It's becoming a sad habit now. I'm only posting in order to sum up recent events. Life is so very busy lately.
We'll finally be getting a new dryer tomorrow. Our's has finally eaten it's last piece of clothing! The dryer was given to us when our older one was still working. We saved it and ultimately needed it. So, although it is too small for our family we have been thankful to have it and very glad to now replace it! We've decided to wait until our insufficient washer dies again before replacing it...
Preparing for baby. We're still without a name. Still praying and discussing. I have four packages of newborn diapers in my closet and a box near the attic door of newborn clothing. Bob came home with a load of baby gifts and cards from his co-workers. How fun! It seems premature with the due date nearly three months away. But we all enjoyed gathering around to read the cards and admire the tiny clothing. I've been visiting alot of thrift stores in search of teacups and saucers for an upcoming Mother/Daughter tea at church. While I haven't found many teacups, I have picked up several tiny baby boy sleepers. No, we didn't need them since Noah's were all new. But at $0.50-2.00 apiece, why not? I have only a row or two left of the blanket I'm knitting and I am excited to start another. The pattern I'm currently using (bastketweave) requires too much counting and I grew tired of the colors (sage and brown). So my next one will be a solid blue with a very simple pattern. If I love it I might start to make them for other people. It's a beautiful diagonal design with a border.
In the meantime, we are still working on new dresses for Easter. That leaves about three days. We started with a plan for Kendal, Kelsey, Joy and me. Since we all had leftover fabric, I've decided to make one for Anna and Mary. If it works out we'll all match in pairs. Mary's will be made of my fabric. Joy's is the same as Kendal's. Anna's will be the same as Kelsey's. I hope we will have time to take a picture so that we can remember our projects.
The garden. The new beds are built but have no dirt in them. They are for summer planting so we're in no hurry. The rabbits have been found sitting in our spinach patch, inside the raised bed. We put the plastic owl there. I hope it works! The lettuce seeds have not been as successful as they were in the fall. I've sown twice, and have less than twenty sprouts.
We freshened all the bed linens today and even bought some new ones. Thankfully we still have some Christmas giftcard money from my sister, so I didnt' have to stress over buying new sheets. I'm trying to figure how many times we'll have to change all those beds again before the baby comes...atleast the new dryer will be bigger!
I can't figure out why life seems so busy and overwhelming lately. The passing around of a sore throat and cold hasn't helped. Noah has been miserable. I hurt my foot and have been walking in pain for almost a week. Sewing projects and spring fever take time away from school and chores. Or maybe it's just that there are eight children and one pregnant mommy here all day and we are trying to keep it all together.
A friend at church gave a great testimony last week. She told me that instead of worrying over the thousands of details that mothers have bouncing around in our heads, she's been asking God to speak specifically to her regarding each one. He has! It has made her life much more simple. I need to do that more often, everyday!
We did celebrate Passover on the right evening. We did not go through the entire service but it was a very nice dinner with nearly two hours of reading and discussion and singing! The rest of our week has not felt quite as "holy" with Bob gone or late home from work. But we are grateful for the good memories. At one point we were stumped as to what we were supposed to do with certain pieces of unleavened bread that were hidden in the folds of a napkin. We'll have to do more research for next year. : ) There is a lot of detail in that celebration. Hopefully over time we'll be more familiar with it and be able to complete it.
God is good!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Spring!
Happy Spring!!!
Due to blogging negligence I'm forced to post a rough sum of the things that I don't want to forget for the last week or so. Sadly it may not be interesting to others. For that I apologize. This is my only journal for now. I haven't touched the handwritten one in months. Maybe I can work on that today.
The week in review:
Due to blogging negligence I'm forced to post a rough sum of the things that I don't want to forget for the last week or so. Sadly it may not be interesting to others. For that I apologize. This is my only journal for now. I haven't touched the handwritten one in months. Maybe I can work on that today.
The week in review:
One friend's eldest child was engaged this week. We are all so very excited for them! God is a faithful provider in all ways, including husbands for stay at home daughters! Praise His name!
Another friend miscarried a baby at 13 weeks. I was priviliged to be in their family's life and home during the crisis. God's people are amazing! We love this family. We are blessed to have a future hope when tragedy strikes. God is our strength.
My husband dealt wisely with some tough issues over two luncheons. He and I had spent hours talking through the issues in advance. He is a wise man and hasn't given up on learning new skills. I'm so thankful for his perseverance.
