Mama Russell's Blog

I've moved!

2008-09-29T15:35:00.000-04:00

Please visit me over at my new blog Wisdom Begun. See you there!

Why a new blog?

2008-07-22T10:19:00.001-04:00

A couple of years ago I started my journey into the world of blogging. I am not sure of the reason why most people start a blog. Probably the ability to write out our thoughts behind the veil of a computer screen holds a small amount of weight to that decision. Our world likes to be easily offended when someone does not agree with us, so anonymity in any form while expressing the freedom of speech tends to draw us in.

For me, I just like to write. That is it. That was my whole reason to begin a blog. I was an English Major in college and while I never did finish that degree I still wanted to continue writing. I am not a great writer by any stretch of mental capacity. And as time goes on I find it harder to bring out my thoughts and put them down in a logical manner that would make sense to anyone. I tend to agree with those studies that have come up with the conclusions that bearing children tends to cause loss of a few brain cells.

I am one of those people that seem to be able to communicate better through writing than through the actual act of speaking. My husband tells me often that he learns more about me through my blog posts than through our every-day conversation. This tells me two things: 1) I need to learn to communicate better with my best friend and 2) I need to cultivate writing instead of letting it fester and die by the wayside. It is a sad thing when we neglect to care for those gifts God has given us.

What does any of this have to do with the title of this post? Seriously, why a new blog when I already have one? To put it quite simply: Mama Russell's Blog is dead to me. I feel as if that woman who started that blog a couple of years ago has grown into someone a bit different. That change can not be allowed to blossom in a blog still encumbered by immature thoughts. I need to break out, to learn, to become wiser.

God has blessed me with some wonderful Titus 2 women in my church. I had not had that when I started Mama Russell's blog. Instead I was under the mistaken impression that I had much to teach others when really I, myself, had much to be taught. Wisdom Begun will be my journey in learning what God desires to teach me. I hope to learn much from older women who have "been there done that."

Because of this I hope that you will join me from now on over at Wisdom Begun. It is pretty bare bones at this moment and the whole template and format will eventually change. I covet any helpful links you might like to add to my sidebars. Mama Russell's Blog will be kept alive but will feature no new posts. I look forward to this new journey!

In His grace,

A sunny Monday morning

2008-07-14T09:34:00.003-04:00

How was your Sabbath yesterday? Were you able to rest, worship, and praise? I know I sure was. As usual, spending time with my church family in fellowship yesterday really did refresh me. Despite the fact that the new church chairs do not agree with my pregnant body I was able to focus on what life really is about: our God. What a blessing!

I have been silent on this blog for a variety of reasons. I am in the process of designing my new blog. While I enjoy the satisfaction of seeing something I have spent time creating coming together, it is a long process and very time-consuming. Add to that all of the books I am currently reading and Mama Russell's Blog has been a little neglected. Poor blog.

The final weeks before the Russell Family's newest addition arrives are going by quickly. Tiny pink clothes are out, the changing table has lost its clutter, and the bedside bassinet is patiently waiting to be put together. Aren't babies wonderful?

To all of my dear bloggy friends, I have not been able to read many blogs lately. This week I will more than likely be able to "stop by" and say hello. I miss you all. I sure do appreciate all of the emails and words of encouragement!

In His grace,

Menu Plan Monday

2008-06-30T10:08:00.004-04:00

No, I have not disappeared from the face of the earth nor have I hidden myself away with no computer. Here is a quick rundown of what I've been doing this past month:

went on a lovely, heavenly, fun mini-honeymoon with my husband for our anniversary where we were completely alone with no children, GASP!
grew tired because hey, I am in my third trimester
went full-force into school with my precious little ones - it really is too hot to take a break during the summer
got sleepier and sleepier because, yes, you guessed it, I am in my third trimester
made endless lesson plans and unit studies involving butterflies while dealing with a dying computer which made everything go even more s-l-o-w-l-y
took naps on the couch as often as I could grab them because of that ol' third trimester
went on a special diet (not to lose weight, of course) which I must admit, I absolutely hate
fell asleep in the LazyBoy while conversing with my husband at night because of, yes, the third trimester
took care of three extremely needy, whiny children who were very ill with a virus for two-whole-weeks
watched as my three-year-old daughter experienced a near-anaphylactic shock to lentils. Had the epi-pen ready, but God blessed us and I was able to administer to her with claritin and albuterol and get it under control.
oh, and yes, just in case I did not mention it, I am in my third trimester. Enough said.

I have been ~~insanely~~ slightly busy. To get back into blogging I'll participate in today's Menu Plan Monday. This is the family meal plan; mine is slightly different due to my special diet.

Monday ~
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Cheese and Crackers, Carrots, Apples
Dinner - Beefy Vegetable Soup, Corn bread, Salad

Tuesday ~
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Buttered noodles, raw veggies
Dinner - Pancakes, Eggs

Wednesday ~
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Rice, Fruit, Carrots
Dinner - Roast Turkey, roast veggies, salad

Thursday ~
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Grilled cheese, raw veggies
Dinner - Leftovers, sauteed zucchini and squash, salad

Friday ~
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Pigs in a blanket, raw veggies
Dinner - Fourth of July fare: Hot Dogs, Brats, Salad, Beans, Corn, etc.

Saturday ~
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Sandwiches, raw veggies
Dinner - Homemade pizza, apple sauce, carrots

In His grace,

Neat link for grades 1-6

2008-06-04T09:20:00.002-04:00

Barnes and Noble has a summer reading program you might want to check out!

Hope all are doing well!

In His grace,

Great homeschooling site

2008-05-27T09:38:00.003-04:00

While searching the internet for lapbooking instructions, I discovered this free lapbook on butterflies by Homeschool Share. This website is extremely useful for those who need ideas in lapbooking and step-by-step instructions. This is one of my new favorite sites! :-) By the way, for those of you whose children aren't homeshooled, this is still a great project to try during those summer months!

Hubby and I decided to just go ahead and order the pool instead of trying to look for it. I remember seeing it at Toys R Us once but they didn't keep it stocked very long; I should have just gotten it then. Oh well. Thanks for all of the suggestions on how to fill it with water. We are going to purchase the tub/hose adaptor for it.

I hope you have a blessed day!

In His grace,

Labor Pools

2008-05-26T09:17:00.002-04:00

Two quick questions on laboring in a pool (I will be laboring in the pool, but most likely will not give birth in it):

1) Where did you buy your pool? I was recommended to use one like this but cannot find anything comparable to it at any brick and mortar stores.

2) How did you fill the thing up??? That is my biggest question. I suppose I could google it, but I don't feel like wading through tons of links. :-)

In His grace,

Good morning!

2008-05-21T09:48:00.002-04:00

Online life has been put on hold for me as I am finishing up my daughter's dress. I only have the hem and collar left and it will be complete. I realized last night that I did not have the right color thread to match the bias tape for the neck so it looks as if I will have to make another trip to Joann for some good ol' Gutterman. :-) Oh no! (For those who don't know me very well, I love Joann, so any excuse is a good excuse)

We are also going to pick up some dresses from the girls that we bought at our local Strasburg Children. I am so excited because these dresses are just so gorgeous and so girly. Isn't it fun to be feminine???

I am feeling very well pregnancy-wise. I have had some health issues but those seem to be rectified. My prenatal vitamin that I have been taking for over a year now is now making me nauseous! So it looks as if I need to try another one. Any suggestions? (I have been taking the Rainbow Light brand) I'll ask my midwife at my next appointment. I can't believe how close I am! I still have so much to do. I remember with my first and second pregnancies how slowly the time seemed to pass. Now I am well over halfway there and I feel as if I need more time. We have finally picked a name but it is a surprise. :-)

We were blessed yesterday with an out-of-the-blue offer by someone dear to us to watch our children so that hubby and I could go away for one last trip for our upcoming anniversary. I am so excited about this and so very happy that we have such people in our life to offer us such a gift.

Hopefully I'll be able to blog more sooner rather than later! Hugs to all my friends.

In His grace,

2008-05-09T09:45:00.004-04:00

My new sewing machine is my new best friend. It works so well and is quiet. I can sew during nap time now without worrying about waking anyone up. Of course, I should be resting at nap time as well, but that is another subject.

I am using this pattern from Butterick to sew my girls some nice dresses for church. The hardest part so far has been changing the sleeves from being set-in to sewing them flat. This is due to the free arm on either of my sewing machines being too big for the tiny sleeves of children's clothing. This makes for slow going right now but it is comforting to know that once I can figure it out on this first dress, I will be able to tackle those sleeves on other projects fairly easily.

It seems as though my usual second trimester spurt of energy is short-winded this time so I did not participate in Tackle it Tuesday this week. Instead I took the day to rest a bit and get some work done that did not involve standing. I was able to cross of the following on my to-do list:

Bought Kindergarten curriculum. Just waiting for it to show up on my door step now.
My three-year-old is completely potty-trained! Yay! She was a fast learner.
Joined a local homeschool support group.

This Sunday is Mother's Day, however we are starting to celebrate Mother's and Father's Days on the Saturday before. We are often at church for most of the day which leaves no time to do anything extra special. I am still trying to decide what I would like to do for Saturday. I had wanted to do something outdoors, but it is going to be pretty hot this weekend, so we may settle for something inside.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mamas out there!

In His grace,

Home Birth

2008-05-01T08:47:00.002-04:00

Good morning! I have been up since 4am this morning and so I have had a lot of time to think. Since this birth is planned to take place at home, I am in search of blogs, links, etc., on different home birth experiences and stories. Thanks!

Also, I will be putting together a whole resource on sewing your own cloth diapers, as well as different links of mamas who sell them. Please email me ( mamarussell at gmail dot com ) or reply in the comment box with your links! Links for where you buy the fabric or notions for making your cloth diapers would be especially helpful! There is so much information on sewing your own cloth diapers out there, but it is not all in one place, so I will make that my own special project and work on it when I have the chance.

I am off now to order homeschool books and supplies, touchtape and more diaper fabric, a cutting foot for my sewing machine, and who knows what else. :-)

In His grace,

Tackle It Tuesday - Tackling LAST week's tackle!

2008-04-29T08:53:00.003-04:00

Lest you think this blog has become only my Tackle It Tuesday challenges, I'll throw in a bit of an explanation: I am nesting. Badly. So instead of coming up with ~~something interesting to write~~ wise and witty words of wisdom, I'll be sharing all of the little household things that this Mama is conquering! I was not able to blog much last week as I had a bit of a cold and also as I was a little worn out. Hubby Russell wisely asked me to slow down a bit and so I did not get any of last week's tackles done. Most of what I've been doing has been working on my other blog, a bit of sewing, catching up with friends on Facebook, email, etc. All things that involve sitting. So on to tackle these things from my to-do list plus an extra or two that was not there last week.

Work on new blog.
Join support group. (I really am so excited about this! I have found a wonderful local one).
Organize craft and sewing supplies.
Make a reading list for this year.
Go through recipes and organize.

This weekend I will enjoy purchasing a few dress patterns for my girls as well as some pretty fabric and notions to make them a few church dresses. They are growing like weeds and with their daddy's height thrown into factor, I imagine I will be involved in sewing dresses quite a bit throughout their years at home.

For more Tackle it Tuesdays, visit 5 minutes for mom!

In His grace,

Probiotics for kids/infants?

2008-04-24T11:48:00.002-04:00

I am supposed to be taking today off, but wanted to throw this question out there: Can anyone recommend a great children's probiotic? I want to start my little 19-month-old guy on them but wanted to see what others recommended first. I would prefer those probiotics that are not contained in synthetic enteric coating. Thanks!

Decisions in Homeschool Curricula

2008-04-23T10:51:00.004-04:00

If you look at my left sidebar, you'll see that I have listed under the "My Homeschool" section the following: Weaver Interlock, Bob Jones K5 math, and All About Spelling. We have decided to ditch the Interlock as I don't feel it is offering academically what my 5 year old really needs or wants. I searched and researched to find a total curriculum to fill in the gaps of history and science, etc. Most of it was too involved so after discussion with husband and much prayer, I decided to piece together my own.

We will not be following a normal school year schedule. Instead of starting the late August or early September, we will be starting our school year in mid-to-late May. This allows me to get many lessons done with her before baby girl comes and also makes use of the fact that the hot summers of Texas don't allow for much outside time and we are better of spending those time inside where the air conditioning is. We can take breaks when it is cooler and of course when our newest little one arrives. That is one of the beauties of homeschooling!

This is what we'll be doing:

For mathematics - we will continue in Bob Jones K5 Math

Language arts will continue with All About Spelling and copywork using McGuffey's Readers passages.

History studies will be sort of unit study. We will study different missionaries using biographies. The first unit will be about a woman whom I admire greatly: Amy Carmichael. Since she served in India, we will also take the time to study the geography of India and make foods of India.

Science will be nature studies, ala Charlotte Mason. We will be purchasing a butterfly garden and will plant some flowers. We will also make some pretty spring tablescapes.

Art and music will focus on classical composers and famous art scenes. This first unit we will listen to Mozart pieces and will study the artwork of Grandma Moses.

Bible is comprised of our daily Family Worship time with Daddy as well as scripture memory and Bible verse copywork.

What are you doing for your homeschool? I enjoy hearing what others do for their families! Please comment and let me know.

Tackle it Tuesday - Crossing more things off of my list!

2008-04-22T09:04:00.003-04:00

I truly am enjoying Tackle it Tuesdays because I am able to see how much I really am doing. Plus I get the added benefit of visiting other blogs and receiving inspiration by their projects. I was so busy with my tackle this past week that I haven't even had much time to blog.

I was able to tackle this past week last week's tackle and a few extras:

Thoroughly clean all baseboards.
Find a science book or program for Kindergarten. Decide on other areas of interest to add into the curriculum.
Clean out and organize pantry.
Pick out Kindergarten-level homeschool curriculum.
Organize all school supplies.
Shampoo carpets.

I was even able to accomplish a couple more items - organize school supplies and pick out what I want resources or curriculum I want to utilize for my daughter's Kindergarten year in homeschool. Yay! More things to cross off of my to-do list! And even though I thought of one more thing to add on, I really am getting things done and it feels great. I am in nesting mode right now so I am trying to get the bulk of the list done.

Here are my tackles for next week, again taken from my to-do list:

Organize craft and sewing supplies.
Make a reading list for this year.
Go through recipes and organize.

I was given two huge garbage bag fulls of little girls' clothing from one of my bestest friends that I need to go through as well. Busy busy!

For more Tackle it Tuesdays, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Tackle it Tuesday - My Schedule

2008-04-15T07:59:00.004-04:00

Taking on my personal tackle challenge from last week, I finished my MOTH schedule and am quite pleased. I imagine that in another month or so, once the kinks need to be reworked, the schedule will change a bit, but for now, I am as "pleased as punch." Obviously, once my little girl arrives, things will drastically change. Mrs. Maxwell advices feeding on schedule; I prefer not to do that and so I feed on demand. We will have to see how I can work that. I do love how this schedule is actually giving me more time with my children -think quantity time, instead of quality time! All time with one's own children should be considered quality time, don't you think? The schedule hangs up in Mama Russell's Central Office, aka "the Kitchen," and is easily accessible for viewing by any member of the family.

