Tinseth Family

New Project

2011-10-29T21:27:00.001-07:00

I should be getting a new Doc Cam very soon provided by my school, so I have take down my project on Donors Choose for a Doc cam. I do have another project up from the same link below that I really hope to be funded soon, as I have already started the animal unit. Thanks for any support you can provide.

If anyone is looking for a way to volunteer, I always have things to correct (you can do that at home), file (must be done here), kids to read to or listen to their reading (English AND Spanish is needed). Just let me know if you would like to come in once a week, month, or just a day here or there.

Thanks - Teacher Beth

Donors Choose

2011-10-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

I have had several projects funded through Donor's Choose. It is a website that provides teachers a way to post some projects that would be helpful for their classroom and students. This August I had 3 projects funded: A new writing center - book maker, colored paper, lined paper, white tag board, and the writing process folder. Also, some educational games from Lakeshore Learning and a project to make paper books and book bags to take home for my students. I feel so blessed. We also got just a few weeks ago another project funded by the Disney Planet Project as we are entering their contest for a recycling project - we got new white boards and markers - to cut down on paper waste, Environmental books, and we will get a book on making projects out of recycled paper. Very excited! Right now I have one project up for a Document Projector that would really help the students see our lessons better. It can be used for ALL subject and I know we would use it throughout the day. Here is the link if anyone would want to donate (tax-deductible) http://www.donorschoose.org/btinseth. I am so thankful for all who have donated to the other projects. Thanks for looking!

Give aways

2011-10-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a give away link for $50 gift card for Educational Insights
http://www.thebudgetmommy.com/home/2011/10/14/50-educational-insights-gift-card-giveaway.html

Teacher Projects

2011-08-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Going Back to School . . .

I have been into my classroom 3 times so far. The last few years has been devastating the first day back. EVERYTHING stacked in a pile. Usually it is hard for me to breath and stay focused without crying. This year, I geared up and invited Dave (like he had a choice) and the boys to help for a hour or two the first day. We went in, and things were out of place - of course - because they move it to wax the floor over the summer - but not too bad. I had Dave and Jonah help me move the teacher desk, kidney table, some HEAVY file cabinets, etc. We only spent an hour I think, then went up to OMSI for a fun day.

Since then, I have been working on a few projects. The first one is an organization folder for my students. I am not finished, but hope to work on it this week. Here is the cover:

It will have a place for homework, returned forms, money pocket, lunch menu, newsletter, etc. I am excited about this. I have never done it before. Hoping to teach the kids to be responsible. I did purchase the WAY CUTE clipart for my Explorer theme-ish.

The next project is this:
This is a wire organizer, in different colors. I bought it from a teacher garage sale years ago, and I am sure it had been around for MANY years before that. My project was to spray paint it black. WOW!!! That was harder than I thought. I went through WAY more paint cans than I thought and I think I bruised my trigger finger. It was sore for quite a while. I am sure it is still not perfect, but since I am not a perfectionist (thank goodness) I can move on. Still on the list to find really cute (cheap or free) ribbon to hang labels.

The next project is this:I got this paper on clearance from Michael's and I was so excited to make some cute signs. I will be posting the standards that we are working on next to these subject signs. I will post more when I finish my room.

Thankful Today #3

2011-07-28T17:54:00.001-07:00

This was such a wonderful opportunity for Jonah. We had prayed about the opportunity to share Christ in Spanish, and he was able to with Marcielo. Sharing Christ, then after he believed, discipling him how to share with others. Bruce W helped lead Jonah and Boh (with another boy), in how to do this, while Jonah did his best speaking and sharing and translating in Spanish. What a blessing and an answer to prayer.

Thankful today #2

2011-07-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for the ladies that we were able to share Christ with. I have a list of prayer requests that I will type up soon if anyone wants a copy. Our camera got dropped by ... ? so it was not working wonderfully. Other people took LOTS of pictures, so I can not wait to get some of those. Upon leaving for Mexico, I thought I was going to be doing the music for VBS and helping with elementary age kids, possibly a day of working with teen girls. The opportunity changed as soon as we saw the needs. We had some Mexican Missionaries (18 year old Lalo and 23 year old Chucho (Jesus) - they had just been trained the week before, so they were ready to lead almost the whole thing and were very excited about it. Therefore, they did not need much help. So, the 2nd day I went to go help Marlo and Beth W. with the moms that were hanging around. We started with a light question, then then to another light one (so I thought) Tell us about your family. I was expecting something like what I would share "Hi, my name is Beth, I have been married for 14 years to my husband Dave. We have 3 boys, Jonah age 11, Jacob age 10 and JD age 6, almost 7) Light enough, right? Wrong! We got everything from domestic violence, brain tumors, a story of a 10 yr old boy kidnapped from that same neighborhood, a husband/father that does not want to be part of their family, not living for God, hard heart, and trying to honor God. WOW! First day meeting and I heard prayer requests that would take ladies in the States weeks or months to share. I was thankful for their honestness. It made share the gospel with them so amazing. We did share the gospel several times and in several ways. Two ladies accepted Christ, and a few of the ladies from the church prayed with them. The missionaries that we were working with Rolland and JoAnn Smith, were just pulling out of their church plant ministry there, so allowing the new leaders to take over and disciple the new believers. I am excited for this opportunity for them. Please pray for Mireya (Pastor's wife), Sandra, and Elena - strong believers. I am so amazed that all these ladies came together from a very poor and dangerous neighborhood and heard about Christ. I know seeds were planted and the gospel was heard. Two new sisters in Christ and hopefully more to come.

Thankful today #1

2011-07-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

We are back from our Mission Trip to Mexico. Today I am so thankful for our trip. I am thankful for our transportation system in the US - lines on the road, speed limits, turn signals, etc. God gave us an amazing driver for our Mexican adventures - Toño, and he kept us safe on the road. I am also thankful for a wonderful shower, clean sheets, a washer and dryer, clean drinking water, clean fruits and veggies in abundance, toilet paper that I can throw in the toilet, muchos besos from my kids and husband, and a great home. I have so much to be thankful for from our trip. More things to share...

Skirt Week in preparation

2011-07-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

I usually do not sew clothes, but this week I made 2 skirts in preparation on our Mission Trip to Mexico. I am excited about how they turned out. They are comfortable and cute. Here are the pics:

God's Hands by Roy Lessin

2011-06-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

Today is in God's hands and so are you.

His hands are strong and will uphold you;
His hands are great and will enfold you;
His hands are gentle and will embrace you;
His hands are protective and will cover you;
His hands are reassuring and will quiet you;
His hands are powerful and will defend you;
His hands are parental and will train you;
His hands are masterful and will conform you;
His hands are compassionate and will care for you;
His hands are healing and will renew you;
His hands are calming and will comfort you;
His hands are giving and will bless you.

The hands that hold you will never let you down.

-Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer

Teaching DONE for the School year, but not for summer...

2011-06-17T11:59:00.001-07:00

This has been an incredible year. I made the decision last summer to jump into teaching a blend of grades that I had never done before. It has been quite a ride trying to figure out how to blend it all together. I had reading levels from Kindergarten to 4th grade, and almost all boys in class. Some teachers were so helpful to me, sharing ideas, supplies, helping me find things. Then other times, people were too busy, or stressed, which I totally understand. I started the year with my best friend bringing a bouquet of sunflowers to my classroom. During November, my best friend got very sick and was put in the hospital with complications from Lupus. She ended up having heart surgery in December, and went to be with the Lord on Christmas day. I miss her greatly and I was reminded of those flowers and our special friendship as I was cleaning my classroom and found the vase that came with the flowers. Almost strange to be reminded of a sweet friendship when you see a dirty, dusty flower vase.

The end of this school year has been particularly hard with loosing half of our staff due to budget cuts and boundary changes. Really, really sad to loose such incredible people. People have been hurt, offended, angry, stubborn, gossiping, comforting, encouraging, faithful, and all of emotions you can think of.