On Monday, we had fifteen other children visit or stay with us for a few hours. It was an adventure in love and endurance after only sleeping a tiny bit the night before. God blessed us with a great day! I need to remember to always make extra food and be ready to share it at a moment's notice. We had a great dinner and were able to add two more to our table at the last minute.
Kendal added some new skills and responsibilities to her (theoretical) resume and increased her work hours. Kelsey made the most tasty gluten-free tortillas. (And eventually I'll get those two papers that are due of hers) Anna is loving the new disc swing from our backyard tree. All three "little girls" have been racing through the yard in boots and skirts. It warms my heart to watch them. (Photos do not express the beauty of a joyful family on a spring day! But I will try to include some.) Joy is reading like a pro. Mary is impressing us with her bright 4 year old ideas. She's really expressing herself well. Noah makes us laugh with his struting, shooting, playing dead, and singing songs from "The Donut Man" dvds. He kicks the soccerball all over the yard. It's impressive. Isaac and Daniel have spring fever and will find a way to be outside everyday from now until December. I know they'll be asking for bike rides and turns on the scooter from here forward...
We enjoyed a demonstration of the Passover Meal at church a couple of Sundays ago. It was presented by a Messianic Jew. In fact he is a leader of the Jews for Jesus ministry. We learned the signicance of the Seder through the eyes of a Christian Jew. It was absolutely breath taking! Christ is the all sufficient Passover Lamb! We'll keep learning and enjoying the rich heritage of God's chosen people and when we can, we'll try to celebrate with them. Afterall, this is a dress rehearsal for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb we'll all be enjoying in heaven one day! I was mistaken earlier, Passover begins at sundown on March 29 this year. So we still have a few days to prepare if we want to have traditional Passover meal.
I only exercised twice, but loved it. I found a pregnancy workout DVD. It's perfect. Staying at home rather than going to the Y to swim has saved alot of time. I have many weak muscles and aches that need stretching and strengthening.
The daffodils we planted (and gave away by the thousands) are in bloom. The garden soil is warm and the lettuce is sprouting. I found spring maternity tops and bottoms at the thrift store (50% off) this week.
I love a bargain. I love spring. I love having a pregnant belly. Even if I am not sleeping as comfortably.
While reading through the bible this year (starting again in Genesis) I read some passages about the flood and the seasons. God's faithfulness is demonstrated by the return of each season, every year. Last month, when it was really cold, someone said that they didn't believe spring would ever come this year. I responded that it definitely would because God is faithful. He keeps His word!
Happy Spring! Happy Passover! We look forward to rejoicing over the Resurrection again!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Preparations
Today I tackled the raised beds and the shed. Anna and Daniel helped. I really intend to have a fruitful spring, summer and fall garden this year. We'll see how our little June baby affects those plans...
I was pleased to discover that the six modest strawberry plants from last year had multiplied into 21 in our weeded over garden. So I dug them all up and transplanted them to the fertile and well-cared for soil of a raised bed. I'll be so excited if we really have a strawberry patch worth picking. I'll deal with the squirrels and cardinals later.
We still have spinach, parsely and cilantro that survived all the snow. Our plastic would not stay on in the snow and wind, despite many great efforts by Kelsey and Daniel to pin down the "hoop houses". Today I planted some winter lettuce seeds and if they don't sprout in the next two weeks, I'll just try again. No losses.
It was a joy to see our little babe yesterday under ultrasound. That always makes everyone more excited. I'll be working a little harder on the blanket I'm knitting. Noah's making more progress with the potty and sleeps every night with Daniel. I've organized all the baby and toddler clothes again. So, we are in the preparation stage for the baby's arrival and doing well. Supposedly our baby weighs one pound and six ounces right now. That is the same weight of the Duggar's recent premature baby, Josie, at twenty-five weeks. I sure hope she gets to go home soon and that our baby comes at the right time!
I decided after twelve years of homeschooling to catalog all of our books into the computer. I have purchased many "history through literature" programs and was beginning to forget which books we already own. So this year for the first time, when I am ordering books for next fall, I will know what we have without asking the children repeatedly. I'm also having to box-up some programs to preserve them for use later. Our children love to read and most of our books are paperback and get destroyed by too much lovin'. We are blessed to have settled into a wonderful rountine with Beautiful Feet history and Teaching Textbooks math and Apologia Science. This will all make my life much easier when ordering and help keep our home a little more organized. Curriculum roulette makes a homeschool hard to keep neat. Finding a really good program for everyone is a blessing... If only every room had a built-in bookcase (and beds hidden in the walls) we'd be set! I'm also preparing for Kendal's last official year of school and praying for wisdom in choosing those books. She'll finish history, take business/personal accounting, read more literature with biblical worldview study guides, finish Chemistry and...we'll see.
