karolina. 6 months old.

i always said that if i got a *good* camera that i wouldn't need to spend money

getting my kids pictures taken, because i could do it.
eeekkkk. now i have to try. :)

karolina grace @ 6 months old.

did you say cabbage?

so i learned way back in novembe or december that i needed to make a cabbage

costume for kaycee for her 1st grade school play...which was tonight.

the production was called, " how does your garden groove"

and it was very, very cute.

thanks jane for the sites you sent me.

they were a huge help...i copied a lot, and tweaked as well. :)



i must say i was a lot skeptical about how many kids were going to have veggie costumes.

it's not like you can go to the store and buy them...

eggplants, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, corn, spinach, french fried potatoes, green beans, peas, etc.

(okay...my good friend from high school did just correct me...her son got to be french fries, and
she did find a slammin' french fry costume for him to wear. he was rockin' it. :)  )

but the costumes were pretty much out of this world.

fabulous. so fabulous the principal said there will be more of this in the future...

i said, "oh no", and the dad sitting beside me said,

"yeah...it looks like you have one of every vegetable sitting beside you...you better get busy for next

year awhile."  :)

(kaycee's friend Lydia, and Francesca)

i do think the kids who didn't have costumes just didn't show up, which is kind of sad. :(

they didn't have costumes last year for kaden's 1st grade play...

so, we'll tuck this puppy in the attic, just in case campbell gets to be a cabbage in 2 years. :)
it was also helpful to have signs on the front of their costumes, which told you what they were...
otherwise, this is looking a little "lettucey". :)
i might have a couple more pics to add tomorrow, but they are on my other camera...

hope to post some pics tomorrow of our new renovation project.

it is going to ROCK.

i am very excited.

my kitchen is getting b.i.g.g.e.r. by the day. :)

i made *these* today.

wow. so sickness has struck. but it has been short lived i hope. a little girl from our church was throwing up on sat. night...and our kids had been with her on fri. night.  i told matt last night that it will be a miracle if our kids dont' get sick...and literally 5 minutes later, kaden was standing before my eyes, and barfed all over the place. ugh.

calli then decided to follow suit over night. but all are well today. thank you Lord! i did a lot of praying last night. a.lot. hopefully we are free and clear. kaden did hang out at home today, but i think he would have been okay to go...anyway...

i made 2 different kinds of cookies today... both recipes were found on blogs i stumbled upon. and these were so good, i thought i would share. oh.my.word. they are good!


Enjoy.



Ingredients:



1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Nutella for stuffing

White sugar for rolling



Cream together butter and peanut butter. Add both sugars and beat together until fluffy. Add in egg, milk, vanilla and mix until smooth. Sift together flour, baking powder and soda, then add slowly to wet ingredients. Mix until combined.

Place in fridge for thirty minutes.



When dough is chilled, using a cookie scoop, roll each ball of dough in white sugar before placing on a cookie sheet.
Press your thumb into each cookie making space for the Nutella.

A big  spoonful of Nutella.

Space the cookies out pretty far as well.
Next, take an additional sugar rolled, cookie scooped ball of dough, flatten it out slightly between your hands, then press it on top of the Nutella mountain. Smash down the lot of them.



Bake at 350º for 11-14 minutes. (My oven runs an exact 13 minutes.)

They won't look totally done. Take them out anyway. Trust me on this one. You want them to be soft and chewy. Let them chill out on the cookie sheet for five minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire cooling rack.

Makes 18 big, beautiful, magical, willpower destroying, cookies.

thanks to Joys Hope for sharing the recipe...fabulous. ~mk.

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the others are kind of like molasses cookies, and then i melted white chocolate chips, and made a heart on the top of each cookie. they were *cute*. 

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

my mom came and folded some more laundry. thank you  mom. and she didn't even take any cookies. :(     

i am still not feeling so good, and read that an extremely rare condition can happen when taking the medicine i was on. i am that extremely rare condition person, i guess. i am still waiting to hear back from the doctor...i hope there is somethign they can do for me. :)

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

i got half of my first floor cleaned...by that i mean, dusted, windows washed, vacumed, and organized. yay me. matt was supposed to have a realtor meeting in our office...and then when he came in, he told me it had been moved to his quarryville office. i guess he tells me things like that so i really get things done...mean, i know. :) but now it's clean, that's for sure. :)

happy monday. ~mk.

