Update on what's going on

I got an email from my sister-in-law Rita today telling me how she caught up with things via my blog -- it's so great being able to keep in touch with loved ones from the Philipines, Indonesia, Paraguay, Canada, all over the United States, and who knows where else with just a quick (yeah, okay, long) blog entry! I love the emails, comments, etc. Keep 'em coming!

This weekend it dawned on me that I'm getting OLD! Okay, I've had creaks and aches for awhile, but my parents celebrated their birthdays yesterday (Mom) and today (Daddy). And I realized....my MOM is closer to 70 than she is to 65! And Dad is closing in on the big 7-0, too. Wow! (Sorry, Mom, I don't mean that in a bad way, it's probably just as hard to realize you have a daughter who is 41!) Is it me, or do people just turn like ten years older when you blink? I mean, kids I used to babysit have children. Babies I held in my arms are DRIVING. Kids who I used to have to bend down to talk to now have to bend down to talk to me! Anyway, happy birthday, Mom and Daddy!

Health-wise I'm doing much better these past few days. I did really well for about a month then started having problems again with my stomach, chills, shaking, fatigue, weakness, etc. My right foot was also very painful to the point where I could barely walk. I finally called my doctor after dealing with these daily for almost three weeks and she asked me to come in right away. Blood pressure still pretty low, severe plantar's faciitis (or however it's spelled) -- doctor's orders to wear shoes in the house, a definite no-no in this one! (hey, I'm married to a farmer with a hubby and kids and visitors coming in all the time after being in the fields and cow barn, need I say more about what may or may not be trekked into our house???) So I wore my sneakers that day then went and got a pair of Crocs the next day -- and got a pair for Tony, too. My feet are already feeling MUCH better! She also gave me a prescription for my stomach problems with strict instructions to call next week if there was no improvement so she could order an ultra-sound to check my gallbladder. I'm very happy to report that there was a big improvement the first day I took the medication, and I'm back to feeling 100% now, praise God! I still have to go in one morning for more blood work....I'm so tired of this all....but at least I have energy again, and was quite surprised and thankful when I told Tony last night (after the TOH show) that my LEGS hurt from standing all day, and not my feet!

Remember the 14 bushel of apples we got last weekend? Last fall, we sold maybe a total of 7 bushels of apples throughout September and October. I thought 14 bushel would last at least thru mid-October, or at least until the end of the month when I hope to go back down to the Cities for Honeycrisp as well as restocking other apples. Good grief. We have less than a bushel left! By Friday afternoon, we had sold about 12 bushels of apples with people requesting even more of the common ones (McIntosh, Haralson, Cortland) and some that aren't being picked yet (Honeycrisp, Gala, Fireside). I'm heading south again on Tuesday.....

We are getting ready for our pumpkin parties. The first one is this coming Saturday, then we'll add Friday afternoons in October. Tony has added duck races this year, too. So this week will be packed with him busy at the market getting the maze and everything ready while I bustle around with the admin side of things -- wristbands, give-away candy, buying food and making treats for the concessions, getting out the pumpkin party paraphenilia, and wondering if everything will be done in time...while getting in that trip to the Cities all day Tuesday and a trip to Fargo on Friday! Thankfully, though, things do slow down work-wise once the first pumpkin party is done!

The Taste of Home cooking show! I've had questions on how it went! It was busy; we had a GREAT location for our booth, about five slots from the entrance. Good set up, good products from the Market and from Watkins, you name it. Two years ago when the show was here before, they told us over 2300 people came through. I had three helpers scheduled along with me and hoped we'd be prepared. Well. The show didn't sell out. They even had more than 100 extra bags AFTER cutting the bags down from 850 to 800. Everyone in town saw the big advertisement in our paper for the show....two days earlier in Alexandria (an hour or so away), but only one person remembered seeing an ad for the Park Rapids show. Even today at church three ladies I spoke with didn't even realize there was a show yesterday...and would've been there if they knew! We did have brisk business off and on throughout the morning, but not as good as I was expecting. However, from what others said who have been there before, they had great long-term results from exposure at the show. So...that's what I'm hoping for! Maybe the calls and orders will start pouring in for Watkins...and the market will be innundated with customers from now until October 31! They did give each of the vendors one of the give-away bags, and there were some GREAT give-aways! Best thing, though, is that we found more participants for our home-based business show on December 6 (more about that in another blog) and I was asked to participate in a huge pre-Thanksgiving bazaar at a local church here in town! So...we'll see where that leads!

Luke and Susanna have decided they are coyotes and go around the house howling all the time. Either that or wild ponies. Or farm dogs. Or sheep. They do give us clues by the sounds they make.

For now, I'm heading off-line. Got a few more things to do before bed time as well as figuring out when I'm going to do what this week! I think, God willing, everything is under control...but you can keep us in your prayers!

And big congrats to my cousin's son, Brandon, who was baptised today! God is good. ALL the time!

Updates

Wow, it's been awhile since I've blogged, but life's been busy! I love this time of year, though. We are crazy busy at the market selling all kinds of stuff, along with so MUCH of our own produce! We have our own carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, shell peas, green and wax beans, sweet corn, tomatoes and more tomatoes, green peppers, egg plant, pickling cucumbers, dill, and have also (finally!) started bringing in the long anticipated melons (muskmelons and passport melons...watermelons will start in a week or less). We had a slow start this year on produce, but God has been so good to us! Even earlier this week when we were wondering what to do about all the beans we have (Tony assured me he didn't plant very much and we probably wouldn't have any to can for ourselves....I've already canned three bushel!), an area school stopped in to order 300 pounds of beans! Minnesota started a program a year back or so that supports schools to buy local produce and can/freeze it for student lunches...the state reimburses the school most if not all of the money...we're caught up on beans, now!

I also finally talked with my doctor yesterday about what to do next with all this health stuff. I know so many of you have been praying, and I really appreciate it! Your prayers have helped, and many of my symptoms have gone away or have been greatly reduced. I've learned to recognize (and usually avoid!) many of the triggers as well as things to counter when I'm feeling ishy (that's a word from my MIL, isn't it great?). Getting a couple hours rest, even if it's just quiet solitude, every afternoon is crucial, as is starting the day with prayer, protein, and vitamins! Drinking plenty of water. Not overdoing things (ha!) and cutting back on other things. Anyway, my doc feels that the best thing to do at this point, since things are better, is to just wait it out. If stuff starts happening again in the future, there will be more tests. However, God willing, I won't have to deal with it any more!

I also got an email update on Angela that I'll share with you all.....Angela is back to work for the dentist, she is wearing contact lenses on the eye where the tumor was removed, She will need to have the stitches removed first before she will know if there is any vision lost from the eye, we will know in about four weeks from now. Far as she knows, there is little or no change how she can see out of her eyes at present. Thank you for all of your prayers again.

Tony and I attended a funeral/memorial service for Jane's husband Lowell on Monday. It was definitely more of a memorial service than anything else. There was so much laughter in reminiscing about Lowell, and you could tell from things the family said how much love their was in their home growing up and even now. I learned more things about Lowell that I wish I knew when he was alive (isn't that always the case?) like how he knew so much about plants and flowers -- there was so much I would've asked him, if I only knew! And the shell that used to be home to Lowell's spirit looked so at peace, so relaxed -- after all, he is home now and no longer suffering. One granddaughter did tell her mother that she didn't think he'd be too happy if he knew they put lip stick on him!

My summer Bible study is winding down. My SIL Lori and niece Carrie returned home to Iowa this week, and as she's an integral part of our Bible study group, we usually end when she leaves but will be wrapping up one last chapter next week. What an awesome study on the Harmony of the Gospels! We plan to finish it next year....

