house has been neglected as well.

Here's my promise to myself and my family...I'm getting back on the FlyLady bandwagon, I will be using my timers and checklists, etc. Since I've been working out a lot I've got quite a bit of energy so I know I can do it physically - I heard Dave Ramsey say the other night, "The best motivation is self-motivation." There aren't any motivational speakers out there that can get you do get it together. So, physically I've got it down, mentally I'm getting there and spiritually I'm praying every day that God directs each step -everything else will fail without this part!

So, here are some pictures and a little story behind each one to get us up to day. Let me know what you think.

One of the neatest things that happened over the last three months was a trip to California to see my family. I couldn't have asked for better weather (especially for November). I so loved seeing my dad and Rachel and my sister Sarah, by brothers Stephen and Jonathon and James and Joey. I got to see family that I haven't seen in 20 to 30 years...Uncles, aunts, cousins, second cousins, family I've never met before...we packed a lot in just a week.

Today we went to an Assisted Living Center and visited with the residents there. This is something we used to do a lot when I was young and living with my dad. We would go every Sunday after church to visit the "old folks" and sing and my dad would give a little message. The kids were a little uncomfortable at first, but I plan to do this more often. The residents absolutely loved the kids.

Another big milestone was Glen turning 12. I don't even know what to say it's so hard to believe. He's turning into a wonderful young man. Thank you, Lord for the blessing you've given us in Glen. This year he will be preparing for his manhood ceremony which we will have on his next birthday. I bought "The Dangerous Book for Boys" for he and Vance to go through together this year so they can make some memorable moments together. Grandpa bought him a real "man's" knife and Grandma bought some young man's clothes. Soon he will cross over from boy to man. It tears at my heart a little.

Well, I was going to do more, but I'm tired. Will post more tomorrow. 'night all...

2009-09-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

It's snowing again today. This time a bit more seriously. It must be hard to be a weather person in Colorado Springs. More often than not, they get the weather so totally wrong!

This week they said that we would have rain and it would be cooler (they got that part right). None of the stations said anything about snow. In fact, they said it would be in the 60s all week.

Don't get me wrong. I love it. It helps everyone to focus on school and things that need to be done around the home.

Ha! As I'm writing this the sun came out and I can already hear things melting - just in those few seconds. What a great place to study weather. I think that's what we'll do for science this week: weather.

First Snow!

2009-09-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

Today is September 21 and it is snowing. Just shy of the First Day of Autumn it is obvious the season has drastically changed. Yesterday's weather was almost 80 degrees.

I love days like today. It makes me want to watch a British film, drink tea and do a puzzle. We've lit our harvest candles and the house smells delicious. I think I'm going to make cookies and brownies later.

The kids are so excited and can't wait for their favorite time of year to be in full swing. God has truly blessed our school year so far. Every child is learning and enjoying being at home in school. Every once in awhile, Will will ask to return to regular school, but Glen and Ryan did the same their first year.

For today, everyone is in a good mood, helping around the house and getting school work done. It's also nice to have Vance home - even if he has been on the phone all day. This kind of weather puts him in a good mood as well.

Here's a picture of our front yard currently...(it's hard to see, but the snow is almost sideways)

2009-09-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Vance is finally back from his hunting trip. He got back on Thursday night and spent most of the day Friday getting ready for his next hunting adventure and taking Ray to the airport. Saturday he was gone all day hunting antelope. He shot one this morning. Thank you, God! I have to admit I'm already a little weary of hunting season and there's much to go. I'm sure I'll share some pictures soon.

For now, I have a picture of the kids from their second week at AWANA. Kael and Morgan earned their vests and bags by reciting their verses. We worked on them all week. "God loved us...and sent His son." I John 4:10. They also had to remember the Cubbie motto which is "Jesus loves me" and "While we were sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. Everyone recited all their verses and received their awards. Glen and Ryan are working hard on their own to earn extra awards. Will went even further than we practiced and Rachie didn't clam up this week. I'm so proud of all of them.

I also have a picture of our latest harvest. I made homemade salsa this weekend with our garden fresh tomatoes and onions. This is the first year I've been somewhat successful at gardening. I have a long way to go.

I'm also including a photo from our latest nature study outside. Let me know what you think...:)

2009-09-15T23:16:00.001-07:00

Today was full and productive. I started the morning off in the usual way...wishing I had gone to bed earlier, but how is that even possible when Tristan wakes up around midnight...then being greeted by Rachie, Kael and Morgan way before I want to get out of bed...I'm sure I'll miss these days when they're gone...

We started school this morning with music...all seven kids singing away. Yep, even Tristan. I tell ya, that kid loves to sing. When you start to even hum or whistle he breaks out in a long stream of "Ahhhhhs". I've been teaching the kids old hymns and it's surprising, but they don't even know the song "Jesus Loves Me". At our church we're always on to the latest and greatest and we seem to leave behind the old. Vance reminded me recently that we really need to teach our kids not only old hymns, but even the old simple songs we used to sing in Sunday school like "Do Lord"...remember that one?

For a short school day we got a lot done and I was happy with what the kids learned today. I then got half the kids baths and it was off to Grandmas. I had to go to the bank, pay taxes, get payroll done and Will had a testing appointment at the library at 2pm. Grandma and Grandpa were gracious enough to watch the "Littles" while I did all these errands. This made my to do list extremely more successful :).

We got home about 4pm and that was too late to get the kids down for a nap so I started dinner and put in a video we got from the library. For the most part they were good, but still a little cranky from being so tired. I put them down to bed around 7pm and went to my Salsa class. So, everything worked out well...only they'll probably wake me up at 6am instead of 7am this morning.

I'm thinking that Vance should be back tomorrow or Thursday...

Second post for today...

2009-09-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

I know I just posted, but I forgot I had some pictures I wanted to share. Some are of our Nature Studies for school and there are some pictures of when Aunt Andrea came over and brought will a birthday pie and some cool "Thing" fists for a birthday present. There's also a cute picture that I took just tonight of the twins sitting peacefully together: a rare occurrence.

Does anyone know what these are? I've been calling them horse's tail, but I'm pretty sure I'm wrong.

On one of our hikes we came across this tree stump with a carved face in it.

2009-09-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

Vance's birthday was Saturday. I think this is the first time he's ever been away on his birthday. The kids are really missing him. It's hard not to even hear about where he is and what he's up to. I don't know how those military wives do it.

The weekend went OK. Saturday rained most of the day so we all stayed inside, watched movies, read books and I did a puzzle. I love to sit by the window when it rains and listen and do a puzzle. I think I got in about 2 hours of quiet rain/puzzle time before the "Littles" woke up from their naps.

Sunday was a little bit more busy. Mostly we prepared for the first day of AWANA. This year I have six in AWANA. Everyone is in different classes except for the twins. I'm thankful they're in the same class. Still, drop off and pick up was a little difficult. Tristan was a good boy, though and that helped things. I popped him in a little umbrella stroller and we walked all over the church dropping off people into their different classes. The best part about this was that Tristan fell asleep in the car on the way home and I had a full two hours to clean the house all by myself. I can't remember the last time that happened. I got the surface cleaning done so that when you walk in you get a sense that things are clean and organized. However, there's still a lot more to do.

Sunday evening Grandma and Grandpa came over for dinner. Vance had bought quite a bit of chicken on sale before he left and I gave it a good frying. So, we had fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn and some chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. The weekend went by fast and I feel good about it.

We all have the sniffles. That's all it really is. My nose is running non-stop, but I feel ok. It's the same story with everyone else.

Today, was also a good day. Monday is a day off of school for Glen and Ryan so I can work personally with Will. We got a lot done in just two hours. I think this is a good strategy. I should pick days where I can work one on one with each of the children. After all, I have seven days a week and seven children. Makes sense...

...so looking forward to Vance getting home...missing him terribly...

I Need to Post More

2009-09-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

I know my memory is fading and I need to be more careful with these late hours. There's so much that can be done while everyone is asleep and I tend to waste it. I should blog, I should scrap book, I should journal, do data entry and accounting, return emails (which I do most of the time), study for the next week of schooling, write songs...there are a million things I could be doing - why is that I want to spend these valuable minutes either watching T.V. or reading blogs and Facebook?

Today was the first full day of Vance being gone - oh, I hope and pray that he and Ray get their elk - Please, God!!! I know it won't stop him from going on his big trip in October, but at least he'll be happy for a year and he'll cut his hair and beard :).

Anyway, we started off the day by going shopping. I thought if we went early enough the kids would be in a good mood. Our first stop was Hobby Lobby. I wanted to pick up some more Autumn decorations and maybe some fabric for some easy sewing projects for me and the boys. The minute we walked in disaster struck. I put Tristan's carrier on the shopping cart and turned for a split second and Morgan got on the side of the cart and knocked it over throwing Tristan and his carrier and piling the cart on herself. Screams ensued. Thank you, God no one was seriously injured. In fact, I see now that those carriers are ingenious inventions. Tristan didn't get a bang or a scratch. He was just scared out of his wits.

As I tried to go down the aisle where the items I wanted were, there were two ladies who looked like they were going to spend their entire day in that aisle. Don't people know they need to get out of the way when they see a woman with seven children in tow. I can just imagine what people must think.

So, I finally get my decorations and head down to the opposite end of the store where the fabric is located. I must have said "Hold on to the cart" and "Don't touch!" about a million times. In the fabric dept. Rachie pulled a marble table top on top of herself. That was it. To the check out counter we went.

As we began to leave the building, I found it hard to believe so many cars would not stop to let us cross the parking lot. Again, if you see a woman with seven children standing at a curb - stop! But, I guess it was a good thing we didn't cross because just as we were about to, the lady from the check out counter came out and said, "Do you have another little girl?" I had forgotten to count...Morgan was still inside - rrrgghh.

Off to Sam's. Incredibly, Sam's was a much easier adventure. The geniuses that the people at Sam's are...they set up a seating area that looks like a living room where a T.V. plays a kid's movie all day long. Today it happened to be the new Curious George movie and the kids haven't seen that yet. I left all of them there except for Tristan and they didn't move an inch the whole time I shopped.

I got everything I needed from Sam's loaded all the kiddos in the car and went to Wendy's - drive thru, of course. After home and lunch and unloading it was nap time for "the littles" and time to start school for the three boys. It went well - so far, school this year has been wonderfully successful.

I have no idea what I did from the time school was over and 5pm, but before I knew it it was off to the gym. My 5:30 spin class went well and I had just enough energy to come home, make dinner, watch a short Disney flick with the kiddos and then it was off to bed for the younger five. Glen and Ryan stayed up with me until about 9:30 and even did a few little chores so they could have some ice cream...I've been killing time ever since.

GO TO BED, RACHEL!!!! and that's what I'm gonna do....Good night!

Update

2009-09-10T13:33:00.001-07:00

I finally got around to editing some of the pictures we took for our little August birthday get together. Grandma and Grandpa came over and brought...you guessed it...the Terry family favorite and now traditional ice cream birthday cake. It said "Happy Birthday August" for all the August birthdays: Pops/Poppa/Grandpa, Will, Kael, Morgan and Tristan.

Grandma and Grandpa brought toys and clothes and books...such great gifts. Will got a special gift from Grandpa...his own fishing pole. As you can see in the pictures, he could barely contain himself. The kids were really excited and it was a great night. It's hard to believe that Tristan is one (I've said that before). It still hasn't sunk in that I no longer have a little baby. I'm learning to enjoy all the stages of my children's lives, though. Good stuff. Lord, help me remember that when I feel like my head is going to explode with frustration. :)

Enjoy the pictures. Love to all...

Backpacking

2009-08-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

Vance and the boys went on a backpacking trip almost two weeks ago now with a good friend of Vance's - Rob and his son Conner.

I wasn't sure how Glen and Ryan were going to do with those heavy packs, but it seems they did alright. Ryan had some rough spots, but all in all they had a really great time. In fact, Ryan is writing a school paper about the trip.

