His Tender Mercies

Back to Life

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:48:00 +0000

The hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving has ended and my family is back safe and sound in their home far away. So now it's back to everyday life....slowly but surely I will get there. I feel so out of sorts physically & mentally after our wonderful week . So, I'm trying to stick to my routine and add a little of the extra Christmas stuff to get over the let down of the holiday ending and to get back on track.

I am one of those crazies that decided to go shopping on Black Friday, at 5am. I was glad I went because I did find some great deals and am glad to say my Christmas shopping is almost done. I even have the majority of what I bought wrapped...that way any curious children can't see anything if they happen to find their way to the hidden gifts .

Today I put out all of my Christmas decorations, which really isn't much. I decorate my fireplace mantle and put up a tree, although we haven't gotten the tree yet. I also put out my advent wreath/nativity set in one. My daughter who is almost 4 was very intrigued by it...it was like she hadn't seen it before. I suppose it does seem new to her since last year she was only two..almost three. She sat quietly and played with it but did eventually ask me to sit down and play with it with her. So I took this opportunity to play as a teaching moment. I got out my Bible and read to her...starting in Luke chapter 2, showing her the Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus figurines. I continued to read and showed her the shepards and the angels. She was so cute! I explained the reason we celebrate Christmas is because of Jesus. She said to me in the sweetest and most genuinely interested voice " I didn't know that! " I'm so glad I told her because I guess I just assumed she knew since she hears about Jesus all the time....at home and church.

We also started are Advent reading yesterday. We are reading Tabitha's Travels again. We actually have all 3 of the books in this Advent trilogy and have been reading them for years now. They never get old and I don't know why but they always make me cry.

Well I'm leaving you with a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake that I made for Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust ~ 1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies or graham crackers

1/2 cup chopped pecans

6 TB butter melted

1/4 sugar

Filling ~ 3 - 8oz packages softened cream cheese

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 1/2 tsp. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 . Butter an 8 inch spring form pan. Combine crust ingredients and press over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

2. Increase oven temp. to 425. Beat cream cheese, brown sugar, and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks. Add flour and spices..beat until well blended. Add remaining ingredients, beat until blended. Pour filling over the baked crust.

3. Bake Cheesecake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 250 and continue baking for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 3 hours.

Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:09:00 +0000

These past several days have been chaotic, as I prepare for Thanksgiving week. I say week because my mom, brother , his wife, and children will be spending the week with us. They should arrive here this evening, after a 9 hour drive. It's always so exciting to have them come but alot of work preparing. I've got most of the house cleaned...a few odd and ends to do. Our dinner meals are planned and this is what our week will look like feeding a crowd. I have alot of cooking to do : )

Wed.
Lots of meatballs( using 6 # of meat) with spaghetti sauce & pasta, garlic bread and a green salad

Thurs. (Thanksgiving)
21 # turkey
homemade stuffing
pineapple yams (love this recipe)
mashed potatoes ( hoping 10# of potatoes will be enough)
green beans
corn
rolls
cranberry sauce
My wonderful SIL is bringing a ham and making a few pumpkin pies. Hopefully I'm not forgetting anything.

I will be making:
2 french apple pies (gf)
1 chocolate pie
1 pumpkin cheesecake (gf)

Fri.

Lots of leftovers

Sat.
Tacos

They will be heading back home Sat night. It's always hard when they go....takes a good week to adjust. We will miss them.

On another note .....I've been reading alot lately. I'm really needing God's help in so many areas...so many areas that I struggle and my heart is breaking over it. I've got lots on my mind. So, I've been reading "The Excellent Wife" & "Families Where Grace is in Place". Do you ever feel like you have things figured out and then realize you know nothing? This is where I've been lately.....learning to have a heart like the Lord Jesus, although I'm so far off from that most days. Don't we all need God's grace minute by minute...not only to have for ourselves but to pour out on others. I'm just thankful for God's love and that he sent Jesus to die for my ugly sins and that I have a way to redemption through the blood of Jesus. So much to be thankful for!

