Gingerbread Time

My bestie came over today and brought gingerbread houses to build! It was so much fun. The kids really enjoyed the time and tried to sneak little bites here and there!

They all of a sudden turned it into a competition. Kids! ;0)

I took a few shots but was trying to be helpful too. In the end Jared with his gingerbread train was the best looking!

Gideon and Michelle were first runner up and Gabe and Cheyenne were second runner up!

Jared building his train gingerbread house

Gideon and Michelle did pretty good on their own!

Gabe and Cheyenne really tried and Mara did awesome helping! Gabe wanted to do the bunny ears, starts young

There must be some trick??? We can't keep this house together!

Hurry decorate before it falls!

Thank you Mara for the fun! You are so sweet! A sweet memory!

I Am Thankful

I am thankful for....................

1. My God and Savior who shows me abounding grace in all times and love in unexpected times.
2. My wonderful husband, through all of the up hills, I prayed for a Godly man and God gave me the best gift and what I totally needed.
3. Krissy, my first baby and has my heart. Your love and compassion and the way you stand up for those you love is admirable.
4. Gideon, my first son, from Dominique. I will never forget the tears of love that your daddy and I shared when you came into our world. You are precious.
5. Gabriel, my last baby and most sensitive child. Your love for the people in your world is stronger than most I've seen in adults and strong men.
6. Mom, my best friend and confidante. I am in awe of our relationship and I love you more than you can imagine.
7. Pop, growing up and maturing and realizing how much you love me in your way has been priceless.
8. Karla, you have the words to say when I need them the most. You are so wise and I don't think you even know how much we appreciate you.
9. Rachel, my baby sister. I have always wanted to shelter and protect you, I can't explain that bond we have but I am thankful through the miles how our lives take on so much similiarity.
10. Mara, my bestie...... 22 years is the longest relationship I have had! I love how time can pass and you and I will always be you and me.
11. Friends. They come and go with the different seasons of life but none are forgotten and all have meant something special in my heart.
12. In-laws. I have the best brother in law and sister in law that a girl could ask for, so loving and open and so much fun to be around!
13. My home. Sometimes locations change but God always provides me a place to stay that is above my expectations.
14. My job. I love who I work with and I love my actual job, it can be stressful but it's still a wonderful place to be.
15. My newfound interest in reading. You have saved my life in a way that I needed to have an escape to the stress of this world.
16. Food, I love food and the joy of eating and making food. God again has always supplied me with more than enough and I am thankful.
17. Car. I can go anywhere and not have to depend on someone else or the bus. So nice.
18. Me. I went through many years of not liking who I was and the choices I had made but in this stage, I am loving myself regardless of what I think I should be. I am a beautiful creation of my maker and he is not done yet.


May your reflections be sweet........

The Spirit of the Season

This week for home-school my boys are doing a food drive!

There have been times when we have needed to go to the local food shelf and they have always been very good to us. Now it's our time to give back.

My kids were looking under the tree at their presents and fighting like kids do about who has more presents. My husband decided to use that learning moment to bring up others that have no food and no presents for christmas. After he kept going on and on, I had a light bulb go off!

We should do a food drive! One of my friends Natalie, has done this before. And so I thought what a great idea. But then we've never had the time to do it, until the boys have become home-schoolers! So we created a flyer based off of the flyer my friend sent me.

Not only does it show the spirit of Christmas, it also shows my kids that you can always give back. When you need help and you receive help and then giving back when your able.

They dropped empty paper bags with this flyer attached to it on tuesday.

Bayport Neighborhood

2011 Food Drive

Dear Neighbors,

In the spirit of the holiday season, we are gathering food for the Valley Outreach Food Shelf in
Stillwater. Winter break with students home from school can be difficult for some families to feed
their students that normally qualify for free or reduced lunches at school. Valley Outreach serves
400 families per month more than 36,000 pounds of canned goods, fresh produce and dairy
products. About 50% of the individuals served each month are children, 20% are elderly, 10% are physically or mentally challenged, and the rest are adults who are either employed – sometimes at more than one job – or unemployed and unable to find work as a result of the economic recession. Those who are employed typically work at low-wage position(s) with little or no employee benefits and are unable to make ends meet..

Please add non-perishable items to this grocery bag and place it at your front door with the flyer
facing the street. We’ll pick it up on Friday, December 23, 2011 between 4:00-5:00 PM. We cannot accept glass containers, perishable items or home-canned foods.

Want to do more? Funds go farther! Financial donations go far to serve our neighbors in need.
Through our food bank partners, Emergency Food-Shelf Network and Second Harvest Heartland, we are able to purchase between 6 to 9 times more food per dollar than can be purchased through retail grocery stores. We spend an average of $6,000 each month to purchase food and other inventory to keep our shelves stocked.

Thank you in advance for participating! Please let us know if you have any questions!
Sincerely,

Gideon, Gabriel, Dominique and Dominique
Dandk75@juno.com

We will see what happens! This is the first year that I really feel good about the holidays coming and not stressed about having enough money for gifts for everyone. This has been good for all of us!

I'll post pic's of the collection and when we weigh it!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Baby

Saturday, December 10, 2011 was my husband's birthday. This year seemed very sweet. We cleaned up the house from all of it's disrepair it's currently in and had a little get together for family.

We made homemade spaghetti. I made the meatballs and since we were having guests, I made them big and delicious! Dj made his famous homemade sauce, which is always very tasty! He also made his original garlic toast which really is something to behold!

I made Dj a homemade carrot cake. He likes them so I thought what better one to make. With cream cheese frosting, also homemade!

So we gathered for a good day and a good memory. Christmas tree made the ambiance. Dj gave a little speech for us before we ate, he won't let me post what he said but it was very beautiful and touching. About how he is blessed with all of us that love him. Very nice.

Birthday boy

Carrot cake that I made just for Dj's birthday!

Gabriel Indiana Jones and Gideon from Mary Poppins

Grampa being funny with Gabe's new hat

Chocolate covered bacon!

Gramma Pam!

Nice pic of Grampa and Gabe

Nice pic of me and my pop

My mom and me

Happy 45th birthday love!