Update

We are now at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota to try to find help for John- you can check it out here www.caringbridge.org and type in JohnKoch to find his update page.

Overheard at the table

Riley: Sam you need to finish your eggs.
Sam: Me don't want to.
Riley: But Sam there are starving children who would love to eat those eat, like in Haiti,
El Salvador .......Michigan.

Here we go again...

John's cancer is back.
He will spend the next month completely off of his medicine- which will make him get more and more tired. The week before Christmas we will have to go to Columbia for 4 days where he will be tested, poked and scaned- followed by swallowing a radioactive iodine pill which will burn any thyroid tissue in his body. His throat will feel like it has a sever sunburn. This pill is so potent that he will have to spend the following 4 days in isolation, so as to not harm me or the kids. There is a possibility that he will have to have another surgery. There is the possibility that it has already spread to his soft tissue- like his lungs or brain.

I want to tell you that everything is going to be fine and that we are all holding up great- but the reality is we are sick of this crap. My husband has felt bad everyday for the last 2 1/2 years. If we are going to do something in the evening- he will need a nap in the afternoon. And that is how he feels when he IS being medicated. But now for the next month he can't have any of his medicine. Which will not only make him tired, but also impatient, grumpy, forgetful, scared and sometimes just downright mean.

I feel like there is a 2 year old inside me wanting to get out and throw a fit on the floor and scream that "I don't want to do this". I don't want our holidays to be like this. I don't want to worry again. I don't want to have to take up more of the slack. I don't want to see him be so wore out. I don't want to see him forget mid-sentence what he was talking about. I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!

But for some reason this is what God is asking of me now. I wonder if there was a lesson in this the last time around, and I didn't learn it well enough. Is God using John's sickness to show me something. To break me of something, or to build me up for something. Or is this just a concequence of a sinful world. Yesterday I woke up feeling excited about the holidays, and the fun stuff I have planned for the kids. And tonight I go to bed feeling so weighted down. This just doesn't feel like my life- like I shouldn't have a husband with cancer, or I shouldn't have to think about radioactive pills, or daily pukings or I shouldn't have to plan no-salt meals for my crazily picky husband.

And through all of this I will think of the Casting Crows song- Praise you in this Storm- because I do serve a powerful Lord who sees my tears and hears my prayers. And I have to keep telling myself that "all things work together for the good of those who love Him".

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights…”
-Habakkuk 3:17

Swap Goodness!

I was partened with Clare for Melissa's gratitude wrap swap. Not only is Clare a total sweetheart, she and I have lots in common and she sent me a beautiful colorful gratitude wrap. I love her fabric choices! Her wrap is based on the one that SouleMama makes. Here's a couple pics of my great package.


















A peek at the package I'm sending Clare (note "sending" as in waiting till the very last minute).







We have done so much fun stuff lately

hopefully I can squeeze out some time for a better update.

Thanks so much Clare- I love my package!

Hello Again...

I am just going to pretend that I didn't take an unintentional break from this blog- and just jump right into a new post okie dokie.

We have had a crazy full summer- Here's a taste of our own brand of chaos....John coached the church team of co-ed softball. We played every Friday night and had such a good time. We weren't the best team (more like the worst team) but we had the most fun!

4th of July was pretty laid back for us, we stayed home, then went to town for fireworks. Next year I hope to do a big shindig here.

Riley took swim lessons and learned to jump off the board.

We got to see two of our good friends be baptized in the lake. It was awesome to see Jim and Felicety along with so many others. There was even a surprise renewal of wedding vows for a couple that go to our church- so cool.

Riley played coach pitch softball- she loved it. She learned alot this year and had great coaches.

Riley did a sewing kit swap with a little girl in South Carolina and a girl in the United Kingdom. Such a neat idea. Riley has been embroidering like nobody's business lately. She is getting pretty good.

Riley also got new glasses- they look very grown up- until she opens her mouth!