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
O! precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace - Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness - Nothing but the blood of Jesus
O precious is the flow That make me white as snow;
No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

On the mend

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:54:00 +0000

My last post here was Saturday... that very night we had a scare with our 11 year old daughter. She wasn't feeling well, do to having the flu. She was semi awake,talking in her sleep. My eldest daughter helped her to the bathroom because she knows when her sister is talking in her sleep, she needs to use the bathroom. One of the blessings of sharing a room with your sibling....you've got a buddy to watch out for you : )

So big sis helped little sis to the bathroom and waited outside the door for her. She even peeked in to see if she was okay, but her sister told her to "shut the door, I'm fine". Shortly after big sis heard a few loud thumps, opened the door and found her sister passed out. My son came and woke my husband and I . When she came to ,my husband helped her to her feet. She stood for a few minutes with his help but then passed out again. When she came to , she immediately got sick to her stomach. Her fever immediately broke and she felt alot better. It was a little scary, but my husband, thankfully, handles these situations much better then I and was able to keep things calm ; ) She is much better today but still has a slight cough....but now my hubby's not feeling to well. Boy, this is going to be a long fall/winter. Supposedly flu season hasn't even hit & we already have sickness here. There's so much conflicting information about the flu, that I have no idea what to believe. I'm just ready for spring already : )

What we've been up to

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:05:00 +0000

This week has been a long one. We've had sickness makes it way through our family. I'm guessing it's THE FLU, because that is what's going around . It seemed like a typical flu...no one was so sick that they needed to be seen by a doctor, although some of my kids were sicker then the others. My oldest daughter spent 2 full days on the couch because she was too dizzy to get up. There were fevers, headaches and coughs...which the cough is still lingering....just going to keep an eye on that and make sure it doesn't get worse. Neither my husband or I are sick...hoping we don't get it but if we do at least we aren't sick while the kids are.

Out of the blue this week we got an exciting phone call. Someone is very interested in our house! They said they had driven past it several times and really like what they see from the outside...they have been looking for a house to buy for the past 7 or 8 months but I guess just haven't found one. They were scheduled to come look at it today but cancelled because of a work schedule change. Although I was disappointed, I'm glad they did because my 11 year old daughter, who was the last of our children to get sick, is still not feeling well.

I really wasn't expecting anyone to call because we haven't advertised in awhile, just our " for sale by owner" sign in the front yard. I had given up hope that it would sell and just found contentment in staying here or whatever happens with our housing situation. I kind of find it interesting when I "let go".....I am reminded that God is very capable and in control of this situation. Still though, I am finding that anxiety coming back ...about hoping the house sells, looking ahead too far, instead of just living for today, and where we will go from here.....sure hope this wasn't a test, because I am failing : ( I do hope the family calls back & still wants to see the house. If you would like to lift this situation up to the Lord in prayer, I would be grateful : )
Well that's our update...not much to say, I know. I'm just a pretty ordinary kind of woman.

Who would have known

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:21:00 +0000

Recently, I bought my daughter a pair of earrings that she asked for. They are peace signs. She told me later on , after I bought them that her friend's mother would not allow her to where anything with a peace symbol on it because it was related to witches or something. Huh? I've never heard this before...I just always saw it as some 60's hippie symbol - love, peace, happiness....nothing else. So I looked it up and I found this . Okay now I have a dilemma, I suppose. Should I let her wear them or not? I really don't see the harm in them because we didn't know that it meant anything bad and I bet most people don't. I would like to hear others thoughts....ever heard anything about this.

Inconsistent

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:04:00 +0000

For those of you that read this blog regularly, you have noticed that I don't post often. Forgive me if you are wondering where I've been as I don't post often to keep you updated. I truly don't mean to be rude. First off , I started this blog as a journal of sorts. A place where I could write the things down that I want to remember and want to share with others .... the things that the Lord is doing and showing me. I don't always write all of them...somethings are just too personal.
Since I am never consistent....I have considered deleting this blog but just can't bring myself to do it just yet because I think there just might be something I just have to share. There just might be that one person out there going through a similar situation and needs to be encouraged or may need to encourage me ; ) So I continue on with this blog. So hopefully people still read here even if I don't write often.

Preparing for School.

