Managing My LIfe Part 2

Just a quick note to let you know I have fixed the broken link to "Managing My Life Part 2". Thank you to those of you who brought it to my attention. You can find it just to the right here.
Blessings,
Tina
PS Thank you for the notes of encouragement and prayers! I am feeling MUCH better now! Baby is doing wonderfully. Praise the Lord!

A Short Update

My dear readers,

I was so blessed today to hook my computer back up (it has been “ill” for a bit now) and check my email box to see so many of you asking for an update. I thank you so much. What a blessing and encouragement you are to me!

As much I as I would love to give a lengthy report today, I cannot. I can only ask you for prayer for me right now. Late last night I came down with the nasty flu and am sitting with fever now. I am trying to keep hydrated, and keep my contractions at bay. I have had some pregnancies where preterm labor was an issue, so I am concerned for this little one...trying to trust the Lord. I was cramping a lot through the night, and trying not to fear. I am getting a good strong heartbeat, and finally got some good movement this afternoon
I pray to be able to write real soon, and thank you to those of you who have stopped in to comment or leave an email letting me know you are still reading! I am blessed!

Love,
Tina

My Life, as of Late....

I have long been away, mostly because I cannot stand to sit long at the computer. I can keep away headaches and nausea for the most part if I am not sitting here. My back also keeps me from sitting for too long of periods. I had a bad fall in April that left me bed ridden for some time, and in much pain. I have been going through therapy, and really am pain free as long as I behave and do not overdo it in certain activities.

I am well into my second trimester now, and heard the baby’s heartbeat for the first time the day before yesterday. I fought back the tears. To feel this life inside of me, after so much death, stirs up great emotion in me. I am so thankful!

We keep very busy here at home, and are loving every second of it. Yesterday was full of baking, gardening and other yard work. We are beginning to get peas and cherry tomatoes out of our garden! I just LOVE the light in the children’s eyes when they see what has become of a tiny little seed we planted when the garden was bare and the weather cold.

I am enjoying just treasuring these days that pass oh so quickly! Last night my 6 year old came to me and out of the blue said, “Mama, the darkness doesn’t like me.” I said, “Well, of course it doesn’t honey! That is because you are a light, and darkness doesn’t like the light!” I went on to further point out to him how he lights up a room with his smile, and chases the darkness away. Boy did he shine even more the rest of the night! :) How precious they are.

So, really just a short note to tell you I am still alive...if you have hung in with me and continue checking in on my blog :). My great advice for you today.....please take time to laugh, smile and allow joy in. Life can indeed get so busy and stressful, sometimes we have to choose these things. Open the door and let them flood through your home!

Blessings to all!

Grammy's Scent

The following is by my precious mother (names changed to protect the innocent *wink*.

As we pulled up to the house last year, the door flew open and seven children came spilling out. They ran toward us with zeal that would have intimidated a sumo wrestler if they’d been running toward him. However, we were not intimidated in the least, as we were the objects of their affections. Our arms opened wide to receive them. I was forty-seven and grandmother to eleven bright, beautiful, healthy little stars who thought the world rose and set where I stood. As they poured into my arms with hugs, kisses, and exclamations of the important news that only children can know and tell, my heart ached with a joy that mere words are impotent to express. Little Christy was wearing the apron I’d made her several months earlier for her sixth birthday and as I held her close I recalled the story my daughter had told me about that apron; a story worth sharing.

When my package had arrived in the mail, Christy had opened it with fervor. Pulling out the apron, she adored the lavender fabric covered with tiny delicate purple flowers and the soft lace that adorned its edges. She then pulled it close to her face and breathed deeply. With sudden excitement she shouted to my daughter, “Mama! It has Grammy’s scent!” She held it to her face again and with her eyes closed in reverie sighed, “Oh, I just Love the smell of Grammy!”

Weeks later, my daughter suggested that the apron should be washed, as Christy had worn it almost daily since receiving it. Her angelic blue eyes filled with tears. She held the apron close to her with determination and spoke haltingly. “But…Mama, if you wash my apron it will lose Grammy’s smell and I won’t have it to remind me of her any more.” The tears spilled from her beautiful eyes. My daughter sat down and pulled Christy onto her lap explaining to her that the apron would not, in fact, lose Grammy’s smell unless it became too dirty. So, with the trust that every child should have in Mama, she handed the apron to her. She kept a vigil by the washer and watched it go around and around until the cycle was done. Once the apron was in the washer, she sat and waited there as well. When the signal on the dryer buzzed to announce that all was dry inside, she flung the door open and pulled out her apron. She immediately buried her face in it and breathed deeply. With elation, she ran up the stairs crying out for Mama saying, “Mama! Smell! It does still have Grammy’s scent!!”

