Christmas preparing..

Jams and Jellies are made..
Baked brownies, bread, and cookies..
Made fudge, muddy buddies, and hot cocoa mix..
Packaged the above items and made them into beautiful gifts..
Delivered 29 packaged baskets..

Now it is time to breathe..

Merry Christmas Y'all!

Current Projects

I have a few projects stirring in the pot at the moment:

Homemade vanilla

Dotted landscapes.. See my newest art below

Whole house design and decorating for a very blessed Air Force Wife

Canning/Dehydrating 220 lbs of frozen fruit

Cleaning up fall and pulling out Christmas

Baking up goodies for 2 awesome deployed Air Force men

Starting the baking list for the Office Christmas baskets

Crafting up 100+ Christmas cards

Whew. I leave for Denver this week and I hope I am able to get some things crossed off this list.
Speaking of decorating and designing for a new couple, do you have any quick, frugal ideas that I can put together in a week and/or take it with me on the plane?

Sunday Biking

We found our bikes in the garage this week! To celebrate, we took them out for a spin.

We attached them to the car and went for breakfast then rode our bikes home. It was perfect for our weekend out-and-about!

Krav Maga

I twittered the start of our Krav Maga journey. David and I went for the orientation
and fell in love with the concept.

We are into week 3 and I am loving it. It is very empowering to know
how to handle yourself in a self-defense situation. We are currently doing 2 hours a week and I hope to add another hour by the end of November.

One thing I learned this week: the Hebrew word for Fire = אש = pronounced: Esh

Whoopie.. I won!!

Photo credit: http://www.fontplay.com/

Sweet indeed! Thanks Lisa for running such a delicious give-o-way!
The whoopie pies have been amazing.. and YES I want the recipe!
Visit Lisa's page here.

Lost in reflection..

Thoughts on Uncle John..

There was an unsung melody in his eyes.
It was a delightful magic, a father's pride.
The man, the brother, the father that we all did love and adore,
Will be in our hearts to love forever more.

Though the pain seems to wash over our hearts and minds,
We know there is a loving savior who cares and is kind.
He watches and guards our hearts as we tremble and pray,
Even if it is only "Lord, come what may."

We wish and long for the beautiful days in our recent past.
But we know there is a God who will heal our hearts at last.
To Uncle John, to you, a father, brother, son, uncle and friend;
This isn't goodbye, it is a farewell and we will see you around the bend.

~Christa

Please visit the Obituary for John James Liesenfeld Jr.
http://www.legacy.com/link.asp?i=ls000144934085

Economy Watch - See the map turn black.

Very interesting mulitmedia map focusing on unemployment.

Unemployment Map It does some wild color changing..

Surviving..

Survival is such a generic word.

David and I are getting our financial house in order. We are also learning new things to better ourselves and our families. We are surviving the losses in our life over the past few years too. It's all related.

The Survival Podcast is a great resource in this area. Check it out! We have learned many things including solar technologies for the average person to name one.

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Final Decisions

Today is the anniversary of the loss of our 1st child, Sydney Ann. This month we had our 7th pregnancy loss, Keagan Rene. After ten years of fertility procedures we have decided on surgery to tie my tubes next wk. Thank you for your prayers in this area. We could not have survived without your love and support through all the losses, we value and appreciate it more than you know.

Love,Christa & David
+8 children in heaven

To think clearly again..

Published accidentally..

new year .. new ideas

scheduling life
possible school
making a plan

so lost with this.