My Bear of a Blog

Well, it's spring. The bears are coming out of hibernation, and it's time my own blog came out of hibernation too. I've been pretty overwhelmed the past few months from many different angles in life, and I just had to focus on the essentials for a while.

I have truly missed blogging, although I don't think anyone else even noticed I had quit LOL. Here's a little update on what's been going on at the Stringer household:

KK has grown a foot and gets more handsome every day!

My sweet girl turned 12!

Seth is still cutting up dead stuff (see cow eye below)

Bub is still saving the world from Nazis and Muslims

Summer has discovered Dorothy!

And for something pretty funny....I was preparing to send in my older version of Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra that KK did for 8th grade for the newer auto-grading version they just released so I'll have it for my future students. For this exchange, it is required to send in your old, used textbook. As I was getting my package ready, I scanned through the book and noticed the last page. My little comedian tends to doodle all through his school work. I bet poor Greg and Shawn (the Teaching Textbook authors) will be surprised when they see this! :-)

My Rosebud Turned 3!

She's growing up so fast...

She's driving now!

And I learned that I can still jog 5 MPH when I have to. Yay me!

And then we topped the day off with Little Bear. She loved it!

Happy Birthday to my Awesome Husband!

I'm so thankful that I let the Lord write my love story. He sent me the most wonderful man to be the leader of my home and the father of my children. It's been a true joy to walk along beside him as we have built such a wonderful life together with the help of our Lord. How blessed it is to have a husband who is also my brother in Christ. Happy Birthday, Jason!

Dear Ben,

I know how insulting it must be for you on your birthday, that no one has even remembered that this is your special day. You see, our country, for which you can largely be credited with establishing, is too busy honoring aother man. This other man, of course, has never held down a real job, run a business, or done anything innovative to improve the nation, although he was a wonderful speaker. He was extremely critical of the United States and its culture and economic system (though he lived pretty high on the hog thanks to this nation of greedy capitalists), and he taught that everyone (that is, everyone ELSE) should be forced to voluntarily (?go figure!?) share their wealth. No, Ben, I'm not talking about Obama, I'm talking about Michael King, Jr., aka Martin Luther King, Jr.


So, on this day, I would like to take a moment to wish you a Happy Birthday, and thank you for all your dedication to our great Republic. Thank you also for your contributions to the fields of Science, Literature, Mathematics, and Music, as well as your many innovative inventions that improved society, such as the first public library and fire station.

Happy Birthday, Benjamin Franklin!

Bringing Down the Sacred Cow

MLK Day: Why I Won't Be Celebrating by Frank of Queens from The Right Perspective Radio:

"King has taken on deity status. No one dares to look critically at his politics or life. Instead, many believe that he is the most perfect being that ever existed. Yes, it’s true! Why, you can smear the Founding Fathers, you can even put Our Lord Jesus Christ in a vat of urine upside down and call it “art”. But heaven forbid that you should say a bad word about MLK. "

To read the rest of this article, click here

And here is another link to an excellent article, "The Dark Side of MLK", which goes into great detail concerning King's plagiarism and his unapologetic ties to communists.

On a funnier note, here's one local woman (who happens to be black) who thinks it would have been perfectly okay for the public schools to make up some much needed snow days on this sacred federal holiday. (Fast forward to 2:50)

Blessed Week

We've had a busy but blessed weekend around here. My Caleb turned 13 on Friday. Jason and I had always planned to do something special with each of the children as they turned 13, but it always just seemed like something far off into the future. Now it's already in the past. Truly, this life on earth just flies by. Reminds me to be investing in what's ETERNALLY important!

For his birthday, we took him to buy a new set of Carhartt's (in men's sizes, I might say!), and then we left the other kids with grandparents and took KK out to eat. Jason and I had each written a letter to him, and he was so sweet and thankful for the extra attention. The world has given such a fearful reputation to "teenagers". A few weeks ago, somebody asked KK how old he was, and said, "You'll soon be a teenager!" Later he said, "Mom, what's a teenager?" I thought it was cute, and I know some would criticize me and Jason for sheltering him so, but we've never allowed him to watch movies, listen to music, or hang out with other kids or adults who think that it's a "rite of passage" for kids to turn into monsters for a few years during their teens. We're grooming him for manhood, not hedonism; therefore, we have carefully and purposefully fashioned his world to enforce what we're teaching. Very few people approve of it, but when I look into this young man's eyes, and I see a live personality and not an apathetic stare...I don't give a care about what anybody else thinks.

Here's a pic of KK and Sis on Sunday evening. Few things in life please me more than watching the relationship between these two.

Then on Saturday, we went to Lake Winnie Amusement Park. I didn't take a lot of pictures because I actually rode rides! Summer was old enough to ride and enjoy the day, and that freed me up to actually enjoy myself! It was the first time in 3 kids that I got to ride a roller coaster. I can testify that roller coasters in your 30s are different than roller coasters in your 20s, but I had a great time.

