Sunday smiles to you!
I am sorry I went AWOL.
I was sick for about a week and then Ladybug and Doodlebug were sick for a few days and then I spent several days getting ready for Osprey to come home on Spring Break!
We cleaned out the extra room for two of Osprey's friends and Rivergirl and Amanda (my several-times-per-week helper) made cheese cake.
He was able to ride with three friends from college and arrived home Friday evening. His friends spent the night here so they could get a fresh start on Saturday morning. They still had 10 hours to go..bless their hearts!
Friday night we had a fun time eating pizza and talking. They were also kind enough to play music for us! It really was one of the happier times of my life! The three visitors were all polite and charming and played with, held, sang to, and read to my littles. We heard a sweet version of Jesus Loves Me in piano, saxophone and guitar. They have officially earned a place in this mama's heart! :-)
I probably won't be posting very much this week since Osprey is here. I'll be spending a lot of time with him. But I'll try to tell all about our week eventually.
This afternoon we are scheduled to go get his senior portraits taken in a neighboring town. He's dreading it a little (too much fussing and ordering about) and I'm really looking forward to it.
have a sunny day!

Labels: Another Day, Family, Holidays and Celebrations

Here we go...headed into the weekend again!
Since I do my grocery shopping on Thursday's I am usually ready for hubby's request for food on Friday mornings. This morning I baked some biscuits and cooked some eggs with cheese on top to make biscuit sandwiches.
His lunch and coffee were ready. The children kissed him and we waved him off to work with smiles.
Ahhh! I love it when a plan comes together!

Yesterday was grocery day. I admit that grocery shopping is not a favorite activity of mine. I have read some blogs where they give the feeling that if they had no other obligations in life they would stand around in the grocery aisles calculating their savings until they were forced to go home and sleep.
I have no such desire. Don't get me wrong. I love to help my husband save money. l love to feed my family. I love to plan my menus. I just don't relish the time spent in the grocery store; especially if I have to go to Stuff Mart for some reason. When I emerge from Stuff Mart I feel like a mole coming out of the ground. My eyes hurt in the sunlight and I have to squint and scurry to the car. My brain gets on some sort of short circuit where I can't hear anything but loud white noise...the mix of unpleasant music, babies crying, registers clicking and hundreds of people talking. I also feel like I've been gone from regular society for an unknown amount of time. Like a time traveler that no one knows was gone. The crackling noise in my head has to die down before I can understand normal people talking again. It's very disconcerting to be on the sidewalk in front of the mammoth store that just stole a large chunk of my life and then have my phone ring....
Ring!
Me: Uh, Uhm...He..He...Heellllooo?
Daughter: Mom, when are you coming home? I mean, I hope you aren't coming home yet. I'm having fun doing crafts and I don't want to clean it up yet. The babies took their diapers off and broke some stuff....but it's fine..." Her voice trails off.
I try to answer with English but my mind is running on some kind of holding pattern and it takes a few words to get into gear.
Me: "Uhhh... I just... coming... out store... I can't...uhhhmmm... remember where I parked.... How long have I been gone anyway?"
It usually takes me 15 minutes or so to shake the side effects.

I am very pleased to say, however, that yesterday I did not have to visit Stuff Mart! I went to Kroger, which is a notch or 2 better. They were having one of their regularly scheduled 10 for 10 sales. I can do those. I can stock up on essentials and basics while the prices are low. In fact I absolutely love to do that. I have shopped for this family for more than 19 years. So I pretty much know what we need, I use a list to remind me of what is on the menu but for essentials I already know the list in my head. Yesterday, my cart was loaded with bags of onions (3 lbs for a dollar isn't too bad) and other basics. You gotta watch those sales though! They try to trick you into buying something for a dollar a can -just because it has a bright yellow sticker declaring 10 FOR 10 DOLLARS-!!!...when the brand right next to it is only 75 cents per can at regular price!

I made it out of there with all the groceries for this week plus lots of stuff for the coming month and I spent less than my budgeted grocery amount! Hurray! That means I have a teensy bit of money to use on something else. Like, add to my envelope of savings for a few new school books that I hope to purchase.

Late last night Osprey called. He has to call late because he's so busy right now that he has no other time slots available....I remember being young...
Anyway, we were up late talking about stuff...you know...plans for life and next year --college? no college? ...jobs, classes and grades and also, he's planning to go on a school organized mission trip to Peru this summer for which he has to raise his own support. I'm just getting used to him being in another state and now he wants to go out of the country for more than a month ...somebody help me breathe...my baby isn't a baby anymore...