Vance is gone again this week. He left on Friday and should be back by Wednesday. Then he leaves again with his friend Ray who is flying in around the 11th. I really need to figure out how to get adjusted to handling all the kiddos on my own. I feel a bit out of sorts and very short fused. I'm afraid to pray for patience because I know that will only make things worse :). If you're reading this how about you pray for me.

After watching Forrest Gump today I'll say, "That's about all I have to say about that."

Tristan is ONE

2009-08-25T21:30:00.001-07:00

Tristan is ONE today!!! I can hardly believe it. I think I did what I set out to do and that was to savor every moment of this first year. Even while I was trying to take it all in it went by just as fast as every other child, but at least I have more memories. The twins' first year was a blur and that is so sad.

Tristan was such a good boy today and really all we did to celebrate his first birthday was to take a bunch of pictures or rather Ryan took them. Here is a Picasa photo album totally unedited, but cute nonetheless.

Love to all...

They are Three

2009-08-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

It's really late and I'm exhausted, but I wanted to share a little about the day.

Kael and Morgan are three years old! We had a little celebration tonight. I made a cake and bought a new cartoon video. They both love those old Disney cartoons. You know, like The Reluctant Dragon, The Prince and the Pauper, The Three Little Pigs, Johnny Appleseed, etc.

We also started home school today. It was very successful. The last few weeks I've been putting a lot of work into creating my own curriculum and schedule. I hope it continues to go well.

Add to this day a trip to Sam's with all the kids and me having to teach a Salsa class tonight at 7:30 and I'm done - you can stick a fork in me...

So...good night.

2009-07-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago the boys went for a walk to get the mail and saw a large deer just resting in front of one of our neighbor's sheds. They came back home and got the camera. This particular neighbor has junk all over his property. It seemed weird that out of all the properties in our area this beautiful deer would choose this site to lay down and rest.

Speaking of resting; Vance came home yesterday pretty tired, but since he knew he had to go back out to help his friend who locked his keys in his car, he just laid down on the living room floor. Of course, when an adult gets down on the floor that's kid territory so it didn't take long for most of them to gather around.

I'm posting this on my What's for dinner...? site as well, but I just had to share. I bought "The BBQ Bible" about a month ago and have been barbecuing and smoking ever since. Grandma and Pappa got to enjoy this one with us on Sunday. Smoked pork spare ribs, potato salad, coleslaw and baked beans. Yum!

New Appliances

2009-07-25T21:57:00.001-07:00

BEFORE

AFTER

We got our new appliances this week. I'm so happy to be able to use a gas stove again. It makes cooking so much easier when you can adjust your heat levels immediately. I love the look of the stainless steel. It's going to be difficult to keep little hand prints off of them, but I don't mind.

What do you think?

2009-07-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures of the Terry Family Summer over the last few weeks. This picture is of Ryan jumping off a swing at the little play area at our pool. He wanted to see how high he got.

This last weekend we celebrated my birthday. Grandma and Pappa came over to watch the four littles and Vance and I and the boys went to see the second Transformers movie. I wasn't too impressed, but the boys had a blast and it was nice getting out. After we came home, Grandma and Pappa had bought my favorite - an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. I don't think I'll ever get tired of those things. Here are some pictures from last night. Including a real cute one of Tristan. Do you get the candle set up?

Here's a picture of my new car. I love it. It has a bunch of bells and whistles. I ran into a fellow Mary Kay rep this weekend at the movie theater and she just earned the new Cadillac. It's the same size and shape as my car except mine is not pink - I just earned mine in a different way. I love selling MK, but I'm glad I'm not a director anymore.

The rest of the summer should be a bit more relaxing. Now, it's time to prep for the next homeschooling year. I will have four this year. I'm looking forward to it.

Short Update

2009-07-15T22:21:00.001-07:00

I really need to update this blog, but Vance lost the new camera. It's been almost a month since I've put anything down here. The last entry was the beginning of all our sickness. We seem to be coming out of it now.

We've had a Fourth of July party with almost 80 people, then the following week had the worship team picnic with about 80 people. We've bought a new car, new stove, dishwasher, microwave. Vance finished the complete remodel of our bathroom downstairs. It looks great. I'll have to post pictures when I find the camera. I took before and after photos.

So much to share and update and so little time. I'll just have to schedule it in :)

Fishin'

2009-06-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

The day that Vance went to pick up the boys from their camp, he and Pops and the three went fishing. Will caught the first fish just minutes after they cast their poles. We had fish that night and on Monday night as well. I had a bite :). It was good, but I hate picking through the bones so I made myself some chicken. Something I probably never would have done when Vance and I were dating. Hopefully, he wasn't too disappointed.

If you're interested in seeing my boring blog about what we eat for each meal, just go down to the bottom of this blog on the right-hand side and click on view my whole profile and you'll see all the blogs I've created and you can click on "What are we having for...breakfast, lunch and dinner?"

The picture of the boys and Gunner on the rock is a duplicate of a picture we have three years before. I found it when Vance showed me this one. The boys and Gunner are all in the same order maybe even on the same rock. I'll have to scan it and post it soon.

Today, June 12, 2009

2009-06-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

This is the first day this week that we didn't wake up to cloudy skies. It's absolutely beautiful. They say the rain storms are coming later, but I wanted to take a break from cleaning and get outside to enjoy some sunshine.

There are purple flowers blooming all over our property. I've never seen so many. No doubt, a product of all the rain we've been having. Some of the plants we planted last year are back with a vengeance. It's great to see so much growth and so much color.

Vance left early this morning to pick up the boys from camp. I can't wait to see them and hear all their stories. He took my camera, but I was able to find my old one and take these beautiful pictures.

Happy Anniversary to Homemade Salsa

2009-06-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

This week marks one year since I created Homemade Salsa - a blog to friends and family who were interested in what the Terrys were up to.

My very first entry was about Vacation Bible School. This year MSC started a week early so we already went through that this year and I don't have any pictures to post - except for their group pictures - which did turn out pretty cute.

My second entry was about Father's Day and a little tribute to Vance. It's been fun looking back and reading what we did a year ago.

On this year anniversary I started a new blog. This one is for myself and something I can keep up with daily. It's called "What are we having for...Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner". Yes, extremely boring, I know, but, like I said it's for me. Once I've entered what we've had for each of these meals for a whole year I should never run out of ideas again :). I'm also putting what the weather is like during each of those times of the day. This a little glimpse into my personality. I love being able to look back over the years and see what the weather was like on that same day.

Anyway...Happy Anniversary to the Homemade Salsa/Terry Family Blog!

2009-06-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

Lots of pictures...I've got to explain this last one before I go any further. Rachie set this up in our living room. She just got a bunch of random items and made and circle and played in it for an hour at least. I just had to take a photo because I've never seen anything like it before.

All the other pictures are of our trip up and back from taking Glen and Ryan to Eagle Lake Camp. I'm sure they're having a blast, but I am definitely missing them and worrying about them.

The theme was Eagle Lakopolis and they had all their camp counselors dressed in 20s costumes. They even had a little band on the top of a rock as you drove in welcoming you with 1920s music. The boys loved it. When we finally got to the parking lot there were about 15 to 20 of the counselors and they cheered loudly as our van passed. It looked like they put a lot of thought into making sure the kids felt excited about being there.

Enjoy the pics...

Vacation Bible School 09

2009-06-01T15:05:00.001-07:00

As I sit here at my computer desk I'm listening and looking out at the rain. Have I said how much I love the rain? I don't know what it is, but there is something so calming and hearing the raindrops and smelling the fragrance of the trees and the grass as they get wet and just watching it fall is something I could do every day. I'm fortunate to live in a place where it rains and then 10 minutes later the sun comes out making everything sparkle. However, I'm usually left wanting more.

This has been a good day. We starting VBS week today and I decided to volunteer this year so we could all be a part. I didn't do much today, but I have a fun job tomorrow.

We I got home Vance was here and he was in one of his moods to talk. Don't get me wrong, he always likes to talk - it's just usually to someone else. Today he wanted to talk to me. I miss being able to spend time with him like this. Three kids were in bed, three kids were outside and Tristan was being good so it was a great time to just sit and talk with each other.

Enjoy the pics - I am.

Haircuts 09

2009-05-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

All the boys got haircuts on Memorial Day. Vance says that anyone who wants a haircut can come over and get one for $5. No complaints. If you pay $10 then you can complain. I need everyone to talk Vance into getting a haircut as well. Although, I think he wants to grow it down to the middle of his back!

2009-05-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been over a month since I've updated this blog. The last entry showed a picture of me knee deep in snow in our front yard. Here's a picture taken just three days later. Ya gotta love Colorado!

That first sunny day I took some pictures. It was so good to be outside without jackets. It finally felt like spring.

Vance went Turkey hunting several times over the last month. Ryan and Glen took turns going and he also got to hunt with Pops. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful, but Vance was able to capture some beautiful photos of the sunrise.

Another AWANA graduation...Rachie completed her second year in Cubbies. Will did his first year as a Spark. I was so proud of him and all the verses he memorized plus all the books of the Bible. Ryan finished his first book as a TNT and Glen his second. Both memorizing over 100 verses this year.

Ryan took about a thousand pictures of Tristan in this shirt. It's my favorite, "Handsome is an Understatement"!

Breakfast at the Terry's. It looks like their plates coordinate with their shirts - Ha!

Ryan and Vance worked on a project together to finish the AWANA year. I thought it was a pretty cool looking diorama. Ryan was to create a scene that portrayed the prison where Paul and Silas were kept, worshipped and were freed.

We had an awesome and incredibly fun Cinco de Mayo party. Lots of food, chips and salsa, margaritas and Coronas. We danced and sat out by the fire. We had at least 25 kids here and they played late into the night outside on our property. Can't wait to do it again.

Mother's Day, actually the Friday before Mother's Day, Mom and Pops came over and brought ice cream cake!!!! Yum and woo hoo!!! I so needed the chocolate. In this picture I just got back from teaching a spin class and gave the youngest five baths. Morgan and Kael are almost completely potty trained. They'll be three in August. August will be a big month - the twins will be three, Will will be 7 and Tristan will be one year old!

Well, that's all for now. My goal is to update every Saturday morning and if I can do more during the week I will.

Oh, I forgot. Tristan got his first tooth two weeks ago and the second it just about to pop through. He's sitting up and scooching across the floor on his butt. The funny thing is you never see him do it. He'll be sitting in one spot then you look away and when you look back he's moved several feet. I literally have never seen how he gets from one spot to the other, but he's always sitting up so I just assume he's scoochin'. Hilarious.

2009-04-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

I was thinking that I've been slacking off on taking pictures of Tristan. I can't let myself do that. Here's one with his big brother Will trying to slip into the photo.

The last two days we've had some heavy snowfall. It's amazing how different the weather can be just 10 minutes from us. Today I went into work to teach and the roads were almost dry. This compared to our road which I could barely drive.

Here are some fun photos Vance took for me so I can show everyone just how much snow 10 minutes north of Colorado Springs got.

Easter 09

2009-04-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Our Easter weekend was full. It started with me teaching two classes on Friday.

Saturday, I taught another class then went shopping afterward. It took me three hours to go to Sam's, King Soopers and Mardel's - a trip that would normally only take an hour and a half. It seemed as if everyone waited until the day before Easter to shop. It was worse than Christmas.

That evening, Vance and the boys went with Grandpa to an Elk's Foundation Banquet. The boys love doing this because they get to bid on silent auctions. They both spent their own money to do so, but unfortunately they came home disappointed that they didn't win any of the auctions. Vance, however, won and added another gun to his collection.

Easter morning I got up early to get everyone breakfast and dye Easter eggs. I had boiled all the eggs the night before and had planned the day so we could get to our family gathering on time.

The egg dying did not go well. Morgan, Kael, Rachie and Will couldn't get the hang of NOT cracking the eggs as they dropped them into the dye - what a mess. We lost almost a dozen eggs.

I had also planned on going to church (the late service) that morning. Since egg dying didn't go as planned and I wasn't able to get everyone bathed and dressed and get myself ready too, we missed church altogether. I can't remember the last time I didn't go to church on Easter.

