Storries of Three Sisters

. . . .

2011-02-01T19:30:00.000-08:00

For anyone who may still read this blog... We (Becca and I) have been working on setting up a shop with Etsy in which we are attempting to distribute our soft, snugly blankets. If you care to take a look the site is...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCozyPolkaDot?ref=pr_shop&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

That should take you to our home page, The Cozy Polka Dot! If anyone has any wisdom to share with us we would welcome it. Happy looking!

. . .

2010-12-15T18:01:00.001-08:00

It's almost embarrassing coming back to this blog but Beth wanted to say "Howdy!". I'll try and post an update soon but I'm off to read some Christmas story books to the boys...

Lily Lake

2010-10-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day we went with Grandpa and Grandma up to Estes Park to spend the day with Uncle Dave and Aunt Bonnie (Grandma's brother and his wife). I don't have a picture with them in it :( but I do have some of our walk around Lily Lake.

Family Hike

2010-10-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been quite a while since I've visited... it even slipped my mind that we had changed the look of the blog. :P Not that anyone else visits either but I thought I'd put up a few posts with pictures.

Back in July Dad took us all on a wonderful hike and here are a few pictures from that day!

Best Friends!

2010-07-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

The Pride of The Tide

2010-06-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are all still alive and kickin' and I won't even try to redeem ourselves. :) Life seems to be a rapid snowball and even the picture world has been pushed to the side. I do however have a few and I'll start with Roll Tide Roll... :)

I'll try and do some catch up soon but I'm not going to promise anything!

Lovin' Little People

2010-04-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

I Could Write a Sonnet About My Resurrection Sunday Bonnet...

2010-04-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Like a Big Pizza Pie...

2010-04-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made dinner. This is nothing exceptional, as we are quite normal and do eat dinner every night, and most often, I am the one who makes it. The unique thing came in the making thereof.

We were having pizza, but not the elaborate kind that takes me two hours. Okay, so I let it get a little out of hand sometimes, but homemade pizza is only good when it is completely gourmet. Or maybe, I'm just picky. But no, this was the very-cheating kind of pizza, where you slice loaves of french bread in half and put all of the fixin's on from there. We are talking so easy that Julia Child would blush to see her cookbook on a shelf in the kitchen where that was being prepared. But we had the ingredients on hand--bread, leftover marinara, and cheese and pepperoni in the freezer. So I turned Julia's face to the wall and got going.

Five minutes later, there I was, subjecting my pepperonis to the tortures of broil. And oh, how they writhed and sizzled from the heat. Yet, though the pepperoni curled and died in agony, yea, still the cheese would not melt. I was most perplexed and kerflummexed. So the broiler was deprived of it's victims for a moment while I investigated this mysterious cheese. And as I poked at it and sniffed, and finally had to taste test, I learned the mozzarella's secret--It wasn't mozzarella at all.

It was potatoes. Grated hash browns, that look very much like mozzarella cheese, more exactly. And hash browns, you know, don't melt.

So the creativity had to begin to flow. After all, what do you do with hash brown pepperoni pizza? I did what every self-respecting pizza maker would do. I got out the real cheese from the fridge. We only had a little bit left, but it was real cheese. I knew this, because it said so, all across the front of the bag, and there was a very idyllic looking picture of cows grazing in a field. Not exactly the stuff of which potato bags are made. So I divided it into little bits and put it on each pizza. Then came Parmesan, then basil.

And now it is time for confession. I salted the pizza. I know, it's a food naturally high in sodium. But potatoes, people! Unsalty potatoes are disgusting! And so, knowing that Julia would never show her face in my kitchen again, I got out the salt shaker. And I shook. And guess what? Everyone liked it! We had no leftovers, not one little bit. So perhaps, this is not the worst pizza topping idea in the illustrious history of that food, but rather the birth of a new culinary sensation.

I think we'll call it Irish Pizza.

A state of denial...

2010-03-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm writing a book. And no, I'm not joking. But, it is not a novel (I could refer you to some of my friends who would second the fact that I haven't a gift when it comes to creative writing). But, I am, nonetheless, writing a book. It's a small book (said friends would tell you that I write nothing small, even when I say I'm going to).

Since music and the muscle/neurological physiology of the human arm are the only two things I know enough about to write a book, your choices are pretty limited. Any guesses? :) My bid was chosen to write a 40 page book on how to read music. Really hasn't been too bad (as in, I haven't had writer's block so far) but explaining and creating graphics that communicate the basics of music reading without being able to demonstrate on a keyboard can make it a little more difficult than actually teaching someone in person. So, if there are any sphynxes out there who want to proofread it... :)

One-man Quintet

2010-03-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

Youtube wouldn't let me embed a smaller screen but you don't really lose anything from the full screen. This guy has a few other videos--search for Ben Everson.

It's Anna!

2010-03-17T13:04:00.000-07:00

While Beth and I were taking pictures, Anna came out to wash her car. Beth could not be kept for pictures any longer and had to go see here sister! She's priceless!

Spring is close! :)

2010-03-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

She's our little blond girl...

with some pink, of course! :)

Quilts of love...

2010-03-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

We've been told that we are addicted
but there are just some occasions that a quilt is a must! :)

We made Dad a quilt for his 50th birthday.
(It was only 3 months late! :)

Grandma's birthday was in Feburary and this is her quilt.

All the new cousins get quilts and this is little Cara's.

An Exceptional Read

2010-02-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

This poor blog hasn't seen much activity since the first of the year and I don't know that I've been on at all. This is about to be remedied... Predictably, I'm going to say something along literary lines. :) I just finished Makers of Religious Freedom in the 17th Century this evening and found it to be very enjoyable; slightly slow in a few sections but I knew next to nothing about three of the men and it was well written. It gives roughly 50 page biographies on four men--Scottish Covenanters Alexander Hendersen and Saumel Rutherford, and English Puritans John Bunyan and Richard Baxter. One of the things I found most intriguing was the wide and hugely varied kinds of men they were, and how the Lord used them. They were everything from landed gentlemen to men of the lowest social class and they each filled a particular role in the shaping of their national histories. Of particular interest was the fact that, although they all desired to lead lives devoted to their own congregations, they each had to deal heavily in politics and all but Hendersen truly suffered persecution--either in the form of being exiled or suffering imprisonment. I was startled at how much unrest and threat to true Christianity was present, particularly in the life of Baxter.

It was a pleasant surprise to find beautiful and poetic language flowing so freely from their pens. This is a selection from Richard Baxter's Poetical Fragments that closed the book.

Now it belongs not to my care
Whether I die or live:
To love and serve Thee is my share:
And this Thy grace must give.

If lie be long, I will be glad,
That I may long obey:
If short: yet why should I be sad,
That shall have the same pay?

Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than He went through before:
He that into God's Kingdom comes
Must enter by this door

Come, Lord, when Grace hath made me meet
Thy blessed Face to see:
For if Thy work on earth be sweet,
What will Thy glory be?

My knowledge of that Life is small;
The Eye of Faith is dim:
But it's enough that Christ knows all;
And I shall be with Him.

Our Newest Little Cousin

2010-02-15T15:27:00.000-08:00

Valentine Cookies

2010-02-15T15:02:00.000-08:00

Becca and I had so much fun in the kitchen the other day. Here is what we did...

Half if the top cookie was dipped in almond bark.

Then drizzled with chocolate.

And made into a cookie sandwich!
All packed and ready to ship to grandparents. :)

2010-02-08T13:20:00.000-08:00

To a Young Girl Singing

Oh, what do you know of the song, my dear,
And how have you made it your own?
You have caught the turn of the melody clear,
And you give it again with a golden tone,
Till the wonder-word and the wedded note
Are flowing out of your beautiful throat
With a liquid charm for every ear:
And they talk of your art,--but for you alone
The song is a thing, unheard, unknown;
You only have learned it by rote.

But when you have lived for awhile, my dear,
I think you will learn it anew!
For a joy will come, or a grief, or a fear,
That will alter the look of the world for you;
And the lyric you learned as a bit of art,
Will wake to life as a wonderful part
Of the love you feel so deep and true;
And the thrill of a laugh or the throb of a tear,
Will come with your song to all who hear;
For then you will know it by heart.

Henry van Dyke

Mutts to Describe the Day

2010-01-26T08:25:00.000-08:00

A cartoon strip that sums up my life at the moment... :P

Sorry for the brevity of the post... off and running!

The Cusp of the New Year

2009-12-31T14:37:00.000-08:00

And so, we've come to the end of 2009. It is, naturally, a time of remembering the past year and looking forward to the fresh beginning of a new one. I spent some time this morning walking the shores a frozen lake with my best friend. The sky was clear and the air was crisp--anything more still and beautiful is hard to imagine. Our conversation reminded me of this poem, an appropriate view of setting off into this new and unknown year.

The Gate of the Year

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'
And he replied, 'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'

So I went forth and finding the Hand of God
Trod gladly into the night.
He led me towards the hills
And the breaking of day in the lone east.

So heart, be still!
What need our human life to know
If God hath comprehension?
In all the dizzy strife of things
Both high and low,
God hideth his intention.

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Psalm 90

The Night we didn't go to the Nutcracker

2009-12-23T17:44:00.001-08:00

We were all dressed up (see photo)... we were all quite excited (see photo)... Sarah had an excuse to wear the sparkly, red shirt (see photo) :)... it was going to be a lovely evening, including the Messiah on the ride downtown, dinner, and a new experience for all of us... and about twenty minutes after this picture was taken, we were all very thankful to be alive.

I had been out on the roads just an hour earlier and the all-wheel drive had handled the roads well. The Interstate and Highway were wet, but clear, and so we decided to sally forth--without winter coats, I might add. The continued snow and plummeting temperature made the roads rather treacherous and we found ourselves in a snow-filled ditch off of Hwy 85. Apparently we did a good bit of sliding and a 360 (I don't remember that--it's a deduction from where and how we landed and the recollection of everyone else in the car :P). Nothing short of a miracle, we traveled to the opposite side of the road, missed the car that was swerving into my lane, a pole, and the barbed wire fence (the car isn't a thing of beauty, but barbed wire marks wouldn't, ya know, be an improvement or anything :). We were one of about four vehicles that had trouble right there so we were all very pleased to see the police men arrive just a few minutes later. (Sarah would like all of you to know that they were so nice, she's now no longer afraid of them. For those of you who haven't heard, she's been pulled over for drunk driving, but that's a different story. :) We were stuck... as in, we had traffic completely stopped across 85 so the tow truck could pull us out. Quite the experience, I can assure you.

We spent the half hour waiting for the tow truck slowly freezing and discussing whether or not we were going to continue on; the reasoning went that I'd had my once-a-year-into-a-ditch-during-a-snow-storm experience so we would probably be okay. Just to prove that we do have our wits about us, and as I was in the driver's seat I had the final say so... we came home. :) So we're safe, warm, and thanking the Lord for His protection!

The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,
and delivers them.Ps. 34:7

She's a doll

2009-12-19T14:05:00.000-08:00

2009-12-06T17:43:00.000-08:00

The Hawaii pictures will come. At the moment they are on a different computer so I'll need help getting to them. :P In the mean time however, here are a few reasons for the lack of posts (among many other things). We are working on one for Dad and one for our new baby cousin as well, so when they are finished I'll get pictures of them up too! :D

Merry Christmas, A Wee Little Bit Early

2009-12-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

The most sacred and festive of seasons is upon us once again, and with it all of the traditions of the yuletide. Carols celebrating Advent, snow if you're in the right part of the country, twinkle lights, and the list goes on. As you all know, one of these is the exchanging of gifts.

This tradition can become rather complex if you have family in far-off, un-snowy states, such as Georgia, for example. Mail carriers and those estimable post office workers do not esteem your boxes of goods, so well thought out and planned, as you do. They do things like lose them, plop them in snow drifts, use the packaging tape to mend flat tires, and send every tenth box through the giant gift-eating machine which then spits them out barely recognizable. And your box and mine are always the tenth one. With all of that said, the most natural and brilliant thing to do is to fulfill this tradition(if you so desire) when with at least part of the family in far-off, un-snowy states.

Brilliancy runs in my family, but I got skipped. Because in an effort to be brilliant in this way, my grandmother sent a rather bulky and weighty box home with me when I was in Georgia a few weeks ago, with a strict injunction to hide it for her and bring it out, beautifully wrapped, at the appropriate time. I had every intention and desire to be helpful in this way(I can at least aid and abet brilliancy), so I did as she asked. So after a very, very early flight home, I took said box and hid it just before going to bed to catch up on some sleep.

And then I forgot it. I told you I got skipped.

So this morning, while Grandee(code name for grandmothers from GA) and I stood at the mirror, fixing our hair, she said something like this:
"You know that thing I sent home with you? Where is it?"

I thought desperately for two seconds and then said: "I don't know." I had that terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach like I used to get when I had to go tell Mom that I had broken that crystal dish that was a wedding present.

She said "BECCA!!!" And she squealed it like a teenager, because she does that, even though she's I'm-not-telling-you how many years old.