It is hard to wrap my brain around everything going on. But, we are looking forward to some SUMMER FUN! We did a summer fun box and let the boys open it the other night. I had collected a few books about aerodynamics that we will study this summer, and some jet gummie candies, then a bunch of other fun things to do. We have been collecting groupons, coupons, and membership, so we can have lots of fun things this summer - OMSI, Gilbert House, Air and Space Museum, Water parks, Jump Parks, Limeberry (frozen yogurt), Bullwinkles, and some other fun stuff. Trying to get my YEAH Summer face on so we can enjoy it all.

Music book - Mission preparation

2011-05-15T07:37:00.001-07:00

I am pleased to say that I just finished the booklet for the Spanish songs. This has been a difficult task as every moment I work on it, I think of my friend Bethie. She passed away on Christmas day and I miss her so much! Years ago, we went on the first 2 Mission trips to Mexico with our church in 1999 and 2000. We made the booklet together. Since I have changed computers, I no longer had that file, but I did have a hard copy. I re-typed it in booklet format. At our next meeting, we will start learning the songs.

Update on funding - still have $825 to raise by June 1st if you can help at all. Thanks!

Mission Trip update

2011-05-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

Jonah and I are still preparing to go to Texcoco Mexico for our mission trip this summer with our church. Our last meeting we practiced sharing the Gospel in Spanish using the E-cube (picture in prior post). This is such a wonderful opportunity to share the Amazing story of Christ, build confidence, and use Spanish. We have quite a mix of people going. I will try to share more about them in another post, but students 4th-college age, adults in 30s/40s, and a few in their 60s. Quite a mix but I am so glad God put us together to serve. We have been trying to raise $3000 in funds for the trip and we have $1225 to go. We are so thankful for the donations and we are praying for the rest to come in by June 1st. If you have been thinking of supporting us financially, please send in the tax deductable donation to Salem Heights church soon RE:Tinseth Mexico Mission Trip. We know there will be more expenses to be covered while we are there that are not covered, so we are thinking about a garage sale soon after school is out to help with those funds.

Here is a map of Texcoco and the relationship in distance to Mexico City. Thank you for praying for us.

Have Passport - Will Travel

2011-03-08T05:53:00.000-08:00

We got out passports in the mail. This is very strange to me that I am going out of the country and taking my son. He seems so grown up at times (other times not). We have another Mission Trip meeting this weekend to get prepared. We have 1/2 of the funds raised. It seems a little daunting to ask others to give, when some people are loosing their jobs. In our school district, about 250-400 teachers, can't remember the number of IAs and 16 administrators should receive notice next month that their job is terminated. WOW! Even still...God is good, He is our Rock and our Provider.

Mission Trip Preparation

2011-02-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

We have had the opportunity to have a few mission trip meetings so far. Things are going well. There are many things to prepare for. Jonah and I have sent away for our passports.

This was a little challenge, being expensive, but also we had to get Dave and I to the 25th street post office with all the paperwork by 5 PM on a work day. We ended up meeting there with all the kids, because Dave had to take Jacob to basketball practice after getting the passport paperwork in.

Our fundraising is coming along. We need to raise about $3000 and so far, we have $1625.00. That is nice to have half covered so far. We are praying that God will provide the rest, with the help of His saints.

For our "jobs", Beth will be helping the the music portion as well and evangelism. Jonah will be helping with games as well as evangelism. One tool we will use is the ecube. If you have not seen these, they are a great way to share the gospel with pictures. Jonah's job is to practice the verses and explaining it in Spanish. This is such an amazing opportunity.

Thank you for supporting us with encouragement and prayers! We are excited to serve and prepare our hearts for serving our great God.

Jonah and Beth

Mexico Mission Trip

2011-01-19T21:06:00.000-08:00

Dear Family & Friends,

After years of prayer and consideration, God has given our family the opportunity to participate on Mission trip to Texcoco, Mexico with Salem Heights Church, July 14 – 25, 2011. For our family, we have decided that just Beth and Jonah (11 yr old) will go this year. Beth is a bilingual teacher and Jonah has been studying Spanish for 6 years in a Dual Language Program at Harritt Elementary School in Salem, Oregon. We have been prayfully considering this trip for many years. Many years ago, Dave and Beth had the opportunity to travel with the youth group from Salem Heights to another part of Mexico. Actually, we went one year when we were pregnant with Jonah and one year when he was 6 months old. This will be a different trip, consisting of one family, a few partial families, a few college age students and a few high school students. We will be lead by our Pastor of Family Life and Counseling, Carl Chica. The team we will be working with will serve the people of Texcoco with spiritual care, Vacation Bible School, and various other projects.

We are writing to ask you to prayerfully consider joining our team through your support. First, please partner with me in praying for the people we will be serving, for our health and effectiveness as team members, and for the many details of this trip. Also, being a few of the bilingual team members, Jonah and Beth know they will be used greatly in the area of language and need to be bold. We look forward to see how God uses us and prepares us for this trip.

Second, please consider supporting us financially for this outreach. The cost of this two-week trip is $3000 for the two together. If you would like to join the team in this way, please make your tax-deductible gift by a check payable to Salem Heights Church and send it to: Salem Heights Church, 375 Madrona Ave. S, Salem, OR 97302 ATTN: Tinseth Mexico Mission Trip

Because of the prices in airfare being at a better price right now, we could really use at least $600 by February 1st.

Thank you for praying about being a vital part of our team.
Sincerely,
Dave, Beth, Jonah, Jacob and Jonathan Tinseth

Happy Birthday to our Sweet Bethie in Heaven - 3 things for 12 weeks

2011-01-17T22:16:00.000-08:00

This was inspired by Beth Bartruff's dad at her memoral service last Thursday at Corban College. He suggested doing 3 things for 12 weeks in honor of Beth. Beth was a remarkable person, friend, sister, daughter, leader, teacher, and servant. She truely loved God with all her heart, mind, soul, and strength and she loved her neighbor as herself. So, with this challege, it would be fitting to find 3 things that make you think of Beth, and challege yourself to do them this week. Report back on this blog, my FB page of Beth's FB page and tell us, if you choose, what you did and what was the impact it had on others. It may be something small - like smiling at someone (because Beth had a great smile), or reading the Bible everyday (because she did that, too), or supporting a mission trip or lupus fundraiser (because that was dear to her heart as well). You choose! You can do the same 3 things for 12 weeks, or choose 3 different things each week. Be a blessing to someone, because that is what she was to us. Pray about it and see what God can do in your life.

Bless Our Home

2010-09-11T11:38:00.000-07:00

We just finished up with a 45 minute Bless Our Home. What is that? you ask...
We walk around our MESSY home and write down a list of jobs that we can do quickly. I typed them up, print them out, cut them into strips and put them in a bowl. We set our timer for 1 hour (don't start yet). Put our hands over the bowl and on the count of 3 say loudly "Bless Our Home!" Push start on the timer and everyone grabs a paper.

Some job ideas:
Find 5 pairs of YOUR socks and put away
Make ____ 's bed (sometimes you have to make someone else's bed.
Clean the bathroom mirrors
Vacuum the living room
Fold the blankets in the living room
Put ___'s laundry away
Empty the silverware from the dishwasher

Whatever works for your family. Our youngest can do some jobs on his own, but if he is not able to, he asks for help from mom or dad. We can help him do that job, then on to the next. When the kids were younger, I did not pick any jobs myself, but helped each of the boys through their jobs. We make it fun by trying to beat the timer. Also, LOTS of encouragement, sometimes some music to pump us up. And, of course a snack and ending words -- "Doesn't that look good?" Everyone agrees, then we can do sometime fun for the day.

Worked Hard today

2010-08-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

Got to work in my classroom today. Got lots done. I will go in again tomorrow and work work work. Pictures to come...