Lots of family now. Mark and Beth moved back to Park Rapids (did I write that already?) along with their two youngest Tessa and Steven. Carla and her girls are here right now through this week before closing up their cabin in Canada and heading to new adventures in Rome. Dwight and his business partner along with Juan's son Jose are on their way here after arriving in the States late Monday (early Tuesday) morning. The new house my in-laws are putting up will -- hopefully! -- arrive today to put on the foundation. Things are really happening!

It's also been a blast (usually) enjoying my kids....but that is a whole other blog! There may be time tomorrow to write some more...but after that, hang on tight! Next week is going to be another wild ride as we approach what is usually our biggest day of the year....Labor Day!

And as predicted at our wedding, my love for Tony continues to deepen in ways I never imagined it could. Newly weds are so naive! You think there is no way you could love that wonderful person even more than you do on that day. But then life happens. Kids happen. Ups and downs happen. Health issues come up. Finances go crazy. Things that might break marriages when two people truly are not committed. And when two people truly love each other and are absolutely committed through thick and thin, good and bad, it just deepens love and makes it grow. How I love and appreciate that wonderful man God blessed me with!

And thank you....each one of you....for your prayers and encouragement. And just for being you.

Another Favorite

It's been awhile since I posted some of my favorites, but today I introduced my kids to another of my all time favs. Shel Silverstein. Where the Sidewalk Ends. Silly poems that kids of all ages love. And sure enough, every time I told them, "this is the last poem for now!" Susi would beg, "then one more!" And so I did. Dozens of them. Delighting in my children's laughter while laughing myself at childhood favorites. While they won't yet understand MY all time favorite, "I Cannot Go To School Today," they learned quite a few things.

Joey threw a stone and knocked out the sun.
Don't put your finger up your nose or a razor-backed snail will bite it off.
Hug o wars are better than tug o wars.
You CAN eat a whale one bite at a time...it'll just take eighty nine years to do so!

And much more. If you have this delightful book, revisit it, with kids, if possible. If you don't have it, check it out of your library or pick up a copy. The investment is worth it!

More Photos...Ron's Family

Here are some shots of Ron's family...since I can only post 5 photos at a time and there are seven children, we'll do this in two rounds! The girls are here...Hannah, Moriah, Tabitha, and Lydia (with Mama Tammy).

A few more photos...

Okay, here are a few more before I finish getting ready for Luke's party!

The kids in bed at the hotel the first night (before Luke woke us all up), a photo of all the Toth cousins at Papa and Grandma's house, Daddy and the kids decorating Jesus' birthday cake, me with my Grandma Toth and Luke & Susi, and three of the little princesses (Susanna, Tabitha, and Moriah).

Home at last!

Okay, so this is a few days late...but the first day (night) home, nobody wanted to do much but enjoy being HOME again, the second day we just wanted to enjoy being HOME again, then I started blogging about other things, unpacking (there's still a pile of "extra stuff" in the foyer), and having cousins over.

We set off for Ohio on December 21, half an hour later than we were shooting for but at least an hour or two earlier than I thought we'd manage. I'm still amazed at how much we piled into my little green SL-1 Saturn. The trunk had to be sat on to close (and thankfully not opened until we reached Ohio). The kids had great foot-rests on top of all the things piled on the floor of the back seat, Tony and I sat on our coats (the kids' coats were buried in the trunk...we were all wearing warm clothes so we wouldn't need to travel wearing coats), my feet and legs were crowded out by everything else on the floor of the front seat, and I'm amazed Tony could see out the back window with everything piled on there. BUT, the travel was great and uneventful (notice I said the TRAVEL and not the trip?). The kids did fantastic, keeping themselves occupied with everything I'd thought to pack into their backpacks (which added to the clutter in the back seat, stuffed within reach between their car seats).

We had great traveling weather -- overcast and a bit gloomy so we weren't wishing we were out enjoying the sunshine. It did get a bit foggy towards the southern end of WI and through IL, but nothing too bad. We arrived at our hotel in West Dundee (Elgin) about an hour later than expected, but we also took two hours to play Burger King, too! I posted earlier about Luke hitting his head, his mid-night bout of erps, and our rush to the emergency room, so I won't add more here...except when the nurse asked him where he lived, he told her "Across from Cypren," our neighbor boy who Luke very rarely sees.

Saturday we started earlier than planned, although by the time we attempted to fill Luke's anti-nausea medicine and picked up a caffeine-loaded Starbucks for me to stay awake long enough to drive through Chicago so Tony wouldn't have to deal with the big-city traffic, we were right on schedule -- hitting the highway just before noon. Traffic was great -- we were just about through Chicago when Tony asked if I thought we could make it through all the way without having to deal with the mess that is usually in that area. I am so thankful we stopped for the night and didn't have to deal with Chicago rush-hour traffic on a holiday weekend!

We got to Papa and Grandma's about 7:00 local time, and sat down to a welcomed meal. After cleaning Luke up again, we all settled down pretty quick, not surprisingly. Sunday we went to my parents' church and enjoyed visiting with some of the people who watched me grow up. Sunday after naps, the cousins came over, and we all enjoyed some more good food, opening presents, and the general ruckus that comes with nine children running around.

Tony, however, didn't have a good night and stayed home while the rest of us went to Doylestown to visit my grandma Toth on Monday. He enjoyed a quiet peaceful house and day consisting of not much more than sleep, and we enjoyed visiting with Grandma and more cousins. My cousin and her family from Canada joined us for lunch...her two older boys, one a bit older than Luke, one a bit younger, were highlights of Luke's day. Or maybe it was all the Thomas toys they had brought with them from Aunt Liz's house.....I was just glad to have time with my grandma!

Christmas came with the kids all excited about Jesus' birthday, Luke's "conversation" with Jesus (see my previous blogs), and a relaxed morning. The kids had a blast decorating a birthday cake for Jesus (thanks, Aunt Tammy, for sending over an extra cake!). Then the cousins descended again, bringing more merriment to Papa and Grandma's basement....until Susi's tummy rebelled. After getting her cleaned up, everyone went back to their respective corners for much needed naps before coming back to Papa and Grandma's for more fun in the evening.

On Wednesday, we all headed to Akron after piling up the car again (after Tony gave it a good cleaning). This time it was off to my uncle Julius', Dad's youngest brother. He has a gorgeous new home and I am quite envious of his bathroom. It's at least as big or bigger than our bedroom, has a huge tub, a shower as big as our bathroom, a wide-screen tv to watch while soaking in the tub, two sinks, and a butt-warmer on the toilet seat! (and other contraptions we won't go in to here....) However, the highlight was spending time with lots and lots of family. Oh, and the great food.

That night, we stayed at my aunt Sarika's in Doylestown. She recently got married to a wonderful guy, and we had a great time getting to know Neil, too. They live in an old farm house, and when I say "old," I mean...they aren't sure if it was built as noted in 1803 or what the oldest records show, in 1828.

Thursday we spend visiting with Sarika and getting ready for a Watkins party in the evening. While the turnout wasn't great, the orders have been fantastic, and we had a good time visiting. However, Susi got sick again shortly after bed time, and Tony hunkered down to sleep with her on the floor as she continued her battle through the night. What was I doing? Spending the night in bed, praying "please God, don't let me get sick! Thank you for Tony. Help Susi to get well soon." Yep, I was battling the same thing but thankfully it didn't progress as far as the others' did. Our departure was delayed by two hours the next morning mainly because of my yucky tummy, but I think it was also God's way of making sure we missed the nasty weather in Chicago that we would've run smack dab into if we'd left on time!

