Gratituesday: A Broken Window....

SO, how can one be GRATEFUL for a broken window you might ask yourself?????
WELL-------- Because I didn't do it!!!!!!!! LOL! Ok, just kidding, but really, I didn't break it, my hubby did! and it wasn't our window, it was our NEIGHBORS WINDOW... and they are not home, they are GONE on a 2 week vacation.... SOOOO what is the story you might be asking yourself????
Well, my neighbors, this family with 8 children 1-15 yrs old.... and a mom and a dad all under one roof.... are on a 2 week vacation... and they trusted me so much to let me take care of their yard and garden (ok, really their garden is amazing, on its own water timer, I just got to cut the lettuce and share it with the other neighbors!) AND I didn't really even have to do anything else yet, besides water the PORCH flowers because we have had rain alot since they left....
SOOOO yesterday all of us headed over there with hubby on the tractor to mow their yard because it was getting soooo high and they aren't back until friday this week.... you know, doing a kind deed!!!!!!!!!!!! Right near the end of mowing, somehow a rock flew out of the mower (the opposite sides of where the grass comes out) and breaks the first pain of glass of their lower window......
My hubby was sooo upset, he was mad for hours.... I wanted to be mad, but for some reason couldn't do it.... I was like "WELL, accidents happen, and we will just replace their glass....!"
SOOOO Why am I grateful you might ask......
because this gives up the opportunity to show them how great of people we are... that we are the ones that borrow things and return them in better condition than when we took them... that we always replace when we break or lose, and that they can trust us....
I only say this all because sometimes I am unsure of what they think of us... I know this shouldn't matter... but these folks are very down to earth.... the girls all wear skirts and long hair and she is so patient that she homes schools all of them....
I wear my hair at shoulder length (I have THICK THICK Hair and long hair gives me headaches), I wear speg. strap tanks daily in the summer (I truly could DIE if I wore any kind of sleeve.... I am a sweat box!!!!) and I send my kids to public school..... So I guess sometimes I just don't know how they feel about us.... KWIM???!!!!
Anyways, I am grateful for the chance to see how they handle this when we tell them.... and see if I can READ in their faces what they really think of us, if that makes sense at all!!!!!!!!!!!

Read more gratituesdays at heavenly homemakers

Gods Great Power

My husband LOVES looking at the stars at night, but even more than that, HE LOVES watching thunder storms move in!!!!!!!!!!! Lastnight we were sitting on the deck together, enjoying the silence of the children sleeping in their beds and enjoying Gods Great Glory here on earth!!!!!

There is NOTHING more beautiful than this......

(apparently I need to pull clover again!!! LOL!)

Como Zoo....

So we took our first summer outing the other day and I had to share this Gorilla photo with you! It was tooo funny!!!! I think he was telling us all to GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!

AHHH... can you smell them from here?????

My Baby Turned 9 TODAY!

WOW, I can't believe it!

Today marks 9 yrs of being a MOM!!!!

Man how time flies!!!!!

SOOO here we are at UNDER WATER WORLD at the Mall Of America! It was fun spending the time with the whole family having fun, celebrating his birthday!

Psssst- the 3 kids in the middle are NOT that tall... they were standing on a step thingy!

HOW DO YOUR CHILDREN GROW????

WOW, I took a photo of Shayla when she got home from

school today (it was her last day!) and My goodness how she has grown!!!!!

This is only is 9 months!!!!!!!!!!

Black and Decker Waffle Maker....

I noticed it has been a long time since I reviewed an item I love!!! SOOO here it is....

a BLACK AND DECKER WAFFLE MAKER/ GRILL!!!!

This baby is HOT!!!!! And since it makes so many waffles at one time... I can please even my big family!!!! The Waffle plates also come out and flip over to make a FLAT griddle! And the top flips down so you cook on both sides!!! This has been great for cooking grilled cheese on (you can close the lid and cook both sides at once, BUT I find that this smooshes the sandwich alittle!) I have also used it to cook Tortillas on and English muffins !

I love making up a triple batch of pancake batter and making lots of waffles!!! Then I let them cool all the way and freeze them in gallon baggies! SUPER easy and then when you need some waffles you just pop them into your toaster!!!!

This Waffle makers gets ***** 5 stars in my book!!!!!!

My Big Girl Graduated!!!

My 5 yr old graduated from 4 K (4 yr old kindergarden) the other day! She was so proud of herself and can't wait until REAL school starts on her BIRTHDAY!!!!!