a.day.of.thanks.

"every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights"     James 1:17.

wow. what a whirlwind of the past few days. a huge shout out to my mother in law. she was very, very helpful to me. she watched my kids on both tueday and some on wednesday so that i could 'focus' on the things that needed to be focused on before the 'big day'. the week has been very, very busy, and i am so very much looking forward to today, and really being able to relax in my comfies...all.day.long.

here are a few pics taken in the early hours of yesterday...the kids were still sleeping, matt was out on his annual goose hunting excursion~with some buddies~ and the oven was already packed full...

there were 35 'kings' here for brunch at 10am. [~i think it started before kaden was even born...we were still in the trailer~a simple breakfast on thanksgiving for those of the family who didn't have 'anywhere' family oriented to go. it has grown over the years into turning into the brunch and then a dinner at 5pm.~]

 it is a very, very busy day for me. in one of my previous posts, it talked about being busy, and saying no, but finding a middle ground, and finding out what energizes you...and this is it. i love people coming over and finding respite and relaxation in my home. i love serving (good food in particular) and sipping coffee around the table, laughing over old stories being told...whether it's a friend stopping in, or 35 family members sharing your space. there's something fun about watching the kids play, throwing things from here to there, but not really caring because they are playing with their cousins...family...it's neat. yesterday was particularly special because we were all here for the brunch portion of the day.  that is unusual. aldie (my father in law) and his 2 siblings, and all of their children and families. our number dwindled to 28 for dinner...and everyone brought something to contribute for dinner...that's where we fit in the turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes. :) thanks everyone for such a great day.

now for brunch...i figured out that we consumed just over 90 eggs. i kid you not. we eat. over 75 sausage links and 4 lbs of bacon. along with blueberry cream muffins, pumpkin bread pudding and pumpkin roll. warm coffee and cold juices to fill in the cracks. ummm.

i was catching up with a friend on wednesday...on my way to a local bakery, because it occurred to me there was just not enough time to get it all done, and told her my house looked like a tornado went thru it, and she wondered why. i am telling you...my cupboards were packed, and my kitchen table was loaded with all the food that i did not have space for. that's how much food was here. was made. and a lot consumed.

we are so blessed. so blessed. i am in awe and wonder why i got so lucky to be so blessed? why am i chosen? and not the lady in africa struggeling to feed her five kids on her own? i will never understand.

what am i most thankful for today?

my husband and healthy happy children~family~good health~a warm cozy fireplace~siblings~the word of God...even though i don't read it nearly enough~food to fill my belly~snuggly blankets and a comfy bed to snuggle into at night~nuks~cough medicine~smiles~a car that runs and takes me on many adventures~christmas music and decorations i love~microwave~comfy clothes~all of my clothes~a house~especially our new office~most specifically my new closet~i am totally organized now...yippee~friends~the Holy Spirit~technology...although i am pretty ignorant~a  providing hard working husband~love~kindness~peace~patience~gentleness~music~clean water~for being able to manage my home at home, with my kids~a hot shower~understanding~there's more...i know it~

hope you all had an enjoyable holiday and you were able to celebrate it with thanksgiving this year. this is the first year i haven't gotton up in the wee hours to go shopping. kinda sad. oh well. here's to cleaning up...i just noticed i left out a pint of coffee creamer and my most fav caramal vanilla creamer. oh...

have a great weekend. ~mk~

a new calf.

this little guy was due in February...hmmm...wonder what that means for the 16 others and their due dates? gotta love farmin'.  ;)

this is what i opened too this afternoon.

Q: my schedule is always overbooked. how can i train myself to say no when my knee jerk reaction is to say yes to every request for help and to social events?

A: whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, trying to please everyone by "doing" only brings about exhaustion or bitterness. and that's certainly not the way God calls us to live. God knows your personality intimately because He made you, and He doesn't expect you to be someone you're not. He also knows you need to stop sometimes and rest.

