This week in bullet points! (if I knew how to make them!)
Both cheer teams took first place again in our first competition of the season!!
Paul is in Vegas
Tyler will be 17 Saturday
I am cleaning out closets and drawers:(
It is freezing here! (Literally)
Trick or Treating was fun for Joyce, Tyler went to a little party, and I hung with friends!
Just want to give a shout out to my NC food Pantry peeps! I miss you guys!
This and that!
We had a fun week that included a cheer party, My baby niece Wilma (along with my sister,and her husband) being here for the whole week!! Tyler is in a big golf tournament as we speak, and oh yeah, I turned 37 on friday!! I LOVE BIRTHDAYS!!!! Paul and the kids got me a macbook pro, and I love it!!
For the rest of the month Paul has a ton of traveling to do, cheer season is in full swing, I will be getting ready for Tyler to turn 17 which is a strange phenomenon because last year he turned 5!! We have a fun trip planned to Gatlinburg, TN for the week of Dec. 2 for for Anniversary, which includes a group of our close friends! I can't belive I will be decorating for Christmas in a few weeks too!!!
I am headed to Shipshewana with my Aunt Donna for our birthdays on Tuesday to eat at the Bluegate restaurant, shop at the amish grocery store, and tour around! Aumt Donna has never been there so I am excited to show her around!!
Well that's all folks! Or folk, I'm not really sure if anyone reads this!! Check out the rest of Joycie's pictures that I have posted!
Kristie
Happy Fall!!
This past weekend we got the yard all cleaned up, and decorated for fall!! Joyce had a hugh fever since Wed. and stayed sick all weekend! Tyler had homecoming!! What fun, we went over to his friends house and took a bunch of pictures. I am guessing the picture taking will be much different when we do that with Joyce!! BOYS!!!
Golf season is winding down, and now it is time for cheer season!! Paul is still traveling around for work, and I am still volunteering for the daughter project! In fact a group of us went to the house that is under construction and wrote Bible verses all over the sub floors, and insulation paper walls so that the girls are covered in God's word when the house is complete!!
Now I am getting ready for my birthday, which still excites me as much as when I was 5!!
Check out the newly posted pics!!
Kristie
A little change of plans!
Well here I sit still in Ohio! Two days before the closing of our home we got a call that our buyer lost his job, and the bank would not give them the loan. We are sitting tight for a couple months and will wait and move or not move later:) We are excited to be here through the Holidays with all of our friends and family!
I thought if I am posting a link on FB I better post an update! The kids are back to school and both of them are doing great!! Tyler is doing awesome in golf! Joyce is back to cheerleading and started junior high this year, she has quite the social life already!! Tyler is still at Toledo Christian and Joyce wanted to go back to Anthony Wayne when she found out we weren't moving so we let her, and she is very happy and doing well! They are both going to youth group during the week as well.
Paul is still loving his job, and we really don't mind him commuting to CT a couple times a month. I have resumed my Bible study this year, we are currently doing the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan! The Daughter Project house is coming along nicely and we hope to house our first girl before Christmas!
I am looking forward to my sister and her fam coming home soon so I can love on that cute niece of mine!! I finally got my camera fixed so I plan on taking lots of pictures in the next couple weeks and posting them. I think the kids have grown a ton especially Joycie since I last put any pictures up! BTW Joyce is thinking she might want to change her name back to Madelynn, she does this every other year and confuses the heck out of people so I think I will just start calling her Madelynn Joyce;)
Moving Day is upon us!
Well we sold our house rather quickly, and we close on August 22! The movers will be here to pack us up that same day, and we will be moving on the 25th. We got a house in CT, and when I figure out how to get pics from my phone to the computer I will post them. My camera should be back from the Geek Squad later this week, and then I will start adding pictures, since afterall that is the fun part:)
Tyler will be going school, and Joyce will be homeschooling through an awesome program called Classical Conversations. Besides the obvious that we will miss our friends and family A TON, we are excited for our new adventure. I will be posting on this site more often as soon as we get moved to keep everyone updated with what is going on!
A long overdue update without pictures!
Well it has been a long time since I have posted, and I really need to keep up on that a little better! We have BIG news... In the next 6-8 weeks we will be moving to Connecticut! Paul has a new job that he just LOVES! We tried everything in our power to stay where we are, but as it says in Proverbs 19:21 You can make many plans,but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. Since God's plan is always perfect we are trusting Him! None of us are overly excited, but we are not miserable about it either, I think since we are living in God's will he has given all four of us a certain peace about the whole thing!
Our life is always an adventure, so here we go!! Tyler will be a junior, at what school we are unsure, and I will be homeschooling Joycie using the classical conversations program! Both kids will remain in golf, and All Star cheerleading as soon as we get there. We are going up there in late July to look for houses.
I will greatly miss the opportunity to work with The Daughter Project, I was really looking forward to mentoring the girls, and fighting human trafficking here in Northwest, OH. I will definitely look for something of the like to get involved with there, and being so close to New York City I am guessing human trafficking is a problem there too. Who knows maybe in a couple years I will get to open a Daughter project home in CT!!
I will try to post here more regularly to keep everyone up to date with the move, and definitely after we get there so you can follow our new adventure!!
He is Risen Indeed!!!!
Check out the video of How He Loves by The David Crowder Band for a powerful reminder of how much God loves us. (in the video section to the right!)
Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "
Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
US Finals National Champions, Even Par, and other exciting things!!!
WOW! Have we been busy the last 6 weeks!! After having 2 fun birthday parties for Joyce my friends Kathleen, Becky and I headed to Gatlinburg, TN for a 3 day stay at my parents cabin. While we were there we shopped, went to Cades Cove and visited the old churches and Cabins the settlers used back in the day, and pretty much just relaxed! Two weeks after that we headed out east for spring break! We went to CT and NYC. While we were there we ate at fabulous restaurants, rode the ferris wheel at the best Toys R Us ever! We Took a helicopter ride over NYC, went to the beach, yes it was freezing, and no we didn't swim!