*my little lovees.*

phew. what a day.

not even that i did that much.

however...

can i tell you that i was *up* and *out of bed*

EIGHT

times in the wee hours this morning between 2:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.

(if you can't do the math, that's like every 15 minutes...and i absolutely

fell asleep after i crawled back into bed each time. :) )

with

EVERY

child...except one.

ya all wonder why i am exhausted all the time.

granted it was not a normal night.

but can i get an amen sista? :)

(doesn't karolina's hair look RED in this picture? totally wild...)

and we finally finished our ~valentine's~ for this year.

i found this awesome idea on pinterest @
http://www.dandee-designs.com/2012/01/friendship-bracelet-valentines-update.html


 
(so our's don't look quite as professional, but we took a good shot at it) :)

 we decided we'd do them for...

 kaden's 2nd grade class, kaycee's 1st grade class,

and campbell's preschool class...

kaden and kaycee had a blast...

i did campbell's bracelets for her...was just a bit too tricky for her to do...

(which was actually a trip down memory lane for me,

as i used to make these as a kid...)

so much fun.

and all the creative color combinations... :)

the kids are into doing these little dance shows for us *every* night.

it's kind of hilarious.

i don't know what's up...

kaycee and calli are both wearing headbands of karolina's,

and left her little bald head with nothin' on. :)

i also re-did my picture wall down in the basement.

i can't decide if i like it or not?

i liked it on the picture i copied from :)

will show you another day.

nighty-night.

jump start.

i got this out of one of my favorite little devotional magazines i pulled off my shelf last night...it's from renew: a devotional magazine for women. and i love it.

i don't know why quiet time has to be so hard for me...well, nix that. i do know why quiet time is so hard for me: a) i can't get out of bed early enough, and b) if i don't get out of bed early enough, then there is really no quiet time in my house, or quality quiet time, until the kids go to bed at night, and by then i am too tired to pull out my bible, and let's just admit it, c) it's not a priority...because if it was, i would *get it done*. what is wrong with me?

why can't i make this a priority in my ~everyday~ life? and well...i guess it's not quiet time i really struggle with. i am quiet before the Lord a lot thru my day, i pray a lot thru my day, it's the sitting down, and resting, being quiet before the Lord i struggle with. the opening of his word, that i struggle with...probably because i have to ~sit down~ to do that part. :( regardless of what i struggle with, and what you may struggle with, i thought there were some really good thoughts in this segment. what do you think??

jump-start your quiet time

enough with the excuses. here are ten ways to revitalize your time with God:

1. begin a prayer journal. a simple spiral notebook will do. keep track of your prayer requests and praises. better yet, write out your prayers to God.

2. study psalm 119 for a month. read six verses each day and write down the blessings and benefits of knowing God's Word.

3. ask a friend to be your study buddy. study the same book of the Bible and meet regularly to discuss what God is teaching you.

4. make a list of everything you are thankful for, from sunshine to God's gift of salvation. refer to this list often, especially when you're frustrated or discouraged.

5. pray scripture for yourself, your family or friends. for example, for salvation, read: isaiah 45:3, 2

Timothy 2:10, for purity: psalm 51:10; for joy: 1 Thessalonians 1:6; for love of God's Word: psalm 19:9-10.

6. incorporate christian music into your quiet time. read or sing the words of a favorite hymn or listen to a praise CD. contemplate how the lyrics draw you closer to God.

7. read your favorite psalm, then write your own paraphrase of it, personalizing the psalm to fit your circumstances.

8. vary your setting. if you normally have your quiet time indoors, try praying while you walk through your woods, or bring your Bible and meditate by a quiet stream.

9. establish a family quiet time. read a Bible passage together and discuss it. share prayer requests and take turns praying for one another. encourage your children to act out one of their favorite Bible stories, complete with costumes and props.