Then I searched in my closet, since that was the only place big enough to hide it in my room, where I was certain it was, and it wasn't there. I got called away, and didn't look again until tonight when she asked for it. And then Anna searched in our closet, and had no better success.
It was becoming a dismal sort of situation. So Grandee said "oh, don't worry about, I'm sure you'll remember in a day or two." and proceeded to give me lesson in how to throw a football. (It didn't go so great, just so you know, but it gave us a laugh)

The next suggestion was the boy's closet. Oh no, I said, it can't be there, because I know that I hid it in my room. But for form's sake, I looked. And lo and behold, where should it be besides nestled in a pile of unsewn sewing projects, there in Josiah and David's closet. Don't ask why sewing projects are in that place.

So we wrapped it beautifully, and it sits now under the figurative tree which we haven't set up. But there it is, proving that miracles do happen, and that stories still can have a happy ending. However, my mother still does pity my someday-husband-- he'll have to have a lot of brilliancy to make up for my lack thereof, and that's a very large lack, after all. :)

Stuffed With Books...

2009-11-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

This is an excerpt from some of my recent reading, and I found it quite delightful-sounding. That great garret in the little house must resemble our garage, which has quite a number of boxes of books in it. And the chocolate? The only thing better than chocolate and a book is a cup of good English tea with chocolate and a book--but it must be the right kind of tea, you know. I only wonder that the protagonist could spend only an hour there. :)

"There is a great garret in my little house which is stuffed with books. It was into this that I plunged and rummaged for an hour. At the end of that time I emerged with a little chocolate and silver volume."

A Day of Thanksgiving to God

2009-11-26T12:07:00.000-08:00

Besides the troubling trend in our country of turning Thanksgiving into "Turkey Day" or Black Friday Eve, the complete ignorance of not only what we should be thankful for but of Whom we should be thankful to has been erased from the consciences of most Americans. The proclamations of the founders clearly acknowledge that they knew not only that they had their nation and their very lives to be thankful for, but that they were conscientiously Christian in giving thanks to Almighty God. May we be as open in our declaration that it is to God that we owe our prayers of gratitude and pleas for mercy.

Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Day Proclamation

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

Free Music--No Strings Attached

2009-11-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

Ben sent me this link the other day. It will direct you to a page where you can put $3 on your Amazon account which is redeemable for mp3 files. You can find such things as Vaughn Williams' Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus all on a single track, you could download (almost) any concerto in it's entirety, or you can get single tracks from almost any album. Guess you know some of what I went looking for. :)

Happy shopping... (my kind of shopping--from the comfort of the sofa, in my slippers :).

A DAY FOR REJOICING!

2009-11-17T15:33:00.000-08:00

DAD AND MOM ARE HOME!!!!!!!!!!! =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =)

It is WONDERFUL to have them back and for everyone to be together again. Today is their 25th wedding anniversary and we are all going to go out to dinner! What a treat! We are SO thankful for their faithfulness to the Lord and each other. I have to say, we are the most blessed children in the whole world!

Oh, they had a very special time in Hawaii and I'll post pictures soon but for now I want to be with everyone! :) Until later...

Treasured Memories

2009-11-12T18:35:00.000-08:00

On October 31st, if you go into Chipotle with any kind of foil on they will give you a free burrito. And with a large family we can't pass up the deal. This year however, was the best year yet because not only did our family go, but the Chapa family joined us to "beg for burritos"! :) Honestly, I was just thankful we were able to spend time with such dear friends!

Our parents with whom God has blessed us richly ... and of course Beth :)

Anna, Peyton, and Emma

Ben, Jack, and Faith :)

Lijah and Peter

David, Micah, and Becca

Reed and Noah

Josiah, Sarah, and Beth

A Spot of Poetry

2009-11-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

Want to guess who's posting? I do believe this is my most prolific blogging stint since the inception of this blog, but I'm not going back in the archives to figure that out for sure. Fortunately, or otherwise, it's none of it (hardly) original material. 'Specially in this case as my poetry to date deserves one terse adjective. Trite. But I'm working on that. Theoretically, that is. I want to work on it, I have an instructional book, I have a blank notebook. NOW, I must scrounge up some time to sit and chew on the end of a pencil and feel artistically distraught with three uncooperative words on my page. (But I shan't pull out my hair because there isn't enough for me to spare.) Until I brave up and decide to post anything of that sort, I'm going to give you a few lines from a poet I've come to greatly enjoy. Never would I recommend his poetry wholesale. A few members of my family wouldn't even call it poetry (it doesn't rhyme--horrors). So, hopefully that's warning enough if you aren't in the mood for un-rhyming poetry.

I have, over the past few days, read several of T.S. Eliot's poems in their entirety. One of which was Choruses from "The Rock." Difficult to follow in some places, and there are others where I disagree with his theology, but these sections were ones that had more resonance with me this time through, particularly from subjects brought up in sermons I've heard recently.

But here upon earth you have the reward of the good and ill that
was done by those who have gone before you.
And all that is ill you may repair if you walk together in humble
repentance, expiating the sins of your fathers;
And all that was good you must fight to keep with hearts as
devoted as those of your fathers who fought to gain it.
The Church must be forever building, for it is forever decaying
within and attacked from without;
For this is the law of life; and you must remember that while
there is time of prosperity
The people will neglect the Temple, and in time of adversity they will decry it.

This section more directly relate to the importance and difficulty of building a Christian community. Astute observations and even more proven in our current culture.

What life have you if you have not life together?
There is no life that is not in community,
And no community not lived in praise of GOD...
And now you live dispersed on ribbon roads,
And no man knows or cares who is his neighbour
Unless his neighbour makes too much disturbance,
But all dash to and fro in motor cars,
Familiar with the roads and settled nowhere.

And a last few lines, bespeaking the more than willing nature of people to dish out all their opinions and advice but certainly not willing to listen to anyone else.

And they write innumberable books; being too vain and distracted for silence:
seeking every one after his own elevation, and dodging his emptiness.
If humility and purity be not in the heart, they are not in the home: and if they
are not in the home, they are not in the City.

There's always more than one way...

2009-10-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

Rather ingenious. :)

Berry Pickin'

2009-10-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago some very special friends came up. We had a big breakfast and the headed to the berry fields which almost everyone enjoyed (and those who were not quite as thrilled were very good sports about it all :). Needless to say we had a wonderful time with them and it all went by too fast... looking forward to the next get-together with them! ;)

Headed back to the barn...

Catching you up... again :)

2009-10-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

I'm sure by now you only check our blog once a month and don't expect too much to be there. Life is full, to say the least, and finding time to blog is a challenge. However, Josiah and I decided it would be a good idea to catch you up on a few things. I asked him what we should tell everyone and the first thing he wants you all to know is that we go to church every week. :) First things first, and with that covered, I thought I'd give you a little picture update as well.