I don’t really know how that little girl determined what my “scent” was. You see, we live eight hundred miles apart and finances allow us only about one visit per year. Personally, I think it is the answer from the Lord to my prayers that, even with these miles between us, we would be near and dear to our grandchildren therefore providing a much-needed part of their joy and upbringing.

About a year ago, I started sending letters to them. Every Sunday evening I write and send one letter. I start with the eldest and work my way down to the youngest, just months old. I share things with them that I want them to remember long after I am gone, most especially my Love for the Lord. It is now part of their ritual to watch the mail with bated breath to hear what Grammy has to say to the child of that week. My daughter tells me that even the two and three-year-old toddlers carry my letters in their pockets for days and they all sleep with the letters under their pillows.

At present we are preparing to make our annual trip to visit my daughter, son-in-law, and the grandchildren. As I reflect on being a grandparent, my heart swells with joy. Some grandparents say, “I just spoil ‘em rotten and send ‘em home!” I pray this is just stated in jest, as the position of grandparent is a much higher standard than that. It is one of value, purpose, and accountability. Having grown up without the benefit of grandparents, it is the desire of my heart to not only pour out my Love to them, but to be an example of Christ’s likeness.

Psalm 127:3 “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” KJV

The Importance of Free Time

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I am a firm believer that “free time” is a vital part of our successful homeschool and family life! As the teacher in my home, there are certain studies I require to be done daily by my children....and then late afternoon they are “free”. Free to what? Wonder aimlessly? Watch television? Play video games? No, no and no.

First, before I get into the heart of my post, I will tell you that I strongly believe children need supervision at all times. The Bible tells us that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. It is important for us parents to be near to help aid our children, and guide them in the Word through certain situations and temptations. No matter what the world may think (or say), this is really the way to prepare them for the day when they will be on their own.

It is good and wonderful to give a child free time, a time to think, play and create on their own. STILL, they need a watchful eye for those moments when they need direction. I like to know what the children are doing, so I can assist them if they need me to do so. That is what I am here for :)

This free time is a time for me to sit back (if only in my mind) and marvel at the creativity that lies in the mind of a child. It is there, just waiting to be released, but for so many children it is stifled. If they have been allowed to nourish it, it is an amazing thing to see!

Just this afternoon, while I was preparing some pizzas with my 6, 3 and 2 year olds, I would often glance over the counter at my 9 year old son. He had created a project in his mind that he was finally getting to work out with his hands. I caught myself from speaking, when I noticed the bird feeder that he was constructing, was not going to be able to stay upright in the wind. I decided it was best to stay quiet, and let him learn this on his own, as he worked hard to create the best feeder (out of paper plates, yarn and plastic cups :)). I also was tempted to comment on the mess he was making....adding to the great mess I was making in the kitchen with my pizza making! But, with the Lord’s help, I kept silent.

He completed his project and went outside to hang it in the tree. Before he could hang it up, the wind caught it and all the seed spilled out. He came in, not defeated but determined! I could just see the wheels of thought turning in those big beautiful green eyes! I continued in my work, but smiled as I saw him constructing a NEW feeder....one that would not only stand the wind this time, but was looking 10 times better and more creative than the FIRST one! He completed it, and as I write now at 11pm, it is still hanging out in our Japanese maple tree. I am encouraging him to keep perfecting the idea, so we can put it in wood and maybe sell some!

In the middle of all of this, my 14 year old daughter walked into the kitchen BEAMING. She had spent her free time in the sewing room, and came out with a beautiful new skirt (her first time adding a ruffle to something!) and a matching hair piece. She had also made a new Bible cover.

My 8yo daughter spent her free time creating cards to welcome my parents and little brother coming next week.

