I don't claim to be the sharpest knife in the drawer.  Nor will I ever boast to be the quickest bike in the lot.  So It was sometime last week that I realized "I have 4 Teenagers".  SII is currently 19 and Andrew had his birthday in Dec. and turned 13.  So I get this realization only a few weeks before SII turns 20.  Dull and Slow~ but lovable!

  Here is the only photo I will ever possess of the 5 children in this current teen state:

It was taken at Lakeland Air Force Base the day of Steven's graduation.  We took some family shots and lots of fun pictures, but this is the only group of 5.  Look at them~ Amazing!  They are truly amazing.  I know I am partial since they are mine and all but come on you have to admit they are culturally beautiful!

Teenagers.  America is transfixed with this area.  It has made a whole culture of these years.  Manufactures and marketers make big bucks off this age group. Many jokes are made and much fear has been spread over the parents heart about what to do with your teen.

I am glad to say we have been given God's grace when it comes to teens.  We don't consider it any great era of life that is any different than the next. We didn't choose to put much dread or trepidation in the teen years.  We raised young adults.  We choose to raise our children to be independant and self motovated.  We didn't box up the 13-19 years as a time when they would run wild or be disrespectful.  We set expectations that they would conduct themselfs as Christ Followers and obey God no matter what age they were.  It is well with my soul that God has granted us smooth sailing with our children.

I didn't hide under a rock and just think they would be perfect if I loved them enough.  I did read the books, take the classes, go to confrences and pray lots!  In parenthood we go through disapointments, extream joy, and confusing times.  I can testify that my children are all individuals~ they have their personal interests, strengths, sins and struggles.  So did I let the teen age years cause strife when I got the cold shoulder?  No way babe!  I took it to the Lord and asked Him to love them when I was having a hard time doing so.  Did I act shocked when I heard some of their ideas about what was acceptable?  Yes, I did!  But after my shock I attempted to react in understanding and not over react in judgment.  We kept the talks flowing.  Even if it was talking in the car on the drive to Kroger.  We kept the communication flowing~ even through Facebook.

God's beauty is so abundant in every age group. 

 These young adults have ideas and plans that will turn into the future of our family.  I want to experience their lives, not just my plans for thier lives.  Did my kids reach all MY Goals for them~ no way.  Do I love each day with them, umm NO.  But do I love them and where they are going in their lives~ YES, OH Yes.  They will make their plans, some will succeed and some will fail.  That is called life. Steve and I will be here to be apart of each aspect of their lives~ that is called family.

I have told them more than once~ I will love you no matter what.  Will I love their sin~never. But it is not me they sin against, it is God and themselves.  So When I feel they are moving in the wrong direction, I tell them.  Then I move closer to the One who loves them even more than I do.  These are my children.  But they are HIS first.  God gave me these beauties for His glory.  God allowed me to be their mom so that His kingdom might be build.  I will do my best to raise God loving, Chirst serving, Children of the King.  They need to be the ones to walk daily in the obedience of faith.

Our lives belong to HIM.  And I am so glad HE knows more than I do.

The joys of family vacations with our teens (they eat alot!):

How I love that they are best friends:

The truth that they will not be with us forever.  They move on to what God calls them to do! Makes me both smile and cry.

Our hopes and dreams that we planeted the right seeds to grow the fruit of godliness in them.  We continue to be parents even when they are many miles away.

Teen years.  they can be a storm to navagate through.  They could be a struggle daily.  Or truth be told they are just another day to love and train your children. 

So I have one still waiting to become a teen. And we are glad to have our baby still young and playful.  She will someday reach the status of teenager, but for now she is just a kid..

We parent our children~toddlers, school age, young adult.  We do the work that makes life a bit brighter in the long run.

 My days are never boring, they may not be eventful, but they are duty filled.  Take today for instance..."nothing to do"!  So after a leisurely sleeping in AHHHa  and a cup of coffee I decided to clean out my coupons.  Yes, I clip those wonderful paper squares from the local papers.  Save a bunch too~ well when I remember to take them to the store.  So I threw out all my 2011 coupons and got my area ready to save save save in 2012.

  Then I have no idea how it progressed to this, but I decided I needed to clean out the freezer.  I am extremely blessed to have the chest freezer in the basement that holds all the real food items we need, ie.  venison steaks, ground venison, chicken, #50 bags of flour, corn, squash, and zucchini from our garden, and on and on.  So the top part of my refrigerator is a freezer, but not one that stocks the house food source.  

    As I mentioned I don't recall how I came to the plan to clean it, but my boring day needed something I guess so it wouldn't be boring.   Therefore since I didn't know this would ever be a post I never once thought to take a "before" picture.