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Oh my goodness I'm so behind with getting things ready for this school year. I have figured out what I'm using but still have to order what I need. Just waiting for the funds ; )

I've decided to have my oldest 2 children do all of their homeschooling on the computer using the Switched on Schoolhouse curriculum. It allows them to work very independently...even grades their work. I really need it to be that way right now...for those of you who have teenagers you might know what I mean ; ) I am going to have to get a second computer....hoping to find something inexpensive (used or new)

My younger two who are 8 & 11 ...I will be doing My Father's World unit study again ( Creation to Greeks) with them. I was able to borrow it from a friend ..Praise the Lord for his beautiful provision! I would like to incorporate some lap booking into it by using some of Homeschool in the Woods . I might use Christina Liberty Press's new preschool activity book with my 3 1/2 year old....not sure though.

Besides all of that we've been trying to get firewood cut for this winter. We are a little behind on that. Last year we split and stacked all of the wood we had, on Labor day weekend. We sure are hoping to do the same this year. I have a blessing to share of God's provision in regards to the firewood. My husband was working very hard back in our woods over the weekend....searching for trees to cut up. At the very back of our property he found a great big oak tree that had recently been uprooted (in a storm or downdraft, I guess). It fell on a Maple tree uprooting it as well. Two big beautful trees made of wood that are perfect for burning (some wood burns better then others). He said he would have not cut them down because they were so big (not the safest to cut down without help) He thinks those two trees cut up and split with what he has already cut up, will be enough firewood to get us through the winter.

On another note....our chickens started laying this week. My 8 year old son has loved going out in the chicken coop several times a day to check for eggs. So far today we have gotten 5. I had to go out today and get them some layer feed...as they just finished up the growe/finisher feed I had them on. I also bought some cracked corn to mix in with the feed and some grit (helps them digest) that I put in a separate container near their food. I wasn't expecting them to be laying so soon. I went grocery shopping just a day before they started laying and bought to dozen eggs. I guess we will be eating alot of deviled eggs or egg salad : )

Well this is my latest update....need to go make dinner. I didn't realize how late it was getting .

Going Ons

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:47:00 +0000

First off I want to say thank you for your comment Rebecca....you are such a sweet person...you always have something positive and so kind to say! I wish we lived near one another.

So whats been going on with me....not really a whole lot...at least nothing that I feel like blogging about. I just figure maybe it's best to keep things to myself...if they aren't so positive....I don't want to bum every one out : ) As you know we are trying to sell our house but haven't had much activity. Trying to be content with the way things are. We have been sick and I'm not feeling my best. The sickies started 12 days ago. My youngest...who is 3, woke me up from a sound sleep ( she sleeps in my bed snuggled between her daddy & I ) laughing very loudly. I asked her what was so funny....she laughed loudly again and that's when I realized she was sleeping. As I touched her I could feel she was burning up with a fever. I woke her to give her some Tylenol and try to get her to drink some cool water. She settled back into bed and went to sleep. She was pretty tired and irritable the next day and felt feverish but was fine by the following day. Several days later my other kids weren't feeling well.... feverish, headaches, dizzy , tired and vomiting. They were better after a few days. Then Sunday I started to not feel well . It seems like a head cold or sinus thing with me & just a drained feeling. I was feeling feverish but took some Tylenol and it helped. I'm still not feeling great but better then I was.

Sunday we also celebrated my daughter's 11th birthday. We didn't have big plans because of our money situation but let me tell you that the Lord really blessed that day. Since my daughter loves horses, we went to a local horse farm that was having a free horse gentler presentation. He showed us step by step how to tame a horse that had never been ridden. He kind of tells a story comparing the steps involved in training the horse to mans' relationship with God & giving the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ at the same time. It's called Wild Horse Ministries....it was really cool! It nearly brought me to tears. It's so neat when you see someone who loves the Lord and is using every part of his life to glorify God and share the gospel truth.

When we first got there a lady was passing out tickets (they were free too) for a door prize(s)drawing. When I got the ticket ,of course one of my first thoughts was..."I won't win anything...I never do....even those silly little baby/wedding showers games."
I decided to look around at some of the items for sale...wanted to get my daughter one of the horse t-shirts with the name of the ministry on it, but money being tight I didn't even consider it. At the end of the presentation they started drawing the tickets out of the hat to give away the prizes. I don't remember what all the prizes were but I do know that all the prizes were different..no two were alike. They started calling off numbers one after another and none of us (our family that is) had a matching ticket. Finally they called off the very last ticket for the last door prize and guess what? I HAD A WINNING TICKET! and guess what I won?..... A T-SHIRT!! A t-shirt for my daughter's b-day! Isn't God simply wonderful! Not just because He allowed me/us to have something that we wanted but because He cares and He knows our every thought, every desire, every fear, every burden, every heartbreak, every struggle, every disappointment.....every detail of our lives!