And now for the really fun news: I am potty training Summer Rose this week! Monday was a disaster, but today has been good. I'll give a report of this experience later. Wish me luck!

Deep Sea Cake

My children think they can just name a theme, and their mom can bake a cake that tastes good and looks just like whatever they imagine. It's a tall order, but I have fun trying. Some turn out better than others! This year, Seth didn't just want an ocean cake (I've done one of those before for him), but he wanted a deep sea ocean cake with a scuba diver!

I actually had high hopes for this cake, and was going to do a lot more with it...until Summer woke me up by bringing me my glasses...

Migraine + blurred vision = mediocre cake, but Seth liked it so that's all that matters.

Getting in Touch With My Inner Tomboy

What a mother will do for her son!



Posted using my iPhone

Happy Birthday, Sunshine!

My little Seth turned 7 years old yesterday. He's changed so much over this past year, and it's been a joy to watch him grow and discover who God wants him to be. Seth has never been into guns and knives and cowboy hats like my other boys, and I've had so much fun trying to find ways to feed his insatiable curiosity about everything there is to know about God's creation. Seth has been a challenge to me from Day 1, and he continues to cause me to do lots of soul-searching as I go down this uncertain road of parenting.

A few days ago, we were at the Wal-Mart vision center having KK's eyes examined. One of the associates was watching all the kids seated quietly, and he came over and said, "What?! All your brothers and sisters have on cowboy and cowgirl boots. You have on tennis shoes! You are not a cowboy?" To which Seth replied in a humble, quiet voice, "No sir, I'm a scientist." So cute, and indeed, he IS a scientist. This year, he had his heart set on this deluxe insect collector's backpack for his birthday.

He has had so much fun already with it.

Here he is having his birthday morning monkey bread.

For his birthday supper, I cooked one of Seth's favorite meals: chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese. I'll share my recipes below. These chicken fingers are the one and only reason that I even own a deep fryer. I threw it away several years ago, and went without one for about a year. The kids and Jason just kept on asking about chicken fingers, so I purchased another one just for this one meal. I spent quite a while tweaking the seasoning on these, and they are so delicious!

CHICKEN STRIPS

Mix together:

2 sleeves of saltine crackers, finely crushed

1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. onion salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat deep fryer to about 365 degrees. Beat together 1 egg and 1/2 c. milk. Dip chicken tenderloins (about 3 lbs) into milk mixture, then cracker mixture, and deep fry about 4 pieces at a time for 4 minutes, or until desired crispiness. (1 chicken finger = 3 Weight Watchers points)

HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE

8 oz. elbow macaroni, prepared according to directions

In saucepan, stir in:

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can evaporated milk

1 c. water

2 Tbsp. butter

Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Stir in 1 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Add macaroni and mix thoroughly. Pour into greased small casserole dish (7 x 11, 9 x 9, etc.). Sprinkle with 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Enjoy! (1/9 of dish = 6 Weight Watchers points)

Birthday Fun

Today is possibly B. Hussein Obama's 49th birthday. If only he would produce a genuine birth certificate, he could get a free ice cream at Baskin Robbins, or even get free admission into Ripley's Aquarium or Disney World! Ah well, I guess he'll have to settle for being the leader of the free world since there are no pesky forms to show for it!


- Posted using my iPhone

The Big Mermaid

Summer loves to watch Little Bear and is so taken with Little Bear's mermaid friend, so this is what I made for her birthday cake.

Poor thing is a little fatter than I intended, but Rosebud will love her. I never did like The Little Mermaid anyway! (The little mermaid with the big bust who was glorified for rebelling against her father.......I know, I'm extreme, blah blah blah)

- Posted using my iPhone

My Sweet Happy Girl is 2 Years Old!

(Seems like yesterday we were bringing you home!)

Happy Birthday, Summer Rose!

He had a ball!

We had a great time Wednesday morning with Bubbie and his mustache. He stood and stared into the mirror for a few seconds before nervously saying, "Mom, it's not a real mustache.......is it?" He's so funny.

Being a young man with a broad range of interests, he wanted a Davy Crockett cake and a spider man suit for his birthday. I'm afraid Davy kind of looks like he's wearing a Jedi robe, but once again, I delivered! He asks for the hardest cakes! In fact, when I showed him the finished product, he said, "But I wanted him on a horse shooting his gun!" Oh well, this is all I could come up with:

Spidey

This morning, Bub came and sat in the chair and said first thing, "Man, I loved that birthday!" I had let him and Seth "sleep together" last night (a treat on a week night for them) and he said, "Mama, me and Bubba had a ball last night. You know what's a ball? Bubba said a ball is when you do lots of fun things and don't get in trouble for it." I just love little boys!!

