Family {Maternity} Photos

Richard has been done baking for almost five months now.  We are settling into a new groove as a family, and I love it.  But before too much more time passes I wanted to share some of the maternity/family photos we had taken by my sister's sister-in-law.  (Did you follow that?  My brother-in-law's sister.)  Carmella did a great job and we are so thankful for the sweet moments that she captured.

Deuteronomy: the law of love

Due to some poor planning on my part, I missed the first two studies in this six-part Beth Moore lecture series.  However, because we serve an awesome and perfect God, lesson three was the first lesson I got to listen to and it was perfectly timed.  The lecture portion of the study focused on portions of Deuteronomy chapter 8 where God has brought the Israelites out of Egypt and to the doorstep of Canaan, the Promised Land.  In verses 7-10, the word land is mentioned 7 times and 7 types of produce are listed.  Being that 7 is the number of perfection, we could insinuate that this land is completely good and perfectly productive.  The interesting thing about this though was that the Israelites were going to have to allow themselves to be used by God to reap the blessings of this good land.  There were fields and fields of wheat, but it had to be made into bread.  Phillipians 4:13 says that we can do all things through Christ.  It doesn't say Christ will do all things.  It says we can do all things through Christ.  The Promised Land was a place where man would participate alongside God so his glory could be put on display.  Isn't this true in our lives too?  God withholds no good thing from those who love him (2 Cor 9:8).  But are we willing to do the work alongside Christ to reap the full benefit of what Christ has given us?  Just as the Israelites had to harvest the wheat and process it to make bread, we too must harvest the good things in our life. 

“Good” references

2 Timothy 3:7

Colossians 1:10

1 Timothy 6:8

1 Timothy 1:18

Romans 12:21

Romans 8:28

One of the points in this lesson that hit home the most was that the Israelites sure knew how to have a “bad time” in a “good land.”  Beth Moore said that spiritual amnesia can kill, and it’s so true.  Deuteronomy Chapter 8 in my bible is subtitled “A Call to Remember and Obey.”  This message is repeated often throughout the chapter.

-Verse 2: And you shall remember

-Verse 11: Take care lest you forget

-Verse 14: Then you heart be lifted up and you forget

-Verse 18: You shall remember

-Verse 19: And if you forget you will surely perish

God had been so good to the Israelites yet they forgot how bad it was in Egypt as soon as they left.  Isn’t the same true of my life?  How often I praise God for something good then I forget what life was like before the blessing.  Sadly, I take God for granted.  To really get personal, this season of my life is an example of this.  I feel like our family is going through a time of testing our attachment to physical, worldly goods and how much we trust God to provide all things.  We suffered through months of hard to find water leaks and atrocious water bills, where one leak led to the next.  After a huge rainstorm last fall, we lost electricity to the bathroom and laundry room on the west side of our house for six months.  The cost to have Richard was five times more expensive than it was to have either HB or Katherine so our medical bills this past year were huge.  The list could go on and on.  But as I sat and listened to Beth Moore talk about spiritual amnesia it struck me that I suffer from the same ailment.  Has God ever failed to provide for my family?  Certainly not.  Then why in the world am I fretting and stressing that the God of this world will fail to provide for our needs now?

After six long months having no electricity in my bathroom, an electrician friend of ours helped us find a screw that had touched the wiring coming from the breaker box and ended up shorting all power from that particular breaker.  Who knew this could happen after Kelly living in this house for 19 years?  I can’t remember the last time I felt such delight at such a simple thing…electricity.  In my bathroom.  PRAISE THE LORD.  God is good, and he cares about even the simplest things in our lives like having lights on in your bathroom.  It is my prayer that I leave this study remembering the powerful lessons contained in Deuteronomy 8.  I plan on reading this chapter often so I can revisit the deep and profound delight I experienced during this difficult season of testing and refinement for our family.  

