Training Hearts At Home

The Power of the Word of God

2012-02-16T20:25:00.001-08:00

I am a huge fan of Revive Our Hearts radio broadcast/podcast www.reviveourhearts.com. I have gleaned so much from the Bible teaching of Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Here is part of the transcript from today's broadcast. She relayed a story John MacArthur told about the power of the Word of God. Sadly, in our culture many have forgotten the POWER of God's Word. Many are trading in the Word of God for entertainment trying to lure the lost through human ingenuity. We need to get back to the basics and teach the Word of God which is "living and active."

Hebrews 4:12
English Standard Version (ESV)
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

"The Word of God is powerful enough on its own to break down all human resistance and opposition. In Jeremiah 23 God says, “Is not My word like a fire? . . . and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (v. 29 NKJV). The Word of God is powerful. It can take the hardest heart and break it down, bring it into submission.

We think we need all kinds of things, plus the Word of God, to change people’s lives today. So many of our church programs have so many activities and so many efforts to get people to change their lives. We’ve got to have great big impressive programs and music and dramas and messages and great orators and communicators—and you know what? We’ve lost our confidence in the power of the Word of God to transform people’s lives.

One of the greatest stories I’ve ever heard along that line is told by Dr. John MacArthur in his book called Our Sufficiency in Christ. And I want to read this story. As I’ve shared with women before, they have told me that it’s been so meaningful to them, so let me just read about this exchange.

Pastor MacArthur says:

Not long ago a man I had never met before walked into my office and said, “I need help. I feel strange coming to you because I’m not even a Christian. I’m Jewish. Until a few weeks ago I had never even been in a church. But I need help from someone, so I decided to talk to you.”

I assured him I would do my best to help him. The conversation went something like this:

“I’ve been divorced twice,” he said, “and now I’m living with a woman who is my lover. I don’t even like her, but I haven’t got the courage to leave her and go back to my second wife.”

“I’m a medical doctor,” he continued. “Worse, I’m an abortionist. Last year in my clinic we did nine million dollars’ worth of abortions. I don’t do only therapeutic abortions; I do abortions for any reason. And if a woman doesn’t have a reason, I give her a reason.

“Six weeks ago I came to Grace Community Church on a Sunday morning, and I’ve been coming every week since. Last week you preached a message called ‘Delivered to Satan.’ If there was ever anyone on earth who was delivered to Satan, it’s me. I’m absolutely miserable and unhappy. I’m continually seeing a psychoanalyst and I’m not getting any help at all. I can’t stand the guilt of all this. I don’t know what to do about it. Can you help me?”

Dr. MacArthur says,

I said to him, “No. I can’t help you.” He looked at me startled. Sheer desperation was evident in his face. I let it sink in. Then I said, “But I know Someone who can help you: Jesus Christ.”

He said sadly, “But I don’t know who He is.”

I said, “Would you like to know who Jesus Christ is?”

He said, “I would if He can help me.”

I reached over and took a Bible off my desk and opened it to the Gospel of John. I said, “I want you to take this book home and read this part called the Gospel of John. I want you to keep reading until you know who Jesus Christ is. Then call me again.”

Later that week I was recounting the incident for the pastor of another church. He said, “Is that all you gave him? Just the Gospel of John? Why didn’t you give him some help, some tapes, some questions to answer—something? Just the Bible?"

I said, “Don’t worry. The Bible is like a lion. You don’t need to defend it. Just open the door and let it out. It’ll take care of itself. If his heart is open at all, the Bible can do more to reach him than I could do with reams of other study material. What could I possibly give him that’s more powerful than the Scripture itself?”

The next Friday I received a telephone call. The doctor wanted to see me again. We made an appointment. He showed up precisely on time, came into the office, walked past me as if I weren’t there, sat on the couch, dropped the Bible beside him, and said, “I know who He is.”

I said, "You do?"

He said, “Yes, I do.”

“Who is he?” I asked.

“I’ll tell you one thing—He’s not just a man.”

I said, “Really? Who is He?”

“He’s God!” he said with finality.

“You, a Jew, are telling me that Jesus Christ is God?” I asked. “How do you know that?”

He said, “It’s clear. It’s right there in the Gospel of John.”

“What convinced you?” I asked.

“Look at the words He said, and look at the things He did! No one could say and do those things unless He was God.” He was echoing the apostle John’s thesis perfectly.

I nodded enthusiastically.

He was on a roll. “Do you know what else he did? He rose from the dead! They buried Him, and three days later, He came back from the dead! That proves He is God, doesn’t it? God Himself came into this world!”

I asked him, “Do you know why He came?"

“Yes. He came to die for my sin.”

“How do you know that?” I asked.

“Because I liked John so well, I read Romans. And as soon as I clean up my life, I’m going to become a Christian.”

I said, “That’s the wrong approach. Receive Him as your Lord and Savior now, and let Him clean up your life.” Then I asked the man, “What would such a decision mean in your career?”

“Well,” he said, “I spent this afternoon writing my resignation letter to the abortion clinic. When I get out of here I’m going to call my second wife and bring her to church with me.” And he did.

“Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” The Word of God is alive, Hebrews tells us. It’s powerful. It’s sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of the joints and morrow; and it’s a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12 paraphrased).

So often today in our efforts to reach people, we underestimate the power of the Word of God. And when we do, we’re forced to rely on our human efforts, our ability to talk, to impress, our strategies, our resources, and our methods.

Those things can be helpful, but they’re no replacement for the power of that great Lion, the Word of God."

Great Wisdom from Sally Clarkson

2012-02-15T12:25:00.001-08:00

This is way to good not to post............It really brings things into perspective.

Sally Clarkson:

"I have spent the last several weeks speaking at conferences. I constantly meet moms who are trying to homeschool the best way and be sure that their children get it “all”. How blessed your children are to have you as their moms. However, I want to encourage each of you to relax. Homes have been the place where genius has been birthed, leaders have been made for thousands of years. It was because of the faithful mothers who have trained their children in character, given them chores to do, had discussions over the dinner meal, and read the Bible to their children. I feel so strongly that parents are so intent on getting the “best” experience in education, while not understanding that the most important aspect in a child's education is the mentoring and directing of the parents over the personality, influences, peer relationships, and character development.

So many moms have asked me, “Do you know about this or that two day a week school and how it works and if it will help my child educationally?” I have lived through three of my children graduating and I have seen amazing results in their lives even though we didn't have perfect school days or have consistent schedules. (Seventeen moves, six times internationally, car accidents, illnesses, etc.) Yet, my children have scored at the top on their SAT's, received scholarships or pursued other areas in the arts and ministry where they were able to excel. What is the most important to me, though, is that, by God's grace, our children still love us and listen to us and love the Lord and are seeking Him.

I have been to several national and international leadership conferences in the past year and am sick to find out the statistics of the youth culture—79% of children who grew up in Christian homes leave their Christian faith when they go to college. The appalling statistics of youth who are still virgins by the age of 17 is beyond comprehension. These were just statistics to me until they started turning up in my basement–our kids rec room–friends of my children who had grown up in church and some in homeschool groups who were in tears, confessing to my boys that they were sleeping with their Christian girlfriends and didn't know how to stop and feeling guilty. With the rampant sexuality on tv and on the web and the immoral standards of movies, and the leisure time that children have with other children who are not monitored in their homes–and in your neighborhood, I must say—puts pressure on your children to want to conform and places temptation in their pathway. So the question of schools or not depends on what peers they will become heart connected to–what morals the people in the school have, how emotionally attached they become to those in the school that could lead their heart astray.

In other words, focusing on educational classes primarily is, as I have said in my conferences, “straightening the picture on a wall of a house that is burning down.”

Your goal in education is reaching their heart, filling their emotional cup, teaching them moral foundations, capturing their vision for life for the kingdom of God, teaching them what it looks like to walk through difficult times while holding tight to the hand of God. May God grant you understanding and faith to follow these paths and to raise up a strong generation for Him."

Sally Clarkson

Cannot Quench Love

2012-02-15T11:28:00.000-08:00

This year was my thirteenth year to have Matthew Adams as my Valentine. I have to say whether we have gone out on a fun date or been home with sick children Valentine's with my special man is a blessing. This year we were home as life has been too crazy to think about going anywhere. After the children went to bed we had some scrumptious carry out desserts. The menu consisted of carrot cake, snicker's pie, chocolate covered strawberries, and white chocolate mocha decaf. We ate our delicacies on small china plates, and enjoyed coffee in our new Mr. and Mrs. mugs. I purchased them for Valentine's along with a Mr. and Mrs. journal.

http://www.dayspring.com/collections/mr_mrs_love_collection/

The journal is so creative. One side says Mr. and is a place where Matt can journal and write anything to me. The flip side of the journal says Mrs. and is a place for me to write to Matt. I began writing in the Mrs. side by writing fourteen things I love about Matt on February fourteenth. I think the journal is going to be something sweet and encouraging between us. This verse:

"Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it." - Song of Solomon 8:7

is printed on the inside of the mugs. The other night Matt and I were reading our couples devotional and came across the question of what keeps our marriage in tact. We discussed that thought and said that the Lord being at the center of our relationship has kept us strong. Also, the fact that we are committed. That means we don't look for an out when things are hard. We work at the marriage. We also keep seeking to grow and learn. Books, teaching videos, and christian family podcasts such as www.familylife.org are helpful tools to keep us growing. Most importantly, marriage is like a triangle where Christ is at the top point. Matt is at one of the lower points, and I am at the other lower point. As Matt and I grow closer to the Lord we naturally grow closer to each other. There is a real sweetness in our fellowship when we are learning and growing from God's Word and can talk about those things together. Matt and I are not perfect, and we have to work to keep connected. There are stresses in life and a lot of little people in our home that can easily pull us from deep fellowship. I am thankful for Matt and for the Lord who gave him to me. I am thankful that,

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in US (Matt and Ruth/ my paraphrase) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 1:6

Glimpses of our Valentine's Day 2012

2012-02-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

7 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." I John 4:7-12

I went to bed so stressed last night. We have had ongoing illnesses and trips to the ER with croup, etc. Now our precious Lilly Faith has an ear infection. So, I went to bed thinking about all the chaos, the loads of laundry, the school work that needed attending to today, the fact that the whole house needed straightening, and the fact that I really had not planned out our Valentine's day very well.....as well as everything else on our plate for this week. Well, I prayed and asked the Lord to quiet my heart and grant me sleep. "For he grants sleep to those he loves." - Ps 127:2 Sleep finally came, but not uninterrupted as the baby was wrestles and fussy. Regardless, we got up this morning, and I asked the Lord to please help me accomplish all I should today and to help me to make Valentine's as special as I could for my family. Even Annagrace came down and asked why the table wasn't like Valentine's? Well, that did not make me feel like MOM OF THE YEAR, but I assured the children that I did know it was Valentine's, the day was not over, and Mama was going to try to do some fun things with them. Honestly, it is frustrating to me that I did not have a fun filled, special day all planned out, but we have been trying to squeeze fun into all the other chaos swarming around us today. Here are some of the things we did:

*Most of us wore red or pink

*Lauren made her first ever Whoopie Pies (from a cake mix)

*Play Dough hearts

*The littles made Lady Bug Valentine's frames (Kits from Hobby Lobby)

*We did also do some school and some cleaning up, and I browned a huge thing of beef before it went bad in the fridge.

So, praise the Lord His mercies are new every morning.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24

I am thankful He has helped me with our "not so perfectly planned out" Valentine's Day. It really is not about perfection at all, but I tend to forget that sometimes. Later today Daddy and I are going to give each of our little Valentines a small gift and maybe read a story about love. Perhaps "Guess How Much I Love You?" or something similar. Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!

p.s. Also, the beautiful roses are from my WONDERFUL VALENTINE SWEETHEART who is at work right now. :)

Mixing Bowls and Sticker Fun

2012-02-14T11:47:00.001-08:00

Recently I was mixing up some cake mix and allowed Lilly Faith to assist me. She loved the opportunity and loved the cake mix batter! In fact I was able to hide some of her medicine in the cake mix which was so helpful. I think I am including my little ones in my work more than ever before. They love to help, and even though it takes me a little more time they are being trained and developing a love for the home arts. Not to mention it is just time invested in them that makes them feel important.
Also, Abbie Joy has recently been enjoying making pictures with a page of stickers. She was so meticulous about putting all these little stickers on her paper. Since we are going through a lot of stickers it is important to find a good deal on them. I often find whole sticker books at Michael's for a dollar, and of course a coupon brings them down even cheaper. Those are two activities my girls have enjoyed in recent days.