A happy trio! :)

We celebrated a special birthday with Grandpa!

A picture from the 2009 wall photo shoot... more pictures of that will follow shortly.

Happy Birthday!!

2009-09-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, we celebrate yet another birthday in our house--our mother's! Dad took the day off and surprised her, and then Grandpa and Grandma came later to join in the festivities.

May God bless you with many more birthdays!

A Day Without Chocolate...

...Is a Day Without
Sunshine.

But this was not just any birthday--this was a gluten-free birthday. And everyone know what kind of challenges this poses to the Proper Celebrations and Festivities of Birthday. It makes a cake nearly impossible, at least one that can be consumed by the masses, because some of us are downright picky. Most notably, Yours Truly.

Most of the time, conversations at our house go something like this:
Miss GF: Oh, you should try this! It almost tastes like real _! (fill in the blank; cake, bread, etc.) Moi: (With a smile that might be a grimace) You're right! Almost!
And, you make a run for some water to wash that fine, gritty layer of rice flour from your mouth.

Therefore, we compromise, with a flourless cake. Please don't ask for the science of it, but it works. Does it EVER work. It is wonderful delightful chocolate-y-ness. It is richness. It is...amazing. And no, you may not have the recipe. You'll have to come visit. :)

And as we all know, if you want 'em to turn out right...

You've got to start them young!

Lijah's 12!

2009-09-06T19:42:00.000-07:00

Actually, by now, he's almost 13. But not really, that just seems like it was a VEERRYY LLOOONNNGG time ago. Better late than never though, right?! :) Lijah is entering the "big kid" stage and is a huge help with everything. We pray that as he grows taller, his heart will grow even more tender towards the Lord and he will draw closer to his Savior.

A New Adventure!

2009-09-06T19:37:00.001-07:00

And here is one of the very good reasons that we haven't posted--at least, we think it's a very good reason. It is a little cottage business we started this spring, and getting anything like this off the ground is quite a project! We've had a table at the Greeley Farmer's Market every Saturday this summer, and hopefully will have a website up very, very soon. We'll let you know when that happens!

David is 4!

2009-09-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

Wow... I hadn't relized how far the pictures are behind. It's a good thing life goes on without this blog because it would be a scary thing if it didn't. :P

David is now 4 and is still as sweet as ever! He is at a very fun age when just about everything he says makes us laugh or smile (even though he is trying to be serious :). Next to some of his brothers he would be the more mellow gentle kind. He is such a treasure and loves to play with or brush his sisters hair... it's heavenly! :) Our prayer is that he will be a man after God's own heart and we're so very thankful to have him as our little buddy!

Bethy always has something to sing

I, the most delinquintest of the resident bloggers...

2009-09-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Hello all--yes, I exist as more than merely an administrator. But I'm not exactly in the analytical mood for book reviews so... I'll begin by explaining the title of this post.

If you haven't read "The Story of the Trapp Family Singers," you should. But that isn't where the title for this post came from. It actually came from another book that Maria von Trapp wrote. The name of the book is "Maria" and is an autobiographical look at her life more individually. I'd strongly suggest that book as well. Part of the book tells of her time at the convent before she went to live with the von Trapps. She was extremely clumsy (she said so herself so that isn't an "uncharitable speech"--for those of you who have read the Anne of Green Gables books) and anytime any one of the nuns (or those not-yet-nuns--I forget their exact title) broke something, they had to stand before the entire convent and humbly say, "I, the most unworthy member of this community, have wasted common good." She had to recite this so often that she decided to add some life to the recitation. After breaking a plate, she took it and glued it back together, broke out the center of it and when it came time for her to penitently say her speech, she held the plate up, framing her face, and said"I, the most unworthy member of this community, have wasted common good."

So, that's the story behind the title for this post... but I'm not going to frame my face and make an apologetic speech the next time I see one of you. So sorry.

Anyway, the real reason for this post was to show you something of beauty... my next project. In my next life, that is. I have enough projects for this one.

One of the mothers whose children I teach is a math genius and seamstress extraordinaire (the kind who drafts her own patterns--so, if there are those of you who do that who read this, you are seamstresses extraordinaire too; either that or you belong to the "real" seamstress class sort of like a "real" musician {according to earlier time period standards} could compose, improvise, perform, etc.) who also happens to quilt. The below picture is of her first foray into the world of Bargello quilting.

That, my friends, is something I would like to create. But I'd probably go with something more along these lines as far as the color scheme goes.

So, that's my dreamy sort of project. Christmas break came to mind but I'm not promising myself that it will happen--we're just in the dreamy stage right now...

Until next year (at which time I will post next :P)!

2009-08-28T06:11:00.000-07:00

Howdy! Quick update to let everyone know we are still around! :) There is a LOT to post about but that will have to wait until next week because Becca and I are headed to the Father/Son retreat as of this morning. We have pictures and maybe some video (if we can get it uploaded) of family camp and I'm sure we will have lots of pictures from this weekend to share as well. Looking forward to getting you caught up when we return. Until then... may God bless you and may you grow in His grace.

In the Beginning...

2009-08-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

And here we are again, having shamefully neglected our blog for a rather lengthy amount of time. Yet just this once we will spare the sob story of the fullness of our lives, the shortness of our days, etc., etc., and so forth. We will simply return the roots of this blog, our very first and introductory post. And I quote:

"First of all, we shall try to not let it get lonely too often."
Haha. But we made no promises. We said try.

"So, contained herein will be a glimpse of the household goings-on and all of the pictures that a certain member of our trio thinks will be most neccessary."

We all now know who the certain member of our trio is. But the ever-full schedule has not provided much that was picture worthy, and if it was, well, we forgot the camera. Shame, shame.

"...topics under discussion (which include our books)..."

And this fragmentation of a sentence spawns a genius idea. Why not write book reviews of all that we literariats have been working away at? So perhaps this will come next. But again, I make you no promises.

Incidentally, Anna wrote aforementioned inaugural post. Is that not remarkable--this poor little ol' blog hasn't heard from her lately. Hmmm... maybe when she reads this, she'll write the book reviews! But I don't know what she's been reading lately. We'll have to work on that. Until then, maybe we can get the pictures rolling. That would be novel. :)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

2009-07-16T12:27:00.001-07:00

We were able to go to a Rockies game when they played the Braves. And belive it or not, Dad was rooting for the Rockies! :P Of course, he would not have been sad if the Braves had won but that night the Rockies got more runs. :)

2009-07-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Star Spangled Banner

Oh, say! can you see by the dawn's early light

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming;

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly

streaming?

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:

Oh, say! does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the

brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,

In fully glory reflected now shines in the stream:

'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh, long may it wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the

brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion

A home and a country should leave us no more?

Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution!

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the

brave.

Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a

nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust":

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the

brave.

That night we went down to watch the firworks after the Rockies game finished.
They were spectacular!

2009-07-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July we spent the day as a family hiking in the mountains. The day was perfect, everything was so breathtaking. It was a blessing to just have a good family day out doing something we all enjoy so much! Needless to say... it was simply lovely! :)

2009-07-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

He has made everything beautiful in its time...

Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one
can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
~ Ecclesiastes 3:11

Josiah is 6!

2009-07-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

The first (of three) July birthdays has past and as of the 2nd, Josiah is now 6! It's hard to believe he is that old but has given us every reason you can imagine to love all 6 years of it! Full of life and joy he has been so much fun to have as a little brother and we thank the Lord for giving us such a treasure. :) After teaching himself how to read (with a little foundation work with Mom) he was given a "real" Bible. If you ask him what he got for his birthday, with a twinkle in his eye and a big smile on his face, he will proudly tell you he has his own Bible now! You can often find David sitting listening to Josiah's "preaching" as he reads his new Bible... it is truly priceless!

Oh the JOY!

Beth's One

2009-06-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

We know that it's nearly two months past, but we couldn't let Beth's birthday go by without at least a picture or two! She is so much fun, and we are still lovin' pink!

Two days old!

One year old!

And Now for the Introductions...

2009-06-29T18:25:00.001-07:00

But oh wait. That's what profiles are for. So we'll skip the all of the "hi-how-are-yous" and beg your forgiveness for being such tardy, backwards, awful (I could go on) bloggers for almost a whole month. Yet there are reasons. Very, very good reasons. And here are a few-- A homeschool conference (which was wonderful), a tea party (which was lovely), the laundry, and a social life (we do have one of those, don't you know?), home improvement projects, lawn work and trying to kill a garden. Oh, and not to mention cutting an electric cord. AGAIN! That was my special job today, and I did it oh so well. The cord doesn't work in the slightest little bit, and yes, one of the bushes is only half trimmed. But hey, at least this year, it's the one in the back yard.

And so, all that to say, we haven't taken very many pictures to show you. Nor have we written any profound thoughts to share with you. Such bloggerly duties have been completely ignored, but no longer! For here, for your enjoyment, are pictures of something. But I don't know exactly what, because that is Sarah's job. So she shall have to explain the photos, while I do the grievous job of explaining our absence. Thank you for your patience, love and support. (sniffle, sniffle) We wouldn't be here without you, (sob) our faithful and longsuffering reader. (chokedly) Thank you.

~Rebecca

The Thoughts of David

2009-06-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

In which he shares his profound philosiphies on romantic love, the purpose and meaning of his art, and his favorite scripture for road rage.

He exclaimed, while throwing his arms around his sister "I'm in love with you!" She, being so very tender-hearted, reciprocated with equal fervor, "I'm in love with you too!" To which he replied "No you aren't. Girls don't fall in love with boys, boys only fall in love with girls!" We'll give him a few years on that one...

While showing off one of his artistic masterpieces, he explained it like this: "This is Elijah whining. And Jesus is mad at him for whining." This great achievement in the world and history of art is to be surpassed only by his "message to God, asking him to save Elijah."

And of course, when you're stuck in rush hour, always remember that the wicked "are like the traffic, which the wind drives away" Ps. 1:

David Storrie is the resident philosopher and Beth Protecter at Storrieville Academy. His thoughts and opinions, which he shares quite freely, are nearly four years in the making. When not pondering the deep matters of life or creating something Da Vincian, he enjoys eating, sleeping, playing outside, collecting baseball cards, and wearing patterned socks in outrageously bright colors. He resides with his family (which is a rather ponderous one) at said Storrieville Academy, which he refuses to call a boarding school.

2009-06-02T11:14:00.001-07:00

Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all."
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates.

Proverbs 31:28-31

A happy Mother's Day to the best Mama in the world! We love you lots and lots! (Sorry this is so late. :)

Two Temples

A Builder builded a temple,

He wrought it with grace and skill;

Pillars and stones and arches

All fashioned to work his will.

Men said, as they saw its beauty,

"It shall never know decay;

Great is thy skill, O Builder!

Thy fame shall endure for aye."

A Mother builded a temple

With loving and infinite care,

Planning each arch with patience,

Laying each stone with prayer.

None praised her unceasing efforts,

None knew of her wondrous plan,

For the temple the Mother builded

Was unseen by the eyes of man.

Gone is the Builder's temple,

Crumpled into the dust;

Low lies each stately pillar,

Food for consuming rust,

But the temple the Mother builded

Will last while ages roll,

For that beautiful unseen temple

Was a child's immortal soul.

Hattie Vose Hall

(We have pictures but the computer won't load them right now. :P)

Beautiful Beth

2009-05-20T16:06:00.001-07:00

This one is for you Mr. Roach! :)

Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice...

2009-05-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

...that's what little girls are made of.

Tea Time

2009-05-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

While in GA, Grandee took "the girls" (except for Aunt Flora who had to work :/) to a tea room. So now Beth and Alexandria have had their first tea room experience. It was so much fun to have a little sister along this time... it just keeps getting sweeter! :)

Becca, Anna, Sarah

Aunt Angie, Alexandria, Grandee, Mama, and Beth

Nothing is sweeter than having sisters for your friends! :)

Beth -- learning the fun of being a girl!

I think she likes it!

Start them while they are young... right?!

Taking time to smell the flower!

2009-05-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

Wow! Time sure does fly... whether you are having fun or not! :) Life has not slowed down in the least bit and it doesn't look too calm in the near future either. God is good and has given us many "fun" blessings as we go through life striving to serve our King. One of the fun blessings is He allowed all of us to go to Georgia to visit Dad's side of the family. It was quite the interesting trip getting all of us down there and then back home again but once again, God was good. Of course when we are there our time is filled with visiting all the uncles, aunts, cousins and staying with Pop-Pop and Grandee! I'll try and pick a few pictures to highlight the trip (I tend to have a problem with taking too many pictures :).

Beth and Alexandria fell in love with each other at first sight! :)

Beth meets Uncle Carl!

The littlest cousins playing together.

Little girls...

Pop-Pop and the boys built a burn pile that we enjoyed roasting marshmallows over. :D

Mom and Aunt Angie enjoying a talk.

More roasting...

Beth's first marshmallow roased over a fire.

She seemed to enjoy it! :)

David and Josiah reading in Pop-Pop's lap.

Ezra getting a "drink". :P

I think you would call them friends.

Uncle Dar getting in on the Loony Tunes watching. :)

He's 17!