The kids have been busy. Tyler is back to golfing ever day he can, even if its cold and rainy. Yuck! He shot even par last week at the golf club he goes to, and its a pretty decent course so that was a great accomplishment!! Joyce had US finals in Indianapolis for cheerleading this past weekend, and BOTH her junior and Senior teams took first place!! So Joyce got two National Champion jackets!! (for those not into all star cheerleading, the jacket is a huge deal for the girls!!)
Paul is plugging away at his new job, and absolutely loves every minute of it!!
I am just busy keeping up with everybody around here!!
Check out all the newly posted pictures!!!
Kristie
We're just glad nobody got hurt
Tyler and Joyce were in a car accident last night. They were on their way to my parents house when Tyler lost control of the car when he drove over a patch of ice and snow. The car flipped upside down, and spun around where it missed a telephone pole by about 12 inches, and then ran into one of the smaller branches of a tree. Both kids were wearing their seatbelts, and miraculously had no injuries besides a couple scratches. Tyler had to pull Joycie out of a broken window of the upside down car and since his phone flew out of the car he went to a nearby house to call 911. Paul and I were at a restaurant downtown Toledo when the accident happened. Apparently he tried calling us and we didn't hear the phone so he called my mom and dad and they called us and went straight over to help the kids until we got there. I have posted some pics of the accident under winter. We are so thankful that they are ok!
I know the Lord is always with me, I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. Psalm 16:8-9
This and that
Both Cheer teams took first place last week, plus their Senior team got first place for most entertaining! They have quite the facial expressions during their routine! We have no school today because of icy roads!! Yeahhhh!! I think I love days off more than the kids do! Both kids are doing well in school, and I am starting a new Bible study on friday! Now I am working on getting Joyce's birthday parties planned, and all the cupcake picks, napkin rings, etc.. made in advance. I never do that I love last minute work, but I am trying something new! Anyway all is well and when I have something more exciting to say I'll be back!
A New Year....with some old stuff thrown in!
Well we had a terriffic Christmas season! The kids said it was one of their best Christmas' ever!Santa brought Tyler a ping pong table, and Joyce a real turtle that she named Herb! I have never baked so many cupcakes in all my life! I had orders all the way up until Christmas Eve. We went to a few parties, and just had a lot of fun! Amy & Jeremy were in town so of course we loved on Wilma! Paul celebrated his 35th birthday on New Years Day, we made a huge breakfast, and were joined by our friends Paul, Lisa, and Macy to celebrate!
Paul and I have concluded that we expect this to be the best year ever!! We have a lot of great things going on in our lives right now, and look forward to watching it all unfold! We really appreciate all that God has done and continues to do in our lives!
This weekend Joyce is representing her class in the ACSI regional spelling bee, and she has a cheer competition! Tyler has quite the social life and is alsways coming and going with friends! I am looking forward to starting my work with the daughter project and doing some volunteer work at school! And of course there are some of the usual New years resolutions, eat more healthy, exercise more, yada yada yada... we'll see how all that goes! I am reading George W Bush's new book, and I am loving it! I have a huge reading list, and several gift cards to different book stores so I am sure that reading is one thing I will accomplish a lot of this year!
Hope everyones new year is off to a great start!
outta here
We are at a cheer competition for the weekend! Check out the new pics, and I will be back next week!
Devotion
I read thhis at www.proverbs31.org this morning, and thought I'd share! It is written by Lysa Terkeurst
"…I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me…" Romans 15:18a (NIV)
I'm more convinced than ever that people don't care to hear about our Jesus these days until they meet the reality of Jesus in our lives.
Don't skim past that last sentence too quickly. Our history with Jesus is our most effective salvation message to share with others.
If you look at the word 'history,' it's interesting to break it in half and see the words, "His story." That's the thing this world is dying to hear- how His story has been woven into our story. People can debate and argue theology all day long but they can't argue what Jesus has done personally in our lives. Truth lived out is the best sermon.
And while I find people are a little more receptive at Christmas to talking about Jesus, I still find it stressful sometimes with friends and family members. Do you? I think it's important to think about. We've all got people in our lives who need us to break past our hesitations and share the reality of Jesus.
I was profoundly reminded of this a couple of weeks ago when I spoke at a Pregnancy Care Center dinner in Florida. At the end of the night, the center's director asked a board member to come forward and close the evening in prayer. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw this board member was a guy I'd known in high school.
Well, let me clarify that. I knew who he was. He didn't have a clue who I was.
He had been in the uber popular crowd - star athlete who dated the beautiful girls. I was one of those girls in high school who was easy to miss. I felt sort of invisible back then. And judging by the blank look on his face when I made the connection we'd graduated the same year, my assessment was pretty accurate.
He apologized profusely for his wild behavior in high school and acknowledged that he could have been voted, "Least likely to grow up to be a pastor." I agreed. But then again, I wasn't exactly on the fast track toward ministry back then either.
After we chatted for a few minutes, he got a very serious look on his face. Then he said something I won't soon forget.
"You know what is really odd, Lysa? All those years of high school and college, I was a very visible person. I had lots of friends. Then I got a
His statement startled me. And I hope it startles me the rest of my life.
No one is beyond the reach of truth.
Not the wispy, invisible girl who thinks of herself as nothing more than a little background noise. And not the star athlete revered by thousands.
Everyone deserves to hear about Jesus sooner rather than later.
And we must never assume that surely someone else would do a much better job than we would.
Who is in your sphere of influence that needs to hear a bit of your HIS-story this week? Don't let Satan whisper that this message is meant for other people. It's not. If you read this, it's meant for you sweet sister.
And don't fret trying to figure out how to arrange the perfect situation to connect with that person that came to mind. Just tell Jesus you are willing. He's very capable of handling all the details. Our job is obedience. God's job is results.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
I am thankful for:
Salvation through Jesus
God's Grace & Mercy (that sounds like I am trying to be formal and politically correct in the Bible world, but anyone who knows me, and any piece of my life story knows I really am!)