Fun Little Workbooks

2012-02-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

We recently started Annagrace and Abbie Joy on some fun little workbooks. The artwork in the books would suggest that they originate with the Amish or Mennonite people. They are simply illustrated with themes such as indoor and outdoor work. The activities have been fun such as learning how a place setting goes, matching, coloring, beginning writing, etc. I like the simplicity of the pages, and since I love all things Amish they are attractive to me. :) Annagrace was happy to finish her first book this week.
One funny thing to note is that Abbie Joy's book directs her to color different pages different colors. Basically there is a color focus for different pages. If you thumb through her book you will see that she is VERY partial to the color pink. At times I was able to convince her to try another color, but pink is her color of choice even if the whole page is supposed to be yellow.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&ie=UTF8&field-author=Study%20Time%20Publishers

Tot School Happenings

2012-02-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of our recent Tot School activities. You can see that my sweet Annagrace has a bandaid on her face. She took a fall and cut herself right above the eye. She was sleeping and rolled off the bed hitting her eye where the skin is thin but the bone is hard. We took a late night trip to the emergency care, but thankfully no stitches were needed. We are thankful for the Lord's protection even while we sleep. We have been doing a few Valentine's Day crafts. I found the wooden heart at Michael's, and the girls enjoyed coloring. Some other activities have been counting bears and magnets.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
-Psalm 4:8

Seven Quick Takes for This Week

2012-02-06T08:28:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to do a Seven Quick Takes, but life has been really busy. Right now I have a few minutes so here goes....

1. Here is a really creative way to hide power cords. Very creative! http://thehappyhousewife.com/home-management/

2. We have been in process putting up a clothes line outside. It is up, but I am looking forward to making flower beds around the two poles. Flowers have been purchased, and I am waiting for nicer weather. It has been raining and raining and raining. I cannot complain, however, after last year's drought.

3. We recently started cooking with Coconut Oil. It seems to cook very evenly, has a sweet taste, and is good for: supporting immune health, promotes weight loss and healthy metabolism, and helps skin stay healthy. With all the negative things I hear about a lot of oils it is encouraging to know that Coconut oil is actually helping our bodies out.

4. I loved this quote from Andrew Murray, “Humility is the only soil in which virtue takes root; a lack of humility is the explanation of every defect and failure. Humility is not so much a virtue along with the others, but is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before God and allows Him, as God, to do all.” -Andrew Murray, Humility

5. This past week Lauren and I started taking a cake decorating class at Hobby Lobby. Ahem, I now understand why the cost of the class was so minimal. The list of Wilton Cake decorating supplies we need is endless. I guess the store is benefitting from selling all the supplies we must have for the class. Oh well, I think we are going to learn a lot. I am using my forty percent off coupons in abundance to help offset the cost of all these new supplies.

6. Last week I got a renewed burden to declutter our home. When all was said and done I had four or five black garbage sacks of things to haul off to the Goodwill. It never ceases to amaze me how we so quickly accumulate stuff. I guess with five children it happens very easily. It is always a freeing feeling to get rid of things. I never miss any of it either.

7. I will leave you with a powerful quote from Spurgeon. I love this.
"Do not dream that the path to heaven is up the hill of honor, it winds down into the valley of humiliation. Imagine not that you can grow great eternally by being great here. You must become less, and less, and less, even though you should be despised and rejected of men, for this is the path to everlasting glory."

Her Bag

2012-02-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

I recently bought a cute pattern on sale. It was a Simplicity pattern designed for young girls. The pattern shows how to make tote bags and pillow cases. So far Lauren and Annagrace have made the tote bags, and I am looking forward to making the pillow cases in days to come. Here are some pictures of Annagrace with her bag.

Fun with the Couch

2012-02-03T11:59:00.000-08:00

Recently the little girls and I were looking for the morning devotional book that we are currently reading.

http://www.amazon.com/Right-Choices-Kenneth-N-Taylor/dp/0842352996/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328299236&sr=8-1

Well, someone had the idea to look under the couch cushions which led to Mama running for the dust buster. What surprises can lurk under couch cushions! I just could not proceed with the day without a quick vacuuming up of all the crumbs and dust I found. Yuck! Well, the little girls found great amusement in jumping all over the cushions. They really enjoyed themselves, and Mama did vacuum up the couch, and we did finally read from our great little devotional book. Our days are filled with many such crazy, unplanned for happenings, but I do have to smile at my little girls giggling and having so much "unplanned for" fun.

Her Play Dough Creation

2012-01-31T11:38:00.000-08:00

My sweet Annagrace likes to look at my pictures from my trip to Amish country. We have a special book we read together about the Amish way of life. It is "Just Like Mama" by Beverly Lewis. It is a sweet story about a little girl who wants to be just like her Mama. In the end she and her Mama decide they will both try to be more like the Lord Jesus together.

http://www.amazon.com/Just-Like-Mama-Beverly-Lewis/dp/0764225073/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1328039178&sr=8-2

Well, it put a smile on my face when Annagrace came up to show me her play dough creation and told me she had made an Amish lady. How cute! One day I would love to take my Annagrace to see the beautiful Amish country with me.

She Loved Dish Washing!

2012-01-30T12:22:00.000-08:00

I am always on the lookout for new ways to keep little hands busy around our home. My Abigail is a busy little lady, and she does best when she has something to focus on. If she is not engaged in something she WILL find something to do, and it is not always the most profitable thing for our household. So, I try to keep her busy with learning activities and the like. Well, I have read on other blogs that preschoolers will entertain themselves for awhile if you put them at the kitchen sink and let them play. Honestly I had never tried it; I think I was afraid to. Last week, however, I decided to try. I asked Abbie Joy to wash a pot for me. The results were amazing. She washed and scrubbed that pot for a good time. She took it very seriously. After awhile I traded it for another one and then went on to having her scrub cookie sheets. She did a great job! The beauty of it was that not only was she staying out of trouble, but she was also helping me wash the cooking ware in our kitchen. She even went on to scrubbing the sink. I did have to keep an eye on her as she sometimes made the water spray too hard, and I had to quickly adjust the water pressure before we had a flood in the kitchen. Overall it was a very profitable time of keeping her occupied while getting some dishes cleaned. The best part of all was how great she felt knowing she had helped bless our family. She could not wait to get her Daddy's attention that evening and share the news of what a big helper she had been.

Pinewood Derby Winner!

2012-01-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

I am so happy for my son. He came in first place in his Bear den for the speed of his car. He received the blue ribbon award and is one happy little fellow. He is already planning how he wants to design his next car for next year's race. :)

Apron Bib

2012-01-27T12:22:00.001-08:00

When Matt and I went to Amish country I bought a cute little apron bib in a quilt shop. I have wished I bought more as it has been so helpful at meal times. It is big enough to cover clothing and washes up really well. Since I can not go back to Amish country at the present time I decided to try to make a few. So far I have made one and am pretty happy with it. It fits both Abbie Joy and Lilly Faith. The pattern was really easy. The only glitch was learning how to sew on the narrow bias tape, but once I got the hang of that everything was smooth sailing. Here are some pictures.

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less

2012-01-25T12:09:00.000-08:00

Today I am posting about my continuing Bible study in the book of Ephesians. The topic is the HOPE we are given in Christ. Circumstantially things have not been going very well in our home this last week. We have had a LOT of sickness, croup, a baby who has been out of sync with her sleeping, a trip to the Emergency Clinic with Annagrace and just the ongoing demands of life. This morning I read this from Ephesians chapter one verses eighteen through nineteen.

"having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might"

I was reminded of the HOPE to which I have been called. That hope remains even when life is demanding and circumstances are not happy. That hope is not in our circumstances but in Christ alone. The verse goes on to talk about the "Immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe." As I read that I was reminded that even though circumstances have sent our lives in a tail spin this past week we are not without resources to deal with it all. It is through His power working within us that we can stand. This beloved hymn comes to mind.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Here is my prayer from my study this morning:

"Lord, please help me to keep perspective in the midst of daily struggles. Please help me to keep the hope of my calling in sight and to receive your great power to help me. Amen"

More Tot School Activity

2012-01-24T20:30:00.000-08:00

My girls recently enjoyed several new puzzles from the Dollar Tree. Abbie Joy has also been loving her princess magic marker set she received for Christmas. I love magic Markers! She does not get the ink all over her, and she loves to see the color appear on her paper. What a win win situation. :) We have also been having fun with our new singing Crayola holder which sings songs as we take the crayons out. http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Made-Musical-Crayon-Caddy/dp/B004ND7FMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327466142&sr=8-1

Seven Quick Takes for This Week

2012-01-21T11:06:00.001-08:00

Well, here we are at the end of another week. This morning found me buried in our craft room rummaging through a huge mess of maternity clothes, baby clothes, special momentos, and crafts of all kinds scattered around. I made a dent but still have much more work before that room is organized. I am thankful that I ended up with a pile of things I can donate and get some more things out from under this roof. I hope you all are doing well, and here are seven quick takes for you:

1. Here are some great links I found this week. I thought I would share them with my readers.

Want some creative uses for pencil boxes? Check out this: http://thehappyhousewife.com/home-management/

Here is a link for Psalm 119 put to music. I would LOVE for my children to know Psalm 119 by heart. This cd sings through Psalm 119! http://www.shepardmusic.com/

I really enjoyed reading this post about the life of Sarah Edwards. She was the wife to Jonathon Edwards. http://joyfilleddays.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/what-you-can-learn-from-sarah-edwards/

2. Here is a great quote from John Calvin on the need to rejoice in the Lord.

“We are cold when it comes to rejoicing in God!” wrote Calvin. “Hence, we need to exercise ourselves in it and employ all our senses in it – our feet, our hands, our arms and all the rest – that they all might serve in the worship of God and so magnify Him.”

3. Yesterday I got lost in Joann's fabrics and came home with some 99 cent patterns and new fabric. I hope to get these projects finished: a new skirt for me, two new bibs for Lilly Faith, teach Lauren and Annagrace how to sew tote bags and teach Lauren how to make jammy pants.

4. This week a friend blessed our children with one of those nice, large plastic play houses. My children have been having sooo much fun with it. This sweet friend also taught Lauren how to do some cake decorating. Thank you, sweet friend!

5. I have been in the first book of Ephesians this week meditating on the spiritual blessing the Lord has poured out upon me as His child. When you realize your position in Christ and how many resources He has already given you it gives great encouragement.

6. I am reading through "More Devotions for Homeschool Moms" by Jackie Wellwood. It is a book of short two page devotions for homeschool moms. She writes very authentically sharing from her own struggles with her large family. This book, as well, as Jackie's first book "Devotions for Homeschool Moms" have been really encouraging.

7. The weather has been really warm; like in the seventies. My children have been playing outside without even a sweater. It feels like I should already be planting spring plants. Looks like this may not be a very cold winter. I am o.k. with that as I would rather my children get to play outside. Well that is all for now. Have a blessed weekend, everyone.

Not My Favorite Color

2012-01-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

My Annagrace and Abbie Joy have each adopted their own very favorite color that they are most committed to. Annagrace is a lover of purple while Abbie Joy is devoted to pink. Well, yesterday I pointed out an infant picture to Abbie Joy. I said, "Look there is a picture of you when you were a baby." Her response was, "That baby has a purple passi in her mouth. Purple is NOT my favorite color." Oh, that girl sure makes me laugh. I just told her that when she was a baby she did love her purple passi. :)

Fun With Ice Cube Trays

2012-01-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased some fun ice cube trays from the Dollar Bins at Target. We have been trying to find various fun uses for the trays. Yesterday we filled them with rice. Today we used salad tongs to pick up counting hippos and drop them into the trays. After that fun we filled our cubes with yummy snacks. My little learners pretended to be making cookies with their snacks.

Fun With Rice

2012-01-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

What can you do with rice? Color, Stir, Pour, Fill Trays, and Make a Mess!!!

For His Own Glory!