I was also able to buy most of my cloth diapering supplies at Joann. I still need to order some Aplix and I want to splurge a little and buy some cute girlie fabric for the outside of the dipes. Pictures coming soon!

For this week's tackle, I will take on these items from my to-do list:

Thoroughly clean all baseboards.
Find a science book or program for Kindergarten. Decide on other areas of interest to add into the curriculum.
Clean out and organize pantry.

For more tackles, visit 5 minutes for Mom!

In His grace,

Our precious addition to our family

2008-04-14T08:52:00.005-04:00

Our ultrasound went very well early Saturday morning. The baby is beautiful and so healthy and so busy! My three older children were so happy to be a part of this special event. The sonographer that my midwife uses is such a sweet lady. We were able to bring home tons of photos and a DVD of our little one in utero, happily kicking or resting away.

We love to find out what the gender is of our little ones. I am so happy to be saying "he" or "she" instead of just Baby. I cringe when people refer to them as "it." I will be able to pull out all of the necessary clothing and make cute cloth diapers in the right colors.

We are having a sweet little girl! I laughed and laughed in joy and the funniness of the moment when we found out. My husband and son are definitely outnumbered, and my son will have the joy of having not one, but 4 mothers. :-)

To say that we are so excited does not adequately describe how we are feeling. I look forward to the day when I can greet this little girl in my arms. It will go by quickly!

Plus, I get to try my hand at making beautiful little girl dresses! Yay!

I hope you are all doing well.

In His grace,

Sewing your own cloth diapers - links

2008-04-11T09:10:00.004-04:00

I have stumbled upon many great links out there for those who are attempting to sew their own cloth dipes. They are kind of scattered, so I thought I would list some here. Today's link topic is patterns. Enjoy!

Free Cloth Diaper Patterns

Fern and Fairie. Tutorials available here for fitteds, prefolds, flatfolds, etc. Not as in depth as other sites, but still useful as you have the benefit of pictures.

Mama Bird Diapers. Her patterns for the fitteds are actually what I will be attempting to sew at first. I have heard nothing but good things of the final products made from this pattern. The directions are a bit hard to follow and not laid out as organized as they could, but there are some great pics. Just make sure you read all instructions, as well as the info on soaker material and elastic, first. She does have bandwidth problems for her site, so you may not be able to access it at all times.

Diaper Sewing - Free Diaper Patterns. These have great pictures, the instructions might be a little muddy for those just beginning. One word of caution: they list Velcro brand as an acceptable hook and loop tape to use for cloth diapers . . .Velcro brand is a big no-no for cloth diapers! Use Applix or touch tape instead.

Ottobre cloth diaper pattern. This is in English, yet is a Finnish site, so all measurements are in cm. Still, there are good, concise constructions.

These four are good enough to start you out. Obviously you could google "free cloth diaper patterns" and get many more links. Remember, I am not an experienced cloth diaper seamstress, nor have I made any of these patterns (yet). I have listed these links merely as a helpful resource for those who are interested in crafting their own cloth dipes for your little ones.

Thursday's Thoughts

2008-04-10T09:10:00.002-04:00

Good morning, dear readers!

Have y'all been over to Kelli's House lately? You just have to check out her post about Meet in the Middle cards. They look so pretty, I think I may try one myself.

I have been able to cross off the following from my to do list :

Replace a/c filter. It was pretty dirty. Yuck!
Sewing machine serviced. Since I just got a brand new one, I won't need to worry about that for now.
Completely wean son. Yay!

I still have quite a bit more to check off of the list, but at least I am getting somewhere. Today I will be working on cutting out the fitted diaper inner and outer and get the soaker cut and sewn. I think I'll make one first for my son and see how it does on him and then start to make for Baby. By the way, we'll hopefully know if this Baby is a little girl or a little boy on Saturday morning. I am very excited to say the least. :-) I will also attempt to sit down and finish my schedule. It must get done before summer and the Baby's arrival.

Today is a good day to get some school work done so my oldest and I will work quite a bit on math and reading. We have had company for a couple of weeks so have not gotten much school work done. I am not as organized as I need to be in this area and so I know the schedule will help so much.

Has anyone noticed that when we put our entire hearts into what God has called us to do, with happy, joyful, submissive, thankful hearts, how much better our days flow? I go through periods of the whole "woe-is-me" attitude and my days just seem to drag on for eternity in monotonous monotone. Yet the Lord has graced me with a cheerful attitude for all of those dishes, dirty clothes, and dirty diapers and I am actually so excited to be doing what I am doing. I can honestly exclaim "Praise God!" on that one because it is so true. I am truly thankful for His work in my life.

In His grace,

Tackle It Tuesday

2008-04-08T00:00:00.001-04:00

My Tackle It Tuesday mission for today till next Tackle It Tuesday is simple: a) finish my MOTH schedule; b) buy supplies for and start to make at least one cloth diaper (I'm also adding this to my "to-do list" seen in this post ).

I need to get this schedule finished! I've had it almost finished for a long time now and it is necessary that it gets done soon! Besides, hubby keeps saying things like "It sure would be nice if you had a schedule in place." :-)

I need to start my newborn and infant cloth diaper stash! With my nifty new sewin' machine I really feel that once I get one or two done, I can zip through making a good stash in no time at all. I have a few patterns to try and I think I'll stick with fitteds and some beautiful covers and also make a few AIOs.

For more Tackle it Tuesday endeavours, visit 5 Minutes for Mom!

My Wonderful Surprise

2008-04-07T08:38:00.003-04:00

After my midwife's appointment last Wednesday, hubby and I loaded up the children into my truck and headed toward our cabin. We had been at the cabin for overnight the previous Friday because my in-laws had come down to stay nearby in their travel trailer. When we left that Saturday morning we gave them the key to our cabin in case anything needed to be checked on.

What happens when you give your father- and mother-in-law the keys to your cabin? You come in on that Wednesday morning and find this sitting on the little dining table:

This picture was taken a few days after, but at the time, I walked through the door and it was covered in a huge bow. Yes, my lovely in-laws bought me a brand new sewing and embroidery machine! Let me tell you . . . this machine is my dream come true. I am in love.

My mother-in-law had just bought one and while there one day I had played around with hers and my father-in-law saw how much I liked it. I am one spoiled gal. Yep.

Immediately, dreams of dresses to be made, hankies to be embroidered, and busted seams to be mended all popped up in little clouds around my head. Not really, but I was dreaming, and in dreams clouds seem to pop up a lot. My usual Brother sewing machine from WalMart sadly shook it's little presser foot and knew it would be collecting dust.

Sigh. Someone pinch me.

In His grace,

Tackle it Tuesday and A Jumble of Thoughts

2008-04-01T08:19:00.004-04:00

My tackle for today is nothing grand. I have laundry to wash, dry, fold and put away. I have a shopping list to put together for our trip. And yes, I desperately need to clean off the stove! A very simple tackle today, yet definitely needs to get done! I like those simple tackles, though . . .

For more tackles, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

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I woke up this morning to little kicks coming from my womb. My little one, my sweet babe, was exercising early. Those precious reminders of the new life I have been blessed with made my day begin with joy.

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I have been struggling with feelings of worry and doubt over a certain matter and while reading Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot last night, I was convicted by her constant plea to "Give it all to God." I am unsure as to why I have not been hit so hard by this fact until now, but I have been turning aside all of my worries over what has been occupying my mind and have given them to the Lord. One of the phrases that have come up repeatedly while I pray is "Lord, I cannot do it by myself!" How much more peaceful my life would be if I would just remember that . . . I would love to know what specific Scriptures you use to remind yourself that we must rely on God and not man (or ourselves!) Please let me know in comments.

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How can I pray for you, my guests? Leave in comments any prayer requests. My aunt's husband was recently diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. They are still trying to determine which kind it is (apparently there are over 30 types). If you would, please pray for this family!

In His grace,

Really Neat Links

2008-03-28T08:24:00.003-04:00

Here are some links that are worth checking out.

Shannon did a really beautiful job making some pretty burp cloths over at Rocks In My Dryer. Even those of you with little sewing experience could do these up very quickly. And they would make great, inexpensive gifts!
Need help figuring out what books to read next? Check out What Should I Read Next?
The Internet Public Library. Enough said.
Nancy Leigh DeMoss does a great job, as usual, showing us godly truths that women often forget amongst all the lies the world would have us believe. If you have not read her book Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free, I highly urge you to pick up a copy!
My all-time favorite recipe website. I have yet to make anything from there that has not turned out well.
As usual, Amy has done a wonderful job on this post. What is something that you have changed your way of thinking on?
One of my favorite sewing sites! Wondering if you should attempt a certain pattern? You can get reviews from other PR members and their thoughts of that particular project.
This site has a plethora of great links for those times you are looking to find something specific for your craft project.
A homeschool site. Be sure and check out their extensive links section!
Need to find heirloom seeds? Check out this link. It even lists seed swaps you can participate in. Best of all, you'll be buying non-GMO. Yay!
Fun ways to spruce up your photos.

Happy Friday!

In His grace,

My "to-do" list - What am I in the process of . . .

2008-03-26T21:44:00.003-04:00

My to-do list seems very doable for the most part and I am glad I decided to think one up. It puts int perspective what really needs to be done and helps give me a sense of accomplishment as I am able to check things off. Out of all that I listed, here is what I am currently working on:

Finish new blog. - This will take a long time. I am currently working on the banner for the top and, as anyone with Paint Shop Pro experience knows, this can be a bear. I am excited, however. I need a fresh start with blogging and hopefully this will jump start my creative juices.

Completely wean son. - He has not nursed but once since last Thursday. I would say we are pretty much there. Not ready to completely cross it out yet.

Potty-train three-year-old. - She is doing really well. She still has accidents a couple of times a day yet she alerts me often to let me know that she "needs to go potty." Almost there!

Prayerfully consider joining a home school support group. Join. - I have found a really neat, local, Christian group with inexpensive dues. I have emailed back and forth with one mother and she says the children and I would fit in just fine.

I am still on the lookout for recommendations on great books to read. Again, they can be fiction, non-fiction, biographical, whatever. Any and all ideas would be oh so appreciated.

In His grace,

To Do List

2008-03-25T15:18:00.009-04:00

I have so much to do before my newest little one arrives and thought I would make a to-do list and post it here on my blog. I know what you are thinking. It is the end of March and she is just now making her yearly to-do list? I am behind the times. So, without further ado, here is my Seemingly Never Ending List for 2008 - and of course this list will change and grow as time goes on. *Items with a star next to it have just been recently added.*

*Make a newborn/small infant cloth diaper stash. I have not decided on the amounts of fitteds, covers, or AIOs that I'll need. *added April 9, 2008*
~~Pick out and buy Kindergarten level homeschool curriculum~~.
Go through children's clothing. Sort, box up, and give away as needed.
Finish new blog.

~~Finish MOTH schedule.~~
Take down all window mini-blinds and put up curtains.

~~Replace a/c filter.~~
~~Thoroughly clean all baseboards~~.

~~Shampoo all carpets.~~
Get ~~sewing machine~~ and serger serviced. *Since I received a new sewing machine that won't need to be serviced till next year, I am crossing the sewing machine off of my list!*

~~Completely wean son.~~
Join HSLDA.
Purchase flowers to put into front flower bed.
Go room-to-room and get rid of all junk and stuff we no longer need/use.
Deep clean refrigerator.
Order birth kit.
Organize care for older children for labor and birth.
Buy labor pool.
Pick up extra midwife supplies for birth.
Make birth plan.
~~Potty train 3-year-old~~.
~~Clean out and organize pantry~~.
Get baby's clothes ready.
Focus on each room in the house and purchase or find items to accentuate that room.
Make a reading list for this year. Buy books. *In progress!*
~~Prayerfully consider joining a homeschool support group. Join~~.
Find a nanny or mother's helper.
Write at least 5 people a "snail-mail" letter.
Purchase camping trailer.
~~Organize all school supplies~~.
Organize craft and sewing supplies.
Go through master Bathroom and throw out all junk.
Hang up all family photos.
Get one more family portrait done before Baby comes.
Organize a menu for major meal freezing before baby comes.
Have at least 20 entrees frozen.
If possible, purchase stand-alone freezer for garage.
~~Buy new video camera~~.
Clean engagement ring and wedding ring.
Get teeth cleaned.
Make weekly menus.
Pick blueberries, at least 20 pounds. Freeze.
Throw out makeup and buy new stuff.
Make up a guest "welcome basket."

Tea and Books

2008-03-24T08:23:00.004-04:00

I have become a tea drinker. I never thought I would say it, but yet it is there now in ~~printed~~ typed word. For the past few years I have just loved my coffee. Give me some strong coffee with cream and a bit of sugar and I am good to go. While I cannot drink it while I am pregnant because the smell drives me up the wall - after all, my poor husband has to brew his coffee in the garage when I am in the throes of those wonderful trimesters - I love how it becomes a part of my morning wake up. I think coffee has gotten a bad rap from most of our society and I will defend it quite staunchly. Moderation is key, after all.

This second trimester has found me using my tea kettle more often than I ever have. I refuse to drink out of tea cups and I still use my coffee mugs. Of course, if I actually owned any tea cups, I might use them. My favorite tea, Constant Comment, is an occasional treat, though I am starting to lean more towards Green Teas. Chamomile and Licorice-type teas are out during pregnancy but everything else is pretty much safe. Again, in moderation . . .

What kind of teas do you like to drink?

***************************************************************

I have finished all 8 books of the Anne of Green Gables series and I am on the lookout for recommendations for more books to read. They can be fiction, non-fiction, biographic, whatever. I would love to hear what you like to read!

I will be starting next a book my midwife gave to me called Creating your Birth Plan: The Definitive Guide to a Safe and Empowering Birth by Marsden Wagner.

In His grace,

Rejoicing in Time to Come . . .

2008-03-20T08:35:00.004-04:00

Struck over the past few days by my many failings as daughter of our King, wife, and mother, I petitioned the Lord early this morning with this: "How, O Lord, how do I need to change?" Instead of reading my usual Old Testament chapters - I am reading through the Bible and am in 2 Kings - I turned to Proverbs 31. Verse 25 struck me immediately.

"Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come." -NKJV

As I read the latter half of this verse, I stopped, read it again a couple of times, and came to a stark realization. Where I have been headed lately is not to a future that I will rejoice in. Wallowing in self and physical hinderments will cause me not to rejoice at my work when I have grandchildren seated at my knee. Regret would be the more likely case. And, honestly, is that how I want my life to pan out? Of course not.