I had also planned on putting a ham in the oven that morning, but forgot and I was supposed to make potato salad and coleslaw for our family get-together and didn't get to either of those. So, with a little bit of stressful conversation, Vance took the cooking and I took on getting everyone dressed and somewhat presentable.

It snowed all that morning (see the pictures above). I believe we got more than a foot at our house. It was a very heavy and wet snow. I remember the days growing up in California when Easter brought a pretty, sleeveless dress and high-healed shoes. I had dresses picked out for the girls, but they wore bright colored sweat suits and I ended up wearing jeans.

Although I was annoyed at my husband for saying so he was right about how I put unrealistic expectations on these kinds of events and when I get frustrated and disappointed that things didn't go as planned it makes everyone around me miserable. I was miserable for about an hour and just wished I could have stayed home. Slowly, but surely I was able to feel better and just enjoy watching my kids enjoy themselves.

Lesson learned (I hope ;).

The Calm Before the Storm

2009-03-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

As I write this, Vance and the boys are chopping wood. It's beautiful outside. I'm not sure if I've ever shared this before, but the entire front of our house is a window. It's meant to be a passive solar system that warms the house during the winter and a large solar curtain comes down over it to cool the house in the summer. This window ranks in the top 10 reasons we bought this house.

While the boys were chopping wood I made dinner and looked out at the beautiful sunshine and listened to the news that in just less than 24 hours we might have two feet of snow in our front yard (hence, the reason for the wood chopping). It's hard to believe that the mild, beautiful and sunshiny weather could change so drastically in such a short period of time.

It made me think of the economy and the state of our nation. This whole week I have been thinking how our economy doesn't seem as bad as they (the media) say it is. Vance and I tried to go out to dinner a few weeks ago on a Friday night. We hit five different places before we found somewhere the wait wasn't at least an hour and fifteen minutes long. Some of the places we couldn't even find a parking spot. These were medium to high end restaurants where you pay at least $15 per plate. This is evidence enough to me to think that things aren't that bad. Then, of course, there was the stock market rally this week of over 500 points.

Like today's weather, I think this is just the calm before the storm and I was very impressed to get prepared. Because fuel is low, groceries are reasonable and there are a lot of sales going on right now if you need something to wear or something for your house. However, fuel is back on the rise and I don't have a lot of confidence in what Washington is doing to "fix" the economy. In fact, I think it's going to backfire.

There are two things that are definite: fuel is going to get worse than it was last summer and everything else will rise because of it. Put that together with the way our government is printing money and we have a recipe for the "perfect storm".

My plan is to buy in bulk groceries that are essential, mainly canned goods and large (50lb.) bags of beans and rice. Last year Sam's started putting limits on how much of these items you could buy. There's nothing you can do about gas prices or produce. You have to buy these things when you have to buy them. But, putting as much as possible away in your savings now and buying things that will keep and cost much less now than later seems to be a VERY good idea.

Proverbs has A LOT to say about these things. I don't want to be doom and gloom, but I do want to be wise.

Just thought I would share this with you so you could be thinking about it (if you weren't already).

They Passed

2009-03-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

I had to post again...I told Vance I was updating my blog (which I have been horrible at this year - 6 in Jan, 5 in Feb and only 2 this month - sheesh.) and he said I should say something about the hunter safety course he and the boys went to this past weekend.

It's actually a really neat story (yes, people still talk like that). They left around 4pm on Friday and I took care of the Littles - that's my new name for the 5 under 6. We've been studying for this test for quite some time. Vance and I were worried for Ryan because he's a slow reader.

The class was packed. Vance said that there were people standing or sitting on the floor for almost 5 hours on Friday and close to 12 hours on Saturday. Vance was determined that the boys get a front row seat on Saturday so they left the house around 5:45am. They went directly to the shooting range because each student must be observed handling a rifle. Ryan got four shots right in the bulls eye - Incredible!!

After shooting they had a little time before the class actually started so, they went to Village Inn for some breakfast. Vance took this opportunity to do a little more study. A few minutes later their waitress came to the table and said that their bill had been paid. As it turns out the man in the next booth was impressed at how a father was teaching his children and thought he should be rewarded for it - also incredible!

They sat through 8 more hours of instruction then it was time to take the test. The test is 50 multiple choice questions and there is only one test for both children and adults. Vance wants to interject that if there are any of you reading this who have children Glen and Ryan's age (11 and 10) he suggests taking some time to study before the actual course - we did for 6 months. Vance also wants to give a shout out to David Carol, the instructor of the course, for his patience with the younger ones.

The boys both passed!!!! But, not just passed...Glen received a 98% and Ryan got a 90%. Both A's. Woo hoo!!! I have to say that I'm extremely proud as well. Since we've been homeschooling there have been times when I've had doubts whether or not they were getting the tools they needed to succeed in the world. Once in a while I would think that maybe they could get a better education in a brick and mortar school. This is confirmation that we are indeed learning and more importantly, thinking.

Vance is beaming with pride for these boys who have gone on hunts with him since they were four and five years old. They've marched through the woods with either their BB guns or an unloaded rifle to practice hunting with gun safety.

Glen and Ryan are proud because they have been able to take what their father has taught them over the years and apply it in a real-world setting, a real-world test and come out on top.

Vance rewarded them with a rib dinner at Famous Dave's and a campout on our property. Yay, Glen and Ryan!!!

2009-03-16T06:06:00.000-07:00

It's 7:06am and I just got back from my spinning class. I teach this class every Monday morning at 5:30am. It was an awesome class full of the "magic" we group fitness instructors are taught to bring every time we teach. I love it when almost 30 members are moving together and really getting into the music - it's amazing energy. But, the best part about teaching this class is what I listen to on the radio while driving to and from the gym.

On the way there I listen to Pastor Todd of Radiant Church. This morning he and his wife were talking about how men are mono thinkers and women are stereo thinkers. In fact, they said that when a boy is growing up the connections between the left brain and right brain are deteriorated because of testosterone. Women can use both sides of the brain at the same time. This explains why my husband gets frustrated with me while I'm telling a story. I start with one idea and that makes me think about another and that one makes me think about another idea, but if he would just be patient it would all make sense in the end. But, inevitably he has a hard time following and therefore interrupts - then I get frustrated.

Pastor Todd's wife also warns him when "that time of the month" is approaching. It's seems odd to me that I'm 35 years old and still don't have an handle on this, yet. She described herself as feeling inadequate, like she couldn't do anything right, like everyone is against her. I can TOTALLY relate. Once in a while I get angry that no one cares about the house as much as I do. No one cares about the car, their toys, bikes, the garage, putting things back in their place and in general just taking care of what we have and keeping it nice. Of course this is untrue, but once a month I feel like I'm the only person on the planet who really cares. It makes you wonder how a woman could ever be president. I'd definitely like the job, but I don't think I'd be good at it until I was at least 50, or so...

Then, on the way back from my fantastic workout *smile* I listen to Alistair Begg. Probably one of my favorite speakers of all time. He's been going through a study of Ecclesiastes and it has been faith building.

He said, "Every skill and every pleasure we have in this life ultimately mocks us unless we know who's the source. And, lasting pleasures cannot be found in passing fads or fancies."

Under the same theme of "there is nothing new under the sun" - he sited text C.S. Lewis' book The Great Divorce. Lewis lays out this scenario of a man, someone he describes as a searcher, having a conversation with an angel at the gates of heaven. He is invited to come in and reminded that there is no need for his talents or his knowledge, just forgiveness for his corruption of them. And the man says, "We must all interpret these beautiful things in our own way. Remember when you were a child and your curiosity prompted questions and you felt a sense of accomplishment when those questions were answered? Become that child again, even now. Always looking, always searching." Yet, the bible says, when I became a man, I put away childish things. Pastor Begg notes that silly ideas are silly ideas whether they were written about in the 1940s or in the 2000s. There really is nothing new under the sun. Hell will be full of people who say, "There is no one answer."

He concluded with this passage from the end of Ecclesiastes:

11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd. 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.

Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.
13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Even in the days when Ecclesiastes was written God reminds us there are a lot of books out there and you can read and study all you want, but "much study wearies the body." The words of the "One Shepherd" are our filter and be careful of "anything in addition to them."

What I love about this teaching is that it comes from a man who had all the riches anyone could possibly want and the means to do anything he wanted with them - and he did - and he found it was all meaningless.

I want to write those words again:

HERE IS THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER: FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, FOR THIS IS THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN.

FOR GOD WILL BRING EVERYTHING INTO JUDGMENT, INCLUDING EVERY HIDDEN THING, WHETHER IT IS GOOD OR EVIL.

There are a lot of books, devotionals and studies out there - be careful not to weary the body.

Pastor Begg likes to quote sayings and song lyrics. He uses The Rolling Stones and the Beatles often. Today he said, "The main things are the plain things and the plain things are the main things."

Keep things plain today, enjoy the blessings God has given you and obey His commands.

*Note: I'm talking to myself first then all those who care to listen :).

P.S. You can listen to Alistair Begg on www.truthforlife.org.

It's all meaningless!

2009-03-04T20:27:00.000-08:00

Ecclesiastes is a very interesting book in the Bible. Just reading the first few sentences provokes a lot of thought.

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."

Wait a minute! How can God's Word say something like that? I've been contemplating it all. One of my first thoughts was about our time here on this earth. We put so much importance on finishing school, finding a job, finding a spouse, finding a house, having children, raising children, getting them to finish school, find a job, find a spouse...When you look at it that way it does all seem pointless.

Another thought that ran through my head was the statistic that you hear all the time asking people who are approaching 100 what they would have done more of in their lifetime and it's never things like work or clean or organize. They say things like: spend more time with my kids going to the beach or the zoo...spend more time with my wife, taking her out to dinner, buying her flowers, romancing here...spend more time traveling, seeing new places, meeting new people...

Vance and I watched "The Bucket List" this weekend. One of the first things that popped into my mind was "What a waste." Morgan Freeman's character worked all is life, could answer every question on Jeopardy and all that was disappearing with him. All that knowledge he had stored up in his head - what good did it do him?

These kinds of thoughts make you reevaluate how you live, what you're living for and just what purpose does it serve anyway? I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like for a non-believer...we spin our wheels then we die?

Well, I just wanted to post something...believe me I have a finished thought. I've just run out of time for tonight. I'll post more soon. Until then take a look at this...

The kids all lined up to watch a movie after dinner tonight. No, I did not stage this. Vance asked me if I had. They must all really like each other *wink*. Once again, looking a bit ragamuffin, but what can ya do?

Moving On

2009-02-26T21:02:00.000-08:00

My husband got me a dozen roses for absolutely no reason except to show how much he appreciates me. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what they're for. He doesn't usually come right out and say it. I usually start to complain about how no one could live without me around here: how I'm the only one who picks up and cooks and changes diapers and stays up late and gets up in the middle of the night and washes everyone's hair, brushes everyone's teeth, wipes everyone's butt. Then Vance gets on me and says, "Whine, whine, whine." And I do. I know it. Even when I'm appreciated I still like to whine. I think I only get in these moods when everything is falling apart.

After our week long vacation and then a training that took the whole following weekend I got extremely behind. Everyone is asking for underwear and socks again. I'm behind on laundry, behind on house-cleaning, behind on school - everything gets pushed aside. When all is disorganized like it is now it's all I can do just to maintain. Poor little Tristan has dry skin and if I don't put lotion on him everyday his skin cracks. Rachie has beautiful long hair, but if I don't brush it constantly it's a matted mess. I have to remind my three older boys to take showers, brush their teeth and hair and change their clothes or they'll go a whole week without doing these things.

I can't believe it! I'm whining on my blog :). I actually love my life. I love my family. I like sharing my life with whomever decides to read what I write and I'm glad you take the time to do it.