I asked each child at breakfast to name their favorite thing that our family does that they hope to continue in their own family. Their responses were encouraging: homeschooling, family vacations, reading the bible, going to the library, making meals from scratch, and having one girls' room and one boys' room. I need to ask those sorts of questions more often. : ) Next we chatted alot about how Bob and I would help them with all of those things as grandparents, how we'd like to help when babies arrive or when the parents need a vacation, etc. It's really fun to imagine them all grown up and us as the blessed, white-headed grandparents of a couple dozen grandchildren.
I was pleased to discover that the six modest strawberry plants from last year had multiplied into 21 in our weeded over garden. So I dug them all up and transplanted them to the fertile and well-cared for soil of a raised bed. I'll be so excited if we really have a strawberry patch worth picking. I'll deal with the squirrels and cardinals later.
We still have spinach, parsely and cilantro that survived all the snow. Our plastic would not stay on in the snow and wind, despite many great efforts by Kelsey and Daniel to pin down the "hoop houses". Today I planted some winter lettuce seeds and if they don't sprout in the next two weeks, I'll just try again. No losses.
It was a joy to see our little babe yesterday under ultrasound. That always makes everyone more excited. I'll be working a little harder on the blanket I'm knitting. Noah's making more progress with the potty and sleeps every night with Daniel. I've organized all the baby and toddler clothes again. So, we are in the preparation stage for the baby's arrival and doing well. Supposedly our baby weighs one pound and six ounces right now. That is the same weight of the Duggar's recent premature baby, Josie, at twenty-five weeks. I sure hope she gets to go home soon and that our baby comes at the right time!
I decided after twelve years of homeschooling to catalog all of our books into the computer. I have purchased many "history through literature" programs and was beginning to forget which books we already own. So this year for the first time, when I am ordering books for next fall, I will know what we have without asking the children repeatedly. I'm also having to box-up some programs to preserve them for use later. Our children love to read and most of our books are paperback and get destroyed by too much lovin'. We are blessed to have settled into a wonderful rountine with Beautiful Feet history and Teaching Textbooks math and Apologia Science. This will all make my life much easier when ordering and help keep our home a little more organized. Curriculum roulette makes a homeschool hard to keep neat. Finding a really good program for everyone is a blessing... If only every room had a built-in bookcase (and beds hidden in the walls) we'd be set! I'm also preparing for Kendal's last official year of school and praying for wisdom in choosing those books. She'll finish history, take business/personal accounting, read more literature with biblical worldview study guides, finish Chemistry and...we'll see.
I asked each child at breakfast to name their favorite thing that our family does that they hope to continue in their own family. Their responses were encouraging: homeschooling, family vacations, reading the bible, going to the library, making meals from scratch, and having one girls' room and one boys' room. I need to ask those sorts of questions more often. : ) Next we chatted alot about how Bob and I would help them with all of those things as grandparents, how we'd like to help when babies arrive or when the parents need a vacation, etc. It's really fun to imagine them all grown up and us as the blessed, white-headed grandparents of a couple dozen grandchildren.
Monday, February 22, 2010
February Blessings
My favorite part about being pregnant is definitely feeling the baby moving. I don't think I'll ever tire of it. Everything has happened so early this time that I've been enjoying the little kicks for weeks. More recently I can feel him/her turning over and other random movements. I love it! The baby is getting stronger for sure!
The last time we had a couple speak at our church I miscarried our ninth baby. Thankfully this weekend, I was much further along than last September, and I was able to enjoy the encouraging talks and my wiggly baby of 23 weeks.
Rick and Marilyn Boyer have fourteen children and have homeschooled for thirty years! Now that is experience! We were so blessed by their talks and resources. Their blog is http://thelearningparent.blogspot.com/ and they also have a website by the same name. They've spoken often at the HEAV convention and have close friendships with many of the homeschooling pioneers in our state, including the late and dear Christopher Klicka.