It is easy to see what I am doing wrong. It is harder to look past those continuous failings towards what will be the outcome if I continue along the path I'm walking. Will I faithfully obey my Creator, the One who loves me more than anyone possibly could? Will I please Him by what I do? Are my actions and thoughts pure and holy or are they self-centered and sinful?

Will I look back and rejoice? By God's grace, I hope to.

This pregnancy has been harder for me than any of the others. I have yet to get that wonderful second-trimester energy I usually have by now. I am weary often with the heavy duties a wife and mother carries. Physically, I feel at my limit.

Of course, what have I been doing? Trying to do it all on my own instead of putting full reliance in my Heavenly Father. There will be no rejoicing "in time to come" if I am stumbling because of my own lack of faith. Because really, is not it a lack of faith to try and do it all by ourselves instead of letting God take Headship?

I look at my home and I am prone to want to sit down and just cry when I see all that needs to be done. I sink into despair. The "strength and honor" that the Proverbs 31 woman has? I do not have it. Yet.

Right now, my husband and children have a frazzled, frumpy, grouchy, overly-emotional woman as wife and mother. How in the world can I expect to rejoice over that? Yet I know that God expects more of me. I know that He will give that "strength and honor" if I ask Him. I will have to work hard at maintaining those two virtues, yet will not the fruits of my labors be sweeter? Will it cause me to "rejoice in time to come?" I believe so. I will start immediately to strive towards pleasing my Father. Succeeding at this will cause my husband and children to be pleased as well. When all is said and done, my home will be a happier, less-chaotic place. And boy, am I excited! I love what Matthew Henry has to say regarding this verse:

She shall reflect with comfort when she comes to be old, that she was not
idle or useless when young.

I appreciate your prayers as I strive to change.

In His grace,

Spring is Here!

2008-03-20T08:29:00.000-04:00

art found at art.com

A Blustery Day

2008-03-18T08:50:00.004-04:00

art found at art.com

As a young child, I was a huge Winnie-The-Pooh fan. While visiting us in Germany when I was around 3 or 4 years of age, my grandfather had to endure hours of Winnie-the-Pooh daily and to this day, twenty-some-odd years later, he can still recite lines and lines from the movie. If you have any experience with the ol' Pooh Bear, you will remember the scene about "Windsday."

We are experiencing a very, very windy few days here. The day calls for severe thunderstorms and strong wind gusts and hail. My poor children and I have been cooped up since Sunday afternoon and today I will rack my brain for fun, indoor ideas.

The hard part for my precious wee babes is that we bought a cheap, plastic pool on Saturday and they have only been in it once. They enjoyed the pool on Saturday afternoon in the almost 90 degree weather. Every day I hear "Mommy, can we go swimming now?" How do you explain to a 4year old, a 3 year old, and an 18 month old that the weather is too yucky when it isn't raining? They just don't follow that logic.

I have a lot of spring cleaning to do and perhaps we'll tackle that today. If I can muste the energy. I have not gained that usual 2nd trimester energy, partly I imagine because of the insomnia I have had ever since becoming pregnant. Anyone else experience this? My first three pregnancies I only experienced it late in the pregnancy. This time . . . well, let's just say, I never knew nights could be so long.

On another note, can I just rave about midwives? I have received the best prenatal care so far with this pregnancy. My appointments with my midwife are at least an hour. She is very thorough and talks to me about everything. I have to keep a food journal for her so that she knows exactly what I am eating and can push me back in the right direction if too much junk food is finding its way past my lips. She listens to the baby's heartbeat for a good minute or so. If I have an issue, such as morning sickness, etc., she has just the right remedy for it. All of my OBs would just push the whole "it is part of pregnancy. It'll be over in 9 months." I praise God for the blessing of a godly, attentive, knowledgeable midwife.

I will be making the rounds of blogland this week. I hope to see how everyone is doing and also to catch up with friends. I feel out of touch since I was not able to be online for so long. I love each and every one of you!

In His grace,

Just a little update

2008-03-14T09:13:00.003-04:00

My friend Julie asked in the comments section of my previous post if I was going to have this baby at home. The answer is that Lord willing, yes, this little one will be born at home. I haven't said anything about it, but oh I am so very excited. I detest being in a hospital and so this will make the labor and birth so much less stressful for me.

We have big plans for the backyard and so I am busy trying to iron out what exactly I want. Our home is on a tiny lot; when you have a 3000 square foot home on a tiny lot, it leaves a very small backyard. There are no trees in the backyard and so there is no shade. During the summer it is brutal and so my husband and I are thinking of putting up a gazebo in the back. A little kiddie pool and a small swing set will make the backyard crowded, but at least the children will have somewhere to play outside instead of being cooped up inside all day. The neighborhood pool will be finished come summer as well, so we'll have that bit of fun, as well as my children's favorite: the sprayground.

My husband will also plant some grass seed in the back. The grass is very sparse and as we are renting this home for now, instead of doing it properly and sodding it, we'll hope that the grass seed will thicken it up back there. I hope to get some container gardening started as well.

We have great changes in our eating habits to start and we also have dedicated ourselves towards getting more exercise. This is one of the reasons that our backyard will be so "improved upon." I am not an outdoorsy person by nature, but I desperately need the sunshine and my children desperately need to get their energy out. :-)

I am also on the lookout for a nanny. We aren't sure if we'll get a mother's helper for a few hours every day or what. I know that I just need the help! Please pray about this, because I need to feel sure that the person we hire is the "right" one.

In His grace,

Thankful Thursday - Back Again

2008-03-13T09:24:00.002-04:00

I have been absent from the world of internet for so long now, I feel as if I need a refresher course! I have quite a bit to be thankful for, so here goes for my first post back.

I am truly thankful for my heavenly Father, who continues to love me and bless me and teach me even though I fail Him so very often. He has allowed me to go through many trials and though I have balked at them, I know He has something to teach me.

I am continually blessed by a husband who cares for me and loves me so very much. He shows his love for his bride so very tangibly and I often take it for granted. I will never be able to forget all of the cleaning and organizing and cooking he has done while I went through that very rough 1st trimester recently.

My children bring me such joy and bring many smiles to my face. Yesterday, my three-year-old painted my 18-month-old son's face and hair with Vicks vapo-rub. She then proceeded to smear it all over her dolly's feet. I don't know why, but it made me laugh and snuggle my little one's close to me and really brightened up a very stressful day. My 4-year-old and her helpfulness and sweet hugs show me my true blessings. And the teeny little one in my womb who kicks whenever big brother is squashing my belly a bit too much make me so grateful for the future!

I am thankful for my hubby's new job coming up! It will allow for more family time and will be a better work environment and for that I am truly thankful!

I am thankful for an awesome, godly midwife! I tell you, I am very spoiled. She is such a true blessing.

I am thankful that a dear friend of mine from church has had answered prayer. Though she and her family will be moving far away from us, I know that it is their heart's desire and I am so very joyous in their happiness.

Can I just say that I am super-thankful that the 1st trimester is gone?!?!?!?! It was my hardest 1st trimester so far.

I am thankful that tomorrow and Saturday will be in the mid 80's! :-)

For more Thankful Thursdays, visit Iris!

In His grace,

Thankful Thursday

2008-01-10T08:22:00.000-05:00

Obviously, I am very grateful for the little life growing in my womb. I cannot begin to share how excited and thrilled I am that the Lord has decided to add another little one to my household. Through the morning sickness and fatigue, I am able to hold on to the fact that there is a wonderful outcome to all of this.

I also want to add thankfulness to my heavenly Father for the godly church He brought my family to. What a blessing to be surrounded by godly men and women. And let me tell you folks, this church is filled with people that truly love one another. I wish all churches were like this one!

I truly am thankful for precious moments with my children. I was up for a while in the middle of the night with a feverish boy. After his fever went down, he snuggled against me and patted my arm while we watched a Baby Einstein video. It was just so sweet and even though I was up instead of in bed, the Lord reminded me to treasure every moment.

I am thankful for the state I live in. No state income taxes, no taxes on food, the freest homeschool laws out there and some of the nicest people all make this a great place to live. All of those things make it easier for this growing family to thrive. God is so good!

Visit Lynn this week to view what others are thankful for!

In His grace,

Coming Summer 2008

2008-01-07T07:43:00.001-05:00

To a few of you, this is no secret. To the rest of you, let me say that it has been very hard to hold a secret. :-) I am expecting our 4th child and let me tell you, we are just so very happy! God has blessed us yet again and though we are undeserving, we are rejoicing in His goodness.

We found out this wonderful news over Christmas. Please pray for stamina and health for me and for the new littlest baby. In His grace,

No Wasted Moments

2008-01-04T08:12:00.000-05:00

Art found at art.com

Many of my fellow bloggers have been posting worthy posts of what they hope to accomplish or change or learn in this new year. I have yet to do that and for good reason: I am still pondering what goals are worthwhile and which are fluff. All in all, I think it is wise to look over the past year and seeing what God's grace has done. Hopefully, you'll find that you have been seasoned with His salt in many areas that were formerly tasteless. I know that He has worked in my life to point out my sins and has taught me how to overcome them.

I know for certain that one of my new goals for this year is to let no quiet moment go to waste. What do I mean by quiet moments? Let me explain.

For me, many quiet moments come in the middle of the night while rocking and nursing my son. If I don't fall asleep in the recliner during these dark hours, I am usually up - thinking! Sometimes I think about how much I wish I were curled up asleep in my bed at that moment. :-) More often than not, however, I find that I usually worry at those odd hours of the night.

It occurred to me while rocking my son before his nap a couple of days ago, that those sleepy times of rocking my child could be wasted moments. Now, I am not saying that cuddling with your baby and nursing them is wasted. Certainly not! However, if your mind is wandering around with nowhere to go but to futile thoughts, than perhaps that moment is wasted!

The Bible uses the word time hundreds of times. Time is important. God created it and has given us warnings to not be lazy and to always be busy. As a mother it is hard for me to think that all the hours spent on my feet doing my various "mommy-duties" is not enough. I am not the only woman who can say that her feet really hurt at the end of the day from being on them so much. But it isn't just those busy, on-your-feet times that are useful.

I remember once thinking while I was rocking my little boy to sleep at nap time about how I was wasting time in which I could be doing other things. Silly? Yes. That comment may add me to the Bad Mother List. Yet, while rocking him, or snuggling a little girl, or reading a book on the couch to my children, my mind would invariably wonder to all of the things I could be doing: dishes, getting dinner prepared, laundry, cleaning, etc. I had to remind myself that I was doing what I should be doing. Christ has called me to all kinds of tasks, and yes, those do include reading, snuggling, rocking, nursing, and just generally doing being quiet with my children.

So, instead of worrying in the middle of the night while getting my boy back to sleep, or thinking about all of the things that I could be doing at that moment while reading to my little girls, I am going to try and direct my mind to a time of prayer, or memorizing scripture, or explaining God's precious truths to those little ones He has given me. With God's patient molding of this area of my life, I will not let my mind go to places it shouldn't. I will let those quiet moments be fruitful, even if I am not physically doing much. I will let no quiet moment go wasted.

In His grace,

Middle of the Week!

2008-01-02T09:53:00.000-05:00

Our family seems to be over the stomach virus and am I ever grateful. I hope and pray that we stay healthy for at a few weeks now. I'm doing my best to keep all the germs at bay as my poor, chapped, dry hands can vouch for. Note to self: keep a really good hand lotion next to the kitchen sink.

I was super tired yesterday. My laundry was out of control. So what did my husband do while on his day off? Laundry! Let me tell you, ladies, my husband is awesome. That man washed, dried, folded, hung up and boxed and sorted clothes all day long. I took a nap. (Per his orders) We are basically all caught up on laundry and except for some towels that need to be cleaned, my home is looking pretty caught up. I could make quite a long list of all things that really need to be done, but at this time, they are not going to get done.

We will pick up schooling next week and will also start our Managers of Their Homes schedule. I had a really hard time convincing myself that scheduling all hours of my day was okay, but then I realized that God wants us to be stewards of our time, just like our finances, and we should make sure that every minute counts and know where it is going. It will help my children so much, too; instead of wandering around bored or wondering what Mommy is going to do next, they'll have a better idea of knowing what they can expect from their mother. And actually, they'll be spending MORE time with me on this schedule than they have been. Pretty neat, huh?

Does this story about the gardisil vaccine worry anyone else?

In His grace,

Menu Plan Monday

2007-12-31T10:15:00.000-05:00

My meal plan is very simple this week as some of my family is still getting over the stomach virus.

Monday - Chicken Noodle Soup *NEW recipe*

Tuesday - Breakfast (Potatoes O'Brien, Bacon, and Eggs)

Wednesday - Vegetarian Linguine and Rolls

Thursday - Roast *from the freezer; I had a bunch of meat and veggies left over from when I made it two weeks ago. I stuck it in a Food Saver bag and stuck it in the freezer*

Friday - Scalloped Potatoes and Ham *from leftover ham from Christmas dinner, of course! :-)

Saturday - Homemade Pizza and fries

For New Year's Eve tonight, we'll be consuming Artichoke and Spinach Dip to be dipped with toasted baguettes, Chili con Queso and Fritos, and Rice Krispy Treats; we'll also be enjoying Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice. We'll watch a movie as a family, eat our treats, and then after the kiddos go to bed, my hubby and I will watch a movie together and maybe stay up till midnight (if I can do it this year!)

For more menu plan monday ideas, visit Laura at http://orgjunkie.com/ !

In His grace,

And a Happy New Year . . .

2007-12-30T13:21:00.000-05:00

I am sitting at my computer, writing down a shopping list and planning for our very simple New Year's Eve Party. My husband is currently finishing up lunch for the children and will then progess to getting them down for their naps. We had to stay home from church due to a yucky stomach virus. I am the only one that has not gotten it and so my husband has quarantined me today from the rest of the family. It has been hard to not kiss on my babies, but I sure do appreciate a husband who loves me so much that he tries as best he can to ensure that I stay healthy.

Our family had a wonderful Christmas, though my youngest was quite ill all day long. My in-laws were able to spend Christmas day with us and the day was quite relaxing and enjoyable. I received an MP3 player from my husband, amongst other things, and now I can say I know why people love those little portable devices so much! :-)

I was not able to make all the changes I wanted to over my blog hiatus. Unforeseen things came upon us and I had to adjust. Sometime in the future I will be able to make the necessary changes!

Every New Year's Eve we stay home and enjoy some appetizers and a movie. We are full-fledged homebodies, that is for sure. There is just something about relaxing in the comfort of one's own home and enjoying homemade goodies, some sparkling grape juice, and a good laugh with your husband.

I would appreciate prayer for a dear friend of mine who is going to be induced tomorrow morning with her second child. Unfortunately, she has the stomach bug and is not doing so well. Please pray that she will heal quickly and if it is God's will, that she will be allowed to deliver that baby tomorrow! Also, please continue to pray for little Noah!

