Fire in Astoria

Wow what a night it sounds like.  There was a big fire in town the cannery cafe and most of the number ten building burnt down.  So sad for all those that involved such as job or even the owners.  We had a fire probably 23 years ago and lost a barn how devastating that was.  This fire was so close to Tims work one spark and it all could of gone up.  The fire fighters did a great job keeping it away from the gas station and Tims work.  Tim said the dock is covered in Ashes and yuck from the fire but thank goodness it is all safe.

Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving the day to be thankful for so I am going to post 10 things that I am  thankful for today.

1. God.
2. Salvation
3. My wonderful family (who stands beside me no matter what goes on)
4. To have all of my children beside me
5. My friends that stand by me and appreciate me for who I am no matter       what mistakes I make
6. My home to have a roof over our heads
7.That I have a church that I can go to praise God and worship in.
8. My mom
9. My brother and his family that they take care of my mom so well
10.That I get to cook dinner for my family and I enjoy it!!

This could be the last year that I have all of my children home with me for this Holiday.  I now have 2 children that are over 18.  Tim graduated last year and Hayley graduates this year.  Wow where has the time gone with my two oldest being adults in the eyes of the world. But still babies in my eyes.  I still have 4 other babies that are under the age of 18 but before I know it Lena will be there too. 

I ordered Hayley's birth certificate finally yesterday it should be here soon.  Maybe by Monday oh what a surprise for her.  I think maybe in January I will order Lenas and then every other month I will get the rest so they do not have to wait this long.  I procastinate way to much.!!!

On our Menu for today :
Ham
Black cherry Jello( the way Gina makes it with icecream)
Mashed Potatoes
Red eye gravy
Green bean Caserole (with cream of chicken)
pumpkin pie
chocolate cream pie
Yams with marsh mellows
Rolls
and ali gets to cook with her easy bake oven for fun.  Oh boy I cant wait to see her joy of doing that today. 

Wednesday

The middle of the week. Not much going on today it is rainy and yucky out today. I have lots of work todo and I am trying to get my house in order. Putting things away and trying to organize things. Wow what a job our home is so small for all eight of us I think it is barely 1200 square feet maybe a little more 3 bedroom manufacture home. It has 5 acres of property but it will take lots of work to be able ot use it.  It would be great with new carpet, sliding glass doors, at least 2 more bedrooms, and a family room. At least these things on the inside of the house. It needs some paint also which is not to hard its just putting my money into someone elses home. Not smart.
Today I think we will do at least 3 loads of laundry and try to get it all put away(that is the hard part). Clean up all the laundry in the laundry room and try to get it mopped today. Get my kitchen all clean mopped also. Then get my dining room organized and my living room cleaned. Then I may still have time to clean our main bathroom, and maybe make my bed and clean my room.

Then I will think of dinner also not sure what I want to have today our freezer is full of vinison. I like this but I get kinda of tired of the same food and it is hard to think of meals that all will enjoy.









I have one young lady at home today she is not feeling well so I am going to let her sleep for a while. My son bought a wii for his room. Our first game system in a while our 360 was used so much I think we wore it out. I bowled, played tennis, jet skied, golfed, and even sky dived all from our little home on the hill. My arm is so tired I can hardly move it but it was fun. I think I need to get a wii fit now that would be fun. If my arm feels like this just think of the exercise that I would get with that game. What a work out it would be maybe I would loose some weight that would be great. Then my energy may comeback and I could be motivated that would be so good for me.









Still thinking of dinner not sure what to have .

Christmas is Near

I have decided this year I am going to try to make some of my Christmas presents.  Not sure what to do for everyone but I hope I can figure it out as time goes.  I know Alisabeth will be the easiest one Barbie clothes,  barbie furniture, Dolly Clothes , and maybe a blanket for her bed.  Jon I am not sure he has been playing a lot with legos this year, farm animals, and his trucks.  He really wants a big truck and trailer.  Not sure how I can do that but I will do my best. 

I really hope that maybe we can build Hayley a hope chest this year that would be a great gift for a teen.  That way we can just fill it as time goes. 

Lena I really do not have an idea unless I learn to make jewelery she loves necklaces of all kinds long ones and short ones.  I think she would even love to have a quilt.  Something with memories, colors, and other things that remind her of family. Maybe an easel or somethings to use for painting she seems to really enjoy painting things.

Sarah might be a little more difficult I am still thinking for her not sure what yet.

Tim Jr. and Tim Sr.  are pretty difficult I think because they are boys and I do not want to make something that is too cheesy for them. 

