Happy 8th Birthday....

 

My artistic, horse loving, happy little girl turned 8 years old.  Wow how the time flies by and how fast they grow up.  She had a great day of eating Chinese food for lunch and a little birthday party with Grandpa and Grandma Kostman in the afternoon.  It was a fun filled day!

Ballet Recital

This past semester Anna took ballet  from The Stage.  It was a challenging semester for her, but she learn a lot of different ballet steps.   So yesterday afternoon Anna had her ballet recital.  It was a long afternoon  because they did two performances with practices and pictures before and in between it all.  She was defiantly ready for bed last night.  Here is a couple pictures of my pretty little princess.... 

The Babe in the Manger

The Babe in the manger
Is Jesus my King,
Now reigning in heaven—
I joyfully sing.

He lived as a human
Like you and like me;
He suffered our manners,
And died on a tree.

But why did He do it?
’Twas love in His heart.
He saw my condition,
So He took my part.

He died for the sinner—
For you and for me;
He gave His life gladly
To set captives free.

A wonderful Savior
To rescue my soul—
In glad adoration
I give Him control.

My blessed Redeemer,
I love You today;
I’ll praise You forever
In heaven someday.

—Silas Martin (edited by J.E.)

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." (Luke 2:14)

God's Christmas Gift

Little baby on the hay,

soon there'll be another day

when nails shall pierce

Your hands and feet

as You provide our sin's defeat.

Risen Jesus on the throne,

we lift our praise to You alone-

for You're the gift that we receive

the moment that our hearts believe.
-Roy Lessin

This Christmas, as you consider all the awesome things that have come to you through Jesus, God's perfect gift, remember that it is but a taste of all the good things that are yet to come.

Knitting, Knitting, Knitting....

One of my favorite hobbies is knitting.  I have made a lot of hats, scarfs and cowls.  I tend to do more in the winter months.  Lately it's been getting more fun because my daughter is doing an excellent job at learning and I've been teaching her even more stitches.  She is catching on so fast. Also my son has learned to knit and has just finished up his first hat.  I have also been having fun making wash clothes or coffee pads depending on how big I want them to be.

Click here to find the pattern that I have been using.

Christmas Tree....

The kids and I had a fun time decorating our Christmas tree this past Friday.  They get so excited and love to see the ornaments they made last year.  The tree is pretty loaded, so we used every branch for something.  We also many other spots in our home that we have made pretty.  I'll share some another day!  

Pony Riding.....

All the kids have been having a fun time learning to ride ponies.  We have met some new friends here in Nebraska and it's been so great to spend time out in the country.  It's also wonderful finding friends who have many of the same interests and some different interest, so we can learn from one another.

Coffee Anyone...

 Gabe decided to use his sister's miniature tea cups one morning to have some coffee.  He had to have 3 or 4 cups before he decided to have enough.

Concert on the Lawn...

Our family really enjoys music, which is because I love music.  I grew up learning to play the piano and  they could hardly keep me off of it.  Then in high school I decided I wanted to learn to play guitar now I am able to pass this love of music down to my kids.  They decided they wanted to have a concert on the lawn.  Gabe is playing the harmonica  Anna the moraka and Noah the Ukulele.  They even included a tip jar.

   I made this cookie recipe the other day and they were awesome.  I didn't put the potato chips in them because I didn't have any and they still turned out great.  These cookies remind me of a grandma friend I had. Whenever we would go to her house she had these super yummy cookies.  I always wanted to get her recipe, but never did.  Now I found a cookie that reminds me of Violet.

Chocolate Chip Crispies Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup crushed potato chips

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter, oil and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Combine milk and vinegar; add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and potato chips.
• Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: about 8 dozen.

Someone Loves His Dogs.....

Abundantly

God's way is the abundant way!

There's no rationing in heaven, no skimping from the throne, no shortage of supply from the treasures of His mercies. His life gushes forth from the well of salvation; His spiritual refreshing flows from rivers of living water; His constant and consistent goodness is poured out through downpours of blessings.

