Hayride at the Lewis'

Afternoon photo shoot

My attempt at "school photos" (in order to save some moolah!)

Some pretty cute girls :) 

Friday we replaced our usual morning routine with an early departure for the Corning Glass Museum. Since it was a rainy day, we watched the first half of "The Sound of Music" during the 1.5 hour drive. We had two friends - Madeline and Bridget. A full car is the best way! Once at the museum we browsed the gift shop. The boys found this huge marble machine quite fascinating, so Titus wanted to spend his money on a marble right away! Our tour began at 10am. They divided us into groups by age and each tour guide did a great job relating the exotic glass creations to the kids. The hot glass show was the highlight, by far. After lunch we drove the Watkins Glen (20 minutes north). The outdoor hiking was my favorite part of the day. It was a longer drive home - just because it was. We made pizza and had dinner with the Ely kiddos and Madeline. A full table is always a great way to wrap up the week!

Braces & Birthday

Today was a full day -- the story most easily told with photos. So, I am eager to "show off" my beautiful kiddos! At 9pm last night I stood at the kitchen sink washing up the last of the dishes from making Coca-Cola Cake & cupcakes. I was so weary, yet a hopeful little girl wanted curls for her 8th birthday. I mustered up the energy, plugged in a movie and got busy putting in the sponge rollers. Today's smile was worth it -- most of the time! :) (you'll see what I mean!) Briella celebrated her 8th birthday today. Wow. Eight years ago I welcomed a tiny six-pound little bundle with a head full of black hair! This morning when I returned from my jog, she and Titus were very quietly playing chess in the playroom. Very adorable. After my shower Jared had joined them as well. By that time she and Titus were a team. I had to break up the game for breakfast.
At 10 am we headed to Scranton to get Marci's braces removed. Woo-hoo! Dr. Kerr and staff were wonderful, as usual. It was a fun experience and Briella got a poodle birthday balloon. Then we had lunch at the Steamtown Mall food court. We did this to fulfill the request of having pizza on her birthday! Marci & I had salads, so everyone was happy! By 2pm we were headed back to Montrose so Marci could make it for an afternoon of soccer against Elk Lake. Fortunately, we had canceled piano lessons for the day, so we had a two-hour reprieve at home. Titus had fallen asleep in the car, so he napped while I read history and art to B&J. When Titus woke up, we made cowboy cookies. We had a very healthy snack before heading to Elk Lake for the soccer game, which we watched from Herbie since it was spitting & WINDY. The boys' team lost, but the girls won 2-0! We piled in the car and scurried back to Montrose for clubs at church. I hustled home to pick up Emily for a dance meeting. At 8:30 everyone was home for opening some presents! Tomorrow I get to snuggle little Abbie at 6am, so I'm hoping to be in bed by 10. Goodnight all!

This afternoon was the beginning of dance lessons for Briella and Emily. So, I took the boys on a "date" to ride bikes at the park. Titus finally mastered the 2-wheeler! What a lovely, sunny afternoon. (too cool, but still lovely!) Marci has been busy with soccer games. She was an awesome sweeper in Wednesday's game against Mtn View. I almost cried cheering for her! It was a tie game in the end.

Blogging is therapeutic for me. It reminds me how much I love my children. It's a quick substitute for scrapbooking ... which I really, really miss. But, at least family can see what's happening this way :)

The other exciting news is that Titus gets to move to 1st grade for math after a quick evaluation with his teacher at the library today. I don't know what that really says except that the Rod & Staff preschool books are great preparation! Simple, inexpensive & great attention to detail. Highly recommended!

Yesterday we went for hair cuts at Aubie's. She was a dear lady who did a great job on giving the girls updated hair-dos! It was fun, but just a bit scary for me... who ended up much blonder than agreed upon. But, I'm getting used to it.

Today we had a slow morning -- a short-order cook for breakfast. Anything you want, with grits. Grits --- ahhhh! Afterwards, we did some laundry, packed lunch, played on the computer, etc. Then we headed to the pool to meet up with Mrs. Lee, Stacy, Zack & Tyler. It was BEAUTIFUL weather for swimming (upper 80's, partly cloudy, nice breeze). We had a picnic by the lake and then headed back for more swimming. Briella, Tyler & Titus were in the pool the entire time. The elderly enjoyed time reading books & soaking up sunshine. They didn't want their bathing suit photos on the blog, so I obliged their wishes since I, too, am trying to avoid the camera these days :)

And they're off ... to the Moo Cow Biker meeting at Chick-Fil-A. Her first motorcycle date!