These past weeks have been a struggle for us ...not that we are any different then alot of families. Actually we really probably don't have it all that bad but ya know when it's your own struggle, now matter how big or small it is....it still affects you personally. It's been hard to see my husband work so hard but still be financially burdened trying to care for his family. We are working on trying to make our lifestyle fit our income( which as been down since this recession hit) & one of those ways to do so is to sell our house. It's had us both discouraged for several reasons but one being we see how poorly the housing market is doing and I guess it leaves us not so optimistic. So this past Sunday was especially sweet because the Lord showed me His working/presence/grace in our daily lives....through something as little as a t-shirt. He's in control. I know as a Christian I should believe that truth for the simple fact that God's word says He is with us & He is sovereign, but you know it's just that much sweeter when He shows it in a very visible way.

So I hope my post hasn't bummed you out but encouraged you in the Lord : )

Going Ons

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:46:00 +0000

Waiting

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:37:00 +0000

Waiting is a hard thing for me to do. I'm not very good at it : ) We've had our house for sale for almost a month. We've had calls but no one has come to look : ( I pray often asking the Lord
to help me be content with His plan....whatever that maybe but I have to admit I 'm starting to feel very unsettled.

I need a creative outlet & I just haven't had the time (maybe it's patience) to learn something new... like knitting, sewing, etc. to fill that need to create. So I've just always put that creative energy into my home. I'm always working on the next project or idea in my head to make my home warm, comfortable and inviting. Now I just feel stuck trying not to put my heart, dreams, & hopes into a home that may not be mine for much longer. I've been trying to look ahead and hope, dream and plan for our next home but I don't know when that will or ever will be, so I don't want to get my hopes up or get ahead of God's plans for us.
This possible move seems to be putting alot of things on hold and I'm just feeling very impatient & discouraged : (

Okay that was just a little venting I needed to get out to someone. I'm trying not to vent to my husband...he's heard enough of it already LOL!

Garage Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:39:00 +0000

It happened again....another urge , except this time it's not painting or decorating. This times it's the urge to purge! I'm having a garage sale. What was I thinking!?!?!?! I started the sale today and have only had 4 people come so far......I guess that's what happens when you live out in the country : ) I just hope stuff sells so I don't have to pack it all back up and drag into the basement.

I have decided to part with alot of things that are just wasting space. Alot of that stuff is baby clothes and other baby items. It kind of makes me sad...getting rid of the things my kids used when they were babies : ( I would eventually like to have another baby but with the possibility of a move and building a house...having another right now would be soooo difficult....I know I couldn't be the help to my husband that I would need to be at a time like that. So, I'm going to get rid of these things( that is if they sell) and pray for God to provide things for any future children we might have.

Next weeks plan is putting things back away that haven't sold and clean and declutter my basement. I'm actually excited and can't wait to get it all done. I want the house to look as clean and as inviting as possible before we put it up for sale. It may take a little longer then we would like to put it on the market but my husband maybe doing some home improvement projects that we feel would add to the value of our home and make it more likely to sell for what we hope it sells for.

My 10 year old daughter headed off to Bible camp on Monday morning. It's so strange not having her here but I know she must be having a blast and I'm so glad for her. I just can't wait to pick her up on Saturday. I can send her emails and she can send snail mail but I can't talk to her unless there is an emergency : ( The camp does have a blog though, where they post pictures of the going ons during the week. I got to see my sweetie in the pictures. As a family we were all sitting around the computer trying to find her in the pictures.....you should of seen us.....it's like we don't know what to do without her : ) Well in a few more weeks my oldest two head off for camp.......that's going to feel really strange.

Well that's all I have time for today. I need to get dinner started....which is burgers on the grill. I already made pasta salad to go with the burgers. Have a great day!

Future Plans?