I would like to start my moms quilt also I want it to be a memory quilt.  Something to do with her life of all of us and especially of things my dad enjoyed.  Maybe some pictures of them ironed on the material. 

If anyone has any ideas please let me know that would be great.  All ideas are appreciated.  I just feel that Christmas should come from the heart not what you can buy for them that can be done all year long.

Alisabeth Jayde Clark

Over 12 years ago I prayed, and prayed and asked God for another little baby.   I waited month after month and everytime a load of joy followed with alot of disappointment.  Then sometime in February of 2003 I finally realized or thought that God had blessed me with all of the children that Tim and I would have he gave us 4 wonderful kids at that time.  I told God I was done trying and wanting more then I could possibly have and if all we had were the 4 children that we were blessed with I was happy with what he has given me. 

Not knowing that God had blessed us again. That the baby was there for us I was finally happy with what God given to me. Shortly after this God blessed me with a baby I was so excited I couldnt believe it, Tim wasnt home he was at church so I couldnt tell him the good news. It was still a shock to me in the last 6 years every month we would hope and pray even to the point we had a little hope. But all of a sudden when we were excited and  started to let others know our hope and excitement was taken away from us.  I was very scared and worried that this one too would be taken from us so I waited for a while to tell anyone.  I even kept it from Tim just to not cause it to happen all over again of being disappointed again. 

I took another test it was still positive so I finally reveled our secret to others around us.  God so graciously let me keep this wonderful blessing.  We then told the kids that they were going to have a little brother or sister.  All of them were so excited and just couldnt wait.  Except Sarah she was our little princess and didnt want anyone else to take her place.  She was so upset that she ran to her room screaming "no I dont want a little brother or sister".  After I while she was finally use to it and was happy we were all going to have a baby.

All of the kids wanted a little brother so bad. Lena  would sit with me every night and talk and sing to my belly.  As it grew the hope and glimmer in their eyes for a baby brother was their.  I would take the girls with me to my appointments 1 at a time. They would listen to the heartbeat with excitement to know that inside me was a little baby.  The time finally was here for us to find out what we were having so while the girls were at a girls scout camp I went to the doctor. I would soon know and be able to actually believe, trust and know that the baby was safe inside of stomach.  On this day I found out that our baby was a little girl I was excited to know that she was safe and looked great.
I went back to the camp to get the girls and at that time told them they were going to have a baby sister.  Sarah and Hayley were so excited someone they could dress and hold just like a dolly.  Lena on the other hand had her mind set to have a little brother and just didnt know what to do.  So she fussed at my stomach and refused to talk to the baby anymore because she was a girl not a boy.  After I think a full week went by she finally was able to except the fact that she was going to have another little sister.  She came up to my stomach and to the baby she was sorry and that she loved her. She began again to sing and talk to the baby.
In the month of october I went into premature labor 1 week before my ceasaren and 3 weeks before she was suppose to be here.   Our doctor went a head and delivered her she was beautiful she weighed 8 pounds and 15 ounces healthy as could be.  We named her ALISABETH  JAYDE  CLARK. Hayley picked her middle name and her first name just seemed to fit the baby while i was carrying her and it still does today except we call her ALI. 
Today is her birhtday October 22 we are so happy to  have in our family and have be part of the clark family.

Friends

What is a best friend?  True Friend? or even just a friend?  These questions or ideas have been bothering me.  I try to do my best to be a friend but often do I loose them.   Not sure if it is because I am to caring, trusting, or just do not understand our relationship, maybe I take to much and do not give enough.

Is a friend someone who goes to someone else and tells them all your secrets or your flaws?  This person could include another friend, a sister, husband,  or even your pastor. I feel that what you talk to your best friend about should stay between the two of you.  Not the other people this friend was brought in your life to love and support you not feel like you have been belittled. 

I do not have any secrets but sometimes you tell someone in confidence things that you would prefer others to not know.  Maybe it could just be a question you had or even something that is going on in your life that you just had to get off your chest.   I feel a best friend can tell you what you may need to hear and know that you will take it no matter what.  But this should be done out of pure confidence and love with support from behind.  If they need to say something they should say it and not just keep it inside and let it ruin the relationship!! This can make it very difficult to be friends not all people can read your mind they do not know what you are thinking.  You especially do not need to take your friends out to lunch, buy them things, or spend all kinds of money on them.  They may just need your time and friendship.  In the past people who were suppose to be friends were not there for me they were there for themselves.   They would talk behind my back, tell people that I said things, and even to the point of letting people think that we are using them for their money or mooching off of them. 

