More Christmas Memories 2007
Here am I with my sweet Mother-in-law. I had selected her name to give Christmas gifts to.
My dear sister-in-law, Margaret, gave me an incredibly cozy and soft pink robe for Christmas this year. I love it!

Annie was blessed with many gifts for Christmas this year, but this picture shows her content with her favorite, God-given gift; her toes!
My baby doll!

Congratulations, Shelby!

Shelby recently announced that she is expecting a sweet, little blessing! Please stop by and congratulate her!

Christmas 2007
We had a very delightful Christmas, and we pray that yours was joyful, also! Especially after our accident on December 1st, we truly are so grateful for just having the gift of each other, this Christmas. Life is so precious, and so easy to take for granted.
Anastasia seemed to have a delightful first Christmas.

Lily was such a silly girl, here. She was awaiting her "Secret Santa" to bring her a gift. Her cousin had dressed her up in a ballerina outfit and fancy shoes. She is quite the little character.
Stevie loves playing with the Christmas train!

I even ventured to make this delicious pumpkin roll. It was a lot easier than I expected and was quite tasty. I will try to post more pictures. I have so many and it has taken a lot of time to just load these up! Have a blessed afternoon!

Look Who's Getting so Big.....
Anastasia just sat in her high chair, for the first time, yesterday. She ate some delicious, organic , carrot baby food. She spit some of it out, but she enjoyed some of it, too. This morning, she played a bit in the high chair, while I taught Lily some reading. Anastasia has gotten to the point where she rolls all around the room , when she is on the floor. The exploration is in full swing. Me oh my.....these little ones are so busy all of the time! Blessings!

More Population Control Nonsense.....
Apparently, there are some professors working diligently to penalize parents with more than two children in Australia, with large monetary fines. The proposed agenda would fine parents $5000 per baby (at birth), and up to $800, per child, per year. Currently, in Australia, parents receive a $4133 "Baby Bonus". You can read the article in it's entirety here. I really like this quote, from the Australian Family Spokeswoman, "I think self-important professors with silly ideas should have to pay carbon tax for all the hot air they create. There's masses of evidence to say that child-rich families have much lower resource consumption per head than other styles of households."

Cookie Making Party
We had a wonderful time at the cookie making party, hosted by my sister-in-law, Melanie. I am so grateful that she thought of this wonderful idea; I hope it will be a yearly tradition. Everyone had a great time. I made some Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies, which are always simple, yet yummy!

Aunt Marisa making marshmallow treats with Stephen. These were absolutely adorable and a very cute idea!


We wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Babies
I have always thought that having a baby around Christmas time must be so majestic. Two blogging friends of mine are due to have their precious little ones, any day. (I am wondering if either of them will have babies born on Christmas!) They both are planning homebirths. Even though we have a ton of stuff going on around here, I cannot help but check out their blogs once in a while, for updates. Andrea is expecting her third child, and this is her third homebirth. She is an excellent writer; her blog has become one of my new favorites. Tiffany is the mother of four boys and I cannot wait to hear that her sweetie has arrived.Please pray for these dear ladies as they prepare to birth! Blessings!

*****Update***** Andrea had her baby this morning, December 24! I am so excited for her! Tiffany had a precious Christmas baby, her fifth son!

Anastasia at 5 1/2 months

Merry Christmas!

Daddy's Girl
I am so blessed to have these two people in my life!

Our Van....
On Tuesday, we bought our new to us Toyota Sienna! We are loving it and the fact that it has eight seats. It truly is cozy. We feel so blessed that God has led us to this van. It has one of the highest scores for crash tests and that is truly important to me. I love my old van, but I am grateful that it was considered totaled. I know so many people who have been in accidents, and gotten their vehicles repaired and have had so many problems. Vehicles that have been in accidents , unfortunately, never run the same again. So I am very grateful that God made a way for us to get a replacement van. Blessings!

