tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40690871351839708592024-03-13T12:31:15.868-07:00In the Wheelhouse (My Personal Blog)The Wheelhouse is a sports term for being in your strongest place to score. Hockey players score the most goals from their wheelhouse. Life comes at us full speed. Split-second decisions are made, that can change the outcome of our game. Welcome to My Wheelhouse.Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.comBlogger245125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-23742798789010093982011-04-22T14:30:00.003-07:002011-04-22T14:32:32.809-07:00Performing at our church...<h1 id="watch-headline-title"><span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="The City Harmonic - Manifesto (OFFICIAL)"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/artist?a=AYMcY2vx8GRg18LZ_l01SVHL3nLgeAho&feature=watch_video_title" id="watch-headline-show-title">The City Harmonic</a> - Manifesto (OFFICIAL) </span></h1><h1 id="watch-headline-title"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Excited to be able to see this band perform!</span></span><span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="The City Harmonic - Manifesto (OFFICIAL)"> </span></h1><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/o_6JQDsbtlM" title="YouTube video player" width="640">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;I &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe>Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-40557711753674753492011-04-02T00:55:00.001-07:002011-04-02T00:55:37.858-07:00Too busy...Signing in here to say hi. I am in the middle of "too busy" right now to give some love and attention here. I will be back soon and update with all that we have been busy with.Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-80491689537340802792011-01-31T23:40:00.002-07:002011-02-02T15:37:07.312-07:00It's a ZooToday we spent the day at the zoo with our homeschool group. Even with the rain, it was a GREAT day! I am so thankful for the homeschool group that we are a part of and the wonderful friends and friendships that we all (the boys too) have made and share. God is so good to us!<br />
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The only bummer part of the day is that I forgot my camera. So, if I can get someone to forward some of their pictures from today then I will post them here.<br />
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Well, I forgot about this picture that I took on my phone. Probably not the best quality, but still a good one of just a few of the kids in our group. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ldipygEr_8I/TUnch8GxsnI/AAAAAAAABX4/scK_jTOuQPU/s1600/IMG_0066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ldipygEr_8I/TUnch8GxsnI/AAAAAAAABX4/scK_jTOuQPU/s320/IMG_0066.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-20594487333625923542011-01-18T00:40:00.000-07:002011-01-18T00:40:16.402-07:00Seeing God at WorkThis past week our constant thoughts and prayers have been with a very dear family that we know from church. They were here for a short time while helping to develop and grow a new ministry for our church, a marriage ministry. They did a fantastic job with it...many new innovative ideas and events came from them. <br />
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This family is Toben and Joanne Heim. This past Tuesday Joanne suffered a severe stroke and is currently in a coma. Not only are all the details too long for me to write out here, but I am one who feels very strongly about not telling a story that is not mine to tell. Toben has been so gracious to post updates on her blog site and keep in communication with EVERYONE that knows Joanne (and her family) and follows her blog. You can read their story <a href="http://www.thesimplewife.typepad.com/">here</a>. <br />
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Joanne is such an amazing women of God with many amazing God given talents. The biggest talent that is ever evident to me is her ability to communicate through written words. She writes an amazing blog and has also written and published many books. She is so encouraging and inspiring. I had the privilege of participating in a Bible study that she wrote last spring. The study was on Psalm 23. She did and wonderful job with it. I have a new perspective of Psalm 23 now.<br />
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Please join me in praying for Joanne. I know God is at work in this situation. Prayers have already been answered and miracles performed. There are truly no words to describe the emotion of Seeing God at Work right now through her . Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-1964977746963386292010-11-20T15:28:00.002-07:002010-11-20T15:38:56.030-07:001st Marching Band Experience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is Tyler's band Marching in our local Gilbert Days Parade. It was a perfect day for a parade and they did a great job! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is an up close look, in case you can't see him in the previous picture. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Way to go Tyler! Congratulations!!Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-48551464587538248602010-10-19T01:04:00.000-07:002010-10-19T01:04:43.891-07:00New Time ConsumerThanks to my wonderful sister and brother in law, I now have an iPhone. I love it! I have already poured tons of time into learning it and playing around with new apps. I am looking forward to learning and playing around with it some more as the days go by. I just wish it had an app that would clean the house and do laundry. Now that would be wonderful!<br />