Recently, a VERY important member of my family decided to cut off our relationship because I don't call enough or send birthday cards, etc. I said that I started this blog so that whenever he thought about us he could just log on and find out all the goings on in the Terry household. This is why I started it. He said, "Screw your blog!" Everything I mentioned above is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the things I have to do in a single day. I know I'm not the only human being on the planet that has a full schedule (schedule is a misnomer). And that's not really a good excuse - busy-ness. The truth is I've never been good at phone calling and sending cards. I hate talking on the phone and I will not send a card or birthday gift unless I really feel I can write something good in the card or get a good gift. I won't give a gift just for the sake of giving one. The people in my life who love me and like to be around me accept this - I don't think I'll ever change.

I love my brothers. They call me often and never give me a hard time for not calling them. That's what love is or at least part of what love is - acceptance and forgiveness 70 X 7. I'm sad over this broken relationship.

I love the people in my life who, even though we don't talk for over a year, can just pick up a conversation and friendship right where it left off. Life really is short. Just ask anyone over 80. I'm listening to a study on Ecclesiastes and have a lot of thoughts on the subject of life. Once I get them all put together I'd like to write them down here.

So, I'm moving on.

Ski Week

2009-02-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

This past week we went on our annual ski trip to Beaver Creek. We started visiting this area 10 years ago and purchased a timeshare or should I say vacation ownership (it sounds nicer). Anyway, we're one of the few families that actually use theirs every year.

Over the years we've had some mishaps. We've ended up in Vail Valley Hospital at least 3 times and there have been a few winters where everyone was so sick we couldn't even leave our room. I've also had seven children in the last 10 years so I'm usually pregnant or nursing and don't get to ski much if even at all.

This year, however, was probably the best year since we've owned in that area. I'm still nursing, but no one was injured or sick and almost every night everyone slept well. We skied every single day. It snowed over a foot while we were there so we got to experience everything good skiing has to offer. One of the days was so bright and sunny you couldn't help but smile the whole day. Another day was so thick with powder the boys had to learn how to ski all over again, but they loved it.

Glen and Ryan have become so good they're actually taking black diamond runs now. They love to spend most of the time in jump parks or skiing through the trees. Thank God for helmets. When Vance and I first married we thought our kids would be surfers - as it turns out it looks like they will be extreme skiers and snowboarders - I have no doubt.

We now own two timeshares in Vail/Beaver Creek and every year we invite people to come with us and almost every year we end up going alone. It really is amazing this happens. We stay in a Five-Star Resort (which is a little over our heads but we paid for it 10 years ago), we ski in arguably the best place in America and the amenities are unbelievable (a full kitchen gives us the luxury of NOT eating out). This year we spent less than $300 the entire week. Of course the place is paid for and this year we bought the Colorado Pass back in November which gives you unlimited skiing in almost every ski resort in Colorado.

We go every year on Valentine's Week, the week before President's Day weekend. We can choose any week we'd like, but this has been our tradition. We'd love to have friends come with us. We have room for 16 adults (of course, we take 9 of those spots just for our family). Check it out and let us know what you think.

http://www.starwoodvo.com/ look under "Resort Collection" and scroll down to Colorado. We own at Lakeside Terrace and Sheraton Mountain Vista. Also, check out the Westin Ka'anapali in Maui - we're planning a trip there (yep, all 9 of us) this December.

2009-02-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

This week I had a special picture time with Tristan. Eleven years ago I started this tradition with Glen, my firstborn. I always go to the same photographer. Her name is Lenda Jay Messina. Otherwise know as LJM Photography. I wish I could publish all the pictures here, but I don't think it would matter. You can hardly tell the difference between my seven children.

When each child is about 4 or 5 months old we go and take these beautiful pictures. I will cherish them forever. Have you ever thought about what you would try to get out of your house if it ever caught fire? These pictures and my computer tower would be it.

In 2001, about three weeks before Michal was born, Lenda took a belly picture of me pregnant with Michal with Vance standing behind me. When Lenda found out that Michal had died she gave me a fully framed 20 x 30 of the photo for free. Usually an 8 x 10 costs around $200. This photo hangs to the left, right above my desk.

I love have these cherished possessions, but I'm so glad we will have better memories when we get to heaven and won't need them :).

2009-02-05T21:43:00.000-08:00

I was going through my pictures and found some real cute ones I wanted to share. This one I took on New Year's Day. All of our favorite holiday dishes displayed.

Here's Glen and Ryan goose hunting with Dad and Grandpa just before sunrise.

Remember that great story about the donkey that gave birth on our front lawn? We went to see her (Daisy) and her little foal (Rosie) a couple of weeks ago. You can't see Rosie very well (I have a better view on a video I can post later), but she has a huge amount of hair which comes over her forehead that makes her look a little like a sheep dog.

2009-02-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

It's Groundhog Day and according to Punxutawny Phil we are going to have six more weeks of winter. We watched the movie "Groundhog Day" with the kiddos. Such a fun movie. I actually saw it in the movie theatre when I was dating Vance and our friend Tim was with us. I remember we all felt so good after the movie was over - almost giddy. Watching the movie every February 2 has become a family tradition.

Yesterday was the Super Bowl. Many of you know how I despise football and I was so angry when one of the commentators said that football has now become America's pastime. Hooey! However, I did find myself getting into yesterday's game. In fact, I was actually praying for the Cardinals to win. I wanted this century old team who had never made it to the Super Bowl before to take the "tough guy" Steelers. I also wanted to hear Kurt Warner give Glory to God again.

I know God knew the Steelers were going to win just like He knew Obama was going to win. These things aren't important in the midst of eternity. Man, my thoughts are so messed up. This is why I shouldn't watch football ;).

I've been neglecting my blog because Facebook is just so darn interesting. It's definitely a distraction. Did anyone see Wall-e? I can just see us all 100 years from now as bi fat blobs with computer screens attached to our floating lounge chairs.

Randomness

2009-01-25T21:59:00.001-08:00

Just some random things...

Last month a mother from our home school co-op emailed everyone to say that Chick-fil-a was doing a promotion. The deal was that whatever you bought in December you can get the same order if you presented your receipt in January. It usually costs us over $30 to feed our family at Chick-fil-a. We get a party platter of nuggets, four large fries, a large tub of coleslaw and a gallon of sweet tea. A few days ago we took our December receipt in and received the same order for free. Wow! How awesome is that! Thanks to the one who let us know. I hope to get more emails like that in the future.

I joined Facebook this week. Vance had a friend from college contact him about his 25th college class reunion and said that all his classmates were gathering on Facebook. The funny thing is that as soon as I signed up and started a profile Facebook suggested that I become "friends" with 57 people. The unbelievable thing was that I knew every one of these people. HOW DO THEY KNOW THAT? I was shocked and amazed and scared all at the same time. There's no hiding now.

I've been a FlyBaby for about four years now. (Nicky your probably the only one who understands this). Over the last four weeks is the first time in those four years that I've actually followed my Control Journal and today was the first Sunday that I was actually able to "Renew My Spirit" and prepare for the week ahead.

I picked up a new cycling class today. Woo hoo! A little extra dough in the pocket.

Thank you, Lord for your faithfulness. In every aspect of our lives you truly are Jehovah Jireh.

Tooth

2009-01-21T21:32:00.000-08:00

For those of you who read this and don't know Vance very well here's some insight into his personality. First, let me say that he is the spender in the family. I tend to hoard money while he can find several things he "needs" at Sportsman's Warehouse. He also likes to buy coffee, breakfast and lunch quite a bit and usually finds someone to invite so he can pay for them. I call this gallivanting. He tells me he's going to pick up paint, look at job sites, etc. but I know what he's really doing...

Well, our son Ryan has had a loose tooth for about 2 months now that just won't come out. Today he showed me that the other tooth is coming in behind it and now the loose tooth has tightened down. I had told Vance about this a couple of weeks ago and that I was thinking of making an appointment with the dentist. Today I made the appointment and told Vance that he needed to be home tomorrow at 9am so I could take Ryan in. He asked how much it would cost and I told him that the dentist told me it would be $112.

I went about my evening doing chores mostly downstairs, when I came back upstairs Vance had pliers in Ryan's mouth. Ugh! It gives me chills just thinking about it. Anyway, we no longer need the appointment and because Ryan was so brave he saved the family $112.

Vance can be so funny. Every time I say I want to take the car in for an oil change or that I need to hire a window washer or we need a plumber he says, "No, I'll do it." I just don't get it. He acts like a cheapskate on these things, but is willing to spend hundreds of dollars on camo thermal underwear with scent block.

Oh well, I'm sure there's lots of things he doesn't get about me either.

He's Just SO cute!!!

2009-01-20T21:53:00.000-08:00

2009-01-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

This was one of those days where everything seemed to go well. As you can see by the pictures I've got the three older ones practicing their handwriting at the table and the four younger ones (Tristan is in the chair) watching Baby Einstein. No one is screaming, running or jumping. They are all doing what they have been told. This does not happen often so I had to take pictures of such a momentous occasion.

Take a good look at the table...I've got a Bible and a Dictionary, my Control Journal next to those and my timer above that, times table flash cards and piles of books including a book on Charlotte Mason, poetry, math, history...If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would have seven children and schooling them all at home I would have called your absolutely nuts, but how many millions of times have you heard people say that?

Finally over!

2009-01-13T19:47:00.000-08:00

The decorations are finally taken down. Now all that's left is putting all the boxes back in the attic. That's a bit of a chore since I usually end up inhaling fiberglass and getting those itchy splinters on my wrists and ankles.

I just wanted to post a little to let everyone know I'm still alive. My brother has been trying to contact me all week. I hate using this word, but I am overwhelmed. The twins are definitely in their terrible twos and Rachie seems to be a part of their gang. Home schooling Glen, Ryan and Will while those three are running around is giving me an ulcer. They've seem to realize that when I'm holding Tristan I can't get up and whip 'em. I'm trying to speak softly and carry a big stick, but they think it's a big joke.

I'm not discouraged, though. Just a little tired and definitely overwhelmed. But, I also know things could be a whole lot worse so I'm thankful for my little mischievous and manipulative children.

New fun!

2009-01-01T21:59:00.000-08:00

I got a couple of new toys for Christmas. I'm having a ton of fun with my new Flip Camcorder. I made this cute little film today of the kids sledding.

O Christmas Tree!

2008-12-22T12:58:00.000-08:00

This is a momentous post. As of this week I've officially written over 100 posts. Small-time for many of my blogger friends, but reason enough to celebrate for me :).

I've seen many posting their Christmas trees so I thought I'd post the Terry's Tree. This year's is my favorite.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

This was another full weekend. I've been rehearsing the choir at our church for the last three weeks and trying to build our numbers. It's been difficult in this busy season. I even had to beg Vance to sing tenor because we only had two other tenors. Actually, he did it happily. I thought everything went really well.

We showed up with all our kids at 2pm on Saturday and rehearsed with the band and the choir. We broke at 5pm to have dinner at the church then service at 6:30pm. We got home about 9pm. Everyone was exhausted.

The alarm went off at 6:45am this morning. This was the first morning Kael, Morgan and Rachie didn't climb into my bed and wake me up, but I had to get up and get ready. We arrived at church at 8am and did the two services this morning.

Later on, we went to Sam's and got home for just enough time to sit and feed Tristan. Then, at 4:30 I packed up my keyboard and went to a conference center down the street to set it up so I could lead some carols at a banquet for our AWANA leaders. It was tons of fun. Those AWANA people really know how to throw a party.

So, my intentions over the last three weeks were to be prepared for all the singing events, have my Christmas cards finished and sent out, have the house cleaned and the gifts wrapped before Christmas Eve. It looks like another Christmas Eve being up until 2am wrapping and some will receive their cards a little late. But, the good thing about that is that those who receive a late card will also get our new and improved picture.

Here it is.

Merry Christmas from the Terrys!

Advent Conspiracy

2008-12-18T21:14:00.000-08:00

Survivor Part Three

2008-12-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

Although Mae Louis Westervelt and her husband never attained their dream of providing a home for missionary children, God did allow them to secure several low-cost homes in Denny Terrace, a community near Columbia Bible College. These were rented to students and to missionaries home on furlough. With a sensitive heart, Mae Louise prayed, wrote and gave sacrificially to those serving God on foreign fields. Then, unexpectedly, she was hit for the fifth time. "One day as her husband changed a tire by the roadside, he was killed by a drunken driver."