We also got to help with Food4Kids which is a great program that takes free lunches to the park for children. We help every Wednesday- it has been a good time getting to know lots of little kids.

We also went to children's camp for a week, have done lots of house stuff, and farm stuff, John had his tonsils taken out and his nasal passages scrapped- yeah it was gross, and even though the surgery was 2 weeks ago- he is still hurting.

Day 10

I ended up back at the doctors office today, because when i woke up my eye was so swollen, I could barely open it, and it itched like crazy. He said that I must be alergic to one of the medicines, but because this is such a bad infection- he said I would have to tough it out- because he didn't want to take me off any of the medicines. He gave me a Z-pac in hopes that it would help clear it up quickly. Ugh... no fun.

Riley had a ball game tonight- that I din't go to because I look like the hunchback of Notre Dame's- older, fatter sister right now. John said she played well and actually hit the ball twice.

I made a pair of these pants for Sammy tonight- they were so quick- now I'm on the lookout for a cute shirt to make a pair for Riley.

I want to make a couple of these hooded towells for my kiddos for the pool. We'll see..

Day 9

I woke up today and looked like this......





my eye was completely swollen shut and sealed with gunk. Dr. Maddox said it was a "nasty bacterial infection"- so he prescribed me $ 200 worth of medicine! Thankfully- he had samples for all of it. It feels horrible, it looks horrible, and I'm pretty whiney about it. Be glad you don't live with me. BTW- he didn't have anything that would take care of the humungo zit near my chin.

Day 8

We spent the day with some of our friends today. It was so nice to have the kids play outside in the sprinkler and the mom's just chit-chat, while the guys worked outside.

We talked about husbands, kids, homes, cooking, cleaning, not cleaning. It was nice.

More inspiration pics for my living room.

I don't Love everything about these rooms, but I do love the "feel" of both of them.

'

Day 7

1. DollQuiltFront, 2. Green, 3. http://www.blogger.com/ Pillow 6, 4. http://www.blogger.com/ Heart Handmade Linen Items, 5. http://www.blogger.com/ chair, 6. room, 7. http://www.blogger.com/ the line, 8. http://www.blogger.com/ of my home: a bedroom peek, 9. http://www.blogger.com/ pillows

For Mother's Day- John gave me something I have wanted for a long time- Mike Heaton! Mike is using his home building skilz on my living room. Here is what it used to look like

I know these aren't the best pictures- but you can see how tiny the room was. The wall on the right we tore out and now the living room has the added space of Riley's old room. Which makes it so much more nice. Since we tore out the wall we have added a piano, the computer desk, and a loveseat to the eccletic mix of garage sale furniture. The covers on our couches are chocolate brown soft corduroy.

I love the brown, turquoise, linen colors together- maybe even a little splash of a pretty orange, and some celery green. What do you guys think.

We spend alot of time at home- so I want this room to be functional (of course) but also feel inviting and cozy. I would love to have a rug in a corner near a little bookshelf for afternoon reading, and cute pillows on the couch- and I just love the hexagon quilt above. I would like the room to be filled with things that mean something to me- the kid's framed artwork, grandmas quilts rolled and stuck in a basket, embroidered pillows, colorful, relaxing colors.

Any ideas? I would love to do a pretty turquoise on the walls, or maybe A wall. Also- what do you think of the beadboard- should it stay or go? I can't decide- I have always loved it- but at this point we would need to buy quite a bit more to finish the room, and I just don't know if we can or should spend that much right now.

Help me by answering these questions:

Bead board- take it or leave it?

Color for the living room walls?

Color for the kitchen?

If this was your house what would you do?

Day 6

I had 2 confrontations with people this week. Both of them left me feeling sick to my stomach. I hate the way I feel afterwards, I hate the second guessing every comment, and I hate feeling like i should have said something different or differently. The first one was with a classmate I have known for a long time. In the end I ended up apologizing for speaking harshly towards her. It was over something stupid and wasn't worth any more drama.