So figure out how many activities a week you are comfortable with, and then consider those "available slots." instead of blindly booking activities simply because they arise, make sure you save the slots in your schedule you need for "sanity time."

some of your stress-inducing situations may be nonnegotiable-such as traveling for your job or keeping up with an energetic toddler. but other activities may be negotiable, such as hosting a wedding shower or chairing a fun fair at your child's school. the crucial question is this: do these negotiable activities stress you out...or energize you? if your blood pressure rises when  you even think about the activity, why not take a pass?

no isn't a dirty word-in fact, sometimes it's one of the healthiest things we can say. after all, sometimes we have to say no-even to good things-in order to say yes to the best things. if we're constantly scurrying around like the well known Martha in Luke10:38-42, we won't have time to sit, like Mary, at Jesus' feet.

                                              ~Ramona Cramer Tucker
                                                (Today's Christian Woman magazine, Sept. 2004)

so you all know that i struggle with saying no. still. and then, i have these other crappy thoughts like...well...if "they" would just say yes a little more, we could even this out a little bit...they would be a little busier, and I would be a little less busy...aren't i nice? really. wow. how twisted am i? since you have your life balanced and in-order, how about un-balancing it, so i can balance mine. don't you love how i think? ;)

anyway, a challenge for me to think about "scheduling" my weeks ahead of time, and if things come up after my week is "scheduled" i have to say no. i just don't think that will work with me, as i operate on a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of style. i must say, i think i "used" to operate more that way...but not anymore. :)

then. like today. i was at kaden's school helping out for the morning. we are in the process of moving our "old" office into our "new" office, and i am behind on a million other things, but isn't this why i stay at home and mom? so that i can participate in my kids classrooms, and be a "presence" in their school buildings...absolutely. can you tell i am still confused?  ;)

regardless, here's to me figuring out how to "operate".  Happy Weekend...mk.

my.poor.man.

so you prayer warriors out there can say a few for my husband. he was moving bulls around this morning...from farm to farm...so they can do their "thing" you know...and came across an accident scene on rt. 10. this is a very busy road that goes thru a section of wooded area...regardless he said there were people all over the place. so...he stopped...with the stock trailer and all (bulls were already unloaded :) ) to see if he could help. turns out a woman had hit a deer with her car, and she was concerned about the deer, because it had been injuted pretty badly. those of you who know my husband, know that he enjoys hunting and  has a million and one guns and wouldn't you know didn't have one on him? :) so...he decided the best idea would be to pick up the deer (which was still alive, but not doing well) and load it into the stock trailer, and take him to a more quiet place to rest...

wouldn't you know as he was loading it, it skitzed a little bit, and kicked his right middle finger ~wide~ open...down to the bone. YUCK. so...the story goes on and on...but he spent 3 hours at the doctors getting some stitches, so now we pray that he can heed the doctors instructions, and that his finger has no ill effects from this injury. it could be a little tricky as it is around his knuckle, but there was thankfully no tendon severing.

you know sometimes i complain to him that i feel "cheated" a bit, because it feels like we  don't see him a whole lot...usually because everyone else does. :) he would do anything for anyone, and this is a prime example of how he lives his life. he serves others...sometimes i am offended it is not me and my family...but that is *my* issue...i am thankful for a God believing husband who works very hard providing for us, and spends time helping others, even when it isn't convenient for him or me. :)

needless to say i didn't get to the store today, but i did finish painting my *new* office (can you imagine the disasterous shape my house is even in? with four kids who basically self entertained just about the entire day...so i could get this painting done?)  and even sold a puppy...hopefully another tomorrow. here's to a better rest of the weekend. and cleaning up the house tomorrow because i am beat and going right to bed. cheers. ~mk~

jelly anyone?

i am trying to get in the habit of getting up early...

(we all have different definitions of early. mine would be 5:30 a.m.~just to clarify) ;)

to spend time with the LORD and exercise.

it sure does make it easier when you see this each morning.

hope my husband pulls through

and I get a GOOD camera for Christmas this year. ;)

we have people working at our house this week...we are making a 'new for us'
office...i can't wait for it to be done. i.think.i.love.it.already.  put in a closet...and a corner cupboard...love it. will share next week? maybe?

regardless, my point is that my schedule is not quite the same when this happens. this morning i took the kids to school, came home and helped campbell get dressed, and came downstairs to this...

yep. sweet calli ann was eating homemade jelly out of the container

with a knife. sweet tooth, ya think?

and please don't forget we have  4 precious puppies left to find new homes for...i am hoping this weekend...9 weeks old on sat. we have 5 sold and gone.

off to do some more flowerbed work outside today.

plans HAD to change to allow for this.

it is absolutly gorgeous outside today, here on the east coast.

i will take this over cold in november anyday.

fabulous.