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)

"Undaunted, Mae Louis walked the streets of Denny Terrace, selling Avon products to support her adopted son, and sharing the good news of life in Christ. On Fridays she visited the sick in the hospital. On Thursdays there was an evangelistic home visitation, at other times there were Bible studies with the unsaved." As unknown yet well-known...as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things" (2 Corinthians 6:9, 10)

Then came the sixth wave. "A pacemaker extended her fragile life, but she just kept pressing on. Sunday morning she would gather a load of little boys in her rattly old Plymouth, bring them to Sunday School and sit with them as they wiggled their way through the worship service." At Christmastime Dr. McQuilken told her, "You are one of my true heroes!" A hero she was, a soldier of the cross. Mae Louise had lived at Calvary, making the bitter sweet, and her God had not let her drown. Nor had she let Him down. She endured as seeing Him who is invisible (Hebrews 11:27). Then one day, having been "poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of others' faith" (Philippians 2:17), while sipping tea as she sat on her living room sofa, she heard her Lord say, "Come home, and we'll dine together at My table."

Someday, Beloved, He will call you home. How comfortable will you be when you see Him face to face, the God of Calvary? How well have you fought the good fight? How well have you kept the faith?

The December 10 entry from Teach Me How To Live by Kay Arthur

Survivor Part Two

2008-12-14T21:19:00.000-08:00

From Teach Me How To Live
A second devotional journey with
Kay Arthur

The Psalmist asked: "What shall I render the Lord for all His benefits toward me?" (Psalms 116:12). What is the answer? Would it not be to live at the cross, letting the bitter be made sweet rather than making me bitter? Would it not be to drink the cup by taking up my cross even as Jesus took up His cross, saying, "Father...not my will, but Thine be done; if it pleases Thee, it pleases me"?

I read of such a woman, to me a heroine of the faith, whose story will probably never be in print except here and in The President's Letter, where I read it. The President's Letter is a publication sent out by Roberston McQuilkin, president of Columbia Bible College, a man Jack and I love and admire. In April, 1982, he told the story of Mae Louise Westervelt. When I read her story I remembered my experience at the beach. Mae Louise was a survivor. She knew the God of Calvary, and, because of this, the bitter was palatable.

The child of missionary parents, Mae Louise's dream was to provide a home for missionary children. Her husband shared that dream. "She was carrying her firstborn when her husband was crippled in body and spirit in a terrible automobile accident. Partially recovered, he carried on valiantly, but little Mae Louise was destined to carry the spiritual thrust of the family."

While recovering from the first wave, they were hit by a second - their newborn son was born helplessly handicapped. The third wave came years later when at the age of eleven their son drowned. But life went on - without bitterness. "For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered" (Romans 8:36). A fourth wave was to hit when their daughter, a few weeks away from graduation from the University of South Carolina, was killed in an automobile accident. "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). Undaunted, Mae Louise did not give up; she kept on leading the missions program in her little Baptist church, teaching the teenage girls, and shepherding the children of the neighborhood. A fifth wave, a sixth would come, again she would say, "The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me" (Psalms 116:6). You can say the same, if you will He saves you. He preserves you at Calvary. Don't give up. Fight the good fight of faith.

Tagged at Christmas

2008-12-13T14:24:00.001-08:00

Alrighty, Alexis. I think the Rachel you mentioned in your blog was me and I was sent an email with these same 25 things from someone else and thought it might be fun so here goes...

1) Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I like both. After reading two blogs talking about an eggnog latte I’ve really got a hankerin’ to try it.

2) Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? We do both. This year little Rachie is getting the coolest tricycle I’ve ever seen and there’s no way we can wrap it. Vance doesn’t like getting up early so there’s always an unwrapped toy or two for them to play with until we can drag ourselves out of bed.

3) Colored lights or white? I like both. Our tree actually has both. It actually looks like something you’d find in Las Vegas.

4) Do you hang mistletoe? No, but that would be cute for a couples Christmas party.

5) When do you get out your decorations? Every year I say I’m going to start in October, but we just got our decorations down from the attic yesterday.

6) Favorite holiday dish, excluding dessert? Mashed potatoes and gravy. Sometimes I shock myself with how much I can eat.

7) Favorite holiday memory as a child? My mom never ceased to amaze us. Even when we were on welfare and living in Section 8 housing, she always managed to give us a good Christmas. When my mom married my step dad we got a video camera and he always got out of bed before we did so he could film us getting up with our bed heads. So early, in fact, that it was still dark outside when we opened presents.

8) When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My little brother told me. We were living in Alaska and Stephen brought me downstairs and opened a closet to show me all the unwrapped gifts waiting for Christmas Eve. I was so sad.

9) Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We open only one gift on Christmas Eve. It gets the kiddos really pumped for Christmas morning. Oh, my goodness that sounds horrible.

10) How do you decorate your trees? We try to stuff every ornament, every string of garland (wooden ones), every kid craft, lights on our little tree – and this year I added sprigs that stick out of the tree.

11) Snow, love it or hate it? I used to hate the snow around here because we seemed to get so much of it and it make everything so muddy. I really like it now. It makes it feel more like Christmas. Our front yard is still covered with four or five inches with a remnant of a snowman from the last snow. We’re supposed to get some more tomorrow. Let it snow. Vance is outside chopping firewood right now to prepare.

12) Can you ice skate? I can, but I like roller skating better.

13) Do you remember your favorite gift? I got a Cabbage Patch Doll the year that so many parents were fighting over them in stores. I was so excited that I sliced my hand open on one of those copper staples that held the box together.

14) What is the most important thing about the holidays for you? “Holidays” yuck. I’m beginning to hate that word!!! Christmas this year has become very personal. I’ve taken to studying Advent, The Pronunciation and the Virgin Birth. Amazing, just amazing. I look at my little Tristan and cannot believe that the God of the Universe would choose to take that form. So strange and wonderful.

15) Favorite Holiday dessert? I love blueberry and blackberry pie. My mom used to make this and I’ve found that the Sam’s by our house must have my mom’s recipe. I can’t get enough.

16) Favorite Christmas tradition? Reading the Christmas story from Luke 2.

17) What tops your tree? Normally I make a big bow out of plaid ribbon, but this year we bought a wrought iron star.

18) What's better giving or receiving? I love to give gifts. I think I would like to receive more if someone really put A LOT of thought into what I would like. I feel like Lucy on the Charlie Brown Christmas movie… “I never get what I really want.” I’d rather have someone just write me a nice note - no, really!

19) Favorite Christmas song? I love that version of “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” that’s on the movie “Home Alone” Do, do, do do – do – do – do di do.

20) Candy Canes, yummy or yucky? I’m sort of in between yummy and yucky. – Yumcky.

21) What do you want for Christmas? I’m with Alexis. I think I want another baby. I’d also love to see my children really happy and not get a terrible case of the spoiled rotten brat syndrome that seems to happen after receiving too many presents.

22) Do you attend an annual Christmas Party? We have an annual worship team Christmas party. I wish we could do one for our friends and family.

23) Do you dress up for Christmas eve? Our church always has a Christmas Eve candle light service. Yes, I’ve got the cutest dresses for my girls and my boys will look so handsome in their sweaters.

24) Do you own a Santa Hat? Nope. I’ve never been that type.

25) Who do you normally spend Christmas with? That’s a secret.

Survivor

2008-12-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

I have a devotional series I'd like to share over the next couple of days. Here's the first entry written by Kay Arther from her book Teach Me How To Live.

Have you ever ridden the waves on some ocean beach? I'm not much of a swimmer so I never go out beyond where my feet can touch solid ground. Plus, I can't stand to get water up my nose. It makes me choke, cough and sputter like a whale with hiccups! Yet I enjoy the waves if I can stay in control of the situation. Watching for that wave to come along, catching it at its crest and allowing it to propel toward the shore is grand fun.

But have you ever been picked up by a wave, pitched head first into the surf, and held there by the relentless force of the water? I have, and I can tell you I was terrified. I tried desperately to regain my footing, and my throat burned from all the salt water I was swallowing. All dignity gone, crawling on all fours, I clawed the sand frantically trying to get up only to feel the undertow dragging me farther from the safety of the shore. Fighting with all the energy of one who has been terrorized, I finally made it to my feet. Choking violently I stumbled toward shore only to be knocked down again as I was hit by a second wave and dragged back toward death. Engulfed in the water, I couldn't even cry for help but I pleaded inwardly, O God, don't let me drown. Head over heels I turned until I hit bottom. Finally getting to my feet, weak, belching, and choking, I was caught for the third time and taken under. With all that was in me I fought the waters and cried to God. I didn't give up. I didn't want to surrender to the waters. I wanted to live.

Those who have never been so overwhelmed or caught so helplessly in such and undertow could never understand my panic and my desperate effort to survive. They would only laugh, kid or condescendingly say they were sorry. But those who have been where I was would know how I felt. They could relate. They would understand my struggle to survive and they could shake their heads and say with empathy, "I know the feeling. You survived because you were determined you weren't going to give up." And it is true; the survivors are those who "fight the good fight," those who persevere. If you do not persevere, you have surrendered!

A life lived for Jesus, a life lived at the cross, a life that follows Him fully will always be a life that is contested on every hand in one way or another. Waves and undertows may knock the breath out of you, pulling you under, leaving you gasping and choking. Men may not hear your cries, but God will - "O God, don't let me drown."

"The cords of death encompassed me, and the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord: "O Lord, I beseech Thee, save my life!" Psalms 116:3, 4

Terry Family Christmas Newsletter

2008-12-09T21:47:00.000-08:00

Some of you may receive this letter, but I thought I'd post it on our blog, too.

This year I have been studying Advent and have been impressed at just how special this time of year really is. I have been struck with wonder and awe of our Amazing God. I’m thankful for this blessing since Christmas can get all discombobbled and too familiar.

Advent is a time of expectant waiting. Waiting is not a popular idea, but Advent is different. It literally means “coming” and is not only a reminder of His first coming, but a time of expectation for His second. I imagine Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah, Anna, Simeon, the three “Wise Men” and the shepherd all waiting. Waiting on the promises and prophecies they knew so well. Waiting as we are today. They saw that promise fulfilled with their own eyes. We may have that same privilege. In the meantime, I will be waiting expectantly. As Elizabeth said to Mary “Blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Luke 1:45

So, here’s a little about the family…

Vance is working and running Absolute Best Painting, Inc. for the 12th year. We are extremely blessed to continue to have work in these turbulent economic times. He is providing for our many children. On that note…we believe that God provides for each child so if we have more we know He will provide for each additional one J.

Vance also leads a men’s Bible study at 6am on Thursday mornings. This is a real God thing because I know He has called Vance to minister and disciple and I’m so glad he is able to continue in this gifting even though He does not have a position at a church. God really does work in GREAT and mysterious ways.

I (Rachel) delivered my eighth child this year in August and, as many of you know, he was almost 11 pounds. I can’t kiss him enough. There are not enough hours in a day (or night for that matter) to hold him.

I continue to work as choir and vocal director at Mountain Springs Church which has grown to over 3000 members. God has been faithful to see this dream and desire realized. I love being able to minister through music.

I still sell Mary Kay. I still teach group fitness (mostly indoor cycling and hip hop). I still home school. I still run the office part of Vance’s business. And…this year I started blogging. There probably is something very wrong with me J. BTW – you can get more updates on the family at www.homemadesalsa.blogspot.com.

Glen just turned 11. I can already see some manly traits starting to show through. He takes his responsibility as being the oldest seriously. Yet, he still has that little boy wonder and excitement about him. He has this excited dance that he has done since he was small. He tries to hide it a little now, but Vance and I both get a great kick out of watching him do it.

Glen’s interests are riding his new bike, creating stories (he wants to write a book about dragons), playing with his brothers and neighbor friends and anything having to do with computer games. It doesn’t matter which game system or computer.