All in all, we had a good visit, good trip, with little bumps along the way that couldn't be helped. However, God gave us the grace to get through them all while enjoying the time with family. We're also very thankful for safe travels and good weather. And as much as we enjoyed our trip,

It's good to be home.

The end of another year and yesterday's Voice of Christmas

There is so much stuff I want to write about in today's blog, but I'm going to save it for another time....a wrap-up of our Christmas "vacation" (I never got as sick as the rest of my fam, but I definitely wasn't well towards the end...and poor Susi and a triple bout with that tummy monster!), the hilarious conversation between Luke and Susanna yesterday afternoon about the Christmas story, more Watkins news, etc., but that can wait a few days.

Yesterday's Voice of Christmas at church was one of the Magi. Ron Whiddon did a superb job telling of "his" travels and dispelling many of the myths (not being at the manger). I'm not sure what last Sunday's was about, since we were gone, but I'm guessing it was probably Joseph, since "Zecchariah," "Elisabeth," and "Mary" all had their turn. I was told that the shepherds added their voice at the Christmas Eve services. Although some may not agree, I've really enjoyed the dramatic edge to "hearing" the "first hand" experiences of some of the people involved in the Christmas story. Of course, it is nothing compared to what really happened over 2000 years ago.

Today is the end of yet another year. Since Tony and I have been married, each year that has passed seemed to bring so much new life to our extended families -- babies being born, weddings happening, eleven in our immediate families, even more if you include our cousins -- with an occasional time to say goodbye to a loved one as they went home to be with Jesus. A cousin, an aunt, the toddler-child of some friends.

This year, however, was different. There was only one birth that I'm aware of in our extended families. I was struck at how much "loss" there was. It seems so many of the Christmas letters and notes we received mentioned how one or more loved ones of all ages passed away during 2007. Friends losing parents, siblings, children sometimes to age, sometimes to disease, sometimes to an unbelievable event such as my former boss' teenage son collapsing and dying of heat stroke. They are missed in ways that cannot be explained; there is sorrow knowing they aren't here any more, but wow! They got to spend Christmas WITH the Christ-Child this year! Seeing Him not as that tiny little Baby, but as their personal Savior, their co-heir to God! The eyes filled with love, the scarred hands, feet, and side, the wonderful Lamb that was slain so that we -- I! -- could spend eternity with Triune God!

It doesn't take away the emptiness of not having these dear loved ones nearby, but it does help me rejoice in knowing they are no longer suffering from illness, missing other loved ones that had gone on before. They are no longer here in this fallen world; they are singing praises to Almighty God, circling His throne, and rejoicing as more and more sinners claim the shed blood of Jesus, as more and more believers join them as earthly bodies give way to inevitable death. One day, I'll be with them. I pray that you will, too.

I miss my grandparents; I miss the faces that are no longer worshipping at our church here in Park Rapids; I know many of you ache for loved ones that you can no longer talk to whenever you want to...and I pray that you will be comforted through your loss.

This year also brought continued change with the farm and market -- the responsibilities Tony and I have continue to grow as his parents are turning more and more things over completely to us. It is overwhelming at times, especially as we are raising two young and ACTIVE children during this time, but God gives us the strength and patience needed to get through each day...often only enough, other times even more.

Luke and Susanna continue to cause us both to laugh and me to scream at times, but it is overall such a delight to see them experience so many things first hand. I love especially just listening to their conversations or hearing them break into song. Yesterday they serenaded a full-house at West 40 (local restaurant) with "I'm so happy, so very happy! I have the love of Jesus in my heart!"

My love for my husband continues to grow -- his patience with me and the children amazes me. His love for us, the way he cares for each of us, the times he surprises me with cleaning the kitchen, the countless diapers he changes for Susanna (even the stinky ones!), running around chasing after Luke to help get rid of Luke's ever increasing energy -- even when he's so tired. The things he does to take care of our family. He's the second greatest gift God has given me!

Tonight (he doesn't know this yet), we're going to TRY and get the kids to bed early and have a mini-feast of fondue (beef & chicken, cheese & veggies, and CHOCOLATE with fruit), crab salad, and bubbly. Don't try to call. We won't answer the phone. Hopefully he'll stay awake past 10:00.... (we were up late last night watching "Amazing Grace"). If not, more chocolate for me, yippee!

Thank You, God, for another year of memories. Thank You for the hope of a future yet to come. Thank You for sending Christ. Thank You for a time to reflect on the past.

May each of you have a glorious and blessed new year.

Another one succumbs....

Well, today we added Susanna to the list of sickies in our family. Thankfully, Luke seems fully recovered and is back to his non-stop all-boy action. He continues to make me tired just looking at him...but I'm thankful for him!

During a late lunch, Susanna had her tummy troubles. I'd suspected she wasn't feeling well as she was terribly whiny this morning and felt quite warm. She also wanted only to be held. However, once everything was done and she took a nap, she seemed to be her happy cheerful self again. We limited her supper, though, although she did put away quite a bit of Watkins chicken broth with brown rice!

As for me, my tummy was a bit grumbly the past few days, but I, too, seem to be on the mend as does Tony, thank God!

Other than that, we had a wonderful "Jesus' birthday." Luke and Susanna came in our room today, and after being reminded that it was Jesus' birthday, they sang then Luke left the room to go and talk with Jesus. He told us last night he couldn't wait for Jesus' birthday because Jesus was going to come and they could talk together! Well, after a few minutes of us hearing him chattering away in the next room, he came to inform us that "I talked to Jesus and He told me thank you. And He is 6." Okay.

His prayer last night was equally precious as he prayed and thanked God for the day, then asked for another Buzz Lightyear for Grandma's house because he needs one more there (there are already 3 or 4), so please poke a finger through heaven and send down another Buzz Lightyear. And thank you!

It was a fun time visiting and playing with "the Ohio cousins" today while I caught up some with my brother and sister-in-law. We missed having my youngest brother with us, though. Ron and Tammy invited a friend of theirs from church, Ron Jon (not sure of exact spelling) who moved here from Bangladesh 17 years ago. He was raised in a Buddhist family and became curious upon meeting Christians at the university he attended here...and soon had a hunger only Christ could satisfy. A wonderful Christian man. It was a pleasure having him join our family today. A friend of my parents' also stopped by this evening, a man from their church who is also a new Christian.

We had a wonderful time caroling at a local nursing home today. I don't know who enjoyed it more...us or the residents or the employees! They especially loved the children, hearing them sing. I was impressed that even my shy Susi who was under the weather made it a point of telling everyone she saw "Merry Christmas!"

We hope and pray yours was, too.

Travel Trials and Joys

Merry Christmas from Ohio! We decided shortly after Thanksgiving to travel to Ohio for Christmas this year. It wasn't an easy decision....it's hard traveling 1000 miles each way with a 2- and a 3-year old, but my last living grandparent was recently diagnosed with throat cancer at age 92, and Grandma decided that, given her age and knowing where she was going after death, she didn't want to have any treatment. So, we decided to make the trek southeast and spend Christmas with my side of the family this year.

Given gas prices and some vehicle problems, we decided to drive my Saturn, a small 4-door sedan (did I mention it was small??). Oh, it's amazing what all we fit in to that car, even before we squeezed ourselves inside! I have a couple photos of how crowded the back seat was with the kids! And poor Tony with his long legs! But praise God the kids traveled well, keeping busy with all the fun things packed into their back packs....stickers, coloring books, snacks, and more! There were many times I wasn't even sure if they were in the car!