2012-01-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

This week I began a new study in the book of Ephesians through the ministry of Good Morning Girls.

http://www.goodmorninggirls.org/

It has already been very refreshing and encouraging. Much of the study thus far has been about how God chose His church "before the foundation of the world." Eph. 1:4 That is pretty mind boggling to realize that God chose His bride, the church, before the foundation of the world. We are fulfilling His eternal plan that was written in eternity past. He has a purpose for saving us and giving us life during this time in history. Look at the full verse:

"Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:4

That says to me that we have much to be thankful for. We have much purpose to our lives, and we absolutely should be living our lives "to the praise of His glorious grace."

Did you catch the phrase "that we should be holy and blameless before Him?"

You see, I believe that the Lord desires that His people live holy lives. He desires that we be sanctified or "set apart" from non believers. Does that mean that we lock ourselves up and don't reach out to the lost? By no means! It means that we should make it our goal to:

"Lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" - Heb. 12:1

It means that we will not live in a lifestyle that is contrary to God's Word:

"No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God." _ I John 3:9

It means that we will flee even a hint of what is shameful or immoral:

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. - Ephesians 5:3

It means we will have an aversion to evil but CLING to what is pure.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. - Romans 12:9

Here are some practical nuts and bolts when we think about the topic of "Blameless and Holy."

Have I set Christ as Lord in my heart? Am I willing to say, "YES LORD!" to His still small voice? OR do I want to set my own agenda and do things my own way?

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, _ I Peter 3:15

Am I trying to get as close to the world, and its allurements as I can? OR am I trying to be as much like the Lord Jesus as I can? Do I want as much of the world as I can get, or do I want to be conformed to the image of Christ?

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. - Romans 12:2

Am I, as a daughter of the King, dressing in a modest fashion so as not to pull my brothers down?

"Likewise that the women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control." I Timothy 2:9

Just a point on modesty......do you see from this verse that modesty is referring to a woman's clothing but also to her heart attitude? Women are to be self-controlled with modest hearts. In reference to clothing, I think it so sad that immodesty is so rampant that when a woman is dressed modestly she really stands out. My point is that modesty is SO NOT the norm that when I see a woman who consistently dresses modestly I can't help but really notice. Shouldn't it be the other way around especially for christian women?

Am I guarding my heart and eyes so that I will not be desensitized to purity and truth?

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. - Proverbs 4:23

We need to be careful about what goes in our ears and in our eyes, because garbage in/garbage out. Mothers, we need to be so vigilant in this area with our children. I try to always choose not even the good but the best. There might not be anything wrong with a certain video or book, but do we have a better option? Is there something that will encourage my children to love God and live for His glory. We have found some excellent resources both in videos and books that inspire our children to greatness. The Lord has been growing me in this area through the years, and I am a lot more picky now than ever before. If we do allow them to see, read, or hear something mediocre it is our desire to talk with them and help them sort through what hidden agendas might be in play in that book, movie, etc. This is a hard one but so worth a concerted effort.

Well, this by no means is an exhaustive list of what holiness and blamelessness is. It is just a few things that come to my mind. If Christ chose us, gave us eternal life, and adopted us into His family that, "We should be holy and blameless before Him" then I think it is important that we continue to "seek those things which are above." Our purpose is to glorify Him!!!

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him iin glory.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:2 sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self4 with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,5 free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossian 3 1-17.

To wrap this up, I would say that it should be our ambition live "holy and blameless lives" out of gratitude to the Lord Jesus for saving us and adopting us into His family. Our foundation should be that our purpose is to glorify Him in everything. That is why we exist. It is like the catechism I teach to my little girls. Annagrace, "Why did God make you and all things?" And she answers, "FOR HIS OWN GLORY." If God made me and all things for His own glory then my life should bring Him glory through my attitudes, choices, and behaviors. We will never be perfect, but it should be our aim to please the Lord Jesus and live a life of obedience to His Word. As for me, I have much to learn and thankfully He is not through with me yet.

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
- Philippians 1:6

"

Cub Scouts

2012-01-17T10:55:00.000-08:00

We bit off a big commitment with Gabriel this past school year. That commitment is Cub Scouts. I have to say it has been a huge blessing in his life. You see Gabriel has four sisters, and thus all the girl stuff in our home is multiplied four times. One time he complained to me that there are always more girl toys, movies, etc. Matt and I felt it was time to make an intentional effort to do something for him that was just ALL BOY, and Cub Scouts has been the perfect thing. He goes once a week or twice if there is an event like a camp out, Pinewood Derby, Workshop, etc. As much as we want to teach him boyhood/manly skills it is easy to overlook all he needs to be learning without this accountability. The homework has been great to keep us accountable to teach him these skills and character lessons. Recently he has learned some about cooking, built a model car and display, built a Pinewood Derby car from a block of wood, began woodworking skills, and learned about safety precautions. There have been so many great lessons learned already. He is currently working hard to complete his requirements to earn his Bear badge before he is promoted to the next level. He is learning that hard work pays off as he completes these assignments and is awarded along the way. It is so precious to see him in a group of boys all in uniform and having so much fun. This has been such a great opportunity for him. We are so proud of his hard work thus far. In the pictures you can see him showing his model display to his Bear Den and also standing with his group after the police officer spoke about safety.

Fun with Mouse Ears

2012-01-16T12:37:00.000-08:00

Psalm 126:3 The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad.

We have a new craze over here that is bringing much fun to hair fixing time. My little girls have fallen in love with what we call "MOUSE EARS" Everyday when I fix their hair they are requesting this new little hair style. The truth is their hair is just now getting long enough to do fun things like this. Lilly Faith has too little hair to have "MOUSE EARS," but she has fun playing with all the bows and putting rubber bands on her wrists as if they were bracelets. Having these three little stair step girls is so much fun. They put a smile on my face.

Seven Quick Takes for This Week

2012-01-15T17:55:00.000-08:00

1. I have new household help that I absolutely am soooo incredibly thankful for. It is my new Roomba Robot that Matt gave me for Christmas. This little friend drives herself around on my tile floors picking up all kinds of dirt and crumbs. She goes all over our downstairs working diligently. She does not even complain about her chore. :) I was uncertain about it at first, but it has turned out to be a really big help. I just wish she could mop too.

2. I read this quote and thought it was powerful "Let the child's first lesson be obedience, and the second will be what thou wilt." -Benjamin Franklin

3. Gabriel has been playing catch up this week on some of his Cub Scouts requirements. He has spent time cooking and working on models as well as some other achievements. We will have some pictures coming soon.

4. Tonight I made baked oatmeal with cranberries for my family. They loved it. Here is the link I got the recipe from.

http://margo-joyfulhomemaking.blogspot.com/2012/01/baked-oatmeal-with-cranberries-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JoyfulHomemaking+%28Joyful+Homemaking%29

5. One highlight of my week was going to the mailbox and finding a hand written note card and special gift sent to me totally unexpected. What an encouragement! It reminds me again of the power of encouragement in handwriting a blessing to a friend or family member. With email it is seldom that I send mail the old fashioned way, but what an encouragement it can be!!! I was so incredibly blessed.

6. I have spent years now unable to attend women's Bible study due to the season of life I am in homeschooling my children. It is a sacrifice I am willing to make, but I do miss the fellowship, accountability, and encouragement. I have decided to try an online Bible study and am excited about it.

http://www.goodmorninggirls.org/

I have never tried anything like this, but I look forward to an opportunity to learn with others. We are going to be using the SOAP method of Bible study. I have never done SOAP before, but my husband has and really enjoyed it.

7. This past week the children and I took time most mornings to sing together. Abbie Joy always wants to sing "Jesus Loves Me" or "I've Got the Joy Down in My Heart." We usually oblige, but we have also been trying to learn some Scripture verses put to music. I look forward to continuing with that tomorrow. May you all be blessed as we close out this Lord's Day, and may you have a week focused on Jesus our Savior.

More Ways We are Keeping Little People Busy............

2012-01-14T07:44:00.000-08:00

As I said in the last post we are trying hard to keep six little hands busy and out of trouble. Here are some more things we have been occupying ourselves with. Notice the fun Annagrace and Lilly Faith created out of a simple quilt. :)
You can make poster board puzzles by purchasing two of the same poster boards. Then laminate and use one for the base of the puzzle while cutting up the extra one. Then apply velcro and you have a puzzle.

Our Tot School

2012-01-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

Now that we have three sweet little girls it has become crucially important that we find creative ways of occupying their time. One of the best things we have done over the past school year is to turn our breakfast area into a preschool/activity center. We have organized our different learning manipulative activities into plastic shoe boxes. We have tried many different ways of storing these boxes, but the best thing has been purchasing a shelf from Target that holds most of our boxes. We do have some larger plastic boxes still in our pantry, but the shoe boxes have a new home on the shelf. Our girls busy themselves with these activities in the morning when we have "school time." They also busy themselves with them when I am cooking and cleaning, etc. Learning is something that is happening all hours of the day as they keep coming back and asking for various activities. They LOVE hands on learning, and I am always looking for new and creative things to put in these shoe boxes. So, if you have any ideas please share!!!
We are also going through an alphabet curriculum I purchased from www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com
Each week we focus on a new letter of the week.
Abbie Joy and Annagrace are also working through sweet little workbooks from Rod and Staff. They are simple and very inexpensive.
Some of our recent activities have been sticker dots, counting hippos and placing them in ice cube trays, puzzles, musical instruments, scissor practice, shape sorter, stacking cups, etc.
I have found that keeping them occupied with learning activities keeps them busy in a productive manner.

Homemaking Skills for Annagrace

2012-01-11T11:48:00.001-08:00

I have posted much on this blog about Lauren's handiwork. She is one crafty inclined young lady. Well, recently it has really been hitting me that my second daughter, Annagrace, is more than ready to begin learning homemaking skills and crafting as well. So, we have made a few small attempts at learning to sew, craft, and cook lately. I found a vintage teddy bear kit that I purchased and surprised her with. She was really pleased with her finished product. The bear was sewn together with pre-cut pieces of felt, so it was super easy but rewarding. Also, last Sunday I did tie blankets with Lauren and Annagrace. I bought the pre-cut kits half off at Joaann's fabric store. I love the excitement I see in my girl's faces when they have completed a project. It really is important to me that my girls learn these womanly arts. I want them to be skilled homemakers so that they can one day take care of their own families if the Lord chooses to bless them with homes of their own.

"And so TRAIN the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the Word of God may not be reviled." Titus 2:4-5

The word TRAIN strikes me in the above verse from Titus. A little girl is not going to grow up somehow just knowing how to be a woman of God, how to be kind, how to work at home, how to love her family, etc. Our little girls have to be TRAINED in Biblical womanhood. It is a mother's privilege and responsibility to TRAIN her daughters day by day, precept upon precept. It is easy for me to get caught up in the mundane duties of each day and forget to TRAIN as we walk the path each day.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
English Standard Version (ESV)
6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. I feel so blessed when I do take the time to TRAIN my girls and see the joy it brings to them. I hope one day they in turn will TRAIN their daughters and the legacy of Biblical Womanhood will be passed from one generation to the next. I have much to learn about the training of my children. I make many mistakes all the time, but the Lord is faithful to continue TRAINING me too. :)

2012-01-10T11:09:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Gabriel and I spent some time in the kitchen learning some basic skills he needed to know for a Cub Scouts assignment. Here are some of his accomplishments:

Boiled Eggs

Trail Mix

Cut Veggies

He did really well and enjoyed his time in the kitchen. I was able to take him to Cub Scouts last night and listen to him share, with his den, about his experience in the kitchen. His den also discussed safety measures to protect ourselves from evil people, and Gabriel had fun taking my finger prints and marking them in his book. It was a good time with him. I love my growing little man.
He is currently preparing for the pinewood derby, so we will have some pictures of his car on the blog in the near future.