2009-05-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

We are still here... and we have lots to post! :) Fist things first though. In our blog world absence there was a birthday in our home. Someone who is now lots taller than me, who fixes all our computer (or any other electronic device) problems, and is a very handy man to have around turned 17 in April. It has been such a blessing to watch him growing into a man. Our prayer is that he will be a humble mighty man of God. We love you lots, little-big-brother! :D

We celebrated in GA too but I couldn't find the picture of that right off.

2009-04-09T15:27:00.001-07:00

Hello, this is the second little maid here. I am back home now and so in honor of our precious fourth little made who picked up the slack for us I thought I would post some pictures of her! These pictures have been on their way to the blog for a while now but life seems to snowball at times! :D

2009-04-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hello, this is the fourth little maid, here to post because my sisters (who, gallingly enough) named a blog after themselves which they now force me to upkeep. And, when nobody else is doing the work, well, then the least of us must pick up the slack.

So, here I am, being instated as an author.

My real purpose is to apologize for the negligence of my sisters, and to beg you, their bloggy followers, for forgiveness of their sins. They are many, I know, but for my sake (the cutest of them all), try with all that is within you to pardon their transgressions. After all, I have, and I'm the one suffering because of them! But hopefully, they will all be home soon from their travels, and can once again tend to their responsibilities at home, namely, this blog. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Bethy

P.S. Upon rereading this, I realize my fondness for commas. I know you won't care though, because too many commas are the signs of greatness in writing... at least, I think I've heard that. And, after all, that's what editors are for!

2009-03-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Anna's birthday and so in honor of this special day we need a special post! :) So...

HAPPY 23RD BIRTHDAY ANNA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Daddy didn't want blowing out the candles to be too easy for her... :)

The joy books can bring! (Two big ones!)

David's liking the looks of the ice cream.

It was good to every last drop!

Fluffy & White

2009-03-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Fluff and white and fun, that is what weddings are made of! And this is Elisabeth on her way to the ball... I mean wedding! She was beautiful!

Water Fun

2009-03-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

Living in Colorado with no beaches near and not doing pools much leaves time in the water very minimal. However, on our trip to Phillip and Katie's wedding we, of course, stayed in a hotel and the boys thought it great fun to be in the water! Needless to say the beginning of swimming lessons was well under way, though I'm not sure if they enjoyed that or the hot tub more... :)

David is an avid believer of taking life one "step" at a time. :)

And that's how it's done.

But then again, that hot tub with the jets was new and exciting too! :)

Chick-fil-A

2009-03-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

Kudos to Mr. Hawkins--one person whose taste buds are correctly calibrated. :P
And he isn't afraid to sing about it!

Bubbly Beth

2009-03-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

These are a little late and her nine month photo shoot didn't go quite as planed. However, I thought I'd post a few anyhow!

Phillip & Katie are Married!

2009-03-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Hello to all our bloggie friends! Sorry for the lack of post... it's been crazy. Lots of event have happened since our post but the biggest one for our family was heading to Louisiana to witness the marriage covenant of Phillip and Katie Bradrick (formerly Katie Valenti)! God's gifts are so beautiful and are worth the wait! It was such a blessing to be with friends we don't see very often and of course traveling as a family always makes the trip more special (and more adventrous :). I have lots of pictures of different parts of the trip but seeing that the wedding was the reason we went, and probably the pictures you would like to see most, I will post them first! Also if you want to see some better pictures you can view a few from the photographer at http://www.christophermaxwell.com/weddings/phillip-katie/index.html, and the Botkin girls had some good ones on their blog, visionarydaughters.com

Phillip and his men.
(From left to right: Stephen Bradrick, Peter Bradrick, Andy Bradrick, Joey Valenti, Tim Craig, the grand and glorious groom himself, Chad Roach, David Craig, Joshua Harris, Jordan Muela)

The elated groom waiting for...

his beaming bride!

Saying their vows.

The first kiss. :)

Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Bradrick! :D

Beth and Jenna, future best friends

A very happy couple!

Mr. Roach and Beth playing. :)

It's A Birthday!

2009-02-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

Today marks 19 years of life with our wonderful sister Becca! :D We are so thankful that we get to share our day to day life with her and as the family comedian... she has put many years on all our lives! I'll have pictures to post soon, but for now I just wanted to say...

HAPPY 19th BIRTHDAY REBECCA!!!

A Day at the Races...

2009-02-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

Overheard between two contestants at the Matchbox Race Track, in Family Room, Storrieland:
David (1st Place):"Well, you know what the Bible says! The winner WINS!!
Josiah (Last Place):"No, it doesn't. It says the loser is the winner!

It should be noted that they begin Kindergarten Hermeneutics 101 tomorrow. :)

A Fun Surprise!

2009-02-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that our Grandpa and Grandma have gone to Arizona for the past few winters. I guess you could call Grandpa a snow bird and Grandma has taken the book of Ruth to heart and goes wherever he goes. :) There are a few birthdays in those months that they are gone, of which Grandma's birthday is one and Mom wanted to show up as a special birthday surprise! We talked with Grandpa about a week before the event and he said that would be wonderful so the planning started! Dad, Mom and Beth flew down on Saturday, February 7th (Grandma's birthday!) and arrived at the trailer park around lunch time. The plan was to surprise Grandma at the house but she was walking to the mailbox and Mom just couldn't wait once she saw her so... she surprised her right there as Grandma was taking her stroll!

Important side note: This was Beth's first airplane ride! :)

The car was school-bus yellow... shnazzy, no?!

A birthday dinner.

Pictures from Birthdays

2009-01-26T17:33:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the birthdays we've had this year. Micah turned 8 on the sixth of January and I just transferred the pictures to the computer today. :P

Lovin' having a little sister!

Let's play ball!!!

Tis good to be loved...

Becca made a scrumptious cream puff!

Some of my handsome buddies

Playing games...the girls

Mr. and Mrs. T

My wonderful parents

Anna with the boys

And HERE IT IS!!!!

2009-01-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

Dear Bloggie friends,

You are, in all probability, shaking your head over my bloggity delinquency. To remember the birth dates of two men, long dead, and yet forget the same special day of one of my nine nearest and dearest relatives is a sin not easily to be forgiven. But... I am here to tell you, I sin not so grievously, because HERE IT IS!!!

Happy Birthday Sarah!!!!!

We actually celebrated today (hence the day late post, and I wanted you all to squirm), but pictures will have to wait, because I don't even have them downloaded on the computer, (and to tell you the truth, I don't even know how!) so pics will come tomorrow! Good night.

P.S. This also happens to be our 100th post. Exciting, eh? ;)

And here's one more...

2009-01-21T14:22:00.000-08:00

If you desire to be more heavenly minded,

think more of the things of heaven,

and less of the things of earth.