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:55:00 +0000

There is so much rolling around in my head right now . Why, you might ask? My husband and I have been discussing putting our house up for sale. If we were able to sell our home for what we want for it, we could pay off all of our debt and most likely be able to pay cash for some property to build a house on. We would plan on renting something until we could build & while we were building . I know some of you much be saying "good luck with that one". It seems so impossible to me too because of the economy and sinking housing market. I know though that we have a God that is more powerful than our economy and can make anything possible if He wills it....even selling our house. We are wanting to get rid of our debt and this is the only fast way we could figure out how to do it. I know to some it sounds like building a new house in this economy could never work, but it would actually lighten our load, financially speaking , because my husband does this for a living....we could literally build it ourselves.

Today I drove past some property not far from us and I have to say I love it! I can't wait for my husband to see it. I'm just waiting/praying to see if this is the direction the Lord is leading us. I'm really trying so hard to not get ahead of myself......but patiently letting the Lord do His work in His time. Please pray for us and this situation.

I guess the urge I've had to spruce up our house gets us that much closer to getting our house ready to sell : ) Well that it's for now....I need to get of this computer. Have a great day!

Today's to do list

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:57:00 +0000

I had planned on painting my hallway , part of the living room that I never finished the first ime I started painting, and my bedroom today. I never did get to the bedroom....I'm too tired to do that today....it will have to wait until tomorrow.

I have a chicken in the crockpot that smells wonderful. I have to shred it and add some bq sauce to make sandwiches. I'll have some veggies for the side dish.

Today when I was painting, my 15 year old son and I had a conversation about a young lady on his softball team. He had the opportunity to share his faith in Jesus with her. I am so proud of him for doing that but it didn't go so well. She told him he was stupid because he believed what he did. She said she follwed the 10 commandments....that was her salvation. He said if we tried to follow the 10 commandments none of us would get to heaven because it not humanly possible. She said a few more things and then changed the subject. That's okay though, my son planted the seed and God will do the rest.

Well that's it for today...gotta get dinner ready.

Around the House

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:20:00 +0000

These past few weeks I've gotten a terrible itch to paint and spruce up the house. I posted pictures of my bathroom already which is almost finished except for the floor. Next week I'm hoping to work on painting my bedroom and the hallway leading up to the bedroom....the paint I need is going on sale next week....so I'm waiting patiently.

I bought some curtains for my bedroom, I'm anxious to get those hung up but the painting needs to be done first. When that's all done I am hoping to paint my kitchen. I ordered some new curtains for that and I can't wait until they come. They are really nice curtains(just what I've been looking for) but I spent way more then I wanted to on them. I was so focused on the curtains being on sale & was in such a hurry to order them before the sale ended that I wasn't really paying attention to what I was ordering. When I looked at the picture online it showed the windows with valances, swags, and tiers. It stated it was sold as a set. So I thought I was getting those three things in a set for one widow. Well, that was not the case....I was getting a set of tiers for one window....valances and swags were not included. My order for the tiers had already been shipped & I was looking forward to hanging these curtains so much, I broke down and ordered just the valances...doubling the cost of the curtains...ugh!

On another note...Four of our 15 chickens died. It wasn't the most pleasant death for them I'm sure. We have 3 huskies that live outside in their dog pen....well they found a break in their fence and found their way to the chicken coop. The door to the chicken coop was open and the inside wire wasn't strong enough to keep them out. Poor chickens didn't even see what was coming : (

Well that's it for today. If I ever finish my projects...I will try to post pictures.

Summertime Craft for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:16:00 +0000

Looking through some kid's crafts magazines (Pack-o-Fun) I borrowed from the library, I found this adorable craft. You use sculpting clay that hardens when it's baked. The magazine had the pattern to cut out to make the frog. I don't know if we follwed the directions just so because I think the frog is supposed to sit on the edge of the flower pot. I just used a hot glue gun to stick them to the edge.
My daughter made the middle frog and my son made the frog on the end.

I'm not very artistic but this is my attempt at making a snake : ) We gave the middle frog flower pot away to our neighbor and the other frog my kids are giving to their dad for Father's day. We hid it away in a little corner outside so that it could get sunshine and rain, we just hope dad doesn't find it before Father's Day.