Thankfully when discouragment feels overwhelming, God has already launched a great dose of encouragment that will arrive just in the nick of time. : ) That was the Boyers for me this weekend!
Even potty training has been on the upswing lately. We have had a success almost daily for several days! Phew! I knew the boy would get to wear underwear before graduating, but I wasn't so sure that it would be soon. There is hope afterall!
After living in our house for seven years, I decided to make a few window treatments. Kendal had already made the ones in the kitchen and dining room and they were beautiful. I made three for our bedroom with a matching pillow on Friday. It cost less than $30 for all the materials and we have three windows. Today I made three more treatments for the living room/dining room area for about $15. Now that I am on a roll, I hope on Wednesday to made two for the room over the garage.
I've had a strange, ragged piece of material hanging in our bathroom window for months. Once Kendal tired of it and sewed it up. It still needs help. So I bought a remnant that matches that room and draped it over the half made other thing...it's a tiny window, you'd think I could pull it off. The problem is that I love light and won't block it out for privacy or any other reason. And their are no blinds in there. Eventually I will be inspired and finish all the projects. For today, I'm enjoy the new view in three rooms. : ) and my wiggly baby!
The last time we had a couple speak at our church I miscarried our ninth baby. Thankfully this weekend, I was much further along than last September, and I was able to enjoy the encouraging talks and my wiggly baby of 23 weeks.
Rick and Marilyn Boyer have fourteen children and have homeschooled for thirty years! Now that is experience! We were so blessed by their talks and resources. Their blog is http://thelearningparent.blogspot.com/ and they also have a website by the same name. They've spoken often at the HEAV convention and have close friendships with many of the homeschooling pioneers in our state, including the late and dear Christopher Klicka.
Thankfully when discouragment feels overwhelming, God has already launched a great dose of encouragment that will arrive just in the nick of time. : ) That was the Boyers for me this weekend!
Even potty training has been on the upswing lately. We have had a success almost daily for several days! Phew! I knew the boy would get to wear underwear before graduating, but I wasn't so sure that it would be soon. There is hope afterall!
After living in our house for seven years, I decided to make a few window treatments. Kendal had already made the ones in the kitchen and dining room and they were beautiful. I made three for our bedroom with a matching pillow on Friday. It cost less than $30 for all the materials and we have three windows. Today I made three more treatments for the living room/dining room area for about $15. Now that I am on a roll, I hope on Wednesday to made two for the room over the garage.
I've had a strange, ragged piece of material hanging in our bathroom window for months. Once Kendal tired of it and sewed it up. It still needs help. So I bought a remnant that matches that room and draped it over the half made other thing...it's a tiny window, you'd think I could pull it off. The problem is that I love light and won't block it out for privacy or any other reason. And their are no blinds in there. Eventually I will be inspired and finish all the projects. For today, I'm enjoy the new view in three rooms. : ) and my wiggly baby!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Daddy's trying hard
My husband is trying very hard to be more attentive to the disciplinary needs that arise when he is home. It's difficult for him since he has this incredible skill of blocking out everything that is unpleasant. : ) That helps him to always have a happy countenance. Afterall, ignorance is bliss! We laugh about this together often. Sometimes I cry or whine about it because I, on the other hand, can hear everything.
Last night, he and I were enjoying some quiet time in the den when a fight broke out in one of the bedrooms between a son and daughter of ours. This particular son and daughter are like oil and water. There is always very loud sqealing and yelling involved when they disagree.
The new and improved husband called out to the son and asked him to come and sit in front of us on the coffee table. Without asking what was happening in the back of the house, he informed our son that he should never under any circumstances enter the girls' room ever again. He reiterated it several times very authoritatively and even our older two daughters raised their eyebrows at Dad's new firm approach. I'm sure they were hoping this would be the solution to the noisy problem we are enduring everyday between these two children. The son was asked if he understood his new instructions, which he did, and as he left the den, the son quitely said, "but I was in your room"!!! HA HA HA HA HA!
Needless to say, atleast three of us nearly peed in our pants laughing at the predicament that my husband was in. He blew it off and sent the son on his way to get ready for bed without aggravating the daughter any further. But we all continued to roll in laughter, including my husband. I should clarify that we weren't mocking him or discouraging him at all. We were laughing with him. And it was a hoot! Even an hour later we got a healthy belly laugh remembering his attempt at stern parenting. If only it were so easy.