Friday night, we stopped at a "resident hotel" in Elgin, IL. It gave us a chance to get out, relax, not deal with Friday night/holiday weekend rush hour thru Chicago! Plus, my brother Tim comped us the room with his hotel points, so that was an added blessing. We settled in, ate supper, then the kids started running around releasing all the pent up energy they had. At one point, Luke jumped on an unsuspecting Tony, causing Tony to rear back and Luke to go tumbling off his back. On the way down, his head was bonked, resulting in tears and a HUGE egg on the back of his head. We kept an eye on him, but within a few minutes he was running around like normal...to the point where we had a call from the hotel manager...the folks in the room below us were complaining about the thumps! By then, it was time to settle down for the night, so we pulled out the sofa, got the kids settled down, and they were out in no time. Tony and I joined them in dreamland from the other room shortly after.

Mothers have extra-sensitive hearing and a sixth sense when something is wrong. At about 2:45 a.m. I heard a noise that no mother wants to hear, especially in the middle of the night hundreds of miles from home. Rushing in to the other room, Luke was sitting up in bed in the middle of his second heave. Poor little guy. Tony came to help and took him to the bathroom to get him washed up and changed while I put Susanna in our room and started taking off the sheets, checking stuffed animals (only Susanna's baby got splattered, and only a wee bit, thank God!). During this time, we were again checking Luke's pupils, asking him questions to see if he was addled, checking his walk, reflexes, etc. Was this a result of finding all the snacks in his back pack and downing half of them when Mama was unaware? The bump on the head? Did another child go to AWANA Wednesday night with the flu and infect a bunch of unsuspecting children? Was he developing travel sickness? A combination of the above? Thankfully, our insurance company has a 24-hour on-call nurse, so I called to see if we should get Luke checked out. Sure enough, she thought we should, so Luke and I started on our next adventure. Thankfully again, the hospital was only 5 minutes away.

We got to the ER and they said it would be just a matter of minutes....however, as they were taking our info, an ambulance came in, so our wait was longer. About 90 minutes later, we finally went back to a very kid-friendly room where he was checked out again with a recommendation of a CT scan. That took another long wait as yet another emergency came in with a very bad head trauma. Thankfully, again!, it came back clear, but he was diagnosed with a mild concussion. He had several bouts of heaves, and they gave him some medication to deal with the nausea and relax the stomach muscles. We ended up filling the prescription they sent with us after getting to Ohio and having him get sick again.

Luke loved the doctor. He was a younger African American man with little braids all over his head. Luke thought that was hilarious! The second time he came in, to tell us the result of the CT scan, he asked Luke if he wanted to touch his hair. Amidst giggles, Luke said yes...then started laughing even more while telling him his hair was very "fuzzy."

We did arrive at Papa and Grandma's house in time for supper Saturday night, and I am again thankful that the kids travelled so well! Susi was fussy about the last 30 minutes, but she assured me she did NOT want us to turn around and go home!

We enjoyed a fun afternoon and evening yesterday with my brother's family (wife and seven children), opening gifts, feasting on steak and potatoes and countless Christmas cookies, and just watching the kids go wild. However, illness struck again...

Climbing into bed after getting everyone settled for the night, I noticed Tony was moaning. He had chills and a fever, aches and a very yucky tummy. (Luke didn't have a fever, chills, or aches.) After tending to him, I settled down with the kids on the floor of their room. Today Tony stayed "home" in bed while the rest of us went to visit my grandma with some additional visitors joining us (cousin Martha and her gang, Uncle Ralph, Aunt Carole, Aunt Sarika, and Uncle Neil). By the time we got back to my parents', Tony was among the living again although he is not quite 100%.

All in all, we've been enjoying ourselves, and we have many unforgettable memories of our 2007 trip before it's even over! Please pray that Tony and Luke continue to be completely healed and Susanna and I don't have a turn in this episode of events!

Tomorrow will be a quiet Christmas day as Ron's family again joins us, along with two family friends (quiet? 9 kids?). We'll be caroling at a local nursing home and enjoying a ham dinner. Wednesday will see us at my uncle's home in Akron with my dad's side of the family (guaranteed it will NOT be quiet!), and Thursday I'm having a Watkins party before we head back to Park Rapids with another stop in Elgin (I hope the hotel welcomes us back!).

I trust and pray each of you have a wonderful Christmas day! Please jot a comment and tell me how you celebrated Jesus' birthday!

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I love this time of year. I think I wrote about that a few blogs ago, but it's just a fun time for me. It is just as busy for me, perhaps even busier, than during the summer, but in a much different way. Summertime brings nonstop action, between all the "regular" mom and housewife things (does laundry EVER get caught up??? I'm in the middle of seven loads right now as I type...), and all the things that come with the market and the farm -- scheduling, ordering, working, filling in for employees that can't come in at the last minute (unless I'm already working), paying farm bills, doing paychecks, keeping up with monthly tax reporting, totaling out the day's receipts and getting deposits ready between 3-5 times a week, etc.

However, once the Market is closed, my busy-ness (did I spell that right? I'd think grammatically it should be "business," but then that would be a completely different word....) shifts. During the summer, there is no time to keep up with recording checks for our personal or for the farm account, no time for reconciling accounts, etc. I start concentrating on the paperwork side of things -- updating inventory totals, doing more Quicken and Quickbook entering than I ever cared to do, and trying to reconcile everything, make sure it's all catagorized right, tweak our budgets, frantically going through piled up "don't have to deal with this now" paperwork to make sure there isn't anything in there that really should have been dealt with weeks (months?) before. Okay, so I don't really enjoy this part of the busy-ness either, but it is fun to see the bottom line. Did we stay on budget? Did we actually make a profit the past year? Okay, maybe "fun" is the wrong word to use ... the "bottom line" usually isn't something I really want to see.

But something else starts for me first in September and then in October, usually snowballing right after Thanksgiving, and then letting up somewhere mid-to-late December. AWANA starts the Wednesday after school resumes. I'm currently the overall club secretary, something I started transitioning to last year, and it gets crazy at times, but I love that I can work with not only the (usually) adorable children, but also the dozens of AWANA volunteers and the parents of the clubbers. I'll write more about AWANA another time...my posti is already getting long!

The first Sunday in October is the start of our Christmas program practice for the first thru sixth graders. This is my fifth program I directed at Faith Baptist, and I continue to be honored to lead it but even more importantly blessed by working with the 25-50 children that are a part of the program (and the 3-4 adults that help). The first year, we had less than 30 children in the program, but these past couple years, the numbers have been pretty close to four dozen kids. It's a far cry from the 6-12 kids that comprised the Christmas programs I've directed in the six or seven years before moving to Minnesota (although looking back, I'm amazed at how versital those 6-12 kids were, singing songs and solos and doing multiple parts). The end result is always the same -- a show of our glory to God, our thanksgiving to Him for giving us His Son, a celebration of the birth of the most wonderful Gift of all! More about this year's Christmas program another time....(for those of you locally, it will be Sunday, December 16, starting with piano recitals at 5:30 p.m., at Faith Baptist...hope to see you there!).

One of the things I love doing for the Christmas program kids, for my husband and kids, for my brothers and parents and in-laws, for a few close friends, and for me, is baking dozens and dozens, okay, hundreds of Christmas cookies. Literally. Each child gets a bag of assorted cookies from me as a thanks for doing their best, and I try to get cookies to most family members. Spritz, snickerdoodles, thumbprints, decorated sugar cookies, pastel wafers, candy cane cookies, Russian teacakes, pecan tarts, bon bon cookies, peppermint wafers, gingerbread teddy bears, cardamon cookies, and I don't even remember what else. All I know is I have a blast doing it, even though it takes up so much time. But I go crazy in the kitchen baking cookies for about three weeks of each year and have so much joy giving away most everything made! This year, I've had a few little helpers...(don't worry, I make sure their hands are washed each time they drift to their mouth and/or nose....)