That's Just Life

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:11:00 +0000

Last week and the weekend were a bit of a bummer. Not huge things but just enough to cause discouragement. In my real life (opposed to my anonymous blogging life) I struggle in connecting with a good many Christians in my church. I seem to connect better with Christians outside of my church. It doesn't seem it should be this way....this is my church family for crying out loud! Church often just feels like high school, with the cattiness and clicks. It really just turns me off to having any real Christian fellowship within my church.

There is one woman that I know that just really rubs me the wrong way, I just can't get to know her, nor do I really desire to. She's always appears to be friendly to others ,including me, but it seems only to be on the surface friendliness, at least this is the way I have seen it. It got back to me this week , that she had some pretty harsh things to say about my family....it hurt and reinforced my feelings about keeping certain others from church at arms length. I know I need to forgive her and overlook her offense. I feel I have...I'm not angry anymore and don't feel I'm holding it against her but in all honesty I just don't have any desire to have any real meaningful Christian fellowship with her. She's not knocking down my door either...actually from what she had to say...I get the impression she doesn't want much to do with us. Life is a struggle.....I wish I was better at seeing day to day life from an eternal perspective.

God is good though...yesterdays sermon was so touching and God spoke to my heart through it & I pray it spoke to hers. God really is a personal & living God, aware of our hurts. It's hard to imagine going through life without Jesus. I know life is not going to be easy, but difficult if you are a follower of Christ, but to know that you can count on Him and come to him whenever you want...brings such a peace. There are many times when I don't spend the personal time with the Lord, when I know I should. When will I learn that I'm only hurting myself....I'm missing out on much. Yet there are other times that I have an overwhelming desire, that comes out of nowhere, that I just can't wait for a quiet time to run to Him and be with only Him. It is such a secure and loving place to be.....like a little child wrapped up in the loving , strong, and secure arms of their daddy.

Summertime Menus

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:42:00 +0000

Summer is my favorite time of the year; however, I find it very difficult to know what to make for dinner because we don't like to eat warm food during warm weather. Yesterday all I ate was some tortilla chips and salsa. I wasn't really hungry because I couldn't think of anything to eat that sounded appealing.

We do eat grilled food but to me that's different then standing over a hot stove or even having a meal from a crock pot.Below I will share this weeks menu (you will see most of the meat dishes are grilled) I would love if some of you shared some of your summertime favorites. I need some ideas : )

Main Dish (meat)
Grilled Turkey Burgers
Hick Chicks (grilled chicken breasts with bq sauce , slice of cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce & tomato on an onion bun. I don't eat the bun becuase of my gluten free diet but my family does)
Tacos
Grilled pizza....never tried it...hoping it works
Grilled Italian Sausage subs with green peppers, onion ,and muchrooms
Sandwiches
leftovers....I hope

Side Dishes
Dill Potato Salad
Pasta Salad
Side Salad of Baby Romaine Lettuce
Watermelon
Green Bean and Pea Salad

Please share with me your dinner menu for the summer months. You can leave a comment or post it on your blog.

Bathroom Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:17:00 +0000

Awhile ago I told you about trying to redo my bathroom on a budget. It's not completely finished. The flooring still needs to be replaced and the trim hung back up. I don't have before pictures...just picture bare white walls.
The butter fly picture above is an Anne Gedde picture that I boought at Aldi years ago. I had it hung in a different room but moved into the bathroom because I thought I looked better in here.

I got the floating shelf for $6 at a closeout store. The picture frame was $3...I bought two. the other one is hung on the other side of the roon. I printed out black and white photos that I took of my kids and put them in those frames.

Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Mon, 25 May 2009 13:04:00 +0000

The past several days have been busy around here. We've just been getting ready for summer. You know despite the heat....I really love summer! I would say it's my favorite time of the year. There is so much to do and see throughout the season. Some of the things we've been doing to get ready for it are:

Friday I took my daughter to get a new bathing suit. It was tough finding something modest but after trying many on she found "the suit" at Kohl's. Saturday I did alot of running around...went shopping for our Memorial day picnic, bought veggie plants and seeds for our garden, planted the garden (my husband and kids helped). My husband also worked on getting our pool opened. It's filled and chemicals have been added....it's still looking cloudy though. I haven't been outside to look at it this morning yet, maybe the chemicals have kicked in.

