Miller Time

More Pictures

2009-08-18T19:28:00.002-05:00

Pictures

2009-08-18T16:57:00.001-05:00

just some pictures .. . . .

Happy Graduation Andy

2009-05-23T20:04:00.002-05:00

Congratulations Andy on Finishing high school!! I hope you will have an excellent year at college!

DUHAWKS ROCK!!!

Pic of the Day

2009-05-14T15:16:00.001-05:00

Have a good day!!

hilarious animals!

2009-05-12T13:35:00.003-05:00

Puppys

2009-05-06T19:51:00.002-05:00

Have a great night!!

Katie

Our GuestBook

2009-04-25T18:49:00.001-05:00

Cat picture Blog

2009-04-07T20:40:00.002-05:00

Hi i Made a new Blog and its link is http://catsrockthisworld2.blogspot.com/ its cat pictures

there cute and funny!!!

Jessie

Cool cupcakes!

2009-04-02T13:49:00.002-05:00

Have a nice day!

Jessie

Happy late february!

2009-02-13T11:54:00.003-06:00

Happy Late February!

Jessie

And now for something completely different

2008-12-17T16:05:00.000-06:00

I got a new camra!!!!

2008-09-29T16:00:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures from my camra!

Sky full of Cottonballs

2008-07-31T18:05:00.005-05:00

I know, it's been forever since I posted on here! I am really LOVING the Sky Watch Friday posts, so I decided to join in. This means that Roger will have to find his own pictures from now on. :-)

A view from the backyard. The storms passed through quickly leaving behind a sky full of cottonballs

From beneath our very sick Birch Tree

Boo!

2008-07-09T17:45:00.001-05:00

We're still here...

And This Would Be Sixty-One

2008-04-04T16:36:00.003-05:00

Cool little bird pictures, everyone loves them, right? Courtesy of the soon-to-be World Famous Avian Photographer Alan. Go check out his website, when you get a chance.

60th blog writing

2008-04-04T14:11:00.001-05:00

this is are 60th blog writing! it is not 200 or 30 but it is 60.
so. . . . . . i just wanted to tell you that.

have a good evening!
~Jessie

Beautiful Novena - is it too late?

2008-03-30T11:31:00.002-05:00

Gosh darn it, I think the saying, "a day late and a dollar short" really fits me to a T. I was catching up on some reading today and came across the following novena. If you start it a little late and go a little longer, does it count? For anything? Have a wonderful Sunday!!
God Bless!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Impossible Novena Begins Soon...
Here's my post from last year. Technically the Feast of the Annunciation is transferred to next Monday, March 29th, but if you'd like to start the Novena nine months before Christmas, you could start it today...

There's a beautiful nine month novena that starts on the feast of the Annunciation, and ends on Christmas; commemorating the nine months that our saviour was in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It's fairly simple and easy to memorize. You pick three "impossible" intentions to pray for and I've heard (and experienced) many amazing stories of prayers answered.

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, most holy mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

All Virgin of the Incarnation, a thousand times we greet you, a thousand times we praise you for thy joy you had when God was incarnated in you. Because you are so powerful O Virgin and Mother of God, grant what we ask of you for the love of God.

[state your first intention]

Repeat all of the above for your second and third intentions

Remember, O most Gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Blessed and praised be the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, in Heaven, on earth and everywhere. Amen.

Fun Quiz

2008-03-26T08:02:00.000-05:00

93%

Sacramental Milestone

2008-03-09T13:26:00.003-05:00

Congratulations, Katie! She made her 1st Reconcilliation yesterday! She said that she felt so good after going!! We talked again about how important it is to go often - an example that I, myself, need to work at!!

THE BLESSINGS OF FREQUENT CONFESSION
by Rev. Ronald Lawler, O.F.M. Cap.

Even when, happily, God's mercy keeps us from grave sin, we benefit
immensely from frequent Confession.

As Pope John Paul reminded us, the frequent use of Confession is in many
ways the safeguard of love and peace. We must not lose the sense of sin or
we will rationalize all our selfishness and wrongness of heart. But it is
also true that we must not~focus too much on sin or we will bccome bitter
and harsh. What we need to do is remember our sins in the very sacrament
of healing in which Christ touches us with mercy. Here He teaches us to
turn sorrow into love and our own being healed into the forgiving of
others.

FRAILTY REMEMBERED

Confession leads us to the kinds of acts that make hearts repentant: to
remember honestly before the good Lord how frail we are, so that we can
trust in His mercy with greater determination. Confession requires us to
make serious resolutions in our hearts not to oftend those we love, to
forgive those who hurt us and to do those things our life needs, but the
world does not incline us to do.

Confession creates personal friendship with Christ. In this sacrament He
personally touches our lives. We speak to Him and He makes us realize (as
we seek more faithfully to receive the sacrament well) how deeply
concerned He is to bless our lives with grace and healing. When the priest
speaks words of absolution, our faith knows that it is the Lord who now,
personally, speaks mercy and does mighty and merciful deeds in our lives.
He enables us to see through the deceptive images woven by the media
world, to begin to realize the really important things of life. He enables
us to taste his power: to see that it is not impossible or saddening to
keep his Commandments and to walk in his ways.

The return to the Sacrament of Penance does not mean a return to a shallow
routine: to Confessions without thoughtful reflection or to sacraments
received without realizing how near the Lord is to every corner of our
lives.

For each one of us, it is important that we seek out and find a good
confessor and learn again, as the Church urges us, to confess our sins
with faithful frequency.

Katie already has the desire to go back . . . last night, after we said night prayers, she asked if she would be able to go back to confession soon. I said, "of course! It's absolutely a gift to be able to go frequently . . . " to which she replied, "yeah, since I didn't listen to you right away when you said to go to bed, I think I should go again!"

May God Bless your day!!

Lent Day 26

2008-03-06T18:39:00.001-06:00

Fast: Let go of despair and know that God gives you sufficient grace.
“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” — St. Francis of Assisi

Pray: Pray to know how God wants you to spend your time online.

Give: Make sure that every one in your family gets at least one of your hugs today.

Lent Day 25

2008-03-05T11:56:00.001-06:00

Fast: Let go of self-recrimination.
“There is still time for endurance, time for patience, time for healing, time for change. Have you slipped? Rise up. Have you sinned? Cease. Do not stand among sinners, but leap aside.” — St. Basil the Great

Pray: For a few minutes tonight, after your children are sleeping, kneel beside their beds. Let your breath rise and fall with theirs. Entrust them to the Father and thank Him for lending them to you.

Give: Do not say “In a minute” or “When I finish this” at all today. Instead, put aside your agenda and meet their needs (and even some wants) immediately and cheerfully.

Lent Day 24

2008-03-04T16:56:00.000-06:00

Fast: Give up thinking things have to be perfect.
“Don’t get upset with your imperfections. It’s a great mistake because it leads nowhere - to get angry because you are angry, upset at being upset, depressed at being depressed, disappointed because you are disappointed. So don’t fool yourself. Simply surrender to the Power of God’s Love, which is always greater than our weakness.” — St. Francis de Sales

Pray: Before you go anywhere else online today, pray this prayer, taken from the writings of St. Louis de Montfort:
Lord, help me to imitate Mary’s
deep humility,
lively faith,
blind obedience,
unceasing prayer,
constant self-denial,
surpassing purity,
ardent love,
heroic patience,
angelic kindness,
and heavenly wisdom.
Amen.