Last night, he and I were enjoying some quiet time in the den when a fight broke out in one of the bedrooms between a son and daughter of ours. This particular son and daughter are like oil and water. There is always very loud sqealing and yelling involved when they disagree.
The new and improved husband called out to the son and asked him to come and sit in front of us on the coffee table. Without asking what was happening in the back of the house, he informed our son that he should never under any circumstances enter the girls' room ever again. He reiterated it several times very authoritatively and even our older two daughters raised their eyebrows at Dad's new firm approach. I'm sure they were hoping this would be the solution to the noisy problem we are enduring everyday between these two children. The son was asked if he understood his new instructions, which he did, and as he left the den, the son quitely said, "but I was in your room"!!! HA HA HA HA HA!
Needless to say, atleast three of us nearly peed in our pants laughing at the predicament that my husband was in. He blew it off and sent the son on his way to get ready for bed without aggravating the daughter any further. But we all continued to roll in laughter, including my husband. I should clarify that we weren't mocking him or discouraging him at all. We were laughing with him. And it was a hoot! Even an hour later we got a healthy belly laugh remembering his attempt at stern parenting. If only it were so easy.
Mountain of God
I took our littlest one to Trader Joe's today. It's a long trek from our house but worth the quality and savings. On the way home I had one of those moments when I am driving, I know I am on the right road, but I really can't remember where I am or what comes next. It used to scare me because it sounds like the early signs of Alzheimers disease-that was ten years ago. Now I just blame it on all the brain cell donations I've made to our nine babies and that I've lived here long enough to be able to drive home without thinking very hard.
In that forgetful moment today I had some revelations. I've never been afraid that I won't find my way. I've never stopped the van to figure out my location. I've always been confident that I am on the right road and know that when I need to make a turn I will recognize it...God is so good. This is a great metaphor for my life when I am discouraged or tempted to lose heart.
When the temporary memory loss happens in the van, within a few seconds I remember where I am. It's like walking in faith. Generally I know my life is on the "right" path, the 0ne of wisdom described in Proverbs. Likewise, I have never just stopped or quit on the life I believe God wants me to live for Him. Oh! Have I been tempted!!! But I always keep doing what I've been doing. Thankfully, when I hang on, He sends comfort, encouragment and confirmation that He wants me to keep going in the same direction. I love Him for this!
Near the end of our ride, I heard a song that really blessed me. It's from Third Day and I've never heard it before. This song is not my favorite style but the words were very meaningful today:
"Mountain Of God"
Thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me
And I didn't even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me
'Til You opened up my eyes
I never knew
That I couldn't ever make it
Without You
Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God
As I travel on the road
That You have lead me down
You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me
I have need for nothing more
Oh, now that I have found
That You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me
I confess from time to time
I lose my way
But You are always there
To bring me back again
Sometimes I think of where it is I've come from
And the things I've left behind
But of all I've had, what I possessed
Nothing can quite compare
With what's in front of me
With what's in front of me
[ THIRD DAY LYRICS at www.AZLyrics.com
In that forgetful moment today I had some revelations. I've never been afraid that I won't find my way. I've never stopped the van to figure out my location. I've always been confident that I am on the right road and know that when I need to make a turn I will recognize it...God is so good. This is a great metaphor for my life when I am discouraged or tempted to lose heart.
When the temporary memory loss happens in the van, within a few seconds I remember where I am. It's like walking in faith. Generally I know my life is on the "right" path, the 0ne of wisdom described in Proverbs. Likewise, I have never just stopped or quit on the life I believe God wants me to live for Him. Oh! Have I been tempted!!! But I always keep doing what I've been doing. Thankfully, when I hang on, He sends comfort, encouragment and confirmation that He wants me to keep going in the same direction. I love Him for this!
Near the end of our ride, I heard a song that really blessed me. It's from Third Day and I've never heard it before. This song is not my favorite style but the words were very meaningful today:
"Mountain Of God"
Thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me
And I didn't even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me
'Til You opened up my eyes
I never knew
That I couldn't ever make it
Without You
Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God
As I travel on the road
That You have lead me down
You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me
I have need for nothing more
Oh, now that I have found
That You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me
I confess from time to time
I lose my way
But You are always there
To bring me back again
Sometimes I think of where it is I've come from
And the things I've left behind
But of all I've had, what I possessed
Nothing can quite compare
With what's in front of me
With what's in front of me
[ THIRD DAY LYRICS at www.AZLyrics.com
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Thankfully our week without Bob went smoothly and he is back safe and sound. We didn't make any great strides in potty training. But we did tighten up our morning rountine significantly. This was a great blessing to us all since it added nearly an hour to our morning.