And the Babydoll Carrier Winner is.....
Laura. Laura,please e-mail me at aprongirl@gmail.com, with your address. Congratulations and thank you to all of you dear ladies, who entered this contest. I truly wish I could give each of you a doll carrier. If anyone is interested in purchasing the baby carrier, please visit here.Blessings!

Doll Carrier Giveaway
Vision Forum is sponsoring a giveaway on my blog, of their darling baby carrier. If you are interested, please leave a comment, sharing with us your favorite thing you like to do with your daughter. (Bake cookies, take a walk, read a book, etc.) The contest will end on next Wednesday, December 19, when I will select a winner. My sweet Lily is always wearing her baby carrier; it is such a fun preparation for her future role (God-willing) of being a mama. Blessings to you!

****This Message will stay at the top till the contest is over. Please scroll down for other posts.Thank you****

Funny Video
Today has been more of the same insurance rigamarole, but I am trying to look towards Jesus in my frustrations. (Not that I am very good at it, but because of Him, I have hope.) Well, I am sure you probably could use a good laugh, too. If so, check out this hilarious homeschool video.
Bonnet Tip to Jennifer.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday- Beefy Mac

Tuesday- Fettucine Alfredo

Wednesday- Layered Enchilada Bake *new*

Thursday- Lasagna

Friday- Pizza

Saturday- Chili

Sunday- Breakfast Casserole

If you are interested in making a really nice meal for your family, I encourage you to check out the Bed and Breakfast recipes online. Their breakfast recipes are especially scrumptious sounding and they have about 100 variations of French Toast recipes. It would be so nice to duplicate elegant meals for a small fraction of the price. It is amazing that Christmas is coming upon us so quickly. I am so excited that my sister-in-law, Melanie is going to start a new tradition this year, of hosting a cooking making party. All the ladies in the family (and I do have 5 sister-in-laws) will bring their mixers, baking powder, eggs, butter, chocolate, flour,etc., and our favorite cookie recipe. We will have a grand time whipping up various cookies to share with each other. I am hoping that this will be the start of a treasured family tradition. Lily and I cannot wait to don our aprons, to hear the buzzing of many mixers, and to sample the delectable treats. I am so excited to have this wonderful memory making opportunity. For more Menu Plan Mondays, visit Laura.Blessings!

Funny Boy
My son is very funny...he gives me many occasions to laugh hysterically, daily. In having a son, my husband said that it is very critical that we don't baby him and thus create a "crybaby". So, though I do try to nurture all of my children, we try to "not sweat the small stuff". If something minor happens, I try to tell that child to brush yourself off, and get up again. Stevie tends to trip quite a bit, and I often tell him to "be a man and get up". Well, as we were hopping into the vehicle, today, I asked Stevie if he wanted his coat, or if he was alright. I almost broke a rib laughing so hard when he replied,"I am fine.We are mens, right?" Two year olds might be a lot to deal with sometimes, but their humor is a worthwhile payoff.

New Van
We are in the process of getting our replacement vehicle, since our Mercury Villager was considered totaled. We have had a few "bumps" in the road in the process of getting our next vehicle, but hopefully, we are on our way! I am just praying that the insurance company's money will be in the bank, so we can get a new (new to us- we never buy brand new) van. We have found the one we want and should be getting it in the next few days. Our rental has to be back by Tuesday, so we are really having to run around a lot, working out various details. We have to use a bit of our saved money in addition to what the insurance company gave us, so that is a bit frustrating. But I am so glad that we won't be financing at all. That is a huge blessing....I cannot stand debt. We had just paid off our Villager back in February, and we would really dislike having to make payments, now. One thing that is really exciting is that the van we are getting, the Toyota Sienna, has eight seats. Yippee! I am so excited! I can fit three more children in the van before having to replace it. Blessings!

