Leaving...

We are going away on Sunday and will be back Wednesday. Hope to have some fun pictures!

Am I doing the right thing?

Today was the last day of school for Alicia, Katie and Garrett. Next year they will be all mine! I am so excited about that but scared, too. I know there are a ton of families who home school all their kids and I have done it, too..for 2 years. However, the last 2 years Alicia and Katie have gone to public school and Garrett went to ps this year. They did great in school. Alicia is a little scholar and got all A's and awards in every subject. She also scored super high on her IBS tests. Katie has improved so much. She is reading and writing well and is still a science brain. I had a hard time with Katie for Kindergarten and I am nervous. I know that it is the right thing for us. God wants unified families...families that are together and growing spiritually. Only through the grace of God can I do that. I pray I don't try to do things with my own strength...I will fall flat on my face. It has happened before! I have gotten so burned out that I didn't think I could continue. I want the Lord to be first in my children's lives...everything else is nothingness. If they don't know Him they have nothing. This world is failing...it started rotting away as soon as Adam and Eve sinned. I want to focus on relationships...first God and then our family. That is why I am bringing them home.

Please continue to pray for my Grandma. She is still under hospice care but may be released into my Aunt's home and they (hospice) will take care of her there.

Name game...

I found this fun game here....One thing....

Feel free to purloin it for your own site and amusement!

Rock Star Name: (1st Pet’s name & current car) ~ Cookie Suburban

Fly Guy/Girl Name: (1st initial + first 3 letters of your last name) ~ R Bee

Detective Name: (Fave color & fave animal) ~ Purple Panda

Soap Opera Name: (Middle name & city/town born in) ~ Lynette Gladewater

Star Wars Name: (First 3 letters of last name + first 2 of first name) ~ Beero

Superhero: (”The” & second fave color & fave drink) ~ The Green Lemonade

Nascar Name: (1st names of grandfathers’) ~ Elmer Andrew

Witness Protection Name: (Mom & Dad’s middle name) ~ Kay Larry

Weather Anchor Name: (5th grade teacher’s last name & a city which starts with the same letter) ~ Baker Baltimore

Spy/Bond Name: (fave season/holiday & fave flower) ~ Autumn Zinnia

Cartoon Name: (fave fruit & article of present clothing + “ie” or “y”) ~ Watermelon Sweatie

Hippy Name: (What you ate for breakfast & fave tree) ~ Pancake Maple

I love my weather anchor name...sounds right out of a movie:)

As for the Star Wars category...I could be Jabba's sister...Beero the Can!

Fun and mess..

The upstairs is a disaster right now. We are throwing away Colton's bunk bed (it is junk) and moving Julia's bed into his room. Then Alicia and Julia are getting Garrett and Thomas's bunk bed (turning them into 2 twins). That makes for a lot of chaos upstairs. I don't know when the bathroom work will start, possibly this week.

Continuing to enjoy Bible Study. I am learning so much about God's grace and it makes me extremely thankful. Our human minds cannot even begin to comprehend the grace of God, it is beyond our reason.

My friend, Bonnie, just had her 2nd surrogate baby for an infertile couple. That is God's grace working through her. She had a little boy for them first and now a little girl 18 months later. What an incredible gift to give someone.

I continue to watch all of the crazy things happening in this world. I have mentioned Bible Prophecy Today before. It is a good pro-Israel resource with lots of contributors.

Nursing..

Wow, I am still really having a tough time nursing Anna. She is just not loving it. I haven't had this much trouble since Colton was a baby. I weaned him at 9 months (my ob told me to) and both him and I were happier. If he had not told me to wean I probably would have struggled with it for as long as I could. Anna will not nurse on the right side...I try the different positions and holds and it is just not working. I end up pumping on that side. Jesse said that she is probably ready for solid foods. I am one that usually waits and doesn't go by the recommended "schedule" for feeding. But, I may try to give her some cereal and see if she is happier. She has been a difficult nurser since day 1 but have managed to get to 7.5 months. I am going to keep trying. I really want to make it to a year if at all possible. I love to nurse my babies for 2 years but it may not happen with her.

Remodeling..

It appears that we are going to be putting in a bathroom upstairs. We have gotten by with 1, but with everyone home for the summer and everyone being home-schooled next year, it will be a wonderful blessing. Right now there are 4 bedrooms upstairs...the one we are converting to a bathroom is very small and will be perfect. Noone sleeps in it currently. It is Garrett and Thomas's room with their dresser and bunk beds. Garrett sleeps in Julia and Alicia's room, and Thomas sleeps downstairs with Jesse and I. The bathroom will have a toilet, sink and shower..no bathtub. We bought some items for it last night....faucet and knobs for shower and sink, vanity with attached sink, tile, grout for tile, adhesive for tile...that stuff cost almost $400. We haven't even bought the toilet or shower yet...from what we've seen to go cheaply it will another $600. We are not doing the labor ourselves...it will be rather complicated. We hired a man that has done work for us in the past.