The snow has been so much fun. Even Bob was involved. It is the most snow our children ever remember seeing. Of course I spent most of my time peeling off the wet, cold clothing of each person as they came inside. And I couldn't get the gloves and hats dry quickly enough for the next round of outdoor play. We still have a lovely scuplted snowwoman in our front yard. Many people have stopped to stare as they've driven by.
In preparation for the coming "blizzard" last week, we bought a propane stove. Its a camping stove and should not be used indoors. But in a crisis we'd gladly cook in the garage or near an open window. While we were in the camping aisle at Walmart I learned that we can purchase alot of neat things to help with our preparedness efforts. Maybe we will be able to make a small stash in our backpacks.
I did learn this morning when I left Noah on the potty alone that he successfully used it! I'll have to try that again. I've been afraid to leave him on the big potty for fear he'd fall off. Maybe privacy is all he's needed. We've been so annoyed when he immediately soils his diaper after sitting on the toilet for ten minutes!
We enjoyed the surprise element of not knowing our last baby's gender before birth. In fact, I enjoyed that so much that I thought we would never "peek" again. But over the last week, I've decided that I would rather be prepared over the next four months for the correct gender than be surprised for a few seconds. Given the opportunity, I will peek. Telling everyone else is still a question though.
The snow has been so much fun. Even Bob was involved. It is the most snow our children ever remember seeing. Of course I spent most of my time peeling off the wet, cold clothing of each person as they came inside. And I couldn't get the gloves and hats dry quickly enough for the next round of outdoor play. We still have a lovely scuplted snowwoman in our front yard. Many people have stopped to stare as they've driven by.
In preparation for the coming "blizzard" last week, we bought a propane stove. Its a camping stove and should not be used indoors. But in a crisis we'd gladly cook in the garage or near an open window. While we were in the camping aisle at Walmart I learned that we can purchase alot of neat things to help with our preparedness efforts. Maybe we will be able to make a small stash in our backpacks.
I did learn this morning when I left Noah on the potty alone that he successfully used it! I'll have to try that again. I've been afraid to leave him on the big potty for fear he'd fall off. Maybe privacy is all he's needed. We've been so annoyed when he immediately soils his diaper after sitting on the toilet for ten minutes!
We enjoyed the surprise element of not knowing our last baby's gender before birth. In fact, I enjoyed that so much that I thought we would never "peek" again. But over the last week, I've decided that I would rather be prepared over the next four months for the correct gender than be surprised for a few seconds. Given the opportunity, I will peek. Telling everyone else is still a question though.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Deep thinking
After a very deep conversation with my sister last night, my mind has been so occupied today. My thoughts and our conversation are not directly related but it seems that it started a whirlwind in my head...
While trying to still potty train, homeschool, taxi to one part-time job, grocery shop, and keep up with laundry and sibling spats, I quizzed myself about why we haven't put anything in the backpacks we purchased this fall. They are supposed to be full of "survival gear". We discussed buying filtering waterbottles for every member of our family. It costs about $300 just to do that! We wondered about packing a set of clothing and shoes in each one with nuts, seeds, jerky, and first aid. Then we discussed that someone should carry rain gear, tents, blankets, knives, cord, weapons, maps, non-hybrid seeds, tarps...oh my!!! Who could carry all that stuff???
How can a family of ten (soon eleven) continue to eat organic, gluten free, take supplements, visit the chiropractor and orthodontist, and afford to make a stash for "later"?
I kept wondering, "how can I know what is most important for us to focus on?" I listened to a very few minutes of a webcast of Dr. Dale Sides, at Liberating Ministries for Christ. It was entitled Urban Survival. I read some links but I didn't really listen to much of the show. Through the links I learned that the items that are most necessary are most scarce. If you did own a generator or a lot of food, it would be stolen from you... I fast-forwarded to the middle, then towards the end of the webcast. The guest speaker was talking about having his bible, talking to God and listening to God. I wondered how he was incorporating that advice into the survival advice show. I didn't have time to listen and find out. But it struck me, in a peaceful way, asking God was the wisest choice.
