365 Days {Day 29 }

{Honesty}

Meet  Honest Tony.

We had a yard sale over the weekend Tony showed up and was a character he made us laugh and was quite the bargain hunter.

He bought a few thing and every time he saw something he wanted he paid up immediately.

The last thing he bought was a set of dishes we sold it to him for 35 dollars.

Dale put it in his truck and off he went.

We commented what a cute old man he was.

Saturday morning Tony showed up again and said you know I could not sleep last night.

I said why was that?

He said I forgot to pay you for the dishes, we said no Tony you paid us.

He said no I am sure I did not. He explained that he had a certain amount of money in his pocket and it was still there when he cleaned out his pocket that night.

We were very surprised and touched by his honesty.

He told us when he was little he had stolen a nickel form his father to buy some candy.

When his father found out he spanked him and then told him something he never forgot.

An honest penny earned is worth more than a stolen dollar.

I will never forget Tony and will often tell others of his honesty.

365 Days {Day 28 }

{Goofing off}

This is the only picture I took this day so here is what you get.

I honestly thought I had deleted all these pictures but this one survived.

I was just goofing off in my bathroom mirror testing lighting with my I touch to see how low of a light I could get a desent shot with..

365 Days {Day 27 }

{My running buddy}

When I work out or run I must have good jams!

These are just some of my favorites they push me to be faster and sometimes not to quit.

I always quicken my pace when Metallica is playing bet you never would guessed me for Heavy metal girl?

No work out is ever complete with out my man Bon Jovi I can do anything while listening to his voice.

Dirty Bit by Black eyed pea is my push it 5 more minutes on the elliptical song right now.

So whats on your work out play list?

365 Days {Day 26 }

{Coloring}

365 Days {Day 25 }

{Run baby run}

So for the past week I have been running  inside on my elliptical, trying to prepare my self for this spring when I run on the streets again.

I want to do a half marathon this year I have always wanted to but I always convince my self I can't.

Last fall I was talking to my runner friend Katie and she convinced my I could, she even has a training schedule for me.

So I have been trying to build endurance and cardio.

I was really surprised yesterday when I ran 2 miles strait with out stopping in 22 minuets in-fact I was pretty smitten with my self.

Today I pushed it and ran 3 and a half miles in 45 minutes, not bad but I was hopping to do it in 35 minuets.

Maybe by the end of the week I will meet that goal we will see. 

I gotta tell you all this running is making my poor legs restless at night.

I don't think I am stretching enough.

Or maybe my legs are begging me for mercie.

Any ways this is my story behind my picture for day 25.

365 Days {Day 24 }

{Kixe?}

Not sure what this means?

But it spells loss on top.

A visit with a good friend!

I had just ran 2 miles and was one hot mess when I heard someone on my front porch, I thought great I am sweaty and smelly who can that be?

When I look out the window and it was my dear friend Lila.

So I decided not to hide and pretend I wasn't home.

You know she has to be a good friend if I was willing to let her see me in this state.

She was bringing back all the clothes she had borrowed for her Cruise last week.

She came in and we chatted for a few hours.

I committed to her that it had been ages since we did this.

I then had a moment and realized this is what I have been missing.

I have been missing true friendship.

Yes I have lots of really great friends but I have not been a good friend.

I from time to time have lunch or girl night but I haven't nurtured my friendship with my Alaska girls.

Maybe that why I have felt lonely here.

It was funny because she agreed that she was doing the same thing, I felt a little better.

So I guess the only thing I can do now is improved and be a better friend.

Don't you just love self awareness moments and aren't you glad I shared mine with all of you?

I hope everyone is having a great day today!

365 Days {Day 23 }

{Family Fun!!}

We love when it when Kadie and Dan come to sunday diners.

365 Days {Day 22 }

{Locks of Love}

My sweet Mylissa cut 10 inches off her hair today.

She will donate her beautiful hair to the locks of love organization.

I am so proud of this girl.

Plus her new do is so cute.

365 Days {Day 21 }

{Pink Madness}

One of my goals this year is to make tablecloths for every season and holiday.

I plan on making at least 12., Can you guess what holiday this fabric is for?

When my kids were little I always had tablecloths for each holiday and a birthday tablecloth.

My kids loved it!

Lets face it in the last 5 years I have not been a very fun mom, yes I have my fun moments but it has not like I used to be.

When Kadie,Shelly,Mylissa, Robbie and Garrett, and Madeline were little I was so creative and always made the holidays fun.

For the last 5 years I feel like I have just been going through the motions.

Well this year it is changing.

I am bring back old traditions and introducing new ones.
I am going to show Ben and Maddy and the rest of the kids how much fun celebrating can be.

Watch out world the old Jennifer is back!

365 Days {Day 20 }

{Sweet deal}

Today I went to Target and bought 2 pairs of boots total cost $25.00.