--Stonewall Jackson
January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863

I promise, this is the last one. I wish their birthdays weren't two days apart, but oh well!

Happy Birthday to...Who?

2009-01-19T20:56:00.000-08:00

"Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less"
--Robert E. Lee

Happy 202nd Birthday, General Lee

A Little Bit of Fun

2009-01-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

Our grandparents have given us all ornaments over the years and so we have quite a collection around here. And when you pool all of them together it is a huge collection! I would have to say though that my favorites are the ones where we have all our names on them (those ones are Dad and Mom's :). This year we got to add a name and Grandpa and Grandma added this one for us!

A New Year Thought

2009-01-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

In light of the new year and the closing of last year I've been thinking of all the blessings God pours out on us. I know that I have no clue as to all God has given me and yet from the bottom of my heart I thank Him for all the blessings He has shown me and for knowing that He loves me no matter what may be going on. I have learned that blessings are not only when times are good and everything is happy but God gives us blessings in times of challenge and draws us closer to Him, which is the biggest blessing of all. But one of the biggest blessings and my deepest thanksgiving is for the wonderful parents He has given me. I could never write on paper what they mean to me but I do want to thank them for their never ending sacrifices and love they pour out to me and my siblings. Quite honestly, I took my family (and to my shame still do sometimes) for granted and didn't realize how valuable each member is and that it is our loving father and mother who have poured their lives into us, to teach, train, and guide us down the path that leads to everlasting life. In Proverbs it says that "her children will rise up and call her blessed" and to paraphrase that just a little we like to say "their children rise up and call them blessed". So as this new year is upon us and we thank the Lord for His love and blessings I just want to encourage you to thank your parents for all they do (they do more than we will ever know :)! They are the ones God has put over us and He makes no mistakes. My prayer this year is that God would give me a new depth of understanding of how to honor my parents and bless them as they have given so much for me.

Thoughts for a New Year

2008-12-31T18:03:00.000-08:00

Psalm 18:28-36

For You will light my lamp;
The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
For by You I can run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.
As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the LORD is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

For who is God, except the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.
He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great.
You enlarged my path under me,
So my feet did not slip.

Wishing you all a blessed year!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T09:22:00.000-08:00

"The people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light:
they that dwelled in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined...
For unto us a child is born, and unto us a Son is given: and the government is upon his shoulder, and he shall call his name, Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
--Isaiah 9:2, 6

Friends for Life...

2008-12-19T19:55:00.000-08:00

Our Little Angel

2008-12-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

Two for One

2008-12-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

For those of you who read comments, here are the "missing" pictures! (Thanks to Sarah for taking them. :)

A couple weeks ago we were able to help at Operation Christmas Child with some sweet friends. Every year they have an ornament and a t-shirt for you. Well, this year I picked up the biggest shirt they had -- just for fun. One of these friends said that we could fit two of us in it so we tried and these are pictures of it! :)

And we didn't stretch it out! :)

Tea time

2008-12-14T20:40:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, the Morgan girls came over for afternoon tea. It was so special and we had a lovely time together!

The table was set.

We had fun making little chocolate cream pies, raspberry pies, and lemon meringue pies. :)

Rachel and Anna

Rebecca and Rebecca

Anna, Sarah and Sarah
(Yes, it does get a little confusing sometimes when we are together. :)

All the girls.

Our Hero

2008-12-06T19:48:00.000-08:00

Our dearest Father had a birthday too (his is three days after Noah's). We could never thank him enough for all the sacrifices he makes for each one of us. We love you lots and lots and lots and... :)

2008-12-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

So sorry for the lack of posts. We do have several events to post about but first things first. Noah's carefree days are over and has entered the world of double digits! :)

They're like banana's...they are always in a bunch!

Girls 'n Curls

2008-11-17T21:16:00.000-08:00

Here is a little flashback from the past. . . oh, and a little something from the present. :)

Rub-a-dub-dub, Bethy in a tub...

2008-11-15T20:23:00.000-08:00

Roll Tide!

2008-11-10T21:20:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday found our family having a jolly good time with the Martinez family! :) (Before we went to their home we were able to attend yet another wedding and it was SO good. :) Anyhow, back to having a jolly good time at the Martinezes... you see, the Martinez family roots for LSU and we are Alabama fans and the two teams were playing together. (The Martinezes were all decked out in LSU gear and colors and the Storries were all Alabama red.) So we gathered to "watch the game" (some of us did and some of us didn't) and had some scrumptious jambalaya! Needless to say, we all had a blast and just loved being able to spend time with their sweet family! :) Here are a few pictures from the evening!

The flag was new for the occasion! :)

The whole crew (except the moms who were the photographers).

Jenna and Beth...future best friends! ;)

David, John and Josiah, playing together.

And we're back!

2008-10-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of post recently. We have been mighty busy people the past few weeks! The last couple of Saturdays we were helping with weddings that were happening at our church, and this week we decided that because spring cleaning never really happened we should do fall cleaning (we were getting ready to welcome our little sister...much more important :)!

So in a nut shell that is why we have not been around doing posts. But I do have some pictures of the wedding last weekend. The first wedding we were at (Tate and Meredith's) I forgot my camera. :( It was beautiful as well and I'm disappointed I don't have any pictures to put up of that one. Anyway, the one that was last weekend (Nathan and Laura's) I was able to do that cake for them, she designed it all and it turned out lovely...she has wonderful taste! :)

The happy couple! :D

2008-10-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

On this day, one year ago, The Storries of Three Sisters entered the blogosphere. So... Happy Anniversary to us? :P

Mr. Harlan is home!

2008-10-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, Mr. Harlan was serving in Iraq for the past year and we (and especially his sweet family :) are very thankful the Lord brought him home safely! Below are a couple links to articles that were in the California paper upon his return. One of them is a picture of his and is son who was born while he was gone (Heath was born the day after Beth! :). Anyway, I thought you all might like to look at them!

http://gallery.venturacountystar.com/slideShows_custom.cfm?photoIDs=20750&typeName=STAFF
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/sep/27/200-seabees-back-from-iraq-families-tearfully/

Baby Beth is 5 months!

2008-10-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it but Beth is already five months old. She can now almost sit by herself and is making all sorts of girly sounds! :) I'm afraid she is slightly spoiled but we try to limit how many times we say the word cute! ;) She is a pure joy and we all love playing with her and watching her discover the exciting things in life.

A Profound Thought

2008-10-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Reader,
This is the most uncommunicative blogger of this blog. My neglect of this site has been gnawing at me of late (after all, it was my idea! It think), and so I am here to remedy my problem, or at least be able to tell myself that I really am a good blog hostess. Yes, you may call it self deception, but I'm not listening.
I am here to share with you, gentle reader, a most profound truth that came to me the other day. Now, usually, I hide such things from the general public, because the depths of them cannot be plumbed by the average American. In fact, I doubt that anyone reading this will understand the beautiful truth they are about to be exposed to. Unless, of course, I get a French reader, perchance. It is as follows.

