Frosty funny

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The Extended Table

I was recently asked if Mark and I would ever live alone in our house. To some, this may seem like an odd question, but to those that know us, it makes perfect sense. You see, since we bought our house in 2005, we have not lived alone in it for more than a few months. We have been the home to strangers, family, friends and acquaintances. Sometimes these situations have worked out great. For example, we hope that the G family, who are living with us now, never leave. Others, we have had to ask to leave because of issues with their drug use, and the drama that they brought into the household. Every single person that has lived with us is someone that I have come to love and every night, my bedtime prayer includes best wishes for each and every one of those people.
For me, the extra bodies in our home over the years have represented the very core of homemaking. Love. Homemaking is a labor of love, just as opening your home to those less fortunate is. So, we set a few extra places at the dinner table, and love a few extra people. What more can you ask for?
Opening our home has also had other benefits for us. Sometimes we have benefited financially, sometimes we have struggled because of the extra expense. We have always been able to make it through, and I believe that that is because we have been willing to serve others in a way that was often best for them, and best for us.
So extend your table today, open your homes and your hearts to the joy of homemaking an open home.

Silent Monks sing Halleluia

Still Unemployed.

Mark is still unemployed. He has been since July 1st. Five months. We will soon be running out of unemployment benefits, and within the next few months, we will most likely enter into foreclosure. We have both been desperately looking for jobs, but there are no jobs to be had.
I don't know where we will go at that point. We really have very few options. I am so stressed, and I am doing so poorly in school because of it. I think my health is paying the price as well when you consider that I have been sick for three weeks now.
Keep us in your thoughts. Let us know if you hear of jobs and cross your fingers for us!

Windows 7 Pre release party

So, back in October, our friend Alex won a contest with windows 7 where he could get a free pre release copy if he threw a party when the product came out. So we threw together some food at our house and had a blast being the uber nerds that we are!

Fall is officially here!

Fall can't start until a leaf pile is jumped in! So when we were out walking the dogs with the G. family kids, and saw a neighbor with nine giant bags of leaves, we brought them home. Admittedly, I wanted the leaves for the compost pile and gardens....but they were fun before they got there!

New Furbaby

Once again we have a new furbaby. This time it is a terrier mix puppy named Willow. She is a sweetheart. We are having a few issues with housetraining, but for the most part she has been a joy. The decision to get her was based on our older dog Mazie getting mildly aggressive due to boredom as a result of our decreased time to play due to school and other obligations. Mazie's behavioral issue has disappeared with the arrival of a playmate and we all have someone new to love!