These boots full price $58.00.(CRAZY)

365 Days {Day 19 }

{What did you say?}

This kid cracks me up!

I was taking a picture of something and was talking to my self, Ben turns around real fast and gets in the way of the camera and said "What did you say" And this cute bug eyed shot was result.

I love this kid!

365 Days {Day 18 }

{Fun Read}

Sometimes it's fun to get lost in fantasy land.

A gift of love!

Warning! crying may occur while reading this post..

Remember my post for 365{day16} I showed you some fabric and titled it Tender Mercies?

Well here is the story.

My friend Amber's oldest daughter is getting ready to have her first baby in fact she is in labor as I type.

I have been trying to find the perfect fabrics to make her baby gifts some fabric came easy but I couldn't settle on a fabric for a baby blanket for her baby girl.

I bought an amazing Amy butler fabric but it just did not feel right.

I have a hard time creating if I don't feel connected to the piece I am working on especially if its a baby gift.

After buying fabric after fabric and still not feeling right about it I decided not make her a blanket.

Then Sunday morning happened.

I was getting ready to go to the church I went into my sewing craft room to get some papers and scrap booking letters when one dropped into my fabric tote.

As I was digging around to find the letter I came across the perfect fabric.

I immediately teared up when I realized what I had my hands on.

As mentioned in the earlier post it was the fabric that was given to me.

The fabric was given to me by her mother.

The fabric had belonged the mother of  my friend Amber and Amber had taken it from her mothers fabric stash after she had died.

When I touched the fabric I instantly felt a connection to Amber's mother and new that this was to be.

She wanted me to make her great grand Daughter a blanket were she couldn't.

I could feel her so strongly pleading with me to please do this.

I am sill in awe and honored that I get to be the tool in giving Amber's mother her desire of having her great grand daughter receive this blanket made from her fabric.

This experience has strengthened my all ready strong testimony that those who pass before us are still with us.

As I was making the blanket this morning the way I thought it should be, I came into all sorts of difficulties and had to unpick and start all over.

I was discouraged and felt defeated that I was having so much trouble and called out in frustration Grandma B. What do you want me to do.

Calmly and quickly an easy solution came to me.

The result was

this soft cuddly simple blanket.

It is not my favorite blanket in looks that I have ever made but as blankets and baby gifts I have made in the past this by far is my favorite gift to give.

I Believe that Grandma B. Is a simple and practical women.

Just like this blanket.

I can't wait to give it to my friends daughter and see the look on my friends Amber's face when she sees the fabric.

I am even more excited to tell her the experience behind the blanket.

Just another tender mercies from a loving Heavenly Father.

6 weeks to a 6 pack!

I bought a new Jillian Michaels work DVD it's called

6 weeks to a 6 pack!

I am a little skeptical that in a mere 6 weeks doing this work out 6 days a week will give me sexy flat 6 pack abs.

I am taking the challenge starting today!

I am taking a before picture and I will take an after and when 6 weeks are up I will show you them both.

We will see if this mom of 8 will get the 6 pack abs she wants.

Wish me luck!

365 Days {Day 17 }

{YUM!}

3 Cheese tortellini and sausage soup ( With my secret ingredient) and parmesan and garlic bread sticks that's whats for dinner.

Maybe I will post the recipe any one interested?

365 Days {Day 16 }

{Tender Mercies}

The reason I chose this caption I will explain later this week.

I was given this fabric a year in a half a go from a friend.

I love it so much it's a vintage print from 1960's I was shocked when she gave it to me since she had held on to it for so long plus it had special meaning behind it.

She gave me about 3 yards I have thought of the many items that I have wanted to make with it but nothing seemed quite right.

Well this morning I got the answer, I cry every time I think of what I am going to make with it.

I know that this sounds vague and silly but I don't want to share too much until the item is made and given.

I can tell you this The Lord loves each one of us and sometimes he uses others as tools to show his Love for us.

I am so grateful that he has made me his tool in this instants.

I will share what I am creating and the meaning behind it on Friday.

365 Days {Day 15 }

{Costco Run}

Today Dale and I went into the big city to do our monthly grocery run!

We always hit Costco first then the commissary on the base.

We always fill three plus carts between the 2 stores, I wont even tell you what we spend it might make some of you choke and others blush.

Really for our size crew I spend less than most family's of 4 spend in a month.

So I cant complain too much..

It's just a lot of work and takes alot of time shopping once a month.

365 Days {Day 14 }

{Waiting}

I snapped this shot when Dale and I was sitting waiting for my trucks oil  to be changed

It was kinda cute how we were swinging our feet back and forth in the same rhythm.

365 Days {Day 13 }

{Spoiled}

Dale brought me home a box of Godiva Gems last night, just because.

I love it when he dose this.