10. listen to God. ask him to free you from distractions, then sit quietly and allow him to speak with you.

so...i continue to try to learn scripture with my kids. there is ~nothing~ i love more than someone praying scripture out-loud. i want to be that person...it is just not there...yet. :) i am also a journal-er. always have been. i don't as much anymore, because this helps with that, but i still try to write on paper, my thoughts...and not just on the bad days, which is sometimes my tendency...but then i think, "what in the world are my kids going to think of me, when i am gone, and they find all these journals, filled with my struggles and ugly thoughts", ha.ha.ha. and that helps me remember to write my good thoughts and blessings in there as well. what motivation. eigh? :) i think i want to try the psalm 119 thing for a month. what a challenge that will be for me.

 my neice, piper, at the zoo. the difference in these 2 kids is wild.

piper is only 3 wks older, but seriously. she is crawling. :) and throwing herself

out of her crib. eeeekkkkk. she is ~not~ going to miss a beat. that is for sure.

and this is little lovee...all snugglee, and didn't move the entire time we were at the zoo.

she hardly sits up. let alone crawls. i'll take it. :)

anyway. hope this inspires you, like it has inspired me... happy Super bowl weekend. Go Patriots. they are in it right? :) just kidding. i really don't give a rip who wins. :)

and...most friends i have make fun of me because i am waaaaayyy to young to listen to wdac, or 94.5, but it is on in my house, pretty much all day long. i wonder what is going to happen when the spiritual super giants, like dobson, and kay arthor, etc. are going to pass away. do we have spiritual giants to take over? hmmm. anyway, today and yesterdays programs were AWESOME...carol kent spoke. if you haven't read her books. DO SO. if you haven't heard these programs. DO SO. i am sure they are on focus on the family's website, or it will air again tonight at 8:30 p.m. she shares candidly, honestly and openly about her ONLY son who will spend life in prison, for killing a man. it is a real story about a christian mother who hurts everyday. who did everything she knew how to do to raise her son in a christian home, with christian influences...and wow. what a testimony for all the hurting people in the world. check it out. ~mk.

it's been *awhile*

so i guess this will just be a hodge podge post.

since i have last written, pink eye has returned in kaden, so we are treating him *again*, i had to visit the doctor as well, so i was down for the count, for a good 2 days, but some rest and antibiotics has done this mommy wonders. some snow. some 60 degree temps. 100th day of school project. karolina feeding herself *puffs* but refusing cheerios, i guess because they are cheaper. :) bible study started again...a study of david. good news club to start at the end of this month, so lots of recruiting, anyone want to help? :) and organizing for things to run smoothly again this semester. and then throw in some laundry, baking, cooking, cleaning, and fun perhaps, and call it a week.

how do you like karolina's headband? i think it totally rocks.

however, it does clash with her bib. :(



karolina is now trying to throw herself out of the bumbo.

so, being that i accidentally let campbell throw herself out of it, onto the floor,

when she was about this age, (eeeekkkk)

i decided it was time for a high chair.

baby girl is growing up. she is 6 months old now.  :(

 did a teeny bit of re-organizing.

each kid has their own basket now. labeled basket.

for their own hats, gloves, shoes...

this is supposed to make my life easier. :)

in the past, i only had one basket, so everytime they were looking for their "other" shoe,

everyone's shoes were tossed all over the floor.

and of course they forgot to pick them up. :)

so far. this is a great invention. a great idea. found somewhere on pinterest. :)

these 2 are kind of 2 peas in a pod right now. calli loves karolina.

loves her so much, she wakes her. wakes her in the morning. and wakes her at naps...

gotta keep your eye on calli. plain. and simple.

they were helping me with laundry this day. :)

calli is a rock star at speech.

she loves it. and is really speaking much. much. more clearly.

it's amazing.

kaycee wanted me to take a picture of her 100 day bead project.

nice. :)

(canvas by: aimee weaver)

and one of my good friends had this canvas done for karolina's room.

i. am. in. love. with. it.

i wish her nursery wasn't ugly brown paneling. it would look much cuter...

someday. :)

kaden has had some rough spells. some crying and fit throwing because he is the *only* boy and can never have any fun. more than by yourself. boy fun. oh.my.word. it is so old already. so, we had one of his little friends over and they were outside the whole time, trying to kill some things and had target practice... :)

 my sister and i squeezed in another trip to the Philly zoo this week. my pass will expire in april, so trying to fit some more visits in before that happens. :) GREAT investment in my opinion, even though matt has politely refused each of our zoo trips.