2012-01-09T10:57:00.000-08:00

Yep, it has been one of those kinds of mornings. We had a terrible storm blow over this morning. I heard a tornado went by. The lights kept flickering on and off and of course the children thought that all the excitement excused them from their normal responsibilities. It was far more important to drag all their treasured possessions to a safe place in the house creating a lot to clean up later in the day. Also, we realized Gabriel had several assignments due for Cub Scouts tonight that we had dropped the ball on. He and I got in the kitchen to start working on his cooking skills only to realize that we were missing several key ingredients. Oh well, we did what we could and will try to complete the assignments by next week. We got in a little reading and the children worked on their computer school work. Most importantly we did our Bible time and had a sweet time of singing together. Sometimes our days just fly out of orbit before we can hardly start them, but the Lord is faithful even in the bad days. Yes, I felt like everything was totally out of control, however, I can look back and see that we did accomplish what the Lord had for us this morning. Oh, and I also got one load of laundry done so that is good. Dinner will probably be fast food tonight, but after all that is just the kind of day we are having. :) We will just press on knowing that not everyday is this chaotic. I am also thankful that the Lord continues to develop His good fruit in our lives; days like today remind me of how much we need His continuing process of sanctification.

Philippians 1:6
English Standard Version (ESV)
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

If Not You......Then Who?

2012-01-03T11:49:00.001-08:00

As I started back to homeschooling today I thought a lot about the sacrificial price of mothering and especially spending all day most everyday with my children at home. Sometimes the cost is high and the demands are ceaseless. Even so I am passionate about my calling. I absolutely see God's calling on my life to be working at home, mothering these children, and pouring into them everything I can to point them to the cross and the beauty of the gospel. After all, it is ONLY the gospel that will have any impact upon them for good. I am a vessel, but it is the power of the cross and the working of God that has power to transform their lives. I am praying towards those ends on a regular basis. I see my feebleness, but with God ALL things are possible. He is able to do His good work in their hearts and lives. As for me, I am willing to be used for the glory of God in these children. I am willing to give it my all and live sacrificially. I recently read something that I thought was powerful about a mother's influence. It was written by June Fuentes in her ebook "True Christian Motherhood." I hope you will be encouraged.

"If Not You.....Then Who?"

Christian Mothers, here are a few questions to get our souls stirring....

If you don't sing to your children......who will?
If you don't read to your children......who will?
If you don't teach the Word of God to your children...who will?
If you don't hug your child when they fall......who will?
If you don't teach your daughter the gentler graces of womanhood....who will?
If you don't teach your sons about courageous manhood......who will?
If you don't share the gospel with your children who will.....?

The world will sing your children to sleep with lullabies of narcissism, sensuality, and violence.
The world will read to your children and teach them anti-God philosophies and give them a humanistic education.
The world will teach your children that the Word of God does not matter today, is false, irrelevant and should ultimately be rejected, while all other faiths are to be fully embraced.
The world will hug your child when they fall and teach them that homosexuality is okay.
The world will teach your daughters by showing them to dress and act like prostitutes and drink, do drugs, rebel.
The world will teach your sons to have dirty mouths, drink, do drugs, rebel
The world will share it's gospel with you-that a man can only be saved if he seeks his own rights and comforts, chases after materialism, big toys, vanity, power, and success. Here God does not rule, only shameful man. Deadly sin is not carefully avoided, instead vehemently encouraged, and therefore broken homes, uncontrolled violence, and widespread death reigns. That is their gospel.

Dear Mothers, if not you......then who?

Well, that is a sober excerpt from the above mentioned ebook but so very powerful. I want to, by the sustaining grace of God, be a mother who WILL.

Reflections on our Christmas

2012-01-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all of you. It is hard to believe another year has come and gone. I do believe that was the fastest year that has ever flown by. I wanted to share some photos from our Christmas. We had a lot of sickness over the Chistmas season, but we were together and have so much to give thanks for. The Lord is with us even when circumstances are not perfect. It seemed that most of December I was home wiping noses, worrying over a child with croup, listening to whininess, and then finally sick myself. I was tempted to feel sorry for myself as many around me were caught up in festivities and such. I was reminded that different seasons of life have different responsibilities and freedoms. When I was younger and single my Christmases were very full with church functions during December. This year we did well just to make it to church on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I had to remember that I have to accept the season I am in along with its many limitations. One day I won't have runny noses to wipe and messes to clean up, and I will be remembering the Christmas joys of little ones excited over new toys and such. I will miss all the little people to hug and snuggle with. Yes, each season is different and I am trying to embrace the fullness of this very busy season with all my little blessings. Here are some photos of our Christmas Eve and Christmas morning celebrations. May the Lord bless you all in the year to come as we keep our eyes stayed upon Him.

Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
(Hebrews 12:2 ESV)

Employing Zummies!

2011-12-21T11:22:00.001-08:00

The ingenuity and creativity of curious children is simply astounding! I wish I possessed half the creativity of my children. So, just what do children plagued with curiosity do?
Well, I had put the gifts out of reach, but with the help of their Zummies they had a lot of fun. In all honesty, however, they were not being naughty. They were not really getting into the packages just having fun seeing Mama's response at their innovative endeavors. :)

More on the Amish and Lancaster PA

2011-12-15T14:13:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to see the Amish buggies out and about rain or shine, night or day. It was really fun to see the Amish children walking along in groups on school days or with their families on the weekend.
Cooking and sewing are an important part of the Amish life, so I have posted pictures of an Amish kitchen and sewing area as well.

More on the Amish and Lancaster PA

2011-12-15T13:47:00.001-08:00

Here is some more rambling about my fascination with Amish country......I guess you have to be somewhat like me if you are still with me on all of this Amish talk. :) Anyway, the buggies are amazing! They build them to last for around twenty years. Compare that with how quickly we turn in our cars for new ones. They also seat a large group. I am guessing maybe eight to ten people. I was surprised with how many people they can fit. We have to buy a cargo van to fit our crew and yet they efficiently seat a large family in one buggy.
They do use very old fashioned washers and then hang their clothes out to dry on long clotheslines. Some of the lines were on a cable system so that the clothes would go up quite high in the air. It is a pretty sight to see all their black and jewel toned attire hanging out to dry. In the community we visited Monday was the wash day, so everywhere you looked you saw clothes adorning the beautiful farmlands.
The one room school houses are incredibly sweet! School is usually taught by a young, unmarried girl, and the grades are first through eighth grade. They stop formal education after eighth grade and then move into farming, homemaking, and cottage industries. Some work at local stores and businesses as well. The children are taught German, which they speak in church services, PA Dutch, and English. They do not use calculators or computers in school so the children have to learn to THINK. :)
I LOVED visiting Reihler's Quilt Shop. It had a huge array of assorted handiwork. Everything from quilts, quillows, pot holders, dolls, baby blankets, clocks, bird houses........etc. I could have spent hours but had to hurry as we were on a tour. We did make a second stop there but again we were in a hurry. We purchased some pot holders, quillows, and little Amish dolls along with some locally made jellies. AWWWW, I wish I could go back!

A Dream Come True

2011-12-15T12:57:00.000-08:00

For a long time I have been fascinated with the simple life of the Amish community. It all started when I began reading novels about the Amish many years ago. I found many elements of life that I relate to in the stories. I love the fact that men are trained to be men and women are trained to be ladies. I love the simplicity of their lifestyle. I love the focus and priority of family. I also love the beautiful handiwork they produce whether it be skillfully crafted furniture or lovely quilt pieces. There is a quaintness and peacefulness that our fast paced world has lost. So, over time I have grown in my fascination of this group of people and dreamed of one day visiting and seeing it all for myself. This is where my wonderful husband comes into the story. He knows I have always dreamed of taking a vacation to Amish country and suggested we go in celebration of our twelfth anniversary. We began planning the trip and anticipating some time away together. We first attended our second Family Life Weekend to Remember conference in King of Prussia, PA. By the way, if you have not been to a Family Life Weekend to Remember conference I highly recommend it. It is an edifying time away to focus on God and your marriage. After the conference we went to a bed and breakfast near Amish country. We stayed there for three nights and toured as much as we could of Lancaster County. I have to say I was totally in love with this beautiful, quaint little world and was saddened to have to leave. We enjoyed trying some of their foods such as shoofly pie and whoopee pies. They are big on good home cooking although they do use lots of lard and starches. It is good but not so healthy. We enjoyed a tour of a typical one room Amish school house and Amish house. We also had a 20 minute buggy ride driven by a real Amish man. We enjoyed talking to him about his life, faith and family. The rolling farmlands were picturesque. These people are hard workers and keep their beautiful farms in very tidy order. They are industrious, creative, and successful people. We saw many different sects of the "plain" people living and working amongst each other. For example we saw Old Order Amish, the strictest group, alongside of Mennonite people. Then you have the Beachy Amish who drive cars and are not as strict. It did seem that there was a lot of unity amongst the different groups within the "plain" people. I truly loved the community and hope to visit again one day. One thing I learned that disappoints me is that the Old Order Amish do not allow any musical instruments. They like music, but they do not allow their people to use instruments. Nonetheless they have a very peaceful and special way of life. It was so fun to go and experience a dream come true with my dear husband.

Monday is washday, and you can see clotheslines at every farm.

We saw several of these one room schoolhouses, and the children will usually wave to people passing by.

This is what a teenage girl's room might look like. The amish cover their windows with the green shades, but teenagers get a little more liberty during their rumspringa years before they officially join the church. That is why this room has curtains and not just the green shades. Also, the white aprons would be worn by the girls to church and the black for everyday. That would be the case at least in this particular community. My understanding is that different communities have differing distinguishing marks in style of dress, color of buggies, etc.

Thoughts on Christmas

2011-12-14T11:57:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas, All! I thought I would share a few links that really grabbed my attention. This first one distresses me so much. What ever happened to good old fashioned baby dolls? When did girls start wanting to be divas instead of ladies?

www.proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com

The next link has some profound things to say about preparing our hearts for Christmas. This blog is written by Ann Voskamp, author of "One Thousand Gifts" By the way, if you have not read that book you need to! Her book has REALLLY challenged me; it is so good I am reading it through a second time. Anyway, I think you will be touched by this post.

(Well, the link is not coming up so just go to this address and read Ann's post on how to prepare for Christmas)

www.aholyexperience.com

We are having a sick week at our home. Our three youngest girls have been EXTREMELY ill. Abbie Joy ended up in the emergency room late Sunday night. It was the croup, and she is breathing better now. There has been a lot of fussing, crying, coughing and gagging going on. We are praying that all will be well by Christmas. Annagrace told me this morning that she hopes she is well by Christmas or she won't get to eat our traditional cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. I love it that she is thinking ahead to our traditions. I love family traditions! Merry Christmas!

Someone Just Turned Three!

2011-11-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe, but my Abigail Joy just turned three! Where has the time gone? I can so remember the misery I was in during my last trimester with her. She was my hardest pregnancy at the end, but she was worth it!!! Lauren and I enjoyed shopping and putting together a cupcake theme for Abbie Joy's birthday. After Annagrace's purple themed party last month Abbie Joy really wanted a PINK party. Thankfully the cupcake theme was very accommodating to her wishes. :) Lauren made the cupcakes and decorated the dining room for me. I cannot tell you how nice it is to have a daughter who likes to bake and decorate. With all I have going on it is nice to be able to hand some of that over to her. You can see in one of the pictures where Lauren was leading Abbie Joy into the party room; so sweet! We are very thankful for Abbie Joy and all the life she brings to our family. :)

Fall Table

2011-11-15T12:14:00.000-08:00

I hear so many speakers/authors talking about the importance of the family table these days. My understanding is that with our crazy busy culture many families rarely even sit and eat together anymore. Because of this many speakers on family issues are encouraging people to rethink their commitments so that they can prioritize the family meal time. Meal time is a time for sharing and fellowship. Now I will be the FIRST to say that meal time is not a relaxing time at our house. With lots of little people it is more chaotic than anything. Even so it is my desire to work toward that goal of meal time being a haven; a time where the family gathers and gives thanks and shares about our lives and about the Lord's faithfulness. Author/speaker Sally Clarkson talks a lot about creating atmosphere in our homes. She encourages small steps such as lighting a candle or playing classical music. Sometimes little efforts can go a long ways in communicating that meal time is special and important. When our children are grown I hope that they always look forward to coming back to the family table and sharing times of togetherness. As I said, we have a long ways to go in this but I do think it is important enough to work at. These pictures show a recent attempt I made in this area. I just used our glass dishes instead of paper plates and added little pumpkin cut outs from the dollar store. I also lit a fall scented candle.