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Some of the apps that I have discovered so far are: Facebook, Words with Friends, Twitter, Poynt, Geocaching and Angry Birds.Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-46374089495698215482010-09-27T21:00:00.000-07:002010-09-27T21:00:26.560-07:00FlagstaffWe went to Flagstaff this past weekend and it was, oh so nice! It is still in the 100's here and to be able to get a little relief from the heat was very much welcomed. We went for one of Kyle's soccer tournaments. They played 4 games all within a 30-hour time period. It was a tough tournament with only 1 win out of 4 games. However, they had to face the #1 and #2 teams in the state, for their age group. They could have very well beat them both as the scores were within 1 goal during both games. All the boys on the team seemed to take a pretty good beating through all the games and most of them ended up (from what I know) staying home from school just to recover. It was some pretty intense and competitive soccer, for sure. We have another tournament that is only 2 weeks away. I hope everyone recovers quickly. <br />
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My hubby is the one behind all the pictures. I will have to see if he can share a few for me to post here. Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-86442901309109614512010-09-22T18:09:00.001-07:002010-09-22T18:09:37.571-07:00"Do as I say, not as I do"Oh my! Well, after reading my last post and then counting the weeks that we have been in school, I realized just how long it has been without a post here. Okay...I guess I can claim many excuses, but I would like to think of them more as just staying busy with family rather then excuses. <br />
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We have been really busy with soccer, soccer and more soccer. It seems like I am always saying that . But, hey, that's what we are all about right now. I just started playing indoor at a new place that is much closer to home. My outdoor season starts this Friday. I am the one coordinating everything for my team. I can not believe how hard it is working with adults. They are worse then kids. It is like a supernatural act to get them to even return an email. Uhhggg. <br />
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Kyle's season is officially underway, although it seems like it is never ending and therefore has never really even started. That kid is always on the soccer field, it seems. We started official games with an out of town tournament in California at Huntington Beach. Yes, I enjoy soccer, but soccer in Huntington Beach...ah, now that is double the fun! It was a rough tournament, but by the last game they seemed to find their groove, with a 5-0 win! Kyle's team also participates in local league play. This year, to everyone's surprise, the team was placed in state level play. It is an honor to play at that level, as it is by invitation only. However, for the parents it is turning out to be driving, driving and more driving. In the end it is a lot of fun and excitement.<br />
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Tyler is also playing soccer again this season. We thought that he would be returning to hockey soon, but that has not been the case. He is discovering that he really likes soccer. He played on an indoor soccer team this summer (you have to do indoor in AZ, it is just too hot otherwise) and loved it. I predict that once he finishes the outdoor season that he is playing right now he will return to indoor. Tyler has also discovered this past summer that he likes tennis. So, who knows what he will be doing next.<br />
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So, I know what you are thinking now...so what about the hubby and his soccer...well...no, there is no soccer for him. Our church has a triathlon team that trains and competes together. He is thinking about join them sometime in the near future.<br />
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Shifting gears a little....We are in our 6th week of school and things are moving right along. We are learning some cool stuff. I will do my best to share our cool stuff and experiences here. One of the assignments that I have for the boys is completing a blog post on their blog, at least once per week. Yes, even the kids fall behind with their posts. So, now that it is an assignment for them, I guess I should set the example and do the same myself. It is starting to sound like that aweful saying, "do as I say, not as I do". I don't like that saying, so I had better get to posting!<br />