Teacher's Mind Can't Sleep

2010-08-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

I am moving schools in a week or so. I started teaching at Myers Elementary in 1995 (student teaching) then got my first teaching job there. I taught until my first child was born, then subbed while having the others. In 2008, I went back full time at a different school in town. This year I am changing to this classroom. As you see, we got new floors and NOTHING is in the room. So many ideas are floating around in my head. I am toying with the idea of an "Explorer" (or explorador in Spanish) theme. Send any ideas this way.

Boy Sleepover

2010-03-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

First off, I was trying to come up with fun ideas since we were staying home for Spring Break this year. We had/have tons of house projects that have been waiting and waiting for someone to do them. So, we came up with 2 lists, one with jobs/projects, one with fun things. For the fun list, the boys each got to vote on what they wanted to do. #1 for all 3 was a sleepover. JD had never done one before. So, we picked a night, picked some friends (1 each) and went for it. I had some ideas in mind, but when I searched the Internet for ideas, only great ideas for GIRLS came up - in case you did not know --NO GIRLS HERE!!! (Just me, but I don't really count) So, we started off with the famous:
Make your own pizza -- this time my boys helped me make the dough (bread maker down, so we had to make it manually/workout) I shaped the pizzas and baked them for 10 mins without toppings. Then all 6 boys came in to put on their favorite toppings. Choices were, red sauce, cheese (Moz and colbyjack), pepperoni, sausage, red onions, red and green peppers, and olives.

Next, we had a scavenger hunt. I found one on-line, then adjusted it to our likings. I have all the clues, put it won't let me copy and paste, therefore, no time to type them all out. They were inside/outside, but all had to work together and share the turns. Here they are trying to figure out a clue.

The end were baseball cupcakes and a new mini-flashlight for everyone.

Each pair (10/9 yr olds) (8/7 yr olds) and 5/5 yr olds) each got 20-30 mins on the Wii.

Each group got some board game time - look what the 5 year olds picked! They are using their new flashlights of course.

The 10/9 year olds, battleship in the dark with new flashlights.

Then we played a jeopardy game - can't copy and paste that either. Categories were: Cooking for Beginners, School Subjects, Cereal Mascots, Video Games, and Numbers. Here are the winners.

Didn't get pictures of them watching part of a movie, and sleeping bags, but you can get the gist. They did not go to sleep until almost 11 PM (the middle boys are both energizer bunnies) and the little ones were in a different room to sleep, so they fell asleep after a little Scooby Doo. Morning was sticky buns, fruits, scrambled eggs and OJ. Then play around more video games etc until they were picked up. It was fun!

Baseball

2010-02-28T07:55:00.001-08:00

When your kids say "Mom, how come you still have pictures of Christmas up on the blog?" then you know it is time to update. We just finished basketball for the 2 older boys. Well, actually one party is on Monday with the big celebration on Friday. Baseball starts this week, too. We will have one on AAA, AA and T-ball. This is be quite a LONG/QUICK season with so many practices and games. We will see how it all works out. I do not have any schedules yet, but I am sure to cry when I get them. God is my strength. I am praying up for the weeks ahead. It might be a little while until I get their uniforms, but I am SURE I will have the cutest baseball players around :)

If you've gotta start something, why not now . . .

2010-01-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

Dave and I stated working out more consistently in the beginning of December. I asked "why now?" (before holiday parties and treats, etc). He said "Why not, this is a perfect time." UGH! So, I have been working out more, it does feel good. Not sure I lost any weight or toned up, but I don't think I got bigger over the holidays. We now have Wii Fit Plus, and the Biggest Loser. I like the workout on the the Biggest Loser better, but the games on Wii Fit are fun and really help me to remember my balance. That is particularly important because I hurt my back yesterday chopping kindling for the fire. It hurt really bad to move at all. Jacob helped me by getting some ibuprofen, make lunch, putting dishes away and start the fire. Jonah helped by vacuuming, and JD helped by giving me kisses. What a new year to start - working on fitness and finances. What else?

December Pics

2009-12-22T09:33:00.001-08:00

December Happenings . . .

Not the best picture, but show before the pee wee choir JD and his good buddies Abigail and Zoe

Pee Wee Choir - Jesus loves the little children, We Three Kings, and Silent Night
Children's Choir - Jonah in the middle, couldn't get a good picture of Jacob, he was too far back and a little small to be seen, but he was singing his heart out!
Jonah in his speaking part - from Luke 2 the Christmas story

Celebrating Jonah's 10th Birthday! Yeah Joneseys!

I read from the Spanish Bible that morning - Jonás y el gran pescado

Pants - much needed for this growing boy

Special dinner at Red Robin with mommy - free b-day coupon

Ice cream at Cold Stone with family - another free b-day coupon

Jen, Mark, Sarah, and Anna

Being goofy!

The grandmas

Beth + Beth = Beth2

Another goof!

Grandpa and one of his boys

A fun round of telephone - lots of laughs here, especially when we started pulling out the Spanish sentences - good luck grammies

JD's Christmas program at Riviera Christian School - what a sweet song

Dear Jesus, It's your Birthday and the gift I have is me.

JD is in the middle - looking the wrong way :) That's my boy!

Wrong setting but showed some of the party for Jonah's 10th b-day party sleepover - with just a few boys. My former student Randy came over as a surprise and let the boys borrow his Band Hero game and accessories. They had so much fun. Randy even stayed for a while, playing with the boys. They had a lot of fun with him.

The Rock Band . . .

Rock on . . .

Eating our make-your-own pizzas

Jonah decorated his own cake with a Ding Dong Dude Cake - he is wearing shorts (not a skirt)

Opening presents - much fun with Bakugans - Randy had never seen them before and was excited as the 10 year old boys :)

They did sleep, but were up Rockin' the next morning. . .

December happenings

2009-12-21T11:02:00.000-08:00

It is so crazy to be a lover of Christ and Christmas, teacher, mother, daughter, and have a son's b-day in December. We are all doing well and loving every minute of it. All the boys were in a Christmas program at church. Jonah turned 10, just finishing up the sleep over from last night, and JD had a preschool Christmas program. Gingerbread houses, polar express, and carmel corn galore! We plan to go caroling tonight with some of my mom's friends. Even in the rain, it still sounds fun.
I also put a request on Facebook that some of my student's families were not receiving gifts this Christmas - and so many people are helping - WOW!!! Four families are taken care of. I get to go deliver some gifts this afternoon. I even had one friend from HS send money from Hawaii and another friend from College that lives near Eugene is driving all the way up to deliver coats for some students. WOW! That is such a huge blessing to be a part of this.

I hope to add some pictures later.

Phases of the moon

2009-11-19T20:46:00.001-08:00

Phases of the moon -
In my class, we are studying about SPACE . . .
We had fun today studying about the phases of the moon. We made this with Oreo cookies, describing the different phases and how the sun shine the light on the moon. Very fun. After completing the phases, we drew them with white crayon, then ate them, of course.

While at home, I realized that I had not taught this lesson to my own children. They were thrilled to learn about it too. We did not have time to MAKE the phases, just eat the left over Oreos and talk about the stages while I drew them out. I love that my boys love science. Jacob just LOVES non-fiction books and has for years. Actually, what he wants for Christmas is the World Records book of 2009. Funny for an 8 year old. I just took him to the library to get books for the space unit for my class and he checked out a World record book, volcano book, shark, and something else non-fiction. He has been reading the World records book for kids ever since Saturday.
During my study of Space, I realized, yet again, how GREAT God is. . . he placed the Earth in the perfect place. If we were closer to the sun, we would burn up, if we were farther away, we would freeze. Who could have put this all together by a whim - No one but God! He is so AWESOME!

Total Money Makeover

2009-10-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Our Total Money Makeover

Not sure if anyone actually reads this, but Dave and I are on an adventure. We read through and listened to the CD of Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. We have some friends who graciously offered to pay for us to go see him live. Sweet brother Mark watched our boys while we went last Saturday. The live version is a lot like the book, so it was just a review for us. Before school started we made up a special folder with the sections for the

Total Money Makeover Baby Steps.