The second one was with someone I have just recently met. The conversation lasted for over an hour and I left feeling so defeated. This person- hands down- is smarter than I am. I have no doubt about that. Because of that, and because this person referenced things I knew nothing about- I let this person make me feel unworthy, stupid and so very discouraged. I cleaned out my pantry and cabinets today, and during that incredibly mundane task- I replayed over and over our conversation. And it still hurts today. This person seemed to have a predetermined negative opinion of me. And I hate that instead of speaking my mind- I was bullied into being quiet -into being LESS.

I have been in a similar situation with doctors before. When Riley was 3 she fell really hard at a wedding reception and we ended up taking her to the er. The doctor on call so openly discredited my opinion- and told me she was just throwing a fit and to calm her down and take her home and put her to bed. After 3 more trips to the er that night- I finally grew a back bone and told the doctors I wasn't leaving until they figured out what was wrong. They finally- to appease me- did a ct scan in which they found that she had hit the floor soo hard that her brain had slammed into the front of the skull bruising it, and then slammed backwards and bruised that back of her brain. She ended up spending the night and the next day in the hospital to be watched. Why did I do that- why did I back down from something I felt so stongly about?

Why even days later does this latest confrontation play in my head, and make me feel like LESS? Why do I care about their opinion at all. Why do I care if someone tainted their opinion- with their own bad feelings towards me.

And above all this- what in the world was I to learn from all this? With taking a leadership role at church- I have opened myself up to alot of scrutiny. Over the past 2 years I have had more people upset with something that I have done, or not done then the past 10 years combined. And each time someone confronts me about this the words "teachable spirit" run through my head over and over, believing that for whatever reason God would use them to teach me something I needed to know. But the latest confrontation left me feeling so bad that I don't see the lesson in it. I just feel the hurt from it. And the regret that I allow it to make me feel that way.

Marianne Williamson wrote this, and later Nelson Mandella quoted it in a speech....
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light,not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world.There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others..

Day 5

Day 4

Yesterday I wrote that I wanted to get this done Today

Vacuum my bedroom floor
Make a grocery list for Thursday
Plan 2 weeks worth of meal plans
Work more at the church

I got it all done, except the floor- because my husband had already done it! I know, I know, caarazy- but true- the man is a gem.



Tomorrow I hope to...

Shop for groceries

Put away said groceries

Help John round up a baby goat we're selling to pay for said groceries

Fun, Fun stuff I tell ya.



I have spent entirely too much time on the website where I got that slick little music player to the side- so glad I have cool friends who are in the know about that kind of stuff.



So many of these songs have memories attached to them.

I've had the time of my life- the theme song from Dirty Dancing..... When I lived in Trenton, I would always get off the bus one stop early and spend the afternoon at my friend Brooke's house. She had the VIDEO of Dirty Dancing- which of course I wasn't allowed to watch- which of course we watched anyway. We had the whole thang memorized- "Nobody puts Baby in the corner"- oh Patrick Swayze you were so cute then, and we were so naive- who wants a boyfriend who works as a dancer at a summer camp with a car with broken windows and trashy friends. Even though he was so wrong for me- Patrick will always hold a special place in my heart! lol



You've got the right stuff-BABY- NKOTB- another song from the same time- Brooke and her little brother Ryan had rooms that were attached. So we would run from Brooke's room and jump on Ryans truck- which was a perfect stage. We would belt out all the NKOTB songs while wearing our oversized NKOTB shirts and spandex leggings our hair in teased high ponytails, with of course fluffed bangs. If we weren't listening to NKOTB then we were all about ...



Paula Abdul- opposites attrack- is it sad that I still know the words?



All the Judds songs- Before I had a drivers license I worked at Cafe de Cream- they had a jukebox that had really good country songs. I loved all the Judd stuff- and one of my favorite Wynonna songs- Only love- I can remember the smell of the mop bucket as I cleaned up the dining area singing the songs after closing. Good times- and free ice cream.



