Be Strong and Courageous

This was the year of the Christmas photo card. I think we had just about 50/50 between the cards and the picture ones. It was fun to see how the families we know have changed and grown over the year and a blessing to hear from so many. I have been having trouble up loading my photos more than one at a time and hope that I can update In the new year. Blessing to all!!

This is factory just down the road from our home that always has this stream of steam coming from it. On this particular morning the colors of the sky were so soft behind it. I was a bitter cold morning about 7 degrees and the steam rose in a pillar. It was just beautiful to look at. I pulled over one morning on my drive from dropping off Keith and watched the sun come up over the Yakima river. It was so bright and intense. The bare trees make for such a gorgeous forefront to the scene. I stopped again the next day to watch the moon set behind the Selah Hills. It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful God's creation is and that we get to enjoy day in and day out.

We finally caught up with the Toys for Tots on their final weekend out. Great fun to be a part of it. Donovan wanted to know if the "army guy" was going to bring the toys back to our house? funny. I had a great time baking up cookies for our children's Christmas program at church and for the kid's teachers. Jello spritz, Snickerdoodle, Chocolate mint chocolate chip, and Oatmeal Cranberry white chocolate.

The snow was so mushy by day 3 that all we could do was walk in it and Addysen wanted me to spell her name in the snow, I offered her a Big Heart instead. The frosty stuff was still stuck to the tips of my maple leaves, very beautiful. I am still trying to work on my macro lense process for better pictures of smaller things like icicles on leaves. The back yards are all still open right now, no fences. The snow was all still fresh back there. Addysen was trying to make snow angels in the harden slush, that was not going so well for her, but it was a good try.

Facebook Nicole Lee Spellman : "Is so Glad my kids are super excited for Christmas. The last year has been full of so many emotions that having something to be excited about makes of happy"

This is how I what I love waking up to, a Warm cup of coffee, with the Reminder that Jesus is First, in all things and above all things. So this is one of the yummy gifts I made this Christmas, We handed them out at Emma's party, to coworkers, moms at Mops and friends alike. We made cookies for teachers this year. In all there were 4 main kinds - Peppermint, Hazelnut, Vanilla Caramel and Coffee, some with marshmallows, some with out. You basically just add layers of cocoa, creamer, coffee, and marshmallows of you choice to pint jars. It makes 4 mugs worth. You add the entire contents of jar to 3 cups HOT water on stove, and divide into 4 mugs to top with milk. YUMMO!

So Emma is now 12, I know stop the presses but believe it or not she is. She does just sparkle, I really do enjoy the creative singy little being that she is. She wanted a tea cup cake but it was too heavy to flip over so we decorated the bottom of it as well and had a good time.

This is the Christmas Banner that I finally finished last week. It was fun to do, sort of like scrapbooking, lots of pieces and textures. This is an ornament my Grandma made out of a wood spool. She is my inspiration in all things creative, she painted and cooked like no one I know. I miss her very much, especially around the holidays. Ok so decorating and then getting 5 kids to sit and focus at the camera, was just not happening. Hey no one is crying in this one. Andrew trying to take on the entire Turkey leg, the leg won. It was just too much, but he had fun trying. The yummo turkey, well not exactly, the breast meat was great but the dark meat got way too tough and no one had any left overs. Next year we are going to do just the breat and add a ham for Emma.

On the 2nd Andrew had a Choral concert, he was slotted in Choir for his elective arts credit and was not pleased at first, but agreed it was not too bad. He even got a solo in a song - he had to make a LOUD click sound with his mouth - quite a talent. He is now 5' 5 1/2" and nearing Dad's brow. He is on the left side near center row. On the 3rd Emma has her first band concert. After only playing the clarinet for 9 weeks she is 3rd chair in their tiny band and loving it. she is struggling with not being able to do choir and band next year. Too many cutbacks in the arts of our kids. I think she may stick it out with band for the next few years and move to singing in high school. She has a beautiful voice and is always humming something. Jillane Willow Isadora -celebrating her 1st birthday!! We celbrated with friends and family on the 7th (would have been my dad's 70th) her birthday is on the 10th. We made these totally fun candle cupckes and went pink of course!

Trying out cellular postings.

Facebook Home : "When writing out your Holiday cards this year, please consider sending one to a recovering American Soldier at Walter Reed. It will take just a few minutes of your time and yet it will mean so much to these men and women who have sacrificed so much for our freedom. Address to: A Recovering American Soldier c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue NW, Washington D.C., 20307-5001. PLEASE RE-POST!"

Facebook Nicole Lee Spellman : "Is blessed and thankful for a hard working husband."

Facebook Nicole Lee Spellman : "Is amazed at what can happen in a year, a month, a week, a day, an hour, a minute, a second; and how it can all change a lifetime. I Can still see myself in the many moments of life that have changed who I am."

Facebook Nicole Lee Spellman : "I am dreaming of the 80 degree sunrise weather of the outer banks from this summer, snow is headed our way soon and I am not ready. I would love another NC vacation this winter to take my mind off the hohum of every day."

Facebook Nicole Lee Spellman : "Is up at 5 On a Saturday! Oh well, guess I will go make the coffee. Pancakes anyone?"

We fiannaly bought a ladder tall enough to get to out ledge and put up some of my favorite things, water pitchers - not sure why but I have been always drawn to water and so it makes sence to me. Sorry about the side ways photo, it was crazy hair day at school and Andrew won with his checkered board hair cut thanks to mom and Emma won with her crazy sloppy buns of 3. Not sure I actually took picture, but the year book staff did :)! Almost a year ago Addysen say the Weiner Mobile fly by us on the highway and she was in awwwww! Well we found it this year and got there just in time for them to be packing up. they let the kids look inside and gave them whistles and everything! Jillane at one of Andrew's soccer games, photos of hime playing to come later.