Shhhhhhhhhhhh!

My little Bubbie is turning 5 years old today. The poor little fella takes a lot of teasing from all of us. He's just that kind of child that is so fun to tease! We love him and have a lot of fun with him. This week, we've been telling him that his "4's" are almost over, and life will be different! 5 years is always a big deal in our home, because that means you no longer have to take a nap! Well, Bub asked me what he was getting for his birthday, and I said, "A razor and shaving cream, of course." I explained to him that now he would grow a beard and mustache and could shave just like Daddy! Poor soul isn't too sure if I'm joking or not. He told Seth, "If I do grow a mustache, I'll shave it and nobody will know." LOL

So, I just couldn't resist the urge to tiptoe into his room and paint a mustache on my little man. I'll let you know how he reacts. You'll probably suspect an earthquake around 8:30 this morning, but don't be afraid! It's probably just our Bubbie.

September

Around here, September means birthdays. Not only do Caleb and Seth both have birthdays (Caleb turned 12 and Seth turned 6), but also 4 of our closest friends and also Poppie all have September birthdays. Needless to say, we've done a lot of celebrating this month.
When we discovered that the Gatlinburg Aquarium gives free tickets during the month of your birthday, we jumped on that. The boys decided that instead of a party, they'd rather the whole family take a little trip, and we had so much fun.
Here are a few pictures from this month:

Do you think Seth is excited? This bike was from Gran and Poppie

Audrey's dilema....

The Men (my daddy with Jason and my brothers-in-law)

Maggie is always happy

My sisters and Nana surprised the boys with birthday cakes during our monthly family fellowship (my sister Keri made that cool edible gun)

...and this cool edible frog

It's been a busy month, but a fun one. I'm so thankful to the Lord for my boys, and it's such a joy to watch them grow into little men.

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Summer Rose

Has it possibly been a year since I gave birth to this precious baby?

Words cannot even express what Summer has meant to me....not just me as a mother, but to me as a person. Yes, she is the apple of everyone's eye in our house, but we've always loved our babies around here. We have no favorites. But, at the time the Lord sent Rosebud our way, I was about as low as I've ever been in my life. Disappointments, betrayals, failures, tears, pain. I had a very difficult and miserable pregnancy. I couldn't lie down. I would sit straight up all night, dozing occasionally, but mostly just crying and hurting, physically and emotionally. I can't explain what a comfort it was to me to feel my baby moving. I knew she was fresh from heaven, having just recently received the breath of life from the Creator Himself, and it gave me a peace that can only come from Above. I can tell you that I received a healing when she was born, but what that truly means is just something personal between me and my Savior. Since words are inadequate, all I can say is "Thank you, Jesus," and I hope you can find that kind of peace with the Lord in your life too.

Miracles

We've been watching chicks hatch in the incubator all weekend. Every few hours, another "peep, peep" can be heard. It is truly amazing. It doesn't matter if you're watching a chick hatch from an egg, a butterfuly emerge from its cocoon, a kitten being born, or a baby making his/her entrance into the world...new life always points us to The Creator.

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalm 139:14

Holiday

While most of the nation celebrates a national holiday today, it will go largely unnoticed that today is the birthday of one of the greatest Americans who ever lived, Gen. Robert E. Lee.Here is a great link that tells about the spiritual life of this great Christian man, and another link to an interesting article about Rev. William Mack Lee. Rev. Wm Mack Lee was a slave that General Lee inherited and freed 10 years before the Civil War. He, and all the other servants at Lee's home, remained with him until after the war. Rev. Lee even served as Lee's personal cook and body servant during the war (by his own will). After the war, Lee paid for his education and helped him get started in his preaching ministry.

"So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that Slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interest of the South. So fully am I satisfied of this that I would have cheerfully lost all that I have lost by the war, and have suffered all that I have suffered to have this object attained."

Gen. Robert E. Lee

"With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I have therefore resigned my commission in the Army, and save in defense of my native State, with the sincere hope that my poor services may never be needed, I hope I may never be called on to draw my sword..."

Gen. Robert E. Lee

My Pretty Little Doodlebug

Today Madelyn turns 9 years old. I was just thanking the Lord for her, and thinking of all the fun we've had with her through the years, so I thought I'd post a few of my favorite pictures of her. Coon hunting...it's true that my pretty little Doodlebug usually smells like a boy

Age 6 ...I love her golden hair

She'll kill me for posting this, but this is her at age 5...always right behind KK in whatever he's playing. She is actually wearing an Indian costume that my mother made for me when I was her age


Age 4, painting Jason's toenails when he was in one of his comas (a.k.a. "naps")



Age 5, with her best buddy

Age 2 1/2, with her best buddy

Age 2, Sis and Doodle helping me make biscuits

Happy Birthday to my sweet little Sis! I love you!