Fall Activities

2011-11-11T18:31:00.001-08:00

We have been busy at home this fall. These pictures reflect some of the sorts of activities especially my little ladies have been busy with. Abbie Joy is a busy little girl, and so I try to keep her engaged with hands on activities as much as possible. It helps keep her out of trouble, and she likes to work on things. We sort most of our manipulatives in plastic shoe boxes. Often times she will ask for an activity box, and we will set up something for her to work on at our little preschool table. Lilly Faith is even aware of where we keep the boxes and is showing lots of interest as well. One fun thing we recently did was make homemade holiday scented play dough. It was messy, but it did smell good. It had all the holiday spices, and the children used pumpkin cookie cutters to cut out pumpkins. My little girls love to make things, do crafts and do learning activities. The more I can keep their hands busy the smoother things seem to go. Thankfully my older two are learning to branch out some on their own with some of their studies. It is helping that I do not have to sit with them for every subject. All of it is a juggling act and I am always tweaking, but I do feel good about giving the little girls fun things to do with their hands.

Happy Birthday Tea Party

2011-11-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

Today Abbie Joy turned three years old. Her Daddy was gone and she was sick. Lilly Faith is sick too. I thought some herb tea would be good for the girls, so we had an unplanned for birthday tea. Abbie Joy thought it was fun that Mama joined the party at the little table, and then we decided to bring over our singing tea pot that the girls have had so much fun with. It was one of those special moments that happen with no planning involved. Just for the record Abbie Joy enjoyed her first peppermint tea tonight, and Lilly Faith had chamomile tea. Mama added in a little honey for their coughs. Hopefully tomorrow Miss Abbie Joy will have a really fun birthday party as we celebrate with Daddy. The other special thing we did today was purchase the Bambi movie and let her watch it for the first time. It was cute to see her watching it with a smile on her face.

Seven Quick Takes

2011-11-07T12:59:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I last did a Seven Quick Takes so here goes........

1. Yesterday I tried my hand at crocheting again. I am currently working on a black and white dish rag. So far so good. Although I like knitting I do think crochet is easier.

2. This is a conversation I had with Abbie Joy today.
Me: "We are going to eat lunch."
Abbie Joy: "I don't like lunch."
Me: "We are going to have good food."
Abbie Joy: "I not like spinach." Where in the world did she get the idea we were having spinach??? So silly!

3. I am currently reading the book of Job. It has been a long time since I read much in Job, and there are some really profound and also some humorous things in that book. One thing is for sure, the book of Job sure puts into perspective the magnitude of the Creator in comparison to the smallness of the created.

4. What's cooking tonight? Potato soup in the crock pot. I love this time of year when I can do a lot of my cooking in the crock pot. It works out so much better for me to cook in the day instead of in the craziness of the afternoons.

5. Surprises? Gabriel started throwing up yesterday morning and has continued into today. You just never know around here. I was up and ready for a blessed day at church and had no idea that was coming. So far there are no other victims. I hope it stays that way.

6. Bible Study: I am currently working through the Elizabeth George Bible Study, "Loving God with All Your Mind." I just started it. One take away so far is that the way to combat negative thoughts, emotions, etc. is by focusing on what is true.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” – Phil 4:8 ESV We need to USE the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" -Eph 6:17 to help us defeat anger, fear, and negative emotions. That has been a good reminder to me.

7. Blunders....well, I totally ruined a good soup last week by cooking it in the crock pot when it should have been prepared on the stove. I could have cried. It had ingredients like corn starch and tomato soup that just could not handle the simmering all day. I felt so disappointed but a lesson was learned. Have a great day, everyone!

One More Reformation Day Picture.........

2011-11-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

I somehow missed this one and cannot leave it out. I love this precious picture of Anangrace, I mean Ms Patty Cake. I tell you, she is a very sweet spot in our family. She tries very hard to obey and be helpful and for the most part makes mature decisions. I am so thankful for the SWEETNESS she brings to our whole family. Earlier this week Annagrace had the excitement of going on a date with her Daddy. He explained to her that one day a young man will want to take her out, but he MUST go to her daddy and have a talk first. Her daddy plans to protect her and guide her through that process much later on down the road. :)

Reformation Day Continued..............

2011-11-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some group shots including the silly face one with the cat! My children chose to dress up as a knight, reformation princesses, a cat, and Ms Patty Cake. We really did love the spiritual focus our church placed on the day by celebrating an incredible thing God did on that day in history.

Reformation Day Celebration!

2011-11-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

This year we had the opportunity to attend our first Reformation Day Party ever! I have read about such parties but never knew of one anywhere near us. Can't you just imagine my delight when I found out that our very own church was going to host one? Reformation Day, when Martin Luther nailed the 99 thesis on the door of the church in Wittenberg, is on October 31st. Luther's work spurred on the work of the Protestant Reformation. What a wonderful thing to celebrate! So, my children put on some fun costumes, and we went and celebrated God's hand in history. What a fun and uplifting way to spend October 31st!

Skunks

2011-11-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

"And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds." Genesis 1:25

Living out here we have seen a lot of interesting nature. Some things we might rather not see, but there is never a lack of surprise or activity going on out here. One evening I was taking my younger girls on a wagon ride when I nearly ran right into this surprise.............BABY SKUNKS!!!

Summer Sea Quest

2011-11-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

I am Still trying to catch up on months of activity here on this blog. I just wanted to share a few pics from our church VBS back in July. My children enjoyed going on a Summer Sea Quest and learning about Jonah. These photos are of the end of the week program. Lauren is in the group picture on the back row near the middle. In the other pics you can see us trying to keep little people busy during the show. :)

Just trying to get a quick picture...........

2011-11-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

In yesterday's long post I mentioned how there is a lot of training going on with a certain two year old in our home right now. I think this series of pictures will shed some light on her passionate personality. We were on our way to VBS at our church last July, and all I wanted was one sweet picture with everyone SMILING (PLEASE!) Do you even know how hard it is to get a good picture of all five of them??? Look at what a ham Abbie Joy was. She could not be still for a second. You can see in the pics that she just kept moving. Yes, definitely a LOT of training going on with this precious girl right now. She is a very determined little thing and very strong. By God's grace I pray Matt and I can shape and mold her passion and strength to be a mighty warrior for God's kingdom. If she directs her energies into serving the Lord she could do so much for His glory. I don't think she will ever be one to sit still. She is a mover and a shaker.

Beautiful Cakes

2011-11-02T12:07:00.001-07:00

In downloading old pictures off of my newly repaired cameral I found these pics from Lilly Faith's first birthday. I never posted them and cannot fail to do so. Lauren has become quite the birthday party hostess lately. She has decorated and made cakes for Lilly Faith, Mama and Annagrace. She loves to bake and decorate cakes. I am thinking maybe a cake decorating class might be worth pursuing since she seems to love doing this.

Where I Am At..............

2011-11-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

It has been a few months since I did very much with this bloggity blog. There are several reasons. Honestly I have been in one of the most intense seasons of my life. I currently have a very strong willed two, almost three year old, and a very busy one year old running around. I also have a beautiful ten year old who is growing older and needing time to talk and work through the transition from childhood to the young lady she is blossoming into. Then I have my eight year old son and five year old princess. To add to all of that Daddy's work schedule has been busy and we have had many ongoing issues with our home. I have learned that an older home demands high maintenance. In honesty I am struggling with discouragement as life feels bigger than I am. There never seems to be enough of me to go around, and I am NEVER caught up. I am physically tired and weary of battling all the behaviors and attitudes that must be dealt with when training hearts at home. :)
I have been thinking about the fact that we go through seasons in life. There have been seasons when I have felt more on top of things than I currently do. There have been seasons that have been more fun. There have been seasons when I really thought I had at least a lot of the answers. There have been seasons where I knew the Lord was teaching me so many new things and I was bubbling over with excitement about it all. I think right now I am in a season that is humbling. I am realizing just how much I don't have the answers. Only my Savior does. I am realizing the depth of my own inadequacies. I am recognizing my faintness of heart. I recognize the aches and pains of being an older mother back aches and all. It is a season that has me desperately looking to the cross. I am thinking more about "not I but Christ." I have realized that I am finding myself in a different season than early motherhood. I am half way through raising my first born. I am contemplating the season I have lived through and the different season I now stand in. There are new lessons to be learned. I am humbled before my God. "But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Cor. 15:57
So, sometimes when you are deeply humbled and beat down you just don't have a lot to say. I think I have been thinking more than writing lately. Also, my camera was in need of repair for a few months, and again just a lack of time to blog. BUT.......I do hope to begin blogging more again! I hope if nothing else that maybe my children will one day enjoy reading about our family journey through the years. I hope that maybe I can have this blog printed in book form one day, and then it will become a sort of scrapbook I don't have time to create otherwise. I also hope that in some way others may be encouraged who are also trying to "fight the good fight."
I do have quite a lot to catch up on. Going back to August I had a birthday. My dear Lauren put together a BEAUTIFUL party in my honor. I was super surprised at her ability to pull of such a pretty party without any help from her Mama. The party had the flare of a victorian tea room. One thing that blessed me immensely was what she wrote on a little name plate and placed in front of my plate. She wrote, "Mama, blessed and pure." Those simple words made me feel so honored. What encouragement to my heart.
A verse that I have been dwelling on is the well known, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Ps 46:1. Though trials and troubles abound God is our refuge!!! Nancy Leigh DeMoss so wisely said that the two realities in that verse are God and trouble. Aren't we glad that we have the former to help us with the latter!
Though some of the things I have shared in this post are personal I hope it encourages others. Sometimes when I read blogs I almost feel discouraged. Sometimes it appears that other moms have it all together or at least run circles around my attempts at pulling things together. I don't want my blog to ever have that effect on others. So, if you ever read my blog and felt like I was a supermom now you know the truth. ;) I am in the battle along with everyone else, and I need new wisdom and mercies for each new day.

2011-10-31T12:51:00.001-07:00

This quote really grabbed my attention. I was surprised to see it was written by none other than Charles Spurgeon himself. Credits go to http://www.proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/ where I first saw it posted.

“O dear mothers, you have a very sacred trust reposed in you by God!

He hath in effect said to you, “Take this child and nurse it for Me, and I will give thee thy wages.” You are called to equip the future man of God, that he may be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. If God spares you, you may live to hear that pretty boy speak to thousands, and you will have the sweet reflection in your heart that the quiet teachings of the nursery led the man to love his God and serve Him.

Those who think that a woman detained at home by her little family is doing nothing, think the reverse of what is true. Scarcely can the godly mother quit her home for a place of worship; but dream not that she is lost to the work of the church; far from it, she is doing the best possible service for her Lord.

Mothers, the godly training of your offspring is your first and most pressing duty.”

~Charles Spurgeon

Image: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Milking

2011-10-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

I love it when clear out of the blue one of my children will say something that takes me off guard and makes me laugh. Tonight Abbie Joy was on her bed looking at a picture book about life on an Amish farm. She told me that the cow was going tinkle. I got up to see what she was talking about. The picture was of a little Amish girl milking a cow. You could see the stream of milk squirting into the bucket. Abbie Joy knows nothing about milking a cow and thus came to the conclusion that the milk cow was going tinkle. Oh my goodness gracious! I thought it was hysterical. She is just too cute and innocent sometimes.

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A Quiet Mind

2011-10-20T11:47:00.001-07:00

"When winds are blowing, waves are rising, falling, And all the air is full of dust and spray; When voices, like to sea birds’ plaintive calling, Confuse my day; Then, then I know Thee, Lord of highest heaven, In newborn need discover Thee, and find, Nought can discomfort him to whom is given a quiet mind." --Amy Carmichael

Father Abraham!!!

2011-10-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight we were driving back from Lauren's piano lesson when Miss Abigail Joy pipes up from row three of the passenger van. "Mama, watch me" "Mama, I show you something." At this point she started singing, "Many Sons.....Many Sons Had Faawwther Abwaham." It was hilarious to me, because I have memories of singing that as a little girl growing up and of teaching that song to children at church, etc. I asked Abbie Joy where she learned that song. " I learn that at church." To her it was something totally new and exciting, and to me it is something as old as her Mama. I don't remember not knowing that song! Wow, we have sure come full circle here. I really never expected her to bust out with that song; she just totally took me off guard, and the laugh was good for me. Then we drove home with me entertaining her by singing all verses while swinging my arms and stomping my feet WHILE DRIVING. Yes, I was careful. :)

Talking to Jesus

2011-10-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

This little girl is so funny. She does not miss a beat. Sometimes I won't even realize she is listening and thinking about things and then she will ask a question that clues me in on how perceptive she is. The other night I prayed for the little girls. Afterwards Abbie Joy said, "You talk to Jesus for me, Mama?" She realized that I was talking to Jesus about her. It was a sweet moment.