Step one - $1000 Emergency Fund

Step two - The Debt Snowball - this may take a while

Step three - 3 to 6 months expenses in Savings

Step four - Invest 15% of Income

Step five - College Funding

Step six - Pay off your home early

Step seven - Build Wealth and Give

The motto is: If you will live like no one else (to get out of debt), later you can live like no one else (you won't be in debt).

I need patience, endurance, and strength. I need to get rid of selfishness, jealousy, and coveting. The Lord is my strength and my help. We are just a the beginning of step 2 and it seems like a long road. Any encouragement is gladly welcomed.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-20T21:31:00.001-07:00

The kids were bugging me to put new pictures on the blog (the last ones were from July . . . oops busy mommy!) So these were from last weekends fun at the pumpkin patch.

Prepare Ahead Dinners

2009-09-28T05:20:00.000-07:00

I am excited to try week two of prepare ahead dinners. Last week we tried 2 recipes with flank steak - Teriyaki Flank Steak, and one called 4 B Flank Steak. We bought the steak in large packages. Made one to cook, then froze the others in the marinade, in gallon size ziplock bags. We still have 3 steak dinners left. So, when we need one, we take it out and let it thaw, then cook it up. Steak cooks pretty fast and we almost always have salad around.

Our adventure this week is 2 recipes - Chicken Cordon Bleu and Chicken Parmigiana. We will again cook one tonight, then freeze the others, ready to cook, so we should have 5 left over.

I was surprised that we did not spend too much either. I did plan a breakfast burrito night, which are cheap, to off set the cost of the steak.

I am also going to make a chicken noodle soup in the crock pot. Freeze part of the broth (without the noodles), so we will have it ready for another day.

I have always wanted to do a big dinner making party, like with friends, but just putting together a few meals this week and last with David should be helpful for our busy family.

Summer Birthday Boys - Summer Fun Pt 2

2009-08-20T20:54:00.001-07:00

My Jakey Boy turned 8 in July.

He wanted and Indiana Jones Party. So we made the duct tape whip, spray painted the hat, made monkey brain appetizers, had an obstacle course, and ate chocolate cupcakes with a gold piece on top. Fun Fun for little boys!

We had to get some water fun in on this day also - HOT!

Happy Birthday to you . . .

We are thankful for these friends for Jacob.

The whole crew, friends and family

Jonathan David (JD) turned 5 in August.

The party theme went from Baby Jesus, to Pirates of the Caribbean, Carnival, then Batman. I stayed with the Carnival theme and Added Batman balloon and plates and napkins :)

Little cutie friend from church and he will be in JD's pre-K class :)

Getting ready for the 3 legged race!

Decorate your own cupcake

So excited to get Lego Batman Wii game! He told grandma that she should have got this for Christmas, so it would be all the brothers game. Funny!

Sweet friends! (and CRAZY!!!)

We love Abigail. Hope she will marry one of my boys someday.

Summer Fun part 1

2009-08-10T11:36:00.001-07:00

Well, not all of it is fun...JD learned to ride a 2 wheeler in the spring. He is doing really well, but you know what got him, the scooter hitting a crack in the sidewalk. He was wearing a helmet, but just went right down on his face, knee and elbow. ¡Pobrecito!

Slip and slide at Grandma's

Much needed swim lessons - on the hottest 2 weeks of the summer. Our lessons were at 4:15 - just perfect time to get cool in the pool.

A few pics from our mission trip - must get the others done soon.

In 2 states at one time - Lake Powell - Utah AND Arizona

Great is Thy Faithfulness

2009-08-07T09:04:00.001-07:00

Working through what God is laying before me. I want one thing, God wants another. I was blessed to go on a walk last night and listen to music that ministered to my soul. God is so good and He does want the best for us, even when we do not know what that is. These words touched me as I listened to Selah (which means rest, pause and think about His Word). I hope it blesses you, too.

Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God my Father;There is no shadow of turning with Thee;Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!Morning by morning new mercies I see.All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,Sun, moon, and stars in their courses aboveJoin with all nature in manifold witnessto Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!Morning by morning new mercies I see.All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endurethThine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!Morning by morning new mercies I see.All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Date with my man ...

2009-08-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

Excited to go on a date tomorrow. My sweet in-laws are going to take care of the boys so we can grab some dinner and go to the Brandon Heath concert at Dayspring Church tomorrow night. Worship music is such a passion for me. And I am so glad to get some time with my honey. We do not get that very often, so we will cherish the moments.

So not good at blogging

2009-07-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

I love reading what everyone else is doing, but I have not been good about updating my own family blog. This week has been so hot that the computer has not wanted to work for more than 2 minutes at a time. Earlier this week, I was taking a Spanish class, Dave had the day off, so he took the boys to the beach to escape the heat. When I got done with my class, I did a little shopping at Goodwill, Winco, then home to the HOT house to put stuff away. Then off to Bible book house, library to read and check the Internet with our laptop, remember it was too hot to check it at home. Then I went to work out in an air conditioned building. The boys got home during this and Dave said there was an e-mail from a friend (Thank you so much Rachael) that had another friend who would loan us a AC window unit for a few weeks. WOW!!! What an unexpected blessing. So, even though it was 9:30 at night, I went to this person's house and go the unit. Dave, the amazing fix-it guy, set it up in our room and we piled the boys on the floor in our room and shut the doors. It was great and cool, but I could not sleep a wink. I am such a freek-sleeper (as Dave and I call it). Just can't relax. We did it again last night, sleep-over in mom and dad's room. I slept better, not wonderful. God (and coffee) is good and helps me get through the day. Yes, I only drink coffee in the AM and only like 1/2 cup mixed with water and creamer or mocha mix. I quit the class I was taking and got to spend some time with the boys, and we had a nice devotional time. We talked about being hospitable to one another and rejoicing in the Lord (thanks to Erin's advice on her blog). We are still working on the effects of that. I am looking forward to some more devotion time as we have been out of the habit lately. We all need it. I feel blessed to be on music team this summer and able to spend time worshipping the Lord on Wednesday night practice AND Sunday morning. I am praying about ministry for next year, meaning the school year. I love to teach Sunday school and sing on Music Team and lead the children's worship time. Where does God want me? Where does God need me? Working FT makes it difficult to do too much. It needs to be for Him, not my fulfillment. God is Good, all the time. I must choose to Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS and again I say, rejoice! (Phil 4:4)

Golf Tournament

2009-07-09T21:47:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow - Friday, July 10th there is a golf tournament for cancer funding. It used to be called the Open Heart Open. My dad was a strong supporter and on the board many years. His dad died at the age of 37 from cancer. My dad was the oldest of the 4 children at age 11 and the littlest was only 2 years old. My dad lost his life to ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease this past October 2008. They board decided to do this years tournament in honor of my sweet daddy, even though he did not die from cancer, but he was definitely affected by cancer. I love and miss my daddy.

My Back!!!

2009-06-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

I was going going going all day yesterday running errands, getting ready to leave Wed AM. The kids spent most of the day at Sherry's (our daycare provider) so they did not have to go to 10 different spots to get things, look around, return things, pick up things, etc. So, when we got home, we were still working on things. Then...it happened...shooting pain in my back. Any way I tried to move, pain. I laid on the floor for a while. The boys kept coming by saying "I love you mommy!" Trying to help me up. Finally I was able to crawl to the chair. The boys searched the house for ibuprofen. Could not find it. After a little rest, I got up to start dinner. Finally Dave came home and found the pain killer. After a little food, medicine, bath, it felt ok (not wonderful). But in the middle of the night - pain again, medicine, back to sleep. So, now it is a new day. Pain still, last day for packing etc for a 10 day trip with 3 little boys running around. Ahhh, what to do, what to do. I am at half speed. Will it all get done? I wish David was here to help, but he is at work and we are leaving in 23 hours. Yet, I will praise the Lord. Yes, I will praise the Lord. No matter what tomorrow brings, or what I have in store, I will praise the Lord.