You know, I understand sometimes (maybe all the time for you) messes are just too much. Living rooms turning into campgrounds and tents, kitchens turning into laboratories, or dining rooms turning into the great open sea filled with boats (pillows and blankets here) are just so overwhelming to some.......but can I tell you that it is in these things that the Lord is creating and perfecting His beauty in your precious children!? If you doubt me, I encourage you to find and read “For The Children’s Sake” by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. Children are people, who need room to grow, create, live!

I am often reminded of Marmee Dear’s written words, “Children won’t trouble you for long......”. Yes, someday those messes will be no more. All the things that seem such a bother now, will be greatly missed someday...I promise you that. Let your children go all out....and let’s go even a step further! Take that deep breathe, giggle and then crawl under “tents” with them! :)

Long Time No Write!

Wow, it really has been a LONG time since I have written! A lot has transpired since then too! I quit writing, as caring for a sick family consumed all of my time. We were hit hard with the influenza...not one of us escaped it! Some of my loved ones are still feeling the effects of it. :(

The wonderful news is the Lord’s mighty hand in blessing us with another baby in the months to come! After four more miscarriages in the past year, this one really feels like it is going to stick. I have been pretty sick, and feeling as I do in my normal pregnancies. God is so good! I am just so in awe of Him and His awesome faithfulness!

We are enjoying the more “spring like” weather here, though the rains continue to keep us out of the garden. I am anxious to be able to get the garden planted on one of my “good days”. Instead we have been working on wrapping up these last months of school. I am already thinking into the next year, and can hardly believe I will have a high schooler!! Now it really seems like forever ago that I was in high school....yet it still seems like yesterday in some ways as well. When my oldest was recently asked why she likes homeschooling so much she said, “I can learn things at my own pace and am never rushed through. My mom is always patient with me, and helps me to be excited about learning.” Awww...that just warmed my heart! I am not always patient, but I can see God working in me more and more, and I truly LOVE being the teacher of my children! AND I am learning SOOOO much with and FROM them!

Anyways, just wanted to give a quick recap. I have a sick hubby to care for, so I best run for now. Thanks for the emails and comments, I LOVE hearing from my readers! I will try not to be a stranger.................

Glorifying God in Sorrow

As I do my best to help my precious friend in her sorrow, the Lord is ministering to me along the way! I went to Him in prayer tonight after talking with her, looking for some answers in helping her, as she wants to know how to make her life meaningful again. I thought I would share what the Lord gave me, as I was greatly blessed by it myself!

“At even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.” Ezekiel 24:18

“At even my wife died.” The light of the home went out. Darkness brooded over the face of every familiar thing. The trusted companion who had shared all the changes of the ever-changing way was taken from my side. The light of our fellowship was suddenly extinguished as by some mysterious hand stretched forth from the unseen. I lost “the desire of mine eyes.” I was alone. “At even my wife died and...in the morning...” Aye, what about the next morning, when the light broke almost obtrusively upon a world which had changed into a cemetery containing only one grave? “In the morning I did as I was commanded.”

The command had been laid upon him in the days before his bereavement. Life in his home had been a source of inspiring fellowship. In the evening time, after the discharge of the burdensome tasks of the day, he had turned to his home as weary dust-choked pilgrims turn to a bath; and immersed in the sweet sanctities of wedded life he had found such restoration of soul as fitted him for the renewed labour of the morrow. But “at even my wife died!”. The home was no longer a refreshing bath, but part of the dusty road! No longer an oasis, but a repetition of the wilderness.

How now shall it be concerning the prophet’s command?! “At even my wife died, and in the morning...” the commandment? How does the old duty appear in the gloom of the prophet’s bereavement? Duty still, clamant and clamorous now in the shadows as it was loud and importunate in the light. What shall the prophet do? Take up the old burden, and faithfully trudge the old road. Go out, in his lonliness, and go on with his old tasks. But why? You will find the secret of it all in the last clause of the chapter:

“Thou shalt be a sign unto them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

A broken-hearted prophet patiently and persistently pursuing an old duty, and by his manner of doing it compelling people to believe in the Lord! That is the secret motive of the heavy discipline!

The great God wants our conspicuous cries to be occasions of conspicuous testimony; our seasons of darkness to be opportunities for the unveiling of the Divine. He wants duty to shine more resplendently because of the environing shadows. He wants tribulation only to furbish and burnish our signs. He wants us to manifest the sweet grace of continuance amid all the sudden and saddening upheavals of our intensely varied life. This was the prophet’s triumph. He made his calamity a witness to the eternal. He made his very lonliness minister to his God. He made his very bereavement his intensify his calling. He took up the old task, and in taking it up, he glorified it. “At even my wife died; and in the morning I did as I was commanded.”