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So, with good intentions, see you next week (if not before).Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-21060690984405573992010-09-01T00:28:00.001-07:002010-09-01T00:31:35.756-07:00Back to SchoolWe are in our 3rd week of school and things are finally starting to feel like we are in a groove. YeaHa! For some reason it has been hard to settle into a routine. So with that, it seems like we are already behind becasue a lot of our time has been spent on redoing and undoing, specially with our new science book this year. Having the boys getting used to the "higher level of learning" books (ie Jr high and not elementary) has been really difficult. It is taking more time then I had expected but it is coming along.<br />
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Other then the massive science book, our other books of undertaking for the year are: Math, Latin, Grammar/Composition, spelling/vocab and Bible. We are still working towards finishing our American history book from last year. That is the only book that we did not finish. With moving, and everything else, during the summer, I decided that it was not worth it to make the boys work through the summer and finish it.<br />
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In addition to the academics, both boys are involved with music and sports. Tyler is taking concert band at the local school right by our house and both boys are playing soccer. Tyler plays in the rec program and Kyle is still playing competitively on a travel team. Kyle stays very busy with his soccer as he is on the field at least 4 out of all 7 days during the week. I would say that is quite a bit being that he is only 10yrs old. He loves it though. <br />
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It should be a fun year. I will do my best to keep posting updates here.Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-3017720540377605842010-07-29T20:58:00.000-07:002010-07-29T20:58:30.329-07:00Back to bloggingI guess this is the story of my blog...catch up and updates.<br />
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We have been REALLY busy with moving and all that comes with that. What comes to mind right now are Boxes, Boxes and more Boxes. Uuuggg. And we still have boxes scattered around.<br />
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Mixed in with moving we had soccer practices, soccer games, church camp, tennis camps, a family reunion and birthdays. Whew...that is a lot to keep up with. At this point I am so glad that we are homeschooling again this year. Most schools started this past week. I am not sure that I would handle having to send the kids to school right now, too. <br />
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Our new house is wonderful! For the first time in 17 years I finally feel like I can settle in somewhere. With every place we have ever been in the past we knew that we would most likely not be staying for longer then about 7 years. This one...well we are staying until it is time to downsize (kids are out of the house) or we get too old to take care of the place. So what does settling in mean? It means unpacking <i>everything</i> and if there is not a place or spot for it then it does not stay. For someone like me...that is so freeing! <br />
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So, now that we are finally feeling a little settled, I will do my best to make this site a priority and get back to blogging here. Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-53703967400110406982010-06-09T21:04:00.000-07:002010-06-09T21:04:03.886-07:00New HomeWell the BIG Day is finally feeling like it is in sight. The "IT" that I am talking about is our move in date for our new home. WooHoo. We are all so excited for this BIG day! We are on a countdown now and the number right now is 18. Yeah Yeah!!Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-64968716916648931862010-06-09T20:57:00.001-07:002010-06-09T20:58:36.914-07:00Fun in the SUN!Well, my ideas of putting my "blogging time" on my calendar or on my daily lists (so I would write more here) didn't work. None the less, I am here now and this is becasue I have intentionally made myself not think about "my list" for the day. In fact I have not been home most of the day to even look at it much less think about it. <br />
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We took the day today and went out to one of the most awesome public city pools. Seriously, it is like walking into a miniature water park. They have it all: the water slides, whirl pool, lazy river, adult pool, kid beach play pool, diving boards and even lap lanes for those that are the serious swimmers. Whew! That is a lot. And the best part...it cost less to spend the day there (for a whole 3 people) then what most Starbucks drinks cost. Now that I like! <br />
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So, the worst part of the day was definitely, with out a doubt, stepping in the shower at the end of the day and realizing that you are burned even more then you realized. I guess it is time to start teaching my wonderful boys how to rub sun screen on their poor moma's back.<br />