He is the God of
abundant mercy Numbers 14:18
abundant kindness Nehemiah 9:17
abundant justice Job 37:23
abundant truth Psalms 86:15
abundant redemption Psalms 130:7
abundant loving kindness Jonah 4:2
abundant grace 1 Timothy 1:14
abundant satisfaction Psalms 36:8
abundant blessing Psalms 132:15
abundant pardon Isaiah 55:7
abundant life John 10:10
abundant joy 2 Corinthians 8:2
abundant power Ephesians 3:20
abundant outpouring Titus 3:6
abundant revelation Hebrews 6:17
abundant provision Psalms 65:11
abundant peace Psalms 37:11

Roy Lessin, from his blog Meet Me In The Meadow

School Room.....

The one thing I love about our new house is the place for us to have a school room.  It so nice not having it all over my dinning room table and kitchen area.  We have our bulletin boards, a dress to store supplies in, and a CD/Tape player so we can listen to music and books on tape. 

I have a nice eraser board and table & chairs that I picked up on Craigslist for $75.  Also those doors in the wall are great for storing games and craft supplies.  We are very blessed as a family to have this space. 

NEW AND IMPROVED

It was not difficult to fix up this little area.  After the kids picked up the rocks we then lined the bricks around the outside.  We then planted our flowers and stole some bark from our other landscaping areas to add a finishing touch.

Here is a shot from the side looking across the front yard.

Here is a picture of our dog Ruby trying to stay in the shade.  I also have a nice built in flower bed area, but  unfortunately one of the flowers died earlier this summer.  Just to hot, but all the rest of them lived.

Live Fully - Love Deeply

Live by faith. Galatians 2:20
Grow in grace. II Peter 3:18
Walk in love. Ephesians 5:2
Seek peace. I Peter 3:11
Be filled with joy. Psalm 68:3

Live Fully, Love Deeply, Laugh Loudly

New Year of Classes.....

  Today the kids are starting their new Sand-hills Coop classes.  I'm so excited to see how it goes.  They have their backpacks packed with supplies and will each be taking 3 classes.  Also this afternoon Anna and Gabe are both going to have a piano lesson from mom.  I am looking forward to seeing how much they can learn and grow this year.

  Anna is also going to be taking ballet lessons at The Stage.  I know she is going to really enjoy it and has a great teacher.  Lastly all the kids have Awana's this evening, while I check out a Cub Scouts meeting at the library.  Gabe's pretty excited and I hope this will be something he will enjoy.

So much going on these days, but it's nice to keep busy and see the kids having fun.

Summer Time Fun....

 The kids helped mommy pick up a bunch of rocks by the mailbox at our new house.  I'll post a picture of what it looks little another day.

 Face painting which was done at the a family fun day earlier this summer.

 Noah and Anna sitting out on their buckets enjoying the outdoors and an ice cream cone.

Anna's first hair cut before school starts.  I usually cut it myself, but JC Pennies was offering free hair cuts.  What a great price!

A Word Of Hope

Hope is a seed
God plants in our hearts
to remind us
there are better things ahead.
- Holley Gerth

Praying for you and believing with you.
Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Potato Ole Seasoning

We have been enjoying Taco Johns, which is so much better then Taco Bell.  When we lived in Wisconsin we did not live close to one, so we never ate there.  Now that we are in Nebraska it is our new favorite place to eat, since we don't have Noodles and Company close by.  Anyway the kids especially like the potato oles, which have special seasoning on them.  I decided to look up the recipe and this is what I found.

2 tsp. Lawry's Seasoning
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp red pepper or I used cayenne seasoning

It is now going to be my new seasoning for french fries and other dishes.  Hope you try it out and enjoy it. 

Long Break......

I am back from a long extended break.  It's been a crazy time of packing moving and unpacking.  We are now settled in our new home and working at finding a  home for our things.  It's good to be in a place that we can now call our new home.  We have so much space to spread out, which has been nice.