A cloudy day, so we all went in for pedicures ... and Grandma treated us to flip-flops as well. Soooo spoiled! (But such a fun bonding time too!)

A breakfast conversation -- Titus & Grandpa.

Here we are at Grandma's on Sunday afternoon. The ladies are playing Phase 10. I spent my afternoon with the little kids outside! We played cops & robbers, had popsicles, and then splashed in the whale sprinkles. It was a beautiful afternoon and so nice to be HOT! :) I'm loving my visit to Georgia! I don't mind 3 showers a day! I showered quick before heading back to church with Daddy. What an awesome time of prayer and how encouraging to see how God is calling couples to the mission field. I love watching God work and provide. He is good to all He has made.

Here we are eating dinner with Seth & Les. Still missing those boys at camp! Seth grilled a pork roast and some chicken spiedies. YUM! Les made rice and an array of delectable salads. Munchkin ate six portions of salad -- surprised Emily since we have to bribe to get people to clean their plates! Anyway, the dessert was caramel nut bars which we tried to limit ourselves to one a piece. It required much discipline! After dinner Uncle Seth helped Marci publish her website and showed us some cool features of PayPal. We hope to get her shopping bag features working soon. Les showed us her pattern and material. I was really hoping to get that cut out with her, but it was getting late. We left at dark (9:30pm!). Such a fun, but brief, visit. I really wish I had more time to hang out with my brothers!

Our last picnic in the park with the Davidsons (minus those boys at camp). Uncle Curtis made everyone smile ... even a certain grumpy person in between her cousins!

Finally able to get these photos to upload! This is art created by

my so very talented kids under the superb guidance of Mrs.

Anne. They had a lot of fun and I'm looking

forward to hanging these up at home! Titus painted a striped hot air balloon --- the man in the balloon is holding a balloon himself. Was he listening when we read Twenty-One Balloons?!?

Fun at Aunt Jenny's. We had hours of playing dress-up in the basement. Thursday evening we had a pool party at Mrs. Anne's place. It was a bit chilly, but the kids all had fun.

Time to document our trip to Georgia! We left bright & early Monday morning (6:15am) and planned our halfway stop at Pastor Dan & Debbie's. It was a perfect place to let the kids swim, jump & play. I had a great visit with Debbie and it was so restful to be at their place. I didn't realize they moved in just 3 weeks ago! They were gracious hosts despite not be totally settled. We swam in their pond with Anne & kids, ate dinner, saw the bees, jumped on the trampoline, rode the 4-wheeler & closed the evening by watching funny videos on Pastor Dan's computer. They prepared a filling send-off breakfast the next morning and we hit the road a little after 7am!

Watching the parade and collecting candy...

The 4th of July in Montrose, PA. The girls are selling handmade cards to benefit an orphanage in Liberia. They have a website in progress: www.hopefulcards.org. Soon you can order and purchase cards online! Most Thursdays they get together at a local scrapbooking store to create new cards. It's been great fun for them and I'm thrilled that they are involved in working to benefit those adorable children in Africa!

I've got to get back into the habit of updating my blog! Here's a start!

The tricky candle -------- science fun.

Stocking the trout in Snake Creek Tuesday afternoon.

I don't take pictures this time of year. It's muddy and yucky. Today it was rainy. I'll take pictures once the daffodils poke through.

I'm sewing Briella's Easter dress. She's excited and wants it DONE. I wish I was a brave fashion designer and could whip out cool, trendy-yet-modest attire :). Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to venture away from the pattern! In the meantime, I'm having fun tacking on a polka-dot ribbon. Photos in April :)

If you want to enter another cool contest, check out Dannah's blog again this month! With 3 daughters, I hope I win a bundle :)

Somebody will be 65 one month from yesterday!!!

These are some photos I snapped for our "Flat Stanley" story to Annalesa. The photos don't do the view justice, but you get the idea at least. It was a lovely day to be outdoors! (E & M were skiing with their friends, so they missed the photo shoot.)