Then comes wrapping Christmas presents -- again, I love to give things and have so much fun throughout the year picking things up on sale that I know someone else will really enjoy (although I'm trying to stay much closer to the budget...but I did make Tony do a "gifts given" catagory in our budget this year!).

There is time spent helping my kids learn their (short) lines for the Tiny Tot Christmas program, going over the two songs they sing, but it is such a joy to see and hear them! Practice yesterday was so fun. Susanna was fine until she'd see me then she'd start crying (it took me back to her infant days) -- but she never did say her line or sing with the other kids. Luke, on the other hand, rattled off his line, and during the singing he was that one child who sings louder than anyone...but thankfully on key and with all the right words! Right now, while Susanna is napping, Luke is serenading her with Christmas carols (even though he is supposed to be napping, too!). They ask all the time for Christmas music at nap time and bed time.

It's also busy (and hard!) picking out gifts for each of the children in the Christmas program. I have a budget of $1 per child, and it's hard picking out things they'll enjoy that won't break before they get home -- once that order comes in, then it's sorting things out, packing them up for each child, and getting cookies sorted for each one, too.

There is the time spent on putting up the Christmas trees and decorating them. But those sparkly lights are so beautiful!

Last night, my husband and I had a date night, first time in a long time. After a good supper at an authentic German restaurant in down town Park Rapids, we went to one of the local churches that was hosting the annual Park Rapids Classic Chorale Christmas presentation. This is an amazingly gifted group of men and ladies in the region, about 50 or so, led by an outstanding conductor/composer. They sang more than a dozen Christmas songs...almost all "religious" Christmas, well, except for this odd song called "Little Tree." The program featured several traditional Christmas carols as well as some of the newer Christmas songs like "Mary, Did You Know" by Mark Lowry and "Welcome to our World" by Chris Rice. As with every year, they also sang a beautiful rendition of Handel's "Messiah" and ended with a rousing version of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas." This group of singers is incredible. They perform locally twice a year, and in 2005 they had a concert tour of Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. This coming May, they'll be doing a concert tour in Italy, including performances in Florence, St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome! Who knew so many talented voices lived in this area? (My father-in-law used to be part of the chorale but enjoys just listening now.) And while Erich Knapp is a fine conductor, he did give all credit for everything coming together so well to Faith Baptist's own organist, Jane Wolff! (she's the pianist and trianglist, or whatever the person who plays the triangle is called.)

I've still not even started on our Christmas letter. Isn't it funny how when you're younger, you don't really appreciate Christmas letters sent from others, but as you (and your relatives and friends) get older, you can't wait to get their Christmas letters and see what all has happened in the past year? At least, that's the way it is for Tony and me. It's incredible seeing all these loved ones who I remember as children who now have children of their own. We love getting photos with the Christmas cards and/or letters, and we tape all the photos up on our main door downstairs. They stay up year round so we can be reminded "face to face" of our loved ones. It's sad having to take them down each year...but it's also exciting to see the photos being replaced with the same faces...a year older.

Even more, I love spending time with family....whether it is my own husband and children, family on my side, or my in-laws (depending on where we spend Christmas). To enjoy the time with them during such a special time of year is something I really cherish. Last year, Tony's sister Carla and her family were able to come home from Uganda for Christmas. Dwight was also here from Guatemala, and all of Paul's family was able to be here, too, including his son Andrew who will be spending his Christmas in Iraq this year. This year, we'll be traveling to Ohio, something we hadn't really planned to do, to spend time around Christmas with some of my family, and especially with my last remaining Grandma who was recently diagnosed with throat cancer. I can't wait to see her again, and I also can't wait to have another holiday get-together with several of my California relatives who moved to Ohio within the past year or more! Ah, that promises to be a fun and lively time! I also hope to be able to spend time with relatives on my mom's side of the family, especially the cousins I spent so much time with growing up.

I think during November and most of December I get to bed even later than during the summer, just trying to get everything done, but in all honesty, there isn't anything I'd want to cut back on or cut out. I love and enjoy so much all the many different things that "must" be done before Christmas (and the Christmas program) arrives.

We don't open presents on Christmas -- instead, taking a wonderful idea from my sister-in-law, we have a birthday party for Jesus and concentrate on celebrating Him, complete with birthday cake and all. Last year was the first year my kids started helping "decorate" the cake (or, in last year's case, star-shaped cupcakes with the help of their cousins). This year, we'll be spending a few hours at a nursing home in Ohio bringing Christmas to the residents there as we sing and tell about Christ's birth.

But you know what else? Even though you may be wondering, my focus really is on glorifying God throughout all this (well, except maybe struggling through all the financial stuff). There is so much that leads up to Christmas each year....but there was only one event throughout history that really lead up to Christmas. The announcement to a young virgin that she was choosen to be the mother to a tiny Baby Who would one day save the world. The uncomfortable journey of a very pregnant young lady on a donkey, of all things!, to a city far from home where her Child would be born not in a nice warm comfortable hospital but in a smelly stable, laid in a manger filled with hay. The angels glorifying God, announcing that precious birth, scaring those shepherds probably close to death, but can you even begin to imagine it? Wow! I cannot wait to hear that angel chorus, with me singing right along, GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST!

And imagine...all my preparations to make each Christmas so special to those around me is nothing compared to the preparations Jesus is making for me up in heaven. The birthday celebration that is so exciting to prepare for down here on earth is nothing compared to the celebration we'll have one day in the presence of Christ and the Father.

Now...back to the many things I should be getting done (like that Christmas letter....and more Christmas cookies....) while I listen to Christmas songs, yippee!

Thanksgiving

First of all, these photos are NOT from this Thanksgiving....they are from last year. Read on and you'll understand....

I trust and pray each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving; a time of relaxing, spending time with family and/or friends, and reflecting on the many blessings God has given to each of us. My cousin Liz (check out her blog, linked on this page) does a great job of listing three things she's grateful for each day on her blog. From the unexpected to the things we often take for granted to some really great sounding foods, just looking at the things she lists helps me remember to be thankful in and for all things.

It was a hard thing for me to do this Thanksgiving though. Since Tony and I have been married, and even the year before, we have spent Thanksgiving in Iowa (except for the first year we were married when we went to Ohio to visit my family instead) with his brother Paul and sister-in-law Lori. I love spending time with Paul and Lori, whether it is in Iowa at Thanksgiving or here in Minnesota. I greatly treasure my friendship with Lori, especially. And Paul, like Tony, tends to be on the quiet side, but his contributions to conversations and on email are something I truly appreciate and anticipate, along with the wisdom Lori also shares.

This year we had planned an extended trip down "south." We'd planned to head down to Omaha first, spending the night in neighboring Council Bluffs, stopping in at the Bass Pro Shop there (my brother Tim works for Bass Pro and is always getting us all kinds of goodies -- we usually stop at Cabela's, a rival store, since it's on the way to Iowa, but this year was going to be all Bass Pro!), which just HAPPENED to have a class on creating fly fishing lures (and Tony LOVES fly fishing, an activity he has not found time to do since we've been married), and then taking Luke and Susanna to the Omaha Zoo. Years back, a group of Carter relatives headed over to the zoo on Thanksgiving, and Tony still talks about what a great zoo it is. After a busy Wednesday at the zoo, we'd take the 1.5-2 hour drive over to Paul and Lori's, spend the night, visit with them, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving, as usual. Tony's cousin and his family would drive over from Omaha, there'd be laughter, fun, a football game outside with Billy's rapidly growing boys, wonderful food (mostly prepared by Lori, pies by Chris), visiting, and as the day would wind down, board games inside. Time spent with the Thanksgiving history book that Barbara Rainey wrote, seeing what's on TV, Thanksgiving songs led by Paul (since Dad Carter wasn't plannng on making the trip this year), talking about what we're thankful for, all the stuff that so many people do on Thanksgiving.