Packing x5

2009-06-21T13:18:00.000-07:00

We do have a packing list and I am adding on to it. We will be in a tent trailer for 10 or 11 days on our Family Mission Trip to Black Mesa, AZ - Navajo Indian Reservation. What will we need? What will happen? What are we missing? What will we not expect? Please add any ideas if you think they would be helpful for our long journey and VBS. Excited to share the love of Christ with others and to watch my children grow and serve the Lord. We leave Wednesday morning.

Getting Ready for the Road ...

2009-06-19T10:25:00.001-07:00

We leave for the AZ Family Mission trip in just a few short days. I can not believe it. We have so much to do. Emotions running high. List is VERY LONG everyday.
Today we are heading out to get crafts ready for VBS in AZ. Grabbing some bleach to fix the water stains for our tent trailer. Also, trying to steam clean the cushions for the trailer. One car is broke, the other in in the shop. Dave biked to work, I am borrowing my sweet friend Beth B's car because she in on the High School AZ Mission trip. Please keep us in your prayers.
The Lord is good and teaching us to have PEACE in Him. Helping us to CHOOSE to HONOR HIM.

White Sox Win!

2009-06-14T19:07:00.001-07:00

Way to go White Sox!!!

Jonah team won the AAA Championship today for West Salem Little League.

It was a tight game against the Rockies, but they pulled it out just in the last few minutes.

Really great game to watch - I was on my feet and yelling (which I hate yelling - hard on the vocal chords). Just thought I would share.

Mission Trip

2009-06-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Family

We wanted to share an opportunity with you. Our family has been praying about taking the boys on a mission trip for years. We really wanted to take them on a family mission trip to Mexico this summer as the boys have been working really hard to learn Spanish. God had other plans for us and another opportunity opened up for us to go on a Family Mission trip to Arizona with our church family – Salem Heights Church. We will be going to Mesa View in Northern Arizona, on a Navajo Indian Reservation. Most of the people there speak Navajo and English. As we have been on mission trips in the past, you never know what we will be doing while on the trip, but the PLAN is to run VBS, do certain work projects, and share the love of Christ with adults and children. We are very excited for this opportunity. Jonah is 9 and looking forward to sharing about Christ. He has been working on having peace in his life. Jacob is almost 8 and he is looking forward to serving with some of the older kids from our church. Jonathan is almost 5 and he loves helping any way he can. They love the Lord and are almost ready and very willing to share the Gospel of Christ and the Amazing love God has for us sinners. We also have David’s parents, Vance and Elaine Tinseth who will be traveling down with us and serving the Lord with us. We are saving some cost of the mission trip by using our own car, and a tent trailer that someone from Dave’s work gave us last year. We are trying to raise money to help pay for the cost of the camp, food supplies, VBS supplies, gas for traveling, and camp sites for the way down and back, instead of hotel prices.

To Pray for us:
· Please pray for good attitude for serving. We have been working with the boys all year on this. “Mark 10:45 (New International Version) For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
· Pray for strength and energy from the Lord Psalm 73:26”My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
· Pray for safety as we travel and work Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version) “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
· Pray to be ready to share the Gospel 1 Peter 3:15 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”
Financial Help:
We are trying to raise $1000.00
We need the money to Salem Heights Church as soon as possible.

Please think about helping our family by prayers and by helping with the cost of this mission trip.
We will be leaving June 24 – July 5 or 6 or 7th.
Please write any checks to:
Salem Heights Church
c/o David Tinseth AZ Family Mission Trip
375 Madrona Ave. SE
Salem, OR 97302

Any questions or comments, please contact us:
TinsethFamily@msn.com
http://www.tinsethfamily.blogspot.com/ for mission updates
503-588-3010 home number
503-910-6765 Dave’s cell
503-930-3879 Beth’s cell

Thank you so very much,
Dave, Beth, Jonah, Jacob, and Jonathan Tinseth

God is SOOO good to me

2009-05-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

If anyone read this, I just wanted to share. God was so good to me this morning. I came to work after having yesterday off. I was sick throwing up Wednesday night and really weak all yesterday. I went to bed early last night, and got up without coffee. I was not sure my stomach could handle it. I get to school and was told that I had to have all my testing info in by TODAY - WHAT? No one told me. They said I got a sheet, but I asked quite a few times and everyone said - by the end of school, so I was working on it but only 1/2 done. I set up a few activities for my assistant to do with my students and as soon as they walked in I was testing their reading. Off we went and I FINISHED 2 minutes before lunch. I had NO IDEA it could be done. I thought there is NO WAY!!! We do need to finish up their writing assessment after lunch but then we will celebrate and start on paper maché piggy banks! WOW!!! One other WOW! is that one student has been at level 1 all year (Kinder level) and FINALLY in the last month he started really reading - he slowly crept up all the way to level 14 - it was slow, but accurate and the comprehension was there. WOW!!! He is at the end of 1st grade reading level. WOW!!! Can you tell I am excited?

My Boy

2009-05-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

I was home sick today and I got a real blessing from my oldest Jonah. He was helping me out here and there. A few things he did was after school he told his little brother that they should just walk home because 'Mom feels like puking, so let's just walk home so she doesn't have to come get us." Another thing - I felt like nothing for dinner, but I offered to make home made or Kraft Mac and Cheese. They all voted for Homemade, but Jonah said, "Mom, you don't have the make the home made if it is too much work when you are not feeling well." We did make the homemade kind and Jonah helped cut the cheese. What a trooper. Not all the moments today were like that, but we've got to count the good ones!

Salem Kids Relays, Mother's Day, Etc.

2009-05-16T21:27:00.001-07:00

3rd Grade Co-Ed team

Estrella, Makenna, Simon, and Jonah

I have to be honest, it is hard for me to blog because I am so busy and I blog for my former student who has cancer (www.rockonrandy@blogspot.com). When I talk to him or his family, it really puts things into perspective for me. He is so full of life, but at certain times or days, things are really tough for him. I totally remember him as a little first grader, all bouncy and on fire to try new things, learn and very eager. Now, I see him struggle to stay awake, he tells me about the pain at times, yet he almost always has a great attitude. Then why do I get short with my kids, hurry them along, and get mad when I tell them to do something more than a few times. I really try to be clear with them, speak with kindness even when re-directing, and enjoy time moments with them. They do grow so fast. We need to savor every moment with them, even the unpleasant ones.

My fast 3rd grader in his lightening fast red shorts - Jonah

Good pass and off running (sorry these are out of order)

Chillin' before the race - Simon and Jonah

3rd Graders from Harritt

1st grade boys team

Look at my FAST little Jacob run. This was his first year running and we doubt it will be his last. He is built to be a runner.

The pass off to Jacob as anchor

1st graders representing Harritt

I was able to go to a Very special Mother's Day tea with my little sweet pea at his pre-school. Here Jonathan is posing after giving me a special gift of a candle in a square votive jar with dark red roses. PERFECT to match our bedroom. The students recited scripture, sang songs, told us special things about us - like Jonathan's mom's best friend is Jonathan. LOVE that one. We also got special treats AND we got to dance a little with our loved ones - to the Hokey Pokie. That was fun! On Sunday, I had a special breakfast with my sweet husband and 3 wonderful boys, went to church, then got to go to a Mother's day brunch at my sister in law's - just the ladies -- myself and my mom, my mother in law, my sister in law Jennifer, my sister in law Wendy, her mom and her sister in law Rhonda, also my nieces Anna and Sarah. What a special time. When I returned home we got to plant grass seed and the new flowering bushes in our front yard. We are still waiting for the seed to sprout so we can watch it grow. The Lord is teaching us patience. Only 20 days of school left. So ready to be done, but also so much to teach. My lowest readers JUST started reading with confidence. I am SOOOO excited that they finally are starting to grow, I don't want them to stop.