Ahhh, I haven't made time to blog in quite a while. I think it's the winter duldrums setting in & I don't feel happy enough to say anything. Today was sunny, though! And, I was able to get out of the house. We just finished an afternoon of skiing Elk Mountain. It was somewhat icy due to recent rain, but beautiful! We had 3" of fresh powder this morning. This, after all of our snow at home had melted away. Fortunately, the mountain had a good base of the white stuff! And, the President's Day weekend crowds were there in full force.

As I wait for this video to upload, I will say that school is going. I am not happy with myself due to my lack of requiring quality work from the kids. I am not patient enough to explain the importance of "bumping the lines" in handwriting daily. Too many days I just want to "get 'r done." I have afternoon or evening activities and we need to get done. But, nonetheless, my kids are making progress. We just finished another round of work samples. Testing is coming up. They will do fine, I'm sure. Emily just wrote 3 essays for her PSSA's! That's a record for her! ha ha!

Last but not least, check out Dannah's blog. She's giving away free stuff! And, it's fun to read about what she's doing with tweens & teens. Yours will be there before you know it (if not already!).

Enjoy your long weekend! I plan to sew Easter dresses & quilt since my house isn't terribly messy this Friday...

Christmas began a little early in our home. We celebrated with Grandpa & Grandma's boxes early so we could enjoy some of the gifts en route. Thanks, Grandpa & Grandma!

Miss Briella -- in her tap class
Emily's first jazz class

Typical evening in our home.
Lighting of the candles -- a group effort!

Emily is now 14, which means Grandpa is 65! Wow, Grandpa! (In case you don't know, Grandpa got the best birthday gift ever when he turned 51 --- his first grandbaby!) Since we spread Emily's celebration out over several days, tonight was just the cake part. And, I had to scurry to get it frosted so that we could get to town for Bible study & babysitting. Craziness. I'm glad today was a SNOW DAY!

Grandma INSISTED I take photo of Emily in her new warm-up suit for dance! Looks awesome! Thank you, Grandma! I guess I forgot to take her photo in her new outfit from the other Grandma --- I will! It is so flattering :)

Beans & BaconIn his attempt at keeping the usual tradition of hauling the kids to the tree, Dan pulls the kids successfully... until Marci & Emily joined the load!

Here's the choice scotch pine! More photos of it all decorated in our living room ... coming soon!

Thanksgiving ... part of my test in cultivating a grateful heart! I've been reminded once again that it's really a decision to be thankful. I am reminded of the picture that came to mind when I was praying at the retreat a few weeks ago. Here it is ---- Playpen Time.
The playpen is green, pink and purple... fab colors of 14 years ago. In each corner is a stack: books, toys, sipper cup, and more toys. The baby is well-rested and has just been fed. Yet, as soon as she takes in her surroundings she begins to wail screams of discontent. She wants freedom from this playpen! And, yet, she is safe and has plenty at her disposal to contentedly occupy herself over the next half hour. My father consistently prayed for a hedge of protection around me as I grew up. When I compared notes mentally to the stories of the other ladies at the retreat, I was overcome with all that I have been taking for granted. I have been protected and now I’m free from many of the battle scars others must overcome. I’m grateful. I’m going to sit down in my playpen and be busy with what surrounds me ... contentedly. It’s playpen time!
And, so, the Roses stayed home this Thanksgiving. We had the option of traveling to Georgia to celebrate. But, we are home. My heart is right there in the heat of the battle again. Will I be cheerfully content or will I mope around and merely “get through” the holidays? Will I dwell on the many families I know who have the privilege of celebrating together? No! I’m going to look at the precious little (and not-so-little!) faces around my table and be grateful! And, I am.
Yesterday we cooked our meal – turkey, sweet potatoes, fresh bread, green beans, cranberry jello, pies – pretty much the works! We ate, took naps/read/watched movies, and played a LONG game of Catan. BTW, I won the Catan game :). So, it was really a good day of being home as a family. Briella had Titus dressed up in some outrageous outfits. It was nice to observe their tents, games of pretend and generally kind behavior towards one another! It was really wonderful to be free of our routine. We all agreed beforehand to “be free” of our computers. So, it took a conscious effort ... but we all did it!!! No phone calls to others, no e-mail, news, etc. We just focused on who we were with today.
But, here I am again sitting in front of the computer. I’d best get going!

HAPPY THANSKGIVING to all! Missing you all in Georgia... enjoy one another and take lots of photos for Aunt Lara.