Garth Brooks- When GB was in KC for concerts last Fall- my parents took my brother, sister and I to a concert. It was a great memory to be just the "original five"- and to belt out the songs together. EVERYBODY stood and sang the whole concert- it was awesome. John also gave me the whole GB collection when I graduated in '98. When we were dating we would always sing along to the cd's on the way to and way back from where ever we went. John has a great voice- especially on Lonesome Dove.



All the christian stuff- now I pretty much exclusively listen to 90.7. I love the music and I love that it's the stuff Riley will have to remember- instead of junk like NKOTB.



All the music brings memories back, and reminds me that...

I am blessed.

P.S.- I tried another one of her recipes the other day- and the cinnamon rolls turned out great. I always get nervous working with bread- but these were pretty easy. They puffed up and looked bad- so i just poked them back in their spot and they were fine. The frosting is the best- made with syrup... mmm syrup. How do you like my baby blue/lavender counter tops? Good gravy- what was I thinking?

Day 3

Yesterday i wrote..

I hope to....
work most the day at the church
clean off my deck and pick up the yard
cook supper again- maybe pancakes for supper,mmm

Well, two out of three aint bad! The rain squelched the yard plan, but I cleaned my room instead, I refolded all the clean laundry, and get this- I PUT IT AWAY- now I know what your thinking- who is this woman and where is your laundry hating plump friend? Well ladies, it's still me- just with a taller bedroom now, I could probably have touched the ceiling in there only a few short hours ago.

I do have a confession to make though- remember how I told you yesterday that I cleaned off my counters, well actually I intended to clean my counters, but I didn't really do it. Whew- that feels so good to get that off my chest- I have felt like such a fraud all day hehe! ( and i don't need anything bulking up my chest!)

So tomorrow I hope to....

Vacuum my bedroom floor

Make a grocery list for Thursday

Plan 2 weeks worth of meal plans

Work more at the church

Tonight I wanted to tell you a little about the homeschool coop that we're in. We started homeschooling Riley this year for first grade- and of course we had a ton of questions. Many things just worked themselves out, but I was so blessed to have the ladies of this coop- many are several years into homeschooling there to help. Riley & Sam both love going to coop- there are lots of kids to play with, and they get along really well. The picture is of most of the kids from the coop- pictured with Jennifer Teter who taught our kids art. The kids were able to learn about pottery, making prints, painting- it was great. And while the bigger kids had art the little ones played in the church gym and the moms talked- that's right- just talked. It was great to have that connection once a week with moms who were going through or had gone through the same stuff as I was. I especially enjoy my time with Karen. She is such an amazing mom- with all those little ones- and the girl seriously NEVER raises her voice. Karen and I have very similar values, similar husbands who take such good care of us, and we both are a bit too absorbed into the "blogworld". And here's the kicker- we have seen each others houses on "the day before the maid comes" and we still let our children play at each others homes! Now that is special my friend.

Looking back on this year of homeschooling- I am okay with how it went. I think for our first year we both learned alot. Riley has become an excellent reader, she has learned she can do her work without me helping her every step of the way. We have both figured out that homeschooling for our family has to be laid back. We have to be flexible enough to hop in the truck with Daddy to go look at the bald eagle in our woods. We have to be able to stop what we're doing to help round up the goats when they get out (and they get out alot). I have figured out that my perfectly scheduled day will never happen as long as a little boy lives here.

Our best times this year was during our time when we were reading The Little house books. We read them ALL. We checked out all the LH picture books from the library. We dyed our own fabric, we made rag and corn husk dolls. We made griddle cakes and homemade lemonade. Riley built her own covered wagon, complete with tiny bolts of fabric and barrels of beans. It was so awesome to find something that completely captured all of our interest. We even started to wait to do the read aloud chapters until the evening because John wanted in on the fun too.

This year we pieced a curriculum together to not spend so much money- next year I hope to buy something put together for me- that focuses on units where we learn about people groups from history- I'm considereing sonlight- but good gravy I'll have to sell a kidney to afford it.