Christmas Candy
I have wanted to learn how to make Easy Christmas Candy since first seeing the recipe on Crystal's blog, last year. I was very inspired when I read this informative tutorial on how to make this candy/cookie. You might have all the ingredients that you need in your pantry, right now. First, I gathered two willing assistants.
They helped me to lay out a sleeve of saltine crackers on a buttered, aluminium foil covered cookie sheet. I put peanut butter on a few crackers to zest them up a bit. Meanwhile, I boiled 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar on medium for 3 minutes.

I spread the carmelized mixture on top of the crackers, and I sprinkled a bag of chocolate chips on top. I baked this in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
I spread the chocolate chips on the crackers until they were fully melted. I cut around each cracker while they were still warm. I refrigerated them and they are delicious. As an added touch, I topped each one with some crushed candycane pieces. These truly are easy and delicious to make for your family. What treats are being created in your kitchen?

Blessings we have experienced through the car accident
Though our car accident has been very difficult, I am in awe of the way God has worked good in our lives, through this experience. I do not want to forget about all the way that God has shown me love, throughout this difficult time. The first and foremost blessing was that it was mainly our vehicle that was damaged, and that no one was seriously injured in our accident. I know that at the speed the young lady was traveling (about 60 mph), this could have been a devastating accident, but God definitely protected us all from severe injuries. It is with a renewed sense of gratitude, that I thank God for sparing Stephen, Lily, Stevie, and Anastasia and I. I am also glad that no one was seriously injured in the other vehicle. I am grateful for a wise police officer, who handled the situation well. It is a blessing that a young lady who witnessed the accident, stopped to give her testimony. I know that it took time out of her busy Saturday, and that was quite giving of her. I am thankful that my father-in-law left his home immediately to come pick us up, and for giving us a ride home. I am also grateful for our next door neighbor, who had places to go, yet when he saw what had happened, that he stopped and helped us. My mother has been so helpful in being there to listen to me during each step of the process after this accident. We are blessed that she and my father are always willing to lend support in any way they can. Melanie, Stephen's sister, has been a great blessing to us by taking Stephen to pick up our rental. Our church family has also been a great blessing to us, as many of them brought meals to us, this past week, to keep me from having to stand and prepare supper. It is such a blessing to see the Body of Christ meeting each other's needs. We are so thankful for all of those who have expressed their love towards us. Blessings!

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God." Romans 8:28

Nearly 5 months.....



Anastasia, you are nearly 5 months old and you truly bring so much joy in our lives. I love your little giggles, the way you try to snatch everything out of my hands, and the big wet kisses you shower me with. You are such a blessing to us!

So Blessed......

I certainly don't deserve such a sweet husband and a precious baby girl. Isn't it wonderful that God always gives so much more than what we deserve?

Verdict....
My van is totaled. Friday night, we called Allstate, and found out this information. Please pray that God will help us to get compensated adequately and to find a good, replacement vehicle. We should be speaking with the insurance company on Monday to find out how much they are going to offer us as reimbursement. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Chiropractic Visits
This was our second day in a row of our chiropractic visits. Yesterday, we were all checked out. Everyone has some muscle tension (soft tissue damage) due to the accident, except for Anastasia. Today, Stephen and I got our x-rays done. (X-rays are very dangerous if a woman is pregnant, so I took a pregnancy test last night, just to make certain that I was not pregnant. It was a negative, so I could be at peace about getting the x-rays done. I love Dollar Store tests! I am mentioning about this, just in case any of you dear ladies ever need x-rays, and are uncertain if you are pregnant or not. A cheap test can really put your mind at ease.) So far, it looks like no broken bones or fractures, praise the Lord. Stephen has to get more x-rays done tomorrow, as they ran out of film. There is a lot of tension and there are some things that definitely need to be worked out, due to the accident. There is an area in my lower back, which has really been pinching, and he pointed it out to me on the x-ray. He adjusted Stephen and I, which felt really great. I never imagined that my neck and back would make so many popping noises. My chiropractor estimates that it will take us 18 follow up visits to correct our problems from this accident. Last night was a bit better than the others, since the accident. It was the first night I could sleep without taking a tylenol. The first night, every time I shut my eyes, all I could see was the huge hood of the car that hit me, coming at me. Our days have been full dealing with insurance companies, filling out various paperwork, and going to the chiropractor. We are still waiting to find out if our van is totaled or not. We are kind of hoping that it is, because it will probably never run the same again, if they try to band aid it. Also, Stephen thinks the girl hit my brake line, so that really terrifies me. She jostled our battery, and that is why we had a difficult time even getting out of the van when we got struck. Stephen had me drive home from the chiropractor's, tonight. It was my first time driving since the accident, and I must admit that I was a bit scared. But it is good that I did not wait too long. Please pray that we will hear from the insurance company soon, regarding the status of our van. If it is totaled, please pray that their insurance company will give us enough money to get a van that is at least comparable to what we had. (My van only had 76,000 miles on it, and we had paid it off at the beginning of this year.) Thank you for your prayers, and kind words, dear friends.