Gourmet Cooking Class

Throwback Thursday: Gourmet Cooking Class

My mother has informed my siblings and I that she no longer needs any gifts of "stuff". She is at a point in her life where all she wants to do is clean out junk so that when she dies there is less of a mess for us to deal with.  Her words, not mine.  I appreciate her effort although I haven't really thought that far in advance yet.  Now, how does that relate to this delightful post on a gourmet cooking class? Instead of gifting my mother a tangible gift to place on a shelf last Christmas, my sister, sister-in-law and I gifted her a gourmet cooking class for the four of us.

Myself, Anna (my sister), Gretchen (SIL), and Mom

We selected a date in March of this year to attend "Italian 101" where we actively participated in creating a gourmet meal that would later be our dinner! Anna and I carpooled and met up with my mom and Gretchen.  A humorous side note: I was in my third trimester with Katherine and one of the weird pregnancy side effects I often encountered was motion sickness while driving.  I totally got carsick on the way there.  I started crying and my sister pulled over - at first on the left side of the 101 (super busy freeway in Phoenix) which was a little scary and then eventually she pulled entirely off the freeway into a parking lot so I could get out. Driving helped alleviate my motion sickness for some reason so we switched spots and off we headed again.

Our meal consisted of:

·         Wild Mushroom Cannelloni with Lemon Thyme Cream Sauce

·         Chicken Saltimbocca with Creamy Polenta

·         Chianti Poached Pear with Cinnamon Semi-freddo (my fave!)

Anna rolling out her pasta with some assistance.  This took a little practice at first but was quite fun to practice.  Now...I only need to practice using my own pasta roller at home!

We cut the long strips of pasta into rectangles, cooked them in boiling water and then used them for canelloni.

The Chianti Pear dessert was awesome.  I have never had a semi-freddo before and I felt like I could have eaten a gallon of this. Semi-freddos are not for those who are afraid of raw eggs though.  It was fun to learn some new kitchen techniques, like how to make pasta from scratch, and the people watching was pretty fun as well.  We sat with some interesting people.  Overall it was a super fun night making memories with my mom and sisters.  It turned out to be one of the best gifts we had given!

Merry Christmas in March Mom!

Easter 2013

When asked what my favorite holiday is I used to reply Thanksgiving or the 4th of July; now however, I love to share why Easter is.  Celebrating the birth of Christ at Christmas is equally as important to our story as Christians as is celebrating the death and resurrection of Christ at Easter.  However, as I've grown in my walk with Christ I have come to see the significance of Christ's death and the need for His death so that I may claim His victory over sin and death as my own.  I am so thankful that we can proclaim that Christ is risen, and victory is mine and yours!

I missed the photo opportunity on Easter to snap a few picture of our family in front a beautiful blooming cherry tree at my mom dad's but here are a few photos to recap the Easter week, and weekend.

We enjoyed another awesome play date with some friends at a park in Buckeye complete with an Easter egg hunt!  HB wasn't too keen on the actual hunting part but sure enjoyed chewing on and shaking the eggs!

I made little "bird nest" goodie bags for my family; the nest was made of marshmallow coated chow mein noodles, and included Reese's peanut butter eggs and peeps.  I downloaded the cute tags from www.thecraftingchicks.com.

Grandpa and Grandma enjoying some laptime with HB while we waited on lunch.

HB engaging in his first "egg cracking war" with Grandpa and cousin D.  This is an old tradition that my grandparents from Croatia first shared and I used to enjoy as a kid.  Now it's fun to watch my dad play with all the grandkids.

Grandpa with (almost) all of his grandkids.  We missed my sister's boy on Easter but look forward to celebrating with him next year!

A tribute to my grandmother

Hubby and I are in Montana for a quick weekend as we remember my grandma Myra at a memorial service.  I have the chance this afternoon to share a few thoughts about my grandmother so I thought I would share them on here as well so when I look back someday, and I long ago lost the paper I wrote this on, I will be able to find a few memories about this dear woman.


In sitting down to write this, I really struggled with what to say. Grandma has been one of the most important people in my life and with a few moments before you to remember and commemorate her I obviously wanted to write something special that encompassed everything I felt about her. That turned out to be a bigger task than I thought so I thought I would share some of my favorite things about her and a few of the life lessons she taught me.