He is such a good husband..

My nest is getting empty.

It was only 3 years a go that my kids were still little and needy I was running from point A to B constantly I had 6 kids in 4 different schools I was always exhausted by the end of the day.

Now my kids are getting bigger and leaving the nest.

I never thought this day would com so soon.

Just 7 months a go Kadie left the nest it was hard and sad and I miss her.

This week it was Shelly's turn.

She is moving into a house with 2 of here friends and a 90 year old man.

Sounds weird I know but one of her friends grandfathers was living a lone and asked if she would move in with him. She was already in the process of getting an apartment with 2 friends. So lucky them her friends mom agreed that all 3 of them could move in to take care of her Father.

Shelly has been cleaning and decluttering the neglected upstairs where they will be living for the last week.

Yesterday they finally moved in.

I am really sad she is out of our house but excited for her and this new step in her life.

As for my little nest it seems weird to only have 5 kids running around.

It is even weirder cooking for 7 instead of 9.

I am glad I have at least 3 years before Mylissa will want to leave.

My advise to all of you with little ones enjoy your time with them now, because they will all be grown up before you know it.

365 Days {Day 12 }

{Deep cleaning}

I have no clue why Garrett is vacuuming his face.

I am always a little puzzled with half the things he dose.

When I asked him why he was doing it he promptly replied" I am doing some deep cleaning".

I don't even want to know where he came up with that one.

Life is always fun at my house!

365 Days {Day 11 }

{obsessed}

With all these work DVDs you would think I loved working out.

The truth is I hate working out.

I do it because I have too but for some reason I am always buying new work out DVDs.

My husband says I am obsessed with them.

Who know maybe I am.

I just bought 2 more the other day.

So spill your beans do you love working out or hate it?

365 Days {Day 10 }

{Goofy}

Not much more I can say about this shot.

365 Days {Day 9 }

{Birthday fun}

Happy 14th birthday Robbie.

We had a lot of fun tonight at Robbie's birthday party.

We laughed we sang our traditional awful version of happy birthday.

We ate trifle and laughed some more.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!

14 years old!

Yesterday Dale and I took our first born son out for an early birthday lunch and movie.

We took him to Red Robins (Yum) to eat.

We had a fun waitress who gathered a crew of singers and sang Happy birthday to him.

Then it was on to the Movies.

We saw the movie RED it was a fun action thriller.

We then rushed home in time for his first church dance.

He was very excited about that.

Wished I would have taken his picture he looked so handsome.

Tonight we will celebrate with our family.

He asked for lasagna for diner and a yummy trifle for his cake.

Kadie and Dan will join us on the fun.

We love Robbie and could not have asked for a kinder son.

Happy birthday big boy!

365 Days {Day 8 }

{Driving down the road}

We had a full fun day yesterday so I am late in posting this.

I took this while driving into Anchorage yesterday.

It was so peaceful and pretty out.

365 Days {Day 7 }

Last night I was going looking at old photographs and came upon this one of William
and My sister Crystal.

{Memory lane}

(I normally take a picture on the day I post my 365 but decided to use an old one this time, my game my rules right {snicker  snicker} enjoy my walk down memory lane)

I love this picture it makes me smile every time I see it.

I love that his eyes were open.

It was rare that he had them open for long but when he did I loved gazing in to them.

I also love how this picture shows details of the shape of his head.

The medical world calls his head a strawberry shape when describing a Trisomy 18 baby.

I never could understand what the medical journals meant until he was born and sure enough the way his soft spot was shaped and h the way his is jaw line was defined and the way his chin was pointed made his head look like a sweet little strawberry.

He also had no cartilage in his ears they were just flaps of skin.

The medical world called them cauliflower ears never figured that one out.

I just loved them.

I loved every part of him.

In the 17 days that he was alive he was always in someones arm.

I remember one time I put him in his bassinet so I could change clothes and he made all sorts of noise.

He did not like being away from me.

In fact when ever any one else would hold him if I spoke he would open his eyes to see where I was.

Even tho he never spoke a word to me his spirit spoke to me often.

It hard to explain but we use to have unspoken conversations all the time.

In those moments I new our spirits connected and we could speak to one another with out words.

That was the hardest part for me when he died, the loss of his spirit the loss of his companionship.

I am for ever great full for the time we got to spend together I know what a gift it was.I also know that we will be together again this unwavering knowledge has sustained my tru my darkest hours.

I really Miss William yet in these last five years of him being gone I have learned so much things I would have never known if he was still here.

I often try and weigh if the knowledge was worth his loss and the answer is always no, but the knowledge keeps me going and definitely has made me stronger.

With these last words I will end my walk down memory lane.

365 Days {Day 6 }

{splat}

No these are not my freckles.

This is what happens when you keep pressing on a spray paint nozzle when it's frozen and then it decides to thaw when your looking to see whats wrong.