Give: As you do laundry today, bless the person for whom you are folding. With every crease, offer a prayer.

Lent Day 23

2008-03-03T08:53:00.001-06:00

Fast: Clean out the refrigerator today instead of eating lunch. Pull everything out and wipe it all down. As you do it, thank God for providing food in your family.

Pray: Give thanks for food, clothes, and shelter. Listen to His plan for stewardship.

Give: “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.“ — Mother Teresa
Assure the people in your home that they are wanted, loved and cared for. Don’t use words.

Lent Day 22

2008-03-03T08:52:00.001-06:00

Fast: Rise a little earlier and bring your husband breakfast in bed. (If it’s too late today, plan for tomorrow).

Pray: Move your wedding band to your right hand. Every time you notice the difference today, pray for your marriage. Listen to His answers.

Give: Plan a date night.

Lent Day 21

2008-03-03T08:51:00.000-06:00

Fast: Don’t compare or complain. Do compliment.

Pray: Ask God to make you humble and lowly.

Give: Pack a picnic and go somewhere to eat it with your children. If the weather is prohibitive, build a tent in the living room and it eat there. Sit on the ground with them. Be fully present.

Sorry for the delay - we were at the Festival of Owls!!!

Lent Day 20

2008-02-28T17:04:00.000-06:00

Fast: We’re half way through. Compare yourself now only to yourself when Lent began. Tweak the plan.
Pray: Insist on quiet from all your children during naptime today. Pray the Divine Mercy chaplet.
Give: Reach out to a local friend today. Reconnect.

Lent Day 19

2008-02-27T09:10:00.001-06:00

Fast: Don’t forget that the only pedestal you need ever stand on, is the one your husband and children build for you.

Pray: Persevere. “He who does not give up prayer cannot possibly continue to offend God habitually. Either he will give up prayer, or he will give up sinning.” – St. Alphonsus Liguori

Give: Focus on your home today. The world can find another volunteer, but your husband and children have only you.

New Blog

2008-02-26T19:43:00.002-06:00

Hey Everyone! I made my own blog today. http://www.benjymillerohyea.blogspot.com/

Lent Day 18

2008-02-26T08:03:00.001-06:00

Fast: Stop looking for encouragement and approval. Genuinely encourage and affirm someone else instead.

Pray: Take this quote to prayer today and listen to God’s answer: “Real love is demanding. I would fail in my mission if I did not tell you so. Love demands a personal commitment to the will of God.” — John Paul II

Give: Let your child choose a huge stack of picture books (use that word “huge” when you ask her to gather them). Read them all to her today.

LHS, my iPod, and of course the Chicago Cubs

2008-02-25T20:39:00.003-06:00

So... I was reading my father's posts from about the last week, I figured out that he has nicknames for all of us that apparently describe how we act around the house (except for Benjy, because he's Dad's favorite, well, if you don't count 'magpie', which is hardly a nickname for his true favorite). Well, my nickname is LHS, which stands for Lazy High Schooler... And it is NOT appreciated at all. Most days than not, especially recently, I have been very productive getting all my schoolwork done.

On an unrelated note, I was told that once I get my next chapter in Chemistry done and as long as I'm caught up with the rest of my school work, I will finally get MY iPod back. For these past few weeks that I've been grounded, I've had my mom's iPod Nano, which is fine, but it certainly isn't my iPod Touch, which I can check my email, surf the internet, and listen to music all on one handheld device.

As you may or may not know, I LOVE the Chicago Cubs. On Friday, I purchased tickets to 3 games for this season at Wrigley Field. April 2nd against the Milwaukee Brewers, May 29th against the Colorado Rockies (Dad, weren't they in the World Series, how did that one end again...?), and August 8th against the St. Louis Cardinals. I'm very excited for the start of Spring Training in 3 days. Lou Piniella has been considering some different line ups for this season. The one that is different from your typical batting order is my favorite, it starts with LF Alfonso Soriano, followed by SS Ryan Theriot, then Japanese RF Kosuke Fukodome (typically the third spot is reserved for power hitters, and while Fukodome isn't a bad power hitter, he's more of a guy who gets on base, but doesn't belt it out of the park every game), 1B Derrek Lee, 3B Aramis Ramirez, 2B Mark DeRosa, C Geovany Soto, (likely) CF Felix Pie', and then obviously whoever is pitching that day. This weekend, 2B Mark DeRosa had an irregular heartbeat that he said lasted longer than previous episodes that were similar to this. It was so alarming that the Cubs staff in Mesa, Arizona had an ambulance take him the the hospital where he was treated. He flew into Chicago today to look into possible treatment. He's not too concerned about it, and while he'll miss the first few Spring Training games, he expects to be back next Monday.

Well, that's all I've got for tonight... Perhaps one day I'll fall into blogging daily just like my dad... Maybe I'd be more inclined to do so if I wasn't so insulted by the nickname of LHS...

Lent Day 17

2008-02-25T10:36:00.000-06:00

Fast: As you go about your daily round today, remember that you are expecting someone very important for dinner tonight. Together with your children, work towards your husband’s homecoming as if you were expecting to welcome a king back to his castle.

Pray: “Love consumes us only in the measure of our self-surrender.” — St. Therese

Give: “You can do nothing with children unless you win their confidence and love by bringing them into touch with oneself, by breaking through all the hindrances that keep them at a distance. We must accommodate ourselves to their tastes, we must make ourselves like them.” — St. John Bosco
Do something they want you to do with them today.

Lent Day 16

2008-02-23T14:22:00.001-06:00

Fast: Think of someone whose life you are tempted to envy and then choke out these words: “Thank you, God, for the blessings you have given to X. Help me to see my own.”

Pray: Take a walk, even if it’s cold or raining. Leave your iPod at home.

Give: Think about the kind of person your husband married. Be that person for him today.

Lent Day 15

2008-02-22T15:39:00.001-06:00

Fast: Don’t argue today. As much as possible give up, give in, give way.

Pray: Ask God to show you how weak and small you are. Open your heart to see it.

Give: When you are tempted to put on kid TV today, pull out a stack of favorite picture books instead. Invite the kids to join you on the couch.

Should have read the arguing part of this earlier - whoops!! Trying to salvage the day . . .

Lent Day 14

2008-02-21T09:26:00.000-06:00

Fast: Every time a child interrupts you today, stop what you are doing and look into his eyes as he talks.

Pray: “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. — John 10:27

Give: “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” — Mother Teresa
Speak kindly all day long.

Marytown

2008-02-20T19:49:00.011-06:00

Well, I am quite new to this whole blogging thing... But I guess I'll give it a try to please my dad :-)... Today Benjy and I went to Libertyville, Illinois to visit the St. Maximillian Kolbe inspired Marytown.