Well, Tony's trip to the hospital last week changed all that. An unexpected two days out of commission set everything back, and we reached the hard decision that we needed to stay home in Park Rapids this year. I didn't understand why I was so glum Saturday afternoon and on through Sunday and Monday morning until it hit me.

To me, Thanksgiving isn't just a day to remember to give thanks. I do that every day. I am so thankful for even the things I usually take for granted. My Grandpa and Grandma always replied "I'm thankful" when asked how they were. Luke and Susanna always say "thank you" for just about everything, even when they pray when someone is sick ("Dear God, thank You for my owie, and thank You that You will make it all better....).

Thanksgiving, for me, is more about family. Not just my family consisting of my wonderful husband and children, but extended family. Not just my parents-in-law, whom I am truly blessed to have living so close to us (TRULY blessed!), but extended family from both sides of my marriage now -- Tony's family and mine. Those that we don't see often. Those that we see only once or twice a year. Those that I haven't seen since we were married....and some since even before then. Those that are able to join the rest of the gang every so often, like Dad Carter's sister Gloria and her husband Ken (Billy's parents), like Andrew who spent Thanksgiving this year in Iraq. Granted, none of those "extra" blessings were able to join the group at Paul and Lori's this year, but still, us not being able to be there was really disappointing.

Growing up, we spent so much time with family. We lived about an hour away from most of the relatives on my mom's side and several on my dad's side (although quite a few of his siblings lived in California while I was growing up). We spent time with cousins and grandparents and aunts and uncles at least two or three times a month, I think. Many of my cousins were my best friends. As we all grew up and started going our separate ways, we still lived within reasonable driving distance to each other, or at least when we were still single, we were able to spend more time with each other. Now, almost all of my cousins are married and have families of their own, like me. We keep in touch with occasional emails and phone calls, and are even able to occasionally connect if we're all in Ohio at the same time (which isn't often). Trips to Ohio now are even more special since two of my dad's sisters moved back, and I'm able to spend time with them after getting to know them so much better from when we all lived in California.

However, this year has been a year of difficult changes for me regarding family. Two of my three grandparents passed away, and my last remaining grandma was very recently diagnosed with throat cancer. They have all lived long (in their 90s) wonderful lives, loving God and passing on that love to their children and grandchildren, but it's sad saying goodbye and knowing there will be another goodbye, whether from the cancer or just from the results of old age (but there will also be a "forever hello!" sometime in the future, praise God). When someone has always been there and no longer is, it's difficult to even think about. One of my cousins moved to Indonesia with his family to work as language translators. There have been several serious bouts with illness, disease, and trauma throughout my extended family, and even closer to home with Tony last week. Tony and I have also been unbelievably busy with the farm and the market this year, and we haven't been able to get away for our 2-3 day family break, which we try to do each September or October. I was REALLY looking forward to getting away from everything here, uninterupted time with my husband and children, just having a break, but most of all visiting with relatives who are also dear friends.

After spending quite a bit of time in tears ("Mama, why are your eyes dribbling?"), talking with Tony, talking with God, and truly examining my heart, I realize even more how important family is to me. If you're family, you're important (okay, if you're "just" a friend, you're still important to me!). Life changes as we get older, and it isn't always easy to accept. However, we are still linked as family, and if you have also given your life to Christ, we are even more importantly part of God's family.

I felt a bit guilty as I was having my little melt down. My sister-in-law had a big birthday this year (on Thanksgiving! Happy birthday Carla!)...and she's half a world away from her family (other than her husband and children...). One of my favorite cousins hasn't spent a Thanksgiving in the States for who knows how long since she lives in Paraguay (Kar, when's the last time you had turkey and all the trimmings?) with her husband and boys. Another dear cousin spent his Thanksgiving even further away in Indonesia (do they have turkey there, Rog?) with his wife and boys...and another was up north in Canada, like the last several years, with her husband and boys. To top it off, those three cousins are from the same family...when's the last time their parents had all their children home for Thanksgiving...or Christmas? My nephew is far away from all family as he serves our country in Iraq and probably didn't even have time to think about Thanksgiving.

Why am I so sad? God blessed me with a new family five years ago when Tony proposed. The two of us grew to four, and I am thankful and blessed we were able to spend yesterday together, as we spend each day together. We were able to have a wonderful dinner at Tony's parents', and while Jon and Julia were unable to join in the festivities as their children were sick, we had a relaxing day with family (but no board games, bummer!).

I love my family, whether I grew up with you or whether I joined your family five years ago. I love spending time with you. I missed that this year, but please know I treasure the times we're able to spend together...and always will.

Thank You, God, for family and friends, even when I can't be with them all. (and for those of you reading this, please post a comment and tell me about your Thanksgiving!)

Various stuff

Okay, I cannot stop laughing at my cousin Martha's blog today...click the link and check it out. For any of you mom's out there, you will REALLY appreciate her budding artist story! Drop her a comment if you have any suggestions. Oh, I wish I could see the artwork in person!

Hey, if you're in the area this weekend (or if you already live here), come by our house Saturday between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. I'm having a Watkins open house and sampling literally dozens of items. Okay, some of them are things like the room fresheners and shea butters and wonderful new chemical-free cleaners, but I've also got some really yummy things on the menu like chips and salsa, tomato-basil tossed noodles, fat-free chocolate almond pudding dip, mandarin orange dip, apple spice muffins, orange spice bread, zippy breadsticks, cranberry mustard with pretzels, four different hot cocoas, several different dips, barbecue shredded meat, shortbread cookies with peppermint-flavored sprinkles, baked potato soup, a really good honey butter spread that tastes just like Cinnabon, and so much more! Can't make it but want to try some of the things? Email me or send me a comment; I typed up all the recipes of things I'm making. Want to stock up on some gifts or items for Christmas baking? Check out my website at www.watkinsonline.com/lindasuecarter (or click the link at the upper right on this page) -- you can order online and have things shipped directly to you, or you can give me a call if you're from this area.

And on a sadder note, today I hit a dog. The kids and I had errands to do (well, I did...they were along for the ride), and as we were driving down a back road, a black lab darted in front of our van. I slammed on my brakes, but there was still a sickening crunch and thud. Two ladies rushed out of a yard and told me the dog was their neighbor's -- I went to the house as they tried to find the dog...I'd heard him whimpering and howling, then silence. As I'm talking to the owner (who reassured me it was okay...I think I felt worse than he did!), the neighbors are still trying to find the dog. Freaked me out enough to make me check under the van to see if he was stuck there some how (yuck!). We looked all over and couldn't find that dog! Then a neighbor across a corn field came over to tell us she'd seen him loping down the road and off on another road. I was amazed he could still move, let alone was alive! Not sure if they ever found him; the guy kept reassuring me everything was okay, nobody could find the dog, so we continued on our way. Then I was met with little voices "Mama, do you think we can find the dog?" Um. Well, the neighbor ladies are looking for him. "Mama, what do you think happened with the dog?" Ummmmm. Well, he was hurt because he ran in front of a car without looking. That's why you must ALWAYS stop and look before going anywhere near cars and you must always hold Mama's hand. "Mama, where is he?" Sigh. Do you think the grocery store will let you have a cookie today? "I want a cookie!" "No, I want a cookie!" The questions will come again. They always do. And what DID happen to that dog?

So my latest poll is going to expire pretty soon....got any ideas for questions? My cousin Liz has a great Thanksgiving themed one that I want to do, but I don't want to copy. Oh well, maybe I will! I've come to think, based on my last couple questions, that those taking the time to answer like to read just about anything and want to know more about Watkins, and they are mainly my friends and not family.