My family
My friends
Having a home
Shopping from about midnight tonight through tomorrow evening for black friday!!!
Have a good one everybody!
not much to say!
Well I feel like I have Deja Vu saying that Joyce got first place again today for her competition in Detroit! She has now moved up to the senior team, and instead of just moving to that team she will do both juniors and seniors! That means double the competitions and so we will head to Columbus, OH next weekend! She also now has to practice on Sundays from 3-8! She will sleep well on Sundays!!
Tyler is doing an awesome job driving, he is proving himself to be quite responsible! It's actually kind of nice having somebody to take Joyce to cheerleading, and since it's new he doesn't even mind!!
Everything else in our life seems to be going smoothly for now, and I will be putting up some of my Christmas trees tomorrow!!!!
The busiest 30 days ever!
Where to begin?... Well Paul and I have both completed another round of Great Banquets! What a great retreat, we once again had the chance to rest up and get spiritually renewed! Paul was the assistant lay director, and I was a speaker for the second time. We just love being a part of this wonderful community of people!
I have to announce that I have been officially accepted to be a mentor for The Daughter Project!! As soon as the house is completed I will be a personal mentor to a girl that has been rescued from human trafficking. I look forward to seeing how God will use me in this area. I also got to work a food pantry once this month, and it felt so good to do that kind of work again!! Barry.. I thought of you the whole time!! I worked with a great group of people, but it just wasn't the same without you, Jerry, and Nina!!
Halloween was fun Tyler had some boys over to play football in the back yard, and Joyce went trick or treating with her friends Olivia, and Allyssa! Our friends John and Laura came over with three of their little boys, and everyone had so much fun!
I guess my biggest news is that Tyler turned 16 yesterday! He started his birthday off with a party on the 30th. It was Joyce's first cheer competition, in Sandusky, OH so Tyler and 3 of his friends got dropped off at Cedar Point on the way to cheerleading. They were picked up by a stretch escalade to bring them home! They all had a great time! Friday morning on his real birthday he was taken to school by one of his friends, and I picked him up and we went straight to take his driving test!! HE PASSED!! I now have a licensed driver for a son! We had his family party that night and then he drove himself to a friends house to spend the night!!!
Well now I am ready to decorate for Christmas!!! Happy fall everyone!!!
First cars & golf titles I think Tyler had a good couple of weeks!
Well It's offically fall, and I am ready to head south for the winter! First of all Tylers golf team placed 5th out of 42 in regionals last week! Tyler himself also placed 5th as an individual and got All TAAC!! This week at sectionals he didnt do as well, but two seniors from his team took first and third! We are so proud of him he has really improved, and he plans on being a force to be reckoned with next season! He also got his first car! He has no license yet, and has cleaned the thing about 14 times since friday! It is a jeep grand cherokee, it is old, and perfect for tyler to beat up on for a while!
Bible study is under way, and I am loving the book,it seems to have been written just for me! A lot of the ladies feel that way which makes for a lot of good discussion. I am also reading Dangerous Surrender by Kay Warren (pastor Rick Warren's wife) Wow, talk about listening and acting on God's whisper! Very inspiring!
My sister, brother in law, and WILMA will be home this week!!YEAHHHHH!! I can't wait to see that little bundle of sweetness!!
Paul has the men's Great Banquet this week, and I will be attending the women's the following week. It is looking very good this year for both weeks. A lot of lives are gonna be changed!!
Well everybody is healthy after the entire family being sick pretty much since labor day weekend, so I am looking forward to a normal week where everybody goes to school, and activies without interuption! by the way since it's fall I thought I'd share a great recipe, which happens to be found on a great blog! Leann is part of proverbs31 ministries! you can find it here: http://www.shecooks.org/2010/09/caramel-apple-crisp/
Have a great week!
It was a fun summer!
Since my last post we have been fairly busy! I got to fly to Memphis to spend 4 days with my sister, and help take care of my new niece!!!It was so fun! We also went to a water park, hatched some butterflies, and started school! Both kids are doing great and Joyce is adjusting to her new school!
This weekend we will end the summer with a trip to Cedar Point! I am ready for fall! Paul and I are both involved with the Great Banquet again in October, so that is keeping us very busy! I had a brunch at my house with my Bible Study Group last week, we chose our new study for fall, and I am ready to get started back up with that again! We are doing a book called The Uncommon Woman: making the ordinary life extrordinary by Susie Larson. On Sept.14 I can begin my 30 day birthday countdown!! I know I am a dork, but I will count down my birthday until I die!! Cheer season is coming up quickly, and I am ready to watch my girl compete yet again!
I have an interview scheduled for a volunteer position that I have been working on for a while now. There is an organization starting up here called The Daughter project (www.thedaughterproject.org) It is a safe house for girls that have been rescued from human trafficking. If I am chosen, I will be a personal mentor to one particular girl. Toledo is fourth in the nation for trafficking, and I have felt called to this area of ministy for about 6 months now, and I finally found a local place to participate.
I have posted some pics, and hopefully will get some more over the weekend!!
Just call me "Aunt Sassy!!"
My little niece, and the word little is very understated, Wilma Ashton Miller was born almost 3 weeks early on July 18!!! Wieghing in at 5 lb and 1 0z and 17 1/2 inches long! I think she was 4lb 7 oz when she came home! The second we got the call that Amy's water broke on sunday night we were packed and in the car within 30 minutes! We all just love her she is so cute and cuddly! Joycie has already been down there a second time, and I am jealous!
In other news Tyler is doing AMAZING at golf this summer, and we have decided to get him a golf coach because we are starting to see some potential here!! Can anyone say "free college" yeah that's what I'm talking about!!! We'll see, but in the meantime he is loving it! He hasn't crashed us yet while driving around, and he loves drivers ed!
Joycie is still cheering, and is not loving her new reading class at all! She did get glasses last week, and was excited to be able to read other peoples license plates on the way home! She is having fun getting all of her school supllies purchased and organized, and is quite proud that she now knows how to do a combination lock!