I look forward to once again visiting blogs of my dear friends and leaving comments!

In His grace,

Prayer please

2007-11-26T14:33:00.000-05:00

I am coming out of blog hiatus long enough to beg the blog world for prayer for this precious little boy, Noah. ( http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ourquiverfull/ ) Please, shower this little one and his family with prayer. This little guy is so close to my heart as he looks so very much like my own son who is only a month younger. Remember, God is good in all things!

Change

2007-11-15T09:29:00.000-05:00

It always amazes me how the Lord works. He brings about things in our lives that change us in some way or the other. How we respond to those changes shows where our hearts are in relation to where they should Biblically be. If we follow the "prescription" God laid out for us in His Holy Scriptures, we'll either roll with those changes gracefully or we'll buckle under the changes while crying out "Woe is me!"

All this to say: I am about to undergo change. To say that I am so very happy about the impending adjustments to my life is certainly not a true statement. My flesh wants to balk and groan and crawl under a blanket to hibernate. I know that the change is good and will follow what the Lord would have me to do. Physically, I hope to come out shining in the end. It's the getting to that end that is the hard part.

Major diet changes, weaning a baby, amongst other things that are going to change in the Russell household, are part of what I will be "working on." Years of eating the wrong foods and being nonchalant about the right ones are my own fault. Disorganization is my fault. Thankfully, I have a God who graciously gives me strength to dig out of the holes I dug myself into.

So Mama Russell's Blog will lie quiet for a while; I suspect until at least after Christmas time. Maybe I'll pop in every now and then but most likely I won't. I will visit others' blogs only sporadically.

My email will be fully functional, though, and I certainly hope to hear from all of my precious friends. ( mamarussell at gmail dot com).

I would appreciate your prayer as I make these major changes in my life. I appreciate you all and look forward to saying "howdy" when I am able to pick up blogging again.

In His grace,

Toys Made in America

2007-11-13T08:56:00.000-05:00

I know very few parents that I have talked to within the past two months that have not voiced concern over the products we purchase that come from China. This is no surprise, seeing as how the recent recalls involve play things intended for our little ones. I received a pretty neat link in my email this morning. A website is up and running that has information on where to purchase toys that are made in America. Obviously, I have not checked everything out because I really don't have time to check all links, but there are a lot of great sites listed that sell toys made in our home country. I encourage you to check it out: Toys Made in America.

I turned 27 years old last Sunday. It was a wonderful but busy day. It is so nice to be able to spend your birthday with your hubby and children as well as your church family. I am so excited to try out my new Food Saver! We went to Cracker Barrel for dinner and it was so nice to not cook (and by the way, their Southwest Scramble is soooooo yum!). I had come down with another cold so I was worn out by 6pm.

I hope you are all well!

In His grace,

Thursday - Where have I been?

2007-11-08T10:14:00.000-05:00

Here is a simple list of what I am doing now:

Working on a organizing project
Taking care of three children
Keeping home
Reading: through the Bible (I am in 1 Samuel) and Doreen Claggett's Never Too Early
Working on Mt. Laundry - it will never cease to amaze me how fast the house falls apart when Mama is caring for sick husband and children
Getting ready for an unexpected trip
Working on my HTML certification (pretty exciting stuff!). It will be nice to have a shiny, new certificate on my wall. Okay, well, it won't be shiny because it will probably be plain paper, which isn't shiny. Unless I frame it, then the glass would make it shiny. Sigh. I'm tired.
Trying to "fix" my computer. My laptop is dying. In fact, it has been slowly dying ever since it was built. Would I recomend Dell laptops? Probably not. Until we can get Mama a new one, I'll be content with this one. At least I'll try.
Putting together healthy recipes that are easy on the pocketbook

There are many more items that I have not listed. Please pray for me as I continue to prioritize my life according to how God would have me prioritize it. After all, I was made to worship Him; that is my chief purpose. I cannot allow "stuff" to get in the way of glorifying Him.

"Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established." - Proverbs 16:3 NKJV

In His grace,

15-Minute Chili

2007-11-01T10:57:00.000-04:00

Picture found at art.com

If you are among those who are being blessed with cool, fall weather, then perhaps you are able to sit in front of a fire at night that looks as cozy as this picture. For those of us in the South, we'll just dream about it. :-) I found an easy recipe for chili and I think we'll make have this yummy dish as soon as it cools enough to warrant it. A side of homemade cornbread and homemade chunky applesauce, and it makes the perfect meal to celebrate the changing seasons that God has made!

15 Minute Chili

From BabyFit

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 16 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 16 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz. can chopped stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1/2 cup salsa

1. In a large pot, brown turkey with chopped onion.

2. Add beans, tomatoes, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salsa to turkey mixture. Cook until hot.

3. Serve with cornbread, cooked pasta, cooked rice, or on top of a baked potato. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Our Dining Room

2007-10-29T10:37:00.000-04:00

My husband took us to the store over the weekend and had me pick out things to accent our home that would give that fall feeling. Since I am still out of commission (did I tell you my darling husband had the stomach flu for the past 4 days?), and have nothing to blog about at the moment, I thought I would share with you what my family and I made in a matter of minutes yesterday evening.

God has been merciful and we are all finally feeling better. I am still trying to keep it easy as I don't want the mastitis to show up again. Jacob is teething but is starting to feel a bit better. A dear friend of mine brought over a meal yesterday and not only was it very yummy, it was an immense relief to not have to worry about a meal! Thank you, friend! You are such a blessing in my life!

In His grace,

Modesty Lapbook

2007-10-23T10:40:00.001-04:00

Homeschool Estore has free downloads every week for some really neat stuff for homeschool. I thought it would be helpful if I shared a link to download a free e-book on how to make a Modesty Lapbook. It is supposed to be done with your daughters, but I think it would be wise for boys to do this as well (how many men do I see walking around with no shirt on? Quite a few and let's face it, that is an immodesty. We ladies aren't the only ones who need to be modest!).

In His Grace,

Just a little update

2007-10-23T08:16:00.000-04:00

Early yesterday morning, my darling husband asked me to call the doctor and get in as soon as I could. The mastitis is gone, but I had still not gotten over my "cold." Saturday I was feeling better, but by Sunday morning, as I was getting ready for church, I realized I was feeling just exhausted. I was able to be seen at my physician's office yesterday afternoon and she confirmed what I suspected: sinus infection and bronchitis. That, along with my asthma flaring up, has made it hard to function. The Lord is so good and I am now on antibiotics. I already feel a bit better.

My house, on the other hand, is a mess. I have been on the couch since last Tuesday and my humble abode misses being cared for. My family also misses decent meals. :-) We've been either eating quick food that Mommy can prepare without being on her feet too long - think "grilled cheese sandwiches" - or Daddy has been cooking - think "Chipotle" or "Jack In The Box." :-)

Please, if you would, keep us in prayers. I am going to get some work done today and get some spaghetti sauce in the slow cooker for dinner tonight, and I'll probably make some rolls as well. That is accomplishing something. :-)

I must give glory to God for this illness. I cannot forget as well, that all this couch time has given me time to snuggle with my babies. That is a total blessing and I do cherish that special time.

In His Grace,

Learning at Home

2007-10-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

"But I should say, that the child was getting a better and simpler, and more natural education stopping at home, and helping her mother, and learning to read a chapter in the New Testament every night by her side, than from all the schooling under the sun." - North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell, page 389, Oxford World's Classics

Art found at art.com

Some neat links

2007-10-18T09:26:00.000-04:00

My friend Christine's post about organic milk (which I have not watched yet the video) reminded me that I have been wanting to find out where to buy organic milk in my area. While doing a search, I found a few neat links I thought I would share with y'all. These doen't really have anything to do with organic milk, but they educate you on how to be more responsible with what we ingest, use in our homes, or put on our bodies that the Lord so wonderful created. I have many great links, but will only share 3 today. (I have a nasty cold and mastitis, so Mama needs to be on the couch today.)

*Note: I do not promote anything personally on these sites. I only share these with you to pass a long!

The Green Guide - put on my National Geographic, interestingly enough. This part of the Green Guide has a list of great products to use if you are trying to "go green" at home. The list does miss a lot of great products out there, though, so keep that in mind. For instance, their Laundry Supplies list leaves out great products like Charlie's Soap or Mrs. Meyer's products.

Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database - this site gives a great run down on the products that we use on our skin, not limited to just cosmetics. Everything from sunscreens to baby care products are listed.

OCA - Greenpeople directory - this site is a little too "tree hugger" for me, but it does have a great database where you can search for organic products and services in your area.

More links following tomorrow or Monday!

In His Grace,

Blessed!

2007-10-17T09:32:00.000-04:00

This morning I came upstairs to find that my 4-year-old daughter had made her own bed. You see, last night, her Daddy had told her that she was old enough to make her own bed and would she please try and remember to do it the next morning. Sure enough, as I opened up the door, she had her bed made and had a huge, sweet smile on her precious little face. This really helped my day to get off to a great start. God is so very good to me.

The weather here is definitely "fallish." We have had some rain and some pleasant days where it was simply a joy to be outside. What a respite from summer this is. It is supposed to get back up to the low 90's for a day or so, but then down to the 70's for a high next week. Wow! I love this weather.

My dear husband has a sinus infection, my daughter has a pretty bad cold, and I have mastitis. So, we are under the weather now, but God is good in everything! I am not able to rest much like I need to, but I have noticed improvement with drinking lots of Fennel Tea, and taking supplements such as Lecithin, Echinacea, and Vit C, as well as my prenatal vitamin. Is not our Creator so wonderful to have given us natural supplements to help heal our bodies? Would you please join in praying for my family and that we will be up and around soon?

In His Grace,

Our Glorious Creator

2007-10-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

Psalm 19

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.

2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.

4 Their line[a] has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

6 Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

Please pray

2007-10-10T10:46:00.000-04:00

Two very dear friends of mine have recently gone through loss. "Ann" has just loss her father after many years of heart disease. "Cathy" began spotting yesterday and went for an ultrasound last night. Her baby has gone to be with Jesus. Please pray for my dear sisters in Christ, that they and their families may be comforted.

In His Grace,

5-0

2007-10-09T09:34:00.000-04:00

Those who know me really well know that this little lady loves pro-football. Seriously. When I met my husband, I really knew nothing more about football than the fact that the guy who threw the ball was called a quarterback. When I married my football loving guy, I determined that I would at least sit down and watch it with him. I asked a few questions here and there, and my new husband patiently explained in words that a novice like me could understand. Fast forward to the present, and wow, have I come far. Ask my husband: I can talk football like veteran football fans. My husband loves his football buddy. :-)

My favorite team, the one I "learned" football on, is the Dallas Cowboys. Don't believe me? Ask my husband who went to the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop store and bought a Cowboys decal for the back of her truck. And, if I may complete this post of digression on this, my homemaking blog, I would just like to pause a moment and say: FIVE and OH! Did anyone watch MNF last night? Anyone? Anyone? If you did, speak up, I'd love to know I'm not the only ~~crazy~~ rare woman who watches sports with her man. Back to the game, though. My Cowboys stunk the game up. It was bad. I thought I was going to have to quietly put a bag over my head. Romo threw 6 or 7 interceptions. Enough said. And really, when you are a 4-0 team coming up to a game against Buffalo, that should be an easy game in the bag. If it wasn't for the defense, and Folk, the Cowboys would all be hunting up bags to put on their heads. Still, at the end of the game, with 1 second, after a pretty onside kick just previous, the Cowboys end up winning it by one point. One point.

Now, I'll give my reader's a chance to wake up a little bit, have their cup of coffee or tea, and be comforted in the fact that I will not post anymore today about football. :-)

On the home front: my little boy was up all night, crying and crying. I believe it must be a tooth coming in. Poor baby, it tears my heart seeing him like that. He is down for a morning nap and I am keeping his sisters quiet so he can rest. Since Mama didn't get much sleep, I'll be on the couch most of the day, not doing much besides making more lesson plans. I really have laundry to do but running on 2 1/2 hours of interrupted sleep is rough and I don't think laundry would be a good idea.

For those of y'all who haven't checked, my picture blog has a slide show of my little guy's first year. It is long and I didn't compress with the proper fps when I saved it so the quality is poor. If you don't have access to my picture blog, email me/comment and I'll add you.

We have been battling ants in the house for the past few days. Just when you think they may have left, they show up somewhere else. My husband did kill the colony outside so we think that the few that are still coming in are just stragglers. I would be interested in hearing what y'all do to get rid of ants!

We have a new addition to my sewing family of machines, but I won't show a picture of it until later. I am so very excited and so very spoiled. :-)

I hope your day is full of worship to our Father in heaven!

In His Grace,

Thankful Thursday

2007-10-04T07:16:00.001-04:00

It has been a while since I have participated in Thankful Thursday and as I was reading the Bible this morning I realized that I have so very much to be grateful for. My God is so very good to me! This day, my Thankful Thursday is about some very important people in my life! It is not a total list of all the people I am so happy to have in my life, there are just so many!

I am so thankful for the sweet woman from my church who literally spent days with me to teach me how to sew. I am also grateful for her children who played, entertained, and cared for all three of my littles so that I could have hours of uninterrupted sewing and learning time.
I am so thankful for the fact that I was "reunited" with my best friend from when I was a young girl. We didn't have a falling out, but just moved on and away as we got older (happens a lot, doesn't it?) and I "happened" to find her blog. She has the sweetest little children, too! I am so excited to catch up with her!
I was extremely blessed to be able to meet up with my brother, and my maid-of-honor, while in Orlando. My brother had not yet met my little son, and my friend had not yet met any of my children.
I am so very grateful for the friendship I have with Kelli. She has taught me so much and always brightens my life when I hear from her. She is a true sweetie! And hey, she has a really cool name, too. :-)
Last but not least, I am so very thankful for my husband. He works so very hard and devotes all of his time to serving his family. I have never seen a man like you, dearest, and I am such a blessed woman to be your wife. I love you.

If you would like to read more Thankful Thursdays, please visit Iris at Sting my Heart!

In His Grace,

Back to reality

2007-10-02T08:43:00.000-04:00

My husband, children, mother-in-law, father-in-law, and I, just came home from an absolutely wonderful week at Walt Disney World. I cannot begin to tell you how much fun we had, not mostly because we were at Disney World (though that was pretty awesome, I'll have to say), but mainly because we got so much time to be together as a family. I had a hard time sending my dear husband back to work this morning. We had 10 1/2 days together and that was just such a blessing.

Sunday was my husband's birthday. Happy birthday to the sweetest, most thoughtful, most handsome, man alive! I love you, my dear. You are my best friend and I look forward to many more years together. Thanks for all your hard work, your endless love, and your sense of humor that brings out my smiles and laughter even during the most stressful moments. I love you.

I will work on uploading the Disney pics to my picture blog this week. "Talk" to you later! :-)

In His Grace,

Thursday morning and nothing to say . . . .

