Valentines in the Mist of Moving

Every year I make a formal candle light dinner for Valentine's Day. The table is beautifully set with the fine china. The heart shaped meat loaf and the fixings are looked forward to, along with a chocolate dessert. It's a wonderful time to celebrate the love we have for each other and reflect on God's love for us, and ours for Him. We exchange a Valentine's card and small thoughtful gifts to each other. Years ago I purchased these Valentine's stockings for the kids. When they were small, I filled them with candy and small trinkets. But about six years ago, I started a tradition of making coupon books to put in the stocking. (Max gets his own too.) :) Since we're in the mist of packing this year, I knew I couldn't pull off the full celebration. When I mentioned this to my kids...they asked if they were going to get the coupon book? It was already in the making. :) It really is one of their very favorite tradions! (And, as you can see below...there's not much spending involved, just acts of service and some special treats.) Here's an example of this years coupons. ;)

This coupon is good to watch one DVD of choice. Enjoy it with a snack!! :)

This coupon is good for “30” minutes of video games! (It may only be redeemed after school work is completed.) Enjoy!

I’ll serve you today! This coupon gets you out of one chore for the day! Relax and enjoy!
This coupon entitles you to your “favorite dinner”(72 hours notice, please).

This coupon is good for any snack from the grocery store, that you typically aren’t allowed to eat. (As tough as it will be for me....trans fats and corn syrup are allowed. Yikes!)

This coupon entitles you to “stay up past your bedtime” (A reasonable hour of course and may only be redeemed on Friday or Saturday!)


This coupon is good for “one hour of  video game time!”(Coupon may only be redeemed during summer break!) Enjoy!

This coupon is good for “dessert of your choice” (72 hours notice, please).

This coupon is good for “one round of miniature golf.”(Temperature must be below 75 degrees and higher than 60! Brrrrr!)

This coupon entitles you to replace a school subject with and educational game! Let’s have some fun!

Redeem this coupon for a literature book of your choice at B & N. Hot choclate or lemonade included. (Depending on the season.) ;)

This coupon is good for....me doing your laundry for the week. (Includes: washing, drying, folding and putting cloths away, enjoy the break!)

Happy Valentine's Day

1 Cor. 13: 4-8

The Beginning of the Goodbyes...

Payton had a few friends over for a sleep over. "Lots" of giggles and fun! Is there anything sweeter than a house full of laughing kids?!?  Nothing that I know of!

                                                    The girls making Valentine placemats.

Here they are mimicking Tim Hawkins after watching his video. (No company is ever allowed to leave our home without Payton pulling out his video to watch. He is too funny!)

                           Rise and shine sleepy heads....oh, did you not get enough sleep last night? :)



 Landon also had a sleep over. The boys were a blast, too. Now, I can understand how the girls laughed their heads off with Tim Hawkins...he's a comedian. But the guys laughed just as hard watching Jurrassic Park! Hmmm....all this time, I didn't realize it was a comedy. :)

                                

Teenage boys can sure eat (junk food of course!). Here they are eating banana splits, without the bananas, and pizza without the salad. Oh well, I tried! :)

Of course the wii was used. Imagine that? Boys and video games. Landon was in heaven, my kids only get an hour a week of video time...so this was a REAL treat. (I know I sound cruel...and on rare occasions they'll get extra time on a Saturday. Let's just say, I don't think he'd have the same love of reading, if he could use that "white box" as often as he'd like.) 

Sean's shirt was a hit. :)

Gifts of Love

God blessed me with another birthday! Thank you, Lord, for 46 years. My family surprised me with a night away and dinner at my favorite restaurant (which by the way, Max hates! I'm so happe I got to eat there one more time before we move.) The picture above is only one of the sweet notes Payton left on my vehicle. :)

I have to brag about my son...I have not opened my own door in years! So I thought it was time I got a picture of it. He's my sweet gentleman.

My kids have always know that home made gifts are my favorite. So they try very hard to bless me in this way. Payton crocheted me this BEAUTIFUL scarf, I am so proud of her, and I will treasure it forever! Landon made me a dinner CD with him playing all my favorite classical guitar songs. (One day I will learn how to download music.) Another gift that will be treasured.

This was my view from the hotel room. Thank you, my sweet family, for a wonderful birthday! :)

Comments

Thanks, Tonya, for letting me know that you weren't able to leave a comment. I have now changed the settings, so all comments are welcome. (Obviously, only appropriate ones. I've only had one spam comment  that I had to remove. It was from an anti-military individual...which in my opionion, if your anti-military, your anti-American!!) Okay...I'm off my soap box. ;)

Prayer Request

Dear friends and family,

Over a year ago, I sent an email asking for prayer for some dear friends of ours. God has done some amazing things in their life over the past year and a half. But today, they received some doom and gloom news. (FYI - The same news they heard at the beginning of this road with cancer. But Mike, because of our Lord's healing hand, has exceeded all their expectations.) Mike and Deanna both know and trust that God is in charge of the world and everyone in it! So until our Lord says otherwise, we will stay on our knees. With all that said, if you are a believer, I beg you to please keep this special family in your prayers. Here is their blog address if you care to read it. Thank you!

http://inhishandandholdingontightly.blogspot.com/

Guy vs. Girls Version of Science

Payton inspecting a crayfish during science at our co-op. Gotta love that face....

Landon learning about cells in Biology. Disections coming soon...yeah! (Not really!) :) 

Payton's Puppy Coats

A couple of weeks ago, our worship leader (and friend) bought his wife a Pomerania puppy. Payton, my serious dog lover, decided to make Zion a coat and blanket. (It was during our Artic Blast...brrrrr!) After she made it, she enjoyed getting back to sewing so much...(and was extremely pleased with her results:)), that she turned it into a business. Sewing has always been one of her favorite hobbies. I'm so grateful that she is so domestic. I pray she makes a wonderful wife one day.