Just a little history lesson for you all... St. Maximillian Kolbe was a Franciscan Friar in Poland during the 20th century. He figured that like his order's father, St. Francis was instructed, he also would need to rebuild the Catholic church for that time in Europe. He decided to start setting up little monasteries completely devoted to the Blessed Mother. He created Niepodalanow or for those of us that don't speak Polish, "City of the Immaculate". It attracted many vocations to the Franciscan order, but he wasn't content with leaving his ministry just in Poland, so he went to Nagasaki, Japan and established another "Marytown" there. It was one of the only buildings with windows left standing in the city of Nagasaki after the United States dropped the atomic bomb on the heavily populated Japanese city. It wasn't known up until about 20 years ago, but he also scouted out a location in India for antoher Marytown, and it has recently boomed in the Christian province of India that it's located in.

During World War II Fr. Maximillian was taken to one of the worst death camps that was ever established, Aushwitz. One day while Fr. Maximillian was there, one of his companions escaped from that evil place. As an example, the Nazis decided that 10 of them would be put in starvation chambers. One of the men that was selected started screaming that he had a wife and children and would like to see them again someday. Fr. Maximillian Kolbe stepped forward and asked the Nazis if he could take the man's place. The Nazis agreed. Fr. Kolbe kept those that were with him in high spirits by singing hymns. Over two weeks went by, all had lapsed into unconciousness and then death except for Fr. Kolbe. He was lethally injected and died instantly. Recently after his death he was declared a Blessed, and then was declared a Saint by Pope John Paul II.

It was St. Kolbe's spirit and devotion to the Blessed Mother that inspired this monastery and church to be taken over (It was originally built by Benedictine Sisters, and the chapel reflects that in that it is a very traditional Benedictine style chapel, excluding the fact that after the roof collapsed in the chapel in 2006, the Franciscans added their own touch by putting the presiders chair and pulpit inbetween the congregation and the choir seating where the Friars sit) by these Franciscans that were devoted to his way of life.

It was a great trip and I'll post some pictures below this. I'll be honest, I wasn't that excited about going. And that's nothing to how Benjy felt about the whole experience. He really didn't want to go, probably because I was going to be the only one he knew. Before we got on the bus (Which even though we ordered a coach bus, we got a school bus with a broken heater, needless to say it was COLD) I noticed that the only people getting on the bus were of... an... older age group... So I told Benjy that he would have a lot of fun hanging out with the old people today... That only made him want to go less... Ah the joys of being an older brother :-).

This is a replica of the cell that St. Kolbe stayed in at Aushwitz.

Here are a few pictures from the museum on St. Maximillian Kolbe.

Here's a pictures of the beautiful chapel at Marytown. Notice that about 1/3 from the bottom of the picture is where the pulpit is. Franciscans like there presider's chair and pulpit to be in the center of the church. The 15 pillars around the church are all a different color and style marble. Behind the pillars are mosaics of important Franciscan saints, and in front of each mosaic is about 10 relics of various Saints totalling around 150 saint relics including a piece of St. Kolbe's beard (We were actually blessed with that relic and had the oppurtunity to venerate it).

Here is one of the mosaics in the church that I was talking

about from my last picture.

This is a side chapel that is completely devoted to St. Maximillian Kolbe.

Benjy's camera ran out of batteries... Lucky for me I changed mine before leaving for Marytown.

And thus concluded my first blog. Will I continue to blog? Who knows, I'll need to deposit my smack talk about how well the Cubs are doing. This seems like a suitable place to do so... Speaking of which... In the words of former Cubs closer (He'll supposedly be in the starting rotation this year), the Chicago Cubs are going to win the World Series!!!

Lent Day 13

2008-02-20T10:05:00.000-06:00

Fast: Remember the first time you had a moment alone with your first child. What did you promise him? Do that. Be that.

Pray: Begin a gratitude journal. At the end of the day, jot down five things for which you are grateful. Think upon these things.

Give: We can only expect what we inspect. For every task you assign today, follow through and before it’s truly finished ensure that there is praise from you.

Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing. -- Bl. Mother Teresa

Comments on Homeschooling

2008-02-20T10:03:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine sent along the following answers to questions regarding homeschooling. This also appeared in a secular homeschooling magazine.

**hs answers by By Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling
Magazine, Issue #1, Fall 2007**

1 Please stop asking us if it's legal. If it is — and it is — it's
insulting to imply that we're criminals. And if we were criminals,
would we admit it?

2 Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use
the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do
now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun.
Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so
successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids,
that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the
other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that
we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.

3 Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir
practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music
class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she
ever gets to socialize.

4 Don't assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for
the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you
know.

5 If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV,
either on the news or on a "reality" show, the above goes double.
6 Please stop telling us horror stories about the homeschoolers you
know, know of, or think you might know who ruined their lives by
homeschooling. You're probably the same little bluebird of happiness
whose hobby is running up to pregnant women and inducing premature
labor by telling them every ghastly birth story you've ever heard.
We all hate you, so please go away.
7 We don't look horrified and start quizzing your kids when we hear
they're in public school. Please stop drilling our children like
potential oil fields to see if we're doing what you consider an
adequate job of homeschooling.
8 Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.
9 Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling
for religious reasons.
10 We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking,
weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into
homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal
decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the
bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a
judgment about your own educational decisions.
11 Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my
credentials. I didn't have to complete a course in catering to
successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in
teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years
in the kind of chew-it-up-and- spit-it-out educational facility we
call public school left me with so little information in my memory
banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my
nearest and dearest, maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send
my child to school.
12 If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I
can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand
that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to
respond in kind.
13 Stop assuming that because the word "home" is right there
in "homeschool, " we never leave the house. We're the ones who go to
the amusement parks, museums, and zoos in the middle of the week and
in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on
weekends and holidays when it's crowded and icky.
14 Stop assuming that because the word "school" is right there in
homeschool, we must sit around at a desk for six or eight hours
every day, just like your kid does. Even if we're into the "school"
side of education — and many of us prefer a more organic approach —
we can burn through a lot of material a lot more efficiently,
because we don't have to gear our lessons to the lowest common
denominator.
15 Stop asking, "But what about the Prom?" Even if the idea that my
kid might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-
priced revelry was enough to break my heart, plenty of kids who do
go to school don't get to go to the Prom. For all you know, I'm one
of them. I might still be bitter about it. So go be shallow
somewhere else.
16 Don't ask my kid if she wouldn't rather go to school unless you
don't mind if I ask your kid if he wouldn't rather stay home and get
some sleep now and then.
17 Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think
it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified.
One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.
18 If you can remember anything from chemistry or calculus class,
you're allowed to ask how we'll teach these subjects to our kids. If
you can't, thank you for the reassurance that we couldn't possibly
do a worse job than your teachers did, and might even do a better
one.
19 Stop asking about how hard it must be to be my child's teacher as
well as her parent. I don't see much difference between bossing my
kid around academically and bossing him around the way I do about
everything else.
20 Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious,
quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny, or
loud because he's homeschooled. It's not fair that all the kids who
go to school can be as annoying as they want to without being
branded as representative of anything but childhood.
21 Quit assuming that my kid must be some kind of prodigy because
she's homeschooled.
22 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of prodigy because I
homeschool my kids.
23 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of saint because I
homeschool my kids.
24 Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won't
get because they don't go to school, unless you want me to start
asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have
because you went to school.
25 Here's a thought: If you can't say something nice about
homeschooling, shut up!