2007-09-20T09:20:00.000-04:00

I have been away from blogging for quite a while and I must admit, I don't miss it as much as I used to when I would go on blogging hiatus. Perhaps it is that blogging doesn't have a hold on me like it used to - which is a good thing! - or maybe it is the fact that my new hobby is sewing and you know what? I really enjoy it! I've also been putting in a lot of time reading and as you can see on the right, I've been reading a lot!

I have a few emails to return and will hopefully do that today or tomorrow. My children and I have been busy as I train them in certain areas where they especially need training. It is so wonderful to have my oldest daughter unloading the dishes now. That is one thing I can check off of my list of things to do! :-) I'm also working on a slide show of my son's first birthday for my picture blog.

My husband and I have been watching Horatio Hornblower. Good series and definitely something I'll have to add to my "want to read" list. I'm also going to start implementing a schedule very soon. This household really needs it!

I probably won't post again for another week or so. Life is busy. But good! I am extremely blessed!

In His grace,

Works for me Wednesday

2007-09-12T08:15:00.001-04:00

Whew! I have been one busy lady. The children and I have been spending days over at the home of a family from church. My sweet sister in Christ has been teaching me to sew dresses. Let me tell ya, she is a great teacher! Not only that, her own precious children have been caring my little kiddos so that I can get this sewing project done. What a blessing!! So, not much time right now for blogging and it will probably be that way for the next 3 weeks.

We celebrated my baby boy's first birthday last week. So happy and yet a little bittersweet, too. A year old! (Note to self: do not make him chocolate cake. Not only does he not like it, but it doesn't look so great flung on the walls, either.)

Here is my Works for Me Wednesday idea:

I make my family's sandwich bread. I enjoy the smell of it baking and when it is dressed up with a dab of butter, oh goodness!!! The only part I have a problem with is cutting it. Using a regular serrated knife doesn't cut it. The slices aren't even - some are much thicker/thinner than others - and, let's face it, for this perfectionist, that is a ~~complete and utter disaster~~ problem. So what I have come up with? My handy-dandy electric knife! It slices that bread quickly (watch your hands!) and so easily and with just a bit of concentration, the slices come out just perfect.

For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas, visit Rocks in my Dryer.

In His Grace,

Celebrate Christ

2007-09-04T08:11:00.000-04:00

Yes, we are all finally feeling better! What a peace it is to see my children with their appetites back, no fevers, and smiles on their face. I am so very happy now and I pray that we will not be ill again for quite some time!

Today is Celebrate Christ. There was no participation on the first Tuesday, and last Tuesday I was MIA. Please feel free to share some of your Christmas thoughts/ideas/memories, etc. Here are a few simple guidelines for this "meme":

*Make sure to add your post to the Mr. Linky down below. Please put only the link with your Celebrate Christ post in it, not the link to the main page of your blog. This helps those of us who have very limited time go to exactly where we want to go.

*Please do not host your own Mr. Linky for Celebrate Christ on your blog.

*You are more than welcome to use the above button. I am working on a "newer, better" banner, but for now, the above one will have to do. If you want, just right-click on the image and save to your own computer. Or, email me for the html and I would be happy to send it to you! If you need help with this, please email me.

*Please do link your Celebrate Christ link back to me. If you do not know how to do this, I would be more than happy to help. Thank you!

*I would love for you to leave a comment, even if you don't post for this meme. It is always such a joy to hear from those of you who are reading this blog.

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Today, I thought I would share some of my favorite Christmas web links. I have learned a lot from some of these!

History and links about Handel's Messiah I don't know about y'all, but I think this work of music is fantastic. It inspires worshipfulness in me during the holiday season.

Christmas in Cyberspace This one I have not checked out extensively, but it sure looks interesting!

Christ in Christmas This one has interesting ways to help others during Christmas time. Remember, one way to show the love Jesus has for us is to show that love to others!

Picture "The Choir" can be purchased at Art.com

An Online Christmas Songbook

Christmas Unit Study

Christmas Ornament Ideas

Please share any links on how to celebrate Christ's birthday!

Where is the light at the end of the tunnel?

2007-08-30T08:44:00.000-04:00

For the second time in two weeks, my children are sick with a nasty cold/virus. My youngest daughter has it the worst. My son, who was sick first, still has the runny nose and a bit of a cough. This illness wants to hang on!

I'm so very busy nursing these little blessings so you probably won't "see" me much until they are all better. Thank you all for your emails, they have been such encouragement to me! I appreciate each and every one of you.

In His Grace,

I love baby laughter!

2007-08-23T09:04:00.001-04:00

Okay, so today is my day off from blogging but I just had to share this with y'all. What can I say? I love it when babies laugh. It makes me laugh, cry, sigh, and laugh again. Their laughter is so very contagious. I saw this on YouTube and thought you might like a little bit of a laugh yourself. Now for the small print: I do not in any way endorse YouTube nor am I responsible for anything yucky you might find on there while look at aforesaid laughing baby. Now on to laughing baby (and no, this is NOT my baby!)

What a blessing friends are!

2007-08-22T08:05:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I received a package from my sweet friend, Kelli. In it, were a beautifully wrapped book, a note, and one of these Keepsake Envelope Folders that she made. In the Keepsake Envelope Folder were two packets of tea ("Constant Comment" and Vanilla Caramel. Yummy!), a little Mary Engelbreidt notepad, and one of those sweet little mini lavendar bundles. I look forward to using the book, entitled Mrs. Sharp's Traditions Reviving Victorian Family Celebrations of Comfort & Joy. It is filled with beautiful Victorian art and photos and gives background to many of the holidays we celebrate. It has recipes, ideas, poems, and wisdom from Mrs. Sharp. I know it will be used for many years to come in my family. (And I am finally so glad to know what the Michaelmas is that all of the Jane Austen novels talk about!) The pictures below do not give justice to how pretty these items are.

Thank you, dear friend! You brought joy to my day. What a blessing you are to me.

Celebrate Christ

2007-08-21T08:22:00.001-04:00

Today is the first day of Celebrate Christ. I thought it would be great to talk about what we are doing already in our own families to celebrate our Saviour's birth. Here are a few simple guidelines for this "meme":

*Make sure to add your post to the Mr. Linky down below. Please put only the link with your Celebrate Christ post in it, not the link to the main page of your blog. This helps those of us who have very limited time go to exactly where we want to go.

*Please do not host your own Mr. Linky for Celebrate Christ on your blog.

*You are more than welcome to use the above button. I am working on a "newer, better" banner, but for now, the above one will have to do. If you want, just right-click on the image and save to your own computer. Or, email me for the html and I would be happy to send it to you! If you need help with this, please email me.

*Please do link your Celebrate Christ link back to me. If you do not know how to do this, I would be more than happy to help. Thank you!

*I would love for you to leave a comment, even if you don't post for this meme. It is always such a joy to hear from those of you who are reading this blog.

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For our family, we purchased a couple of years ago this book: Christ in Christmas: A Family Advent Celebration. We use this book to start celebrating advent. It helps guide us into thinking about the importance of this holiday a month before December 25.

We also bought a small wreath, set it up on the table, and put 4 small purple candles around it and one white one in the middle (or is it 4 white candles and one purple? Mommy brain!). The 4 small purple candles are lit on Sundays and the white one on Christmas eve.

It is such an intimate family time when we sing songs celebrating Jesus' birth during advent. Listening to my husband read from Scripture, we are all absorbing how important this time is. My husband is very big on Christmas; it is his favorite holiday. He desires it to be meaningful and celebrating advent is just a start for our family as we learn how to make it even more special.

Does your family do Advent? If so, how do you celebrate it? What personal, family traditions do you incorporate into this special season? Do you read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible out loud?

In His Grace,

Menu Plan Monday

2007-08-20T07:58:00.000-04:00

Thank you so very, very much for all of your emails, comments, etc.! My little girl is finally completely over her virus and the rest of us are doing well. God is so very gracious to our family.

Checking Weather.com this morning, it looks as if Hurrican Dean will be well South of the Lone Star State. While yes, hurricanes can turn at the last moment, I would be very surprised if that happened. It did give my husband and I a good reason to stock up on emergency supplies.

What does your week look like? Mine is very busy! I ordered two dress patterns from Baker Lane and a sweet lady from church is going to help me make one of the dresses! She sat with me for quite some time yesterday afternoon going over the pattern with me and giving me a check list of things to do before we go over to their home this week. God is so good to have provided such a wonderful church for our family, with so many Titus 2 women. It is such a blessing.

I also want to remind everyone that tomorrow (August 21) is the first Tuesday of Celebrate Christ. Please join in, it will be a lovely time of fellowshipping and learning how to better honor our Lord and Savior during the Christmas season!

Now my menu:

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Monday ~ Sausage Spaghetti Spirals NEW RECIPE, cheesy rolls, salad

Tuesday ~ Quesadillas, salad, beans

Wednesday ~ Chicken Wild Rice Soup NEW RECIPE, Salad, Grilled Cheese

Thursday ~ Skillet Potatoes, Sausage

Friday ~ Sloppy Joes, French Fries, Salad

Saturday ~ Homemade Pizza (though we may have someone over that night, and thus the menu for this night would change)

For more menu plans, visit Laura.

In His Grace,

Yep. It's Hurricane Season.

2007-08-17T15:23:00.001-04:00

Go away, Dean. Your sister, Erin, gave us enough rain! (This, from a gal raised in Florida!)

Wonderful news!

2007-08-17T08:22:00.000-04:00

My precious little girl is fine! We are so very grateful to our Heavenly Father for His loving grace upon our family. We are not deserving of His love yet He gives it unconditionally.

Thank you, my "bloggy" friends for your prayers!

In His Grace,

Back again and Prayers Please

2007-08-15T07:55:00.001-04:00

**Update: We have an appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow afternoon. Please pray!**

We are back from yet another weekend trip. This time, we met my family at a beach house for a few days of fun! My oldest daughter had a ball in the water, as did my son - once he got used to it. My youngest daughter was still getting over whatever virus we had and she was quite fearful of the ocean so she just sat in peoples' laps and got hugs. She would only walk on the beach if she was wearing shoes. It was very precious.

Unfortunately, we had to leave earlier than planned as this part of Texas was going through a dangerous heatwave. It was too dangerous for our children to be out and plus, my little girl still wasn't getting any better. We did so enjoy seeing my family, though!

Yesterday, we took my youngest daughter to the ER (she couldn't get into her regular physician since she is a new patient and it takes about a week or so to get seen if you haven't been seen yet). We were concerned that perhaps she had bronchitis or some such infection. This little girl has asthma and allergies and so we were concerned about her lungs. After x-rays, the pediatrician came in and said "Well, her lungs look good, but her her heart looks too big" (meaning "enlarged"). My husband, who is the one who took her, said his whole life came crashing down around him in just a few seconds.

The pediatrician then went to confer with the radiologist and apparently the radiologist said her heart size was fine and so she was released from the ER. My husband and I are uneasy that a pediatrician, who is used to children and knows their particular health problems, thought something was wrong with her heart. We will be getting her into her regular pediatrician as soon as possible so that we can be referred to get a second opinion.

So, would all my dear blogger friends/readers please pray? Our family is so very much concerned. Please pray that we find our strength in God, regardless of the outcome. It has been so very hard for me to rely on Him since we were told this news. I was up all last night and tossed and turned, thinking all of the possible "What-ifs?" My humanness is imperfect; God is perfect. He is sovereign. I am having to fight my human nature of worrying (and not doing such a good job at fighting it) and rest in His peace.

In His Grace,

A momentary pause from blogging . . .

2007-08-08T10:14:00.000-04:00

while I care for my sick sweeties. All three of my children have some kind of cold/virus. Please pray that I may minister to their physical and emotional needs with love and tenderness that only a mama can give. Also, prayers that my dear husband and I be protected from this illness would be much appreciated!

I am in quite a bit of pain from my fall. Nothing major, just lots of bruises and muscle aches. So I would appreciate prayers for this as well.

"See" you all as soon as my family is well.

In His Grace,

Don't Try This At Home - Or - I Do My Own Stunts

2007-08-07T07:47:00.000-04:00

I am always up for trying something new. I love to try new foods - my husband still cannot understand how I could try escargot - and I love to visit new places. I like trying new pieces to play on the piano and I love the smell of our new home.

But I have to tell you, falling down the stairs is something new I tried yesterday and it isn't all it is cracked up to be.

Do you know what it is like when something happens and the whole time you are thinking how surreal the experience is? That is what happens when you fall down the stairs. I honestly couldn't believe that I was bouncing and sliding down our stairs like when my daughters throw their huge rubber balls down the stairs. Except I don't sound like a light, rubber ball. It sounded more like thunder.

I was upstairs in the playroom with my daughters and peaked down the stairs at my adoring son. I decide to go get him to bring him upstairs with us. What happens next is something that inevitably I will laugh about when I am older. I walk down the first step just fine, but somehow on the second step, my foot tripped or slipped or something and next thing I know, my back hits the edge of another step (OW!!) and my tailbone is stinging from landing on another step. I fall down sideways and so I am sliding and bumping down and my right foot twists under me.

Once I finally stopped falling - the floor stopped my fall - I laid there wondering what just happened. I looked at my son. His mother has just fallen at his feet and he was sitting there with his mouth wide open, his eyes wide, and a look of consternation on his beautiful face.

Then I hear two tiny voices whispering up stairs: "Did Mommy fall down the stairs?" "Yes, she did." Then running feet and two sweet heads look over the stairs. They come down: "Oh, POOR Mommy." "Are you okay, Mommy?" Then a pair of chubby hands and a pair of thin hands start rubbing my head. Then kisses on the hair. I tell you, I have the best nurses in my own home!

My daughters obviously love me. They are sitting there, trying to rub away their mommy's shock and bewilderment, when my oldest daughter leans over and says in my ear in a gentle voice: "Don't worry, Mommy. We'll make dinner for you."

I guess I'll look back on this in many long years and laugh. Or maybe next week. I don't know. Right now my aching, hurting body won't let me. I hope to never make that trip again. And yes, that was an intended pun. I'd rather laugh at myself then feel like a dummy.

And just in case you wondered, yes, my girls did make dinner for me. On pink and purple, tiny, plastic dishes. I couldn't see the food without my imagination, but it was served in love, and that is the best meal of all.

A New Week

2007-08-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

My family and I returned home yesterday from a wonderful, relaxing weekend at a campground with my husband's family. My father-in-law graciously paid for us to stay in a quaint little cabin and let me tell you, it sure is ~~much more sane~~ more comfy to do it that way. Nothing like a little air conditioning when it is 100 degrees outside!

My youngest daughter fell in love with her grandfather. I have never seen her attach herself to someone like that outside of her immediate family. She asked for "Papa" from the second she woke up in the morning and wasn't happy until she was in his lap. It was so very precious to see this bond between the two.