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All in all we had a great time. I even joined them on the water slides and lazy river. Yes, we had a lot of Fun in the SUN! Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-20206809377714778452010-05-25T23:40:00.004-07:002010-05-25T23:44:08.040-07:00Time to WriteI hate that I go for so long between posts here. For some reason I just can't find the time, energy and motivation to pull myself to this "post" screen on my blog to write. There is so much to write and share here, that is not the problem. I might have to schedule it into my calendar or add it to my daily lists. Maybe I will try that....Or maybe by next week you will find more of me here, after all our schooling for the year is complete! Yeah! Can't wait for that. I think I am more ready than the kids.Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-41436296561416344352010-05-09T19:51:00.000-07:002010-05-09T19:51:58.895-07:00W & P Sunday: Addison Road - What do I know of Holy?I has been a while since I last posted a W&P Sunday song. I thought that I would get one in today. <br />
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The one that I would like to share is from Addison Road called <i>What do I know of Holy?</i> We were fortunate enough to have this band visit our church this weekend. They performed a concert last night and then lead us in worship this morning. I have not followed the band that much, although I do listen to and love their songs that are regularly played on KLOVE and Air1. It is always more special and significant when you can meet and learn more about the people behind the songs. I am sure I will follow them more closely now. They started their band in college and have been together for 10 years. <br />
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This one that I am sharing today is one of my favorites by them. I did not post the lyrics here as they are in the video. Enjoy!<br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/N6J5TzSE_18&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/N6J5TzSE_18&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-43782158840367359252010-05-08T16:11:00.001-07:002010-05-08T16:15:56.066-07:00A God Thing!I haven't talked much about this with most people and have never posted anything regarding it here on my blog. However, this definitely, now, deserves acknowledgment so I though I would share it here.<br />
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A little over one year ago, I went in for a routine doctor check. As with most routine doctor checks, I also had blood work done. This blood work showed that I had possible issues with my Thyroid. So, I was referred to a specialist. Being that there are not very many specialists that treat thyroid issues where I live, I had to wait 3 months for my first appointment. Finally the first appointment had arrived and I was so upset and frustrated becasue all the doctor wanted to do was put me on medication right away, before really studying what was going on. If you know me, you know that I am not one to just take <i>any</i> medication. I only take it if I REALLY have to. So, with that I was on the search for another doctor for a second opinion. Again, another 3 month wait. Finally, the appointment arrived, I met and talked with the doctor and then began the process of many more blood draws. This doctor did what I thought the first should have done, and that is study and watch some blood counts over a period of time. So after a few blood draws and more numbers I was back in the office again, only this time, all the counts came back normal. I could tell by the look on the doctors face and the way that she spoke to me that she was even a little surprised at this.<br />
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There is really so much more to the story, but the bottom line here is that this is definitely a GOD thing. I had peace from the very beginning and knew everything would be okay. I just prayed and prayed that I would not have to take any medication. Specially for Thyroid issues, as once you start on Thyroid medication it is usually something that you end up taking for life.<br />
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ALLELUIA!!! I give all the Glory to God!Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-81944431299108229202010-05-08T15:36:00.001-07:002010-05-08T15:38:22.342-07:00Mighty Mitered Flanged Pillow Here is my final pillow that I have been working on for my Grandmother. I have to make this its own post as it really deserves it! I say it deserves its own post becasue this was the first time that I have made anything that has a mitered flange on it. It sounds and looks easy enough, right? Well, it isn't. At least it wasn't for me.<br />
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With all the pillows that I have made in the past month, I have learned how to do 2 new t hings. The first was I learned how to sew an invisible zipper and the other was this mitered flange. The difference between the two were day and night. I used the wonderful internet (YouTube) to find tutorials on how to sew an invisible zipper, however you would not believe that I could not find ANYTHING on how to sew a mitered flange. I could not believe it (and still can't). I thought that maybe I was not searching for the right thing so I tried everything I could think of. When I finally gave up I asked my wonderful hubby to help. He can find ANYTHING on the internet. So, I began to give him a quick lesson on what I was trying to do and told him all the possible names and "terms" that this could possibly be found under and then let him go at it. Even he couldn't find anything (video tutorials). Finally, he did find a PDF document with some basic and mismatched steps. So, I printed it out and studied it for days, trying to make out what to do, how to do it and where to begin. In the mean time (during these few days of internet searching), I decided to try and figure this all out on my own. It never happened. I can't even remember how many times I ripped all the stitches that I sewed.<br />