How's homeschooling going?

2008-02-19T10:50:00.003-06:00

As well as I hoped? Just as I imagined it to be going? We're 100% on track and the kids are doing so fantastically well?! Ok, this is the transition year for us, right? We have faced many challenges and I think we're doing a pretty good job at rising above them. No, we're not exactly on track but I think it won't take too long to catch back up. I have had many "bad" days and recently, I would classify one of those days as "my worst nightmare." You know what? I thank God everyday that He lead us to homeschool! On my worst day, I am so incredibly thankful to have them all here at home. AND, a bonus . . . after I finished grading my oldest son's algebra 2 lessons last night, I informed him that he only missed 2 questions and that was because he skipped those problems. This was incredible! Andy had consistently gotten a good majority of his work incorrect because he was too focused on reaching the finish line without taking the time to read through his lessons. He kind of patted himself on the back after I told him how well he did and he said, "yeah, I'm actually learning!" WOW!!! See what happens when you regain focus?! Amazing! I pray for many more days like this! Happy Homescooling!!

Lent Day 12

2008-02-19T10:45:00.003-06:00

Fast: No noise today. Turn off the TV, the radio, the iPod. Find God in the silence.

Pray: Make five minutes in the morning, at midday and in the evening to be still, silent, and alone, only asking God to infuse your soul with His will.

Give: Pay particular unsolicited attention to your least demanding child today.

*I'm a little late as always. I have found these daily postings and I absolutely love them! I will share them with you for the remainder of lent!!

Guitar Hero 3

2008-02-11T14:42:00.000-06:00

we just got Guitar Hero 3 me and my family played it almost the hole entire day!Because it is a very fun game.If you never heard of it on the screen theres a board of colors and you have those colors on the guitar you would have to press those buttons but when you press those you have to push down the strum bar on every color or else you would not be able to hit any of the notes and you could only add up to two players.Theres diffrent levles I mean like it goes like this easy medium hard and last but not least expert.All of the guitar heros are like that!

from katie

(all though i am on my sister name)

Pray for us sinners . . .

2008-02-07T21:34:00.000-06:00

Why is it that some evenings are nearly impossible to get through an entire rosary? Seriously. Why can't we all just put those distractions and disappointments behind us? By disappointments, I mean the ones where you realize that reading would be quite beneficial to actually lead a decade or perhaps you didn't "call leading decade ____" soon enough . . . and some of the distractions I'm not exactly sure how to handle. I had my nearly two old climbing up next to me doing gymnastics up and over me for a good portion of the rosary. When he wasn't trying to get my attention that way, he was smothering the cat and coaxing him to, "sing, sing . . . " Just the thought of the cat breaking into song sent me giggling. It reminded me of the time when my youngest daughter, three at the time, took a flashlight and pinned the cat down saying, "come on, show me your belly button!" Honestly, I don't know where they come up with these things!!! I thank God for my cat - I really do! We adopted him at an animal shelter 8 years ago. He is the best pet we have! Of course, I have to admit, I am completely partial to cats. Ok, see how distractions work?!!! It is a challenge to pray a rosary with 6 children at various ages. I pray that one day we will all be able to get through a rosary without tears, gymnastics and other crazy antics! We teach the baptism preparation class at Holy Cross and we reiterate several times, "keep coming to mass. Jesus said, 'let the children come to me . . . ' continue to bring the children to mass no matter how difficult it may be. The graces you receive are immeasurable and - eventually, they get it! They know what's expected of them and there is nothing more precious than seeing your toddler mimic the congregation and the priest!" I pray that these children eventually get it and learn to take prayer as seriously as they ought! Maybe we need to be better disciplinarians!?? Whoa! There's a thought. Although, I don't think the oldest would agree with that. He's in a bit of trouble right now! Again, I digress . . . Despite our rosary challenges, you are all in our prayers - we do manage to get many (many) intentions offered up. Please, keep us in your prayers as well. Happy Lent!!

Locks for Love!

2008-01-31T16:35:00.000-06:00

Jessie was finally ready to have her hair cut for Locks for Love! Well, truth be told, mom was a little more ready for Jessie to have her hair cut! It was just getting too long for Jessie to be able to manage on her own - and she absolutely HATED to have her hair brushed!!

She was a fairly patient hair grower - many times we thought we were ready to have her hair cut. She had been growing for well over a year!! When you have worked so hard and so long at just growing your hair, it's a little scary thinking about how it will look short! She was scared. She wanted to just chicken out all together.

As you can see, she is absolutely thrilled with her new-do!! And what a fantastic gift she has given to another little girl!! Fantastic job, Jessica!!!!

What was THAT?!?!

2008-01-31T16:04:00.001-06:00

Driving home from the bank in town today I heard something rolling around in the back of the van. It was a crinkly sounding roll. Something inside of a plastic bag? What in the heck could that be . . . Unfortunately, in a large van with a large number of children - it could have been anything!! A soccer ball? No, soccer is done for now. A toy of some sort? No . . . it was really a bigger sound then that . . . I was still traveling with water bottles from our trip to Hanceville, AL - but I knew there weren't that many of them and this just sounded bigger. Hmmm . . . POW!!!!! Oh my gosh - I've been hit!! Seriously. It was such a loud POW that I just wasn't immediately sure of what happened. Did someone hit me? Was it a gunshot? No. It was a 2L bottle of Diet Mountain Dew - exploded everywhere in the back of the car!!! Thank God it has been soooooooo cold (did I just say, "thank God"?) The cleanup was fairly simple - it was all frozen and I was able to pretty much just sweep out the mess. Yes, thank God for small favors! I really must get those kids to bring in ALL of the groceries from now on!!!!

Book Meme

2008-01-26T23:02:00.000-06:00

Roger has been so into blogging, that it has drawn me further into the blog world. He has his favorite spots to visit and I have mine. Whilst visiting Real Learning: Education in the Heart of my Home today, I found this challenge:

Book Meme

Here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

So, the nearest book to me is The Heart of a Saint, Ten Ways to Grow Closer to God by Bert Ghezzi

page 123: fifth sentence and the next three sentences:

The Church entrusts to young people the task of proclaiming to the world the joy which springs from having met Christ. Dear friends, allow yourselves to be drawn to Christ, accept his invitation to follow him. Go and preach the Good News that redeems; do it with happiness in your hearts and become communicators of hope in a world which is often tempted to despair, communicators of faith in a society which at times seems resigned to disbelief, communicators of love, in daily events that are often marked by a mentality of the most unbridled selfishness.

The words are from Pope John Paul II at the 1995 World Youth Day. I don't really know what "tag 5 people" means. I am guessing it means that I should pass it along to 5 people. I don't know if I will do that, so I will just offer this as a challenge to you that read this post. That was a fun one and I absolutely love those words Pope John Paul II chose! What an amazing man!!!

Since I am not one to blog - yet . . . I will close for now. Roger continues to encourage me to blog. It's not lack of material - it's lack of time! I just learned to knit and I must finish that scarf!!! hahaha. Have a great night!

Here comes the Cold!!