One – have a sense of humor! She always said “a good laugh is good for the heart.” As grandma aged my own mom would warn my siblings and I that we needed to be more careful about the type of pranks we pulled on grandma just to solicit a laugh (or a scream), but grandma was always good natured about our pranks and tried equally as hard to get a laugh or two from us. I will forever remember visiting Grandma and Grandma in their home in Arlee and using a rubber band to secure the handle of the sink spray nozzle down so that when grandma turned on the water it automatically sprayed her. More often than not we would use the element of surprise to announce our presence and grandma more often than not would shriek in surprise.

Two – play cards. Well, the lesson here may not be about playing cards, but I think there is value in what this represented to me. Playing cards with grandma was a given whenever she visited Arizona or we visited Montana. It represented something that we could spend time doing with her, and since we grew up a thousand miles away, spending time with her became one of the most special things we could do because time was always limited. This time was about more than just passing the time but it was about making memories for me. We laughed, we gave each other a hard time about who was crowing when they were winning one moment and fuming the next when they were losing, we learned about sticking with a decision because “the board was the play,” and most importantly it was about learning to talk to and have conversations with those you loved. I’ll forever miss being able to watch my grandma “shuffle up the buffalo” but hope this becomes a tradition in my own family that becomes just as special as it was to me.

Three – add a little variety to life. At 89 years old, grandma was never afraid to try something new or buy something just a little different because she wanted to try it out. This is representative of a life-long trend. Grandma was so full of spunk and I loved the vigor she attacked life with. Whether this meant wearing bright colors, or trying to make a whirly gig because she’s always loved them, or cutting her hair into a short, spiky “do” that required less work, I will long admire the color and spunk she brought to all of our lives. She wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted and was forever encouraging me to have a little fun and try something new. More often than not this would center on the new concoctions I was trying in my kitchen, but this lesson is transferrable to all areas of our lives. I appreciate her independent, “try new things” spirit and hope that I can go about life with the same tenacity she had, even in her younger days when this meant going to work in the airplane factories during the war so she could earn money to pay her way through nursing school.

Fourth and final – indulge, do something you enjoy every day. Many of you will smile remembering how much grandma loved a little vino at 5 o’clock everyday, or in some cases maybe 4:30 because it was five o’clock back home. As a kid growing up my grandma seemed to be the only person I knew that drank wine and she seemed awful glamorous to me doing it. Reflecting on this daily habit, it seemed to me that grandma knew a thing or two and I need to remember to take time each day to relax and indulge in something that I enjoy.

My list could go on and on, and I’m sure if we compared our lists of some of our favorite things about grandma we might have a few similar things but also a few different. I hope that in remembering her today, we will all take a moment to remember the smiles she brought us in the different seasons of our life and how much life her little body contained. Grandma – I will miss our ritual Sunday afternoon phone chats and the chance to share something sweet with our first cup of coffee when we came to visit, but I am so glad that you’re in a better place now and look forward to playing that first round of cards when I come and join you in heaven one day.

Mom and Me in Maine

Mom and I headed to Maine for a week-long vacation. It nigh took us awhile to locate our hotel last night, but after multiple u-turns and requests for directions we were successful. Day 1 (today) was great! Mom had her first (and maybe her last) Maine lobster as pictured below. We asked for the best place in Portland to get Maine and multiple people recommended the Portland Lobster Company. We enjoyed eating on the dock, resting in the shade and feeding french fries to the little Shitzu at the table next to us. (Side note: Petie, the Shitzu, wasn't actually seated at the table, but she belonged to the owner's at the table next to us.)

After lunch, mom and I took a tour of the harbor. I was a little nervous about getting sea sick but it was actually very relaxing. I have been wanting to see Maine's Oldest Headlight and finally I did! In addition to being the oldest in Maine, it is the second oldest in America. We also managed to see a couple of sea lions and our own version of Deadliest Catch - a couple of lobster boats bringing in the day's catch.

I am hoping for more free internet tomorrow, and if there is you can rest assured more pictures will follow. On a couple of other notes - I did forget my phone charger so please don't call. :) Haha. That sounds mean, but I'm just trying to save you the effort because my phone is off.