The evening sorrow will come to all of us: what shall we be found doing in the morning? We shall have to dig graves; have burials: how shall it be with us when the funeral is over?
Dr. Jowett

Make a pulpit of every circumstance.

Are Children Really A Blessing?

I am up later tonight, than I have been lately. I have many feverish children in the house. My three year old keeps waking up crying, so I am up to comfort him. I thought I would take this little time, while he is back asleep, to post again. The following is an article I wrote some time ago, but I changed a few things to bring it up to date. We live in a world that does not regard children as blessings. What do you think?

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Children are a HUGE part of the life of keeping a home, for most home keepers. I get a huge variety of questions regarding my own children and how we do things in our home. I am also asked, quite often things such as, “Why do you have so many children?” “Are you done yet?” and “You must have fairly easy pregnancies and deliveries, huh?” My answers are fully based on the 127th and 128th chapters in the book of Psalms.

“Behold, Children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of a one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.” Ps. 127

“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine, in the very heart of your house. Your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed, who fears the Lord.” Ps. 128:1~4

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Children are a blessing and a reward. We will receive and not turn away any blessing the Lord may have in store for us.


So I must have fairly easy pregnancies and deliveries to be able to follow through with my receiving of these blessings, right? Nope. I have not been one blessed with easy pregnancies and childbirths. I have had some really difficult pregnancies AND some extremely traumatic child births, including one emergency cesarean. The one thing I can always cling to is the sovereignty of God. I am human and have definitely had my days of wondering how in the world I can put another foot forward.

I have been with child, throwing up for the majority of the nine months, begging the Lord to help me through. I have been in traumatic situations countless time in and after childbirth that brought me depending fully upon the Lord, trusting only Him with my life. I even found myself pregnant once again, just weeks out of the hospital, after nearly losing my life to a blood infection. My baby at that time was only 4 months old. I spent the majority of that particular pregnancy deathly ill, wondering if my baby would even make it. I have also suffered through seven miscarriages, one being twins. So, if I did base my decision to trust the Lord in giving me His blessings on good health, I would not know the blessing of being a mother.

The one thing the Lord has shown me through all of this is His promises that “when I am weak, He is strong” and “it is through our weakness, that then we are strong” and most of all, when I am weary and heavy laden, He gives me rest. He knows just what I need. I try my best to focus on what this is all about. It isn’t about me. It isn’t about this earth. It is about His Kingdom. Will I do this for His Kingdom? Yes, and yes again!!

My heart regarding children easily mirrors the thoughts of Elizabeth Prentiss. In Stepping Heavenward she writes, “Here is a little mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worth all it will cost, since it is abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother’s heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, to her most tender cares, to her life~long prayers! Oh how rich I am, how truly, how marvelously blest!”

She also says, “I want to see little children adorning every home as flowers adorn every meadow and every wayside. I want to see them welcomed to the homes they enter, to see their parents grow less and less selfish and more and more loving because they have come. I want to see these precious gifts accepted, not frowned upon.”

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It is so true. There is no denying the blessing of a child from the Lord. If we are feeling as though our children are not a blessing, but a hindrance or a little person full of troubles, then it is time to reexamine ourselves!

Next time you pick up a precious child, drink them in! Close your eyes and experience a piece of Heaven!

The Aroma of Heaven

There are many wonderful aromas in this life, but none so delightful as this one! No, it’s not the smell of freshly baked bread or of supper just coming out of the oven. It isn’t the delectable smell of vanilla or even of Christmas coating each corner of the home.

This aroma is straight from the Lord….something that gives us a small taste of the atmosphere of Heaven! When it enters our lives, time seems to stand still, if but for a moment. The home is suddenly filled with awe and wonder. It is so rich, those experiencing it, just drink it in! It brings each family member closer together and closer to the heart of God. It makes this heavy life seem so much brighter and lighter.

OH! The precious aroma of NEW LIFE! That tiny little life that smells so much of the gentle touch of God! Yes, as I snuggle this new life close to me, I can close my eyes and almost FEEL…SMELL the Almighty Father’s hands on my face. I close my eyes and in these tender, fleeting moments, Heaven no longer seems so far away.