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Finally, it clicked, after much time of reading and rereading this list of steps that I found, I did it! Now, I have to say that it is not the best. There are quit a bit of nips and tucks around the pillow, specially around the corners, but overall it looks okay and it is completed. Here are a couple of pictures of this "mighty mitered flanged" pillow. <br />
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This last picture is the back of the pillow where you can see the invisible zipper that I put in it. I am still working on perfecting the invisible zipper as you can see just a little bit of it on the left. You shouldn't be able to see any of it, hence the name "invisible" zipper. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-9990766646795502512010-05-05T16:57:00.000-07:002010-05-05T16:57:08.766-07:00The Band StarIt is that time of year again... the "end of the year" ceremonies and concerts. Although we are a home school family we still participate in couple of the programs that the local public school has to offer. One of those programs is Band. Tyler has been attending band classes all year long at the middle school. He took a mini band class last year when he was in school and played in the percussion section. This year he decided to change instruments and learn how to play the Tenor Saxophone. Changing instruments meant he had to start back in the beginner band all over again. He was fine with that and has loved every minute of it. He worked hard all year and made tremendous improvements. Just a few months ago he was given the honor of moving up to play with the intermediate band.<br />
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This past Monday we got to see (hear) the fruits of all his labor at their end of the year concert. As it turned out, we learned that there were only two students the entire year that got to move up to the intermediate band, and Tyler was one of the two. The teacher had both students stand and recognized both of them for all their hard work all year long. I, actually, had no clue that Tyler was one of only two students. I also didn't realize what a big deal she was gong to make about it. So, I have to say, I was one PROUD mama! I also didn't realize that the intermediate band only has 9 students in it (out of probably 70-80 total band students). So I guess you could say he was definitely in the top minority. <br />
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Way to go Tyler! We are so proud of you!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">These are the 9 intermediate band students doing their performance. </div><br />
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Tyler doing a "speaking" part and introducing the next song that they were going to play. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The entire beginner band. They all did a wonderful job. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I can't end the post with out recognizing the Band teacher. She did an awesome job with all the students. Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-72830479096893232472010-05-03T14:18:00.001-07:002010-05-03T14:21:10.822-07:00May Already?<span style="font-size: small;">Oh my! I can not believe that it has been a full month since I last posted here. Man, how time flies. So much has happened in this past month. Here is a quick recap of life around here: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">-The biggest news and most exciting for us is that we finally are getting somewhere with finding a new (to us) home for our family. It seems that 99.99% of all homes for sale (where we live) are all short sale or foreclosures and that means WAITING WAITING and more WAITING...on the banks! We had an offer on a home that seemed to be going NO WHERE and then Bam! there was actually a home that came available that was a "regular" sale. We jumped on it and are now only 2 weeks away from closing and finally having someplace that we will be able to call "home". We are very thankful for the rental roof that is over our head now. Somehow it is just different when you know you have someplace to really call home. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">-With April also came the end of the NHL hockey season and the beginning of the playoffs. Our awesome Coyotes actually made it to the playoffs this year and we splurged and went to their home games. It was so much fun and great family times and memories. They didn't make it past the 1st round but we still love and support our team! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Sickness has hit our house pretty hard this month. We very rarely get sick around here (thank you Lord) but unfortunately most of the month of April we have all been fighting some sort of sinus and respiratory illness. We have gone through more tissue in one month then we normally go through in one year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Soccer was in full swing as well. Kyle spent most of the month in tryouts for next season. Tyler's team wrapped their spring season and I was right in the middle of my 2 seasons (both indoor and outdoor). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">-In the midst of everything else we are still moving right along with school. Yep...we are in our 31st week of school and counting down until we are all done for the summer. It will not be long. The nice thing with home school is that we don't count down by weeks or days but rather by how many pages are left before finishing up the work in our books. It looks like, if we stay on track, we should be all done by the end of May. Woohoo!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I will leave you with a picture of us at a Coyotes White Out game. Fun times and lots of memories!</span><br />