Happy Fifth Birthday!

2011-10-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

It has been a very long time since I posted anything on this blog. Life has been very busy, my camera has been broken, and I just have not gotten around to it. I could not, however, fail to blog about my sweetie's purple birthday party. This little girl LOVES purple! Her nursery was the prettiest purple when she was brought home from the hospital. I think I did soooo much pink with my first girl that it was fun to do a lot of purple with my second. Is that why she LOVES purple??? I don't know, but we had a lot of fun with this color themed birthday party. My sweet first born made the beautiful cupcakes and decorated the party room entirely by herself. As you can see we had everything from purple Kool Aid to purple candy. We even all wore purple clothing. It was very PURPLE and very fun. Happy fifth birthday to our sweet Annagrace!

THSC Conference

2011-08-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken on Lilly Faith's first birthday. This post, however, is about the wonderful weekend I enjoyed at the THSC Homeschool Convention in the Woodlands this past weekend. I was able to go with some friends and soak up hours of listening to great speakers. I was encouraged and inspired especially by the sessions with Sally Clarkson. I feel like the Lord has been impressing upon my heart that the most important thing I can be teaching my children is His truth. Yes, the academics are important, however, we must not idolize academics and slack off in teaching His truth above all things. The Scripture says that the "Fear of the Lord brings wisdom and understanding." When we seek Him first, "All these other things shall be added as well." Many things were said at the conference that affirmed me in what I have been feeling the Lord leading our family in. I thought I would just share from some of my notes on random things. Maybe something will be an encouragement to someone out there as well.

This verse was shared a couple of times and really ministered encouragement to this weary Mama's soul.
"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him." II Chronicles 16:9 Don't you just love that phrase STRONG SUPPORT? What an encouragement. I know I am not enough in and of myself, but with the strong support of the Lord I can do what He has called me to do. That leads to the next quote I want to share.
Sally Clarkson said, "You plus God are enough." It is easy to get distracted from where the focus should be and put my reliance on the wrong things be it the "perfect curriculum" or whatever I think I need. The truth is that my whole reliance should be on the Lord. He wants to teach my children through me, but I have to be an empty willing vessel. He may use a great curriculum as a "tool" to help us, but it is not the curriculum I rely upon. It is the strong support of the Lord.
Along similar lines Sally also said, "A normal person who partners with the living God can produce amazing children who can do incredible things for the kingdom of God."
Oh, and I loved this too! Sally Clarkson said, "As Americans we want our children to be HAPPY, but God wants them to be HOLY." How TRUE!!! How often do I hear mothers talking about a vision to raise Godly children who walk in holiness? How often do I hear mothers talking about raising children who will impact society for the Kingdom of God? Sadly, not very often. What I do hear is all about what they want to provide materially, educationally, and opportunity wise. You know the mother who is stressing over getting her six month old into the perfect extra curricular activity so little tot can socialize. Sally said, "You have ONE opportunity to raise a Godly family to impact the world for God's glory." Raising children is kingdom work.
Andrew Pudewa said that the three areas of education that they chose to focus on in their family are Character, Knowledge and skills. Love that he put character first! He said to "Cultivate wisdom and virtue. Fill the child's souls with goodness, truth and beauty. When considering curriculum ask yourself, "Does this curriculum help fulfill these goals?"
Going back to Sally Clarkson she said, "Whatever God has poured into your cup if you accept and embrace it your cup is your way of worshipping God and bringing glory to Him." Awww, I need to hear that.
She also said, "Working in rhythm helps get things done." I find that very true. Strict schedules have never worked for our family, however, a rhythm or flow to our day helps keep things on track.
Well, there is sooooo much more I could share. That just scratches the surface of the many wonderful things I took in this past weekend. I want to add that it was all possible because my loving husband stayed home and watched the children while I went and recharged. Let me just remind you that he watched FIVE children for three days. What a Super Man! I really love him.

Love These Stair Steps!

2011-07-25T20:06:00.001-07:00

Here are Seven Quick Takes just for fun:

1. I just love seeing my little stair step girls playing together. It is so much fun having three so close in age. They all love playing babies, house, and hearing stories.

2. Today we officially finished reading our My Father's World history for this school year. We school year around, but we wrapped up the Rome to the Reformation history cycle that we have been on. Next school year's cycle will take us into early American history.

3. I came across this quote from Martin Luther that I thought was powerful. "God created the world out of nothing, and as long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us."

4. Yesterday we came home from church to find that our Mama kitty had delivered ANOTHER litter of kittens. She had six kitties again all along the same color spectrum as last time. They range from a peachy color to orange. When we got home the children discovered them. They were still wet, so they were very new. Today I noticed that they all have umbilical cords. New life is just an incredible miracle that never ceases to amaze me. Speaking of new life, I finally watched Lilly Faith's birth on video this past week. Can I say it brought tears to my eyes? What a precious gift she has been to us!

5. Lilly Faith is taking baby steps. She is just adorable to watch. She has been using every kind of step stool, toy car, bench, etc. that she can find to push around the house. She smiles when we carry on over her efforts to walk.

6. Over the summer I have been doing a study with the children highlighting different character traits we want to embrace as a family. We focus on one trait each week. This week we are talking about being content and not coveting what others have. These character building lessons have been convicting to my own heart as I try to disciple my children.

7. Have you ever changed your phone number and then changed it back to the original number? Well, that is exactly what we did this week. I'm telling you there is never a dull moment out here. We changed to get better internet service, but after changing the phone we were informed that the new company could not provide us with internet service. They had signed us up for it but then changed what they originally told us. So, we are currently down to only one working phone in the house until some wires are rearranged. Isn't that crazy??? Yea, life is crazy sometimes but we have a lot to be thankful for.

Seven Quick Takes

2011-07-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends, we have had a busy week as usual. Here is a seven quick takes for this past week:

1. Our precious baby girl turned one last Friday. Matt was able to take the day off, so that Annagrace and I could take Lilly Faith for pictures. She did great, and we got cute shots. After that we ate Chick-fil-a, and it happened to be cow day, so we received a free sandwich. I had to wear a cow hat to the register in order to qualify, but the girls loved the hat, and I loved the free sandwich.

2. Today we tried to take a family swim, but just as we got everyone into the pool it started thundering. Of course we got no rain, but Daddy wisely led everyone out of the water for safety. Therefore, we went upstairs and started the project of moving Lauren out of the little girl's room back into her own room. Abbie Joy recently started climbing the latter and took a fall this past week off of the latter. This resulted in a bad bruise on her leg. We decided we should separate the beds. It actually has worked out really nice. I think everyone was excited about the new arrangement.

3. I read this quote by C.S. Lewis and liked it, "If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad."

4. My husband is currently playing with my cell phone trying to decide which alarm to set so that I can wake up for VBS
tomorrow. He is having fun playing the different options. There is even a rooster sound that can wake you up or a woman singing, "Goodmorning." I opted for neither of those.

5. I am reading One Thousand Gifts by Anna Voskamp. It is a beautifully written book urging the reader to see all the beauty in the simple things. To cultivate a heart of gratitude and to see the things we often miss because we are too busy to notice. I have not finished but have been really moved by this book so far.

6. Matt and I are attending a Sunday School class on church history. Right now we are studying the church in the middle ages. It is very fascinating, and we are learning a lot. It helps to bring clarity when you understand the church through the ages and different heresies that have popped up over and over. It makes it easier to discern when those same heresies resurface in our current culture.

7. Want to know one of my favorite laundry tips? Dawn dishwashing soap lemon scent. That stuff is a miracle on oil stains. You can put some on a oil spot, let it sit, and then wash. It works miracles. Now that my oldest is a little baker I find tons of oil stains on her shirts. It is not a problem with my handy bottle of Dawn lemon scented dish soap. :) Have a good week, everyone!

Baby, How You Have Changed!

2011-07-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

My Sweet Baby Girl turned one today! It is hard to believe that one year ago today I cradled a newborn baby in my arms, and now that baby is trying to walk, trying to talk, and loves to get around. Her name is Lilly Faith, and I love to think of her as my sweet flower. My prayer is that, as she grows, she will "Spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere." – II Corinthians 2:14
Today Annagrace and I took her to the mall and had her picture taken. Here are a few shots as well as a picture from a year ago.

Remembering the First Year

2011-07-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

I am feeling a bit nostalgic tonight remembering that one year ago tonight I was preparing to get up the next morning and go into the hospital for Lilly Faith's induction. She will be turning one tomorrow. This year has absolutely flown by, and I love my baby girl so much. She adds such a sweetness to our family. Here are some pictures of her first year, and hopefully I will post more tomorrow.

2011-07-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

"AND YOU Will KNOW THE TRUTH AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE." - John 8:32

Happy Fourth of July! Today I spent time with my oldest and youngest daughters going shopping. After that I went swimming with my oldest. Tonight our dear Daddy grilled burgers for us, and we played outside. Due to the burn ban we made our own fireworks with silly string. We also enjoyed sidewalk chalk and LOTS of BUBBLES! Towards the end of the evening I enjoyed a walk up the road with my precious two year old. She is talking in full sentences and says the cutest things. Tonight she observed the cracks in the road and informed me that the road is broken. :) Happy Fourth to you all!

Seven Quick Takes

2011-07-03T19:03:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I did a Seven Quick Takes but here goes:

1. We are all SEVEN of us currently sniffly. Lilly Faith has been teething over the past week, and Daddy and Mama have had many rough nights. Now we all have a cold. It really makes you appreciate the times when the family is well.

2. After two estimates from two different companies we have decided to bite the bullet and have shutters put in all the windows. After a year of many windows with no coverings we are finally going to have privacy in our home. That is a good thing. I am grateful.

3. I have been reading through II Kings about the many kings whose hearts were not turned towards the Lord. Some of the kings did have hearts turned towards the Lord but did not tear down the high places. It makes me ponder our own christian culture and how many times we as believers love the Lord and yet still have "high places of idolatry in our lives." It is a good self check.

4. What has the Lord been teaching me lately? Well, I really think He is showing me that curriculum is a good, helpful resource in our homeschooling adventure but not the most important thing. If you look at Detuteronomy 6 it says, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul an with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them DILIGENTLY to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
This is what the Lord asks His people to teach their children; the ways of the Lord. I am finally realizing that God's Word should be the core of our curriculum that everything else flows out of. I have leaned too heavily on curriculum and worried too much about what curriculum I should purchase, etc. I have worried if I have not completed the whole program in its entirety. Many times we have rushed through Bible to get to "SCHOOL." The Lord is challenging me in this area and showing me that if we "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness ALL THESE THINGS will be added." Matt 6:33. In way of application I am finally seeing our time in God's Word, at the start of our day, as THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. We are taking that time to read His Word, work through character building books, sing our hymn of the week, and talk to God about what is going on in our family. Yes, it is taking time and perseverance to get through all of that when so many other things are calling, but I am finding it very rewarding. I am seeing fruit and encouraged by it.

5. Lilly Faith will be turning one year old on Friday. I do not know where the year went, but I do know that she is such a precious gift from the Lord. I love her gentle sweetness.

6. I have been reading the Duggars new book "A Love That Multiplies." There have been many very helpful and practical ideas in it. The thing I LOVE is their emphasis on teaching their children to love God, know His Word, and serve others. They are an amazing family, and the Lord has given them an incredible platform to share their faith with the world.

7. Some of our Crepe Myrtle trees and bushes have begun blooming this past week. We planted them after Christmas, and it is so exciting to see the beautiful blossoms. One of those little joys in life when we take the time to really see.

Have a blessed week, everyone!

Questions to Ponder

2011-07-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

There are clear cut, black and white areas in Scripture and then there are areas that are not so clearly defined. Sometimes it is hard to know where to land on those "gray areas."
I recently heard a message by John MacArthur that had some wise insights on how to discern right from wrong and how to make wise beneficial decisions. I thought I would share some of his points. He said it is good to ask the following questions when trying to evaluate what is wise and best.

Will It Be Spiritually Profitable?

"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything."