Labels: Another Day, Family

This past weekend Osprey got to come home for a short visit.
My parents had some meetings to attend in a nearby town so they brought him and dropped him off on Friday.
It was so wonderful to have him home! We got to hear him play guitar (we've been missing that sound) and just visit and laugh a little.
The time went too quickly and we took him back to the town where my parents were staying on Sunday. We had a nice visit there too and I got a great picture of my five kiddos under a tree behind my grandparents house (their backyard opens into a park).

Ahhhh! Isn't this happy?!

Labels: Family, News

I have been asked to share a little about our family planning belief's...or non-beliefs :-) or 'quiver full' convictions.
So I will attempt to share our story gently and respectfully. I have avoided this subject in the past because it seems to me that most people are not interested in change. When God begins to work on someone's heart He tugs at it and they respond. He doesn't need me to argue them into something. So...this is not meant to be a persuasive paper or a judgment on those with different beliefs. This is just our story. I DO hope it inspires someone to else to trust God with their family size. :-)

I was growing up in the 70’s and 80's-- when it was not typical for the mother to be home with her children--except at my house. :-) My own sweet mother was there for us in the home, always waiting to hear our tales and always ready to pray with us. She taught me that a woman's greatest calling is to be the helpmeet to her husband and a stay at home mother to her children. From a very early age I dreamed of having a large family (I loved the Walton's television show!). Perhaps I was able to dream of the joys of a large family because my own mother and father made our family life such a joy.

Through the passage of time and thanks to the world's excellent brainwashing program, I came to believe that more than 3 or 4 children were an 'irresponsible and burdensome' thing for people to have. Sadly, Christians in the church had bought into the same lifestyle as the world and were now passing it on to the younger generation.

My husband and I married with the agreement that we would have only 2 children. But...deep in my heart I knew it couldn't be wrong to love children and have more of them.
When our second child was about 3 years old I picked up the book "Full Quiver" at a local homeschool book table and began reading. That's when I discovered that my desire to be blessed by children was put there by God! Amazing! The new problem I faced was the fact that my hubby did not share my conviction and in fact, had never desired or been open to us having a large family. Thankfully, the Lord had already worked on my heart and showed me how important it was to respect my husband and his leadership of our family.

After a few weeks of prayer and SERIOUS Bible study, I went carefully to my husband and shared with him about the tugging at my heart. I did not ask him to change his mind. I did not tell him I demanded more children. I simply told him that my convictions about birth control had changed, but that my desire to honor his decision in the matter was more important than anything else. I explained that no matter what he decided I would be respectful, and more than that, I would be happy! After all, I figured if this really was God's call to us that he could change my hubby's heart whenever and however He wanted.
I dropped the subject and went on with my life as though nothing had changed, simply trusting God to do His will. I knew it would be a true miracle if my hubby ever changed his mind! Ask anybody who knew him then and they would tell you the same thing. "He'll never change on that one!"

After about 2 months my Hubby announced to me that God had changed his heart. :-)
I was excited!
I was scared!
What if we started having babies every 9 months?! Oh my goodness! What had I gotten myself into? I should never have studied the Bible like that! I should never have picked up that Full Quiver book!

Oh, how patient God is with us and how much we have to learn.
It was a long time--years-- before I conceived another child. Of course we were overjoyed and began planning where we could fit a little bassinet into our tiny home. Part way into the pregnancy however, I miscarried. The grief was very real. My heart ached and my arms longed to hold the tiny bundle and how I wished I could've touched the baby soft cheek.
Again, it was a long time before I conceived, and again...the baby went to be with Jesus before I ever held it in my arms.

Through these trying years God was teaching us more. We learned that letting God plan your family means that you trust Him no matter what. My dear husband reminded me that it's not right to attempt to 'twist God's arm' to give us more children! What a revelation! It turns out that WE don't make babies! GOD does! WE don't get to add children unless God WANTS us to! He doesn't necessarily want every family to be as large as the Duggar family...though there are many large families out there. Some families that are trusting God with their family size still have no children and some have just one or two. You'd be surprised! God actually has a plan...He doesn't just hand out babies willy nilly...hmmmm...thinking, thinking, thinking... I guess God is smarter than me?!!! :-D Why does it take so long for me to grasp the simple and the obvious?

Waiting and trusting was hard for me. I am one of those people who likes to jump all the way into something. When I decide something should be done, I want to do it yesterday and I want to do it big! I had to learn trust and patience.

When our second child was 7 years old I got pregnant again. This time I carried the pregnancy full term and the baby was born on my daughter's 8th birthday! Please don't tell me that is a coincidence. I don't believe in coincidences. Because I am a Christian I have given God permission to direct every area of my life. I know He does! The stories I could tell...but I won't right now ... :-)

After about 2 years I got pregnant again....and miscarried for the third time. By this time I knew that God had a plan for our family that was unique, just as each of us is unique. I felt a deep sense of trust and joy. No, I wasn't happy to lose another baby...joy is a sense of peace, not just surface happiness.

