What to do?

Due to the realization of how vulnerable we put ourselves when we have a blog, and that anyone can follow you anywhere, I pulled my blog for awhile this week! Sorry! I may be going private with this blog, but I will be sure to invite all of you that are "friends"! I am still praying about what I should do and I have blocked a few things to try to keep out people that I have nothing in common with! Hope that I do not block anyone that has been here, and if so, please email me and I will see what I can do!

Also, I managed to totally crash my old computer this week, after going on a questionable blog, and so I am now the proud new owner of a new laptop! Yeah, me! Thankfully, I have a back up hard drive that I put all important "stuff" on and I didn't lose anything! Now I have to put all my picture software on this computer!

Hope to catch up with all of you and that my blogging troubles are over!!!!!!! I have a week of posts to catch you all up on!

Over for Another Year

This morning, at 2 am, I fell into bed signifying the end of another Because of the Times! We push ourselves every year and this year was no different! We fed around 30 missionaries and ministers after church all three nights. There are so many people here that we would like to visit with that we try to host a different group each night. Even then we do not get to see everyone!

Menus for the Week:

Tuesday Night:

Gumbo

Green Salad

Potato Salad

Bread Pudding

Tea

Wednesday Night:

Veggie Beef Soup

Green Salad

Crackers

Bread Pudding

Tea

Thursday Night:

Cajun Chicken Lasagna

Poppy Seed Salad

Green Salad

Cheese Bread

Sunshine Cake

Texas Delight

Tea

During the week, I think that Kensli has reached an all new level of "WILD"!!!!! I was so busy cooking, cleaning, serving, and greeting that she basically did what she wanted. If someone else tried to help me with her, including her dad, she let them know really quick she could do what she wanted! Next week is going to be so much fun! ;)

The 3 oldest kids did really well this week! Ricky and Kaitlyn helped with the missionary kids at church and Nic helped me!

Today we are going to Natchitoches and give our house guests a tour of the area! They really wanted to see the cultural history of the area and there is no better place than Natchitoches!

I will try to post pictures of the week soon! I have had a hard time taking pictures lately!

Wonderful Wacky Wednesday

What an 11 yr. old considers fun!!!!!

A New RED Look

Yesterday, I spent most of the day washing clothes with my new RED washing machine and dryer. My old washer had seen better days and would not wash a load of clothes with out a little extra TLC! Thank the Lord for a good husband that saw me in my hour of great need, needing some clean socks and underwear helped, and went out and bought these..............

Boy, doesn't that red look good with my green walls! I love red and Toby figured why not give me something I like looking at while doing a job I really do not like! Isn't he THOUGHTFUL?!!!!!

I made gumbo for our house guests and for a few people we are inviting over tonight after the services. They had never had gumbo, so they were really excited to try something culturally Louisiana. Thankfully, it really turned out good!

Kensli is really doing great with having people staying with us and having a messed up routine for the last few days. She really needs her routine or no one sleeps! I have made a HUGE effort to keep the nap times the same during the day even though the night bedtime is a little varied. Praying that she keeps going like she is or our Swedish house guests might see that she can be as cross as she is cute! HEEHEE! Poor souls! She has been so pleased to have someone new to TALK to around here! She keeps them quite entertained!

P.S.---Tina, sorry they do not web cast the services, but they will have them available through the church's bookstore in a few days. I wish they were web casting, because it looks like I will probably miss most of the night services this year! With people coming here to eat afterward, I will need to be home getting ready. :( I looked for you email address to reply to your comment but couldn't find one!

Out THERE Somewhere

I logged on the computer this morning and realized that I have not post in several days! Whoa, not at all the norm for me, because we have so much happening around here all the time I could post several times a day!

Life has just been getting in my way lately!!!!!!!

Our church has been getting ready for Because of the Times, which is an annual ministers conference that draws ministers in our organization from around the world. In fact, yesterday we took care of a group from Norway, Germany, and Sweden for lunch. The couple from Sweden are staying with us, and I can honestly say, they have been some of the sweetest, most wonderful house guests we have ever had. She loves to cook and has been helping out in the kitchen some. It has been so much fun to laugh and talk with her while preparing a good meal. She said that she would like to prepare us a traditional Swedish meal before they leave at the end of the week. Hopefully we will have time!!!!

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and for that I am extremely thankful! I am thankful for the changes he brought about in this country and for the opportunities afforded my children through his efforts! We will not be in the parade this year due to commitments with BOTT, but hopefully we will be back next year walking, reflecting, and making our on families memories on this day of remembering a great man.

Orange Hat Society

Tongue Twister Family

I came face to face the other day with just who we are.............

African American, Caucasian, Chinese, Latino, Vietnamese, American Family!

WOW! Now say that 3 times!!!!!!!!

In honor of all my children's birth cultures, I am adding songs to my music player that celebrates each individual culture. So far I have the Chinese culture covered, but if you have any suggestions for the others, I'll be happy to check them out. I just have to be able to understand them, because I do not want anything offensive. :)

Check out the wonderful Shanghai Chinese Traditional Orchestra, that I found on another blog the other day and added to my play list.

Oh, Kensli is playing world traveler today, so I've got to run and accept a call from New Zealand. I don't even know how she knows where that is in this world. Must be the whole supermom, homeschooling thingy. HEHEHE...........................NOT!!!!!!!!