Two of my Sweeties....
Stevie loves his pop gun and Lily loves her baby carrier. These are their Christmas presents from us, which we ordered from Vision Forum.

Waiting..........



I wanted to share with you some shots of what is/was my van. Stephen visited a lawyer this morning, who gave him some advice. At this time, we do not need the lawyer, but we will see. We are not sure if the van is totaled or not. I need to be picking out another one, if it is.Today began day one of much insurance rigamarole.We were doing fine with Nationwide, but the mother of the girl who got in a wreck had signed her up for Allstate, too. By law, the most recent insurance that she obtained must cover the accident. Nationwide was incredible...they were definitely on "our side". But the Allstate agent is another matter.He thinks that we should go through our insurance. Stephen has had to be on the phone constantly, and I had to deal with an agent today. He interrogated me and was trying to blame it all on me. He even recorded the conversation as he tried to ensnare me with his questions. I'm sorry, I thought that green lights meant go for me. He was an agent for the girl who hit me, and he tried making it like it was my fault. Let's see...I had the green light, had looked both ways, saw no one coming, and then proceeded. She, on the other hand, ran a blatantly red light, was going about 60 miles per hour, and accelerated even after she saw me, right into me. I cannot believe the guile some insurance agents have, when trying to refuse to pay, when it is obviously because of the negligence of their client. He basically tried blaming it on me, asking me what I should have done to have avoided the accident. But I am thanking God for one more ball in my court...I have a witness and she submitted her statement to the police. When the agent found that out, at the end of the conversation, he sounded stunned. Thank you Lord, for the kind young lady who took time out of her day to witness to what truly happened. Please pray that this gets resolved quickly. Nationwide wanted us in our own vehicle (either fixed, or a new one) in 48 hours; they were absolutely incredible. Allstate said that it could be weeks and weeks. They are truly trying to scare us into just going through our insurance company. It can be so frustrating and frazzling, but I know God is with us. I am so glad that all 5 of us survived. Stephen and I keep getting more and more pains all over from the Whiplash. We are all going to the chiropractor, tomorrow. He will take x-rays to see if we are alright. Thank you for your prayers.

Thank you Lord for your Protection!
Around 2 p.m. today, I was driving through an intersection, and we got hit by someone who ran a red light. All five of us were in the vehicle, and God protected us, in His Mercy. The woman who hit me (16 year old girl) was going about 65 and slammed into the front side of my mini van. My van is totaled , more than likely, but that is nothing because all that matters is that we were not injured. (Stephen and I are just a little sore.) Thanks be to God! I had looked both ways before crossing the intersection, even though I had a green light, since I always see people running red lights. I was already crossing the road when a huge car came slamming into us. I was terrified because it felt like they had slammed into the door near where Annie was. Stephen jumped out of the van and ran to Annie's door to get her out. Anastasia was just fine though. I am so grateful that God protected us all. Have a blessed evening.