Oh Happy Day.

something to think about.

i read this blog...and had to share it. it's an interesting perspective, with a lot of truth to it. see what you think...you can find the rest of it at: http://www.itakejoy.com/714/
it's about the internet, and how it's affecting christian women today. just more for me to think about...

          *************************************************

(this is a few paragraphs "into" the article)
...However, contemporary culture has forgotten these realities.


Perhaps, on the internet, we build up a couple of thousand of friends–that does not mean they know us, our real lives, our silent aches of heart, our loneliness, our dreams, insecurities, needs or doubts, or love us. Often it just means, they, too, are trying to build their list. Our social networking friends cannot bring us a hot, delicious meal or a fall bouquet of blooming flowers when we are sick or depressed or just need to know we are on someone’s mind.

Our social media friends cannot hold our hand or give us a gentle embrace, when we pray through a heartbreak or sit and drink a real cup of tea on the porch as we watch a fall sun melt into the sky, and share secrets. Our social media friends are not here to touch, see, experience, giggle, to validate the memories of real life.

Our children also long for us to see them as the important ones–they long for our words of love and laughter at their jokes and engaging in their hearts and attention. Our children are only with us for a window of time, to receive our attention, loving touch, tasty meals, to celebrate life as we pour into their souls. If we are looking to the internet for our relationships, our children will look for love and attention wherever else they can find it–away from us.

We are their first choice, but they will settle for others if their needs are not met at home with our intentional and present attention.

Suppose, we get lots of comments on our blogs today, or an increasing number of visits. The pressure is on to try to keep that going tomorrow. If we feel good when people respond, must we feel bad about ourselves if they don’t leave a comment? If we are one of the most popular blogs or web sites today, eventually there will be a “cuter girl on the block”, where people will search for something more, something new, leaving us longing for the same affirmation and love we sought in the beginning.

I think that many young women become addicted to social media and neglect their families and children out of a God given desire to be loved, to have friends who care, to feel a sense of importance–to push away the feeling that we are invisible in this world of ours. The desire to be loved and known and validated is God-given. Yet, He intended for us to have real community where we are loved and have a place to fit with family–cousins, grandparents, parents, siblings. For thousands of years, neighbors were to be those who knew you your whole life, who were there for you in the tragedies and celebrations of life. Purpose and meaning came out of relating and giving of ourselves to a community of people called to live, serve and validate the meaning of life together, to preserve righteousness in the presence of our children as a common group of people who loved and served God together.

Now, we live in an isolationist culture where we move from place to place, seldom knowing our neighbors; go to mega-churches where it is possible to be personally, intimately unknown in our inner-life needs or desires. Often grandparents and siblings have different values, live half-way around the world, or are of no support at all–many who have been separated from us through divorce.

So, we seek to replace that which God intended to be real and present, with something–anything–that can help us to “feel” connected, loved, validated.

So, social media can spend a summer by our side, but might be gone when autumn comes. A fickle boyfriend–here today, gone tomorrow. Just a thought for today.

           ***************************************************

don't you like it? isn't it challenging? i.love.it. it was just what i needed for today. will be a very busy day for me. cheers. mis.

check this out.

you know that i thought i had it altogether until a couple months ago. i mean i really thought that when me and my family went out and about, which is a lot, that we look like we have it altogether. our kids look well behaved, and we are pretty put together and  look like a  normal american family.

i now know, that once you have 4 kids, you do not look like a "normal" american family, but a little more abnormal. and it doesn't matter how well behaved my kids are being, we still look like chaos to others. i don't know how many kids you have to have to qualify, but i now know that we do. and as "together" as i "think" we look, we still look like a chaos to the on-lookers around us.