There are people who stash money because they are afraid of being poor. There are those who hoard weapons because they'd rather die defending themselves. There are people who know all that is necessary for survival in the wild and have all the gear, but they still aren't at peace about the future. Christians do not agree whether the Lord will rapture the church out of this world before the toughest times arrive, or whether we will live through physical suffering. How can any of us be prepared when we don't know what we are preparing for?
We have family and friends who live in the mountains. They have room on their property to house our family. We've never asked to build a safe haven there. We wouldn't necessarily be able to communicate with them in order to come and stay if the worst happens. We are just going to have to trust God to tell us, if and when we need to make a change. For now, we will continue discussing and purchasing those small things that we can afford. But staying close to our Lord, keeping in the Word, holding our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ are better for us than any amount of worrying over "tomorrow".
While trying to still potty train, homeschool, taxi to one part-time job, grocery shop, and keep up with laundry and sibling spats, I quizzed myself about why we haven't put anything in the backpacks we purchased this fall. They are supposed to be full of "survival gear". We discussed buying filtering waterbottles for every member of our family. It costs about $300 just to do that! We wondered about packing a set of clothing and shoes in each one with nuts, seeds, jerky, and first aid. Then we discussed that someone should carry rain gear, tents, blankets, knives, cord, weapons, maps, non-hybrid seeds, tarps...oh my!!! Who could carry all that stuff???
How can a family of ten (soon eleven) continue to eat organic, gluten free, take supplements, visit the chiropractor and orthodontist, and afford to make a stash for "later"?
I kept wondering, "how can I know what is most important for us to focus on?" I listened to a very few minutes of a webcast of Dr. Dale Sides, at Liberating Ministries for Christ. It was entitled Urban Survival. I read some links but I didn't really listen to much of the show. Through the links I learned that the items that are most necessary are most scarce. If you did own a generator or a lot of food, it would be stolen from you... I fast-forwarded to the middle, then towards the end of the webcast. The guest speaker was talking about having his bible, talking to God and listening to God. I wondered how he was incorporating that advice into the survival advice show. I didn't have time to listen and find out. But it struck me, in a peaceful way, asking God was the wisest choice.
There are people who stash money because they are afraid of being poor. There are those who hoard weapons because they'd rather die defending themselves. There are people who know all that is necessary for survival in the wild and have all the gear, but they still aren't at peace about the future. Christians do not agree whether the Lord will rapture the church out of this world before the toughest times arrive, or whether we will live through physical suffering. How can any of us be prepared when we don't know what we are preparing for?
We have family and friends who live in the mountains. They have room on their property to house our family. We've never asked to build a safe haven there. We wouldn't necessarily be able to communicate with them in order to come and stay if the worst happens. We are just going to have to trust God to tell us, if and when we need to make a change. For now, we will continue discussing and purchasing those small things that we can afford. But staying close to our Lord, keeping in the Word, holding our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ are better for us than any amount of worrying over "tomorrow".
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
January photo frenzy
It happpens every January...we take more pictures than any one scrapbooker can begin to sort and paste. I am amazed looking back at how much I've already forgotten that happened after Christmas! So here's my fast track, photo recap of the last month.
The Saturday after Christmas, my sister and Brian, and my grandfather and his wife, Bea, came to visit. We had a nice lunch and a great afternoon catching up. It doesn't replace our childhood memories of what used to be "the Fahnestock gathering" (my mother's entire family gathering after Christmas), but it was wonderful to share the day with dear loved ones.
Here are all of our children with Carrie and Brian. They all adore one another. It blesses Bob and me greatly!
Our washer died one Friday, and wasn't repaired until the following Friday. The boys and I took all these clothes to the laundromat. We are so thankful for our home warranty and are shopping for a heavy duty washer. Until we could find a solution, we piled all the baskets of dirty laundry in our bedroom.
We have a wonderful friend who is a fireman. He gave us the grand tour one morning. All the children sat in the truck, of course. Here's Noah in the driver's seat.
And Steve with most of our group.
Bob and I usually forget to photograph ourselves and especially neglect pregnancy photos. We were surprised at the early appearance of our baby bump this time and took this 16 week photo.
On the sixth, Joy turned six. Kendal did a great job on the cake.
Dad and Susan visited one Saturday in January. We enjoyed a great lunch together. They brought Christmas gifts too. Susan was invited to help construct one of the gifts with Mary and found herself surrounded by girls for nearly two hours at the table.