It has also been really hot these past few weeks.  I have been enjoying the early mornings and the late nights after the sun has gone down.  We have also been seeing plenty of garter snakes around the yard, which has not made me very excited. I don't care for them at all even if they eat bugs and rodents.

The last few days we had friends, Ron & Sherry, here visiting us.  It was great to open our home to them and have great company.  The kids and I even got a few art lessons, which was a lot of fun.  Also we enjoyed watching fireworks with them from our front porch. They have continued now on there trip and we hope to see them again sometime soon.

Well I hope to share photos, recipes and crafts with you all soon.

Gabe's New Bike.....

This past weekend we went to a few garage sales and Gabe paid a whole $16 for this nice Trek bike.  He loves it and thinks he is so cool.  We have been spending most of our evenings at the park riding our bikes.  There are some nice trails for them to ride on.  It has also been doing a good job of wearing the kids out.

Ann's New Comforter and Rug

We hit the jackpot today.  We got this cute new comforter, pillow shams, rug, curtains and bed skirt for $25.  They are from The Company Store.  What a deal and now her room is going to be so special.  The hard thing now is waiting till we move.  She wants to take over my room, so she can enjoy it, but I said sorry can't do it.

The Power of His Love

Wider than the widest river...

Deeper than the deepest ocean...
Able to reach from the Savior in heaven,
straight to You with a single prayer...

That's the power of His love...
and I pray it fills you up today.

How wide and long and high and deep
is the love of Christ. Ephesians 3:18

Home Again....

The kids and I are home again after spending the week with Grandpa & Grandma.  We had a great week spending time in the quiet country.  The kids played outside in the sprinklers one day. Another day we took the kids to the Recreation Center to swim and then out to eat at KFC.  The hubby and I also signed a big stack of papers for financing on our soon to be new house.  It looks like it's going to be the middle of June before the closing date.

The house in DeForest is closing May 15th, which we are very happy about.  We are very blessed to have only had to pay a couple months of a house and rental payment.  Now I just need to work a little each day of packing away the things that we don't need each day or can live without for about a little over a month.  I'm looking forward to getting settled and seeing what God has for us.

Bead Work......
A friend stayed with us one evening and the kids always love having him around. He does some amazing bead work and worked with Anna to show her how to make a bracelet with the beads she had. It was pretty amazing and was something I would not of been able to show her. It's so nice to have friends to teach us new things. Anna loves to make crafts, so this was a lot of fun.

The kids also had a chance to learn about the Philippines, which was a great geography lesson. He had a lot of pictures to share from the time he had gone over to visit.

We had a great time visiting and opening our home to him.

Super Noah

Boys just love to pretend to be Super Hero's. They will use whatever they have to dress up. He decided this time that he wanted me to tie his Cookie Monster blanket around his neck.

Newness.....
This past week my husband started his new job at Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte, Nebraska. We are so excited about his new job because we have been waiting for almost two years. So much has been changing with a new job, new place to live, and new friends. Life still is not settle and it will be a few more months till we find a permanent place to live.

For now the kids and I are in Lincoln Nebraska, while my hubby lives at his parents house. The kids and I have also been spending a lot of time at grandpa and grandma's house too. When I get back to Lincoln I have work to do.

I have been doing some major cleaning to get ready for a garage sale. We live on a very busy street, so there should be plenty of people. I am also sure that the kids will want to try selling some lemonade and maybe we can bake up some cookies to sell too. Plenty of things to do to keep us busy these days.

Another One.....
Tonight daddy help Anna get out another tooth. She was so excited and now she is missing her top two front teeth. It makes biting a challenge and sounding out words a little harder. This is tooth number four.

God's Grace Covers Me

I am...
G - God's
R - Redeemed
A - Accepted
C - Chosen
E - Expression
of love.