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</span>Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-45635379834282697462010-04-04T00:17:00.002-07:002010-04-04T00:19:11.153-07:00Something Fresh from the FamiliarThanks <a href="http://shaemata.blogspot.com/">Jen</a> for your <a href="http://shaemata.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-about-saturday.html">post about Max Lucado</a> and his words on this day, The Saturday of Silence. I have often thought about this day and wondered: "What about Saturday? There has to be something that God has for us on this day, too." Well, today God revealed it to me through Max (via Jen).<br />
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Once again, I found the words to describe it while sitting in front of my facebook page. Here is what I posted regarding my revelation on this Saturday of Silence. <br />
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<i><span class="UIStory_Message">There is Good Friday & Resurrection Sunday, but have you ever thought about the day in the middle, the Saturday of Silence? Here again, as God does all throughout scripture, He uses this day of Silence as a parallelism to show us that we too have a day (time) of silence when ever we experience times of suffering an<span class="text_exposed_show">d trials here on earth. But, there is always new life (resurrection life) at the end. Hallelujah!</span></span></i><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></span><br />
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<span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show">Ahhh, I love it when God reveals something to me that is Fresh from the Familiar!</span></span><br />
<span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span>Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-80285335705230037222010-04-03T17:29:00.010-07:002010-04-03T17:59:54.404-07:00Sewing projectsI finally pulled my sewing machine out, after moving a few months ago. I had a small pile of clothes that needed a little extra help, a few pillows and a BIG quilt project to get started on. I finished my clothes mending and one pillow. I have 2 more pillows to complete and then I can get started on the quilt. Here are a few pictures to share with you on what it all looks like. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ldipygEr_8I/S7fewZEze-I/AAAAAAAABUM/1hn9N8qh1aM/s1600/IMG_3591%5B1%5D" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ldipygEr_8I/S7fewZEze-I/AAAAAAAABUM/1hn9N8qh1aM/s320/IMG_3591%5B1%5D" /></a>This is the one pillow that I have finished. It was hard becasue I am learning how to sew invisible zippers. I purchased the special invisible zipper foot attachment for sewing machines, but of course it would not work on <i>my</i> machine. So, I logged into my online friend, ebay, and found the exact one that I needed, that would fit my machine. I received it yesterday. Yay! I never would have thought that I would have been so happy to receive such a small piece of plastic. Ha!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ldipygEr_8I/S7fez5HcSpI/AAAAAAAABUU/mczdKtYot1k/s1600/IMG_3594%5B1%5D" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ldipygEr_8I/S7fez5HcSpI/AAAAAAAABUU/mczdKtYot1k/s320/IMG_3594%5B1%5D" /></a></div>Here is the "before" picture of the next pillow that I will be putting together. I am so excited about this one as I looked and looked for the perfect fabric to match the rooster. You can't really see just how perfectly all the colors match, but they do. <br />
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This picture is one of the blocks that will make up the king size quilt that I will be starting soon. This will be a BIG project. I hope that I can cut out time each day to work on it so that I can finish in a short amount of time. I hope to have it completed by mother's day. <br />
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I will try to post and document my progress here. Maybe it will help motivate me to get it all done by the deadline that I have given myself. We shall see...Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-10657843921220569652010-04-02T10:20:00.001-07:002010-04-02T10:21:38.694-07:00Autism Awareness DayToday is Autism Awareness Day and even though I don't really have anything profound to share with you about that, I did share a little about our son on my hubby's Facebook page the other day. I thought that I would share it here too. This is what I posted...<br />