Ryan is 9 and is our challenge child. He’s so close to Glen in age, but is really nothing like him. He has a sharp, quick tongue. He can be brilliant one minute and not so the next. He loves to talk; he loves to think. He does both at the same time so sometimes it’s hard to understand what he’s saying. I think one day he will be a great orator.

Ryan’s interests are creating things outdoors like forts and such. He also likes making things out of paper. He makes a paper crown for each person in the family on their birthday. He loves science experiments and art. There are some days he will draw all day long.

Will recently turned 6. He is the most gentle and loving child we have. I should clarify that he’s not gentle physically but emotionally. He has such a tender heart, but he can tackle his daddy to the ground. He loves to spend time with his dad. He goes to work with Vance at least twice a week. They drive around town to job sites and paint stores and home improvement warehouses.

Will loves to run. Whenever Glen and Ryan ride their bikes to the park, up and down hills for over a half a mile, Will runs along side them. Then he still has energy to play at the park, run back home and drive me crazy.

Rachie is 4 and is our little princess and she’ll tell you so. We never encouraged the princess thing, but when she started taking the boys’ toys and odd items around the house to pretend she had tea and dresses and babies (Buzz Light-year wrapped in blankets) we thought we’d indulge her.

Rachie’s favorite color is pink. I went shopping for Glen’s birthday bike with her and she picked out a beautiful, Pepto-Bismol pink tricycle and rode it around the store the entire time we were there. She cried when we left. Guess what she’s getting for Christmas?

Kael is 2 and has decided he’s a lion. I can’t count how many times he’s watched The Lion King. I’ve tried unplugging the TV and VCR, but he’s figured out how to plug them back in, get his video tape, put it in the player, press play and turn the volume all the way up (usually at 6:30 in the morning). For the last two weeks he’s been walking around the house roaring.

Morgan is 2 and is the ruler of the roost. She tells everyone what to do and very clearly. She has the cutest little tip-toe run I’ve ever seen. She’s so soft and squishy; the poor girl has to fight to get away from me. She’s so easy to hug and kiss. Actually, she indulges me most of the time. The thing about Morgan is she can make an unbelievable mess out of any food or meal. It’s always a chore to get her and her place cleaned up after meal time.

Tristan is 3 months and will be exactly 4 months on Christmas Day. Oh my boy!!! I cannot put into words how much joy this child brings me. He searches the room for me with his eyes and when he gets a lock he smiles. There are some nights that I wish he would wake up just so I could hold him. He’s so good. I take him everywhere with me and he rarely fusses. He’s just happy to be with mommy. He gets a thousand kisses a day from his 8 other family members.

Pearl Harbor Day

2008-12-07T21:53:00.001-08:00

Today is Pearl Harbor Day. All that seems important to everyone in the media is football. All that was on TV today, all that was on the front page of my ISP was football. It's so sad how easily people forget the lives that were sacrificed so we can live in a country where we feel sorry for ourselves if we don't have 50 presents under the Christmas tree.

Alright, I'll concede that I'm sounding cynical and bitter so I'll just say "Thank you" to those who serve. Thank you for sacrificing your families, your finances, your education, your lives so that The United States of America remains free.

2008-12-06T17:19:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed when tools are new or in good condition your job is made easier? I'm only posting this to remind myself. When I use a new cleaning sponge, it's easier to clean the kitchen. When I have a really sharp knife, I cut through tomotoes and potatoes in half the time.

Nuts don't belong in milk chocolate.

That's it.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

It's December. All my plans for being able to really celebrate this time of year and make it truly meaningful have gone out the window. The house is a disaster again, my home schooling schedule and being purposeful to spend quality time with my kids, Christmas cards, decorating, everything is out of control. I'm back at that place once again where I don't even know where to start. And...I'm tired.

But...there's one thing I know...I've got so much to be thankful for. I will sing praises to God and bless His name. For He is good and his mercies endure!

Thanksgiving was good this year. We decided to stay home. One of Vance's very good friends came to visit us during this time. I was moody and the house and kids were a bit of chaos so, hopefully, he enjoyed himself.

I cooked mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie, green bean casserole, stuffing, homemade apple pie, homemade chips and salsa, honey ham and Vance and Jim deep-fried the turkey. I cooked for four hours and didn't take any pictures. What a bummer. We've been feasting on all the left-overs since the big day. Vance made a turkey tortilla soup. It's been nice not to have to cook several meals so, I guess the four hours was worth it.

We also celebrated Glen's birthday. He was born on Thanksgiving Day in 1997 and it's taken 11 years for his birthday to fall on Thanksgiving Day again. He asked for a new bike. The pictures are of his face when he saw the gift and how happy he was to receive it.

We also got our first real snow that very weekend. We got about two feet out here. The kids built a mighty fine snowman.

Christmas Treasures of the Heart

Reach Out to Those Who Need Fellowship

Invite a newcomer, an elderly couple or person, or a friend who will be alone this Christmas to attend your church's Christmas Eve service. Ask ahead of time and include some fellowship time together and snacks shared around the tree before you go.

I would take this a step further and invite them over with your family for your Christmas meal. Vance and I have done this with people from church who do not have family in town. Relationships are such an important part of our lives and I can think of few better things to show the love of Christ.

Christmas Giving

2008-11-24T08:33:00.000-08:00

There are several items in my home that I use quite a bit that either I enjoy or make my life easier. I thought it would be fun to put a list of these items out there and maybe have others comment with items they enjoy and use often.

There are so many purchases that I've either given or received that were not useful or enjoyable. I think this list will be very helpful in Christmas shopping.

Kitchen:

1. Knife - last year my DH bought me a kitchen knife to rival Rachael Ray's. He assures me that you do not have to pay over $200. However, it's probably wise to invest in a knife sharpening kit. Since I use mine everyday, several times a day, it requires sharpening once every other month.
2. Chopper - I've bought these from Pampered Chef and Tupperware. I've been through three of them. The one I have now is from Pampered Chef and has lasted quite some time. I use it for onions and pickles almost daily.
3. Cutting board - It would be nice to have two. One nice butcher's block and one plastic for raw chicken.

I know it's been said that wives do not like receiving kitchen stuff for gifts. I disagree. If I can get a gift that makes my life easier then that is a truly treasured gift.

Bedroom:
1. Blanket: Know what size bed your gift recipient has and buy a nice velour blanket. The one we have has lasted over 10 years, but I'll be getting a new one this year.
2. Pillows: No one ever thinks of getting pillows for people. We go through pillows so fast around here and protectors don't seem to help much. A down pillow would be extra special.

Kids:

1. No toys: Every year the kids get a ton of toys. They play with them for awhile, but get bored of them quickly. I heard a mom once said she would take the toys they got bored with, clean them, store them, then bring them out as gifts a few months later. I may try this someday. I love stuff from Mardels. A handwriting book for them to practice. Science kits. Art supplies. My kids love this stuff and it helps them grow and doesn't require batteries.

Miscellaneous:
1. Candles: I know there are some people out there that don't like candles, but I love them! I sometimes have 10 candles going at once. I love the fragrance (vanilla, pumpkin, cinnamon) and the heat they put off. They can be very expensive (my favorites are the Yankee Candle jars) so it's nice to get them as gifts.
2. I've always love those little recipes in a jar where are the ingredients are there and all you have to do is throw it together. I've received hot chocolate with marshmallows and cookies, etc. That just made me think of something. I've always loved getting meals every time I have a child; that would be a terrific Christmas gift. Maybe I'm the only one who would enjoy that.

Well, that's about all I can think of, I look forward to seeing other suggestions.

Christmas Treasures of the Heart

Here are two special entries:

1. A friend sent Clement Moore's "A Visit From St. Nicholas" to a local newpaper. It was extremely well received, but Dr. Moore waited 16 years to admit to being the author of what became the beloved poem "The Night Before Christmas." As a professor of theology and literature, he was afraid the poem would damage his academic standing.

2. Santa is a dramatic emblem of a world crying out for a larger-than-life daddy who will love his kids even when they are not perfect and give them gifts to fulfill their longings. - Jack Hayford

Stepping Heavenward

2008-11-21T21:53:00.000-08:00

I've just finished a book called "Stepping Heavenward" by E. Prentiss. It was written in the 19th century and tells the story of a woman who, through many trials, grows closer to her Savior and more like Him in the process. It seems to be that stories or writings of those who lived over 100 and even 200 years ago fascinate me. But, this book has effected me greatly. It makes me want to serve God in all I do even the menial tasks, especially those. It has me asking myself how can serve others before myself? How do I teach myself (or let Him teach me) to want less instead of more?

It reminds me how I used to view those who home schooled their children. I remember thinking that I would never home school my children because they would turn out weird. Now I say, "Praise God for that!" I want to be the complete opposite of this world and therefore want as much for my children. After all, we are only pilgrims and really do not belong here.

As the Advent season approaches I want to remind myself and my family why we celebrate. It is to be ever watchful for His returning. To live for Him so that He finds us prepared; our candles lit. I am determined to make this season one of reflection on the One who created all things. To live out the charity that speaks of hoping in everything and everyone; that endures trials and temptations. If we truly love our neighbor we will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him. This is what the Bible describes as true love. How far I am from it.

Christmas Treasures of the Heart

Every night before be in December, read a Christmas story to your child.

Life holds no sweeter thing that this:

To teach a little child the tale most loved on earth

And watch the wonder deepen in his eyes

There while you tell him of the Christ Child's birth;

Of gentle drowsy beast and fragrant hay

On which that starlit night in Bethlehem

God's tiny Son and His young mother lay...

- Adelaide Love

It's a Wonderful Life

2008-11-18T20:54:00.000-08:00

You know that scene in "It's a Wonderful Life" where Jimmy Stewart's kids are going crazy, running around, asking him questions, and his daughter is playing a Christmas tune on the piano? Then he asks his wife, "Why did we have so many kids?" Our house was a bit like that this evening. Except that we have almost twice the kids. Will, Rachie and the twins were running around, as usual. Ryan was playing "Jingle Bells" on the piano and Glen was playing "Silent Night" on the harmonica. Tristan was grumpy and fussing quite a bit. It was so loud - all of it was so loud. The twins alone have no volume control whatsoever.

Today I took my car in to get serviced. On the drive there I saw a helicopter land at the hospital and some motor cross guys almost jumped into the road from their track. Well, not quite, but they scared me. I need brakes; pads and rotors, alignment, a new brake light (which I got pulled over for Saturday night) and an oil change. Not exactly the Christmas present I wanted to give myself, but there ya go...

Here are some pictures from Vance's buck. He cooked the liver with onions this evening. The only one who ate it besides him was Will - what a good boy.

Christmas Treasures of the Heart

How to say "Merry Christmas" in 10 different languages.

French: Joyeau Noel
Spanish: Felix Navidad
Danish: Glaedelig Jul
Finish: Houska Joulua
Welsh: Nadolig Llawen
Swedish: God Jul
Italian: Buon Natale
Russian: S Rozhdestvom Kristovym
German: Froehliche Weihnachten
Japanese: Meri Kurisumasu

Success!!!

2008-11-17T10:05:00.000-08:00

Vance got up around 4am this morning to go down to the farm and hunt for deer. He was hunting with a bow. At 9:30am this morning he called and said he had shot a deer. A mule deer. I'm so excited. It's been hard living without meat. Vance's parents gave us a few pounds about a month or so ago. Our neighbors gave us several pounds after Vance's big hunting trip where he didn't harvest anything but our neighbor did and it was his first hunt.

So, we have meat! Here comes venison chili, spaghetti, meat loaf, tacos, shredded BBQ, crockpot roast, etc. Not to mention a delicious Thanksgiving venison roast. We give thanks to God for this blessing!

I'll send pictures soon.

Weekend Update

2008-11-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a weekend. I was on worship again this weekend. I believe our church is really growing again. Saturday night's service was overflowing and we had people sitting out in the lobby. The first service Sunday morning was packed as well. I think it was possibly 2700 to 3000 people this weekend. It was definitely more than that if you count all the children and closed classes.