First accumulation

Luke came down stairs this morning quite excited, "Mama, Mama, I looked outside and saw the red van and it was clean with soap on it!" (okay, so we live on a dirt road...this posting isn't about how clean or dirty the van is!) -- after looking out our bedroom window, he realized it was snow and asked if it's Christmas yet.

Susanna, on the other hand, knew right away what was going on. She'd come down about 15 minutes earlier, looked outside, and with all the wonder and awe of a child breathed, "Mama, it SNOWED! I must go tell Uncle Tim!"

Snow forecast for today and tomorrow...50s on Sunday.

Earlier this week we had our first snow fall; they did in Ohio and Canada, too. If you want to read and see something hilarious, check out my cousin Liz's blog (link on the right) -- her kids were REALLY excited about the snow!

Memories...

I was checking out my cousin Martha's blog and reminiscing about photos she just posted of my grandparents' farm and house. It made me go through some photos, and I'd like to share them with you all. (her link is on this site....also check out her newest endeavor, www.watkinsonline.com/mjweinhardt)

Included are my two favorite farmers (2002), my grandparents (mom's parents at my dad's mom's home 2003), a typical meal at their house (lots of people around the table -- this time it was Toths, Carters, and Pavkovs 2005), four generations (my grandparents, my mom, me, and my son 2004), and a photo from my last trip to Ohio (2007), mainly to see and spend time with them. It was a blessing being able to go, especially since Grandma passed away two months afterwards, with grandpa following her three months later. I sure do miss them but really treasure the legacy and memories they left.

Small print (and solutions)

Okay, so I'm still trying to figure out what is going to work best, and based on my last posting (even BEFORE the comments), I realized the font was waaaaay too small. Sorry about that! But it did inspire the content of this posting (the small font, that is) -- well, that and how people are actually voting on my poll that they want me to post about Watkins! Okay, two of you did, but still!


So for the very few of you that don't know, I signed up with Watkins over a year ago, mainly to fill a void in our town after our local Watkins lady remarried and stopped selling. I was pleasantly surprised at how well business took off...and even more satisfied with how much I love the products! And I'm honestly not saying that because I sell Watkins.... I'll write more about other Watkins products and stuff in the future, but going back to the first paragraph, about the small print and the comments and all...


My cousin Liz is a bit older than me, not that much older than me, but enough to realize that when I got engaged, she is actually older than my now-husband (okay, that's a reminder of an email she sent me telling how she was surprised I was getting married to a guy who was so old...then realized she was actually two weeks older than he was, so he really wasn't that old). ANYWAY! Liz commented something about her eye sight as she gets older (I don't remember precisely at this time what the comment was, but it was along those lines, and bear with me, cuz I have another comment about memory, but I'm already off on too many tangents!). See, at the beginning of this year, I realized that I was starting to have to hold things with smaller print at arms length so I could read it easier. I was horrified! Was I getting old? Well, yes, I turned 40 in June, but that's beside the point. Who really wants to admit they're getting old? On a lark, and because I like to try the different things Watkins makes so I can give personal testimonials, I decided to try their Eye Care Plus supplement for a month, see if it really did make a difference. I honestly didn't notice anything, but then again, I honestly wasn't paying attention (reminder...follow up on above tangent on memory).


So I was hosting a party in May, and as I was talking about the supplements and how much my kids love the Children's Chewable vitamins, as usual, I started reading off some of the fruits and vegetables contained in them (all kinds of things most kids won't touch, but my kids really love, like asparagus, beets, and a bunch of other stuff), I realized I wasn't holding the bottle away from me AND I was seeing everything quite clearly! That, of course, segued into an "oh my goodness, guess what I just realized and what I have to talk about next!" I sold six bottles of Eye Care Plus that night (and three of the Children's Chewables...). The Eye Care Plus really has made a difference in replacing my potential need for bifocals (at least for now) and once again, I don't feel too old (except when I try to keep up with my kids!). Some of the testimonials I've read about the product also talks about helping astigmatism as well as near and far sightedness. I just know I'm really sold on it.


Watkins' supplements are really great. Another one of my favorites (and one I use ALOT) is Linimax. Linimax is a musculo-skeletal supplement that contains, among other things, glucosamine. And where glucosamine usually takes one to two months to kick in and start relieving pain for arthritis sufferers, Linimax starts working (at least for me and several others I recommended it for) within a day or two. I love seeing friends of mine who have started taking Linimax stop walking with that painful limp when you first get up and start walking again (another personal testimonial -- I have bone-on-bone arthritis in both knees, and going back to that age thing, I noticed late last year that when I stand up after playing on the floor with my kids or sitting in one position for quite awhile, my hips are pretty stiff and awkward moving for the first few minutes. However, I don't have any problems since I've started taking Linimax...well, except for when I'm working at the Market for nine hours walking constantly on the cement floor without gettting a chance to sit down, like at the pumpkin parties....and by the following morning, stiffness and soreness is gone). Again, some of the testimonials I've read on Linimax talks about improvement and in some cases completely pain free for individuals with "achy" problems (including degenerative disks, torn tendons, fibromyalgia, and arthritis).


Okay, the memory thing! Watkins also has a supplement called Brain Plus that is supposed to help with memory; it has ginkgo biloba and other stuff in it that is great for "bringing back your memory while preventing against age-related mental decline" -- so, since I tend to forget stuff sometimes, I thought I'd get some and try that, too! Maybe add another personal testimonial to my collection...but (and don't laugh at me!) I keep forgetting to take it. Seriously.


So anyway, check out my Watkins website http://www.watkinsonline.com/lindasuecarter and look at some of the supplements and other great things for yourself. (Supplement information can be found under "home remedies" then "supplements for all lifestyles" -- supplement names may vary slightly in Canada.) I'll write more in the future about some of the other great products, like their chemical-free cleaning line, their awesome 2007 holiday gift line, and their other long-time favorites!


And while I'll keep the font at a more reasonable size, do consider giving Eye Care Plus a try (you can order anything right one line)...and I promise I'll remember to take my Brain Plus!


Love and blessings,
LindaSue

PS - I hope I remember to tell you about our fun adventure after church today! Well, not TELLING you today, but maybe tomorrow or Tuesday....

I can't think of a catchy title....

....so I won't. Okay, I think I've gotten things all set up for my blog, including posting a picture and getting a poll question on there. Of course, being the author, I reserve the right to ignore what the majority request I write about and still write about whatever I want -- but I will try to get in what you're interested in from time to time :)

So here's the thing; I'd add more photos to my blog, but our new digital camera (kindly passed on to us when my brother upgraded) doesn't download to our computer, or at least I haven't figured out how to do it yet. I'm sure there HAS to be some way! Right now, I have to take the disk in every once in awhile to the local drug store which has the do-it-yourself digital photo processing and have them transfer everything to a CD. Since there are a few hundred photos on our camera right now (due, largely in part, to my parents taking lots of grandchildren photos when they were here...and because they forgot their camera -- and also from my beloved's recent birthday party as well as lots of photos from our pumpkin parties), I'll probably be getting a disk made soon. In the mean time, I'll post a few photos from earlier this year. The one of Susanna is one of my favorites. And as much as she loves the farm, tractors, digging in the dirt, and keeping up with her big brother, she also loves her "helping" in the kitchen, being a "pincess" (especially "Cinereyya"), and hating to have dirty hands (or maybe it's just that she loves washing her hands...). The second photo is of Susanna and me with my grandparents who passed away within months of our visit. I am so thankful and blessed that we had time to spend with them one last time. And the last one is of my two boys, the big handsome one and the little "sharp" one (boys are sharp, girls are beautiful).

