Here are some awesome pictures of the snow that we have gotten. Like I said, I don't like winter much or snow, but even I can't deny how beautiful it is. The picture with the pine trees looks cool because you can see Graafschap Church behind there. It is just a cool looking picture with the sun shining. God is an awesome artist! The other picture is of our house in the winter. My Zodiac loves playing in the snow. She jumps around like a little puppy.

My baby boy turns 13 tomorrow! Today I am making homemade pizza for his birthday. I am making gluten free crust for me and him. I am making regular crust for everyone else. Just making the regular crust made me 'headachy' and made my sinus' act up. I am also making 2 different cakes today (one gluten free). He is having a friend over. I think they plan on staying up and watching movies all night. It works because they are both homeschooled. So after they sleep on Monday they can do school, or make it up on Tuesday.

Saira is taking piano lessons now. She had her first lesson and so far she loves it. Hopefully, this is something she will stick with. It would be nice to have at least one kid in the family that can play an instrument. Although, Alec and Marcus play around with the piano too.

Well, I have to get going so that I can get ready for church.

God Bless and have a great day.

Snow, snow, snow.......

Well, we woke up today to a driveway full of snow, probably about six inches. Snow is not one of my favorite things. Don't get me wrong, I think it is beautiful. It all looks so fresh and clean - until the plows go through ~ then it loses its appeal.

I am on the 6th day of no pop. Boy do I think about it and want it. I miss that taste. But I am determined to beat this stuff. I made some gluten free cornbread tonight to go with bean soup. It tasted really good. It didn't look as good as the regular cornbread I made for everyone except Alec and me. Right now I am getting ready to take a loaf of gluten free bread out of the oven. Alec has been doing gluten free for about 2 weeks now and he says he is feeling better than ever. It is funny because I have noticed that our tastes are changing. For example, Alec never used to like chili, or bean soup, or ham and now he is enjoying eating those things. He is eating stuff with more chopped up veggies in it. It is strange how things just taste better now. I did find out that I have to make chili from scratch. If you buy canned chili beans, there is wheat in them. So, I make it from scratch now and I put 3-4 types of beans in it. It is so good! My first clue about getting wheat is a headache. After that, the regular allergy stuff sets in.

One of the side effects is that I think I am losing weight, but I am afraid to get on scales to find out. I hope I am, I have tried for so long. But with my thyroid, aspartame, and wheat all fighting me, I think that is why it was so hard. I will see where I end up. Pray for me!

Bits and pieces

Well, I usually end up writing because I feel strongly about something. This time I can't say that. I wanted to write - so I decided to see where it took me. I have been fighting a cold/bronchitis for about 3-4 weeks now. I just can't shake it. Even so, I feel better than I have in a long time. I haven't eaten wheat/gluten for about 3 months now. It is weird how much better I feel without eating it. It isn't that easy either. There are quite a few substitutes out there which is awesome, but it doesn't help when you walk through the grocery store seeing donuts and rolls. Oh do they look good! I am going strong on day 2 1/2 without pop or soda or whatever you want to call it. I was one of those diet coke addicts. I loved the taste of it. I even liked diet sprite or diet 7 up. But I think the aspartame isn't good for me. So, no more diet pop for me. Since I don't like regular pop then it is going to have to be no pop at all for me. The biggest side effect that I have noticed besides craving it - is how tired I am. I hope this will pass as my body becomes accustomed to no carbonation and caffeine and aspartame.

Okay, I am going to go for now. I will write again in a few days and see how I am doing with the whole pop thing.

Good night and God bless!

Here's to a great ~ 2008!

Wow, did 2007 ever fly by. It seemed like a very short year to me. Of course, each year seems to be just a little shorter. (Is that an age thing? The older you get the faster time seems to go by?) I hope not. I know a week seems like forever to my daughter. We only have one birthday this month. My baby boy officially becomes a teenager. 13!?!?! That hardly seems possible. I remember when he was this cute little peanut. My puppy. That is what I used to call him. He made little whimpering puppy sounds when he was a baby. Now he has braces on his teeth ~ and it isn't such cute little noises that come out of him now. lol He has a quiet subtle sense of humor that gets me every time. He told me that his friends say we laugh too much. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so. Being able to laugh at everything - including ourselves is what keeps us real.

Talk about getting off track. 2007 wasn't anything like I intended it to be. I had plans but found out along the journey that God had different plans in mind for me. I was going to get a lot of yard work done and help my dad finish the attic. Instead I broke my foot. There were 2 months shot - doing only what I could. I did get my fire pit dug out and and blocks around it. It is nice to sit around that. My foot healed in time to get fall trimming done. My mom and dad were moving to Texas at the end of the summer. Instead they moved into my house. There was a chance that my mom had breast cancer. Praise God that it just turned out to be a cyst. Their move, instead of being canceled now is postponed until April. I love my parents but it is like having 2 more kids in the house. My mom can't get along with my middle son, (who incidentally has adhd, dyslexia, and who knows what else?)

I developed a deeper love for my husband this past year. We began to connect on a different level than we ever did before.

Both of my older boys got their braces off this year, one in March and one in December. My younger son got his on. My daughter doesn't need them yet.

We got another boxer - Zodiac, to go with our pug - Rolex, and our siamese kitty - Omega. Yes, there is a theme there. My husband collects watches. So, all of our pets end up with watch names.

2007 wasn't bad - it just wasn't what I had planned. Is it ever? So, here's to a great 2008 - whether it turns out how we have it planned or not.