The question I should ask myself should not be, "Can I do this and get away with it. Rather I should ask, "Will this be spiritually profitable?"

The next question is, "Will this build me up?" Will this thing, activity, etc. build my spiritual strength? Some things are beneficial and some are just a waste of time. Life is short, so it is wise to use my time on things that build me up and further God's kingdom purposes.

"Will it slow me down in the race?"

"Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith." Hebrews 12:1-2

"Will it bring me into bondage?" Will this thing bring me into an imbalance in some area in my life or become an idol to me?

The answers to these questions may vary for different people and circumstances. These questions are a good guide on those gray areas where believers differ on their personal convictions. We can each take these questions before the Lord when evaluating any given situation or thing in question.

Teach them to Your Children

2011-06-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Deuteronomy 6:9

This verse from Deuteronomy is what we are trying to live out with our children as we live life with them from day to day. We are trying to point them to Jesus as we sit and as we work and as we learn......... ALL THROUGH THE DAY and in every situation we are trying to model the ways of the Lord and share the truth of God's Word at every opportunity. The days seem to be flying by so fast, and one week rolls into another week before I know what has happened. Honestly I feel like I have very little time to teach them all I want to teach them. I am looking for teachable moments even if it is a few minutes here and there.
One way I am trying to disciple my children's hearts is by grabbing them one on one even for a short while and reading through great christian books with them. Books that inspire greatness and godly character. We also enjoy reading biographies of great men and women of God. We sometimes do that as part of our schooling and all together.
Our days are so filled with activity, but we are trying to intentionally find those teachable moments in our busy and chaotic days. Here are some pictures of some of the things we have been doing lately. You can see the little girls spinning in their dresses, and the little girls enjoying the letter of the week preschool activities. I am trying to be more intentional about giving my little girls the first part of the school day, so that they know Mama has noticed them and given them some focused time. You can also see a sweet picture of Annagrace and Gabriel looking at a book together on the couch. These pictures illustrate some of what you might see if you were a fly on our wall.

A Portrait of Mama

2011-06-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

Recently we took a trip to children's museum. My sweet four year old daughter painted this picture of her Mama. :)

So Thankful for This Girl!

2011-06-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken several weeks back, but my baby girl is less than a month away from her first birthday! WHERE has this year gone to? The Lord has blessed us so much. I just have to say I totally HEART this little girl. She is so gentle and sweet. I am so thankful that the Lord has kept little babies in my life for over ten years now. As a little girl it was my dream to have a baby, and here I find myself having had five babies in the past ten years. The Lord has been good.
My baby girl is holding onto things and letting go and taking some steps holding my hand. She is getting strong on her legs. She likes to play patty cake and peek a boo. She also gets a lot of amusement from watching all the carrying ons of her siblings. She says Da Da and Ma Ma and brings lots of joy to our family. How my heart LOVES this precious gift from the Lord.
Looking back and remembering how early on in my pregnancy we thought we had lost her. The doctor said things were not looking good. Having been through a previous miscarriage we were certain that was the path we were going down again. How grateful I am that the Lord surprised us with a turn around in blood tests and allowed the pregnancy to carry on giving us another precious daughter.

Cousin Faith's Wedding!

2011-06-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

Two of our girls had the joy of participating in their cousin Faith's wedding. I first met Faith when she was a toddler and enjoyed watching her grow up in the church my dad pastored. I taught her Sunday school, piano lessons, children's choir, etc. One of my sweet memories of her is when she sang a solo of Happy Birthday Jesus in the church children's choir program at Christmas. She could really sing and still can! Well, fast forward a few years, and her Uncle Matt moved in with her and her family. He was moving to Houston to go to University of Houston. He was going to live with their family. Since they attended the church my dad pastored Matt began attending too. Well, if you haven't put the pieces together yet, Mat became my Dear husband several years later. :) My little student Faith became my niece Faith!
I have to say I am encouraged by Faith's godly example. She has served the Lord and grown in grace and character. She was home schooled and developed many skills in home making, music, crafts, etc. Our Lilly Faith is named after her. Faith also has a sister, Heather, who is also a lovely lady. Heather is a little older and was my friend who became my niece. :) Both Heather and Faith are precious to Matt and I. It was a joy for our girls to be included in Faith's special day. Here are some pictures from the big day.

A Trip to the Houston Zoo

2011-06-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

"O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. - Ps 104:24

It has been sooo long since I have posted anything on this blog. Life has just been crazy busy, and I have been snowed under and a bit sick. Looking back on these pictures revives my spirit to remember the sweet memories we created with our friends at the zoo. They were so sweet to go spend the day with us while our Daddy was traveling.
I think it is wonderful to go to the zoo and see God's great creativity in all the creatures He made. Such differentiation in size, color, behaviors, etc. There are many Biblical lessons we can teach our children from the world of nature. For example we can see the sloth and talk about how God does NOT want us to be lazy, or we can look at ants and talk about how they work storing up food for winter, etc.
Well, here are some pictures from our trip to the Houston Zoo.

A Bitter Sweet Goodbye

2011-05-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Our family has had the joy of watching a litter of baby kitties grow up. Our cat, Luv, delivered them in our attic garage where they lived until they were several weeks old. She did not want us bringing them down. We would try and she would pick them up and start putting them back. She was not a happy Mama when we moved her kitties.
Then the day came when we tried again and she was o.k. with it. She just wanted us to keep them in the garage, but they did not have to be hidden in the attic. The fun really began at this point when we all started spending lots of time watching them move around and get more and more adventurous and playful.
Eventually Luv decided that we could carry them out of the garage as long as they stayed close by. Also, I have noticed that she has spent less and less time hovering over them. As a mother it has been interesting to see her gradually release her hold on these little kitties. It made me think about parenting and how I am in the process of training my children and very gradually loosening my hold on them. The goal is to launch them out one day to do great things for God's kingdom. It has been interesting to see how that our cat has had this instinct to discern when the right timing is for releasing her kitties. I have to admit that I do not trust my own instincts about when to let go of my children. In fact I know I would like to hold onto them forever. I am thankful, however, that I do not have to rely on my own instincts, because I know I could be wrong. I am thankful for God's Holy Spirit and that I can boldly come to the throne of grace and find mercy in time of need. When I do not know what to do in parenting, which is most of the time, I can ask my Father in heaven and He will guide me each step of the way.
Well, today is a bitter sweet day for us. The children and I have been praying every morning for good homes for these kitties. We are thankful that the Lord has heard our prayer and that some of them are going to be picked up by some friends in our church later this evening. We have decided to keep the light colored one and are naming her Peaches and Cream. It will be sad to see this precious little family split apart, but we are very thankful that some of them are now going to have a good home. God answers prayer.

Growing Chickens

2011-05-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

One of my young man's evening chores is to feed and water the chickens. As stated in an earlier post we originally had four baby chicks, but two of them became dinner for our cat. Since that time our Daddy replaced the two we lost thus we have a size difference between our four chickens. The original two are getting really big, and the newer two are growing fast. We will be glad when they can permanently live in the chicken pen and not in the garage anymore. We will be really glad when we start getting farm fresh eggs. :)

A Confession

2011-05-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

My confession is this, "I Love the Goodwill Store." I am stunned at the deals I am finding there. Last weekend I found this smocked dress for Abbie Joy. I think I paid 2.99. Another great find was this Talbots shirt for Gabriel. It had tags on it indicating that it may have never been worn. Actually I have found several things that are brand new or in like new condition. Lilly Faith's christmas dress last year was 2.99 and looked brand new. It feels like a treasure hunt when I go in. Sometimes I come out with one thing while another time I will come out with bags full. It is just so fun to save money.

A Homeschooling Moment

2011-05-09T13:34:00.001-07:00

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise; homeschooling is HARD work. It has to be the most difficult job I've ever had but also incredibly rewarding. The Lord is gracious to give moments of joy when I see glimpses of fruit from what I am laboring to do day in and day out. My goals in homeschooling are far more than academic goals. I see being at home with my children and teaching them God's Word as my mission field. It is the place of ministry where the Lord has put me. Most moments call for faithfulness in my calling and are not warm and fuzzy. However, the Lord is good to give me encouragement and joy as I stay on the path of His calling for me. I will share that the longer I journey this path the more I am totally convinced I would have it no other way. I do love the privilege of spending time with my children and seeing the ordinary through their eyes day in and day out. I am learning so much through them. My character is being pruned and shaped, and I think it is often more for my sanctification than anything. Well, here is one of those ahh moments when the children were all lined up totally engrossed in a lesson with NO fighting or squabbling and no bad attitudes. You would think they were perfect little scholars. ;) I had them watching an art lesson on drawing dinosaurs. Look at the smile on Lauren's face.

More on Chore Packs

2011-05-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

As I shared in the last post we are busily working on training the children to do daily responsibilities. We are using the chore pack system as explained in the book, "Managers of Their Chores." The chore packs are filled with sequenced task cards that direct the children to do everything from getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc. to household chores. This last week Lauren learned to clean out and organize our fridge. It was wonderful to see her training Abbie Joy to work beside her. She had her little sister carrying things to the counter as she emptied the fridge. I was also encouraged to see Lauren's good sense in how she organized our food categories. After the girls finished the fridge they all found their places on the floor to work puzzles. I love sister pictures where all four girls are together. Lest all of this look too simple let me assure you that we are working VERY hard at this system. I am having to encourage the children along and show/inspect them in how chores are done properly. Honestly it is sometimes easier to do things myself, but I'm thinking about the long road ahead and how great it will be to have children who know how to work hard!!! This will pay off when they are older and have families of their own. We are laboring hard through this process, but I think it is worth the effort.

Working on our Chores

2011-05-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

Our family has been working on implementing a new chore system. It is from the book "Managers of Their Chores."
The book shows you how to set up individual chore packs for each child to help them move through their daily responsibilities. This past week was our first week with our new chore packs, and I know it will be an ongoing process of training the children and tweaking things as we go. It helps us, however, to have some kind of a plan in place. It is good for the children to learn to be more self sufficient in moving through their day. It has also been encouraging to see Annagrace and Lauren helping Abbie Joy learn to use her chore pack. Here are pictures of the children with their packs and learning to do some household responsibilities.

Our First Easter in our Home

2011-05-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pics showing our egg hunt on our property. I'm sure this will be a yearly event our children will want us to hide eggs on our property. We enjoyed having my parents, brother, sister in law and little niece over.

Some Favorite Shots from Easter 2011

2011-05-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite shots from Easter, and isn't that a short post? :)

A Sad Story

2011-04-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

Our Daddy brought home some baby chicks a few weeks back, and the children were ecstatic! There were four, so Lauren, Gabriel, Annagrace, and Abbie Joy quickly claimed and named one to be their very own. We have been carefully nurturing these little fluff balls and watching them grow. It has been a big priority to make sure they were carefully kept out of the reach of the cat. Unfortunately, we do not know how, the barrier separating the cat from the chicks was moved a bit allowing just enough room for the cat to get into the chick's lodging space. Much to our grief two of the chicks are no more. Our sweet cat made dinner out of Lauren and Annagrace's chicks. Let me suffice it to say that there were many tears at our house last Saturday. On a happier note, our Daddy is planning to get new chicks when they become available at the feed store again. Hopefully that will be Wednesday morning.

Our Garden

2011-04-24T17:45:00.001-07:00

We have been enjoying watching the vegetables in our garden grow. Matt worked extremely hard to plant a garden, and now we are all enjoying seeing the fruit as the food is growing rapidly. So far we have enjoyed a few radishes, as you can see from the salad picture. Also, we are enjoying some fresh cucumbers, and the children even enjoy munching on raw green beans. We are looking forward to much good produce to come. It is a great science lesson for us all to see the different stages of growth with each plant.

A Blessed Easter to You!