Treasure Every Moment

Dear little lamb on the Shepherd's breast
Closely enfolded, how sweet is your rest;
Forever shielded from earthly arlarms,
Perfectly safe in His mighty arms.
Olga Weiss

One of my dearest and closest friends lost her 7 month old baby yesterday. I asked prayer for her some time ago, as she was very sick. She was healing, though, and we were so excited about her progress. Yesterday brought shock to everyone, when she suddenly went on to be with Jesus. Please take the time to see my precious friend, and pray for them during this difficult, dark time. There is more writing about her baby's battle on her old blog.

Hug your babies a little longer today. Treasure every moment.

Famous Homeschooled People

I found this compiled list a LONG time ago, but cannot remember where I found it. If you are reading it and know where it came from, feel free to let me know so I can link to it:).

Constitutional Convention Delegates•

.Richard Basseti - Governor of DE
• William Blount - U.S. Senator
• George Clymer - U.S. Representative
• William Few - U.S. Senator
• Benjamin Franklin
• William Houston – Lawyer
• William S. Johnson
• William Livingston - Governor of NJ
• James Madison - 4th U.S. President
• George Mason - Justice of VA
• John Francis Mercer - U.S. Rep.
• Charles Pickney III - Governor of SC
• John Rutledge - Chief Justice
• Richard D. Spaight - Governor of NC
• George Washington
• John Witherspoon
• George Wythe - Justice of VA

Presidents
• John Adams
• John Quincy Adams
• Grover Cleveland
• James Garfield
• William Henry Harrison
• Andrew Jackson
• Thomas Jefferson
• Abraham Lincoln
• James Madison
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• Theodore Roosevelt
• John Tyler
• George Washington
• Woodrow Wilson

Statesmen
• Konrad Adenauer
• Henry Fountain Ashurst
• William Jennings Bryan
• Winston Churchill
• Henry Clay
• Pierre du Pont
• Benjamin Franklin
• Alexander Hamilton
• Patrick Henry
• William Penn
• Daniel Webster

Military Leaders
• John Barry - Senior Navy Officer
• Stonewall Jackson - Civil War General
• John Paul Jones - Father of the American Navy
• Robert E. Lee - Civil War General
• Douglas MacArthur - U.S. General
• George Patton - U.S. General
• Matthew Perry - naval officer who opened up trade with Japan
• John Pershing - U.S. General
• David Dixon Porter - Civil War Admiral

U.S. Supreme Court Judges
• John Jay
• John Marshall
• John Rutledge
• Sandra Day O'Connor

Scientists
• George Washington Carver
• Pierre Curie
• Albert Einstein
• Michael Faraday - electrochemist
• Oliver Heaviside - physicist and electromagnetism researcher
• T.H. Huxley
• Blaise Pascal
• Booker T. Washington

Artists
• William Blake
• John Singleton Copley
• Claude Monet
• Grandma Moses
• Charles Peale
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Andrew Wyeth
• Jamie Wyeth

Religious Leaders
• Joan of Arc
• William Carey
• Jonathan Edwards
• Philipp Melancthon
• Dwight L. Moody
• John Newton
• John Owen
• Hudson Taylor
• John & Charles Wesley
• Brigham Young

Inventors
• Alexander Graham Bell - invented the telephone
• John Moses Browning - firearms inventor and designer
• Peter Cooper - invented skyscraper, built first U.S. commercial locomotive
• Thomas Edison - invented the stock ticker, mimeograph, phonograph, and perfected the electric light bulb
• Benjamin Franklin - invented the lightning rod
• Elias Howe - invented sewing machine
• William Lear - airplane creator
• Cyrus McCormick - invented grain reaper
• Guglielmo Marconi - developed radio
• Eli Whitney - invented the cotton gin
• Sir Frank Whittle - invented turbo jet engine
• Orville and Wilbur Wright - built the first successful airplane

Composers
• Irving Berlin
• Anton Bruckner
• Noel Coward
• Felix Mendelssohn
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Francis Poulenc
• John Philip Sousa