why did it take me so long to figure this out? i am not sure? someone has taken the time to ask me a couple of times in the past couple of months, "are you okay?" hmmmm. in these instances, i AM okay, and am always surprised by the question. it's funny that i am always in the church foyer, always getting coats on my kids...(this means helping the older ones with theirs, while trapping the little ones, so they can't get away before i get to them) :) it never occurred to me (until this person had asked me this question) that i am showing something else...either by my actions, or my facial expressions, or something? and now, since she has done it a number of times, during the same instance, in the same place...i have realized...i "think" i look like i have it together, when apparently, i am looking a little haphazard? un-organized? i don't know how i must look, but it must not be good, since i am getting this question over again and again. my answer? i am fine, just trying to get the coats on my kids, that's all.

so now i wonder how i look all the time, when i am out and about. do people think this about me all the time, and i don't know it? i am happy with my life, and though this is "my normal" and i am used to it, am i showing people something i am unaware of? and here i thought i was giving the world a "go ahead, have 4 kids, it's so much fun...if we can do it anyone can..." when in reality people are thinking we are crazy? i don't know...it has me thinking.

regardless of my looks to be chaotic lifestyle...you really should check out this blog...and read her latest post entitled "don't be too harsh on us"...if you want to get a glimpse into my life. it's perfect...except for the fact that she has 7 kids and i only have 4.  ;)  http://resolved2worship.xanga.com/.  ~mk.

ok.ok.

you guys are no joke. i was cozy by the fire, watching a movie, and reading a magazine...and matt checked in on the blog, and let me know i should really get my butt upstairs to post some pics. here ya go...i didn't really like any of me from the wedding. bummer. i think i will like it better when my bangs are grown out just a teeny bit more...i realize now, i should have gotton bangs, kept my long hair for 6 months, and then got it cut short...a little less drastic. oh well. ;)

what a fun, beautiful wedding. this girl my cousin married, cindy, is so creative. i never knew. ceremony was at river corner mennonite...where he grew up...and i remember going to as a child when we were left with my grandparents for the weekend...tiny and quaint.

reception was at beautiful pheasant run in conestoga, also. her centerpieces were awesome...so simple...i LOVED them. took some notes for king thanksgiving which will be here. ;)

as if the bride doesn't have enough on her plate...she made jelly for everyone...as our favors...with the card that said, "spread some l.o.v.e." so. original. and cute. don't ya like how the tables and numbers were written on the old glass panes...totally my style...

and just some fun pics of my beautiful cousins, i don't get to see nearly enough. HUGE shout out to Lorena...beauty on the far left...just found out she reads my blog...that gives me warms...and you too, Rita...love it!

and below is my cousin, Chelsea...who also leaves me fun comments, and her mom, my aunt, Cheryl...sister and mom of the groom...aren't they pretty?

this is my crazy uncle John...(father to 3 of those middles pictured above). We spent the most time growing up at their house, out of all my cousins. He is holding my "other" (Jonathan and Lori- not pictured) cousins baby, Rylee. she is sweet.

 I was chatting around way to much...those are all the pics i got? hmmm. okay. sleep tight.

Congrats Cindy and Colby...Fun times. Cheers to Jamaica...that's where we went. ;)

the suspense is over...a pic for you.

glad you are all excited to see my new haircut. My cousin is getting married

today

so i hope to  post a picture tonight...when i am not donned in my sweatpants. ;)

it is very fun. people have to do double takes...they don't know who i am.

love that part!

check back tonight. ;)

my.new.look.

well...have you ever been stuck in that place. that place where you think you need a change. a bold, new for you change? i was there. i was in that place. it's feeling a bit more like winter...i just needed something different. that's all. something different.

so...after spending a little change on about 6 magazines...(okay...a lot of money these days...magazines are soooo expensive when you don't get them at reuzit...)but that's besides the point. scoured magazines for something i liked, and this beauty is what i came up with. so...with the little extra encouragement i needed from my sister, this is what i took my hairdresser.

now i know, this girl is just beautiful. bottom line. so, i don't look like her...at all...but my hair is pretty close :)  ~will be closer in about a month, when i have it "trained" and i have it figured out how to actually "do" it~ my husband accused me of trying to follow trends that are over in Europe and not here, where we live, by getting bangs. ~he's obviously not a fan~ but i did have his permission to take the plunge. :) i must say i look a bit different. it is shocking, and for some reason my hair looks darker and almost reddish sometimes in the light. don't know what's up with that? don't be shocked when you see me out and about. :) at least i didn't dye it purple, right? :) mk.