It was a year full of questioning ourselves- is this really right for Riley- will she ever catch onto her math- will she learn to be a good friend without daily practice at it- will she hate me forever for not allowing her to have school parties, and school lunch, and ride the school bus.

In the end I am excited about summer, with the possiblity of starting with a clean slate next fall. I love having my kids near me. I love walking to the mailbox together every day. I love fixing lunch while Riley takes a spelling test at the kitchen bar. I love being the one who gets to see her face light up when I put the sticker on her perfect math test. I love conspiring with her to do something "crafty" with her as soon as bubby goes down for his nap. I love feeling like what I'm doing is helping to prepare her to grow to be a Proverbs 31 woman. I love knowing that she will always remember the mumification process because we did it to a barbie doll. I love knowing that she will always hear the rhythm we made up to help her spell purple. I love knowing that Psalm 23 will always be with her because we worked on memorizing it so much. I love knowing that when she thinks of school she will think of a place where she is loved, where she learned and where she was able to teach a little herself. I learned so much this year in homeschool and I am so grateful that we live in a country, and a state where homeschooling is the family's choice and for that.... I am blessed.

Day 2

Today was one of those lazy, get very little accomplished kind of days- that feel good- in the "I deserve a break" sort of way, but terrible in the" crap in this house is piling up" kind of way.

So to go along with my posting everyday in June- I'm also going to write about what boring stuff I accomplished also. You are thrilled aren't you. OOh this is gonna be one exciting month!

So... Today I....

worked on our budget.. we are officially broke, and will be for a very, very long time.

cooked supper and used a new recipe from the pioneer woman(these potatoes were delish)... I realize this is an everyday thing in most houses, but sadly not ours.

Took out the trash and burned it.

Practiced Rileys softball hitting in the front yard.

Completely cleaned off my counters... somehow every surface has become a hotspot.

Tomorrow I hope to....

work most the day at the church

clean off my deck and pick up the yard

cook supper again- maybe pancakes for supper,mmm

I leave you with a picture that my sister Olivia took of Sam over memorial day weekend- this kid is a total nut, and man I am in love. with. him! Some things i don't want to forget about him at 2.5 years old.

He is perpetually dirty- the boy finds a mess where ever he goes.

He says each word like it's own sentence- hold. me. momma. seperating each word with a little stop- love it.

He peed off the deck tonight for the first time- just pushed his naked tush out and did it- and has done it 5 or 6 times since.

He loves tools- he carries around a bunch of tools, and he knows that the blue handled pliers are daddy's and that the metal handled ones were Papa Johnny's.

His favorite place to go is the scrap yard with John. He calls it the junkyawd, he gets to see lots of cool stuff and they give the kids smarties.

He loves his crocs that look like fire, and he loves them even better when their on the wrong feet.

He demands CHOC in his milk.

We can ask for the most obscure object and he will go get it- Like yesterday when I asked John to get me a vacuum bag- and Sam went straight to the utility closet and dug it out.

His best friend is his Papa Sonny- it's a little obsesive on both sides.

When I hold him after he has hurt himself, he grabs my neck and pulls me as close as we can get to each other- it is awesome.

Everything is pink to him.

He loves baths- he pretends the faucet is a coffee machine and makes me dozens of cups of coffee every bath- he has now started putting bubble "cream" on top.

He has several smiles- and i wish it wasn't so but my favorite one is the onery- i just did something rotten smile.

He loves to read books- and play with tractors and be held, and sing You are my sunshine and go to his sunday school class that he calls nursery.

He loves wearing his vroom-vroom(motorcycle) underwear, and also has no problem with pooping in them.

He is rotten, can throw a fit like a pro, has a mean way of hitting his sister when she's too pushy, he throws his sucker wrappers on the floor, and he spilled a half a bag of cereal on the floor today.

He is wonderful. and I am blessed.

Can I do it?

Can I blog everyday for a month? I'm going to try- even if it's just a few words, or a picture.