2008-01-16T07:44:00.000-06:00

And I'm not talking the virus, or is it a bug? Anyway....

The temperatures are going to be a dropping this weekend, with highs not even making it to the teens, and lows in the negatives. Woo Hoo! Can't wait!

It gets like that here every year, for about a week, where the weather gets brutally cold. Make sure you wear your hat and gloves. Better yet, stay inside and keep warm.

American Idol started last night, and I missed it! Oh well, I think I will survive.

Benjy is at level 31 of Maple Story. - I think he might be obsessing a bit much with that game, and while I can't prove it, there does seem to be a correlation to our slowed up Internet service and the higher levels of the game. Must be chewing up some serious bandwidth. He's a cleric in the game, which I am assuming is a good thing. What is funny is, he only started playing the game a couple of months ago, and has already surpassed his friend who introduced the game to him. Either he is really good, or just playing the game a lot. Could be a combination of the two.

Jessie and Katie have started Irish Dancing - think Riverdance. Katie is excited to be a part of it, any social activity makes her happy. Whereas Jessie wants results now! Better yet, yesterday! Too much of her father in her, I guess. I've always been more of an instant gratification kind of guy. Oh yeah, Jessie started her own blog, if you get a chance go over and give her a visit. It is linked on the left side there, and called Jessie's blog. Pretty creative name, right?

I guess that Danny had a fit yesterday, picking up and throwing the play-doh container and crying about it. Then, pop! The cap came off, and instantly he became the little angel we all know and love. Amazing.

That's all I have for now.

Weird Weather

2008-01-07T21:37:00.000-06:00

Here we are on January 7 and we had a tornado warning/watch. What's up with that?

I mean it's supposed to be snowing and cold, not raining and 61. That's just not right. It also means, in my great meteorological mind, that February is going to be brutally cold. Yeah, can hardly wait.

Oh and that sickness thing that Jenni mentioned below... I got it when they returned, well I had it yesterday at least. I hope that is what I had anyway, otherwise we may have a new round of illness. Woo Hoo, can't wait.

Yesterday was not a good day in the history of my days on this earth. At least there was no vomiting involved. Still spent the afternoon in the bathroom, but there was no vomiting. I am very thankful for that - I hate vomiting. That being said, I don't know of too many people that do enjoy it. Ugh.

Enough of this, I must depart for clearer parts.

No, I don't know what that means.

The Investiture of Sr. Andrea Timm

2008-01-06T14:46:00.000-06:00

We were so blessed to be able to spend the last couple of days of 2007 and the beginning couple of days of 2008 in Hanceville, AL. We left our home on Sunday, December 30 at 2:40am to pick up my Mom and Dad and be on the road by 3am. We did it! We only had a few things to throw into the van that morning and away we went. We were sad to leave behind Roger. He had to stay back and work. It was also a blessing that he stayed back because we didn't have to worry about what to do with the animals . . . still, we were very sad. Onward to Alabama!! I think it was much to my parents' chagrin that we fit them and all of the bags into one vehicle. My mom even tried to pack the kitchen sink. I think that when she realized that I would fit it in as well, she backed down on that one. Seriously, we did have a lot going down because we decided that since many families from Holy Cross would be down at the same time, why not do an open house/pot luck for anyone that wanted to come by. We were keeping things, "simple." Anyway, the trip out was fairly uneventful. The kids were pretty good. We stopped once for a meal at Cracker Barrel, gassed up a couple of times and stopped off at the local Piggly Wiggly before going to settle in at St. Mary's Guest House. We unloaded our van and headed over to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament to say "Hello" and "Thank You" to Jesus for bringing us all down safe and sound. We spotted some friends from Holy Cross and exchanged hellos and hugs. As my Dad was receiving his welcome, his camera was accidently knocked out of his hand. Smashed right onto the bricks. It was a goner. The camera wasn't even a year old. Later that evening, we sought out the nearest Target and made the trip to find a replacement. The nearest Target was about 45 minutes north of where we were. Yikes! I was so tired!!! Thank God for placing that Starbucks inside that Target!! Mom and Dad found a suitable replacement and home we went. On our way we received a call that Danny had thrown up. Probably all that junk he ate. He seemed fine although I did decide that I would not wake him early to go to daily mass. Benjy graciously offered to stay behind with him. I went upstairs the next morning to wake the girls and found that Katie had gotten sick at some point in the night. Who knew when that was - she always goes right back to sleep. Gross. Anyway, we still chalked it up to too much junk. She stayed behind with Benjy, Maggie (she slept in the same room as Danny and I) and Danny. When we returned home, they all seemed fine. We went on to Wal-Mart to finish up some shopping for the open house later that afternoon. The party was fun. We made sloppy joes, hot dogs and had the fixin's for sandwiches. We also made a pasta salad and had lots of Christmas cookies to share. So many people came over - we had even more food!! It was so nice!

The investiture ceremony of Sr. Andrea Timm was during the 8am mass. Her ceremony was absolutely beautiful and we are so thankful that we were able to be there to share such an amazing blessing. Sr. Andrea received a new name: Sr. Anthony Marie of the Hidden Life of Jesus and Mary. She was so excited as she has great devotion to St. Anthony. Sr. was able to put in three requests for her new name. That does not at all mean that she would get any of them. It's all up to Mother Angelica. Sr. Andrea requested Sr. Anthony, Sr. Rita and Sr. Julianna. Sr. Anthony was her first choice! Sr. received a new habit - she looks absolutely radiant! We were able to congratulate her and then she needed to leave for prayer. She would be back around 1pm for visitors. The parlor was open, too - so we were able to visit briefly with Sr. Mary Cecilia. Sr. Cecilia is also a friend of ours from Holy Cross. We went back to the guest house. I started not feeling real great. I took Andy back to the Shrine to visit and then came back to see if Danny would lie down to take a nap. Then it hit. I was sooooooo sick! It was so awful!!! In the midst of my being sick, Maggie laid down and before long, she was throwing up (in her bed!) Thank God for my parents. My dad cleaned up floors while I cleaned up the kids. After Maggie it was Jessie. Then Danny, then Andy, then Benjy. A full day later, my dad. It was so, so awful. So debilitating. My mom was terrified that she would get it. She was hoping that maybe she had already had it right before Christmas. Either that or perhaps the bronchitis or pneumonia that she had was keeping the virus at bay for her. Unbelievable! We thank God that we were able to make it to the investiture. We thank God that this was not our first trip down to Alabama - it may well have been our last. In talking to others we found out that nearly half of the group that made the pilgrimage down got violently ill. Thank God that noone was puking on the ride home. My dad was completely miserable but we think that lack of caffeine had a lot to do with that! We are all back safe and sound and we can't wait to go back to spend some better quality time with our Lord. Not that we can't do that here - it's just that much more peaceful down there at the Shrine! Sr. Anthony Marie will remain an extern for about the next six months until there is room for her in the cloister. Then she will spend her cannonical year in the cloister. God bless Sr. Anthony Marie, Sr. Mary Cecilia and all of the Nuns of Perpetual Adoration!

More Christmas Pictures

2008-01-01T12:35:00.000-06:00

It is still the season, don't you know. So I thought I would share some more holiday fun.