Dad, Bob and our boys had no trouble connecting around a case of rifles and model airplanes. Kendal is opening her traditional Noah's Ark gift in this photo.
On the twenty-fifth, Mary turned four! She was very excited about her birthday this year! Since I stayed home from church with Noah, I was able to make her cake, sew her dress, wrap her presents and make lunch while everyone else was gone! (I should have the house to myself more often) We had a nice afternoon together enjoying her special day!
Mary looked like a little princess in her new dress, surrounded by her girly gifts!
We are so thankful for our family and friends who've already made this new year so special for us. And for this blog helps which me to remember so many of our blessings! Thank you, God!
The Saturday after Christmas, my sister and Brian, and my grandfather and his wife, Bea, came to visit. We had a nice lunch and a great afternoon catching up. It doesn't replace our childhood memories of what used to be "the Fahnestock gathering" (my mother's entire family gathering after Christmas), but it was wonderful to share the day with dear loved ones.
Here are all of our children with Carrie and Brian. They all adore one another. It blesses Bob and me greatly!
Our washer died one Friday, and wasn't repaired until the following Friday. The boys and I took all these clothes to the laundromat. We are so thankful for our home warranty and are shopping for a heavy duty washer. Until we could find a solution, we piled all the baskets of dirty laundry in our bedroom.
We have a wonderful friend who is a fireman. He gave us the grand tour one morning. All the children sat in the truck, of course. Here's Noah in the driver's seat.
And Steve with most of our group.
Bob and I usually forget to photograph ourselves and especially neglect pregnancy photos. We were surprised at the early appearance of our baby bump this time and took this 16 week photo.
On the sixth, Joy turned six. Kendal did a great job on the cake.
Dad and Susan visited one Saturday in January. We enjoyed a great lunch together. They brought Christmas gifts too. Susan was invited to help construct one of the gifts with Mary and found herself surrounded by girls for nearly two hours at the table.
Dad, Bob and our boys had no trouble connecting around a case of rifles and model airplanes. Kendal is opening her traditional Noah's Ark gift in this photo.
On the twenty-fifth, Mary turned four! She was very excited about her birthday this year! Since I stayed home from church with Noah, I was able to make her cake, sew her dress, wrap her presents and make lunch while everyone else was gone! (I should have the house to myself more often) We had a nice afternoon together enjoying her special day!
Mary looked like a little princess in her new dress, surrounded by her girly gifts!
We are so thankful for our family and friends who've already made this new year so special for us. And for this blog helps which me to remember so many of our blessings! Thank you, God!
Good news and bad news
The good news is that the toddler is wearing training pants and actually used the little potty after breakfast. He just said, "book", begging me to pull one off the shelf for him. This is all very encouraging since thirty minutes ago I was sitting in front of him in the bathroom with my head against the wall asking myself if he would ever speak real words (rather than shooting me with a pretend gun) or be potty trained.
The bad news is that I spent another thirty minutes explaining to the eldest four children the reasoning behind creating, and enforcing a morning rountine. I'm hoping tomorrow will be an improvement.
Evening update: the bad news is that the potty training toddler never used the toilet for the rest of the day. The morning success was just a tease. After dinner, the training diaper sagged so low inside of his courduroys that his poop fell out the pants legs, onto carpet, slippers, etc...but he enjoyed a nice shower and a rub down with sweet almond oil. Last night it was a bath with olive oil. I'm hoping we'll find something to remedy his eczema and his potty issues. : )
The good news is that although all the children are in training boot camp (that means I'm really following through on every instruction I give), everyone went to bed in peace and even my teenage daughters smiled at me, hugged me and still love me. Time for bed!
The bad news is that I spent another thirty minutes explaining to the eldest four children the reasoning behind creating, and enforcing a morning rountine. I'm hoping tomorrow will be an improvement.
Evening update: the bad news is that the potty training toddler never used the toilet for the rest of the day. The morning success was just a tease. After dinner, the training diaper sagged so low inside of his courduroys that his poop fell out the pants legs, onto carpet, slippers, etc...but he enjoyed a nice shower and a rub down with sweet almond oil. Last night it was a bath with olive oil. I'm hoping we'll find something to remedy his eczema and his potty issues. : )
The good news is that although all the children are in training boot camp (that means I'm really following through on every instruction I give), everyone went to bed in peace and even my teenage daughters smiled at me, hugged me and still love me. Time for bed!
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