God chose you from the beginning.
II Thessalonians 2:13

Friends Visiting....
We had a great visit from our friends from Wisconsin. Mommy and daddy knew for a week that they were coming and we kept it a secret. It was so hard to do, but we did it. The kids had a lot of fun playing together.

The guys acting silly.

Tooth #3....
We went to take a little rest this afternoon and the next thing I hear is, "It's out"!! Anna was so excited about it and has also been talking about getting $6 for her tooth because she was six. Well I thought that was a bit much, but the Tooth Fairy came up with $3 because it was the 3rd tooth she has lost. She's saving her money for something, but I'm not sure what.

Asking God for You.....

Lord, When we're weary, You're our strength.
(Isaiah 40:31)

When we're afraid, You're our courage.
(Deuteronomy 31:6)

When we're uncertain, You're our hope.
(Psalm 42:5)

Whatever our circumstance,
You're all we need...and more.
(Philippians 4:19)

Asking God to meet your needs,
encourage your heart,
and fulfill all His plans for you.

-A Prayer for You by Holley Gerth

Weekly Menu 3/12-3/18
I am finally getting back into the swing of things and have decided to start planning out our weekly menu. It makes life easier since I try to make most meals from scratch.

Monday: Haystacks
Tuesday: Baked Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Salad
Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pies
Thursday: leftovers
The rest of the weekend we will be at Grandpa & Grandma's House.

Fun Learning Games.....
This past Christmas my hubby bought the kids Sum Swamp. The games teaches the kids addition, subtraction, and even and odd numbers. It's a fun way to work on math problems in a fun way. Well today I decide to pick up a game called, Digging Up Sight Words. It looks like a great way to have the kids practice reading and also learn 260 sight words. We have not played it yet, but I'm looking forward to using it this coming week and months ahead.

Hymn Sunday....
I decided I wanted to post a song that has some wonderful lyrics to encourage you on this lovely day. So much truth in these words...

What A Day That Will Be

---

There is coming a day,
When no heart aches shall come,
No more clouds in the sky,
No more tears to dim the eye,
All is peace forever more,
On that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

There'll be no sorrow there,
No more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain,
No more parting over there;
And forever I will be,
With the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

What a day that will be,
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be

REdeemed

I am the LORD...I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments.
Exodus 6:6 KJV

Redeem means to be bought back, delivered, ransomed, or purchased. As our Redeemer, God has purchased our freedom in Christ from the slave market of sin, delivered us from Satan's power, and made us His own possession. We have been redeemed from a useless life to a fruitful life; from a life of bondage to a life of freedom; from a life of guilt, condemnation, and judgment to a life of forgiveness, justification, and peace.

--Roy Lessin, excerpt from his New Devotional: REpurposed.

Coming Back......
I am back from my long break if you want to call it a break. So much has happened over the last month with moving from Wisconsin to Nebraska. I have done so much packing and unpacking that I don't care to do it again for a while. Our duplex in Wisconsin is up for sale now and we are renting a nice ranch house from our brother in law.

We are getting use to Lincoln and have done a lot of exploring in the last few weeks. We still have a lot to find like a Awana program and a homeschool group. We are pretty settled in now that I now have time to look for those things. We have also been getting back in the school mode and the kids have been doing great. It's amazing how something is hard for them one month and a month later they are able to do it just fine. Breaks are good for all.

The hardest part about moving is leaving friends and I really miss all my wonderful friends back in Wisconsin. I had many dear friends and they had kids that my kids also loved. We have so many great memories.

Well that's all for now. I'll try and get some pictures of our house and post them here soon.

Packing Progress.....
We have made a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks. We have gone through so much stuff and either donated it to Goodwill, donated it to the library, sold it on Ebay or sold it on Craigslist. We have also filled many containers that are now sitting in our garage ready to move.

I also went dumpster diving today to try and get more boxes for packing. I was able to find a bunch, which should hopefully get us though the weekend. I even lost our ice scrapper in one of the dumpsters.