One other thing - last Wednesday, I had a minor nasal procedure where the ENT cauterized the inside of my nose. The procedure was totally uncomfortable for me, I was shaking, 2 tears escaped and I almost fainted when I tried to leave. They had to bring me back to the room and sit me down with some OJ to get some blood sugar back in me. I was embarrassed that I could not control myself. I mean, come on, I gave birth 3 times without drugs. But of course - no needles up your nose, when you are giving birth :) The hopes with this procedure is that in a few weeks, I will have a better breathing passage. If not, I will probably need to have major surgery for my deviated septum - 3 week + recovery - YUCK!!! The only time to pull that off is the end of July. We will see -- hopefully NOT!!! (I think I would rather give birth again than go through that) Alright, I think I have written enough for a while. Take care all!

The yellow teapot is JD's

Rock on Randy Benefit Concert

2009-05-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

Benefit Concert - THIS FRIDAY

This benefit concert is to support my former 1st grade student, now a senior at West Salem High School. He has cancer and you can read his whole story at http://www.rockonrandy.blogspot.com/.

Please support this Benefit concert for him.

featuring 10 Salem area bands

May 15th at 5 pm - midnight

at the Northwest Kids Club

located on Hawthorne Ave. behind the Newport Bay restaurant

There will be BBQ and refreshments for sale to benefit the cause also.
Tickets will be sold for $10 before the concert - please call Tyler King @ 971-240-8463
Or $12 at the door.
If you can not come and would like to donate toward the benefit concert, you can pay for a ticket and provide it for someone who can not attend otherwise.
Please contact Tyler with that information.

Rock on Randy t-shirts will be available at the concert for $10 each
Rock on Randy bracelets will be sold at the concert for $3 each

The bands include:
1.F.O.H.
2. Mumbling Threats
3. PHANTOM!
4. Cloud Nine
5. Electric Secretary
6. Paper Boats
7. The Navy
8. Ambulance Party
9. Sorceress
10. Sister Ray
This Benefit is to help 18 year old Randy Bultena and his family as he has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma just above his ankle, which includes reconstructive surgery and up to ten years of follow up treatment.

Randy's surgery

2009-04-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I run two different blogs - one for my family - that I have not even finished uploading pics from Spring break, and the other is for a sweet family here in West Salem - the Bultena Family. Well, actually it is for their son, Randy. He was in my first grade class, years ago. He is graduating from West Salem High School in June - you can do the math on how many years ago that was. I also had his brother Robbie when I taught Kindergarten. Anyway, in December or January, our daycare provider's friend's family was going through some tough stuff with their daughter. It turned out that she was diagnosed bone cancer. A few weeks went by and we heard of another West Salem family with a teenager with the same kind of bone cancer. When Sherry (our wonderful daycare provider) said his name, my heart sank. So, I ended up getting their number to offer to make a meal or send a card or something. I ended up talking with Randy on Facebook while he was up at Doernbecher. It was great connecting again with his family. So, through this all, Sherry knew I had a blog and when she asked if they needed help with anything, she suggested me for the blog. I of course jumped at the chance to help a family in need. It has been a wonderful experience getting to know them all better,Rick and Lenette, the parents, Randy, Robbie and Rachel the teenagers. It has been wonderful encouraging them with scripture and encouraging words. Keeping up with how he is doing every few days. Today was a BIG day, major surgery to remove the cancer in his ankle. It was successful. We are so happy. JD was doing a "Rock on Randy" song and dance. Lenette told me to video tape it and put it on his blog. I will try to see if he will do it again tomorrow. Please check out his blog www.rockonrandy.blogspot.com. There is a BIG fundraiser on Monday -- Figaro's Pizza is donating 50% profit to Lisa and Randy's cancer fund from 4-8 PM on THIS Monday, April 20th at all Salem and Keizer locations. PLEASE buy Figaro's that night!!! Lisa's blog is www.lisaharder.blogspot.com. They both had long and successful surgeries this week.

2009-04-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

JD is just hang'in with Nemo

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California part 3 and 4

2009-04-06T20:33:00.001-07:00

We did exercise a bit. We promissed the boys' coaches that we would practice baseball a bit while we were gone. Here is our proof of one evening of practice.We also hiked the Bump and Grind trail in Palm Springs.

Close to the top. The boys could have gone a little farther, but they were tired. Dave went up the morning we left for a hike to the real top.

Jacob was going so fast on the way down, a rock jumped out and tripped him. Pobrecito. Daddy carried him the rest of the way down.

Look how concerned JD is with Jacob's wounds

California Part 2

2009-04-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

Palm Springs, family time and pool time

My mom's littest brother Bob, his daughter Jessie and her boyfriend Pedro.My mom Mary Ann

My cousin Jessie with JD, checking out her phone

Jacob fell in LOVE with my cousin Jessie. She is so good with the kids. When they were up in Salem for my dad's funeral, she was so helpful with our boys. They just LOVE her and her sister Alison.

What hams - laying around all day!

And another slacker - but it is vacation, right?

I did sit here another day (doing lesson plans though)

Jakes ready to swim, what a cuite!

What a beautiful pool and hottub, with a cuite inside.

Jones, being helpful with his brother.

Cool toys at the rental house - the Retro Rocket.

California Part 1

2009-04-06T18:02:00.001-07:00

Our trip down to California ... Jonah and Jacob veggin' infront of the DVD player.

Long live Prince Caspian.

Beautiful Mt. Shasta
Gotta love the Mocha to help get you through the LONG drive!

Sweetie JD smiling away as we travel. His favorite part was seeing all the cool stuff out the window and trying to find all the letters of the alphabet on the signs and license plates.

Baseball Schedule

2009-04-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

Here is the boys baseball schedule if anyone want to come and join us. Let me know if you can make it so I can save you a space. Bring your own camping chair for your enjoyment (and snacks are always good) :)

I will try to post some pics of them in uniform soon. Also, I need to post from Disneyland. Too busy to do that so far.

Tinseth Boys Baseball Schedule 2009

Jonah – AAAWhitesox
Black pants, black shirts with white writing, black hat with White writing
ALL GAMES for Jonah at Walker #5 on Gerth St. other side of Walker from Walker Pool, near the Boys and Girls Club
Jacob – AA Volcanoes
Grey pinstripe pants, black shirt with red volcano, black hat with grey bill and red volcano
Game place – H = Hannard field, corner of Patterson St. and 7th St.. W#2 = by the Walker Pool Parking lot

April
Sat. 4/4 1 PM Jonah
1 PM Jacob -- W#2
Wed 4/8 5:30 PM Jacob -- H
Sat 4/11 10 AM Jacob -- W#2
12:30 Jonah
Thur 4/16 5:30 PM Jonah
Sat 4/18 10 AM Jacob – H
1 PM Jonah
Mon 4/20 5:30 PM Jacob – H
Wed 4/22 5:30 PM Jonah
Fri 4/24 5:30 PM Jonah
Sat 4/25 10 AM Jacob – H
Thu 4/30 5:30 PM Jacob – W#2
5:30 PM Jonah
May
Sat 5/2 3:30 PM Jacob – H
4:00 PM Jonah
Thu 5/7 5:30 PM Jacob – W#2
Sat 5/9 Salem Kids Relay – I think both the boys made the race team, more to come later if you want to watch them J
Sat 5/16 10 AM Jonah
12:30 Jacob – W#2
Mon 5/18 5:30 PM Jonah
Thu 5/21 5:30 PM Jonah
Thu 5/28 5:30 PM Jacob – W#2
5:30 PM Jonah
June
Tue 6/2 5:30 PM Jonah
Sat 6/6 10 AM Jonah

Pray for our friends

2009-03-16T22:22:00.001-07:00

Here are a few teens that our on our hearts. Randy was in my first grade class at Myers years ago - he is now a senior at West Salem High School. He was diagnosed in January to have cancer. Please read his story on his blog http://www.rockonrandy.blogspot.com/. The other teenage is Lisa, a dear friend of our daycare's daughter. She is a student at Walker Middle School in West Salem. She also has the same kind of cancer. Please read her story on http://www.lisaharder.blogspot.com/. Please pray for these guys as both have low blood counts this week. Lisa went to the hospital today to stay for a few days. Randy is homebound and not able to go to school this week. There are some great fundraisers in the works. I will post them to keep you informed.