I am coming down the home stretch on my new volunteer position so I will fill everyone in on that hopefully soon!! Paul is still working on finishing up on mulching our yard, and happy to have beaten Tyler at golf this past week! Although Tyler says he can't beat Paul because it gets to his head, whatever that means!
That's all for now!
More nothing..
Other than having a garage sale this week, there is a bunch of nothing going on around here! Tyler did get his braces off yesterday, and he has his last x-ray today for his broken foot! Paul finished mulching so all the landscape in the front yard is officially finished! Now on to the back!
We made it home
We are back from our annual Fourth of July trip to Douglas Lake! We had a blast and had perfect weather! 90's and sunny all weekend! Now that we are home it is time to set up for my garage sale! I haven't had one in quite some time, so I have a lot to sell. I am also hoping that Tyler can wrap up spanish this month! Until Amy's baby gets here we will probably just hang around here for most of the summer. I can't believe its only about 6 weeks until school starts again! Joycie is officially enrolled at Toledo Christian with Tyler for next year. I am so excited about the uniforms and the fact that she already will know what she is wearing and CAN"T change her mind! I am also about to get seriously involved in a ministry that I will reveal at a later date, after I get some of the details worked out. I haven't been involved in any volunteering on a regular basis since I moved back. I don't feel like any food pantry work here will be as great as the one I worked at in NC so I haven chosen a different type of work to be involved with. I feel like God is really calling me to do something different and I have put it off and it won't go away so hopefully soon I will be able to let you know what it is!
Joycie actually stayed in TN with Poppy and Grammy for an extra day, Tyler is babysitting all day, I cleaned the house before I left, and did my laundry before I came home soooo I am free today!! Whew hew! I am free today so I am going to find something to do!
It's been a while, but at least I have something to write about!
I don't even know where to begin so I reckon I'll back-track to April! Mom, Joycie, and I went to Chicago for an American girl trip! The place was awesome, Joycie gained 3 kids (dolls) some new outfits, accessories, and had a photoshoot! We had breakfast in the cafe, and she even got her dolls ears pierced! We can't wait to go back. We also hit the Vera Bradley store and once again had a very spoiled little girl who stocked up on a plethora of bags, purses and wallets!
Once May hit I was in full baby shower mode! My favorite sister came into town the week of May 22 to have 3 baby showers! One was given by yours truly:) They were all fun, and I think my new niece will be off to a good start especially in the clothing department! August can't come fast enough, I can't wait to hold her! (and squeeze her ,Amy!)
On May 5 Tyler got his temps, and is now driving us all over town, except for right now, which I will write about in a minute:(
School ended well for everyone, and we are all glad to be sleeping in! Tyler is actually doing spanish 2 as a homeschool program this summer to get it out of the way! Joyce and I are doing a tween Bible study called Between: A journey through Proverbs by Vicki Courtney and we both love it! I highly recommend it for anyone with tween girls! Joycie will be taking a reading class starting in late July to hopefully give her a little boost in comprehension and she will also be joining Tyler at Toledo Christian next year! I don't think she is too excited about it, but we really feel like its the right thing to do, and it will be nice to have both kids on the same schedule for vacations and breaks!
Last week I went to TN with mom, Joyce, and one of her friends. Tyler chose to stay home with Paul! It was a week long trip, but boy did we pack in the activities, between checking on the chalet in East TN trying to entertain the girls everywhere, then headed to Amy in west TN to deliver all of the shower gifts that didn't make it down during round 1! We were exhausted when we got home! In fact we got home on Thurs, and Joyce had to be at an all day babysitting class on Friday. She came home friday night and went to bed on her own at 5:30 pm and I woke her up the next day at 12:30 pm!!
Unfortunately I wasn't able to be involved in the Great Banquet this summer, but Paul was on the men's team and since I was gone he volunteered a lot for the women's banquet! He had a great time and really enjoyed serving! he said he is already looking forward to the next one in October! I am too! even if I am not on the team I plan on volunteering anyway!
I have been booked solid with cupcake orders, and we had a video for Owens Corning shot at our house this week for 3 days! It was very hustle and bustle around here it was like a full movie set complete with make up artists and actors! Unfortunately no big names:( I will post a link to it when it is up and running!)
Last but not least poor Tyler was riding his bike REALLY fast to catch up to Paul, and his chain popped off and his foot slipped off the pedal and slammed into the ground causing his 5th metatarsal to break in half. it happened a week ago today, and we were told today that he has to be on crutches until monday. He will have to remain in the soft cast and boot contraption until July 16. This has really put a damper on his summer plans which include golfing EVERY day! He still plans on being in a golf tournament in late July!
I can't forget to mention that Joycie made the all stars team again for cheerleading and she is loving every minute of it! She had choreography camp this week for 8 hrs a day in the 90 degree heat with no air conditioning and she didn't complain one bit!
I will now try to keep this site updated, and post TONS of pics asap!
life around here
Easter was great, and we couln't have asked for better weather! Now the kids are focused on finishing up the school year with good grades. Tyler is doing great in baseball, and Joyce is getting ready for cheerleading tryouts on May 6, and working on a cheer routine for the school talent show!
Joyce and I along with Grammy are taking off next weekend for Chicago to go to American Girl! I have been wanting to take her there for years, and figured we better go before she outgrows it!
Other than getting ready for a lot of baby showers there is not a whole lot going on. I uploaded some pics but on this site they are out of focus so once I figure that problem out I will put them up!
one down.. one to go
Round one of spring break is over. Tyler had a great time in Jackson, TN with Aunt Amy and Uncle Jeremy! He got to visit Union College again.. he hopes to make it his residence in fall of 2013! He enjoyed warm weather compared to what we had going on here in Ohio this week.
Now Joycie is on spring break all of next week she will be heading to TN early with Poppy and Grammy, Tyler has his first baseball game this week, and then we will all meet up together on Thurs.!