Saturday night we went to the drive- in to see "Night at the Museum 2". It was okay...the first one was much better..it was still a fun time though and something different to do with the family. The drive-in shows 2 movies but we didn't stay for the second one. My 3 year old daughter was funny because she kept saying she wanted to go inside to watch the movie. I guess she just couldn't grasp the idea of watching TV outside : )

Yesterday after church I planted a few perennials that I bought...I hope they survive...besides a veggie garden...I just don't seem to do too well with plants : )

My husband started working on the chicken coop area....fencing the run area off. We still have to put some more ventilation in the garden shed (being converted to a coop) and make a little door for the chickens before we can put them out there. So for now they are still in a big box (that they are outgrowing fast) in our basement. I know nothing about chickens...just kind of jumped into it head first...asking questions to people that I know have them. I've been reading info on the internet and got a few books from the library. I have to admit reading these books and the abundance of info they have has left we a little overwhelmed. I was reading about how the eggs can get stuck in the hens vent and you will have to get it out. It involved sticking a finger in there and rubbing the hens stomach to work the egg out. Okay where's the hen's stomach and vent? Oh boy...do you see what I mean. Well, Rome wasn't built in a day.....I'm working on it and learning : )

Last night I made some bacon ranch potato salad to have today. It sure is yummy...I can't wait to eat it. We will also be having grilled burgers, hot dogs, watermelon and chips.

Well I'm going to get going. I hope you all have a great Memorial Day. Remember to pray for our troops and thank a veteran if you see one.

Confidence in Homeschooling

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:48:00 +0000

The title of this post certainly doesn't reflect the way I've always felt about the 8 years of homeschooling I've done with my children. My oldest child did attend public school for K & 1st; however, I did teach him to read at 4 before he even went to school and I didn't follow any expensive reading curriculum to do it either. I went to the library, found a simple little book called "Phonics for the Young Reader" & the rest is history : ) Having taught him to read did give me a little confidence in my ability to homeschool.

Through the years I've used many different types of curriculum & textbooks and learning approaches....never completing one & not following them to a T ...just in case your wondering ; ) I have to say my favorite way of teaching is by taking the unit study& child interest learning approach. As my kids have gotten older (13+) I still take that approach but have pushed more academics...although I still think I've been a little more relaxed then most homeschoolers I know. Of course kids need guidance and need mom & dad to decide what might be interesting to learn about;however, it is still important to really notice or take interest in what it is your kids like, enjoy doing, or are good at , because you never know...that particular interest maybe a God given gift or ability that the Lord wants to build upon.

I have always been a little more of a relaxed homeschooler....rather bake cookies with the kids & go on a field trip with them then sit all day doing worksheets. Although I often wondered if I was doing a disservice to my kids by not having them crack open the textbooks day after day. I wondered if they were learning enough or at the right times. The only thing that I have had confidence in during this homeschooling journey, has been emphasizing to my kids a love for learning....a love for reading. I have come to realize that my kids have learned so much more by visiting the library often & checking out many books to read.

In our state we have to turn in a homeschool portfolio review (this is a portfolio of work they've done through out the year) each year to our local school district, that has been approved by a certified teacher or have them take a standardized test also administered by a certified teacher. I've always done the portfolio reviews ,until this year , I had them tested. I am so glad and relieved that I had them tested. They did better then I could have imagined. Their grade equivalent scores were all above their grade level. As an example my oldest child who is finishing up the 9th grade had an over all grade equivalent score of a 12th grader. This has given not only them more confidence but has given me the confidence that homeschooling that doesn't follow the "typical schooling method" really does work!

Feeling Better

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:23:00 +0000

Thank you all for your prayers. I am feeling better then I was. The shortness of breath isn't as bad as it was...it let up yesterday. Thanks Mary for stopping by my blog. I considered the possibility of anemia being a cause of the shortness of breath. During one of my pregnancies I had anemia (no shortness of breath though) and could not tolerate taking regular iron pills...only thing I could tolerate was a product called Ferrofood.