2011-04-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

I want to take a quick minute to wish our family and friends a blessed Easter Sunday. We did not have time to take family pictures before church, so we took these when we returned home this afternoon. For your amusement I am posting our silly picture along with the serious one. :)

Birds of a Feather

2011-04-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

I have learned the hard way that it is way too easy to become overcommitted with extracurricular activities that keep a family running. Many times these activities are wonderful opportunities but come at a high price to family life. Our family has had to learn to pull back and do less so that we can be home more. Some years back I found myself very stressed out because we always had to be somewhere, and I was running ragged. As our family kept growing it became harder and harder to keep up with that pace. The Lord had to basically hit me over the head and show me that I was too busy. I thought long and hard and realized that we could be missing the BEST at the cost of the GOOD. I decided that I did not want to be so busy that we never had time at home. I did not want to run so much that I was always an exhausted and stressed out Mama. We began slowly making some lifestyle changes and pulling back. This past year we pretty much went cold turkey and pulled out of everything. It was necessary as we transitioned into a new home and also had another baby. What a freeing and refreshing thing to not be bound by activities any longer. It is not that I am against activities; I am just saying that it is very easy for things to get out of balance. I am constantly going before the Lord and praying about the right balance for our family. I feel like more and more He is showing me that we need to be home a lot so that I have time to train the children and teach them to love and serve their family. One benefit is that the children learn to play together and to be each others best friends. Yes, we have plenty of sibling rivalry, but this is an opportunity for character training. The Lord has been training me all the while and teaching me to value time spent at home.
This past January I did prayerfully decide to allow Lauren and Gabriel to participate in a homeschool play. It was a great experience for them. I liked the fact that two children could benefit from the same activity. That always makes something more worthwhile than driving five children out for an activity that only benefits one child. Lauren was a parrot, and Gabriel was a woodpecker. The play was about differing traits of various birds. It was fun for our family to go watch them perform the play, and we were super proud of them. We may even participate in another play in the fall.

Swim Lessons 2011

2011-04-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

Every spring, for the past few years, we have taken swimming lessons at the Houston Swim Club. We love it there! The instruction is very good. The children have really enjoyed working their way up to the different levels. I am proud of my little fish for advancing again this year. Lauren made great strides. She went up two levels in two weeks. I am sure we will be back again next year as Abbie Joy and Lilly Faith still have not even started the program, and the others still have more levels to achieve.

Sister Dresses

2011-04-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

One thing we are focusing on around our home is following routines and training the older ones to help the younger ones. Even Annagrace got practice at this the other morning. I asked her to help Abbie Joy put on her dress. They went upstairs together, and to my delight they both came back dressed. I think Annagrace was happy that she had been able to help Abbie Joy. When a family reaches our size and everyone is home all day everyday learning teamwork is a must. I did way too much for Lauren and Gabriel just because I could. There simply is not enough of me to do everything anymore. I think it is healthy for everyone to learn to work and help one another. Annagrace and Abbie Joy are growing up in a different environment than Lauren and Gabriel for that very reason. They both love to help and to be praised for their work. Sometimes it is easier to try to do it all myself, but in the long run it is much more efficient to teach everyone to work hard and have a servants heart towards their family. Some days are better than others, but we are working very hard at this.

The Surprise Cake

2011-04-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

As I have been sharing in the last few posts, Lauren and I enjoyed a special birthday trip to the American Girl Doll store in Dallas. I had made prior reservations with the Bistro to give her the surprise birthday celebration. The waitresses came out and sang to her and delivered a real cake. They also gave her a gift sack with a t shirt for her doll and a plastic balloon for her doll to hold. It was so fun to see her surprise.
After eating we went to the doll hair salon. The line was LONG, but we finally got Samantha's hair styled. We also had Samantha's ears pierced. We concluded our trip by shopping. Lauren had been saving her money and earning extra money by odd jobs around the house and also for memorizing Scripture. The choices were hard as to what to buy. You would not even BELIEVE all the accessories and clothes etc. I hope it will be a trip she will always remember. It was a special time.
One other thing we really enjoyed about our trip was listening to some Focus on the Family Radio dramas on the trip there and back. That was a surprise for her as well. On our way I pulled out the cd dramatization of Anne of Green Gables. We laughed a lot listening to that. Then on the way back I pulled out the dramatization of the Hiding Place about Corrie Ten Boon. That story was much more sobering and extremely inspiring. She has listened to the cds over and over since returning home. I just love good resources like that which inspire greatness in my children. I love for them to learn about great heroes of the faith such as Corrie Ten Boon and missionary stories. We have found that stories on cd are a very effective way for our children to learn.

Yummy Bistro Treats

2011-04-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

Lauren and I really enjoyed the Bistro at the American Girl doll store. Their food was wonderful, and it was precious how a special chair was provided for her Samantha doll. One thing we really enjoyed was the conversation starter box. There was this cute little box with all kinds of random questions in it. We had to ask each other questions and answer them. Some were funny and some were just insightful. It really helped the conversation to flow between the different courses of our meal. I thought it was good bonding time.

American Girl Trip

2011-04-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

My sweet Lauren turned ten years old last month. She is such a precious daughter and does so much to help me with her younger sisters. I see such a sweet heart of gold in her and really wanted to do something special for her for her tenth birthday. I decided to take her on our first mother/daughter trip. We went to Dallas and visited the American Girl Doll store. It was the first time either of us had been. Here are some pictures of our trip. I love you, Lauren!

p.s. I just had to share the picture of the bathroom stall. Isn't that hysterical that they have a place for the doll even in the bathroom?

Bib Project

2011-04-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

I have recently taken a little time for some handiwork. I love to craft and sew but do not have much time for such amusements. I did carve out a little time recently and was really happy with these bibs for Lilly Faith. They are pretty simple to make. I just used a bib that she already had for an outline when cutting them out. They wash up really nicely too.

Eight Months

2011-04-03T06:20:00.000-07:00

Well, since Lilly Faith is days away from turning nine months it is due time I post her eighth month picture. You can see how much she is growing. She says Mama and Dada now. She is sooo sweet.

Different Faces

2011-03-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

To be quite honest I have really been challenged lately by a certain PRECIOUS little two year old in our family. This little doll has a very passionate personality. Can you tell from the pictures??? She is VERY HAPPY or VERY UNHAPPY and tends to alternate between those emotions very suddenly and dramatically. Matt and I have been worn slap out with all the training of this little person. She has been the most challenging two year old yet in terms of a strong will and passionate personality. We are wondering if she will ever learn, but for now we persevere in loving and training her through this season. She brings such incredible joy to us, and we trust the Lord has great plans for her. We hope she turns that strong emotion into a passion for the kingdom purposes of God.

Happy Tenth Birthday, Lauren!

2011-03-31T13:34:00.000-07:00

I do not know how it is possible, but Lauren turned ten this month. That means I have been a Mama for a decade!!! How time flies. Here are some pictures from her little celebration at home. Her big present was a mother/daughter trip to Dallas and the American Girl Doll store. Hopefully I will get a post up on that soon.
The picture of Lauren and Gabriel warms my heart. Gabriel was at Target with me and saw that hummingbird garden decoration. He asked me if we could get it for Lauren's birthday. He knew she would love it for the garden she was planning. What a sweet brother!

Zoo Pictures Continued

2011-03-31T13:25:00.001-07:00

Lauren and Gabriel had a fabulous time in the bird cage. It was so funny to see birds swarming around them and landing on their arms and heads. They REALLY liked the birds.

The Zoo

2011-03-31T13:08:00.000-07:00

Beatiful Flowers!

2011-03-10T11:35:00.000-08:00

Here is a continuation of pictures from our trip to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. We had such fun seeing all the variety there. We could have spent longer, but it began to rain on us while we were on the nature trail. We must have been a sight running with two strollers and three children on foot. We made it before the down pour but I was really worried for a while. We were way out on the trail when we first felt sprinkles. Praise the Lord He helped us get back in time.

San Antonio Botanical Gardens

2011-03-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

As I said in my last post, the Lord gave us an unexpected opportunity to create some family memories. Due to the bat invasion, we decided to evacuate our home for five days. The question was, "Where to go?" Well, Daddy was already planning on leaving for a conference in San Antonio. We decided to just go with him. All seven of us were crammed in one hotel room, but we brought sleeping bags and made it work. The children and I spent one day at the zoo and one day at the botanical gardens. The gardens were so much fun! It was beautiful, and spring had not yet arrived. I would love to go back and see the beauty in the spring time. We had fun going on a nature trail, walking through different sorts of gardens and habitats, etc. There was even a log cabin along a nature trail. It was really fun. After all the walking we had lunch in their lunch room and then visited the gift shop.
I am not one who has experience going into an unfamiliar city and driving around. The Lord took care of everything, however, as Matt had just recently discovered my GPS on my phone. I was able to type in zoo or botanical gardens and have step by step directions.
After three nights in San Antonio we drove back to our home, met the bat people so they could treat the house, and then drove to East Tx for two more nights away from home. We were up and down the road, and let me just remind you that none of this was planned for. The Lord really carried us through all of the last minute decision making, packing, and even sustaining me in health as I was still recovering from the flu. His grace is sufficient in time of need.
Yesterday Lauren even wistfully said how she was missing San Antonio. We will have sweet memories of our unplanned for vacation. :)

Never a Dull Moment

2011-03-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

Well, as we were recovering from viruses, poison ivy, and the flu we had a visitor arrive at our house. Would you believe this scary fellow got into the house while I was out grocery shopping and Matt was watching all five children? Not only that, but Matt was in the process of bathing the little girls when Lauren and Gabriel ran upstairs screaming the announcement of our visitor. Matt, my wonderful batman, corralled all the children to safety, got the bat locked up in the schoolroom and then proceeded to do business with him. Thankfully Matt won the battle. As a result of bats inhabiting our attic, our family of seven went on a last minute unplanned trip for five days. More about that in a future post................God uses all things for our good and His glory. Even in the midst of all the stress and exhaustion we had some fun unplanned for times during our time away.

True Woman | Ten Indications That We Need Revival

2011-03-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

True Woman | Ten Indications That We Need Revival

Little Red Wagon

2011-02-19T17:47:00.000-08:00

We first purchased our red wagon when Annagrace was little. She LOVED it! Then Abbie Joy came along and has taken great delight in it as well. I can't believe we did not have a wagon until child number three. It has been one of the greatest things ever! Well, just a couple days ago Lilly Faith took her first ride, and she also really took to it. I love these pictures of my three stair step little girls all riding together in the pajamas. They did not get dressed that day due to us having the flu. I just love these photos.

Look Who Is Baking

2011-02-19T17:42:00.000-08:00

Lauren is almost ten and really blossoming in her home making skills. This past week she made french bread from scratch. The loaves turned out beautiful! I told her that I have never done that in my life, and she has learned at nine. It is fun to have a little helper with the domestic responsibilities and to see her trying new things.

Things I am Thankful For:

2011-02-19T17:28:00.001-08:00

Over the past four weeks we have had a bad virus, poison ivy, and drum roll please, the flu! Our family has been very sick. It has been a tremendous blessing to us to see how friends and church family have rallied around us to meet felt needs. We have had a fun care package dropped off on our porch, some lotion for the poison ivy delivered to our door, popsicles for the children brought over, meals night after night.......... We are deeply humbled at how people have loved our family through this illness. It was a great opportunity for us to remind the children that this is what the Body of Christ looks like loving and caring for each other. I've posted some pictures below of my sick little ones and of some of the blessings we received.

2011-02-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

I find it funny when people ask me at what age I start homeschooling. The reason is because Adams Homeschool literally starts in the womb. Our method of schooling involves tons and tons of reading good literature. Stories that inspire, bring hope, establish a foundation of truth, and point to a christian world view are priceless. So, my little pupils hear hours of reading while in the womb and then hear hours of reading once they are born. As you can see, in the picture below, we have lots of hands on activities to keep little hands occupied while we read, I cook, help older children etc.

Although we do start early, I do not think we are ready for this yet. :) The children found their Daddy's graduation cap and could not resist the temptation. :) Thus the life of the fifth baby.

2011-02-14T17:55:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's from our very under the weather family. We have been battling illness for about three weeks. We are currently on round two which has hit everyone much harder. It appears to be viral and not the flu, but it is a nasty sickness whatever it is. Our Valentine's day was not as we planned, but we tried to make the best of it anyway. In the pictures below you can see the medicine I prepared for Matt to help with his fever and also the trail of hearts he prepared to lead me to a huge display of roses. What a sweet husband I have. We also bought heart shaped pizzas from Papa John's. That was something different and fun. We would appreciate prayers for healing in our family. It is a challenge when both Mama and Daddy are running fever and most of the children are sick. Lauren is thankfully finally on the mend. The rest of us are not so good. Even so we are thankful for the love of our Savior and for our family. I am thankful Matt was able to stay home with me today.