I decided to look up some verses in the Bible about friends  the first one that caught my eye was in Job.  His friends were trying to get him to turn away from God but in Job 16 verse 20 he says "My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God." I think what I see in this verse is that you need to look upon God for a spiritual friend and pray that God will send you a friend like God.  Someone who is trusting, caring, you can talk to no matter what, loves you for who you are, and above all can be honest with you no matter how much it can hurt either of you.

In Proverbs 18 verse 24  it says  "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."  This is true in order to have friends you need to show your self friendly or go over and beyond.  I also believe that you need to treat a friend with Respect and Honesty. If you cannot be Honest with your friends then are they really a true friend to you? 

Words and actions can Hurt

I am the type of person that lets a lot just kinda roll off my shoulder.  But a person can only take so much sometimes just a look, a little word , comment, or just the way that you feel things have been taken can rubb someone wrong.   I get tired of people that talk out of both sides of their mouth.  On one side they are there to help on the other they are there to flush your head in the toilet.    I have noticed that a lot of the times the way that people treat me others treat my mother the same way.  


I do not think the things bother me as much anymore when it is done to me.  I have learned that I will let God take care of most things but I have to let them go so he can.  That is the hard part of me letting it go for him.  People say they will do one thing and later things have changed so much then they did before.   Some people do not even take into consideration the things that is going on or has gone on in a persons life.  Sometimes the things that is going on is how we respond to others and what is going on. 

Because of some of this I am encouraging my mother to move again this will be the second time since March 31.  I do not feel safe with where she is right now.  She seems depressed, lonely, and she really needs us right now.  Moms has had two friends in the last 2 months treat her wrong they say one thing then they lie to her also. Who knows what else my mom may be going through.  The person who owns her place that she is renting said how much she will help take care of her check on her, take her for rides, even out to dinner , but she doesnt fall through on anything but something that hurts my mother.  This is it no more I say She is saleing my mothers home that her and dad lived in. And only give her 600 dollars for it because she said it wasnt in the shape that she wanted it in.  We were not even given the time to do any real cleaning when we moved out. A lot of the things that were done we could of done.  Lets be for real it was time for mom to take a small break.  Dad had not even been gone for a month and we moved her.  This took not only physical stress on her body but mental stress on her from the 6 months of pain from watching him suffer and then finally pass away.

The hidden wolf

Sometimes people that you think you know just are not who you think they are!!  They really are the wolf in sheep clothing they let you think that they are out there to help you.  But they really are not they say things and do things out of spite to just hurt you or even others.  They tell people things that are not true just to hurt you and your family.  Even to the point where you are scared that you may loose your whole family to the world or worse cause yourself or someone close to be like the wolf.

  I feel this person(the wolf)  was very vindictive, a liar,  and was very horrible to me and my family.   Because of the circumstances I am not able to confront them.   I do know that I have someone so much more greater on my side to defend me MY  LORD.   These bad lies and hurt came at the wrong time I feel in my life.  But maybe the time was not the wrong time, not sure. I think God was trying to show me that no matter what he is mightier then all and can take care of me and my family.  This wolf was trying to tell lies to the authorities to get my children removed from my care.  All of this makes you stop, sit, ponder, and even appreciate your family.

We had the authorities called to say we were not taking care of my children (such as no food in the house, they were always dirty, we have rats living in my home, eating wires and cable, and the house is a wreck.  )
If any knows me they know I do take care of my children, they do not go to school dirty, rat in my house I would move out before they moved in I DO NOT LIKE RODENTS of any kind.  As the house being a mess it may have but how clean to a person is clean. .  This person was suppose to be someone who is to stand up for me and my family and be their when I needed her with care and support.    This was a very important time of need for my family and my self.  Police showed up at my house on the day before my dad was to go into surgery and we were not sure he was even going to make it home.  It was a tough time for me my dad had a ulcer in his intestines that exploded and it sat in his parentinel cavity for 3 days and the doctors didnt want to do anything.  Was this a time that I needed to worry about my children being taken away from me NO!

My dad went into surgery and this was the last time that I was to really see him alert  and awake.  He went through surgery and was in recovery for more then a week almost two.  His body then started to break down and just start to shut down on him.  Oh what the stress not sure where I would of been without God during this whole entire time.  As I sit now and think he was with me all long maybe this was something he gave me to try to get my mind on something else to understand I still have a family that i dearly love and Cherish.  My family that will be with me through thick and thin.