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I read this post at Humble Musings. I always am amazed at Amy's ability to speak on a touchy subject with wisdom and love. I have always detested the term "natural birth," but I won't get into that right now. I have had three hospital births, but am planning on having a homebirth next time around, Lord willing. I cloth-diaper, eat organically some of the time, have started making my own sandwich bread, and breastfeed. However, I do use canned cream-of-whatever soups to make casseroles, am known to feed my children breakfast cereal once in a while, and I refuse to sleep with my children in the bed if they are older than 4 months. Oh yes, and I drink coffee every day. Two cups. :-)

All this to say that there are different stages for everyone. Legalism is so very rampant today amongst Christians. I know this because I was very legalistic for a while there. There was a time when in my book, if you weren't breastfeeding your child, I began to wonder about your views on other things. Sad, isn't it? But true. Thankfully, God has shown me my errors and I am on my way to realizing that my way isn't always the right way. I have a lot to learn and I am young. I am in a learning stage, and will hopefully be willing to learn now and as I get older.

I am tired and unable to think very clearly this morning. My post has probably made no sense to anyone but myself. Let me know if I need to clarify. :-)
Have a great day!

In His Grace,

What do you think?

2007-08-02T09:08:00.000-04:00

I was sent an email with this link recently and was told to visit the site to "rent" designer handbags. I honestly thought this was a joke, because, really, who is going to rent a purse? After looking at the website, I realized that it is so very real. For curiosity's sake, I looked up how much it would be to borrow one of these bags. Um. Wow. "Starting at only $20 a month," plus a membership fee, you can get bags labeled trendsetter. Think: the cheapest bags they have.

Now, I think the most I have ever spent on a purse is $20. I am not into purses and I rarely use one now as it doesn't have enough room to hold diapers, epi pens, and spare outfits for my children. So, to pay twenty dollars a month just to rent a purse seems silly to me.

But wait! It gets better! If you want a "couture" bag that are "Runway worthy handbags and jewelry from top designers such as Gucci and Rosiblu," prepare to shell out the big bucks. These start at $175. Yes, I said one hundred and seventy-five dollars. A month. Starting at.

Does the affluence of our country really stoop to such frivolous silliness? Yes, it seems that it does. $175 a month for a purse that you don't even own? $175 a month for something that you carry things in?

Enough of that topic for now. What do my visitors think? I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment.

In His grace,

Picture blog and other things

2007-07-31T07:38:00.000-04:00

picture from Art.com - First Step

For those of you who view my picture blog, I have put up new pictures. My little guy is now "cruising" around the house, holding onto anything that he can. He also takes steps now as I hold onto his little hands. I wasn't ready for this, I tell you, I wasn't ready! :-)

For those who emailed and asked, my little store has hit a snag. My dear husband and I have come to the decision that some of the books I was going to offer for sale are something that we would rather not offer after all - did that sentence make any sense? No? Like I am wont to say: Mommy brain! - so it seems that it will still be a bit longer until it goes online.

My girls and I like to sing while we go about our day. It is not uncommon to hear mommy singing "Holy, Holy, Holy" upstairs in the laundry room, and at the same time, the little girls singing it downstairs as they play with their dolls. My son sits there and nods his head up and down as if he were singing, too. In his own way, he is singing.

Since singing helps our family so much as we work about the house, from Daddy on down to the littlest one, I thought I'd leave you with one of our family favorites.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;

Hither by Thy help I’m come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

In His Grace,

Celebrate Christ

2007-07-24T07:34:00.001-04:00

It has come to my attention (thanks, Jules) that my Mr. Linky is not working. Well, since I don't have time to fix it now, this Celebrate Christ meme, will be postponed till Tuesday, August 21. See you then!

Show and Tell Friday - Making Apple Butter

2007-07-20T07:44:00.000-04:00

* NOTE: Okay, so I just have to laugh at myself. My post heading is "Making Apple Butter." Yet the post is actually about making peach butter. Oops! I'll leave it up there, just to keep me humble. :-) *

This Show and Tell Friday I would like to share something I have learned to make and the deliciously scrumptious results, all in pictures and a few words.

How to Make Peach Butter

Step 1: Take one, hard-working Mama.

Step 2: Gather up about 15-20 juicy peaches.

Step 3: Boil up some water. Why boiled water? Peach skins can be a bear and time-taker to remove. If you blanche them first, the skins rub off, as you will see in a few pictures.

Step 4: Prepare a huge bowl of ice water, to stop the blanching process.

Step 5: Set about 5-6 peaches in a steamer basket. Lower them into the boiling water.

Step 6: After about a minute of blanching, take the steamer basket full of peaches with tongs or a towel, and set it immediately into the ice water, also for a minute.

Step 7: This is what the peaches look like after being blanched, kind of a pastel color. Very pretty, actually.

Step 8: Here is the wonderful part of blanching: the skins rub right off! No knives needed for this part.

Step 9: Being very careful (peaches that have been blanched are VERY slippery after their peals have been taken off), take a knife and cut the peach all around. Take it apart in chunks or halves with your hands. Take out peach pit and throw away. Put peaches in crock pot.

Step 10: Sprinkle onto peaches about: 1-2 cups of sugar, according to your preferences; cinnamon; and cloves.

Step 11: Cover, plug in, and set on high for a couple of hours. Remove lid, mash with wooden spoon or potato masher. Cook on high for another 1-3 hours. Then, set temperature on low, and cooks until thick and most of liquid is gone. It took me about 24 hours to get this done!

Here is the final result. It was so very yummy and my family is certainly enjoying it. I put some in the fridge to eat now and the rest in a freezer bag to be kept in the freezer until we need it. It is great on biscuits and toast and oatmeal.

For more Show and Tell Fridays, visit Kelli.

In His Grace,

My daughters

2007-07-19T08:04:00.001-04:00

My daughters are so very precious to me. At 4 years and 2 years of age, they bring me such immense joy that I would not be able to find elsewhere. It is such a blessing to see these lovely young girls as they share in my homemaking work. I love the help they give in the kitchen and elsewhere. It makes the work become fun!

Yesterday, I stepped out of the shower to hear my daughters, in their bedroom, singing "Holy, Holy, Holy" in unison! The words were a bit mangled here and there, but overall, they did sing it so very beautifully. (We are a hymn and Psalm singing family; our precious girls and I sing hymns and Psalms as we work. It makes even our day to day work so worshipful!)

I went to greet them and give them their morning kisses. I opened the door and they were both snuggled in my youngest daughter's bed. It made my heart melt! These blessings show me how unworthy I am! I know that God is a God of love. He surely is. These little girls are evidence of that.

(Just in case you think I am easing up on my "no pictures of my children" policy, I'm not. However, since you can't see their faces in these pictures, I feel it is safe to post them!) Here they are: My oldest hard at work cutting veggies, and my youngest daughter, playing with dirt. :-)

For Thankful Thursday, please visit Laurel Wreath who is so very gracious to be guest hosting!

Celebrating Christ

2007-07-16T12:14:00.000-04:00

Many months back, I belonged to a group of Christian ladies who celebrated Christmas year round. No, this doesn't mean that they kept up their trees year round (though I believe two actually did) or that you had to be on the lookout for Christmas cards in May. Instead, these ladies shared year round wonderful and Jesus-honoring ideas on how to celebrate this unfortunately commercialized holiday.

My dear husband and I are going to attempt and make this upcoming Christmas for God-centered. Less about gifts, less about self. In an attempt to learn more about how I can make this holiday more about our Saviour, I will be hostessing this Celebrate Christ every Tuesday, starting July 24.

The purpose will be for ladies to share their favorite memories, recipes, ornaments, pictures, music, stories (all uploaded via Mr. Linky, of course), with especial attention to those things that especially honor Christ. Please feel free to pass the word around and to use the above button. I definitely look forward to hearing everyone's creative thoughts on celebrating the birth of our Saviour!

And yes, just in case you are wondering, I know there are still several months until Christmas. It is never too early to print out, store, start making, etc., all of the sure-to-come ideas on this blessed Holiday!

An Abundant Harvest

2007-07-16T08:44:00.000-04:00

"I feel as if the garden of Eden has fallen into our kitchen." These words came out of my beloved's mouth on Saturday as he and I stared in wonder at the harvest of fruits and vegetables we had bought that morning. Peaches, apples, potatoes, mangos, grapes, carrots, lettuce, green bell peppers, pineapples.

Today will be a busy one. In the next few days I will be: peeling and coring the apples in order to make apple butter; scrubbing, peeling and making cubes of potatoes in order to freeze them in bags for breakfast for dinner nights; cutting up all bell peppers and freezing; cutting up pineapples and freezing those as well; blanching carrots and spinach and then ice water baths for freezing; making mango butter; and there are probably a few more things that I will be doing as well. I know we'll be having peach cobbler tonight or tomorrow night. I may freeze the peaches in slices as well. Here is a great link to learn how to do all of the freezing and such of different fruits and vegetables.

My family and I have enjoyed "free entertainment" at the Bass Pro Shop near our home every Saturday. We enjoy browsing through the camping equipment, looking at the fun aquarium, and seeing the animals. I absolutely love how my two-year-old's eyes light up at all of the things to see. She especially loves the racoons. We often follow up with a fun, family dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. This is my favorite part as the theme is simply enjoyable. The food is pretty yummy, too. :-)

Thank you to Tamara from Training Hearts for awarding me the Thinking Blog Award! I am certainly humbled by your kindness. And if you have not yet visited Tamara's blog, you certainly must as it is very lovely. I am now given the honor of choosing 5 more blogs to pass along this award to. I will be doing this in the next couple of days.

***********************************************************************************

Menu Plan Monday

This list is not as organized as I want. With me being so busy with all the fruits and vegetables I need to put up, I am making very easy dinners. For more Menu Plan Monday, visit Laura.

Monday - Meat Loaf Pie (Visit Mrs. U here for the recipe. Doesn't it look absolutely yummy?)

Tuesday - Creamy Macaroni and Cheese (from Paula Deen. I love that it is made in the crock pot!)

Wednesday - Manicotti

Thursday - Soft Tacos

Friday - Cheeseburger Buns (recipe will be shared a little later this week)

Saturday - Leftovers!

I hope you have a day in which you are able to worship and glorify our wonderful heavenly Father!

In His Grace,

Show and Tell Friday - First Time

2007-07-13T07:50:00.000-04:00

I just had to share with everyone my great find before we moved in April. I was browsing a discount-type store (Fred's) to take a break from the moving process. I was going up and down the aisles and not really paying attention. However, a stack of art prints caught my eye, especially because the word "CLEARANCE!" was over them. :-)

There were some large ones and some that were much smaller. I found three that I really liked but as I only had a couple of dollars with me, I didn't know if I would be able to get them for. I went up to the register and the grand total for the three was: $0.60! So, I had more than enough to pay for these pretty pictures.

I love these pictures because of the feminity involved. I plan on framing them and hanging them up around the house, or in my office area, to remind me of how much I enjoy being the woman of the house. It is also my attempt at being creative. :-)

For more Show and Tells, visit Kelli at There Is No Place Like Home.

An attempt at a sewing project

2007-07-12T08:53:00.000-04:00

I have a bag of jeans that I don't want to throw away and I initially thought I would donate to Goodwill or Freecycle. However, I saw the neatest tutorial on how to make skirts out of them! And as I am in need of some more "around-the-house" type of skirts, I think I will attempt to do this today. I'll post pictures of the progress.

Oh, and I hope Christine doesn't mind, but if you didn't know yet, she had a wonderful homebirth and gave birth to a baby . . . . oh, now, you didn't think I was going to tell you if the baby is a boy or a girl, did you? Head over to Lily of the Valley and let her share the good news. And oh, how proud I am of her, too! Congratulations, my dear friend!!

Middle of the Week

2007-07-11T08:47:00.000-04:00

My little ones and I ventured out yesterday morning with a family from church to a nearby park where there is an aviary and an animal center complete with buffalo. Yes. I said buffalo. However, upon driving down the road towards the aviary, a type of gate with a stop sign on it was discovered. I looked down the road and sure enough, it was flooded over from the heavy rains we had gotten last week.

So we turned around and utilized the parks nearby. Between us two mothers, we had seven children. She had all boys and I have my two little girls and my young little man. My youngest daughter managed to plow through a foot-deep puddle and fall in full body. She emerged completely muddy. Oh, so not cool. Mud is hard to get out of clothes. :-)

It was much too hot so were not able to spend much time there. We all drove back to my home and had a lovely picnic lunch inside where there is such a thing as air conditioning. Afterwards, our children played and the mother and I talked. The funny thing is that my son somehow managed to turn over a plastic tub upside down and was sitting under it talking baby talk. We lifted it over his head and there he was. Pretty cute!

Today I need to make quite a few phone calls. I do not like talking on the phone as I can never hear the other person very well. We are going to start buying our produce from another place rather than a grocery store and so I need to get my order in.

I am also looking around my home and trying to figure out what I need to do to make it more "homey." Granted, we are leasing this home, so I don't want to do too much. But it needs to be more than bare walls and we still don't have the curtains up. It is a big home so there are a lot of walls. Thus, I will be visiting blogs this week where the creative juices flow and hopefully I can be inspired (Kelli's blog, especially).

Oh, for those of you who commented in the comment area that you would like to see pictures of my family and want an invitation to that blog, could you please email me your email address so that I know where to point the invitation? Thank you!

Well, dear friends, I hope this middle of the week is full of joy!

In His Grace,

Definitely a Monday

2007-07-09T12:28:00.001-04:00

I know that Mondays get a bad rap, and perhaps deservedly so; generally, though, I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt and think that wonderful days do happen on this day after the Sabbath. This Monday did start off wonderfully: my son has slept through the night for the second day in a row.

I woke up late this morning and that is enough to throw me from my routine and make things all out of whack. It was 6:00 AM before I realized I was still in bed and needed to get up asap! By the time I had showered and dressed, it was 6:15 and I went down to make my morning java and sit down to spend some alone time with my Heavenly Father. As soon as I sat at the table, I heard some stomping on the ceiling above me. Translation: my oldest daughter is awake and believes that the stomping will not wake up her younger sister but will, at the same time, get mommy up the stairs to let her out of her room.

Inevitably, my youngest daughter was woken up and it wasn't till both girls were eating breakfast that I was able to read my chapters from the Old Testament - I am currently trying to read through the Bible - and enjoy my hot, steaming mug of coffee.

A headache, one step below migraine and step above "oh my, this is going to send me to the couch for the day!, settled in and decided to stay. I realized the headache came with a cousin: sinus pressure. Now, I am smart enough to realize where that headache stemmed from and why my head felt like it was being held between the coils of any snake that squeezes its prey to death. Allergies.

I do not like popping pills. It is my belief that the chemicals in those medicines are too much of a bad thing and so I avoid them as much as possible. This was one of those times when I had to make an exception. I got out my Tylenol, extra strength, and my tiny loratadine pill and took them with my prenatal vitamin.