I have some pictures uploading now! Paul is learning how to fly and flew over the house and downtown Toledo this week so I will have those posted too!!
Happy Easter!
HE IS RISEN INDEED!!
We Are the Champions...well almost!
So we had the big cheerleading grand nationals in Detroit all weekend, and the girls came in third! They missed second by .5 a point! They did really good for their first year of cheerleading! During the awards ceremony they brought out some guy who had been a guest judge all weekend, and it was Sammy Haggar form Van Halen! I never would have known if they didn't tell me, but it was still kind of cool!
I will be posting pics soon, now we have to get ready for tryouts on May 6 for next year! I think they may also consider adding a dance team that we will also be trying out for!! busy busy!
Spring!!
It has been so nice to have such warm temps, and a lot of sunshine lately! We are wrapping up the cheer season this weekend in Detroit with grand nationals!! Tyler and Paul went and played golf today for the first time this season! Tyler is on spring break next week all by himself,and Joycie's is the week after that so it will be fun to spend time with them one on one! We will head up to the cabin for Easter!
I recently found out my sister is having a girl!!! I am very busy planning her shower, and trying to be creative picking out different types of gifts for the other showers I will be attending for her!she barely has a baby bump and I can't wait to babysit:)
I am still in Bible study of seeing Christ in Genesis. It's a much deeper study than I usually do and I am learning a lot! I am not the best at always getting my bookwork done, but still absorbing it all nonetheless!
Have a great week!
Happy Birthday Madelynn Joyce!!
Today is Joycie's 11th birthday! Where does the time go?? She was very excited to get up and get ready for school today! I wish everyday was her birthday for this fact alone!! She is also very excited to be able to share the same birthday with our good friend Lisa! She even put it on her calender:)
I am picking her and a friend up from school to go get pedicures, and go shopping at Claires. After that we will head home and squeeze in some homework if we have to, and have the family birthday party! Her friend is also spending the night, (on a school night..should be interesting!)
Anyway Happy Birthday to the best girl ever born!!! (of course I'm probably a little biased!)
Skiing... you are dead to us!
Seven Springs Mountain Resort... been there, done that , didn't even get a t-shirt! After giving the ski trip an honest effort we have decided that we are beach people!! We all tried really hard, and I have to say that Tyler did a great job, and Joycie wanted to. Paul can still ski, but was in too much pain from the horrible boots we rented to finish up the day. Tyler ended up having a cracked toe nail and sore legs, my legs were sore the minute I put the boots on, and Joycie was pain free but fell down the hill every thirty seconds! Good times my friends. Good times.
Finally after skiing down one mountain, and then taking a lift and having to ski down a hill to get to the lodge Joyce and I decided we needed to go to ski school. We did that for 2 hours while Paul and Tyler skiied on their own. After we graduated, we left! We didn't even get to use our new skills! Joyce wasn't too happy about that, but I would have paid just as much as it took to go there, to leave early! Luckily Paul agreed, and we quit!
We still had a great time getting away for the weekend, and next time we take a winter break we can probably be found in St. Somewhere... on a beach!
Life
Someday I will have something exciting and worth reading on here, I promise!! I can make that promise because I am certain that life can't possibly stay same ole same ole forever!! As usual we had cheerleading again this weekend, and as usual we took first place!! I do have to admit there were no other teams in our category this time:) It was actually an American Cancer Society Cheer for A Cure. The event raised over 26k for the American Cancer Society!
Tyler starts baseball in 3 weeks! I think the reason I feel so bored is because he did not play a winter sport, and by not running him around and going to his games it cut our activity in half. Which to me is aweful!! Anyway ... Joycie is visiting Toledo Christian School this week, to see if she would like to attend there next year as well.
I am excited that we are going on our first family ski trip next weekend! We are going to Seven Springs Mountain resort in Seven Springs, PA! Paul and I haven't been skiing since high school, and even that was at the little hills in MI. The kids have never been, so we are looking forward to seeing if this can become a tradition:) I will post some pics when we return!
Have a great week:)
Happy Valentines Day!
Well there is more than love in the air around here, and by that I mean SNOW! 12.1 inches to be exact!! However, as much as I love a good snowstorm, I think I love spring weather more! As a matter of fact I am sure of it!! ( I will post pics soon!)
There is not too much going on this weekend. Of course Joyce has a cheer competition on Sunday, and that will be followed by my traditional Valentines Day dinner, complete with heart shaped pats of butter:) Tyler doesn't have school today so he is working with Paul. Neither of the kids have school on Monday so I'm sure we will come up with something fun to do!!
I read about these fabulous jeans today on a blog, and I can only hope that they will become accepted by America as the latest fashion!!! You can check them out here: (make sure your volume is up)
http://www.pajamajeans.com/Default.aspx
Happy Valentines Day!
FUN!
I am trying to get this post finished so that my one reader has something to read on Sunday morning! Shout out to you! You know who you are!! Anyway we actually had some fun things to do this week. Tyler and Paul went to TN las weekend with my parents to help them at the chalet, so Joycie and I had girls weekend! Although she left me for 24 hrs to spend the night with a friend on friday night. That actually gave me time to read two books, and clean my house! Sat night we went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, and it was adorable. Sunday she had a cheer competition (took first place!), and Monday we went to Chucke Cheese! Monday at 2:30 am Tyler decided he would like to start puking and did so about 20 times until Wed night! Good times! By friday he went back to school, and friday night Paul ands I met up with some old high school friends for dinner! Sat Night we had a suite at the Cleveland Cavs game, and It was so much fun!!! Please don't invite me to see a basketball game any other way!!! It was definitely the good life:)
A quick funny story: Friday I was trying on clothes in the QUIET dressing room at TJ Maxx, there were a few other people around when I threw my purse on the bench and forgot there was a talking Alvin the chipmunk happy meal toy in there that seemed to scream HELLOOOOO GORGOEOUS!!! A nice touch to break the silence and make me look like I needed something to help boost my own self esteem in the fitting room!!