  Now here is where the title comes from... Don't judge me!  I think I live in a very clean wonderfully organized living space.  We work diligently to keep the things the Lord gives us in good shape.  Actually we have owned the refrigerator for over 18 years and I make sure I clean the frig at least twice a year.  Take the shelves out and scrub everything.  It was brought to my attention as I cleaned out the freezer I am not as carefull with the freezer.   A few items found in our freezer:

My favorite     a scrap of paper with my email address on it.  ????   Seriously???  How did that get in there?

I also got rid of the box of baking soda that has been keeping it fresh, since the box expired in Jan. 11.

I threw out the bag of grapes, the fudge, and the 24 oz slushy from BP that was only 1\4 full. 

 I was curiously perplexed by the 2 baggies of cookie crumbs, I think we were supposed to use them for icecream topping or something. 

 I had 6 baggies of chopped green\red peppers~ 3 marked Hot or zinger, these dated from 09-11. 

 I decided not to throw out the baby teether, who knows maybe someone may someday need it.  I also kept the green cup with the straw that Stevie got from Mathew Afalobi's 10th birthday party.  But the cereal bag with the cup or two of cheerios marked "for feeding fish" hit the trash.  The box of meatless breakfast patties was from our eat less fat phase and that expired in 06.  And since we never get them back out to see if they really do hold their glow I chucked the 13 different glow sick type items we were saving on the door. 

Here we have the wash\disinfected clean freezer.

Even Rachel Ray, or Marsha Formacola could come and check out this freezer.   Notice my salmon, fresh stawberries, zucchini, or venison loin?

You should see we purchase Ezekiel 4:9 bread and cascadian farms veggies. 

But disregard the death by chocolate icecream.

In unrelated happenings:  Josiah is the most handsome man around.  He recently got a great new haircut and is looking rather stunning.

Can you see that he has blue gel in the sticking up part?

Rose has been a delight these days.  As I was sharing with my girls club ladies last week.  I have prayed for months over this girl that God would fill her with joy, she just seemed to be such a complainer.  Then a bit more than a week ago, I realized He had answered our prayer.  She has been just joyous for some time now.  Here are some pics from her folly a few days back. 

Just flying around the living room.   

Till she was fall down laughing.

January 2012  Clean, handsome and joyous.  That is the way to start out the year.  So remember judge not lest ye be judged. 

Hashbrowns, rye toast, spinach omelette with feta AHHHA  I love going out to breakfast.  And I am fortunate that I have family who likes it too.  A few weeks back Josiah and I scampered quickly out the door to delight ourselves before he needed to be in class.  It was his 17th birthday and we celebrated over plates of breakfast fare.  He made it in time to school and I brought the to go box home for SII

Today after I got home from working out, SII and I headed back into Richmond to sit across the table from each other and devour our hashbrowns.  We can now say we would recommend Village Cafe.  SII had some Italian Skillet creation and he must have commented 4 times "Wow, this is really good".  My omelette was like looking at a magazine photo= fresh spinach and hunks of feta cheese.  The rye toast was swirled with only light butter.  Yes, I am serious.  Take me out to breakfast and know how happy I can be.

The date was of course bitter sweet, because as we chatted on about motorcycles, hunting wolves and Will Ferrel, we then get the conversation moved around to basic training.  It is in the mist of everything we do these days~ the truth that SII will be shipping off to Texas on Dec. 5th.  We do normal life and are always thinking "Stevie won't be around much longer"

Rose tried out for The Star of Wonder production coming to the Aud.  And one of the comments was the truth that SII will not be in town to view this production.  He is the best big brother in the world and has made it a priority to attend all of their theater productions.  It is hilarious because he has learned the "cheapest" way to see the production is to attend final dress rehearsal.  That is how he viewed the last two dance recitals.  But most of the time he does attend the main attractions. 

And does he like theater?  More than a stick in the eye, but not much more.

He will be back I know that!  But life if going to be SO different.  My baby boy is no longer a boy.  He has acted like a young man for years, and now he will return a true man.  It is lifes joys and sorrows.  We want our children to grow into productive contributors to society, yet we want them to stay little and be playing in the back yard sandbox too.  I am so fortunate God gave me the years to have Stevie home with us.  To have those extra hours\years of homeschooling is a privilege that I would not trade for a million dollars.  Because now Poof~ time is up.  He is off to live the life God has planned and formed just for him. 

I got tears in my eyes as he recited his Airman Creed.  I never even knew there was such a creed, did you?  Well if you get a chance to hear it, I will bet you cry too.

I took a meal to a new mom today.  I told her with joy and  a serious note "Treasure Every Moment".  That is advice I need to remember too.  At times the days seem SOOOOO long and the list of things to do daunting.  The work to be done can over whelm even the hardest of souls.  But do not let the necessities of life over take the important things in life.  Do not let duties crowd out the joys.  They move on...their little feet turn into size 10 and they walk out the door.