When our 3rd child was 3 years old God blessed our family with twin girls! Double blessing!
We have been given so much! And right now I am very busy!

There is so much that God has taught me over the years that it's hard to sum it all up here.
I have learned some very important lessons.

1. God doesn't make mistakes.
2. As a Christian, I need to be responsible to train the children God gives 'in the way they should go' or they will cease to be a blessing and instead be a burden...as children are for so many families who aren't Christians.
3. When God gives a child, He gives the means to care for that child...our financial picture improves every time God sends us a new baby (or 2!)
4. I believe that other people's fertility and marriage bed is their own business, as long as they are not aborting babies-which is wrong!
I share our story with those that are interested but I believe it is rude to inquire after another couples private life--unless that inquiry is because you are genuinely interested in changing your own perspective. Meaning--I don't care to have people try to talk me OUT OF trusting God with my family size. I pray that God will inspire people to trust Him through our lives but I NEVER look down on anyone who does not share our convictions and I don't want to be looked down on either. The door goes both ways. I know God is big enough to speak to His own kids when or if He sees fit--just like He spoke to us. I just hope that more people will listen because it's an AWESOME thing to be blessed so much!
5. I discovered through research that many of the 'dangers of having children' were myth's. Especially the ones about older mothers. Please don't try to engage me in an argument here. I don't want to argue. If you disagree with me that is your own choice. If you are not sure or have fears about childbearing. Do some research. I'm not talking about reading conventional reports. I mean REAL research. The kind where you look at actual statistics and find the real info... It's not as bad as we've been told!
6. The more you have the more love there is to go around! And the less selfish every member of the family becomes!
7. Out of all the families that God has blessed with many children I don't see any of them wanting to send any of the children back! :-)

I hope that God chooses to bless us with more children. But if He doesn't, I'll still be fine with that. I so dearly love each one He has given us and I trust His plan.


“And He said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee
for my strength is made perfect in weakness, most gladly therefore
will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power
of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:
and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;
so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them:
they shall not be ashamed,
but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."
(Psalm 127:3-5 KJV)

Edited to add:
Even though I do not make it a habit to inquire after other people's private practice that does not mean they should be unaware of the dangers of birth control methods.

Birth control pills, Depo-Provera or Norplant can cause abortions -go here to read about it.
IUD's cause abortions- go here to read more.

Food for thought:
If we , as Christians, are so sure that God made us? and that God is the giver of life, and that God doesn't make mistakes, and that we cannot force God to do anything...then why oh why are we so sure that it is US alone who makes those babies happen? Where is God in that equation? How in the world does a precious little spirit get delivered into that tiny body if God doesn't want it to? We know that Satan is not a life giver so the only other alternative would be ourselves...are we really THAT powerful? I have even heard well meaning but very confused young wives say.."oh dear...I think I made a mistake ...we shouldn't have got pregnant right now!" No, no, no, YOU did not make a mistake...you did what God expects every married couple to do and then He blessed you for it! YOU do not have the power to make the baby...just the fun of helping the True Creator of Life! :-)

Labels: Family, More About Me

I want to share a post with you today that was written by
Melynda @ Our Blessed Arrows blog.
She gave me permission to share this here. Enjoy!
After you finish here I encourage you to stop by Melynda's blog and make a new friend.
She has a great blog full of wonderful posts like this one.

How To Do It All

I am asked a lot, "How do you do it all?"

I am just superwoman. That is all. I have been gifted with 48 hour days, self-cleaning floors, and brainiac kids who just LOVE to do school work and get all the chores done.

Yeah right, If only!

Actually, I don't even know what 'it all' is. I guess the accomplished stay at home, homeschooling mama would be up by 5am to feed the baby and get her day started, read her Bible and pray for 1 hour every morning, have a spotless house, no dishes in the sink, kids with fresh hair cuts and unstained, rip-free clothing.
This woman would always look put together, wear a spotless apron in the kitchen, along with high heals. Her hair would be washed and done, her makeup flawless, her finger nails would shine like justice and she would have the fragrance of a rose. Pregnancy would never slow her down or add pounds to her backside.
She would have 3 fresh cooked meals ready at perfect intervals each day, served hot and on good china at the dining room table. She would serve super healthy, homemade snacks at least twice a day with fresh milk from the family's dairy cow and in the kitchen you would find no sign that cooking was ever done, with the exception of the bread dough, made with freshly ground wheat, rising in a warm oven.