Over the weekend Olivia, Riley and I went to KC to see my brothers family. We got to watch Bryson play ball, the kid cracked me up- he ran with his hands on top of his head so his helmet wouldn't fall off. Then we watched the girl's dance recital- it was LONG but they did such a great job. The senior girls danced to "Dance with Cinderella" by stephen curtis chapman. Towards the end of the song- a line of men went to stand at the back of the stage. The girls were each announced and went to stand by their dads in the back. It was so neat- I cried. We went garage saleing in KC too. i got a flat screen monitor for 10 bucks! woo hoo, I was so happy. I also found a PC bar pan and pie plate for $5 each. It was so fun gs'ing in KC we definetly want to do that again.

I was hoping to see amy over the weekend, but time just got away from us. But no worries- since she'll be soo much closer soon!

Things that must get done this week.

I have so much that needs done- but instead of doing anything about it, I have just spent an hour and half blogging (I love google reader). So here's a little accountability...
1. Reserve shelter house for Awana Picnic.
2. Order hamburgers, hotdogs and buns from dad for picnic.
3. Get directors gifts for Awana awards night.
4. Slide show for Awana night.
5. Make 2 of these for mothers day gifts.
6. Good Gravy woman- clean your room.
7. Wash couch slipcovers.
8. Ask John nicely to take the chickens out of the house and into the shed.
9. Remind him again.
10. Mop the floor before someone sticks to it.
11. Update our farm website.
12. Plan out meals, with lots of easy quick meals for ball game nights.
13. Grocery shop.
14. Ask John nicely to fix the mower.
15. Remind him again.
16. Clean out the back of the car-put in a tote with outside stuff, ball gloves, first aid kit, wipes, sunscreen.
17. Wash and vacuum out car.
18. Drink water and excercise so you don't embarrass yourself again here.
19. Don't commit to doing anything crazy at the girlscout sleep over.
20. Update this blog with something actually worth reading.

What's on your to-do list?

Things that make me crazy!

Does anyone know how to flip pics in blogger? Anyway things that make me crazy are:
1. When John comes in and puts is big ole overalls on the barstool instead of the hanger that is specifically for his overalls.
2. The super-ugly light fixture in our kitchen. This is one of the last holdouts from pre-wedding days, but my gosh this has to be one of the worst lights ever.
3. Dirty dishes in the sink when the dish washer is empty- come on people show the mom a little love!
4. My entryway is like- Amy's- tiny and right in my kitchen, so there is always mud, boots, coats, bags right in the way.
5. Sam's bed without sheets again because he puked on them again. This is like 13 out of 18 days for us. It is getting old. We have to take stool samples today and turn them into the lab tomorrow to figure this whole deal out.

So that makes me crazy. Amy did I beat kim, huh, huh did I?

Signs of Spring

We have been puny around here lately. Sammy finally quit throwing up after 7 days. He felt fine during the day but decided to bless me with nasty puke every night for a week. I had the whole thing down to a science by the end of it though. Puke bucket -(not a pot!), towell, wet washcloth, cup of water, blanket. I now have enough continuing education hours on cleaning up puke that I could do it professionally. But I aint gonna! NO MORE PUKE!

Anywho- I did take pics for Amy's challenge so here are a few of our springy goodness. The weather didn't cooperate but we did lots of crafty stuff. Congrats Kim- winner 2 weeks in a row- but your rein has come to an end! I will win this week! hehe. My first real quilt- a baby gift, Sam and Riley painting blown out eggs.

The kid's easter baskets um, I mean easter boots. They got boots, a book, bubbles, chalk, a hobby horse sewn together too quickly the night before, and of course candy! Sammy, by our chocolate nests with jelly bean eggs. I have always thought these were cute, but they don't really taste that great.