We Live, We Love

2009-02-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

Life is crazy and busy, but we do find time to take a little time out to talk about love. I do see the boys growing and being less selfish at times. Dave and I got to go on a date last Thursday to a Jazz club in Portland. The band, Groove Revelation, had 5 memebers. I knew 1 well from college, he was our bass playing in Willamette Singers, vocal jazz group. Another was the keyboard players from Singers, then another was a good friend from high school's husband. Then when I was talking with my friend Tyler, he reminded me that Dave (the pianist) and Doug (the Sax player) played in our wedding also. They asked if we were still married. I said 11 1/2 yrs. They high fived each other. They have played a lot of wedding and were disappointed by the number of faliures. I thought that was funny the way they reacted, but you can see how it affects the world in many ways. So, let's go out and live and love and never give up!

Christmas and Snow

2009-01-02T09:57:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pics from Christmas and the big snow storm.

My mom, Mary Ann, with the boys

Mom and the boys

Playing the new game Mario Kart - what fun!!!

Opening the BIG present, which actually was 3 smaller presents inside.

For Jonah - electronic drum set

For Jacob - a microphone that you can plug in your MP3 player and sing along

For JD - HotWheels Beat That! Wii game

Our tree - decorated in ornaments from all years - even from Dave and Beth's childhood

Also, the ribbon and bows from the decorations from Dave and Beth's wedding 11 1/2 years ago.

Jonah's BIG ice chunk

We lost a big branch one night, it fell on the house, right above where Jonah was trying to go to sleep. He was a little shocked, but ok. No house dammage. :)

Other beautiful trees in our backyard. Amazingly, these did not break. They popped back up after the ice melted.

Jake with a little ice snack while hot tubbing

Hot tub in the snow

Jacob, Dave and Jonah

Happy Birthday Jones

2008-12-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

Jonah Michael Tinseth turned 9 years old Sunday, Dec 14th.

Jonah is a very special boy. He is smart and loves to learn. He enjoys a challenge and to figure things out. He loves math. He is learning in English and Spanish and hopes to go on a mission trip to Mexico someday to teach others about the love of Christ. He is constantly learning new things about the Bible and learns scripture easily. We do see him maturing at times and treating others with kindness and being compassionate toward others. One example was that he took his electronic Sodoku game (that he got for Christmas last year) to school (not a good move). He showed a few kids and then put it in his backpack. But the end of the day, it was gone. He has an idea who it was, and was very upset. But we talked about it and talked about how this child does not have a lot at home. We were not condoning stealing, but Jonah decided not to make a big deal of it at school and even wants to pick out a few of his toys that he does not play with to give to this student.

It was quite a day on his birthday this year. We woke up to a little snow, went to watch the children's Christmas program at church - they did great. Our kids were not in it, but loves watching their friends. Then to Grandma's for lunch, out to bowling, cake and ice cream, then it really started to snow. Dave and I were supposed to go to the ER Christmas party, but too much snow. So, we stayed home with the kids, walked around the block, throwing snowballs and walking in the "smooth snow" as JD calls it. We stopped by our day care providers house, Sherri, because we saw her in the window. She gave Jonah a sled for his b-day. JD and I used in on our driveway - FUN!!!. Then Dave and the older 2 and I went in the hot tub. Jonah and Jacob would jump out and run around the snow and jump back in. They also made snow angels in their bathing suits and then jumped back in. Dave did it one time, too. Then back inside for warm showers and to stand by our warm wood stove before bed. Fun day for Jonah. Jacob said is was the best day ever! Here are a few pics!

Decorating

2008-11-28T16:54:00.000-08:00

Can I decorate yet? Is is legal? Maybe tomorrow. Pictures of our Thanksgiving now, and of our decorating for Christmas later.

2008-11-15T06:51:00.000-08:00

THANKFULNESS

Even more bad news this week with a friend sharing with me about the fire in the Santa Barbara area and the college that he is a professor at (Westmont College), another friend with friend with fertility issues and a colleague loosing her dad soon. Will it ever stop? Even with so much sadness and heartache going on around me, in my own life and the lives of my dear friends, I am trying really hard to choose to be thankful. For those of you who actually read this please try to give 5 everyday. Choose to be truly thankful everyday. Go ahead and pick the most obvious - family, house, food, then choose 5 more. Think through those things and appreciate them all day long, even if it is a dirty diaper, raking leaves, or doing the dishes (ugh!). God has given us so much. He truly provides. Not always in the way that WE think is best, but He knows us intimately. You can list your things here if you want. That will encourage me to appreciate those things, too.

Today I am thankful for:
1. Wood to warm our house, even though it is a pain to start the fire at times.
2. Warm water and soapy bubbles (and praise music) to be able to tackle the mount of dishes.
3. Sweet Jacob's comment last week in his prayer before dinner "...And God, when Jesus comes back, I pray that Grandpa is right there by His side ..." What a blessing that Jacob knows God and who He is and knows in his heart that Jesus is coming back and that he has hope that his dear Grandpa will be with Him.
4. Little fighting boys - not that I wish for this, but it always is a good opportunity to teach kindness, forgiveness, mercy and grace.
5. Machines that work (for the time being) vacuum, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer. They have all broken in the last few years and my wonderful husband works hard to try to fix them himself so we can not spend much $ on repairs or new machines.

What are you thankful for?

My Dad

2008-11-03T18:54:00.000-08:00

I am definatly a daddy's girl. He passed away 1 week ago. It has been a whirl of a week. I miss him and miss him more each day that he is not here.

My dad was a hero in my eyes. He was always helpful and loving and kind. He was a friend to all who knew him. He was very wise and taught me so much. I don't think I know ANYONE who did not like my dad.

My dad was a golfer. He loved the challenge, never had perfection, always working on improvement. He worked hard and played hard, too. He enjoyed getting up early in the morning, working out, eating a good steak - cooked to perfection, keeping his grass sharp and green, and having his family over to visit. His had his own way with the timer (or many timers), paying the bills, dancing and making everyone feel special.

Here are a few pictures of him in the last few years. We love him.

My Class

2008-10-22T20:35:00.001-07:00

I would put up a picture of my class, but you never know who will see it ...etc. Just want to protect their privacy. Anyway, I have 20 students right now, could change at any moment. They are all native spanish speakers. They are all trying to learn to read in Spanish as they learn how to converse in English. There are some really sad stories that come with these students. One little boy was being physically abused last year. His dad was arrested then deported. His mom is left with him and his little brother to raise them alone. Another boy is a real tough kid. I have to tell him constantly to calm down, I try to rub his back, and give him some gentle and kind physical affection. He told me the other day that his dad is in jail for trying to kill his mom with a knife. His mom is left with him, older sister (by one year) and a 4 month old little baby that was 2 months premature. She is not working right now. I am not sure where and if they get any money. One little girl lives with her dad and little brother, she is not sure why she has no contact with her mother, who lives in some other apartments down the street. (I don't know either) but she is the sweetest and smartest little thing. One other boy said his mother was killed in a car accident last year and his dad left him to live with his older brothers and sisters. I have a few students that have 9 people in their family - just the sweetest things, but I am sure they do not have much money. Then there are the families that are still together, both parents together, working so hard to make ends meet. They work at McDonalds or Taco Bell but they are faithfully working with their children on their school work, never missing a beat. They all get free lunch and that may be the best meal they are getting all day. They appreciate the food. Some have teeth that are rotting, or eyes that need surgery, but no money. They are all happy (for the most part) to come to school. I am blessed to be able to work with them. I am trying really hard to get them up to grade level and beyond in the short time I have with them. Thanks to all my friends and family that are praying for me and my students. Thank you!