An accomplished mama would sew all her kids clothes with the precision of a professional seamstress and laundry would never pile up anywhere. All clothes would be pressed perfectly and organized by color in each child's drawer. All socks would have their matches.
She could wrangle a snake, catch a mouse, and change a tire. An unexpected event in her day wouldn't cause her to detour. She would reset her schedule and get back to work, not missing a beat.

This mom would have a strict schedule, in 15 minute increments, posted on her bathroom mirror to keep her from any dilly dally, along with a memory verse reminding her not to be lazy, though she will find time for tea and a good book sometime in the afternoon.

Not a spec of dust would be found in the accomplished mom's home, nor an out of place toy. Carpets would always have those fresh vacuum lines and floors would shine, freshly mopped. Not a pile of newspapers nor bills will be spotted and electrical cords coming to and fro will be invisible to the naked eye.

The sounds in her house would be either silence, Christian music, or the piano, of which all her children would be exceptional at. Her kids would be math whizzes, never complain, and get everything done in the time allotted. They would wash their hands and behind their ears regularly, their teeth would always be brushed, and their hair freshly combed.

Her husband would come home to a house that smelled nice, a beautiful woman who was there to wait on him, well groomed kids, and a yummy dinner. Mama would put the kids to bed at 8 with no fussing or whining and stay up with her husband for a few hours and have 'mommy & daddy' time. They would be fast asleep by 10 so they could be up by 5am the next morning to do it all again.

In the words of Elizabeth Bennet, "I never saw such a woman. Surely she would be a fearsome thing to behold."

Expecting yourself to be the picture of the woman I described above is silly. We can never hope to accomplish that. To think we should expect ourselves to always be perfect in everything will leave us feeling discouraged and hopeless. We will end up tired and unable to be the mothers and wives we ought to be.

First: Ask your husband what things he would have you get done first in your day. Make a list of the things that make him feel good when he comes home and work on perfecting those.
Second (and maybe this should be first): Get your kids in line. Children that obey are much happier and happy kids make happy homes. When you have a child who fusses when you tell him "no candy" it dampens the mood of your home. But when your child says, "okay" when you say no and he runs off to play you will see an improvement in the overall feel of your days. Your child is happier knowing his boundaries. He didn't have to fuss or whine for anything. He was able to move on and happily go about his business.
Third: Decide what is truly important and what is just a small thing. Remember that you aren't a robot and neither are your kids. You are all different. Teach your kids how to get their jobs done, even jobs they don't like, and then let them tweak the way they do it to suit themselves. Doing it all yourself won't help your children learn anything but laziness, but making them do it exactly as you would will only teach them disdain for helping out with jobs they must learn to do, and it will be a pain in your tush because you will be frustrated and constantly re-doing everything.
Fourth: Don't freak out when things don't go exactly as planned and don't look at it as getting 'backed up'. Feeling backed up will cause discouragement. Just make a written plan and start again. If that doesn't work, make a new written plan. Don't go back and look at how unsuccessful you have been.

You may think from reading my blog that I am put together and I get everything done. That isn't quite true. Actually, far from it, I just don't blog about my faults too much.
I have the child rearing thing down and we try to take an easy going approach to life - those things do make my days stress free. However, my home is not the picture of perfection. Here are a few confessions for those of you who don't 'see' me in homemaking action.

My kids may get the laundry done, and I may get up, get dressed, and make my bed every morning, but you should see the dust on my ceiling fans and shelves. I have small boxes where I hide stuff when surfaces get too junky. I am queen of the swipe and stuff, taking everything off the desk and throwing it into a box. The desk is instantly clean! But then I have this box sitting around needing to be gone through.

My flooring is made up of baby toys and Match Box cars and our schooling area is usually littered with ripped up crayon wrappers.
My walls need washing and pictures need to be straightened.
I am really bad at remembering to wipe down my appliances and my baseboards probably haven't been washed in a year.

There is more but, alas, I am done poo-pooing myself. I do pretty good for a mama of 6 and, since my main goal is a stress free home, a happy husband and smart, happy kids I think we are right on track.
So, work I must on those things needing my attention but when I don't get it all done I just think back to the wise words of Miss Scarlett O'Hara.
"I can shoot straight, if I don't have to shoot too far."

No, wait, wrong quote.

"Fiddle dee dee... I won't think about it now, I'll think about it tomorrow, when I can stand it. After all ... tomorrow's another day."

Posted by Mel

Labels: Family, Household Helps, Inspirations, Woman to Woman

Conversation with 5 year old at supper last night:

Me: Honey, you need to eat the rest of your stew.

Him: Sigh...My tummy hurts...I'm not hungry...buuurp...

Me: See! You'll be fine. Just eat your stew.

