Stu & Nancy--12 Years Together Today

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A look back over the past year...2009 in review.

What's going on here

I've been up into the wee hours the past several nights working on a scrapbook for my mother-in-law, Sara, who went to be with Jesus on December 21st. My fil asked me to do it for the memorial service that's this weekend. It has been a trip down memory lane. I am hoping it will help others remember her as a vibrant, talented woman and honor her memory.

Tonight, I have a mom's meeting. Usually I go alone, but I'm taking the baby this time. He's increasingly active now since he's about 9 months. He follows the big kids around like a pro--crawling, of course! I'll have to take a jacket tonight. The low is forecast to be 30 degrees. Yay! it's finally winter in FL. We were all wearing short sleeves and some us wore shorts up until a few days ago. A friend of mine is in MN and their temps have been 20-40 below zero. That's serious!

Since I have been scrapbooking a lot lately (in my free time, haha!), I have been working with my digital scrapbook program. I recently found this site that I want to share with you. They have a lot of cute digital goodies. Their weekly newsletter comes out on Saturdays and offers discounts. Check it out!

Plea for Prayer

Grandpa & Grandma at Eden's 1st bday in Sept. 2007
Grandma holds Joshua (July 2008)

Grandma visits Joshua when he is born on her 79th bday in April 2008!

I humbly ask you to pray for my mother-in-law, Sara. She has been in the ICU since last Monday, December 1st. She is suffering from a reaction to chemotherapy which mimics pneumonia. (This is simplified.) Pray that her lungs heal enough for her to be able to utilize home oxygen. Pray that her oxygen saturation levels would increase. Pray that depression would not overtake her. Pray for her mouth and nose to heal, so that she may be more comfortable. Pray for strength that she may walk again. She is a dear woman that our whole family loves. Please pray for her husband, Richard, of 54+ years. He needs rest and peace. Thank you!

An early anniversary gift

Stuart and I celebrate 10 years on Thursday. I really wanted to surprise him this year with a special picture of us, but I decided it would be more special if we did a family portrait because we've never had one done. (So it wasn't a surprise.) We'll have to do another after the baby comes, too. Here are the pictures I chose. Yay, I think they turned out great! This is one great anniversary gift. We are SO blessed. Thank you, Jesus!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Make video montages at onetruemedia.com

I made this little movie for my hubby for Valentine's. Enjoy!

Where are my socks?

This question was posed to me recently by my husband. He was getting ready to go to an open house and didn't have what he needed--namely socks. We have done so much laundry around here and his didn't get done. He needed jeans, too. This made me realize that I should really be watching out for his needs. He is supposed to be my first priority. After all, he was here before the kids. (At least 4 of them!) It is so hard as a mother of 6 children to fit it all in. I am just praying that God will lead me to remember what Stu needs and supply it. I am praying for His grace because right now running everything is quite overwhelming. God gave me my husband as the perfect companion. Do something thoughtful. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day!

In which we see a few butterflies...

Wow, we've been busy bees this week. First of all, I got a large portion of my hair cut off on Wednesday! I wanted to have "fun" hair, so one of the sweet young ladies from church (who's a hair stylist) cut my hair. Above should be a picture of me with baby Eden. Second, Max's 6th birthday was on the 1st, so we took him to the butterfly garden at UF (again). We got some wonderful pictures and enjoyed ourselves. Third, on Friday I got to work-out with a friend and go to a scrapbook crop. I joined a local place that is similar to a Curves and even though I hate to exercise it's not too bad. I'm more interested in the results! Today we visited with Stu's parents while he had an open house. (He has another one tomorrow.) Also, I finally opened my Nutrimill. WOOT! That thing is awesome. My old Ktec grinder can't hold a candle to it. I LOVE IT! I made banana bread tonight. I am making homemade pancakes in the morning again...with fresh ground flour. Have a super Sunday!

The List

Do you ever have so much to do and you're trying to figure out how to accomplish it? That's what I'm thinking about the next couple of days! (You're probably wondering why I'm on the computer, right?!?) Tomorrow is Max's 6th birthday! I still need to get him a gift. Also, I have a hair cut today and the grocery store is calling. The baby is still asleep. I woke her up at 6:30 to nurse because I couldn't stand it anymore, but then I went back to bed for a little bit.

Max has requested a trip to the butterfly garden tomorrow. There's also the medievil fair in town this weekend, so we're trying to decide what to do. I haven't been feeling well this week, so the thought of taking 6 kids anywhere is kind of daunting to me. I'm just tired and have a bad cold. We've been trying to save money on groceries due to our very tight budget situation. I go to a wonderful website that has great cooking ideas from scratch. We ate homemade pancakes yesterday that just rocked! Go here to check out the full website.

Well, I am off to get busy with my day! I hope yours is blessed and full of little kisses and hugs from your tots!