Riley acting like a doofus, Sam making a huge mess, I mean, coloring eggs, Spring for us means baby goats. This picture is of Rebecca-(because she has an R on her ear tag)- and she had twins this year- Kate and Spencer! Rileys crafts, little bunny and the washcloth bunnys, Spring Equinox- did you guys balance an egg on its head? Homeschool science is so much fun! More of Rileys crafts- wee bunny from here, a string bowl that I love!, and some st. Paddy's day pretzels- that again look better than they tasted!

And here is what I should have been doing instead of crafting. Just keepin it real ladies!

I've been missin' you

Wow you would think after a whole month of non-blogging I would have something at least a little bit interesting to share- but alas I don't.
We have been busy- but not exciting busy.
Things I'm excited about right now...
1) 8 more weeks of Awana!
2) John got me a sewing machine for my B-day- loving it!
3) Amy's Photo Challenge- check it out here
4) Grilled Chicken Taquitos from Taco Bell- mmm.
5) Driving with the windows down- come on spring- we are ready for you!
6) Tomorrow starts John's spring break from college. Yeah- I am (and I know he is) ready for a little less hectic around our house.
7) Bright pink painted toenails- and the prospect of NO SOCKS!
8) Making a Mummy out of a Barbie for school tomorrow! Such a cool egyptian unit were on now! Did you know only men we're allowed to write hieroglyphics- so unfair!
9) My kiddos playing outside on our swing set
10) Sam's goat had twins yesterday- they are caauute!
Okay- what are you excited about?
Tag to Amy, Kim, Bec, Kristy and Kathy!

Koch's Farm

Don't you feel sorry for the chicken who laid that honker! This was laid last summer and was a triple-yoker. We had double yokes all the time but this one was worth a pic. We also have the chickens that lay green eggs. John loves having chickens. He can tell you every different kind of breed, what color eggs they have, what kind of toothpaste they like- he knows everything about chickens. He and Riley gather the eggs- because I HATE chickens. I have always disliked birds. My great grandma Virginia had one of those little talking birds and it scared the snot out of me. It was just too weird.
So now that gets me out of the egg gathering business, but that leaves the "cleaning the poop off the eggs" business for me. Yipee! Actually it isn't too bad and I love having farm eggs around. I have perfected the art of deviled eggs. Every single get together we bring deviled eggs.
The next pic I meant to post a while back. Before Christmas we had a great snow and the Heaton's came over to sled. John hooked up an old car hood to his truck and toted everyone around the farm. Sammy had just fallen asleep so we waited at the house. The girls had a great time- when they got in we had hot chocolate then decided to order pizza. We don't get together with the Heaton's as much as we used to- their kids keep them hopping, but we always have a great time when we do.
Tomorrow I will be posting about our Homeschool Coop Valentine Party.

I Promise

to post today....pinkie promise!

Swap Partners Sent Out!

Hi Ladies- I sent out swap partners today! In the email are a few questions to answer and email to your partner. Just a little bit of "get to know you" type questions. You may also want to let them know how much you want to spend on the swap. I didn't set a price- so if that is a concern to you then just let your partner know what your thinking.
If you haven't heard from your partner in a couple of days let me know. Thanks for playing along- Erin

Crafty Cupid Valentine Swap!

I have been so inspired (or jealous) by all the cool swaps that went on during christmas like this one
http://homespiration.blogspot.com/2007/11/holiday-helper-swap.html
and all the great pics at flicker http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=swap
that I have decided to start a Valentine Swap-hence the big swap image at the top!
Here's the lowdown:
This is a quick turn around one- Sign up by January 21st- just drop me an email. I'll then email you a form to fill out so your swap partner can get to know you a bit, and to find out about your preferences, international mailings, and if you prefer the same kind of crafter as you (scrapper, quilter, knitter etc..) It would be great to email each other and make a new friend!
I will email everyone your partner on the 22nd.