Him: (very high pitched and sincerely distressed voice) I caaaann't! My tummy is running out of gas.

Labels: Family, Just for fun

The mother, not as young now, placed her basket on the floor.
She brushed her slightly graying hair back and tiptoed to the door.
She pushed gently into the girls' room and sighed with deep content.
The three of them lay quietly under moonlights gentle slant.

Though sound asleep, the laughter seemed to dance around their eyes
and the sounds of sweet innocence was heard in their sleepy sighs.
She looked in amazement at the dimples and the curls
and tonight, like every night, she thanked God for her three girls.

After praying prayers for safety, for sweet dreams and peaceful slumber
she closed the door and turned to face another room of wonder.
The walls held dog posters and models of hot rod cars,
The floor was littered with legos and books about the stars.

There, asleep on a small bed was a darling little boy.
In his fist he clutched his newest favorite toy.
She watched awhile and said a prayer, then turned to her right.
She saw another bed, still made, not being slept in tonight.

As she sat on the edge of his bed
Her heart was filled with cheer
Her boy had gone to college.
That's why he wasn't here!

While the happy thoughts rolled onward,
There came another thought from deep.
This one wasn't welcome.
She pushed it down, she choked it back.

It fought it's way upward ~ it must emerge.
"What if he never comes home? Is he grown enough? How absurd!
Of course I've trained him for this day. I know that he'll be fine.
But of all the preparations I made, I see now...I forgot mine."

She didn't know it would hurt like this,
This time of letting go.
How do other mother's do it?
Their pain doesn't really show.

Her fingers clutched the bedspread tightly
as the tears began to flow.
She glanced again at the little one across the room.
Her heart said "No! No! No!
Please don't take my babies, Time...
Please don't make them grow!"

She cried a little more
Then her mind began to quiet.
She started to breathe slow.

A small voice reminded her of another time,
A time long ago.
She remembered when her own mother had let her daughter go.

She hadn't understood then
What a mother's heart could hold,
But she understands it now
And she values it like gold.

Isn't this what she'd been working for?
A young life beginning to bloom?
The tears subsided and her smile returned.
"God be with you tonight son"
She whispered to the room.

by Sunydazy D. Johnson 2008

Thank you Lord for the opportunity to mother the children you send into our home. Thank you for the grace to walk through each difficulty, each trial...and rely on you every step of the way. And thank you most of all for leading these young ones into a life of service to you Our Great King. Guide them and protect them Father.
In Jesus Name,
Amen

Labels: Family, Inspirations

Sigh...My oldest chickie has flown the nest...:-)

After much family prayer, discussion, more discussion, more prayer and a lot of thinking, Osprey has decided to stay with his grandparents in a neighboring state and attend college part time while he finishes up his senior home school work.

He went to stay with them for a couple of weeks vacation after Christmas.
While there, it was brought to his attention that he could attend a few classes part time at the Christian college where my father teaches....after that, it was a whirlwind of phone calls and emails and finally, a decision was reached.

This is a new place for me. I am so happy that he gets this opportunity and yet I miss him sooo much! I sent him a care package the first day I knew he was staying there. Hubby just chuckled at me.

Now I have the fun of going through his room and packing up all the things he will be needing this semester. I imagine I'll be able to considerably lighten the load of 'stuff' in this house!

We'll be traveling to take him his things next week and I think I'll get some kind of 'closure' on the idea of him growing up and leaving home. I am beyond pleased that he gets some special time with his grandparents. They are wonderful, Godly people. They have a lot of wisdom and I know he'll benefit from this time with them.

If I could have seen this part of my life ahead of time I would not have believed it! :-) I never dreamed I'd be caring for 2 year old daughters while teaching a five year old his letters, while helping a thirteen year old cope with hormones and letting my seventeen year old go...all at once!

Life is an adventure!

Labels: Family, News

Today is Sunday...the day we have set aside as a Sabbath. We traditionally have varied the day's activities but tried to always maintain a restful pace and a family atmosphere. As a child I remember roast beef lunches and long naps... I often serve sandwiches or some other simple fare. We do lots of reading and some napping. I think each family should develop their own traditions and then stick with them as much as possible. You won't regret the rest or the memories you make!



I don't remember what study it was ...but I know there was one that showed that a person increases their life span by resting every seventh day...and even work animals work harder and more efficiently and live longer when given a day of rest every seventh day.

Just a reminder: keeping a Sabbath day is one of the ten commandments...:-)

Labels: Another Day, Family, Household Helps

The early morning quiet times are special to me. Partly because I have them so rarely. If I wake up then so will someone else. My children, especially the younger ones, have an uncanny ability to know when I am having quiet time. :-) They zero in on the tiniest sounds...like a coffee cup clinking...and here they come. Always ready for food, hugs and another day of play.