Stick pretzels are a balm for the troubled heart and mind.

There. I did it. I told you that you wouldn't understand. But this truth was not discovered easily. It took a singing practice in which one soprano had a croaking amphibian in her throat that would not be dislodged, and an alto who was too easily provoked to laughter. All the ladies were pronouncing vowels like bumpkins. The male ranges, well, 3/4 of them had head colds. It was dirge-ish, ghoulish, and altogether frightening.

But then, we pulled out the pretzels. Not the twisty kind, for those only depress you further by reminding you of your current mental condition. The straight, stick ones. And by the time the un-local singers had been trotted out the door, smiles reigned supreme. It was beautiful. It was inspiring. It was possibly life-changing.

Never forget the lesson of the pretzels.

Happy Fall Ya'll! =)

2008-09-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

Friends!

2008-09-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weekends God has given us special time with sweet friends. The Chapa family came up and spent a couple days with us (it all went by too fast =). We had so much fun sitting around talking, playing games, picking berries (the boys went on that adventure), and just spending time together! They are such a blessing to our family and we thank the Lord for bringing our families together. =) Unfortunately, I did not get pictures while they were here but trust me, we made lots of memories! =D

And just last weekend another sweet family joined us at that Berry Patch Farms and then came and had lunch with us. I did however get pictures of the time we spent with the McKinney's so I thought I would post a few! Once again, we thank the Lord for giving us such special friends to fellowship with! =)

A juicy red ripe strawberry

In the strawberry field.

Ben, Becca and Anna

Mr. McKinney and Dad picking raspberries. Beth going along for the ride and taking a snooze! :)

We couldn't let the day go by without getting a girl picture (Beth was sleeping)!

Taking Care of Beth...

2008-09-29T17:53:00.000-07:00

A Wall Full of Storries!

2008-09-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

If you visit our home you will find in our family room a wall filled with pictures of each child. Every year we take new pictures to put up and so I thought I would post the pictures that we (or a sweet friend) took! :)

Anna

Sarah

Rebecca

Benjamin

Elijah

Noah

Micah

Josiah

David

Elisabeth

The Great Krispy Kreme

2008-09-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

On our way down from the mountains we took a small detour and stopped by Krispy Kreme. And as always I took my camera with us (to some peoples' dismay) but we got a couple pictures that were fun!

They humored me well! :)

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's Off to the Mountains we Go...

2008-09-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

This was Jamie's first time to come to Colorado and a trip out here would just not be complete without a trip to the majestic Rocky Mountains! After Daddy got home from work on Tuesday he took us all up Boulder Creek Canyon, we took a walk and soaked up God's beautiful creation!

The beautiful creek...the colors were starting to change!

The sun was starting to go down so we did the best we could at getting pictures. It really wasn't as dark as it seems in some of the pictures but with the flash and all that's just the way they turned out.

Beth lovin' the ride on Ben's back! :)

The whole clan

One of the best pictures of just us girls that we got

Dad, his boys, and Beth

Jamie had to put her feet in a Colorado creek so she and Becca ventured out onto a couple of rocks.

Thanks for taking us Dad...this was so much fun!

Lunch with the girls

2008-09-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

Monday we went out to Chipotle with the Roaches. Jamie had never been to Chipotle before so we could not let her go home without that wonderful experience! :)

Note: They are wearing coordinating outfits! :)

This picture was not staged...that's just where all the purses landed!

After rigging a camera stand and putting it on timer mode, we got a picture of all the girls! It was a lovely afternoon with such sweet friends! :)

The Fun Continues!

2008-09-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a fun week it has been! :) There are so many pictures to post so we'll plug away until they are all up! Let's see where we left off... After our little night time adventure took place the next thing on our agenda was to surprise Ben. Even with giving him many clues and almost telling him what was going to happen and when, we were shocked that he was truly surprised! :)

"It was a dark and stormy night"... No, that's not too accurate... take two... It all happened Saturday. We began our day at the Berry Patch Farms with some friends from our church. Then once all the berries were picked for the day they came over for lunch and as we ate, the "surprise group" was gathering together! The big moment came and the folks all bunched up in the family room and we called Ben down from the living room (it took a few minutes but he finally came) and much to our delight, he was very surprised!

In the berry field...

Buddies. :)

Genuinely surprised!

Forgot the mega phone to communicate from one end of the table to the other.

Note: all of these guys are holding the same kind of soda... Just to let you all know, Jamie started a trend around our place - and it didn't take long for Dr. Pepper to become all the rage.
Actually, it was no fault of hers - they all just happened to have good taste (pun intended). :)

Lots of good fellowship, food, and other things... such as the water balloon fight. :P All in all, it was a wonderful day - thanks to all of you who helped to make it so special!

What's This?

2008-09-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

The other night some certain people went out with 7 rolls of crepe paper, 2 cans of silly string, and couple goody bags. Little did the victims know what was coming their way!

The ammunition.

The decorations we left at one of the houses! :)
(It was too dark to get pictures of all the cars and tree.)

Hope they didn't have to go anywhere too early the next morning. :)

The guilty party, dressed in black and having way too much fun before embarking on our adventure!

Bad to the bone...ha!

We even got a picture on one of the front porches!

Sugar n' Spice...

2008-09-15T09:27:00.001-07:00

The Jamie Chronicles Part II

2008-09-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well, night two involved a lot of chocolate (and I mean a LOT) as well as a movie until eleven thirty. But somehow, we didn't go to bed for another two hours--funny how that works, isn't it? Anyway, today we went out to lunch, and Jamie began an affinity for, um, french fries. Just don't ask.

Got Chocolate?

Her induction to one of our favorites. Actually, it was quite uneventful except for the fact that as we were taking this picture someone drove through the drive through and right past us. How embarassing!

She found The Pepper Grinder of her dreams....

French fry mayhem!

The Jamie Chronicles :D

2008-09-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

After night one, she's been labeled "a ton of fun." We were up until, um, never mind. And we so laughed hard at... well, it wasn't funny unless you were a) running on caffeine, or b) didn't have much sleep. We did take a picture or two, but none of you shall ever see them (inject villainous laugh). And so here we go on day two, with updates to follow (don't hold your breath).

Oh how I love Grandpa and Grandma...

2008-09-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

There is nothing to compare to a Grandpa and Grandma, and Beth whole heartily agrees with the rest of her siblings that we have the best two sets to be found! :) Here are some pictures to prove the point!