I immediately started feeling so much better. My head felt unsqueezed (no, that is not a word, but I am a Mommy and I have the privilege of making up my own words to suit what I am trying to say) and the headache of gargantuan proportions became more of a dull ache. It was then that I noticed that after all of that, I felt like I was going to pass out.

I am blessed to have super fast metabolism. I mean fast. I ate my bowl of Cheerios hoping to give that metabolism some fuel and keep me from falling on the floor in front of my children. Nothing doing. I quickly consumed two Kashi bars. Mr. Metab O. Lism still was in overload. It was then that I realized more was necessary and made a turkey sandwich, complete with pepper jack cheese. That helped a lot and I felt human again.

Of course, all of this was going on as I was preparing my my first day as Kindergarten teacher for our school at home. I was also dealing with a cranky baby. I was having to wash sheets and water-proof mattress pad as my youngest daughter leaked all over in the night. And of course, the usual housework demanded to be done.

I did not start school until 10:45. I had intended to start at 8. It is now noon and the sheets aren't dry and lunch has not been made. My baby is tired and needs a nap as done my grumpy two-year old. Oh, and the two-year-old just took off her diaper. So, I'll end this now as I go care for my blessings and remember meanwhile that this is what God has for me to do. And it is good.

Oh, and yes, my headache has returned. Time to go find the Tylenol bottle.

In His Grace,

End of the week

2007-07-06T09:43:00.001-04:00

Today I am finishing up the first episode of Wives and Daughters. I had watched it once before, many years ago, and wanted to watch it again. Hannah has been watching it a little while with me today and I am enjoying having a girl to watch it with. I honestly wish, while watching movies like that, that our society had not veered away from such feminine and masculine clothing. There was no mistaking back then who wore what and it definitely differentiates between genders. Besides, the dresses are gorgeous! Why in the world have we women resigned ourselves to such unfeminine clothing?

My little guy turned 10 months old on Wednesday. I honestly am having a hard time believing that he is so close to a year old already. With the girls it seemed as if the time went by quite slowly and I was able to savor each milestone. Now, I am shocked as I see him pull himself up to standing for the first time. Soon enough, he will be a man, towering over his short mama, and I'll remember these days of how he was so in love with mommy and would crawl around after her, wherever she went. :-)

Before I forget, Crystal over at Biblical Womanhood is giving away a set of of the entire Ballantyne Christian Adventure Library. Head on over there and check those out, because they look so wonderful. I wouldn't mind having those on my shelf.

I am very behind on emails (and no, my email issues on my other email address are not yet resolved) so if you have emailed me in the past week, please know that I am answering as soon as I am able! I am the throws right now on preparing for my oldest daughter's first day of homeschool Kindergarten this Monday and am using most every available moment to make sure we are ready.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and is blessed this upcoming Sabbath day.

In His Grace,

Email problems

2007-07-03T18:13:00.000-04:00

I've been told by several people that my usual email address ( kelly at mamarussell dot com ) is bouncing back messages. I have attempted to fix the problem, but as of yet, no solution has been found. So, if you would, please use the following address until I give further notice: mamarussell at gmail dot com - removing at and replacing it with @; removing dot and replacing it with an actual dot. Thank you and I hope everyone enjoys their 4th of July!

Oh, and if anyone knows how to stop 554 error messages, please email me and let me know. Thanks!

In His Grace,

Our Country Tis of Thee

2007-07-02T16:06:00.001-04:00

In honor of our Country's birthday on Wednesday, I went "googling" for some coloring pages for my dear daughters to color. I found much more than coloring ideas and was inundated with lots of great stuff to celebrate our Land. I thought I would share some of the links with you. Enjoy!

Coloring pages ~

Food ~

Red, White and Blue Parfaits

Easy Raspberry Lemonade

Coleslaw

Fun and games ~

The Thirteen Colonies word search game

This link has many great 4th of July crafts

Patriotic Flower Pot

Our Flag ~

Read up on the proper way to care for and display our flag

The history of our flag

Primary Documents ~

Our Constitution

Declaration of Independence

Articles of Confederation

Bill of Rights

*ADDED July 3*

If you want to try and win some cool prizes in honor of the 4th of July, head over to this post at 5 Minutes For Mom. As always, Janice and Susan have great offerings.

In His Grace,

Various "stuff"

2007-06-29T10:03:00.000-04:00

First off, I never did share a picture of my new ride. Here is Mama's Truck. I must say, it was an awfully nice Mother's Day gift. :-) Thank you, Honey!

Secondly, I am almost finished with my new eStore, and I will be so happy when it finally opens. It is nothing major or big, but it does offer some great products.

Thirdly, I have a new blog specifically to share photos of my family with my friends and family members. If you would like access to this blog, please comment in this box or email me and I will send you an invite.

I am going to take a photo of our new home today and share later.

In His Grace,

Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake

2007-06-29T07:58:00.000-04:00

I made this coffee cake last night for dinner in place of the planned muffins for that night. I was able to use some of the frozen blueberries that my children and I had picked about a month ago. It was so very yummy and hubby raved about how good it was. The recipe comes from my 2004 Taste of Home Annual Recipes cookbook. It is accredited to Brenda Carr.

Blueberry Almond Coffee Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

2/3 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries*, divided

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk, butter and extracts until blended; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in 2/3 cup blueberries. Pour into a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Top with remaining blueberries.

Combine the almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. YIELD: 9 servings.

*Note: If using Frozen blueberries, do not thaw before adding to batter.

I had no almonds on hand, so used chopped pecans instead. I also left out the almond extract and just added a tad more vanilla extract than was called for. Here is a picture of the result.

Yet another giveaway

2007-06-28T09:55:00.000-04:00

I love giveaways. They are fun to blog about and are such a blessing to those who actually win them. :-) One of my most favorite blogs is Mrs. U's blog. She has been such an inspiration to me as well as a gracious lady who leaves comments on my blog. She is celebrating one year of posting in blogdom and is giving away the following to one blessed reader:

"- a set of Martha Stewart Everyday Towels (like I mentioned here)...-
- a pair of earrings of YOUR choosing from the Etsy shop of new jewelry designer and real life friend, Melissa...
- an autographed copy of "Queen of the Castle- 52 weeks of encouragement for the uninspired, domestically challenged or just plain tired homemaker" by Lynn Bowen Walker that I reviewed here (and mailed to you FROM THE AUTHOR HERSELF!!!)...AND...
- a 2 year subscription to Victoria Magazine graciously sent to you courtesy of Hoffman Media."

Please consider visiting her blog and entering your self. You will be blessed by her wisdom, I know.

A certain Peace

2007-06-28T08:35:00.000-04:00

Early Morning Fog in the Trees Around Otter Lake, Raymond Gehman as found on Art.com

Every morning is a struggle for me. You see, I am going through a time of testing right now. My almost 10 month old son is teething now and wakes up 5-6 times a night. As a person who likes her sleep - I can see my hubby laughing as he reads this; "likes her sleep" is an understatement! -, it is a constant fight in the dark to care for my little boy and comfort him in his pain, all while fighting the urge to become grumpy and full of complaints.

I am not a morning person by nature. I could stay up quite late, but getting up early requires much pushing and shoving from my mind against my body. I can always envision the fight going like this:

Mind: You must get up.

Body: Can't. Too. Hard. Must. Sleep.

Mind: Think about it. Do you really want to miss getting a shower before the children wake?

Body: Shower. Oh dear. Want shower. Need sleep.

Mind: Think of the coffee!

Body: Coffee. I like. Must get up!

My alarm is set for 5:30am. Generally, my son gets me up a bit before this. Sometimes, like this very morning, I slept in till about 5:45. Not easy for me. At all.

However, I would like to share with you what I have discovered by getting up early. I have quiet time alone with Heavenly Father every morning! I am ashamed to admit to you, my dear blog readers, that I have not been faithful to a daily time with my God for most of my life. Here I am, 26 years old, and a Christian for almost 20 years, and I am just now starting to be faithful in spending alone time with my Lord! How embarassing is that?

The benefits of this alone are so worth getting my lazy body out of bed at what I often deem an unreasonable time to get out of bed. :-) And do you know what else? The Lord has given me a certain peace throughout my day that I have never experienced. I have been given this amazing grace that gives me the strength to do more than "just get through" my days. I consider this such a wonderful gift and blessing!

I had expected that the habit of rising early, as modeled so well by the Proverbs 31 woman, would turn me into a grumpy, impatient woman with unhappy children and an even more unhappy husband. Yet, the opposite is true. I have had more patience in the last little while than I have ever had in my entire life.

Faithfulness to our God manifests itself in different ways. For some of us, it may be sacrificing that extra time in bed to spend time in the Word. For others, it may be cutting off some computer time to minister to our families. It may mean giving up personal "fun" time to get the laundry done. There are many different ways to honor and obey our Father. It is such a blessing when we obey faithfully and see the peace and strength that He alone can give.

"Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you." -Job 22:21

Menu Plan Monday - June 25, 2007

2007-06-25T08:20:00.000-04:00

I've decided it would make better use of my time and resources if I planned out all meals (breakfast included) and snacks as well. My husband and I have decided to revamp our family's eating habits, and the first is to include more fresh fruits and vegetables. We will be buying the bulk of our produce through one of the local farms or co-ops.

Monday -

Breakfast - Yogurt, bananas

Morning Snack - celery/peanut butter

Lunch - Buttered noodles, English muffins

Afternoon snack - Cantaloupe

Dinner - Chicken Fried Rice, Salad, Apples

Tuesday -

Breakfast - Toast, Cantaloupe

Morning Snack - Carrots

Lunch - Sweet potatoes, bread and butter

Afternoon snack - Apples

Dinner - Vegetarian Linguine, Salad, Rolls, Grapes

Wednesday -

Breakfast - Toast, Bananas

Morning snack - Cantaloupe

Lunch - Sandwiches

Afternoon snack - Broccoli

Dinner - Breakfast skillet, muffins, bacon, mangoes

Thursday -

Breakfast - Crockpot Apple Oatmeal

Morning snack - Carrots

Lunch - Quesadillas

Afternoon snack - Grapes

Dinner - Leftovers, Salad, Corn

Friday -

Breakfast - Yogurt, fruit

Morning Snack - Apples

Lunch - Buttered noodles, English Muffins

Afternoon snack - carrots

Dinner - Grilled cheese and tomatoes, Fruit, Veggies

Saturday -

Breakfast - Bacon Cheese Biscuits

Morning snack - free

Lunch - free

Afternoon snack - free

Dinner - Spaghetti and meatballs, Salad, Garlic Bread, Green beans

I left some of Saturday's meals free so that we can be open to going out for lunch with Daddy or use up whatever leftovers we may have.

For more Menu Plans, visit Organizing Junkie.

Fluoride-free toothpastes

2007-06-22T09:26:00.000-04:00

The world is slowly becoming aware of the dangers of putting fluoride in toothpastes and water. Even doctors are acknowledging that fluoride can present more harm than any possible benefit to our children. Here are some links to read up about this:

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/toxicchemicalsan/a/flouride.htm

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5329003820626343107

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1118379,00.html
(I love how this article mentions that fluoride was once used in rat poison!!)

http://rvi.net/~fluoride/000067.htm

There are many more links out there and I encourage you to research them yourselves.

I am interested to know what kind of fluoride-free toothpaste some of you are using, especially for children. I know Vitamin Shoppe offers many and so I will probably be making a trip there soon to replace my children's current toothpaste. I look forward to hearing from you!

And Crystal had a . . .

2007-06-22T07:05:00.000-04:00

nope, I'm not going to tell you! Let Crystal do that. Visit Biblical Womanhood!

Reminder: Prayer

2007-06-20T09:05:00.000-04:00

Please pray for Crystal today, of Biblical Womanhood, as she goes in to be induced!

Works For Me Wednesday - Infant Car Toys

2007-06-20T08:51:00.001-04:00

My young son, 9 months of age, is at the phase of infantdom where he no longer desires to be restrained by his car seat. Since he still must sit rear-facing, he does not have the benefit of seeing either Mommy or Daddy, and coupled to that the fact that he cannot get out and play, it makes for an unpleasant situation for anyone in the 'Burban.

Our family does not frequent fast food places much, but when we do, they inevitably have some lame children's toy in the kid's meals that will be played with twice, chewed on once by the baby, left under the couch for a month, discovered by Mother, and then thrown away. That means one more thing for me to do (the throwing away, that is) and more clutter about the house until I do the actual throwing away part.

Instead, I have started asking that instead of the regular toy that particular fast food place is offering, to exchange for the toddler toy. Usually, these are cute little hard plastic toys made for the set under age three. They rattle, make noise, and are small enough for little hands to grab. And these things actually last quite a long time! My son still plays with the little trumpet from Mickey D's that is about 5 years old.

I store these toys in Mama's truck and when young little man gets restless, I place in his hands one of these inexpensive items and he enjoys the ride, chewing for a while on the "new" toy. Saving these toys in the vehicle means that he doesn't play with them much so they will always seem new. Also, they are smaller toys, which means less clutter in the truck. Everyone wins!

For more Works For Me Wednesday ideas, visit Rocks In My Dryer.

In His Grace,

Frugal Friday

2007-06-15T08:17:00.000-04:00

I haven't done Frugal Friday for a while as I have lacked any new ideas lately. I am still in the process of learning what it means to be frugal and how to best use the financial resources the Lord has blessed our family with. However, as I was working on my shopping list yesterday, I did think of something that may help some of you out in the grocery stores.

I always by the 93/7 lean ground beef. I cannot stand anything less than that - call me p.i.c.k.y. The stuff can be so expensive, though, especially when there are times that I need to buy several pounds of it. I believe around here it runs from $3-$4 a pound. What I have learned, quite by accident, is that if you wait until about 2-5 days before it will expire, the grocery store will often mark it down to about $1.99 or sometimes as low as $0.99! That is oftentimes cheaper than buying the cheaper stuff like 80/20. When the store marks down the meat like this, I usually buy them out (one time I bought 10 lbs for about $15). Then whatever does not need to be used I either cook up and store in freezer bags in the freezer to be used later, or just freeze in the packages until I need to cook them.

For more Frugal Friday ideas, visit Crystal at Biblical Womanhood.

Neat Link

2007-06-13T14:00:00.001-04:00

TIME and CNN have put together a neat slideshow of sorts using photos and descriptions from the book "Hungry Planet." It is very interesting to see the weekly spending on food that each family from around the globe spends. I am sure many of y'all have seen this already, but I am so out of the loop so it is was new to me. Enjoy!

In His Grace,

New Contest: $25 JoAnn Fabrics Card

2007-06-12T09:01:00.000-04:00

Head over to The Wooden Porch for an opportunity to win a $25 gift card to JoAnn Fabrics. I love all the giveaways I've found lately. This is pretty neat as I am craving buying fabric lately. I am working on my schedule which will hopefully allow a bit of time here or there for me to pick up more sewing time.