This morning I had the briefest time of quiet. A few moments to collect my thoughts and enjoy the blissful silence.
I started looking around and pondering what it was that I enjoyed so about mornings like this. As I looked around the room I smiled at the sights that greeted me...

Rocking horses waiting in readiness for their next ride across the prairie...



The basket full of dolls and stuffed animals anticipating their next hugs and kisses and rockings in the rocking chair...



The box overflowing with trucks and tractors and cars...soon to be lined up in endless traffic jams and driven round and round in the make believe town...



Stacks and stacks of well worn story books eager to be grasped by chubby fingers and pages turned clumsily searching for that next familiar picture...



Way too many art supplies, here , there, and everywhere...made to be squeezed in little fingers to draw and paint those amazing works of art that adorn the refrigerator...



Letters on the wall soon to be copied and studied by preschoolers wanting so badly to be able to read all by themselves...


Colorful wooden beads strung on colorful wire..happy to wait their turn to provide endless hours of entertainment to 'oh so serious' toddlers...



And of course...for me...the pretty coffee mug...:-) hot and steamy for hands to be cupped around it in an effort for mommy to wake up with the rest of the world...


My quiet time didn't last long this morning...but that's ok...I was ready for the sleepy little heads...and they were ready for loving each other.

Labels: Another Day, Family, Favorite Things

Just wanted to share a couple of pictures of the Ladybug and Doodlebug. There is so much sweetness in their little lives.

They don't always share this well! But this day they were quite generous with one another.


Here they have just given up and gone to bed without being tucked in.
Apparently I was unaware of how tired they were that day!


Lot's of Love!

Labels: Family

A happy homeschool moment:

Big Sister teaching Little Guy to write letters.

Labels: Another Day, Family, Homeschool

To see more Wordless Wednesday entries go here: Wordless Wednesday

Labels: Family, Wordless Wednesday

Today we celebrate 19 years of marriage! We met almost 21 years ago in the fall.
The following summer he paid my way to the Northwest to meet his family and he asked for my hand in marriage.
We were married the following summer after a long year of separation while he earned some money and I devoted a little more time to be with my family, especially my parents.

It has been a long and difficult road, as those of you who are married will understand! But the rewards are worth the effort.
True love is an act of selflessness and serving. We have both grown so much through the years, and are still doing so now.

Just this last week I found myself feeling selfish and grumpy. I was unkind...to many members of my precious family. I am so sorry when I do these things but I know that because of love..of my dear heavenly Father, I can be forgiven. I am so grateful that my dear husband is forgiving of my weaknesses and faults and my children are so gracious.

Yesterday, our oldest son treated the whole family to a lovely breakfast at Cracker Barrel as an anniversary gift. Wasn't that sweet? We had to wait for quite a while to get a table so we all enjoyed looking around...as we always do... at that lovely store.
I saw a set of salt and pepper shakers that were so adorable. A darling old couple with rosy cheeks and gray hair and hats. She in a long dress and he in overalls...and they are kissing! Loved it! I just wish I had a photo to share. We didn't buy them but enjoyed looking at them immensely! I told Hubby that it was us in a few years...he smiled at that.

I love that dear man. He is strong and true to his convictions. He takes care of us and forgives us and smiles at our silliness. He is very funny and keeps me laughing. He has been my best friend for so long and always will be.

I need to go now and wash and fold clothes and supervise the children's activities and make our home a bit more welcoming for dear hubby to come home to this evening. Today, in celebration of true love, I plan to bake a special cake for the family to enjoy after supper.

I hope you have a day of sunshine and smiles...I plan to.

~~And now abide faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.~~

~~Love doesn't grow on trees like the apples in Eden-
it's something you have to make.
And you must use your imagination.~~
-Joyce Cary

Labels: Family, Holidays and Celebrations

This is beautiful....
~~Return of the Daughters~~

As I watch this my eyes fill with tears of joy. God is moving on the hearts of His people.
This has always been our vision and dream for our daughters.
Their website is a treasure chest for young women desiring to serve God in their homes. Please take a little time to visit Visionary Daughters.


This is beautiful too. In a different kind of way. The Godly young people of this generation have a lot to fight for and a lot to stand against..but more than anything they have a lot going for them...


The Rebelution is a website you should visit often if you've got teens in the house. If you've never heard of it before get over there quick and do some reading. What are you waiting for?

Labels: Family, Inspirations

Recently my oldest child (Osprey- my 17 year old son) and I and Dear Hubby have been having some long serious talks. It's that time in Dear son's life when there are new challenges and difficult decisions to be made--especially regarding his future. We have hours of talking and prayer behind us and probably many more hours ahead of us. During these talks we alternate between very happy and a little frustrated and sad (that's me-- because my baby is growing up--when did this happen?).
However, I am so excited to see him maturing and I want to help launch his life into whatever God has planned for him.