Going through this trial and realizing that it is finally over at this time in my life is the greatest feeling in the world.  I know God took care of my situation and the wolf that has caused all of the trouble in my life.  He took her out and I thank him for that so much.  What a blessing to me my God is and it is hard to say but thank you for this trial that you have given me to learn through.

Graduation

My Nephew graduated on Saturday it was a great ceremony outside.  It pretty much stayed dry the whole time in Oregon that is a miracle.  It was a short ceremony it only lasted for about an hour we waited before for an hour before to save our seats. 

After the graduation we went to JJs grandmas place to have cake and to just give our congrats to him personally. It was alot fun to see the kids all enjoying being with JJ and just hanging with him. The next day we left and came home didnt have much time to stay we had to get home to the critters.  But we decided hopefully before Tim leaves for Alaska we will make it up again.

I would like to start doing a Friday Flashback but not sure where to start.   Maybe just with memories right now until I am able to load pictures on to my computer.


How far back to go not sure maybe to the things I remember the most.  My trip to Oregon when I was 8 years old a few years ago.  It was before I started 3rd grade we came here on vacation to visit some relatives. Before coming to Oregon we lived in Montana Sun Prairie Village.  In a little single wide trailer next to my aunt and uncle and their two kids.   During the winter and rainy season the mud which was actually clay would get so caked onto your shoes when just walking to the car that you would of grown at least a foot taller.

Halloween there was so much fun and cold it was always snowy when we went Trick or Treating.  I dressed up as a gypsy and my brother would dress up as a pirate. Since my brother is 3 years older he would take me out and actually lose me in the snow drifts, wow the fun we had.


I had a couple best friends Wendy and Lori.  wow the thing that we did ,!!!

At this time my dad worked for the grain company and drove truck for them.  Sometimes if we were real lucky he would take my brother and i to school.  How fun this was seriously.  Dad would bring wheat home and mom sometimes would make homemade bread oh the smell that it made in the house. We then moved to Astoria Oregon and for a very short time lived with my Aunt and uncle. We then found a big house in Astoria on 16th and Grand boy was my room big I even had two closets. I played in one and hung my clothes in the other.  When school started I went to Astor school it was fun and had a lot of stairs. This was before it had the elevator boy those kids are lucky now..


I first had Mr Fick as my Teacher and then a new teacher began so they asked students to decide if they wanted to be in that class or stay where they were.  I decided something new could be fun so at this time my teacher was Mrs Goin,  Shortly after starting school in her class my parents found a house in warrenton so I had to switch schools before it barely began.

We moved to a house in the country and on the hill. I had to go to the Warrenton School but because they were building a new one we were bused to Astoria to Central school.  I then got a teacher was not very nice and seemed to isolate me and pick on me often.  Mrs Crockett she was not a very nice teacher and I'm sorry for all the others that had to be in her classroom.  I made a few friends Stephanie, Christal, Cindy, and I think Tammy  not sure I will have to up date this once I can remember more about this.

Trials of Blessings

Wow the time has finally come to see my oldest graduate from high school. Timmy is such a blessing to me everything that he has gone through I feel that he can only make it with Gods strength. I know that with everything that we have gone through we couldn't of made it without God.

God was their with Timmy last February during his Accident. I feel that if this didn't happen none of my family would be where they are today. God has taken care of us in more ways then any one could imagine. Sometimes it is tough to wait on God but I know prayers are answered in his time. Any where from salvation to just support when we need him. He even brings the ones back that have strayed away to the point where they love him more then they did before. I thank him for that!!

God was there when my dad passed away and he still is here now. But it is tough especially with graduation and all . All of my dads grand kids were the greatest in his eyes and they all know it and he just couldn't wait to be there when they graduated from high school. He was the first one to get the call last February that Timmy was hurt and possible dead. How hard that was for him to make the call to me to tell me my son was hurt his (grandson) .

If it wasn't for this I think not only one of my children would be gone but probably it would be two. It has been a tough couple of years. But through my trials I am learning a lot to trust the one that really matters. When I don't take the time to talk to God in the morning and give him my first thought of the day my day turns in to a bad day.

I am excited that God has given me the chance to see my son graduate from High School. every time I look at him I am able to see the gift that God has given me and it is one of the greatest gifts in the world.

I would like to invite everyone to Tim's graduation Saturday June 5 at 4 pm and to have cake and ice cream on  Sunday around 4 at our house. ( pray for sunshine)