So we have been in the house for nearly 5 months and decided to start making it our own , since it is our own. The carpet is called River Moss and is very green with hints of chocolate brown. So On the living room, entry, and stair way walls, and last friday finished the powder bath as well, it is right off the stair way, we did a cyprus grass green. I love how it makes the white wood work and our Blue furniture just pop. In our bathroom we did a mushroom beige color, there is lots of grey and brown in the floor and tile on the tub. This the before the contractors white is so very bright. I cannot wait to do the kids rooms.

Our 2 story house has 9 people dwelling in it, we have 5 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms which is a blessing and so much more. We have 3 meals and 1 snack a day which equals out to 32 portions of food that God provides daily. As well as the 32 dirty dishes and counters of pots and pans and my favorite the 16 plus cups of day that enjoyed a gallon of milk and much more clean fresh water - All God given. There are 6 beds in our home that lend to cozy nights of sweet dreams for most - :) as well as long laundry days trying to keep them clean, and oh yes the 6+ showers of the day and the loads of towels that come with it! Most (?) of us wear only one outfit a day well 2 if you count pjs and that lends to 120 plus outfits a week that use about 12 loads of laundry, we are talking 1000s of gallons of water a month. There are 3 Tv's that don't get much use, (a good thing) and 5 bookshelves of nearly 100 books each that get plenty of use - everything from Dr.Suess to Laura Ingalls to the grea...

Well since making the dinners a few weeks ago, we as a family have had a chance to try the Chicken A La King (like I said last time not my fave but kiddos loved it), Manderine Orange Chicken ( we ommitted the mushrooms as called for and everyone love it), Sweet and Sour Chicken (served over brown rice - super big hit), One of our Spinach Lasagnas (My Emma said it was the best lasagna she ever had - wow better than Olive garden). We have yet to try any of our steaks or the london broil, but we did make both our meatloaves. I know that having them bagged and ready to go has helped, it means that neither my mom or sister have to try and duplicate my recipes to my kids likings and there is a bit less mess in the kitchen that night ( of course with 9 eating here now, the mess is twice what I am accustom to yet. We are getting a bit better at the dish and laundry cycles though. The daily vaccuming of the house is no longer happening, but I am getting over that ( well trying to ;( ! ). I kno...

So my girlfriend Nancy and I decided to try our hand at once a month cooking and we even tried new recipes, to spice it all up. All together we made 33 meals of 4 servings. So 9 meals for her family (of 3) and 12 for my family (of 9). Our portions are 2 time bigger than hers so you can imagine what a day of cooking we had. In total we made 10 things and I am looking forward to trying them all. We made London Broils, Tritip steak strips, some regular steaks, 4 pans of lasagna, Sweet and Sour chicken, Manderine orange chicken, chicken a la king, lemon pepper chicken, Pork Loin roasts, lots of Meat loafs. It was fun to hang out for the day and then know that there are now 12 meals in the fridge that require only pour and heat or throw on the grill for prep time. I love it. Why have I not done this sooner. I think the next time we do it we will i will do a few of our family's stand bys. I was not impressed with the Chicken a la king, but the kids loved it, even with peppers in it Emm...

WE took the kids to Kill Devils Hill, on the Outer Banks for an over night trip. They were so excited to get into the water. We drove to the North point of the beach, Curritucks Lighthouse Park and spent a bit of time watching the sun set over the Currituck sound. The outer banks is just a strip of land not more than 1/2 mile across in most places that is met by a sound/ bay on the other side. The next morning we woke the kids up before dawn, and walked out to the beach to see the sunrise over the Eastern horizon. God was so good to let it be the coolest part of the day and clear the haze just far enough out we saw the sun break through the clouds.

I sometimes am cut off guard by how quickly time flies and how much is jst 'going on' around me. My hub and I met 15 1/2 years ago at a fall dance and through a singles group that met once a week. We did not officially start dating ar really getting to know one another until late May of 1994. We were engaged July 1994 and married November 1994 and I am in awe of the 15 years that have since just flown by. We were blessed with our First child Andrew in February of 96 and Emma in December of 97. Life moved us from East coast to West coast to Germany in no time flat and back again to West coast where we were again blessed with Addysen February 03. What brings me to all of this is last night 2 things happened that made time seem so sureal to me. Emma asked her daddy to dance with her, they used to do this often, when she was small, but as a watch our 11 1/2 year old relish in dancing with her father, my eyes were lit with joy, and love for them both. Secondly as we headed to bed an...

Jillane learned to sit up early and we did an impromptu photo session in the living room one morning. April 2009 Our foundation was poured February 15th and by April 23rd it was done. Ours was the only house being constructed and so the 90 build turned into more like 70. It was a great blessing, and God's timing was of course perfect. Christmas was full of emotional ups and downs, the kids were so good with every thing being so crowded in our duplex and the adding of grandma and aunt and cousins. Little Dono holding sister.

We went to the Yakima Fair grounds for a concert by Jeremy Riddle, he is Christian singer that we have listening to for about 4 years now. His music is soulful and praising God in all things. Last year we saw Merideth Andrews. We bought his CD and the kids got to meet him for like 2 seconds. He has 4 children back home in Nashville and said he couldn't wait to get Home to them. We live in a beautiful part of the country sort of a high desert place. It is sunny almost everyday, and the farms near our house produce most of the worlds Hops supply and nearly any kind of tree growing fruit, such as apples, cherries, apricots, plums, pears, peaches and the blueberries here are so yummy. We have begun to plant our landscaping, my favorite is the japanese maple(in the dirt baerly visible), and the new autumn glory maple I bought Ketih is on the porch and hope to get the irragation and sod laid before the end of summer. Our neighbor hood of 75 lots no has about 30 homes up and the construc...