Family Time

2008-10-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

The Blazer-Mobile Right in front of our eyes

Ready for the game to start - the Blazer Fans - Jonah and Jacob

Mommy and JD - make sure you check out the smeered cheek

Jonah learning about female and males species and how long they live

We spend time this weekend being a family and enjoying time together. You always imagine everyone getting along and treating each other with kindness, but it is something we constantly have to work at. It is such a blessing when we do see it, even if it is just a moment. Jonah helping his little brother with his Spanish homework. Jacob offering to help set the WHOLE table all by himself - everyone getting plastic plates of course. And always having JD by my side helping put the clean silverware away. We took some time to go to OMSI and the Blazer game. The 2 little boys had never been to a game before. What excitement, even if it was in the nose bleed section. The boys earned free tickets through the summer reading program at the library. Here are a few pictures from a fun day.

Ball and holes - need I say more?

The ball room - suction tube and Jones

The swings were measuring motion, lights and sound - cool experiment at OMSI

Did anyone know how great my husband is?

2008-10-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

Dave is a one-in-a-million guy. He loves the Lord. He loves me. Even when I am a slob and cranky. He stays up late, helping clean the house, run a business and gets up early to work saving lives in the ER. He has a great sense of humor, even too much at times. He would do anything for a friend. I am so thankful to have a loving, sensitive man as my friend and husband of 11 years. I met him on a blind date WAY BACK in 1991 when 2 friends set us up. We dated others along the way but God brought us back together in the Fall of 1994/Winter 1995 and we have been together ever sense. He helped deliver our first 2 boys with the help of a widwife but delivered our 3rd son by himself in our garage (well, I helped, too). What a stressful but joyful moment - surprise!!! Baby didn't want to wait until we got to the hospital. He helps make the kids' lunches, and reads the Bible and other stories to them. He is almost always ready for a wrestle with the boys (something mommy doesn't do much), or to take one of them on a special date (or errond). I am looking forward to a date with Dave this Friday. We will see Fireproof the movie, to remind us how precious our marriage is and that we need to keep it going strong. We need to pray for each other and be held accountable, because if we are not praying for our spouse, who is?

Tinseth Family Video

2008-09-11T21:29:00.001-07:00

Turn off the music below before starting the video.

Photo Shoot and school

2008-08-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

I am more busy than ever with 3 boys, housework and setting up for my classroom (after 8 years of only subbing and PT work) back to teaching 1st grade bilingual. Our dear friend Beth Bartruff came over to take some great pics of the boys and our family. She is a gem (and a good photographer, too) It's been 2 years since our last family picture. ¡Mira como crece los niños!

Please let me know which ones you like best. I need to pick out one individual of each boy, then a good family picture and one of all 3 boys. I will have to add a few more of Jones a little later. Thanks Friends!

Happy Birthdays

2008-08-10T22:25:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my 2 youngest sons! Jacob turned 7 on July 20th with a fun bike party with friends. That was a lot of fun with a bunch of young boys wheeling around the park and through and obstacle course completed with a small bike jump that Dave made just hours before the party -- what a guy! The boys all did so well. I was a little nervous with all the boys that someone might fall and scrape their knee or whatever, but they did not. Amazing, because I forgot to bring band-aides!!! I must have taken pics with the other camera, because I have none. Here is our 7 year old Jake!

Happy Birthday to our littlest Jonathan aka JD -- Jonathan David. We just celebrated his 4th birthday tonight at my parents house. My dad is not up to leaving the house, so we had the party there. Dave's brother Mark and family - sis-in-law Jen and the girls Anna and Sarah came. Also our dear friend Bethie, and the Taggart/Roy family - Bob, Betty, Ian, Michele, and Kazlo. Fun to chat and have CHOCOLATE cake and vanilla ice cream. YUM!!! It was nice to see him share his new toys with the other kids. He can be such a sweetie at times. Here is our big 4 year old:

Here are a few other good shots of the Tinseth kids on a family hike at Silver Creek Falls a few weeks ago. It is a good thing they call it Silver Creek FALLS - not only for the beautiful waterfalls, but for our falls. Within the first 15 minutes of our hour (or so) hike time, Jonah fell and scraped his knee, then JD fell and scraped his knee, then Jonah walked down a little trail off the main trail to touch the water, of course he slipped on a slippery rock and fell into the water. Just the side of his shorts and shoes got wet, but still a little humorous. Thanks to Grandma Tinseth for the band-aides that make everyone feel better.

Busy Month

2008-07-26T22:39:00.000-07:00

Busy Month with our 11 year anniversary, VBS, camping, teaching and ESL class to high school girls from Japan. Whew! Oh ya - hosting birthday parties, baby shower, and trying to get ready to teach 1st grade in the fall (not too far away)

Here are a few pictures to share.

We stayed in Lincoln City - Just Dave and I - first trip without the kids in 6 years. YEAH!!! We celebrated our 11 year anniversary. At the end we hiked up the Cascade Head. What a beautiful view at the top. We saw quite a few snakes on the ground in the wooded area. That was quite spectacular as well.

Then Camping at Timothy Lake - we planned this months ago to get a group site with a bunch of friends. But then things change, for the good and bad and some people could not come but then others came (last minute) but we are very glad to make some more friends and finally get to meet the little boy we have been praying for a long time. Little Luke (in the green PJ bottoms) has a rare form of Cancer. There is a link to his website on the side of our blog. Please check it out and pray for him.

Camping

2008-06-30T12:32:00.001-07:00

We had lots of squirt gun fights, all day and night
Jacob stayed fairly clean after our banana treat- AMAZING!The McClain family - Tim, Kari and Abigail
Jonah with a cool blue flashlight and JD
David making his banana treat to put in the fire

We had a great time in the hot weather while camping and LaPine State Park. We stayed with the McClain family and I am certain we were the loudest in the campground. The first night we were not to bed until midnight. We went to sleep watching the glorious stars and listening to sweet Abigail's voice saying "Night Tinseth Boys, Good night Jacob, Good night Jonathan, Good night Jonah, See you in the morning." That was the sweetest thing ever. Here are some photos of our time camping and our time watching Mark (Dave's brother) swim, bike and run in a HALF-IRON MAN. WOW!!!

Kari and Jen at the swim part of the triathalon

Mark swam 1.3 miles, biked 58 miles, and ran 14 miles. WAY TO GO MARK!!!

Thinking . . .

2008-06-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! Some heavy blows of news today with a few friends' marriages in trouble or finished, another friend having heart surgery next week, my dad's health problems with ALS and an acquaintance having major health problems and her husband having complications after being hit by a drunk driver. So much to think about and comprehend. I am so thankful for a wonderful husband - we are not perfect, but he is so kind and loving and works very hard at his job, providing, being a godly father to our 3 boys.

I am thankful that I have hope in the Lord. He is good, He is our provider, He is our comforter. "Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:9-10

Life is never or seldom perfect. It is always crazy with 3 active boys, marriage, house and yard that needs cleaning and fixing, work and overtime for Dave, work and applying for jobs for me while preparing for VBS and teaching an ESL class this summer. If we work to serve the Lord and honor Him in all that we do, I know He will bless us in our family. Keep Him first.

Finding the Varmint that is eating our Strawberries

2008-06-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

Jonah was looking out the window this afternoon and he saw some kind of animal stealing our strawberries. So, he yelled to me as he was running out the door to scare it away. The other boys came running and we all saw it - dun, dun, dun... a small varmint - not sure what it was/is. It scurried behind the shed/fort, then behind the huge wood pile that Dave just spend HOURS chopping and stacking. There he was, enjoying OUR strawberry and we could not get to him. The boys, of course wanted to hit it with daddy's nice golf club for a little golf practice. I rejected that idea. They also wanted to set a trap from the cat door - from the garage with a bowl of cat food or more strawberries as the bait. Then they would watch for the animal and ...capture it? scare it? kill it? Not sure they had a plan. Then they wanted to capture it on camera. This is what I got back from the kids with the camera.