The Sears Tower puzzle

It is done! We did it all start to finish in 3 hours and 15 minutes!
The thing is over 3 feet tall!
  

A survey about me

Yes, I can't even belive that I took the time to do this...but now that I did it...here it is...

A survey

Time Born: 3:00AM? My mom can't quite remember...and me? I definately don't.
 
Favorite candy: Peppermint Patties
 
Nicknames: Carrie, Carrie-belle, Nini, Care-bear
 
Number of candles on your last birthday cake: Couldn't tell you...I turned 14 thoguh...if that is what you want...
  
Pets: I wouldn't count Sunny, our dog, as my pet, but my real pets are Ben and David

Birthplace: Seneca, South Carolina
 
Favorite vacation place: Monterrey or Guadalajara Mexico, or Olympia, WA!!!!!!!

Favorite Food: Mexican! Probably our Enchilada Bake is on top...

Favorite Smell: Peppermint

Favorite ice cream flavor: Very Chocolaty Cherry!

Last book you read: By Searching Isobel Kuhn's autobiography
 
Been in a car accident: No…Praise the Lord!!

Favorite day of the week: Today
 
Favorite restaurant: WGPL Kitchen

Last place you went out to eat: Taco Bell...well, I'd hardly say that was "out to eat" it was on our trip home from Indianapolis

Favorite flower: Pansy

Favorite drink: Agua de Jamaica (I had it in Mexico...its a little bit like cranberry juice...but not sour...

Favorite fast food: Taco Bell

What color is your bedroom carpet: Um...I have a beautiful hard wood floor!

Before this one, from whom did you get your last email: Juany

If you had $1,000 to blow, where would you spend it: I'd probably go visit a bunch of my friends...(Olympia, WA; Cary, NC; Indianapolis, IN; Franklin, TN; Muskogee, OK; Monterrey, MX; Chicago, IL; etc....I'd go everywhere!

What do you do most often when you're bored: Play the piano!

Most annoying thing people say to me: I don't know...but its the whiny voice that I don't like!

Bedtime: 9:00 Real Time
 
Favorite TV show(s): Like I even know any?
 
What are you listening to right now: the tick of the clock...and the rythmn of the washing machine....

What time is it: 8:45 pm

Responsibility Challenge

Our family has recently borrowed an idea from EQUIP, a "Challenge!"

Mama listed out different responsibilities that needed to happen (chores, schoolwork, etc.) and most of them had a deadline. She then assigned point values for each completed item(examples: rise on your own-5, math started by 8:00-5, all work done by 2:00-10). There were also verses to memorize. Extra points could be earned for service projects and if we kids took initiative, more points! She set the point goal attainable, and then had a surprise planned for those that made the goal. It was a lot of fun and there was a lot of energy in the house as ones tried to make all the points necessary to go on our "big outing." All did!

The Suzanna (10) has begged Mama to do another one! so we did another one last week.

Mama said she had two goals, to help us see that we can do the things we need to do and to see the good fruit of doing them!!! It rewarded Mama when, after the challenge was completed, Dudley (16) assured her he has seen these results in his life!

Another fun thing Mama did as school started this summer was for the first two weeks of school those that had all their work and chores done by 2:00 would get an ice cream bar reward! This has been a great "carrot"! Before, school had been an all-day thing. Now, most everyone can get it all done by 2:00!

  

We went to Indianapolis!!!!!

Sorry...its been awhile...but, guess what? We went up to Indianapolis this weekend for Nina's graduation!
 

We had a blast! We were able to get a taste of what her life is like there at the training center...I was able to do her chores with her two times, Zeez and I got to sleep with her and her roommates up in their room one night...we got to meet and kinda get to know the people she lives with, works with, and just plain IS with all the time...It was over all just awesome! 

Shoe-lover

Mama had Ben in the car and they were going to the bank. She told hime that on the way home maybe they could go by Salvation Army. Ben quickly returns, "Yes, we should go there!" Then, in a dreamy almost wistful way he adds, "They have all kinds of shoes there!" It was the same awe-filled way one might discuss the riches of heaven!
Shoes definately are worth the world to him. No other customers were at Salvation Army, so Mama let him try on some of the shoes. Of course, he picked the high-heeled ones... He put on one pair, "um, these...these are too big...these are too big." The next, "These fit real nicely, yes, these fit me, Mama."
Full grown ladies' high heeled shoes fitting a two and a half year old? Mama din't buy them.
Ever since he was very young he's been able to help recite the poem:
High-Heeled Shoes

I like to wear my Mommie's shoes.
I mean the pair she doesn't use.