I’m writing from such a grateful heart. A formerly discontent heart which has been transformed into a grateful heart by an extended period of time in prayer and worship of our great God. What a mighty Savior we have! I want to extol and praise God. Psalm 107 repeats this many times, “Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he....” I want to fill in the reasons why I can give thanks to God. I can see how the Lord wanted me there (at the 5LQ retreat) for so many reasons.
During our first meal, we were introduced to several team members. Stephanie impacted me most as she challenged us to “Just give Him what He wants.” I knew then what God wanted of me that weekend, but it took a while for me to get to that point of giving it to Him.
After supper we took a van down, down the hill to the chapel. It was nestled amidst trees near the creek bed, the site of the original farmhouse. In this quaint setting, we were asked to stand and declare, “Satan wants me to believe ____, but I’m alive and well!” That was Thursday night. I just couldn’t do that. I wasn’t alive and well. I was wallowing around in my pity party regarding my circumstances. Friday morning we looked at our personalities and our spiritual gifts. It was mostly a fun time and a good review of how God created us each uniquely. Friday afternoon we had three hours of “alone time” for looking up Scriptures and praying. Late Friday afternoon we looked again at the life of Joash. Dannah challenged us to define our WHAT and our WHY. (i.e. What are you? a wife & home-schooling mom. Why? Because ...) Afterwards she looked at how Joash forgot his WHY and was focusing on his WHAT (being king). Her point was that loving the WHAT more than the WHY risks the loss of the WHAT. I don’t want to lose the privilege of being home with my kids, yet I have entertained the idea of returning to work to ease our financial situation. I’ve allowed various stresses to take my focus off my WHY. So, this time of teaching was very convicting for me. Let me give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he brought me alongside four other homeschooling moms to encourage me and he reminded me of my purpose and worth in staying home.
Friday night’s teaching was all about the question, “Am I enjoying God?” Stephanie Powers was powerfully transparent as she shared about Seeds, Psalms, and Songs. Our challenge was to sow into our area of “sorrow.” Psalm 126:5-6 “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy carrying sheaves with him.” We physically “sowed” little glass stones in one area of the room. Me? I am committing to The Love Dare from the movie “Fireproof.” It’s a really great book so far! (Jen – keep on keeping me accountable here!!) Then we ... you know what? I think I’m getting to caught up in the details. Here it is a week later and my notes are scarce on the next two points. She picked Isaiah 54:1, “Sing, O barren woman...” First, I prayed – for the first time I was on my face publicly. I obeyed the prompting of the Spirit and it was so rewarding. I asked God to rename my “naming” – my description – of my life. Just like the father changed Ben Oni (son of my trouble) to Benjamin (son of my right hand) – I asked God to change my description of my life. God spoke into my heart, “Lara, this is life of drawing you close to Me.” It’s true. Would I have been so desperate for the Lord if life was easy and without struggle? And, then we sang. Oh, we sang to the Lord with GRATEFUL hearts! Isaiah 54:1 continues “ ‘... you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,’ says the LORD.” How powerful it was for me to realize I needed to make this worship authentic --- just between me & God. I needed to stop worrying about what others might think about me and enjoy God. I’m learning! Let me give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he renamed my description of my past and gave me joy in worshiping Him.
Lastly, and probably most importantly, I participated in an Inner Healing Prayer session. It was phenomenal! What power and might is availed to us when we simply bow before the throne. I have been struggling with a discontent heart for some time. So, they prayed that the stronghold of discontentment might be demolished in my life. The Lord brought to my mind Hebrews 13:5 (Be content with such things as ye have) as well as King Solomon. I realize that I can bathe my mind in God’s truth and not allow Satan to get a foothold in this area again. Deb – they challenged me to keep a contentment journal – just like you challenged us to do! Please pray for me to cultivate a grateful heart. Let me give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he freed me from the stronghold of discontentment fed by envy and put in me a heart of joy and gratefulness to Him.
I realized that retreats are not really “escaping reality.” That’s what I thought as I left. You know, it’s a lot of work just to get out of the house! I figured that I’d come back home having lost a weekend’s worth of work around the house. And, I was right. But, my perspective was permanently altered by having had the extended period of quiet to nurture my communion with God. It was a privilege for me. Although I returned home to all of the same challenges I left behind, I know God more intimately. I can walk this road with Him with renewed hope because I know His power more fully – firsthand.

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