I never Knew Dad was a lego artist!

Ben and one of his many cute moments.

Last night He was playing legos in his room before bed time an I noticed a very large Lego space ship.

I said to Ben " That is an awesome space ship you made."
He replied Dad made it " I never knew Dad was a Lego artist."
Dale is proud of his new title even if it's just Ben that thinks it.

365 Days {Day 5 }

{Feeling Sassy}

Do you ever just wake up in the morning feeling super sassy?

I do most mornings but today I was in an extras sassy mood.

I felt like I could rule the word today.

So what did I do feeling so sassy you may ask?

Well I got dressed up super cute put on a movie and ate pepperidge farms sweet toffee milano slices.(Yummy)

Just a normal average super sassy day in my oh so glamours life.

I know you all are wishing you were exactly like me don't lie to yourselves you know it's true!

So what did you all do today?

Frame work!

Last night Shelly called me on her way home from work and said I just got you the coolest frame.

Shelly works at our local thrift store as a sorter.

I asked her a few weeks ago when she came home with an awesome frame for herself to keep a her eyes out for some cool ones for me.

When she brought it home I totally fell in love.

I am not so in love with the fake wood look but love all the carving work.

 I cant wait to paint it, not sure what color I am going for or what I am going to do with it yet.

Oh ya the best part was the frame was free.

Yes I said free they were going to trow this bad boy in the dumpster.

So any ideas what I make with this awesome looking frame? 

365 Days {Day 4 }

{Our enchanted forest}

I was drinking hot cocoa and looking out my kitchen window at forest.

Normally at this time of year it is filled with snow but because of the warm weather it has been melting.

As I stared into the forest I saw a momma moose and her yearling..

I watched  as the walked form tree to tree while striping off the bark with there sharp teeth and long tongues.

I then saw some other animal wonder by not sure if it was a fox or somebody's dog.

I really am blessed to live amongst such slender and beauty.

As much as I am glad to leave Alaska I will truly miss our house on the hill.

Ice puddle jumping!

It's been super warm for this time of year here in Alaska as a result we have lots and lots of ice puddles.

Today Garret had tons of fun jumping in them

Ready

Set

Jump!!

And we are done.

This was my favorite shot!!

I love that my 12 year old too cool for you boy still likes to be a little kid.

The shots are a little blurry but I love each one of them.

So what's the weather like in you neck of the woods.

It's ben a warm 47 here for the last coupel of day rather strange for this time of year normaly it's 10 below.

365 Days {Day 3 }

{Life through my eyes}

I thought this was a fitting shot for my 365 days of pictures.

I think life through my eyes pretty much sums up this little project that I am doing.

Don't you?

I want to thank everyone for your warm comments and sweet emails encouraging me to do this.

I know this is only day 3 but I am loving it.

365 Days {Day 2 }

{In The corner}

Ben has been struggling to keep his voice down, he seems to shout every thing he says.

We had a talk with him told him every time he shouted in the house he was going to stand in the corner.

I was in the shower today and when I got out I found Ben in the corner.

I said did Dad catch you shouting again?

He said no i caught my self shouting so I put my self in the corner.

I love this boy!

As a side note many of you have expressed that you wanted to play along,

leave me a comment if you are so I can check your post..

Dinner and a movie!

For Christmas Grandpa and Grandma Wilderness gave us a gift card so we decided to use the gift card to the movies with.

We asked the kids what they wanted to see and they all agreed on Tron.

We had seen the sneak peek at California adventures next to Disneyland and loved it.

We bought our very expensive 3D movie tickets took our glasses and settled into watch the show!

Doesn't Maddy look darling in her glasses?

Ben looks quite dashing in his glass too.

( Nobody else would let me take pictures of them)

We Loved the movie it was much better than the original.

It was all very techno but interesting it was a good family flick.

After the movie we went  to dinner at our favorite pizza place, the moose's tooth.

If you ever come to Alaska you must eat here.

They have homemade root beer and cream soda and there pizzas are to die for yummy.

We had the avalanche, the Santa's helper, The Rockefeller and the Chipolata steak pizza.

( I told then to please stop acting goofy and take a serous shot I guess this is what I get for asking They are all a bunch of smart alec's if you ask me)

I snuck into this pictuer with Maddy just to say I was there too.

I love spending time with my family I am so glad when I get to spend the whole day with them.

I am a little sad that they go back to school tuseday.

This has been a fun Christmas break.

So How has your Christmas break been?

365 Days {day 1}

{First kiss of the year!}

First shot of the new year and first kiss.

I could not stop laughing when I looked at the picture and saw that Garrett had made his way into the shot .

As I have been telling you for years we can never get a serous shot in our family.

Moments like this I wouldnt change it for anything.

Happy New year!