The Greatest Reward

Being a mother is hard, self-sacrificing work. All mothers know this. There is little tangible reward in the early years. Of course, sweet baby smiles, "I love you's" from toddlers, hugs from the kids, and a willing helping hand from an older child are moments to relish. Today I received a priceless gift from my 15 year old daughter. I love you, Celeste. Read on below:

Our Mom

by Celeste

Maybe you've heard, maybe not,

Of the one who cared for us as tots.

The one who taught us how to cook

and even how to read a book.

The one who showed us to love kids big and small,

and to have patience for them all.

The one who showed us how to pray,

and gave us the words to say.

The one who gave us hopes and dreams,

and told us that life is not as bad as it seems.

The one who fed us night and day,

and tried to keep our stomachs at bay.

The one who showed us to have joy always,

even on the worst of days.

The one who taught us right from wrong,

and how to sing a song.

The one who shared the last cookie,

even though we already had three!

The one who cared to give up her life,

so we could have one twice as nice.

The one who gave us life and breath,

and who loves all 6 of us to death.

So maybe you've heard, maybe not,

of the one who cared for us as tots.

The one I would like to become.

The one we always call Our Mom.

Saturday routine

I didn't do much today. I did get to go to the mall with Celeste so that she could use her gift certificates from Christmas. That was fun! We got to drive a really neat car--more on that when I can put a picture up. Jamie went to play paintball in a "scenario" game with a friend of his and his cousin, JT. I was working on my Christmas pictures using Memory Manager 2.0. Of course the program is awesome and is made by Creative Memories--you can find it at www.mycmsite.com/nanpalmer. I found a few more cute pictures of Jamie at Christmas. He really is a fun, goofy kid. Above I posted several. Hope your weekend is blessed! Tomorrow we're visiting some good friends in Orlando. Hi Heath and Valerie!! We had babies around the same time and I can't wait to see theirs!

Happy Christmas Eve

Hello! Sorry I have not been on to post. It's been crazy busy around here. I am sure you can imagine preparing for Christmas with 6 children. Nursing has really made shopping more challenging, but I think managed to get it all done. I haven't really enjoyed this season this year. It's really too much trouble. I wish it were all more simple and the focus was truly on Jesus.

My parents came up on Friday and we opened our gifts with them. It was fun and good seeing them! I really wish my brother, Jamie, was coming this year! I hope you read this Jamie and have a big guilt trip. It's just not as fun... Also, we're not having any special Christmas dinner because we haven't been invited to one. It didn't occur to me until last night. My older brother is going over to his in-law's house and Stu's Mom is undergoing chemo treatment again. Stu's sister, Lu, and her family will be here for a couple days. I am looking forward to seeing them!

I posted a few pictures. Enjoy!

Mom Times Six

I had this picture taken for Stuart on the occasion of our 9th anniversary which was December 6th. He loved it! I am so blessed! The children's ages are: Celeste 15, Jamie 12, Dan 7 1/2, Max almost 6, Tommy 27 months, and Eden Joy 10 weeks.

The Best Present

The best present...

By the way, we got Homeschoolopoly from the UPS man yesterday and we are quite eager to find the time to play it! Also, last night was the night Stu and I met 10 years ago. We've been together ever since. 4Him penned it well when they wrote "The Roller coaster Ride." Life can be a roller coaster even without the love of your life. It's so much nicer when you have someone to go on the ride with...thanks Stu! We just celebrated our 9th anniversary on December 6th. I think I got the best present this year...Eden Joy.

Grace

God has given me the grace to:

>Mother 6 children even though I don't know how I get through the day and do anything right. He always fixes it up for me.

>Run on little sleep and enjoy my new precious daughter, Eden, who is currently getting quite plump. What a gift He has given me in nursing her longer than any other baby.

>Recognize a good man when I see one. Stuart is a dedicated, hard-working husband and father.

>Be open to His plans for me...even though I have no clue how things will work out.

>Find contentment in the little things--at least I have a messy house. It's much better than being alone and a whole lot more fun!

>Remember, it's all just "stuff" anyway. You can't take it with you when you die and you won't care when you're in the presence of your Savior. Amen!

Family Fun

Check this out! If you are a homeschooler I think your family would enjoy this game! We just ordered it and are looking forward to playing it together. Go to http://www.homeschoolopoly.com/index.htm to check it out!

We are busy getting ready for Christmas and will take a break from schooling after this week. We're going to be baking cookies tomorrow and having lunch with my friend, Chris, who also has 6 children. Wow, there will be 12 children at my house tomorrow. The funny thing is that it's not complete chaos. These are wonderful children! I need to send Christmas cards and finish shopping. It's hard to get it all done with a nursing baby. It limits my time out and I'm still so tired in the morning. She's so cute, though!

I just found out that Creative Memories will be offering framing early next year! I can't wait to get more information on that. I am eagerly awaiting my first story book. I'll take a pic of it and show it to you when it comes in. I have a personal web address now and you can order directly from it and have things shipped to your doorstep. It's www.mycmsite.com/nanpalmer. Check it out!