I believe people are realizing that there is only one place to be in these tumultuous times; in the presence of the One who has overcome it all.

I enjoy being a part of this ministry, but I was exhausted yesterday. I felt like I could barely stand. I really need to start working out more and build up my stamina.

CHRISTMAS TREASURES OF THE HEART

Give the gift of kind words today!

Encouraging words can change someones whole perspective and work a miracle:

Loving words will cost but little,

Journeying up the hill of life;

But they make the weak and weary

Stronger, braver, for the strife.

do you count them only trifles?

What to earth are sun and rain?

Never was a kind word wasted;

Never was one said in vain.

- Anonymous

This reminds me of a time when I was complaining to someone how tired I was because I was waking up at least every two hours with the twins to nurse. They seemed to play tag team. One would wake up and I would nurse and get him/her back to sleep then the other would wake. The person I was complaining to said that she would love to wake in the middle of the night because she missed her child and longed to hold him. Just that simple statement changed my whole perspective.

This weekend that same woman was watching Tristan in the nursery at church. She mentioned this thought again and I told her I remembered when she shared that with me before and how much it had effected me. She was surprised and thanked me for sharing that with her. She was so glad that God had used her in such a simple, but powerful way.

You never know how people are effected when you say something in love and kindness.

2008-11-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

I've rec'd three Pampered Chef invitations this week. I'm sorry ladies, but the budget for items for the kitchen is empty. As many of you know, I've been selling Mary Kay for 6 years. Business has been slow these last couple of months. I know quite a few ladies who have started similar home businesses because times are tight. This is a difficult time to start such a business and I hope these women will be wise about how much they invest and are realistic about their goals. In times like these it will take some time to build a customer base and turn a profit. There's my two cents.

I'm learning a lot these days about patience and grace. I've been emotionally distraught these last two weeks. I'm having to squeeze out every inkling of trust in God that I can. I have to say my verses over and over...He is for me, he is for me. And I'm really not saying it for myself. I think I've taken up an offense for a brother. I guess when you see a brother mistreated it's easy to think that that same mistreatment could happen to you.

I have some dear friends with whom I'm writing and recording songs. One we're working on is called "Vindicate Me". I love just saying those words. When there's anger over unfairness or being overlooked I want to cry out "Vindicate me, my God!" I'm working through issues of frustration - frustrated that men in leadership in the church do not value women in leadership as they should. I believe they use the Word to use women. Work your butts off but, we'll give you no real value or responsibility or say.

I'm ranting a bit, butt where is there a better place to do it? That's what blogs are for, right?

Here's a lighter side...

CHRISTMAS TREASURES OF THE HEART

One Starry Night

Five hundred years ago Martin Luther, German leader of the Protestant Reformation, began the custom of decorating Christmas trees.

While walking through the woods one beautiful starry night near Christmas Eve, Luther gazed at a large evergreen tree illuminated by the starlight. He was struck by the incredible sight, which reminded him of the night the angels appeared to the shepherds in Bethlehem, announcing the birth of the Christ Child.

He cut down a small pine tree and brought it home. There Luther decorated the tree with lighted candles, which he told his wife and children represented Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. From that small beginning, the popular custom of decorating trees spread through out Europe and later into America. Early trees were also decorated with small candies and cookies, paper and glass ornaments.

Carefully picked and trimmed with tiny lights - festooned with homemade ornaments and those from friends and travels - our family Christmas tree is more than just decoration it's full of memories and shines forth as a symbol of God's love for us.

Christmas Treasures of the Heart

2008-11-13T08:58:00.001-08:00

There are two ways to live your life.

One is as though nothing is a miracle.

the other is as though everything is a miracle.

-Albert Einstein

Grand Prix

2008-11-11T09:56:00.001-08:00

Last weekend was a big event for the boys. Grandpa helped make pine derby cars for the boys. Really, he did most of the work. The boys get into the AWANA Grand Prix event. They even made their own Grand Prix here at home. I'll have to get pictures of that. Our church AWANA group really does this right. They have a digital track that records all the race times and then your name and speed are recorded and immediately put up on the screen as soon as the race is over.

They have an announcer and trophies and tons of excitement. There are three categories for trophies: one is for speed (of course), another for car style and another for costume (or, dressing like your car). This year Glen wanted to go for style and speed. Ryan went for costume and design. Will just wanted to win something. However, none of the boys won trophies. Not even second or third. A few times Ryan's car came in second, but his time didn't win overall.

Glen took this disappointment well, but Ryan and Will ended up crying for most of the morning and afternoon. I told them that when they do eventually win - and it may be few years - that the victory will be so much sweeter. Every year there's a family (who has 8 children) that always wins. There dad is also a cub scout leader and he's done so many of these races that he really has it down to a science. I guess to win for speed your car needs to look like a little thin cheese wedge.

We're new at this so I know eventually we'll get the hang of it. By the time Tristan is ready to race we'll be pros.

Christmas Treasures of the Heart

Christmas Straw

Encourage kindness and unselfishness in the family by starting the tradition of "Christmas Straw": First collect some straw and place it in a basket by the side of an empty little cradle or basket representing a manger. On the day you begin, draw names. Then during the days ahead, each person does a thoughtful deed each day without their recipient knowing it (like making his bed for him while he's in the shower or polishing her shoes while she's at work).

These little acts of kindness have nothing to do with money or "store-bought" gifts. Instead, they are ways of meeting the needs of others. They may include leaving a note of encouragement or making a treat.

Each time someone does a thoughtful deed, he gets to place a bit of straw in the manger. By Christmas Eve, Baby Jesus (a doll wrapped in a "swaddling blanket" or nativity character) has a cradle full of straw on which to lie.

The best Christmas gift of all is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up with one another...in love.

We're definitely going to do this one. I think I'll go to Michael's today and get a bit of straw and a little wooden cradle. This reminded me of our Terry Family Mission Statement. The last thing (and most important) on the list says "Charity begins at home and is the key to household peace." I want our home to be filled with love and good deeds this Christmas. (Hebrews 10:24)

The Russian President's Bathtub

2008-11-10T08:16:00.001-08:00

This morning, while in the bathroom, Rachie came in and started up a conversation. I guess it was just the first thing that popped into her creative mind. She said, "Mom, I love this bathtub. Is this our bathtub?" Now, I've had a long weekend. No matter how hard I try I seem to pile events on the same day or the same weekend. So, I'm tired. My answer to her question..."No, it belongs to the president of Russia."

I'm not usually a sarcastic person. In fact, I get on Vance quite a bit because he's so sarcastic. But, this weekend was physically and emotionally taxing. Poor Rachie - she tried to answer back, but she couldn't say the word Russia or president.

Here's a good one from Christmas Treasures of the Heart:

A Joyful Single Christmas

I have discovered that being alone on Christmas Day does not have to be lonely. There are so many good people who are willing to share the day with others who are alone, and I usually always have an invitation to go somewhere. As a guest, though, I also realize that families enjoy being alone for at least part of the morning to open their presents, so I usually decline going until noon; hence, I have the morning to myself and they have their "family time" together.

So, I have devised a great diversion that has never failed to give me much joy and beauty on Christmas morning even though I am alone. After a special breakfast, devotions, and reading my Bible, I spend the rest of the time reading my Christmas cards, which I have saved for the entire month just for Christmas morning. I savor every note and the meaning on the cards themselves. Sometimes it takes me two hours or more to read all the cards, and I certainly can't be lonely with so many well wishes. There just is no sense worrying about what I don't have, when I really have so much! By that time, I am hurrying to get ready to go out for the day, in a cheerful mood and ready to entertain and be entertained on this blessed holiday.

- Beverly Rhoades

What is great about this entry is that recently I've had several conversations with older single women. They struggle with their singleness, though. The conversations usually end in me saying that there are so many things you can do with your singleness. Having seven children I sometimes wish I could do more for the body of Christ or for my community, etc. For instance, I would love to serve meals at the mission at Thanksgiving or Christmas. I would love to travel to Africa and help at New Hope Uganda. Or, to Haiti where there are orphanages who need help. There's so much someone who is single can devote to the Kingdom.

Another thought this entry brought up was the fact that I get so many Christmas cards that are never written in. Some of them are just signed by the family and then others don't even offer that much. There's just a printed family name. I dislike these kinds of Christmas cards very much! When I send cards I think of the person(s) I'm sending them to and there's always something that comes to mind that I would like to share. After all, Christmas is a time where we remember the Christ child. He left the most beautiful place - as a KING - to come down to a toilet and be a servant - for a people so very undeserving. The least we can do is offer a few words of love or encouragement in a Christmas card we spend at least $2 to send (including cost of card, postage, etc.)

Why not make a list today of those you would really like to bless this year and write two or three cards a day until the last day of this month. Those special people will be delighted to get such a thoughtful gift the very first week of December.

As I'm typing now with one hand (nursing) it has begun to snow and the twins are watching Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket is singing "When You Wish Upon A Star". There's a roaring fire in the black stove downstairs and my teapot is whistling ready for honey and peppermint herbal tea. To say that I might be getting in the Christmas Spirit may be an understatement.

Jehovah Jireh

2008-11-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

Remember yesterday I was down and worrying? I had mentioned in my blog that I was repeated verses over and over. Well, that spirit of fear broke around lunchtime yesterday and was replaced with a spirit of joy! I rarely receive such a quick and such a powerful answer to prayer! God is our Jehovah Jireh - our provider and his strength is sufficient. I'm on worship this weekend; a task I was unsure I could do. God has provided exactly what I needed so that I will be able to minister to the body of Christ. Praise Him!!!

Now for Christmas Treasures of the Heart.

Christmas Wreath

Symbolizing eternal hope,
the wreath goes 'round and 'round,
And where it starts or ends cannot be found.
Woven of things that grow - for life,
and hung for holiday delight
the wreath must be left in place
From Advent through Twelfth Night.

-Anonymous

Whom Shall I fear?

2008-11-05T09:11:00.000-08:00

Well, we lost. I have to admit I was up most of the night last night worrying. I had to remember every verse I could in the Bible that said that "if God is for us, who can be against us?" "Do not worry about tomorrow," "whom shall I fear", "He will never leave us nor forsake us." The problem is - it's one thing to be disenchanted with your country, it's another to be disenchanted with your church and ours in on the verge of really letting many people down. Vance and I have been awake praying for the last three nights. We're not getting any sleep because we are worried and crying out to God. I know He is in control, but it's at times like these when the Body of Christ needs to pull together, not be torn apart. "In this world we will have trouble, but take heart, He has overcome the world." There's so much more in my head, but it's good to get it out.

Anyway...we have exactly 50 days until Christmas. I want to make the most of this time and make it special for me and my family. I have a book called "Christmas Treasures of the Heart" - A collection of Heartwarming Stories and Traditions and I thought I would share one of these stories and traditions each day until Christmas.

Here's the first...

HOLIDAY FIESTA

Brown ground beef and drain. Arrange in colorful bowls: chopped tomatoes, chopped black olives, onions, picante sauce, guacamole, pinto and kidney beans. In a large bowl put lots of chopped lettuce, and fill a sombrero with tortilla chips. Provide warm flour and corn tortillas, rice and refried beams. Let each person make his own fiesta salad and burritos.

Hang a pinata, play Spanish music, and read a Christmas story from Mexico to enjoy a "South of the Border" evening. Serve pralines for dessert and enjoy!

What a great way to reuse the Halloween candy we still have laying around - by putting it into a pinata. We even have a VBS fiesta CD. I think our family will have a lot of fun with this one. We'll try it this weekend.

It would be fun to hear from anyone else who does this, too.

VOTE

2008-11-03T07:23:00.000-08:00

Duty and Privilege
Micca Monda Campbell

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord"
Psalm 33:12 (NIV)

Devotion:
Tomorrow, November 4th, millions of Americans will have the opportunity to elect new leaders of government. If you live in the United States, I encourage you to be among them and exercise your right to vote. I encourage you to vote for both your national and your local leaders.