In His Grace,

A wonderful weekend

2007-06-11T09:06:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, my sweet husband, my 9 month old son, and I, went and had a wonderful time at a nice resort close to our home. There were tons of walking/biking trails, a water park, golf courses, tennis courts, a spa, myriads of restaurants (some fancy and some laid back), lakes, pools, fountains, etc. It was beautiful. Our suite had two bathrooms, two rooms, and a very comfy king-sized bed.

Friday evening, we ate at the Cheesecake Factory and shared an entree of Stuffed Chicken Tortillas which were sooooo yummy. Then we had a fresh strawberry cheesecake. So good! After that, we walked around the little harbor area with all of the beautiful twinkle lights and water shining in the harbor. Barnes and Noble was in the harbor area so we walked in there and I had fun looking at the children's section and looking at all of my childhood favorites so as Swimmy, Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, Just Me and My Dad, and many others. My hubby then bought me the soundtrack to the latest Pirates movie, which I have been wanting.

We didn't get back to our hotel till around 11:30 pm and our little man was so tired. We all slept in till 8:15am! I hadn't slept in that late in a long time. We got up, had a wonderful buffet breakfast at one of the restaurants at the resort and then headed to the mall to find some cover up shorts for my bathing suit. Were able to find some at the Gap, a place I never shop, but hey, the pants were on sale! :-)

Came back and let little man take a nap and hubby and I watched a movie. When our little guy woke up, we all suited up and headed to the water park. It was so much fun. Slides, fountains, spraygrounds, a little pool for our son. He loved the kiddie pool and sat and splashed in the water for quite some time. We had lunch pool side. After hubby had gone down the slide and we had had our fill of the park, we headed back to our room. We dressed up real fancy for another evening at the harbor. We ate at P.F. Chang's (which was sooooo yummy, by the way) for dinner then all three of us did something I never thought I could do or could be done with a 9 month old: we went and saw a movie!! We went down to a beautiful market area with a theater and watched the Pirates movie for the second time. Our little guy was so good and slept or played in our laps. Then back to the room and another night's rest.

We came home early to get ready for church but ended up not going as I was not feeling well. Yesterday was such a relaxing day with my hubby and children. This week I will not be going anywhere if I can help it (except for the dentist).

It was such a blessing to get away with my husband. I am so blessed to be his wife and so grateful that the Lord allowed for us to be able to do this. We needed some alone time (even if it was with the baby).

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Now for my menu:

Monday - Perogie Casserole

Tuesday - Chicken Breasts (not sure if I'll bake it and sprinkle it with herbs or fry it in a little butter) and Mashed Potatoes

Wednesday - Breakfast for dinner (Potatoes with onions, eggs, maybe pancakes)

Thursday - Chicken Pot Pie

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - ?

For more menu plan mondays, visit: Organizing Junkie.

In His Grace,

Thankful Thursday

2007-06-07T09:26:00.000-04:00

Hello! I don't think I have posted in two-weeks, which is the longest between posts I've been since I've started blogging, I believe. To say that I am busy would be an understatement, but I am so glad to be so busy! I can honestly say that my hands are very rarely ever idle. Thank you to those who emailed to check up on me: you are wonderful blessings in my life!

For my Thankful Thursday, I must share how grateful I am to have such a godly, sweetheart of a husband. You see, tomorrow, June 8, we will be celebrating our 5th anniversary. Five years! To say that we have a great marriage would not do our union justice: we have an awesome marriage!!! Not many couples can say that. God has been our guide and strength these past 5 years.

In these five years we have had three children, gone through various moves, had many ups and several downs. However, and I am not trying to sound too cliche, I am more in love with the man who is my husband than I was that wonderful day I walked down the aisle. He is the hardest working man I know. He does his work with cheerfulness and rarely do I ever hear a complaint. He has no hobbies at this time in his life because, to him, his duties to being at home to raise his children and love his wife, are more important than "me time." He serves unconditionally. When I am weary and tired, he lets me sleep in. When I am sick, he cares for me. In all seriousness, I had no idea how great a man I was getting when I married him.

He leads our home in godliness and makes decisions according to what would honor God. We moved out here mainly because of the lack of a church family where we lived. It was not an easy decision for him, but through prayer he made a God-pleasing decision. Now we are in a place with a wonderful, godly, blessing of a church family!

He loves his children extremely. He plays with them, teaches them, directs and trains them. The smiles on their faces when he arrives home from work says it all. They absolutely adore him and adores them! He plays with them and makes them laugh. He cradles them in his strong arms when they cry.

He knows how busy I am and how hard it is to keep up on the housework. He serves me by helping with laundry, dishes, shopping for groceries, caring for our vehicles, giving baths to the children when he is able, brushing teeth, changing diapers, fixes things that are needing to be fixed around the house, etc. At our fellowship meals after church each Sunday, he makes sure the children and I are eating before he goes to fix himself a plate. He lets me talk and fellowship while he tends to the children. I am a blessed woman, indeed!

I love this man and I am so blessed to be his wife. Thank you, honey, for these past five years. May the Lord bless us with many, many more!

For more thankful thursdays, visit Iris at Sting My Heart.

In a bit of a rut

2007-05-23T08:28:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted much lately because, well - I am in a rut! I don't know what to post about and I had some great pictures to share, but I cannot find the cord I need to upload them from the camera to the computer. :-( So, dear blog readers, please bear with me.

Here are some things I am up to:

We are going to start kindergarten homeschool with our oldest as soon as I can figure out what kind of books or curriculum we should use. *On a funny not, I asked told her that she would be starting kindergarten soon and she said "Neat!" I asked her if she knew what kindergarten was and she said "Yes, a place where you grow plants!" Sigh . . . the cuteness abounds in my home.*

We upgraded our little Dodge Grand Caravan to a Chevy Suburban. I miss my little van, but I am happy with more room that my new ride affords. Three carseats in a minivan works, but add any more and it is pretty unsafe. Picture forthcoming if I can ever find that aforementioned cord - grrr.

I had an ER visit a couple of weeks ago, due to chest pain and pressure that was pretty relentless. After all kinds of tests, nothing came back positive. The pain has gone away - Praise the Lord! - and I am thinking it is lugging around an almost 25 pound 8-month-old. Big Boy is now sitting up, doing the Army crawl, and eating some solids.

Please pray for me, as I am rather thin on patience with my children right now. It is hard to get those emotions under control!

In His Grace,

Tackle It Tuesday

2007-05-15T08:03:00.000-04:00

It has been a while since I have participated in a Tackle It Tuesday challenge. I'd like to think that moving 1100 miles made up for any missed Tackles. :-) But now, I am settled, and ready to make a dent in my many projects.

This week it will be my fridge. It is disorganized and much needs to be thrown out. Thankfully, there is nothing in there that is growing green stuff. It is a startling reminder to see all the food that I waste in the end and how I need to be a better steward of what the Lord has given to me.

Pictures will be posted, perhaps this afternoon. For more Tackles, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

In His Grace,

Works for Me Wednesday

2007-05-09T08:07:00.000-04:00

After our move, I was able to go through my clothing and see what I needed to keep and what I didn't. Moving, for our family, anyways, seems to be a time to cut all the clutter. I ended up with a big trashbag full of clothing that was still wearable and clean, but that I didn't need. I didn't want to toss it in the trash and being new to the area, I didn't know any of the local charities that might be able to utilize it. What did I do? I freecycled it!

I am sure that most people know about this wonderful way to give away our "stuff" that we no longer need, but I thought I'd share it anyway. The Freecycle Network works like this: you go to their website and find a group that is local to you. You join it via email at Yahoo groups. Once you are approved for membership, you can list with offers of things to give away (i.e., old bikes, clothing, books, tires, etc). These are things that you want to give away for free. You will also receive in your email inbox emails from people wanting to offer something as well. You can also list occasionally things that you want.

I did what is called "porch pick up." I left the bag of clothing by my front door and the woman who wanted the clothes came and picked them up. No contact with strangers. If you want to do it differently, you could of course arrange to meet somewhere public with your hubby to receive or give whatever the offer was.

This is all free of course and one of the loveliest benefits is that we are reusing instead of junking. That is a wonderful way to be frugal with our money as well as with the resources that God has given us. It is also nice that for some of the larger things (like beds, mattresses, etc) you won't have to pay to have it hauled off to the dump.

For more Works for Me Wednesday ideas, visit: Rocks in my Dryer.

In His Grace,

Another Giveaway

2007-05-07T08:38:00.000-04:00

I had hoped to post some more thoughts I had on relying on God's strength, but time will not allow this morning. Let me direct you instead to 5 Minutes for Mom and their pretty neat giveaway of an Apple iPod.

Hopefully some very thoughtful thoughts (how's that to begin a sentence?!) will be posted on this blog of mine in the next few days, but only if my little ones allow.

Renewing my mind

2007-05-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

This move has brought about many wonderful changes in our life as a family. God has obviously brought us here for a reason. I am being forced to rely on Him fully. Half-heartedness will not work. I read this morning the account of Abraham's full reliance upon the Almighty when asked to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, the promised seed of the covenant between Abraham and God. Talk about ultimate faith. Abraham knew that God is a God of truth. He knew that our Lord would not promise something and then change His mind. Obviously, if God asked him to sacrifice the promised son, He would provide a way for Isaac to still be the fulfillment of that covenant.

Reminding myself that my God is the same God of Abraham, the God of truth, is a comfort that allows me to experience that peace that our Heavenly Father promises through Him alone. This does not mean that my days are peaceful, but that I can find peace in them. Somewhere between the diaper changings and meal preparations, I am able to see that God's plan for me as a Christian wife and mother is doing just what I am doing right now.

Obviously, it is difficult to escape the constant barrage of defeating thoughts - Ugh! Why does my two year old have to decide to eat the oatmeal with her hands? Why did all three children have to get sick the first week my husband is at his new job? Why does the baby get up so much during the night? - All of these thoughts are man-centered. They are sure to bring down even the most happy of us homemakers.

Instead I must be constantly renewing my mind, changing my thoughts from the negative, and replacing them with God's truths. My life is sure to become miserable and completely self-centered (one and the same, if you ask me!) if I don't see the fulfillments of God's promises, but choose instead to wallow in the effects of the Fall of man.

This doesn't mean that my days will be easier or will have less problems. Homemakers will have challenges and trials every day. That is a given. But arming ourselves with God's Word and His promises to us as Christians will allow us to climb over all of those seeming mountains instead of wallowing in the mire.

In His Grace,

The beauty of three

2007-04-24T15:03:00.000-04:00

I remember someone asked me once - and I cannot for the life of me remember who it was, so if you are reading this and it was you, please forgive me! - if it was harder to transition from having only one to having two children, or from having only two to having three children. I believe I replied that it was much harder to transition from one to two. Boy, I must have been off my rocker when I said that. I believe at the time my youngest was only a couple of months old and so life then with three was not much different from having two.

Cut to the chase, plain and simple, here is how it is with three: h-a-r-d. I believe I have forgotten what it is like to be able to brush my hair every morning, or have time to fold clothes. I no longer wear contacts because, believe me, any couple of minutes required to put those things in is non-existent. I am on my feet all day long. Really. All day long. Sometimes, I am unable to sit even for breakfast or lunch, and instead eat hurriedly while wiping jelly off of a two-year-old, filling up a cup with milk for the 4-year-old, and bouncing a baby on my hip. The most relaxing time of my day is when I am able to sit down for a precious few moments to nurse the baby. Even then, I have to lock myself in a room and leave the rest of the house to the mercy of my other two children, just to keep my baby boy from being so distracted that he can't nurse. Oh, and that pile of books by my bed I used to be able to read through? Now I am blessed to get through a book in half a year.

Laundry now is taken from the basket to be worn, not neatly folded from a dresser drawer. Bathrooms are cleaned in five minutes or less - often less - and are not nearly as sparkling as I would have them. Dishes are done quickly, in between opening and shutting of the dishwasher drawer by my two-year-old. Oh, and cleaning my floors on hands and knees? They are happy to be cleaned by a paper towel now. Thankfully, I have utilized the wonders of freezer-cooking, otherwise my dear husband would have to be manfully wolfing down peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every night.

It used to be, with only two, that I could catch a nap in the afternoon if the baby had kept me up all night before. Not any longer. While it is possible to get all three of my children to nap at once, I have to use that precious time to utilize the latrine or toss a load of laundry in the washer.

It also used to be that my dear husband and I were fairly matched. Now we are outnumbered. Going out to dinner is a miraculous feat with three littles, though I must say it is probably more of a chore because of all of the rude stares we get. "How dare they have more than 1.7 children! They should be reported to social services!" "Don't they know what causes that?" "Good grief, what a bunch of religious whackos, overpopulating the earth."

You may be wondering after reading this just why I do have more than our 1.7 children. Well, rather than answer that in a long, Biblical dissertation, I'll just answer with a Mommy-type answer. We love our children. (And no, I am not saying that anyone who has less children do not love their children. One loves their children despite the number of them) It is true that with more children there are more hugs, more kisses, more cuddles, and more shining faces and outstretched arms to be hugged. More calls of "Mommy! I love you!" and more toothless grins as they rapture in the fact that you, Mommy, are there with them.

These are all wonderful benefits to having a somewhater larger family, though I still think it ridiculous that three children is considered a lot of children. The list of wonderful, mushy, emotional wonderments of having three children would honestly go on and on.

But that is not what I appreciate the most of having three little ones. If anything, I have learned the awesomeness of having to trust the Lord fully as I work so hard every day. Before I had three children, I was super-mom (not really, but visions of capes and pink tights with an adoring crowd of fans and a super huge trophy may have flitted through my dreams at some point). I could do quite a bit. I got things done. Laundry was worn without wrinkles, the kitchen floor could have been eaten off of, and I was able to talk to my husband every night with no interruption. I was able to do a lot more, oftentimes thinking I could do these things of my own volition. But now, wowee! I am smack-dab in the middle of an extremely wide river without even a boat to use those oft-remarked about missing paddles. I have learned to cling to His Word like never before. Instead of just "getting through" my days, I am learning to experience joy in them. I have learned that yes, the Lord does supply the strength that I need despite my human fraility. And let me tell you, that realization is one of the greatest moments in my life.

I am but a creature, made by a perfect Creator. I can do nothing without Him. I must lean on Him or I will falter.

I find that His strength gives me the physical energy to go about my days. This strength is more perfect than any exercise, any vitamin, or any amount of night's sleep (though those things are very important.)

I am able to sing praises to God, knowing fully that if I fall, He will pick me up. Despite being buried under a mountain of unfolded laundry, He will give me the strength to get done what He has me to do that day, even if it means the house is not immaculate. I am raising young children for Him. Lord willing, these children will bring glory to Him. And yet, I must remember, I cannot go it alone. It must be by His strength. Praise God!

"God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect." -2 Samuel 22:33