Also, please pray for the family of Gary Ledger, the advisor of Las Vegas (NM) FFA. He passed away on Wednesday night in a car accident. I don't know the details but I counted him a friend even though I knew him only as an acquaintance. There is something about the bond we share as Ag teachers that makes him feel even closer than he was. Please keep his family, friends and students in your prayers.

Night and Snowy

No, I do not mean Snowy Night. Haha. Night and Snowy are the two beautiful chickens that my nephew and niece showed at the Verde Valley Fair tonight. It was their first time showing through 4-H and the entire family was proud of their performance. Despite the gale force winds and sand in my eyes (the wind is a sure sign that it is fair time), the night still proved to be a memorable one. I sometimes forget how nostalgic the fairgrounds of my youth is - lots of familiar places and smells. Fairgrounds bring back great memories for lots people, what's your favorite fairground memory?

D did great showing Snowy. (Please don't be confused by Snowy's dark appearance.) D showed in the booster class - we were confident that she would win it, but they announced that all booster's were winners. :) Great job D!

J was so relaxed while he held Night outside of the showring but as soon as he got his chicken set up he tensed up a bit; please note his left hand firmly holding Night to the table. J did enjoy himself but he finally needed a little break while the judge took his time (45 minutes for seven novice members) to thoroughly question each member about their chicken project.

I ran into my good friend from high school, Amy Badger. It was great seeing her! Dad is holding G and P was taking a break on my lap from kicking the dirt and dancing like a crazy man. Please don't hold my crazy wind blown hair against me.

G even had a chance to enter her drawing of a caterpillar in the art contest - her caterpillar was "really big and pink." Yep, that's her direct quote folks. She wasn't willing to pose for a picture, but even I had trouble smiling since it was 7:30 and my blood sugar was dropping...we ended the night with dinner at Hacienda, a local Mexican food place that holds a dear place in my heart.

Wonderful Weekends

I love weekends! Who doesn't, right? The month of January has been a month full of weekend blessings and I wanted to share some pictures to help explain.

Blessing #1 - My students. I love my job...most days. :) I took two livestock judging teams to the Arizona National Stock Show over winter break and enjoyed my time immensely with this particular group. Really. Fun. Seriously.

Blessing #2 - My family. While this picture only depicts the females in my immediate family, I still want to send a shout out to my dad and bro. I am so blessed by and provided for through them. Thanks for encouraging me, laughing with and at me and pushing me to do what's right and to always work harder. (This picture of my sister, mom, sister-in-law and myself was taken at a friend's baby shower.)

Blessing #3 - Friends from college. Trisha, Alix and I attended Arizona's premier University (The Univ. of AZ) at the same time. Trisha hosted a bridal shower for Alix whom is marrying a Texan come May. It was soo great seeing both of you!

Blessing #4 - Friends from Florida. After Alix's shower I spent the remainder of my MLK weekend with Jeremy, Rebekah and Sophie Copeland in Sahuarita. The last time I visited them was June 2009 and it was right after Sophie made her debut in this world. (Click the link to see pictures of Sophie then.) It was wonderful catching up with this family and I am so thankful for their treasured friendship.

Christmas Greetings

Merry Christmas!

It is with great joy that I write you, and yes I mean each of you. I fondly think of each individual and family as I address envelopes (or write emails) or open the letters you already sent. God has richly blessed me with your friendship and it is with genuine love and thanksgiving for you that I send this Christmas letter.

My second year ended much better than the first; I worked really hard to establish boundaries during the year so that I could have some type of division between my professional life as an Ag teacher and my personal life. While I obviously do not have a famiy waiting on me at home, I knew it was not healthy (nor sustainable) to continue working the same number of hours as I did my first year. Hard as it was to leave a long "to do" list on my desk and papers ungraded many a night, I found myself making more time for communicating with family and friends and hobbies. I also found some time for stress relief in the way of good 'ol exercise:) My principal retired at the end of year two and with my new administration came a welcomed change of pace and management styles. My third year got off to a great start and I have thoroughly enjoyed my incoming class of freshmen Ag students, going strong at 84 students!! Teaching has gone smoother than ever but I continue to be a "student" of teaching. I have a feeling I will never stop learning about the art (and science) of teaching.