Colton came home from working on the church with a bad sunburn. Our church is converting an old National Guard Armory and it will be a ton of work. They are doing everything themselves. Julia, Alicia and Carlina also helped today. Jesse helped yesterday but had to go to work tonight.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day but we have no plans. Jesse works the next 4 nights and then we are going to take a small trip. Going to the zoo, amusement park and camping for 3 nights. We are planning on leaving Sunday.

Mom is coming home from Grandma's on Wed. Grandma will stay in hospice unless a miraculous healing occurs. She is stubborn about taking her pain medicine causing her unnecessary pain.

Summer day..

It feels like it, even if summer isn't actually here until June. Jesse and the 4 older kids went to work on the armory that our church is converting to a new church. It will be lots more space for us. They are working on it all through Memorial Day weekend. It will be wonderful for Awana, VBS and lots of other ministry opportunities. Not to mention lots of room for all the kids that attend church (and there are a lot!).

I haven't heard from my mom today; she called yesterday and said Grandma was sleeping quite a bit and in pain. They have been giving her morphine and may need to up the dosage. I remember my dad telling me that when his mom was dying from colon cancer (in the late 1970's), they wouldn't give her anything for the pain and it was agonizing. They (the medical staff) were worried she'd get hooked on morphine, which didn't make any sense at all. He said it was awful to watch.

I will miss my Grandma when she dies. I never was able to live close to her but saw her every summer (for 2 weeks) as a child. We would fly out as soon as school ended. We always had a wonderful time. She had a big, beautiful yard and the fragrant peonies were blooming when we came. We also got to see our Aunts, Uncles and cousins who lived in Western Pa as well. The last time I saw Grandma was in 2004 when she flew to Florida to attend my cousin's wedding. I am sad that I haven't gotten to see her lately but thankful that one day we will have a wonderful reunion where there will be no pain, despair or illness.

Letting go..

The wind blows forever on the prairie. Yesterday, we had tremendous gusts that knocked 2 baby robins out of their secure little nest. Unfortunately, one of them was eaten by my mean ol' cat, Kumquat. We found the other today. What a pitiful sight he is, chirping and flailing about. The kids adopted him (named him Pip) and are digging up worms which he is greedily consuming. The protective momma is hopping about, never leaving her nearby post. I don't know what is going through her dear little bird brain. I can't imagine how she must have felt (do birds have feelings?) when her sweet babies were tossed to the wind and consumed by a foul beast while she could do nothing. She is still out there as I type, hopping here and there...cocking her head and looking around, flying from her nest to the ground. This made me think of how helpless we are as parents, so often. When accident or disease strikes, what can we do? When our children walk away in rebellion from us or from God, when they are taken by crime. I have never experienced any of these things in any severity. The closest I have come to this are my 2 miscarriages. Seeing that little body on the ultrasound, heart beating, limbs moving...instant wonder and amazement. Then to go back for the next appointment, only to have the heart stopped, the body still. I can't explain the grief the first time that happened to me. She was my first little Anna, the one that Anna Rose is named for. Susannah was my second little miracle to go to heaven. I have lost 3 cousins...2 to accidents and 1 to sickness. One was only 7...one was a new graduate from High school with so much to look forward to. How does a parent let their child go into God's hands...how does one realize that their child belongs to God and He loves them so much more than we can ever love them? Only by the grace of God. I can't answer these questions but I do ponder them. I received some insight into this when I read this blog.

On another note, my Grandmother is no longer a candidate for surgery but in hospice care now. She is not doing too well. Prayers that she will have peace and comfort at this time are appreciated.

A divided Jerusalem and other musings..

Check out Joel Rosenberg's blog regarding a divided Jerusalem.

We have had a couple of very warm, summer like days. I planted 2 forsythia buses on one side of the house and some zinnias out front. We are pushing the idea of moving to the side for now. Perhaps putting in a bathroom upstairs. Going down the home stretch for school. Alicia did awesome on her IBS tests and has done very well in 5th grade. I will be happy to have her home next year. Katie has had an okay year, really liked 1st grade in Florida better but has improved her reading (her writing is still very messy). Garrett is so friendly and outgoing, if he sees one of his friends he shouts out a loud, cheerful greeting. He had a good year in PS. But it will be nice to all be going in the same direction. Colton, Carlina, Julia and I are starting Spanish, which we will work on through the summer. Colton is finishing up his geometry. I ordered an Algebra book from here for Carlina. I really like what this company offers. Julia will have to work on math a bit longer and finish up her Language Arts book.