She has seven orders complete...and is thrilled! ;)

My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Ecclesiastes 2:10b

Movie Marathon 2010

During Christmas break, Landon asked us if he could stay up on New Year's night for a Lord of the Rings movie marathon. (We were going to a party on New Year's Day at our Pastor's house, and I wasn't about to take him there with lack of sleep. He is know (by his family) for getting 'really' cranky when he's tired...so New Year's Eve was out of the question! :)) He started the marathon at 9:30 p.m. This picture was taken the next morning at 7:00 a.m. I couldn't believe he did it! He did say he had to do jumping jacks and use a cold wet wash cloth to prevent from falling asleep. He was determined! So at 7:30 a.m. he went to bed, but couldn't fall asleep, so he stayed up ALL day..... ....until that night at 8:30 p.m. Then he collapsed! (Yes, he's wrapped in a Snuggy! But, it belongs to Max...and that's a whole other post. :)) Landon's already asking if he can have a Star Wars marathon on 2011? This is the result I get for limiting my children's television. :)

Winter in Florida!

For the first time living in Florida, it really feels like winter. In the fours years we've live here, we've had a few cold days, but never this long. Several nights in a row it's dropped down to the low 20's! There was even a chance of snow last night, but to my kids big disappoinment, it didn't happen. (Sigh!) Anyhow, it's been nice to pull out our coats and scarfs, and actually use the fireplace without the air conditioner on. :)

Christmas Eve

Just for Fun

The cool dude Christmas mornning...with not enough sleep.

Thanking my princess for the beautiful frame and bracelet she made me. (Thanks for your help, Donna - it's nice having a crafty neighbor. :))

Max opening his Santa shorts and hat. Why did I buy him these?....because I knew he would wear them. :)

Charlie opening his gifts....which will be shredded in minutes.

Some Christmas Traditions

Since Landon was a toddler we decided not to "do Santa." (I'm struggling with how else to say it? Hmm...) Anyhow, we chose to wake up on Christmas morning and celebrated Jesus' birthday instead. (I don't have anything against the jolly ol' guy...but we just didn't want him to get the attention on Christmas morning.) My sister-in-law, Jeanette, made us these adorable stockings 10 years ago, so I tossed our store bought ones and have used these ever since. (She makes Martha Stewart look un-crafty! Is that a word?) I also made Jesus one (...but, it's definitely not as cute!). So every Christmas morning we put a birthday gift in His stocking - then the following year we read the gift and discuss if Jesus was blessed by the gift (promise) we made. It's a nice way to hold each other accountable for our promises to Him.
If you care to visit my post last Dec., I shared about my 'favorite' Christmas tradition.
I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' ~ Jesus

Of course the Ginger Bread House....(P.S. I buy the kits after Christmas, usually for a buck or two....and freeze them for the next year - it works great.)

Payton and I making tamales alone for the first time. (That's my daughter, a Red Sox t-shirt on while cooking. I have a picture of her as a toddler, holding her brother's snake with high-heels.)

Nineteen Years Ago.....

Our wedding ceremony took place in the Squadron at Davis Monthon AFB, Tucson AZ. Our wedding "was" planned in New Mexico. We knew Max was going to be deployed in January, so we chose to get married in Dec., so our families could be together for our wedding and Christmas before he left to Dessert Storm. Well...it didn't go as planned. We had to cancel the wedding because he received his orders and could not leave the state of AZ. So, I got on the next flight to Tucson while my mom and my friend, Cathy, cancelled my wedding. I was heart broken, but it was short lived, because the my soon to be husband was leaving to war! (It's all relative, isn't it?) He really wanted to get married before he left. (That's my practical husband, wanting to make sure I would get his insurance, etc. if anything happened to him. I wanted nothing to do with that thought...but, I did want to be his wife, and he did promise to marry me again when he returned. He knew I wanted a church wedding with our families present, and...I had a beautiful wedding dress to wear. ;)) Our plan was to go to the court house to get married, but Max's co-workers informed him that the justice of the peace would actually go to the squadron to marry us. He called to ask me if I was fine with that? Of course, I agreed. (It was better than trying to find parking down town...and trying to walk in heels. :)) My assumption was we would stand in his office and recite our vows. (P.S. Even though we weren't in a church setting...God was there, and will show up anywhere He's invited. :) Our promises were made to each other, and to Him.) Anyhow, I would never have imagined in such a short time that I would actually have a 'wedding!' By the time Max picked me up...his best man, Tony Jones, had flown in from Las Vegas, Cathy had a corsage and a boutonniere delivered, Max's wonderful co-workers had purchased a cake and champagne. They took pictures and video taped the ceremony, and they did a beautiful job decorating the room with crated paper and silk plants. But the clincher was...one of the guys went home and picked up several of his old ties that they all wore with there flight suit. They hummed the wedding march (not only are they my heroes because they're warriors...but they could really carry a tune!) and the commander walked me down the made shift isle. My wedding was AMAZING. It didn't consist of a three tiered wedding cake, professional photographer, gifts, etc. (Not to say there is anything wrong with that, it just didn't happen for me.) But it was a beautiful reminder of how every occasion can be made special if there is thoughtfulness and love involved. I thank God for everyone that made my beautiful wedding special, but more important...I thank Him for my wonderful groom! Happy 19th Anniversary, Snoopers! (Now the goofiest pet name is made public..."and" the BIG hair. Ugh! ;))