Well we are off to church, have a great week!
(I will try and post pics before we leave)
It's been a while
I have really been neglecting my website, but somehow could never find the time to write a decent post. Not that this will be a decent post anyway, but I'll give it a shot!
Gosh where do I start? Well, we had a great Christmas! I hope to have some pics posted soon! My favorite Christmas present was that my sister told me I was going to be an AUNT!! I am so excited! I have been waiting for my sister to have a baby since the day she got married
I am currently working on the shower, and we are already planning our trip to Jackson TN in August for the arrival of that little monkey! Well hopefully it's not really a monkey!
We spent New Years eve with our friends Paul & Lisa and had a great time. Lisa and I killed the boys in the game Sequence about a dozen times.
So far 2010 is off to a pretty good start. I am working on being more busy in the home than out of it. Tyler has switched over to Toledo Christian School this semester and he is really enjoying it! The only bad part is that he will not be able to particpate in sports for a year because of the transfer. He can practice with the teams but can't play in any games. It's an Ohio law, and there is no way around it. Joyce is still cheering, and has won first place every single time since the season started!
Paul & I are in the process of becoming members of Cedar Creek church. We really love it there, and want to become more involved. The place has really changed our lives, and we can't say enough good about it! I resume my Bible study next friday, and am preparing to have one in my house starting in March.
So there you have it life is moving at a slow and steady pace, and I guess that's a good thing. I am trying to have a year full of JOY (Jesus first, others second, and yourself last) I want to help others in need, be the light of Christ, and do whatever He has planned for me this year. It is the year to finally let Him have control of every area of our lives, and truly appreciate all the blessings He has given us!
Happy New Year everybody!
I can't find my camera
This one lost item is causing LOTS of hassles! It means I didn't take a picture to make Christmas cards, so I won't be sending any. It means I have no pictures of all the fun things we have done the past two weeks, which also means I have nothing to post on this website!
On the positive side I can say I do have all my Christmas shopping done! I have done a significant amount of baking, and I am ready for Christmas!! We are planning on going to Christmas eve service this year on Dec.23 and then just the four of us are coming home for steak and lobster! (Tyler would like me to say that this was all his idea!)
So you can all look for my cheesy online Christmas card right here sometime soon, and maybe I will find my camera and send out some Happy New Year cards!
Happy Anniversary!!!
Tomorrow is our anniversay, and we are heading to Shipshewana in the morning for the day! I look forward to the next 50 years with my favorite man on the planet:)
We had a great Thanksgiving weekend! I was interviewed for the black friday article in the Toledo Blade for the second year in a row! I headed out shopping at 3 am with my mom, and we really missed having my sister Amy with us this year:( So hopefully next year we'll get her home for Thanksgiving or at least just to shop! I almost have all my shopping complete which leaves me lots of time for baking!! We will be heading to Cleveland this weekend for another cheerleading competition. No accumulation, but there was a little bit of snow coming down yesterday! I love this time of year, but really miss volunteering at the food pantry in NC during this time!
This and That
Well for starters Joycie has the swine flu. She has been out of school since last monday, she tried to go today, but got sent home. Looking at the bright side I'd rather get this over with now instead of at Christmas:) We are hosting Thanksgiving again this year! I love nothing more than entertaining in my home so I will be cooking and cleaning over the next couple of days. Finally I will be getting ready for my annual black friday shopping trip in the freezing cold at 3 am! I LOVE IT!! I really have no agenda or must haves so it will mostly be fun people watching while I look around:)
I hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving, and can find a few things to be thankful for!
same ol' same ol'
Happy Birthday Tyler!!
This is bad, but his birthday was actually yesterday. I wasn't home all day since I was getting ready for the family party last night sooooo that means I wasn't on the computer:) So here it is a day late to say my first born all time favorite boy on the planet turned 15!!! He had a great day, a fun party, and is counting down to May 5! The day he gets his temps. Clear the roads. Tyler thinks he will be driving us everywhere we need to be from then on:)
Anyway I am off to Bible study, then back home to get my carpets cleaned:)
Everyone's a winner!!
Well Tyler had a great time in Tennessee! He scored a 74 in the golf tournament!! He also won $135.00 in a putting contest! I think it was a great kick off to his birthday week:) Joycie's Cheer team won first place in their first all stars competition! They are thrilled!
This week we will be getting ready for Tyler's 15th birthday. We are having a party on Thurs. night with the family. My week will be filled with lots of shopping, cooking, and decorating! Three of my favorite things:) Oh yeah and since Paul, and the kids got me a treadmill for my birthday I will continue working on that A LOT!!!
BIG sigh of relief!
Well all the hustle and bustle of my life has come to a hault and now I have plenty of time to just be a wife and mom again:) I did cupcakes for a wedding this weekend, and unfortunately you all know that since my stupid calender sent out a reminder to everyone, sorry about that:) The pictures of those cupcakes are posted! Tyler had his very first homecoming last night. He came home and said he had so much fun:) He went with a group of friends, and 3 boys ended up spending the night last night, they played football outside under the lights at 1 am, I guess it was better than toilet papering which has been the trend around here for the past two weeks! I tried convincing them that they've had enough TPing and they should take a break, they reluctantly agreed, I mean humored me:) Joycie had her last football cheerleading game today and it was followed by a fun tailgating party! Now she can focus on her competition cheerleading. Her first competition is next Sat. we are very excited!! Tyler is focusing on baseball workouts and has to be at school for weightlifting at 5:45 am three days a week:(
Tyler is going to be in a golf tournament in Jackson, TN next weekend and will be heading to Aunt Amy and Uncle Jeremy's on Friday morning. He is super excited. I don't know if it's because he gets to go away or because he doesn't have to hang out at a cheer competition all day Sat! In two weeks we will be having Joycie's awards banquet for football cheer, and the end of season party at the indoor waterpark. Tyler has a baseball fundraiser, where he will be glow-bowling. Since these are at the same time I am guessing I will be at the waterpark, and Paul will be bowling:) Paul went to the last cheer event without me and he learned how to fix hair, and apply make-up for competitions, and from what I hear he makes a great "cheer dad"!!
later...