Here are the kids Andy (17), Katie (8), Benjy (13), Danny (21 mos.), Maggie (5) and Jessie (10), from left to right. A good looking bunch, if I say so myself. And I do.

I really love the following sequence, it shows Benjy getting a gift that we found kind of humorous that he actually wanted it. He saw this item at Epcot when we were down ther last summer. We were going through the World Showcase and visiting Morocco, when Benjy saw the hat. Yes we're talking Fez here. Anyway, months later as the kids were preparing their Christmas lists, Benjy asked Jenni what the name of the little hatwas. Jenni, thought he was talking about a Yamuka (Sp?), so Benjy thought that was it's name. Now why a Catholic child would want such a thing is different, but maybe he was feeling his Jewish roots or something. Anyway, the closer we got to Christmas the more we discussed his 'crazy' hat idea - you see he wanted some crazy hats for Christmas. That was when we found out what he really wanted was the Fez cap. Why is still beyond us, but he did seem excited to get it, don't you think?There he is, proud of his new hat/cap. He can't wait to wear it with his 'throwback' Westbrook #36 Eagles jersey. Now that is a combination calling out for a picture...

Too bad I don't have one yet.

Take a peek at this

2007-12-30T19:52:00.000-06:00

Site and you will see 150 reasons in support of Catholicism. Like you needed that:-)

Shall I post some more pictures, now? Why not. Not doing much of anything else anyway. My tum-tum isn't feeling so good. (awww)

Yep, it's a picture from Disney, what else? I mean it's the Mayor of Main Street at Disney World, and the quartet that actually knows about our hometown, Small world isn't it. Hmmm another picture idea? No, not tonight, sorry.

Oh, you want Christmas pictures? Hold on let me see if I can find any. Okay, I have a couple of "traditional" pictures...

First up, the Christmas pajama picture. Yep, we get the kids new jammies every year, and then make them pose for countless pictures. This is one of the better ones, maybe I'll post the video of this madness one day. :-)

The next photo, is one that goes back years and years, I only said that because I can't remember how old Geoff is, I think he's 31, so it goes back that far. The kids get their picture taken in front of the Christmas tree every year. Some years it has been at Thanksgiving, others at Christmas. Depends on when every one can get together. If there have been years that were missed over time - we don't talk about them. Oh, that is Geoff, Ben and Jenni from left to right, maybe I should label the jammie picture as well. Jammie pic from left to right: Jacob, Katie, Alli, Andy, Maggie, Benjy, Danny, Jessie, and Anna - she's trying to escape because I'm in the room, I'm sure. :-)

Okay, that's enough for now. Hopefully the family will add some content from the Shrine when they return later in the week.

God Bless, and I'll see you around.

Visions of Christmas 2007

2007-12-30T10:11:00.000-06:00

Here are a few scenes from Christmas... I have more and will probably post them later, since I have nothing else to do but clean the house. I didn't say that. Seriously though, Jenni and the kids are away, so I am here by my lonesome (awwww). Jenni said no poker night, unless the house is clean. So, I guess there just won't be any cards being played here. :-)
On to the images... Here is Maggie, smiling too hard it looks like. Or maybe she's just so excited that Santa is on his way. I wonder if she was a good girl.
Next is my niece Anna, she doesn't like me. Okay, she probably does, but she is just very, very shy around me. I guess it's my intimidating manner, or something. These would be the sister in-laws, Dana (L) and Jenni. They are in the middle of a heated debate about how many chocolate chips are actually supposed to be in a chocolate chip cookie. Or they're just caught unawares by the camera.
This is me attempting to read a story (The Wiggles greatest hits, or something like that) to Danny, when my niece Alli shows up wanting to be read to, as well. Actually I should thank Alli for keeping me from singing anymore of those Wiggles songs. Who knew that Jenni and I were members of Cirque de' Sol? I mean how else could we be levitating like that? What's that? Oh, you know that I just forgot to rotate the picture? Okay, but I'm telling you, my story sounds cooler! :-)

Too bad Alli didn't like Danny. :-)
And that Danny just hates to have his Mom tickle him.
Andy looks either hungry, or bored. Maybe he's just anxious to hear from Rachel, or his brother just beat him in a board game, or... Okay, I think it is mostly hunger.
Here is my nephew Jacob, I think that he likes Spider-man, but I'm not too sure.
Look Dana and Jenni are over their argument about chocolate chip cookies!!!

Seriously though, Christmas was a wonderful time, and my hat goes off to Mom and Dad for pulling this one off. Nine grandchildren all in one place, and organized chaos while opening gifts. It doesn't get too much better than that.

More later.

Funny

2007-12-26T19:14:00.000-06:00

For those of you that know this already, we homeschool our children.

Gasp!! What will the kids do for socialization/fraternization/education/... yeah, yeah we have heard them all. Okay well most of them anyway. We are happy with our choice and our decision to educate our own children rather than have the public do it. I think - make that know - that this will be more benificial to my children, rather than dealing with an education system that is, shall we say, less than admirable.

ANYWAY!!

That isn't why I started this post THIS is.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Andy!!

2007-12-23T22:42:00.000-06:00

Yes, our little baby boy is now a young man of 17 - my how time flies... Let us see what we have in the vault...
Not too many, I'm afraid, because we haven't scanned all of our pictures... yet. We're kind of waiting on Andy to do it. :-) That is an inside joke because for the past month, or so, Andy has been scanning paperwork for his work's new 'paperless' system. As I type this, he is at the letter 'R.'

Anyway, as you can see, Andy has grown up well and has the whole world in front of him.

Andy, I am very proud of you and will do anything in my power to help you if you are ever in trouble. You are a great example to your siblings and to me and I appreciate you more than you probably think. I thank God for you every day, and I love you very much!

~Dad

Minty Chocolate Christmas Cookie Recipe

2007-12-14T10:42:00.000-06:00

Minty Chocolate Christmas Cookie Recipe

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup nonalkalized cocoa powder
1 egg white
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

Peppermint cream filling:

1 3/4 - 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
10 - 15 drops peppermint extract (to taste)
1/4 cup half and half (or water if you are going to keep the cookies around unrefrigerated for a while)

Pre-heat the oven to 350F degrees, position the racks in the middle of the oven, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and cream some more, scraping the sides of the bowl a time or two. Stir in the vanilla extract, cocoa powder, egg white, and salt and mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter is smooth and creamy and the consistency of a thick frosting. Add the flour and mix just until the batter is no longer dusty looking. It might still be a bit crumbly, and that's okay.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, gather it into a ball, and knead it just once or twice to bring it together into a smooth mass. Divide into two pieces place each into a plastic bag and flatten into disks roughly 1 inch thick. Put the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.

One bag at a time remove the dough from the freezer. On a well floured surface roll it out very thin (remember these are going to be sandwich cookies) - roughly 1/8 inch thick. Or you might find it easiest to roll it out between to Silpats or pieces of plastic. Stamp out cookies in whatever shape you like - I used tiny scalloped circles here. Place on the prepared baking sheets, and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until they small of deep warm chocolate with toasty overtones. Larger cookies will take longer to cook than smaller ones. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack (if you have one).