Moving.....
Well all week my husband and I have been going through containers of stuff. It's amazing the stuff people keep around and even more amazing the stuff one gets rid of when they are moving a couple of states away. We will be heading to Lincoln Nebraska in about 3 weeks to live in a house that Brandon's sister and husband own. It's a major move and it's been 8 years since our last move. How time flies by and life changes.

We will then be putting our duplex up for sale in hopes that it sells quickly. We are sad to leave this area since we have gotten so comfortable here. We are also going to miss all the wonderful friends that we have made in the past years. I have so many great memories.

We are looking forward to a new adventure of exploring a new city and seeing what the Lord has for our future. Please pray for us as we pack, say goodbyes and head to a new home.

Happy 4th Birthday Noah....

He had a wonderful birthday. We had monkey bread as his cake this year and then went to Pizza Hut to enjoy some yummy cake. Anna knitted her brother a cowl for him to wear out in the cold and Gabe finger knitted him a chain. He also got a nice Thomas train set and a few other things. It was a nice day:)

Knitting....
I've been knitting up a few dishcloths or coffee coasters. I am using this Basic Knitted Dishcloth Pattern and using the Sugar & Cream cotton yarn. If you keep an eye out at Michaels they have it on sale for $1 a roll.

Size 7 knitting needles (US)

Instructions:

Cast on 4 stitches

Row 1: Knit 4

Row 2: Knit 2, yarn over, knit across the row.

Repeat Row 2 until you have 30 stitches. ( you can do more stitches if you want a bigger wash cloth)

Row 3: Knit 1, knit 2 together, yarn over, knit 2 together, knit to the end of the row.

Repeat Row 3 until you have 4 stitches left on the needle.

Bind off and weave in ends.

Time of Waiting......
I have not been posting as much as I should. I've been staying busy with the everyday things that a mother has to do. The kids have been keeping themselves busy with playing and getting school work done each day. Anna and Gabe are both doing a wonderful job at learning to read and it's amazing to see their progress since the beginning of the school year. Noah also is growing so fast and will be turning 4 next week.

We have also been waiting to see what happens with a job possibility here in Madison. It's been tough just waiting and not knowing what the future holds. We have decided that if the job does not work out that we would move to the Omaha Nebraska area in hopes of finding a better job.

Other things I have been up to is knitting lots of Jayne Cobb hats. I sold 80 hats last year and 4 more hats so far this year. It's been fun and I have gotten wonderful feedback and the extra money has been great. I just had someone write me a message the other day and here is what they said,

"it looks awesome! I am the CO of "The 'Verse" a firefly/serenity costume club. right now I am searching for the most accurate Jayne hat to recommend to other members. So far I like yours the best. I find a lot of hats have "Red" for the ears.. I dont think that's right. Yours has that dark orange, I think that is correct. I am just starting my search so I still looking for input from other members."

I am really hoping that this sends me a bunch more business. I have to really thank my husband who asked me a year ago to make him A Jayne hat.

Well that is a little of what has been happening in our house hold. Please be praying for direction for us and peace of mind.

Doughnut Birthday Party....
Last week Anna had a chance to have some friends over to help her celebrate her birthday. The kids had fun playing musical pillow, which was a big hit and they also played Charades. Anna had a chance to open presents and lastly the kids enjoyed some pizza and homemade doughnut that we made before all the guests arrived. It was a fun time and I believe everyone enjoyed themselves.

Anna played Happy Birthday on the piano for everyone to hear.

Yummy doughnuts with frosting and sprinkles..

Knitted Hat and Cowl.....
This is my first cowl and it turned out great. Super easy to make and great for kids instead of a scarf. I like to use circular knitting needles and they are easy for Anna to use as well. This may be our new Christmas idea for next year.

The Giver of Hope.....

God bless you this New Year -
With friends and acquaintances,
and love ones too...
Hearts full of laughter,
and hopes, brand new...

May the giver of every good and perfect gift bless you with heaven's blessings this Year!

Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17