Kristie
What's Old is New Again!
Well today is my 35th birthday! Does anyone know, and I mean really know how much I love my birthday?? Well for records sake let me tell you it is right at the top of my list with things like fabulous vacations, and sassy new shoes:) Anyway.. as I have said in a previous post there was only one time I did not count down my birthday a month in advance, and it was last year. In order to keep things simplified, and not so detailed on the world wide web (those words are just funny!) I will sum up by saying last year was hard. Things were not going well in any area of my life, and I truly hated who I was, the direction my life and that of my family was headed.There were also some college "incidents" that had been surpressed for years that had made their way to the surface. Everything was a complete mess. So for what would typically be the month long excitement of reminding everybody that my birthday was almost here, I spent it doing a lot of crying, a lot of sleeping, and a lot of laying in bed, on some heavy medication that had horrible side effects. I had so much family support, my sister came into town to see me, my parents were helping with the kids a lot, and it was at this time my friend Stacia invited me to the Great Banquet which is a church retreat type event, but not like the typical one where there is a lot of social get to know each other kind. Rather the God is here to meet you kind! It was so very powerful. I find it hard to even put into words how it has transformed my life, and in turn my family's life. I was able to find grace, forgiveness, and mercy like I have never known in a 3 1/2 day span. I made a vow to turn my mess into a message and I have been doing just that! This past June I was asked to be the speaker of the same event, and the weekend prior to that Paul attended the men's version. Our lives have never been the same since! The way we look and life, each other, our kids, and families have all changed for the better! There you have the readers digest version.
So after all of that, you can be certain you will start hearring that my birthday is coming up starting September 14 next year, and don't you forget it:)
running on empty!
Ok so this is what I get after to complaining to Paul several weeks ago that I was bored! I am very busy with cupcake orders, I am helping the kitchen team for the men's Great Banquet ( I'll post on that soon) I am head Kitchen team for the woman's Great Banquet next Thurs-Fri. I have been to Sam's and Gordon's food service more in the last 4 days than I"ve ever been in my life:)
Add this to homework, laundry, general housekeeping, deep housecleaning, feeding my own family, and kids activities, and I am almost a zombie! On top of all this I keep trying to visit my friend Stacia's family on a regular basis due to last weeks tragedy:(
I have ton's of pictures to upload so hopefully I will get to that sometime in the next week. If not it's because I have been admitted to the Psych ward of Toledo Hospital! I have been so busy I haven't even had birthday countdown, and for those who know me well, that has only happened once in my life!
Well take care and hopefuuly one of these days I will get around to posting something a little more exciting:)
Luke DeRaedt
DE RAEDT Luke Alexander Luke, the 5 month old son of John and Stacia DeRaedt, went home into the arms of Jesus on Tuesday, September 29, 2009. He was born on May 4, 2009, in Toledo, Ohio. Cherishing his memory are parents, John and Stacia (Dusseau) DeRaedt; brothers and sisters, Meaghan, Madeline, Rita, Charles, Zachary, Margeaux, Gabriella, and Lauren; grandparents, William and Mary Lou Dusseau and Jim and Mary Jo DeRaedt; great-grandfather, Wilbur Dusseau; 22 aunts and uncles; and 52 first cousins. Family and friends may visit at the Walker Funeral Home, 5155 W. Sylvania Ave., (west of Corey Rd.) on Friday 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Additional visitation at Westgate Chapel, 2500 Wilford Dr., on Saturday at 10 a.m. Services will follow at 11 a.m. Interment at Calvary Cemetery. Online condolences may be shared with the family by visiting: www.walkerfuneralhomes.comPrayer Request
weebles wobble, but they won't fall down!
a non-post ,post!
Well I have absolutely nothing to say! Really I don't. So I will mention a few quick things in a list style!
1. Joycie cheered at her first football game this past weekend.
2. We went to a cousin's wedding on Sat. night and were able to see a lot of family we don't normally see!
3. I started my new Bible study on Fri. We are doing the book A Perfect Mess by Lisa Harper.it was nice to meet some new people, and reconnect with some people I had met before but don't really know:)
Well that's all folks. I am sorry, but I cannot give you back the two minutes of your life that you just wasted!
God's Love letter to His children!
I love this!
God is good:All the time!
Although sometimes feel better than others, especially now! We had a Major breakthrough with the new business, and have now aquired enough business for life to go back to normal:) As exciting as this is I don't want to forget or lessen the fact that God was with us the entire time, and even if that breakthrough would not have happened our lives were still in His hands, He never left our side, and we would still be thankful to Him for all circumstances. The most important thing we are keeping in mind right now is that all the glory goes to God, and we want to remain humbled, and do great things with all the blessings He has given us!
Now for a quick recap of the week. I spent Tuesday with my grandparents, and mom in shipshewana, IN! I loved getting to be surrounded by Amish people all day! I went to a bulk food store and was able to get baking products for about 25 cents on the dollar, it really did feel like I was back in time! We also had the best family style all you can eat Amish lunch. The other great thing was seeing those little Amish kids, because they are too cute for words:)
The rest of the week was pretty normal with the kids: homework, sports, and playing outside!
We look forward to enjoying a long weekend doing various activities with various people! We plan on going up the river with mom and dad on their boat, along with a few cookouts! I'll try and post some new pics soon! Everyone have a great weekend!
What a week! Updated
Well the first day of school went great! Both kids think it will be the best year ever! I'll get back to y'all on that in a few months when the newness is over! Joycie loves all four of her teachers, and is already making new friends! For her this is the year all three elementary schools combine into one fifth and sixth grade building. Tyler says all of his teachers seem nice too, and he also commented on all the cute senior girls that are in his global business class! I gave him a little fyi that senior girls don't date freshman boys!