I probably won't post photos that often. With our very slow dial-up, it takes a pretty long time. But I will promise to write more interesting things in the future (although doing this blog right now really is pretty interesting...at least to me!).

Okay, a few last things before I close. My kids have finally fallen asleep at nap time. It only took an hour and a half, several warnings, and three spankings (one had two, the other had one). See, our rule for bed time and nap time is that you cannot get out of bed before you fall asleep -- they're in the same room, and without that rule, which is usually followed very well, they would never get to sleep. The second time I went up to give them a warning, Luke quickly ran across the room and dove into bed...but not until the door opened. I left after letting them know that if I had to come up again, they would probably both get a spanking. Fifteen minutes later, I went back up to find Susanna out of bed...although she quickly ran back to hers and informed me she WAS in bed, Mama! And how in the world do you not laugh when given 2-year-old logic? "Don't spank me, Mama, it will be a big ouchie!" But two spankings, lots of hugs and kisses, and tucking both back into bed did get the desired results. And no, they are NOT ready to give up naps yet (nor am I) -- the few times we went "napless," the whole house was miserable by 6:30.....

I have also learned to ask my children what they mean before jumping to conclusions. Of course, "Mama, Luke hit me!" doesn't usually need translation (although it often comes without the precursor "I hit Luke and he hit me back" although sometimes his reasoning is "well, Mama, I hit her just because she was there"), but "Mama, you are very lizardy" did cause me to ask if that was good or bad. "Oh, Mama," was the answer, "it is VERY good. It means you are very lovely and loving and kind and good and you have farkles." "Farkles," in 3-year-old speak, translates to "freckles."

Gotta go. Still have those four dozen cookies to bake, rice crispie squares to make, and cupcakes to whip up before tomorrow's pumpkin party. I'm forgoing the pies this week, and I'll cook up the soups at the market when I get there (the beauty of selling soup mixes where you just add water -- quick and easy, plus a way to sample and sell product!). I'll post some pumpkin party photos people have forwarded when I get a few minutes....or when I finally get mine on disk!

Smiles and blessings,

LindaSue

The Start of My Blog

Okay, so I can't believe I'm actually doing this...I don't have time to be doing this...but I am gonna try. Bear with me (or is it "bare" with me? No, don't take anything off!), and share your thoughts. I'll post and reply when I can.

Let's see....Liz suggested I blog and when I emailed her telling her why I don't have time, she said it could easily be pasted into a blog...so I will!

oh, Liz, I'd LOVE to do a blog, but life is way to crazy to even think about it now. Full responsibility for farm and market is pretty much on Tony and me now...I do all the accounting (bookkeeping, payroll, a/c, a/p, tax payments...still have to do the 3rd qtr MN one tonight before bed), scheduling employees, training employees, covering when they call in sick at the last minute (after scrambling to find a babysitter), planning promotional things for the market, updating the website (which it hasn't been in several months because I forget the password, and when I email to get a temporary password sent, the email never arrives...but I don't have time during the day to call the web host about it), baking for our October pumpkin parties (4 dozen cookies, a tray of brownies, a sheet of rice crispies, two different soups, and two pies every Saturday....only two more weeks to go!), ordering products, and doing inventory -- then there is working with AWANA at church (I've been praying about dropping that responsibility....club secretary for four different groups (each with their own secretary), 85 leaders, and about 225 kids from age 3 thru 6th grade), Christmas program practice just started (I direct, and I love it!), Watkins stuff (which doesn't take up too much time and helps our income which we really need), regular housework (what IS a clean kitchen floor? And when raising a boy, when does the bathroom stop smelling like a port-a-potty regardless of how often it is cleaned? I'm thankful when my four to five loads of laundry from one week is folded before the next round is started...put away? What's that???), raising a 2- and a 3-year old (one of who likes to sit on the toilet grasping body parts while singing "my ***** is a fire hose!," one who is extremely strong-willed, and both who were sick this past week...Susanna is finally well, Luke is part way through -- terrible headaches, very high fever, listlessness, no appetite, stinky toots), and being a wife (to a husband who is also fighting the same sickness and is drugged with Nyquil which is why I can type to you tonight...he doesn't like when I type when he's trying to sleep (computer is in the bedroom...and this is the only time I have to try to catch up on the over 150 emails in our inbox which are NOT spam/forwards/etc.). I was really sick this past week, too, but do moms ever get to take time off, even when battling high fevers, aches and pains, and terrible congestion? Then there's the stress of family....dad and mom just left (they were great helps ....well, not counting the van full of toys they brought -- literally. The upstairs room they stayed in was a total disaster, barely any walking room, due to all the toys they brought on their LAST trip here -- I asked them if they could clean and organize it while they were here, which they did...while adding even MORE stuff to the piles!), almost losing my father-in-law a few times this summer only to find the artery to his new kidney was almost completely blocked preventing it from functioning, and all the other regular family things. Oh, and the farm dog died, too. I haven't really had any time to process Gram and Gramps passing, although I am sad in missing them but happy that Gram's suffering is done and Gramp is finally with her again...and Jesus!

Your blog, as well as Mar's and Kar's, are a highlight of my life....I get such joy when I check them each night after Tony falls asleep (usually around 10:30 or so) and find something new. Mar's reassures me that I'm not the only mother going through the ups and downs of preschoolers/toddlers and yours shows me hope for the future when they get older...but shows me life still doesn't slow down.

Maybe some day...but for now, just thinking of doing a blog gives me a headache.

Okay, so I'm tackling the blog, but after reading the above, be patient with me! Hopefully I'll be able to post during nap times or like now, when Tony is downstairs after having just come home from helping butcher and process the three deer his brother and a friend got last week (venison, anyone?).

By the way, some updates from the above....Liz did tell me that her bathroom STILL stinks (her son is a teenager...same smells? different ones? new ones mixed in with the old? She didn't clarify, and I'm pretty certain it's the last). I've got my answer to prayer about giving up my AWANA responsibilities...same as the last four times I prayed about it. God put me in that position for a reason, and I'll continue to joyfully serve Him there (even if there are times when I have to remind myself that I am joyfully serving!).

And some clarification: This past April, my 83-year-old (now 84) father-in-law had a kidney transplant. He is doing well now, and I'll blog more about that at another time. In June, my Grandma Pavkov (Mom's mom) went home to be with Jesus after going through declining years of Alzheimers and other things that happen when one gets to be 95 years old. I think after her passing, Grandpa survived day to day but had a very hard time living without her. I could imagine he probably asked God to take him home, too, each day...and God answered his prayer on September 23. Grampa was 94...they both lived lives that were wonderful examples to everyone who came in contact with them in any way. I miss them dearly, but I know one day we'll be worshipping with Jesus together, praising God! I also mentioned Liz, Mar, and Kar -- they are three of my most favorite people in the world and I've been blessed to have them as cousins. They're sisters, also having one other sister and a brother, as well. I'm sure I'll blog some about them, too (like how Mar and I are the same age --usually-- she just had her birthday so I'm a "year younger" until June! and we both went through later-in-life pregnancies at the same time...twice...along with her youngest sister who we agreed had it so much easier than us, maybe because she's almost ten years younger! And how growing up they filled a void in my life by being like the sisters I didn't have.) At some other time, when I'm not rambling as much, I'll tell you about our pumpkin parties, post pictures of us, and give you links to Liz, Mar, and Kar's blogs.

Okay, can you tell I'm really tired and not making much sense? We'll see how things go in the future.....and if I can figure all this stuff out (blogging, that is).

Abundant blessings!
and good night....or actually, morning