Swap Stuff- this one is for the 5 senses! Choose at least 4 of the five senses and fill a box with things to match.
Sight- Beautiful scrapbook goodies, lovely vintage fabric, beaded earrings-whatever you like.
Taste- Chocolate, fancy tea, hot cocoa mix- be creative!
Touch- Rough wooly felt, silk yarn, all about the texture here.
Smell- lotions, candles, perfume, soaps.
Hear- mix cd, book on cd- use your imagination.
Just be sure to show your Crafty Cupid that you care! Fill a box you would love to receive. When you receive your package- take pics and we'll add them to a Crafty Cupid Flickr Group.
How does that sound? Did I miss anything? Help me spread the word of this fun swap- click on the swap logo and post about it on your blog- the more participants the more fun we will have! International Crafters are welcome too!

New Beginnings & Once a Month Cooking

John started college today! WooHoo! He is now a full-time student. I am so proud of this picture guys- but I am gonna be burstin' when he finishes this up in a couple of years. He is taking Algebra, Public Speaking, American Government, Psychology & Social Deviance. He is really looking forward to the last two classes (kind of makes him a little twisted don't ya think). He is going to get his Associates in Criminal Justice at Moberly, then move on to Truman or Columbia College or Mizzou (or wherever will take him) to finish that up along with a minor in business management. He would like to be a probation/parole or juvenile officer. Keep praying for him- it is gonna be kind of a culture shock for his big farm-boy self.

Okay- on to "once a month cooking". I took a little class through the church on this years ago and have done it a couple times and it really helps out. Not only do you have one major cook day, but it severely cuts down on the dirty pots and pans during the week. This time I made several bags of frozen cookie balls. Just take your favorite cookie dough recipe- I use the littlest pampered chef scoop and scoop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. Then I stick them in the freezer for 1/2 an hour or so. Throw a dozen balls into a quart freezer bag and your ready to go. So much cheaper than the break and bake cookies. I usually need to add a minute or two when I bake these.
I also browned 4 pounds of hamburger- that I divided into bags for chili, tacos, and speghetti. So that is at least one step done for those meals.
I also made Canadian Bacon pinwheels. You take 1 frozen Rhodes Bread Loaf. Let it thaw then roll it out to about 24 inches long and maybe 6 inches across. Sprinkle on a cup of mozzarella cheese, and a package of canadian bacon , roll it up then slice into 24 sections. Cook for 20 minutes at 400. Let cool then put in bags. 2 more meals ready to go.

The last thing I made was calzones. You need 2 frozen bread loaves for this one. Let them thaw- then cut. I cut one loaf into 6 sections, and one into 10 sections- so these will be smaller calzones for the kids. Then just roll each section out to a circle, fill with cheese, beef, pepperoni, canadian bacon, sprinkle with garlic and italian seasoning-whatever your family would like. Then fold over and pinch down the sides.
Stick these on a baking sheet and freeze for 1/2 hour or so. Then repackage them for meals. I put a plain-hamburger & cheese only- one in for John, a garic-y one for me, and 2 little pepperoni ones in for the kids in each bag. It made enough for 3 meals like this plus a bag of 4 small calzones we can eat some day when John is at school. Both of these recipes are great served with hot marinara sauce and a salad.
You can also make these with taco meat and cheese- these serve with salso and taco fixings, or make them with bbq meat inside or just ham and cheese. Lots of options and all yummy!
Cost rundown for ya.
Canadian Bacon Pinwheels
1 loaf bread- 88 cents
1 to 1 1/2 cups of Mozz. cheese $1 to 1.50
1 pack canadian bacon $1.98
Total cost: $3.86-$4.16 for 2 MEALS!
Calzones
2 loaves of bread $1.74
.5 pounds hamburger- we butcher so I don't have a cost for this one
.5 pack of pepperoni- $1.50
2 cups mozzerella- $2
Total $5.25 plus beef for 4 MEALS!
I am sure you can't be nearly impressed as I am about those low low numbers- but it just thrills me to save money right now when we are broke! And this stuff is yummy! I would love to see some other recipes that would work for "OAMC". Of course I have to adapt everything to my picky eaters, but as of now I have 6 suppers in the freezer and burger ready for 4 more! Has anyone else ever done this?