Ollie rolled in a dead skunk yesterday and smells awful. I will have to get some more vinegar to make another solution for him. We got an $80 ticket (because of the time he chased the cop!)...if only he didn't bark at people. He is a coward and wouldn't bite but he looks mean. I was thinking how crazy it would be if cats chased people and meowed meanly at them (I guess that wouldn't be so far fetched...aka a tiger!).

My SIL and I are going to start praying at 9am CST for our familes and our country. If anyone wants to join us, let me know and we will add your requests to our list.

Update: Grandma will be having her surgery today if her blood pressure is back up.

Prayers please!!

My Grandmother broke her hip on Saturday and they plan to do a risky surgery to fix it. Otherwise, without the surgery, she may not be able to walk again. The surgery is risky because she is 91 and has a bad heart. She might not survive it. My mom flew to Arizona to be with her and I haven't heard anything yet. Thanks for any prayers from those who are reading!!!!

College plus...

This is a great option for those who aren't interested in traditional college...which is frankly unaffordable and often leads a student away from their family and their faith. We are definitely going to look into this for our kids. You can complete a degree in a very short time for a relatively small cost. Colton has expressed interest in a Bible College, so we may look into that for him. I can't believe I have 2 in High School and we are starting to think about life after.

Tired!

Thomas, Anna and I have had a couple of very hard days...(Jesse, as well, who is on his 4th night shift--Julia says he looks "about dead"). I am anxious for the little ones to start feeling better. I am trying to count my blessings and not focus on how tired I am. Here are my blessings for today:

Anna is starting to feel better!! YAY!!! I think her appetite has picked up, I was so worried that I was going to dry up and have to start giving her a bottle.

It is a gorgeous Spring day!!!

Jesse will be off soon (for 2 days at least)!!

Colton made a delicious dinner (chicken, noodles, carrots, broccoli and cheese dish)!!

God dwells in me and I have the peace that surpasses all understanding!!!

There are many more, but I need to go....I feel better already:)

Persecuted church...

Click here to find out ways that you can help the persecuted church. Do you get the Voice of the Martyrs newsletter? It is free and an excellent resource and you can request it on the same page. You can also request Tortured for Christ for yourself or for a friend, sign up for prayer alerts and find out how to write letters to imprisoned Christians. According to the book Why Pray by John F. DeVries, God wants us to pray constantly, asking Him to shine His light and to shower His blessings on specific people and areas that need to know Him. We need to remember those being persecuted for Christ when praying.

More sickies..

I had hoped we were done with illness for awhile but it appears not. Anna has been sick since Sunday night with a fever. She has been very fussy and not nursing. Thomas now has a fever and is very cranky. If you are reading this, please pray that the rest of us can stay healthy. We are supposed to see Jesse's Aunts soon and also go to our nephew's birthday party on Sat. Plus Jesse is working an extremely grueling 5-night in a row stint and needs to stay healthy!

Quote of the day...Thomas is afraid of the vacuum and when he saw me getting ready to use it shouted " No, mommy!! That sweeper is a bad boy!!!".

I am really enjoying our church Bible Study...a Kay Arthur study entitled "Lord, I need grace to make it today." It is an excellent study of the 2 Convenants...Old and New. I can never cease thanking God for His grace (unmerited favor). We have completed 3 chapters, thus far. She stresses (so far) that the law is there for 3 reasons...1)the Law sets before us the righteous standards of God. (we see what it is is to live righteously). 2)By the Law is the knowledge of sin.
3)The Law serves as a tutor to bring us to Christ.

Of course the Law doesn't save us, only God's grace does that. In her words: It is by grace we are saved, that we know Him intimately, that we live day by day, deal with the traumas of life, serve God and please Him....

Memory verse for today:
Romans 5:1-2
Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in whice we stand; we exult in hope of the glory of God.

Happy Mother's Day!!

We had a wonderful picnic at a nearby park with Mom (and her hubby), Dh's mom, sisters (and their families), Dh's grandma and aunt. It. was a bit cool and windy but very sunny. The kids had fun playing games, hiking and eating picnic foods. Carlina led the kids in many fun games..red rover, mother may I, etc.

I am so thankful for my Mom. We were taught in church today that Mothers should first and foremost teach and model God's word to their children. My mom was and is always a Godly woman who raised my sister and I to believe in and worship God. I am thankful that she spent lots of time with us, was never too busy for us. Today she continues to support me and my family. She is an amazing Grandmother as well. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Star Trek..

Any trekkies out there? What did you think of the new movie? Dh and I saw it tonight and thought it was great. Bringing a whole new gen of nerds into trek fandom..lol. There were 5 teenage boys in front of us who were raising their hands (in awe, worship?) of the movie at the beginning and end. Oddly enough, my teenage son does not like Star Trek...huh????

Grandma's Thunder cake...

Katie found this recipe in the back of one of her library books...we made it yesterday and it is so moist!! We put cool whip and strawberries on top, yum!! Instead of pureed tomatoes, I used canned crushed tomatoes. Enjoy!!!