While the cookies are baking, go ahead and make the filling. Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, whisk together the sugar and half and half until nice and fluffy. You want the filling to be thick enough that it doesn't ooze out the sides of the cookies after they are filled, so if you need to add more powdered sugar, do so in small increments. If you need to thin out your filling, add more half and half a few drops at a time. Whisk in the peppermint extract a bit at a time, and taste as you go, the peppermint flavor shouldn't be overwhelming. When the cookies have completely cooled slather a bit of filling on half of the cookies. Top each slather with another cookie and enjoy!

Makes about 3 dozen 1 1/2-inch sandwich cookies.

Pictures!!!

2007-12-11T19:06:00.000-06:00

Yes, I have gone and done it. I uploaded a whole new batch of pictures into picassa, which means that they are coming over here to the photo album, over there on the left. I'm debating adding some nature photos from Uncle Alan, what do you all think? Let me know, if you don't mind.

What else? Oh yeah, I love the snow, not too sure if I like the ICE!!! Yikes! It sounds brutal out there. Good thing I have this comfy indoor job, right?

Congratulations to Benjy, the Jenga champ for I imagine December 2007, or will his championship last forever? Only time will tell, next up, the RISK challenge! No, better yet, let's play trivial pursuit - that'd be fun.

Okay, have to get back to work, as always...

More later...

Jenga Champ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-12-08T21:44:00.001-06:00

I am now the reigning Jenga Champion!!!!!! After 14 wins and only 5 losses I have claimed as Jenga Champ of the Miller house!!!! Andy claimed second with 9 wins and 6 losses and Katie claimed 3rd with 6 wins and 14 losses.

I'm Imbedding!!

2007-11-28T19:23:00.000-06:00

Yes I am. Go to the bottom of the page and you will see what I mean.

I imbedded Andy's favorite show of all time!! The Office.

Personally, I think the show is a little on the mean side, but it does have a few chuckle moments. Can't wait to see what else I can imbed. This is so cool, almost as cool as when I found out I could read!!!

Bye-bye

I'm Cold!!

2007-11-26T13:30:00.000-06:00

I think that those were the words out of Andy's mouth, right before this picture was taken at the Bears-Broncos game, that we went to yesterday. Good times, decent food --- expensive food! and an all-around good time had. Too bad, for me, the Broncos lost 37-34 in OT. A game which should have never gone in to overtime if you ask me, but... no one there did. :-(

Thanks again Andy!! It was fun, and we should do it again sometime. :-)

sugar cookie recipe

2007-11-23T10:30:00.000-06:00

Similar Recipes
Holiday Cutouts
Snowflake Cookies
Classic Sugar Cookies (Cookie Exchange Quantity)
Mmm! Melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies. Enjoy a classic!

Prep Time:2 hr
Start to Finish:4 hr 30 min
Makes:8 dozen 3-inch cookies
161 Ratings17 ReviewsRead Reviews Rate/Review Recipe
3
cups powdered sugar
2
cups butter or margarine, softened
2
teaspoons vanilla
1
teaspoon almond extract
2
eggs
5
cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2
teaspoons baking soda
2
teaspoons cream of tartar
Decorator’s Glaze
4
cups powdered sugar
1/4
cup water
1/4
cup light corn syrup
1
teaspoon almond extract
Food colors, as desired
Decorations
Betty Crocker® decorating gel (in 0.68-oz tubes), colored sugar and/or decors, if desired
Betty Crocker® decorating icing (in 4.25-oz tubes), if desired
Flaked coconut, if desired

1.
In large bowl, beat 3 cups powdered sugar, the butter, vanilla, 1 teaspoon almond extract and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
2.
Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, roll each half 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes with 3-inch cookie cutters. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
3.
Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4.
In small bowl, beat all glaze ingredients except food colors on low speed until smooth. Divide among several small bowls. Stir desired food color, one drop at a time, into each until desired color. Decorate cookies with glaze and other decorations as desired.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft) Bake 6 to 7 minutes.
Nutrition Information

1 Serving: Calories 100 (Calories from Fat 35); Total Fat 4g (Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 55mg; Total Carbohydrate 14g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 9g); Protein 0g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 0% Exchanges:

enjoy

I'm a Tease!

2007-11-20T16:30:00.000-06:00

This is where I want to be in 381 days... for those of you that can't count or want to check on my math, that would be Dec 5, 2008. Of course, Epcot no longer has the arm and the wand, but it is still pretty cool. Plus Spaceship Earth will be opened again, and it will be decorated with a Christmas motif.
Like this here... Hard to tell for sure, but it was the best picture I could find in the short span of time that I decided to write this. See, I can plan a little of what I am writing. :-)

Can't remember where, whoever took this picture said this was, but I thought it was pretty cool. Probably in one of them Deluxe Resorts, no doubt. Before I forget, I found these pictures at AllEars.net and I hope it is okay that I used them. The site let me save them to my computer easily enough, so... I still want to give credit though. I think I saved the thumbnails for these, oops.As you can tell, I am a fan of Epcot. Or maybe you can't because the picture is so small. Again, sorry.

Finally, I have to get into better shape - a lot better shape. Afterall, I am not getting any younger, and I want to be around for as long as possible - so do Jenni and the kids. So I am putting this picture here, of the jogging path around the lake at the Caribbean Beach Resort - where we hope to be staying next year (I mean plan on staying), and where I want to be able to jog at least once, per day, around this lake. Time permitting of course. Anyway, I won't be able to do that in my current condition, so... This is my little bit of motivation. Sound good? Well then, wish me luck and keep me going.

Have a wonderful day. :-)

2007-11-10T19:06:00.000-06:00

lets see for a vaction i want to go to Walt Disney world ok.....................okay !!!!!

Vacation Plans?

2007-11-09T16:51:00.000-06:00

I'm in the middle of testing some new things, so please bear with me...

Where should we go on vacation girls? Any suggestions? Anything at all?

Somewhere warm, you say? Like Florida?

Okay, so the Miller's are trying to figure out where to go next year, vacation-wise. Disney World is definitely on the agenda, we all love the place and...

...Andy turns 18 next year (can you believe that?!), so we want to go before he has to sign up for selective service, and is considered an adult in the world. Heck, if his birthday were a little earlier, he could vote in his first presidential election. Oh well, no excitement for him.

Like I said, Disney is a definite possibility, in December. We (Jenni and I) have always wanted to go there when they are decorated for Christmas, so we are looking at going between the 5th and 13th of December, I think. We're planning on staying at the Carribean Beach Resort this time, Benjy's choice. No reservations have been made, yet, but we are pretty sure that we are going next year.

There is also an interest in going back out west to visit my Nana, in Arizona, then swing through Colorado to visit with Ben, Dana and Alli. When to go is a BIG question though, because Andy, and maybe Jenni, is heading to Croatia again next June. Then there is all the camps that the kids are in, etc. So, it might be sooner than June, or later. How's that for a definite answer? What can I say, it's hard to plan that far in advance for a family of eight sometimes. We don't want to leave anyone behind either, so... Hopefully we'll get another AWESOME group shot. (see below)

Okay, now that I have bored you with our vacation plans, I hope to edit this out on Blogger itself and add some pizzaz (aka pictures). We'll see.