Another interesting and exciting highlight of 2009 was my younger sister's wedding in April! Anna and Bass officially became Mr. and Mrs. Aja on April 24 on the lawn at my parent's home. While I have been in wedding parties before, this one was especially fun to stand by as my sister prepared to embark on this new journey. The ceremony was beautiful, the weather was perfect and my family was so grateful for everyone who came to share in the special evening. Anna and Bass hosted the entire Groseta crew for Thanksgiving at their new home in Wellton (AZ); I was definitely impressed with our host's and look forward to our next holiday with them!

After preparing the lawn and house for the wedding, my mom and dad hosted several other events in the following weeks; they hosted a ranch tour and a group of teachers traveling around Arizona for the Summer Ag Institute. Mom continues to work hard to keep her quilt store successful; she did a long term promotion this past year giving out "quilt bucks" as a customer reward. The event ended with a live auction where they could buy all kinds of items, fabric included, using their quilt bucks and it was a huge success! Dad ended his term as president of National Cattlemen's in January but has continued his involvement on the local, state and national levels. Paul and Gretchen (my brother and sister-in-law) keep busy with their brood of my four nieces and nephews. Paul has been driving to the far reaches of Arizona completing appraisals and getting several ranch listings and in addition to the PTA, Gretchen has been working as the Executive Secretary for Yavapai CattleGrowers. As you can tell, life is never quiet around the Groseta Ranch Headquarters!

I can't end this letter without telling you about the new love of my life. No, no, no folks I do not mean a boyfriend, I mean a d-o-g! I got a little female Queensland Heeler pup the same week Anna got married. I named her Johnnie Reb and she is a perfect match for my personality...super energetic! I have had a lot of fun taking her through beginning training classes this fall and am preparing for an intermediate class this winter.

I cannot close my 2009 Christmas letter without praising God for his provision and generosity during 2009; I am continually in awe of the Lord we serve and the earth He created for us to enjoy. I pray 2010 brings continued health for your family and plenty of rain for your ranches.

Love,
Katy (and Johnnie Reb)

Turkey Day Trivia with a bit of thanks on the side

What president tried changing the date of Thanksgiving?

Drumroll please........

FDR! In 1939 he proposed moving the date forward one week to extend the holiday shopping season. I understand his thought process considering the US was coming out of the Depression Era and we were involved in the war. Stimulating consumer spending would have been wonderful; however citizens around the country were divided. After two years of debate at the state level, he decided to officially leave the date alone.

Happy Thanksgiving to my family, and family of friends!!

I am soo thankful for the rich relationships that the Lord has blessed me with! I pray you have a restful holiday!

Halloween Happenings

I was in Cottonwood this past weekend and thought I'd share some pictures....I'll narrate as I go. After I stopped for a bite to eat at mom and dad's I went over to P & G's to get a glimpse of some good 'ol fashioned jack-o-lantern carving. You can see my brother doing a magnifico job! You can also see my sis-in-law's completed pumpkin with "Boo" on it.

Here are the kiddos posing with one of the completed pumpkins. I love J's scary face:-)

I had to get one picture of G in this cute jacket...I made it a few years back for D when she was younger. It's now the perfect size for G; doesn't she look darn cute?

Please note the black ears of some cute heeler puppies below us. My dog actually made it over to P & G's first; she definitely took G out in one swift jump. G didn't mind so much as my mom did!

After carving was complete for the night, the girls had to try their hand at snapping a few pictures with my camera. Do you like the interesting angle in this one?

After getting some work done on Saturday morning, we watched D's fall gymnastics performance. Here she is on the balance beam...good job D! You did a great job!!

Saturday concluded with some trick-or-treating in Clarkdale and Old Town Cottonwood. J was Iron Man, D was a rockstar ferry, G was a cat, and P was spider man....please note spider man's boots.