Grandma's Thunder Cake

Great Prophecy blog...

This blog is awesome, I enjoy reading from it daily:

Bible Prophecy Today

May

Thank you, Lord, for May.
I am held captive by the scent of Lilacs blooming in my yard.
The wafting aroma of honeysuckle, the rest from the long winter,
floating warm breezes and strong sunshine enchant me.

Greenhouses full of blossoms, rabbits hopping in the yard and
squirrels frolicing in the maples present a feast for my eyes.
The winter has worn me down, but Spring lifts me up.
It is your gift to me, wrapped in papers of green grass,
tied with a bow of new buds.

Fun at Grandma's

I had a busy day yesterday, but it was great. I had a friend over from church for lunch. She is a young mom, married for a year and just had twin boys. They are so sweet. We enjoyed eating pitas and cheesecake and visiting. Julia got to feed one of the little boys with his bottle and we both got to hold them. Oliver was kind of wacko because it was thundering out; I really have a hard time knowing what to do with him when I have company...he barks like a nut if we chain him outside. He is so spoiled.

We went to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner. They grilled hamburgers and we enjoyed the outdoors. Their garden, orchard and flower beds are looking wonderful. They have already put so much work into their place, it will be so nice.

Adorable video...

Julia and Alicia made this cute video of Oliver:


Oliver

Dinners..

Last night, chicken pot pie and salad...

Tonight....Baked Parmesan Meatballs with noodles:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 375. Mix meat, cheese, parsley, egg and garlic. Shape into meatballs. BAke 25 min or until cooked through. (I will double this recipe). Serve over buttered noodles with a salad.

Days go by...

I got a nasty headache last night and went to bed early (for me)...Jesse and I were watching Star Trek (nexgen) and I couldn't even finish the episode (although I've seen every one more than once)..it was that bad, lol. This morning I woke up with nausea and the remains of the headache which ibuprofen didn't even touch. I hope I am not going to be prone to migraines as I go into my 40's...I turn 40 this year. My Grandma started getting them in her 40's and mom said that she was bedridden because of them at times. I took some multidolphilus to try and help the nausea.

It is a really nice day out...I planted another bush and a mum. I am not going to plant anything else though. We haven't heard back from the bank yet, so a waiting game, as usual.

Alicia is starting to really slack off on homework..didn't get it done yesterday. I have to cut out the computer time (she has a game where she designs clothing that she loves) and make her get the homework done right away. She also went to a friend's house yesterday and watched a movie, so I really wasn't paying enough attention-obviously. I will be glad when school is over and I will have them all home again.

We are continuing to read Oliver Twist, it is fun. Sometimes the language really curfoodles us though:) I will read a passage and the kids will say huh???!!!

More...

We looked at another house on Sunday night. It has 6 acres...a modular on top of a hill. It is a bit rough with lots of potential. The price is right, too. I think it will go fast but we have to wait to hear back from the bank. It would be so nice to have some land again, but I don't know what God has in store for us. He may want us just right where we are, that is fine with me, too. We have plans to add on to this place if buying another one doesn't work out. On Saturday we took a hike on Jesse's mom's place, back in the hills. It is just glorious. At one time we considered putting a place on those hills, but the cost was too high. We do enjoy visiting her and bringing our dog so he can romp (and roll in a stinky deer corpse). My m0m also has a nice place in the country. If we don't get to move, we have 2 country places to enjoy.

I'm done!!!

11 new fillings later and I am finally done with my torture sessions at the dentist. My last 2 were done today. I have terrible teeth that I have not kept up on and many fillings that were falling apart. I am thankful that insurance covered everything...I had to get it done as my insurance coverage ends May 30th. Hopefully I can keep on top of things better, but I am pretty sure my teeth are always going to give me problems.

Jesse is working a grueling schedule for May. His plant shuts down one a year to clean and replace everything and all workers must be there. He works 7 days straight (12 hour days), one day off, and then 5 nights (12 hours also). After that it goes back to his regular schedule. It will be a marathon session.

Friday....

I opened the doors of the church at 8am to start the rummage sale....stayed there until about 3pm, with some breaks throughout the day to check out other yard sales in town. We found some good deals...a bassinett, boys clothes, shoes, stir crazy pop corn popper, match box cars. Julia and Carlina helped out with the bake sale at the yard sale...fun as there were other girls there to visit with. I don't think we made a ton but it was fun, nonetheless!

I found this article which is great if you're feeling worried about the flu...kind of puts things in perspective:
Everyone goes oink!


I am trying to put some tomato seedlings in pots...they look pretty healthy right now but hopefully I don't kill them! We found 2 other houses that we are looking at, also. I am feeling sad that I can't plant tons of flowers and shrubs around here because we don't know where we are going to be permanently...so I am just putting things in pots that I can move.