I pick the ones with highest heels,
You can't imagine how it feels

To walk around, go out the door,
Clump-clumping all across the floor.

--By Kate Cox Goddard

Road Construction!

 
That's our house, by the way, over in the corner of the picture...The others have had lots of fun watching!
They're replacing the pipes on our street...but the cool part is that they're strating right past our driveway and going to the other end of the road...so we get all the excitement without getting any of our yard messed up!
Cool deal!

P.S. The hydrant I mentioned the other day...well, that's it laying on the road! 

Haleluiah!

When I had my Blessing and Commitment Ceremony (July 9th), my parents gave me a ring. I have practically never worn a ring before. This one was a little too big on my finger and I was constantly toying with it…well, before the day was out, I realized that it was not on my finger and I had no recollection of setting it down anywhere…I wasn’t concerned though…after all I lose stuff all the time. The only difference was, usually I find things. But no, not this time. It was gone. We hunted high and low that night and the next morning for two hours or so. It was gone. Absolutely.
Then, yesterday, exactly 30 days later, Suzanna found it! She was actually holding the box it came in, wondering where in the world it could be…she put the box back up on the top shelf of my closet, look down, and there it was on the floor!I belive God must have moved it that spot. It would be incredible for it to have sat there a month in front of my clothes and I not notice it…
We’re thinking that maybe a Little One found it, picked it up and started playing with it…especially since there was a Little One here most of the day which particularly likes to play in my closet…
All I can say is…Praise the Lord!
  

Its A Girl!!!

The Arnolds had their baby!
A little girl!
 
Her name is Jessica Rose Arnold...and they're gonna call her Jessie. So cute! Don't you just love the red hair?
I can't wait to see her... 

More Pictures!

These are just a few random ones I picked for now...I'll try to keep doing more as I go along! I have Google's free photo software now and that makes blogging pictures worlds easier! If you don't have it, you really should get Picasa!

 
This is a very poor neighborhood we stopped by. We gathered up the kids that were roaming around and shared the gospel with them. It was amazing! The absolute poverty and hopelessness of the little children...and their eagerness for the gospel...very heart moving!

 
Strange, huh? I just had to get a picture! Right down the street! A horse-drawn cart...and we actually saw several of them!

 
This is (left to right) Charity Reed, Mechelle Reed, Cristina Rodriguez, and Christianna Reed Maas. Christianna was the one who started the COMMIT conferences and the Reed family has been doing them together for seven years. This was the first COMMIT conference in Mexico and it was coordinated by Cristina. She did an awesome job!

 
And this is me with Hannah and Bethany Reeves. We all fell in love with Mexico together!!! 

The hydrant

We always love it when they clean out the water lines! We have a hydrant right next to our driveway! This is Dudley's "Umbrella of Protection." He also called it his head rest, but he said it actually did hurt! With the pressure...I could only imagine...
 

And when the guy turned it on full blast...it ws like this all the way across our driveway...The boys called it a localized hurricane!
  

Yahoo!!!!!!

 
David caught on! He has decided its time to walk. This morning he wouldn't walk at all, while I was fixing supper he started to leave the cabinet and wal two steps away from it and then fall...he'd never done that before...now, he thinks its so cool to walk...he took like eight steps at a time...this is really cool! 

Mexico

Wow! Its good to be home, but I hope I can go back soon! Me encanta Monterrey!!!!

 
The first weekend, we stayed with the Quijano family. I don't have a picture of their whole family, but here is Hermana Susie and her daughter Leslie with us...note the famous Serro de la Silla in the background! Both Hermana Susie and Leslie were fairly fluent! That was like an "intro" to Mexico...we went to the markets and saw a lot of the city...but we weren't forced to speak the language...

 
From Sunday afternoon until Wednesday morning, we stayed with this family. They have a children's home and have adopted 10 children--several with special needs. They have a blind child, one cannot talk, one had water on the brain, and their helper is in a wheelchair. While we were there, we had the opportunity to be a special blessing since the dad and the two oldest kids were on a trip to the states.

 
This is the conference picture of the COMMIT conference. It was absolutely a stimulating conference. It was incredible!
I'm sure I'll have lots more pictures coming! But..for now, I've got to go!