(love their blue feet protectors, right? i have no idea what they do...they were only on some of the flamingoes, and some of the penguins...wierd?)

how can one ~not~ believe in God. like how in the world did these flamingo's come into fashion

in ~any~ other way. they are like the strangest. beautiful.  how in the world can they

possibly be comfy sleeping on one leg? for real?

campbell and nephew jaiden...he only goes to kindergarten every other day. we caught him on an "other" day...lucky for him. :)

and campbell and calli with my neice, reese...

and an update on matt. would be. his knee does not feel great. he is doing another month of therapy, and then will most likely be released from care. his strength is good, but not great...he did get kicked by a cow a couple weeks ago...that surely did not help. :( but he has been a trooper, and fairly good about doing his therapy...however, i am glad he is seeing someone else for that. it does surely help with his follow thru. :) at this point they are saying no surgery is indicated. which has been an answer to prayer, but he is still not happy because he doesn't feel normal. understood.

i guess that's all for now. i had to laugh. some ladies from my prayer group were busting on facebooker's the other week. for posting about what they do in a day. hmmmmm. it's totally okay. i just kept my mouth shut. one would assume they don't read my blog. good thing. :)

and i apologize...it seems most of my pictures are always of karolina.

one...i think because i am determined that we will not have less pictures of her, being that she's the youngest, and that's what everyone always says happens...and two...they just change so quickly. it's crazy. so...all that to say happy thursday to ya. off to get calli to speech.

this little *light* of mine.

isn't this song beautiful?

i heard it yesterday, and i think it's my new theme song.

i think i change my life verse and theme song every other week. but i am in love with this one.

take some time to sit down and listen to the words.

my computer is getting re-built today

so i don't have access to my pictures,

hopefully, i can post them later.

happy  foggy rainy day in the northeast. :)

*pink* eye.

so. you will get this update because when i don't post on my blog, i am told people don't know what's going on in my life. that's how bad of a friend i am. :) texting and posting. you got it baby.

small group is officially somewhere else tonight.

will continue to un-germ today. and the next. and the next.

that horrible picture of kaden, posted yesterday, has multiplied over night to ~both~ of his eyes. :( so. he will not be going to school today either.  i guess i will do a little preventative eye drops today in the others, just in case. that is why they give you more drops than you need for 5 days, correct? so the woman with 5 children can treat all 5 children without going to the doctors 5 times, like my doctor prefers. :) i do like my doctor most of the time, but the not calling prescriptions in is a lot of huge rediculous in my mind.

enough of that. happy thursday. it's jammie and slipper day at school today. i think we should participate from home. only sounds "right". :) guess i will have to clothe for calli's speech class. shucks. :)

this morning.

this morning i spent some time playing with my camera. that is why i am still in my pajamas and it's 10:18 a.m. yikes! kaden is home today with a horrible case of pink eye. i guess it will be a miracle if someone else in the family doesn't get it, but for now, i am using lots of clorox, and doing lots of laundry. :) he can go back to school tomorrow.

we discovered some kittens at our house last night. this momma cat is pregnant ALL the time. seriously. and she moves her litters all over the farm, so we never really know where they are...or when they arrive. :) so this morning, as i was getting everyone breakfast i sat karolina in her bumbo, and she played with her toys, and watched the kittens play.

one of our friends might want a couple kittens, so i tried to take a couple extra pictures for her to see them.

and this last one, well...this is his eye looking better. he couldn't even open it this morning, it was that swollen. started him on drops last night, so hopefully it will look a little better until tomorrow comes. :) karolina is looking at him like "you've got to be kidding me." :) here's to healthy households !!



poor rabbits.