We had a family picnic at the High school tonight for the athletic dept. where all fall sports teams were introduced. They had a really nice turnout and we got to meet a bunch of new parents. Now each kid is having a friend spend the night, and we are all going to church in the morning! I don't know what we'll be looking like, but we'll be there! BTW both friends we are taking tomorrow (ages 10 & 15) said they have never been to church..EVER! That seems impossible, but I can't think of a better first time church experience than Cedar Creek!
I can't think of much else to say, I have to warn you I did say this website would be boring:)
I am happy to report that after studying for 2 1/2 hours Tyler got a 100% on his first test of the year in honors world history!! Yeahhhhh!!!!
We Are back!
Well we are back from our trip and lots of fun was had by all!! Our first leg of the trip was to my great- Aunt and Uncle's house in Crossville, TN. On the way there we realized that it was the annual 127 sale. For anyone(which is probably most people) who are unfamiliar with that, it's a bunch of yard sales that go all along rt. 127 from MI to AL!! We stopped at several! It's mostly a bunch of garbage and junk, but a fun time nonetheless:) While we were in Crossville Joycie picked veggies, fed cows and goats, and shot birds!
Next we headed to Jackson, TN to visit my sister and her husband aka Aunt Amy and Uncle Jeremy! We went to a farmers market, played a lot of cards, and Joycie did A LOT of scrapbooking! On Sunday we went to their church and got a lot of rest! I told Amy that they live like retirees!! We had lots of fun spending time with them
When we arrived in Nashville we did a ton of shopping, went to the Nashville zoo, which was very fun, and took a tour of downtown Nashville and the stars homes! Our tour guide was hilarious and very well informed! I highly recommend his tour if you are ever in town! (www.tommystours.com)
Last, but not least we headed over to Gatlinburg so my mom could meet a contractor at the chalet. To make this part of the trip more exciting for Joycie we went to Dollywoods splash country waterpark! We had perfect weather, and she even got Grammy to go on the waterslides! In my 34 years of being alive and going to waterparks I have never got my mom to do that! She really loves her grandkids:)
I came home to Tyler who had golfed everyday while we were gone, and he also had 2 horrible ear infections and had to go to the Dr. the next morning. Paul took him to register for school and he failed the hearing test! Well we will be spending this week buying new shoes & backapcks, getting haircuts,cleaning out drawers, and closets and along with some other things I can't think of right now so the kids will be prepared for the first day of school on Thurs.!
Later...Kristie
good news and bad news
Well the good news is that Tyler made the JV golf team for school this year!! The bad news is we we're all packed up for our roadtrip so we could leave as soon as tryouts were finished and he wasn't allowed to come with us because he has practice everyday, and would miss 2 matches:(
Although we are having a lot of fun, we are missing him. Anyway, more details and lots of pics when we return!!
Busy Busy Busy
Well We have been busy with a lot of the same ole kids activities this week, cheerleading, golf, and last but not least more baseball! This coming week Tyler has fall baseball, and high school golf team tryouts. Joycie's cheerleading choreographer was flown in from Texas to teach them their routine for the year! Everyone is doing great, and the kids and I are going on aweek long Tennessee road trip with Grammy this Tues! We will be starting out in Crossville, then heading to Nashville, and then going to stay with Aunt Amy in Jackson! To end the trip we will be going to good ole Gatlinburg! The kids have convinced my mom to go on a few rides at the waterpark! That should be interesting:)
It will be a very long week being without the man of our house, but maybe he'll be able to get some work done! When we get home we will be getting ready to start middle and high school on August 20! CRAZY! I had better go I have a cupcake order of 200 for tomorrow. Everyone (at least my one reader) have a great week and hopefully I will have lots of pics to post when we get back!
Great Book!
Most people know I have a slight addiction to reading! My latest and greatest was The Five Conversations You should have with Your Daughter. In my opinion it is a must have for anyone out there with girls! It says that the conversations should start around middle school, but since we know our kids best that we need to be the judge of that. I think it is a great book to read the day your daughter is born just to get prepared! The author, Vicki Courtney does a great job in preparing moms to have these conversations so that we don't just tell our daughters not to do something, because it's wrong in God's and our eyes, or because it's our household rule. She takes a fact based approach and gives supporting facts and research and even has a website for moms to discuss all this heavy info with other moms who have read the book!
It's also very nice how she straight up tells you in the book that some readers will find her too strict and others too easy going, but use it as a guideline and find your own happy medium! A Bible study just came out in May that has a workbook and DVD set, and I am going to host it in my home sometime this fall or winter if anyone is interested!
Anyway Just thought I'd share:)
By the way the Five conversations are:
1.You are more than the sum of your parts
2.Don't be in such a hurry to grow up
3.Sex is great and worth the wait
4.It's ok to dream about marriage and motherhood
5.Girls gone wild are a dime a dozen-dare to be virtuous
Welcome to our website
Hello everybody and welcome to our new website where hopefully everyone will be better up to date on whats going on in our lives!
We are in full summer mode around here, and by that I mean LOTS of baseball, and softball! Tyler played around 4-5 games a week and Joycie has one or two! They are both playing very well this season! Tyler is also playing a lot of golf this summer and really hopes to make the high school(which seems impossible since he was just born!) golf team in the fall! Joycie made the All Star team at Ohio Cheer Acadamy this year, and looks forward to starting competitions in the fall!
We met my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and some cousins at Douglas Lake in TN last weekend for our annual shakin the lake fourth of July trip. We all had a blast!
Paul and I have recently started our own private label hose and fitting company called PPD (Performance Plumbling Direct) and so far it is off to a pretty good start! I am still doing my Sassy Cupcakes business and never get tired of baking cupcakes! I recently booked a wedding for October, and can't wait! Since Paul lost his job back in June it really seems as if God's plan for us is working out great! We are so glad He is in control of our lives instead of us!
Well I hope you enjoy our site and can feel better connected to what is going on with us these days, and we look forward to updating this site often!
Kristie