Bushwackers

2007-11-09T16:19:00.000-06:00

Okay, now that I have your attention.

This is a cool and refreshing drink that goes down smooth and easy. Some might say a little too easy, so remember to drink responsibly.

Why the name? Who knows? That is just what we called it and not because of a certain President of the United States either. Although I can see people that don’t like the President drinking these and possibly dreaming of… I won’t go there.

Anyway, this is best in the heat of the summer, but I am sure that it is good year round.

Enjoy!

BUSHWACKERS

4 oz. Cream of Coconut

2 oz. Kahlua

1 oz. Bacardi Black Rum

1 oz. Hiram Walker Dark Crème de Cocoa

4 oz. Half and Half

4 Cups of Ice

Blend until smooth. Serves 2.

Again, I will remind everyone to DRINK RESPONSIBLY!! Don’t want to lose anyone to stupidity.

German Potato Salad

2007-11-03T20:47:00.000-05:00

I have one of those neighbors. You know the type; always wanting to get into your business, telling you what you are doing wrong while never offering a suitable solution. Anyway, he’s a really nice guy and he does mean well. I especially appreciate the fact that he is a plumber – those with small children that like to flush their toys, know what I mean.

He is also a very good cook, he makes a killer Key Lime Pie, but he won’t give up the recipe (expletive deleted!) I did manage to sneak this recipe away though. This is a great salad if you are having a large group over. I know I make it at least three times every summer; it has become a favorite of our family’s.

Without further procrastination, I present…

GERMAN POTATO SALAD

This is a PARTY-SIZE potato salad, but is easily reduced in size. You can make it a day ahead, but it suffers if made any sooner than that.

6 pounds new potatoes

Salt

1 bunch celery, sliced very thin

3 medium-to-large red onions, sliced thin and separated into rings

1 pound bacon, fried crisp and crumbled

2 bunches fresh parsley, finely chopped

3 cups mayonnaise

4 tablespoons white or cider vinegar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook unpeeled potatoes until tender (10- 15 minutes), slice as thin as possible without causing them to crumble (this can be very difficult if your potatoes are overcooked). Place layer of sliced potatoes in a very large bowl (we have used the disposable party trays, as well), and sprinkle with salt. Top potatoes with a layer of celery, then the onions, bacon and parsley.

Combine mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Spread several tablespoons of dressing mixture over parsley layer. Repeat layers several times, until all ingredients are used. Toss salad gently, trying not to break up potato slices more than necessary (a nearly impossible task, if you ask me.). Chill covered, until served.

Makes 20 to 25 servings.

Happy Birthday Maggie!!!

2007-11-02T16:39:00.001-05:00

Through the years...

... my have you grown up fast!!!

Happy 5th Birthday Mag-Pie!!

halloween

2007-10-28T18:22:00.000-05:00

halloween is in 3 more days
and never eat candy that is open
always go for the treat instead of the trick
wear a costume
scare people
and more
write what you are gonna be on this page!

regarding: Where's Mom?

2007-10-28T11:48:00.000-05:00

I'm here . . . at least I am today!
So, we're attempting to enter into the world of blogging . . . something I am not at all familiar with. Something I fear I will have no time for. Ok, so fear is probably the wrong word. I will either make the time to write occassionally, or I won't. Fairly simple! I can't add not blogging to my increasing list of worries. So, here goes the first attempt:
It is a Sunday. A beautiful, albeit chilly morning. In fact, today is the first day we are trying out our new furnace. Seems to work just great! I have the children out front raking and blowing the leaves that are cluttering the front lawn. Well, most of them. Some of them would like to pawn the work off on younger, more eager siblings. More eager now - until the novelty wears off. Until they find out that no, mom will not allow you to make a mess of the leaves by jumping in the pile. Well, ok - IF you promise to make a nice neat pile when you are finished! Leaf jumping was a rather fun thing to do.
This weekend has been a little on the busier side. I felt a slight obligation to host a Stampin' Up party on Friday night. Which meant that schooling for the majority of Friday pretty much went out the window. Good thing we started early!! The Stampin' Up party went well. A little long, but maybe that's because I was running around alot that day! I do not stamp. I have attempted scrapbooking - which I like, I just don't find the time for it. Let alone the fact that I lack the creativity!! Now I will try my hand at stamping.
Yesterday I took my Junior Girl Scout troop (Jessie's troop) along with Katie and Maggie to Malta, IL to a corn maze and to get a pumpkin. It rained pretty heavy on Friday which made for an incredibly muddy corn maze hike! AND, there were NO pumpkins!! That was very disappointing. We did find a pumpkin farm on the way home and stopped there. Such a great place - we actually got right on a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch! Oh, and . . . they had a corn maze too! We did not have the time to check that one out. I'm sure that the one we went to was way better. At least that is what I had to tell my girl scouts and the other mom that came with me! It was a long, COLD day! My neighbor came over last night and asked if I would like to go with her and my god daughter to see Bella: The Movie. I did go. What a fantastic movie!! Such a beautiful story. Definitely a keeper! I came home last night to find Andy and his girlfriend downstairs watching a movie alone. Hmmm . . . I think I'll go sit down with them. Yeah, they were watching The Exorcism of Emily Rose. So much for ending the night with a nice, heart-warming love story!
I filled in for my mom as commentator at the 8am mass. We came home, finished up some chores and then went with the Ottos to see Ashley and her soccer team claim victory over Ashley's previous team. It was a great game!
It's 4:24pm and I can't wait for bed! I know I will get a second wind - at least I hope so. I have to get out to the craft store to get some supplies for the girl scouts to make ornaments for the tree we have reserved at the Riverwalk! I also have a little bit of grading papers to finish up and to plan out how our day will go tomorrow. I believe Owl Puke is on the agenda. Better go find some coffee!
May God Bless your week!
~Jenni

I'm here!

2007-10-26T22:51:00.000-05:00

Hello, I'm Katie and I am here posting on the blog.

Hi

Bye

Uh-oh!

2007-10-26T14:59:00.000-05:00

That's right! The dad has some control and has been playing with the settings. What is with that guy anyway? Just playing around, and really wishing that there were a larger variety of backgounds/templates to use. Alas, we only have the thirty or so that blogger is giving us.

New challenge!! Come up with some seasonal templates for us to use. Who wants to do that? Anyone, anyone? Oh well, this is only the beginning of GREAT things to come, well at least I hope so. :-)

Where's Mom?

2007-10-26T08:28:00.000-05:00

Mom has a lot of valuable insight that she can add here and you should get her signed up here so that she can tell the world all about your day, etc.. Then we will let the rest of the family know about this site and magic will happen. The magic being communication between family members, or something like that. Won't that be cool?

Bye-bye

Okay, it's a start.

2007-10-25T21:06:00.001-05:00

We are gonna have to spice it up a bit, maybe, but so far so good. You should be able to add this picture to he profile, if you want. Or you can find another, you know we can set this up pretty much anyway we choose. We just have to remember to use it, right?

More later,

Jessica's B-day

2007-10-25T13:11:00.000-05:00

Today is Jessica's birthday.