This is an excellent time for me to offer him great words of wisdom gleaned through the years.
The following is a list emailed to me by my Aunt that captures some of the wisdom of the ages! ;-).
You've probably seen some of these before. I believe that some of these are quotes that could be credited to particular people but I don't have that info. If you know who said any of these let me know I'll be glad to add credit where credit is due.
I hope these help you smile like they do Osprey and I.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon,
and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet,
just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good
if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be
recalled by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to
others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time,
because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way,
you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you.
The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world,
but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are
pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are
different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

and this one is a quote from Yours Truly:
*Don't try to carry God's galvanized wash tub of responsibility...he has a
little colorful plastic pail and spade for you...take it and go.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30

Labels: Family, Just for fun, Quotes

Today is my Dear Hubby's birthday. Happy Birthday wonderful man! I love you dearly! I'm proud of you as a Christian, as a husband and as a father.

Sometimes he likes to have a celebration with friends but usually he prefers to do something on a smaller scale. A nice dinner with his little family and a cheesecake or peanut butter pie will be just the thing!

So today I will be cooking a brisket and making BBQ sauce and we'll set the table with a red and white checkered cloth and have fun guitar music on the stereo when he arrives home from work. I'll dress all the littles in overalls and the bigger kids and myself can wear denim and red and white. He should get a smile or even a chuckle out of his home welcoming crew!

I have been trying to figure out a birthday gift for him over the past few weeks and couldn't come up with any satisfactory ideas. We are in the process of de-materializing our lives and so there are no things that he actually wants. But last night I discovered the perfect gift! Hurray!

He had to go to town to price materials for a job bid and asked me to go along (I love knowing he likes my company even if looking at hinges and lumber is not my favorite pastime :-)) On the way he told me that he would love to start working out at the local Rec. center like we used to do. I hem-hawed a little because there is nothing fun to me about working out on equipment in a crowd. I shudder to think of my past experiences. He said that he didn't think he would do it alone...he needed a partner because he doesn't want to be in a crowd by himself either.
It was at that moment I remembered something a friend had told me. (Thank you Antelope's Mom!) There is a church here that has their own fitness center gym that they open to the public for a very nominal fee and it's never crowded. I told hubby and we decided to check it out.

Long story slightly shorter...we did our first workout last night at this great little gym and we had the whole weight room to ourselves for over an hour! Yippee! Did you know exercising with your sweetie could be romantic? Well, kind of. I asked him if a member card there would be a good gift and he said "Perfect!".
Smile! :-)
We now have a 'Two of Us Tuesday' planned for every week. Our dates will be self improvement outings.

This morning I am sore and shaky and don't even mention picking up anything. I found some muscles I forgot I had...so did he.

I have high hopes of going from looking very cute (ahem) and roundish :




to fit as a fiddle--and I'll probably be able to do this: Tee Hee!



And it should only take a few years! ;-)

I think hubby will be pleased.

I've got to go now...I need to soak in some hot water and take some tylenol.

Labels: Family, Holidays and Celebrations

Last night we picked up Osprey (DS 17) from the airport. He had been in the great northwest visiting relatives for 2 weeks. And now he is home where his mama can see him and hug him and check on him at night when she checks all the other sleeping children. :-)
I really missed my growing up kiddo!

It was a late night and we were very happy to fall into bed and sleep. During the middle of the night I was awakened by one of North Texas infamous thunderstorms...I could hear the lightening crackling followed by peals of thunder so loud the windows rattled. I really hoped that the babies would sleep through. No, they woke up wide eyed and teary. Where is mama? And why is it so loud in here? I took them both to bed with me relieved that at least the Little Guy (4 yo) had not been frightened.

At about 6:15 this morning Little Guy came running into our room and was scrambling up onto my bed yelling "Mama! Mama! Mama! My tummy hurts!" I took a quick look and knew time was of the essence. I ushered him into the bathroom where he promptly lost his dinner... Sigh... 'Good morning Me! Keep your focus on happy thoughts.' I washed and changed him and tucked him into his bed.
About 15 minutes later the whole thing was repeated...'Keep your focus...happy thoughts.'
about 30 minutes after that we went through it... One. More. Time. 'Keep...Happy... This too shall pass...'
It was at this point that I decided to stop wasting time with the bedroom. I made a pallet on the bathroom floor and there he shall stay until his tummy stops protesting.