(from left to right: nathan bromley, mark fiscus with joy, kaden, and matt)

mark enjoys bringing his hounds over to our farm, to help us learn how to hunt rabbits.

kaden told me she found 12 rabbits, and we shot 2. :)

(the one kaden is holding isn't entirely in the picture...my fault). surprise. surprise. :)

the big 34...

i can honestly say it really rocks when your birthday falls on a saturday. i feel like i started partying yesterday, and we are not quite finished until tomorrow. yeah. totally rocks. i am loving 34 already. i have high hopes for a great year. thanks to my friends and family who rock as well. all the phone messages and cards and presents, ya all know i do love presents...i can't help it is one of my selfish love languages. :)

(matt's phone pic)



we went to delaware tonight for dinner, to some place matt went to with a bunch of guys

 on a motorcycle ride the other week.

he said it was really good, so we thought that's where we would go for my birthday.

we got there a little before 6pm...and there was already an hour and a half wait, for our

family of 7. so we got back in the car and came back to chili's for dinner. :)

it was delicious.



my sister and mom were here for a little bit yesterday, and megan told campbell the "directions" for how my birthday morning should un-ravel. and i must say campbell totally delivered. she was instructed to let mommy sleep as long as she wanted, and to sneek downstairs and play in the basement until mommy woke up. then she told campbell to make me some breakfast and take it to her mommy in the basement. i heard her little whisper this morning..."yeah...she's awake, but let's still go to the basement" as she tiptoed past my bedroom. i got up maybe a half hour later, and went to the basement and sat by the fire. kaycee was instructed to bring mommy a banana, and she followed thru, and then campbell brought me a bowl of honey nut cheerios. she poured the milk and everything! she was a jem all day. maybe party because she knows her birthday is now next (coming in march), but still, she was a total riot.

(matt's phone pic)...campbell was delighted with her corn on the cob.



the biggest joy of year 33 was of course the healthy pregnancy and arrival of karolina grace. i was blessed to be a mommy all over again, to another precious being. wow. i am overtaken often by the wonder of it all. yeah, overwhelmed of course that somehow i am the mom of 5 children...but how did i get to be so lucky? i am sure i will not be feeling so "lucky" come another 6 years or so, :) but for now, i feel very blessed and yes, very lucky. my little almost 6 month old, started some cereal last night before bed. she loved it. and i think it made a difference. she's had a bad cold, and has been waking up to eat about 3x a night for the past 1 1/2 wks, so...last night, she whimpered around 3am, settled herself, and then woke at 5 am, i nursed her, and she slept again until 8am. a full night's rest is a glorious thing. it really is.



i am challenged to find a verse i want to claim over my life for this 34th year. which is a gift. really. what do i hope my life radiates? my love for Christ? my love for my family? integrity? purity? devotion?

 there are several verses i fell in love with, and want to cling to this year...

  the Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with his love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

and then this one seemed to apply as well... :)

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.

Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace

for those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11

(and this isn't just for me in training my children, but me re-training my eating habits as well...) :)

and then...

a wife of noble character who can find?

she is worth far more than rubies...

her children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her.

Proverbs 31:10, 28

who doesn't want to be called noble? worth far more than rubies. call her blessed? what a high calling.

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we did infact make it to the farm show this week.

traffic. tons of people.

but fun.

and if you ever take a group there.

don't meet in front of the butter sculpture.

really. it's that neat. but you block the view from everyone else who wants to see it.

there really are much better places for you to catch up with your group. :)



what else do i hope to accomplish this year?

maybe have a cleaner house? i think that was on my list last year.

and i didn't make it.

i really do need to try to put myself on some kind of a cleaning "schedule" but that

seems so restrictive to my social life. :)

be a good mom.

that looks different to me ~every~ day. ha. :)

learn about my camera...which i am really trying. it's so much fun to explore.

get to be my regular size again.

complain less. rejoice more.

hmmm. my list could go on and on and on.

that's going to be all for now.

and this pic pretty much stinks. but it was soooo cold out this week.

too cold for me to get closer.

but kaden flew a kite for pretty much an hour.

wow.

good night.

my eye is twitching.

i am tired. :)