While the Bible does not command us to vote, it does command us to be good citizens wherever we live. One way we can be a good citizen, honor God, and assist in guiding our nation is by voting.

As a woman, I'm honored to take part in determining the direction of our nation. Before the 1900's, women in America were not allowed the privilege to vote, and in some countries they still cannot. I look at voting for our leaders not only as my citizen's duty, but also as a privilege millions of people in the world do not have.

I take my right to vote so seriously that in 1992, while nine months pregnant and restricted to bed rest, I had my mother drive me forty-five minutes to vote in the presidential election. I allowed nothing to stand in my way of exercising my right to vote. Eight days later, I gave birth to a healthy little girl - to whom I hope to pass on my political passion for voting.

There's no doubt about it, voting is both a duty and a privilege. However, I realize that some people won't take the time and trouble to vote because they don't believe their ballot will make much of a difference. That's not true. Statistics show that many elections have come down to only a handful of votes.

What would happen if most people felt that their vote didn't really matter and didn't bother to vote? It would mean that our country's future would be decided by only a few of its citizens-- who perhaps don't hold the same convictions as yours.
Deciding whom to vote for can seem a daunting task. But voting is easier once you and I pray about it, and seek out good information about the candidates and the issues they address. The fact that there is moral haziness in politics these days indicates our need to rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance when examining the issues as well as the candidates.

November 4th is a day of opportunity for America. It's a day to stand up for what we believe in. It's a day to voice those beliefs and be heard. It's a day to take the time to vote as we honor our Christian heritage, and bring glory to God. For "blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord!"

Dear Lord, in this upcoming election, I pray that You will move in the hearts of Your people in this nation to vote. I pray You will work in and through our leaders to guide and bless this nation -- may it be so in all nations, Lord! Guide us by your Spirit, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Halloween '08

2008-10-31T22:17:00.000-07:00

It seems every time I sit down to write this blog I want to let out a big sigh. Hence, the title of my last post.

Tonight was Halloween and we went everywhere. There's a retreat center down the street that does a mild haunted house. Creepy yet the little ones could stand it...they also have a route around all there cabins that are rented out by local businesses and they hand out candy. They also have a game room where they can win candy. We walked around (without Vance) for almost an hour.

Then, we went up to Vance's sister's neighborhood and dropped of Tristan at their house. I thought he would sleep, but it turns out she ended up having to hold him for 45 minutes while we were out trick or treating. Sorry, Valerie :).

Each of these places was very tiring because the twins walked so extremely slow. Both of their costumes hindered their movement. But, they were so cute. Just about everyone stopped to say so and some took pictures.

Our next door neighbors and dear friends invited us over for dinner. We arrived over an hour late. The dinner was excellent and the kids had a blast playing with their kids.

Finally, we got home and everyone was in bed at 10pm. I hope this means I get to sleep in tomorrow morning, but I doubt it. That's ok - I'm still young :).

Enjoy the pictures.

They all gathered round to see me carve a pumpkin in less than 15 minutes. A new record. We copied uncle Stephen's pumpkin. He sent us pictures from Germany.

Glen was a cowboy, Ryan -Zorro, Will - a fire fighter, Rachie and Morgan were both princesses and Kael was a puppy dog. All of these costumes were hand-me-downs. I didn't spend a penny this Halloween. Woo hoo!

This is Vance trying to keep Morgan out of a strange person's house.

sigh

2008-10-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

So...I've had a few people ask me, "What's going on? Are you alright?" It's been two weeks since I've posted anything. It's been busy, busy, busy. I almost can't tell you why. I look back on the last two weeks and try to remember what I've done and I can barely think.

To start, Vance, Glen and Ryan were away on a hunting trip. That was hard. Thank you, Mom for helping. I think I would have gone crazy without you. I don't think I'll approve my three biggest helps leaving all at once again anytime in the near future. I think that was a run-on sentence :).

They got back on Tuesday evening. Wednesday we had a couple of dramas one having to do with missing men from the hunting trip and the other having to do with an email Vance sent out to put someone in their place. No one died in either event. That night I had choir practice, which I prepared all day for and very few showed up.

Thursday I prepared all day - cleaning and cooking because we were expecting friends who we've been working through some life issues. They didn't make it.

Friday I prepared all day for a dance class that I was substituting for that evening. Saturday and Sunday I was on worship. I got to church at 2:30 on Saturday and basically got home at 2:30 on Sunday. Then I got everyone ready for AWANA at 3pm. Pick up everyone at 5pm then had a little birthday party for Rachie with Mom and Pops. Trying to fit nursing an infant on this day was tricky.

I thought Monday would start a much easier week. Since I didn't have anything "planned" I thought I would start a few projects at home. The boys had off the previous week because of the hunting trip and all the neighbor kids on fall break. So, I wanted to make sure they got a lot of school work done this week. We did pretty well. I also had about 10 loads of laundry waiting.

Vance worked late every night. I had a meeting at Chick-fil-A on Tuesday morning which gave me an ulcer. Trying to talk to someone while watching 9 kids between us didn't go too well. I called in sick on Wednesday :). Thursday I prepared the house and the meal again. This time almost all of them made it. Friday was my first time out to eat with couples - date night - in 8 weeks. This was actually fun.

8am Saturday morning I taught a cycling class. My first since having Tristan. I was dying through the whole class. I ran a bunch of errands immediately after the class. Sam's was the first stop, then Goodwill to drop off stuff, the bank, the post office, Albertson's for stuff you can't get at Sam's then home. I took a two hour nap. When I woke up everyone, but the twins and Tristan were gone. I took some Tylenol and went to work on finishing my projects.

Today is Sunday again and I finished several of my house projects. We had another meeting cancellation so that will free up time to watch the World Series. Today was dress up like a Noah's Ark character at AWANA so that took some preparation. Along with helping Glen make up a board game and practicing verses with Will, Rachie and Ryan. Vance gave me four estimates and four invoices to type up...

...and that brings you up-to-date.

Now, I'm sitting here typing this blog. The twins are napping and Tristan is telling me he's hungry.

Here are some pictures. Enjoy.

Princess Sisters

2008-10-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

I'm Back!

2008-10-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad to be back! So grateful to my new dear friends Darryl and Sherri. If it weren't for their generosity and their time and Darryl's expertise I would have had an heart attack and in the market for a new computer. I would have lost almost 5years worth of precious pictures.

You know how people say in the back of their minds "That will never happen to me"? Usually, this refers to car accidents or crime, but I think I had this mentality with my computer. So many people talk about getting viruses and their hard drives being destroyed. I thought I was so smart and so careful. Let this be a warning to all. Get good virus protection - I've been told the mainstream ones like McAfee and Norton, etc. are NOT good enough. Then, back up your computer. Put your pictures on disc and back up your hard drive to something external then store it off site. You can bet this is what I'm doing now.

On another note...I've started a new blog. It's called http://www.bepatientwitheachother.blogspot.com/.

Quite a mouthful, no? I've noticed A LOT lately that people are just rude to each other. I could never be rude, even if I tried. Especially to a stranger. I suppose I'm rude to my husband sometimes *smirk*. So, every time I notice someone being rude I thought I would blog about it and offer up a more courteous solution. Maybe it could become a mantra people could have in the back of their head "be patient with each other". I've been saying it to myself every time someone cuts me off while driving. What do you think?

A kink in the works

2008-10-11T17:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been several days and I haven't been able to blog because I wiped out my computer. My Internet was running weird and I ran a program that was supposed to fix it, but when I pushed the "cancel" button the whole computer went down. I have a friend who said it was probably a virus. He said he's 99% sure he can fix it. I am eternally grateful that he's even willing to look at it.

So, I've been working off my laptop and off the computer at Mom and Pop's house (which is the one I'm on now). You may not hear from me for awhile. For some reason, blogger will not let me post from my laptop.

It's funny, I love the computer and the Internet, but I know just enough to be extremely dangerous and costly. I should be banned until I take some classes.

Unusual Terry Terminology

2008-10-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

I think every family has their own words for things. Such as, binky, potty, etc. But, the Terry family has a few unusual ones. We've made our children into human remote controls so we've taught them how to push the play button of the DVD player. Somehow button got shortened to "butt". So, now when we ask anyone to push play we say "Will, go push the butt."

When the twins want a fork or a spoon to eat with they say over and over "wee-o, wee-o, wee-o." I have no idea where that one came from.

I had a few others, but I've forgotten them. Oh well, I'll just create a label for "unusual terry terminology" and post back whenever they come up :).

Have a GREAT day. test

Piles of Balls

2008-10-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-pilesofballs/index.html

I was searching the internet for math games that would help the boys have fun with what we're learning in math and I found this site CoolMath.com. They absolutely love it. It has multiplication, division, geometry, etc.

Unfortunately, I've gotten addicted to a game called Piles of Balls. I think it's good for my slight OCD. You get to put all these different colored balls in the right place. Vance thinks I'm absolutely crazy. But, what else am I going to do when I'm just sitting down and nursing. Check it out, but don't stay longer than 15 minutes. I warn you.

BTW - I've made it to level 10 :)

Firsts

2008-10-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

Can I just say, "I'm tired." I've been feeling better than I can remember in a long time, but today I'm very tired.

This weekend has been filled with "firsts". Friday was my first work out since Tristan. Last night we took the entire family out dinner for the first time. The look on the hostess' face when I said "Two adults and seven children" was priceless. Chili's isn't really large family friendly. And, today was our first time back to church since Tristan was born. It takes 15 minutes to get everyone in their perspective classes.

After all of that we had AWANA and Sam's and I'm beat. Now, we're starting another week and Vance will be preparing for another hunting trip. Lord, I'm asking for an extra measure of strength.

There's lots to do this week. My brother Jonathon has a birthday and I'd like to get him something and actually mail it this year. I've got a bridal shower on Thursday and a couple of church meetings on Wednesday.

I had to remind myself again today why I home school. I start thinking about how they might have more fun at public school and how they offer all those reading programs and you don't have to figure anything out on your own. I think about how they'll miss prom or other events like that as they grow older. Then, I immediately remembered the Father Daughter Purity Ball and how the boys could take their sisters and how much better a life lived first for God and His Kingdom is so much better. We'll do things differently than the world does them and so what if people judge us.

I've just got to remind myself every day that I do not need to compare myself or my family with anyone in this world. I know God has called me to be a good wife and help mate to my husband and mother, nurturer and teacher to my children. The grass is not greener. Why is it that I have to remind myself of this constantly?

BTW - to my friend, Alexis: I love reading your blogs and I've copied your idea of blog-a-day for Blogtober. I've seen Nicky do this, too. We'll see if I make it :).

Homemade Salsa

Thinking

A New Year

School 2010

Tristan's Vocabulary

Easter 2010

Grandma's Birthday

Part 5

My Perspective

Quick thought

Part 4

Part 3

Part 2

Ski Week Part 1

Pictures

New Year

Three months!!!

First Snow!

Second post for today...

I Need to Post More

Update

Backpacking

Tristan is ONE

They are Three

New Appliances

Short Update

Fishin'

Today, June 12, 2009

Happy Anniversary to Homemade Salsa

Vacation Bible School 09

Haircuts 09

Easter 09

The Calm Before the Storm

They Passed

It's all meaningless!

Moving On

Ski Week

Randomness

Tooth

He's Just SO cute!!!

Finally over!

New fun!

O Christmas Tree!

Merry Christmas!

Advent Conspiracy

Survivor Part Three

Survivor Part Two

Tagged at Christmas

Survivor

Terry Family Christmas Newsletter

Pearl Harbor Day

Thanksgiving

Christmas Giving

Stepping Heavenward

It's a Wonderful Life

Success!!!

Weekend Update

Christmas Treasures of the Heart

Grand Prix

The Russian President's Bathtub

Jehovah Jireh

Whom Shall I fear?

VOTE

Halloween '08

**sigh**

Princess Sisters

I'm Back!

A kink in the works

Unusual Terry Terminology

Piles of Balls

Firsts

sigh