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<div class="comment_actual_text text_exposed" id="text_expose_id_4bb624418dce63f3807ab"><i>Even though we have been through the "ringer" with all that we have had to deal with over the past 10 years, I would not change our son for anything. I love our son so much for who he is and who God made him to be. He is an awesome child and person. God has used him greatly to teach us and others about many things in life, some things that most <span class="text_exposed_show">people never learn or come to appreciate in life. Most of all God has used him to bring our whole family closer to HIM. That is more wonderful than anything! God is Good! "Thank you, God, for what we see as trials, and carrying us through them."</span></i> </div><div class="comment_actual_text text_exposed" id="text_expose_id_4bb624418dce63f3807ab"></div><div class="comment_actual_text text_exposed" id="text_expose_id_4bb624418dce63f3807ab"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ldipygEr_8I/S7YnTb9L0XI/AAAAAAAABUA/ozx3dA9JGQg/s1600/IMG_3583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ldipygEr_8I/S7YnTb9L0XI/AAAAAAAABUA/ozx3dA9JGQg/s320/IMG_3583.JPG" /></a></div><div class="comment_actual_text text_exposed" id="text_expose_id_4bb624418dce63f3807ab"></div><div class="comment_actual_text text_exposed" id="text_expose_id_4bb624418dce63f3807ab"></div><div class="comment_actual_text text_exposed" id="text_expose_id_4bb624418dce63f3807ab">When it comes to Autism and all the information out there about it and how it has changed our lives, I tend to get a little overwhelmed when it comes to sharing and documenting in a place such as this blog. There is so much...Where do I begin? I never know. So, for any of you out there that might want to know more or those that have specific questions, please ask here and I can use that as a guide for a future post here. I would love to share with you becasue I truly believe that the LORD gives us trials and situations in our lives so that we can help others. Not to say that we have it perfected or our son has been "cured" but rather, we have found things that work and have learned to rely and on each other as a family and have grown deeper in faith becasue of it all. </div><div class="comment_actual_text text_exposed" id="text_expose_id_4bb624418dce63f3807ab"></div>Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-92024061438804513642010-03-31T00:39:00.002-07:002010-03-31T01:04:05.176-07:00Going Natural......or at least trying!<br />
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A few years ago I was introduced to the idea of what it would be like to totally replace all my cleaning supplies in my home with ones that were non-toxic and "all natural". That's when it all began. I was a bit skeptical at first, but thought that I would take the advice and see where it went. So, I slowly (emphasis on slowly) started to try these new products (new to me anyways). I was raised on the basics of the everyday grocery store cleaners, so before I could purchase anything to try I had to open the mental envelope and start to dump out what had been stored for many years and make room for some new ways of doing things. Old habits and learned behaviors are hard to break. So, once that was done, one of the first things that I replaced was my everyday basic cleaner (the basic 409 stuff, you know). Along with that was my laundry soap and dishwasher soap. It took a little while to get the ball rolling, so to speak, and convert over to my new products. Once I did I knew that I would never go back. So, after I was (pretty much) convinced I did some more research and started to find many other things that I needed to replace (at least try to). After spending many hours on the internet I was amazed at how much bad "stuff" is in so many things that we willingly bring into our homes. <br />
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So, one thing lead to another and before I knew it I was thinking, "change it all". I started with the cleaning supplies. Then I turned to body products, stuff that goes on our bodies, such as lotions, shampoos and conditions (etc). And now I am trying to change what goes in our bodies. I have to say that cleaning supplies and external body products were a whole lot easier to research and change then all the "stuff" that we eat and put "in" our bodies.<br />
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I have only begun to scratch the surface with reading, learning and changing these foods and products. There are so many food options and choices out there, not to mention all the manufactured and synthetic stuff that is used in all of today's manufactured foods, too. For now, I am just taking it a day at a time and trying to make wise and logical choices. I will share that the one rule I made for myself and have come to adopt is the "ingredient" rule. That is, if the list of ingredients is too long to keep my attention or if the list of ingredients are ones that I can not even pronounce then it is probably not good and it should probably not enter my body. Now, I obviously can not say that my rule I made up is accurate or fool proof but rather just a guide that I personally use to help me learn and keep track with what I am eating. I am not a nutritionist, by any means. In fact, now I realize why that is a 4 year degree plan. Ha! <br />