I have decided to get some medical tests done that I have been holding off on. I would appreciate prayer regarding that : )

I am pretty busy these days with baseball games....4 out of the 7 people in my household are on a baseball team. We have games everyday this week except Friday and Sunday. Two of those days we have more then one game going on. Although I don't enjoy watching Major League Baseball I love watching my kids play and getting outside seems to rejuevenate me.

Well that's it for now. I'll blog again when I can.

Take a Deep Breath

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:59:00 +0000

Oh how I wish I could take a deep breath. For the past week I have felt short of breath which isn't something new for me. Before I became pregnant with my last child 3 years ago I had this shortness of breath problem. Then when I became pregnant it went away....now it's back again. Part of me thinks it maybe hormone related but it's now spring it could be allergies (which I've never had) triggering it. I don't know what to do. We do not have health insurance coverage at this time and having been to the doctors about this before I never was given an answer only expensive tests that showed nothing.
I just took a Zyrtec hoping if it is triggered by an allergy it might help. I would be grateful for prayers.

Thank you and have a blessed weekend!

We've just increased our family by 15!!

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:09:00 +0000

Okay, not really, but we did buy 15 chicks over the weekend. Aren't they cute. We just have to get busy converting our garden shed into a chicken coop.

A Few Funnies

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 12:33:00 +0000

My 10 year old daughter is playing on a community baseball team for the first time ever. I have to admit I don't think I was thinking clearly when I signed her up. She did want to play but I think I should have put her on an all girls team. She is 1 of 2 girls on the team...the rest are boys. The only other girl is her friend. We asked to have them on the same team...I'm so glad we did : ) I know none of this is funny but I am getting to the point : ) During the first practice the boys were being hard on the girls and you could see the frustration on their cute little faces. Let me tell you though God didn't make us girls wimpy....we can be pretty tough if we have to be! LOL! If you could only see the girls now. By yesterday's practice the girls were really doing great. Two of the boys that were playing catch with my daughter asked her to stop throwing the ball so hard because it hurt . Then my daughter was playing 3rd base and two plays in a row got the runners out. That's my girl! The boys made a comment to the two boys that she got out " You got out by a giirrrl!"

I sure hope I'm not creating a feminist out of my daughter : ) LOL!

The second funny was last night. The weather has been beautiful here. We had the windows open letting the warm air in. The Spring Peepers are out and were especially loud last night. My 3 year old daughter looked a little bewildered by the noise coming from outside and was asking to shut the window. I told her that noise was all the spring peepers peeping. She said " Well I want them to stop peeping!" So funny! You gotta love girls!

So Many Projects So Little Time

noreply@blogger.com (Just Me) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:01:00 +0000

I love the spring but I tend to have so many project ideas/plans and very little time to start them. Things keep coming up that I can't get things started. I bought the paint and nicnacs for my master bath project but we got busy with sickness , testing, and baseball practice for 3 of my children, that I haven't even started it.

To make our country living a little more country : ) .....we are getting some chicks (laying chicks). We have a garden shed that we hardly use that we will be turning into a chicken coop when the chicks are big enough to be in it. We need to plan for our veggie garden as well. I would love to grow enough to preserve shelves of canned veggies. I really think planning is the key to having a successful garden and I'm slowly learning how to do that. Plant what you know you will eat and have a plan on how to use what you will grow.
Last year I thought of veggies that I wanted to learn to can /preserve and planted the things I would need to do that. I planted pickling cucumbers and dill to make my kosher dill pickles....they turned out wonderfully...although I will use less salt next time : ) I also made a sweet pickle relish out of all of those cucumbers. I wanted to plant jalapeno peppers to make jalapeno poppers to freeze....those cheesy filled appetizers that you can buy at restaurants. Well I couldn't find them so I bought another type of pepper that I was told was similar to jalapenos. They were not....they were very hot and too small to stuff with cheese and we had a ton of them.....what a waste because I had no idea what to do with them. Trial and error....this is what learning is about : ) I also planted cabbage last year as well to make a freezer coleslaw. The cabbage didn't do so well but I did get a few heads that I used to make cabbage rolls.

I did have things go to waste because I didn't know what to do with it. It seemed you couldn't give it away...so many people out here in the country grow their own food. Although I do see people who live on main roads with veggie stands where they sell their garden veggies. I don't live on a main road but I think I might do this in the summer.....Lord willing we have enough to sell.