We used to own a bean bag. When someone was sick I covered it with beach towels and dragged it into the bathroom for the child to sleep on until the crisis had passed. I finally gave it away because it was flat and the color didn't match and no one was using it anymore. I wish I had it right now. I had to improvise this morning. I laid down a flattened cardboard box (plenty of those for moving right now). I covered it with layers of soft blanket and then a beach towel and a pillow. I tucked him in with a clean blanket that is no ones special favorite... because you know...just in case...

Anyway, it's been a family event. Hubby held one of the little children this morning while I rushed back and forth cleaning up and finding clothes and towels. Rivergirl (DD 12) watched the other little sister and Osprey slept right through it all! :-)
Guess what? I'm still smiling! I love my family! It's times like these that build character and make memories. Like them or not!

To those of you who have been around us lately...I am so, so sorry if you caught anything from us...I didn't realize he was sick. Just stay away for a few days and hopefully we'll be right as rain very soon.


Tue,6-19-07 Edited to add:My Little Guy is better already! By last night he was back to his usual rambunctious self and he even wanted to eat some chicken soup. Today looks to be back to normal routines! Thanks for the kind comments and prayers.

Labels: Another Day, Family

I want to share a post with you from a blogging friend of mine. She has been an inspiration to me since I first read her blog last year. She is a proud and blessed mother of 14. Everytime I visit her blog I am encouraged or uplifted in some way. Her blog is Large Family Mothering.
The following is an excerpt from one of her recent posts:

~Resentment~
It's an insidious enemy. It creeps up on you, especially on those days that you have the flu, or you really want to get a project done, or you are having fun talking with an old friend on the phone. The interruptions, complaints and demands of a our lives can create a crinkled, cold and even spikey heart if we don't keep a safe distance from.....

RESENTMENT!

Back when I had so many little ones underfoot, so much to do, so few hands to do it, I had a revelation. I was washing dishes one day when I felt a tug on my skirt. A little face beamed up at me and asked for a drink of water. I had a choice to either huff and brush the child off, or put my agenda second and take care of the need of my baby. Just then the Holy Spirit reminded me of Jesus' words, "If you give just a cup of water to the least of these my brethren, you give it unto Me." I knew then what my priorities would be if I was to serve Jesus as a mother.



Interruptions, fatigue, deprivation, heartache; these are part of a Christian's life. It doesn't matter where you serve Him, whether in Uganda or China or in your own home. We need to make the choice daily, even hourly; will we lay our lives down, or will we count ourselves dear and allow resentment to build up, resulting in a bitter, ugly life?

I choose joy. I choose forgiveness. I choose laying it down so that I can gain it. Yes, there are times when my tired self would rather sleep than comfort the one scared by a nightmare, or wait up for the young person out with friends, or love and cuddle with a husband who's had a hard day. I read about other women who take all day to clothes shop just for fun, or who have unlimited time to write or sculpt or vacation in the Bahamas. I know that somewhere someone is eating a warm dinner, in quiet, hearing nothing more than the melodic sounds of Chopin or Mozart, but these things are all of this life, of this earth that is passing away.....

Go here to read the rest.
And please leave her a kind comment!
Thank you so much!

Labels: Family

Thank you so much to all of you who responded to my last post in various ways. All the prayers and warm comments were felt by me. I was able to sleep quite a bit on Thursday night and by early morning the fever had broken. By the end of yesterday the pain was greatly diminished. This morning I am almost pain free. I attribute my rapid recovery to prayer and help from friends. :-)

To those of you who arrived at my house bringing cheer and servant's hearts and food... I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's a beautiful thing to see God's love displayed in such a tangible way. There were two families that arrived at my door with smiling faces yesterday. TC and her crew, and my friend Bambi and her kiddoes. All the children and their mom's attacked work fervently and by mid-afternoon the house was showing big improvement, and so were my spirits.

Last night Rivergirl and Little Guy and I just let ourselves relax a bit. We were able to get the little girls to sleep fairly early (the day was a big adventure for them!) and then we crawled onto my bed, snuggled our faces onto soft pillows and watched Celtic Woman. Lovely music, happy lyrics and pretty dresses lulled us to sleep. I slept well and feel quite refreshed this morning.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lately, I have experienced some trying things. One of them is a removal of pride. Having people see your house at its worst and help you do the mundane things you are responsible for is humbling.
Also, yesterday I attempted to clean someone's shirt (that had been left here by mistake after a sleep over) and I ruined it--utterly and completely. This particular item was needed for an upcoming trip and now is no longer useful. I am so embarrassed! And I'm sorry for this girl's loss of what was probably a favorite piece of clothing...

Do you suppose God is trying to teach me anything? He has my attention now! I am listening intently and I asked Him to help me be teachable and to let the lesson end! Soon!

Labels: Another Day, Family