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After a few years of working to make these changes there are a good selection of products that I have grown to love. I will share some of those in future posts, so check back to find out more.Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-76278344726314528322010-03-28T00:00:00.002-07:002010-03-28T17:27:26.117-07:00W & P Sunday - "The House of God, Forever" by Jon ForemanI have chosen this song today for W&P Sunday for a few reasons. The first is simply because it is one of my new favorites. Also, I started a Bible Study this week where I will be walking through Psalm 23 verse by verse. This song is just that, Psalm 23 to music. Very Cool! I am excited about my study over the next 6 weeks and when I can tie a song to something that I learn about or experience it makes it that much more memorable and significant. Another reason I like this song and wanted to share is because I love the beat and the music. The beginning of the song brings visions to my mind that transports me to the early 1900's where I am sitting in a small church house, in the middle of an open prairie, somewhere. Ahhh...I love going places like that in my mind.<br />
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Enjoy! <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The House of God, Forever</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Jon Foreman</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">God is my shepherd<br />
I won't be wanting<br />
I won't be wanting<br />
He makes me rest<br />
In fields of green<br />
With quite streams<br />
Even though I walk<br />
Through the valley<br />
Of death and dying<br />
I will not fear<br />
'Cause you are with me<br />
You are with me<br />
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Your shepherd staff<br />
Comforts me<br />
You are my feast<br />
In the presence of enemy<br />
Surely goodness<br />
Follow me<br />
Follow me<br />
In the house of God, forever<br />
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God is my shepherd<br />
I won't be wanting<br />
I won't be wanting<br />
He makes me rest<br />
In fields of green<br />
Like quiet streams<br />
Even while I'm walking<br />
Through the valley<br />
Of death and dying<br />
I will not fear<br />
'Cause you are with me<br />
You're always with me<br />
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Your shepherd staff<br />
Comforts me<br />
You are my feast<br />
In the presence of enemy<br />
Surely goodness<br />
Follow me<br />
Follow me<br />
In the house of God, forever<br />
In the house of God, forever<br />
In the house of God, forever </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Ameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13589205229730335067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4069087135183970859.post-6953631722044676502010-03-19T12:48:00.000-07:002010-03-19T12:48:31.011-07:00So Happy and Sad all at the same time!Okay, I know that I just posted about not really knowing what direction I will be taking with my blog. Guess you could say I have the Blogging Blues". Well, wouldn't you know, as soon as I post about having these blogging blues, I am suddenly finding things to share here.<br />
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This post is about something that I witnessed today with my youngest child. Now really, all you moms (and dads, if you are really reading here) don't you just love talking about your kids. Yea, well I am not any different.<br />
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Okay on with the story...The other day Kyle got a phone call from one of his best friends that he met in school last year. This friend ended up suddenly moving with his family to Texas during the middle of the school year, last year. He left but said that he would be back to visit on occasion as his Dad (he moved with his mom and step-dad) lives near us in the same area.<br />
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The purpose of this phone call was to let Kyle know that he would be in town for spring break and was looking forward to getting to see him again. Well, yesterday (and today) was the day they got to spend some time together. In fact his mom extended their trip by one day so that he could spend the night with Kyle and have a sleep over at our house. They get along so well and truly enjoy being with each other. <br />
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This Morning, when it was time for his friend to leave, I chatted a bit with his father while they said their goodbyes. You could tell that neither one really wanted to depart from one another but had to. As they drove away and we turned to walk inside, I looked down at Kyle and noticed that he had a flushed face and was working really hard to fight back the tears. I almost started to cry just watching him. Oh my! I know goodbyes are hard but this totally caught me off guard. Most males have that non-emotional side to them when it comes to stuff like this. It is good to know that my son really does have a sensitive side to him, although it hurts to see him so sad. He was so happy to be able to spend time with his friend but so sad to see him leave. Their next time together will be in a few months when he is back for another visit in the summer. <br />
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