Writers
• Hans Christian Anderson
• Margaret Atwood
• Pearl S. Buck
• William F. Buckley, Jr.
• Willa Cather
• Agatha Christie
• Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
• Charles Dickens
• Robert Frost - Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman
• Alex Haley
• Brett Harte
• L. Ron Hubbard
• C.S. Lewis
• Amy Lowell
• Gabriela Mistral
• Sean O'Casey
• Christopher Paolini - author of #1 NY Times bestseller, Eragon
• Isabel Paterson
• Beatrix Potter - author of the beloved Peter Rabbit Tales
• Carl Sandburg
• George Bernard Shaw
• Mattie J. T. Stepanek - 11-year-old author of Heartsongs
• Mercy Warren
• Phillis Wheatley
• Walt Whitman
• Laura Ingalls Wilder

Educators
• Amos Bronson Alcott - innovative teacher, father of Louisa May Alcott
• Catharine Beecher - co-founder of the Hartford Female Seminary
• Jill Ker Conway - first woman president of Smith College
• Timothy Dwight - President of Yale University
• William Samuel Johnson - President of Columbia College
• Horace Mann - "Father of the American Common School"
• Charlotte Mason - Founder of Charlotte Mason College of Education
• Fred Terman - President of Stanford University
• Frank Vandiver - President of Texas A&M University
• Booker T. Washington - Founder of Tuskegee Institute
• John Witherspoon - President of Princeton University

Performing Artists
• Louis Armstrong - king of jazz
• Charlie Chaplin - actor
• Whoopi Goldberg - actress
• Hanson - sibling singing group
• Jennifer Love Hewitt - actress
• Yehudi Menuhin - child prodigy violinist
• Moffatts - Canadian version of Hanson
• Frankie Muniz - child actor
• LeAnne Rimes - teen-prodigy country music singer

Business Entrepreneurs
• Andrew Carnegie - wealthy steel industrialist
• Amadeo Giannini - Bank of America’s founder
• Horace Greeley - New York Tribune founder
• Soichiro Honda - creator of the Honda automobile company
• Peter Kindersley - book illustrator and publisher
• Ray Kroc - founder of McDonald's fast food restaurant chain
• Jimmy Lai - newspaper publisher; founder of Giordano International
• Dr. Orison Swett Marden - founder, Success magazine
• Adolph Ochs - New York Times founder
• Joseph Pulitzer - newspaper publisher; established Pulitzer Prize
• Colonel Harland Sanders - started Kentucky Fried Chicken
• Dave Thomas - founder of the Wendy’s restaurant chain

Others
• Abigail Adams - Wife of John Adams; mother of John Quincy Adams
• Ansel Adams - Photographer
• Susan B. Anthony - reformer and women’s rights leader
• John James Audubon - ornithologist and artist
• Clara Barton - Started the Red Cross
• Elizabeth Blackwell - first woman in the U.S. to receive a medical degree
• John Burroughs - Naturalist
• George Rogers Clark - Explorer
• Davy Crockett - frontiersman
• Eric Hoffer - social philosopher
• Sam Houston - lawyer; first president of the Republic of Texas
• Charles Evans Hughes - jurist; Chief Justice
• Mary D. Leakey - fossil hunter; wife of Richard Leakey
• Tamara McKinney - World Cup Skier
• Harriet Martineau - first woman sociologist
• Margaret Mead - cultural anthropologist
• John Stuart Mill - Free-market Economist
• Charles Louis Montesquieu - Philosopher
• John Muir - naturalist
• Florence Nightingale - Nurse
• Thomas Paine - political writer during the American Revolution
• Bill Ridell - Newspaperman
• Will Rogers - Humorist
• Bertrand Russell - Logician
• Jim Ryan - World Runner
• Albert Schweitzer - Physician
• Sir Ernest Shackleton - Explorer
• Herbert Spencer - philosopher, sociologist
• Gloria Steinem - founder and long-time editor of Ms. magazine
• Jason Taylor - plays in the National Football League
• Mary Walker - Civil War physician; recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor
• Lester Frank Ward - "Father of American Sociology"
• Martha Washington - wife of George Washington
• Frances E. C. Willard - educator, temperance leader, and suffragist
• Frank Lloyd Wright - Architect
• Elijah ben Solomon Zalman - Jewish scholar

Famous Homeschool Parents
• Michael Card - singer, songwriter
• Mike Farris - lawyer and co-founder of Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
• Robert Frost - Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
• Christopher Klicka - attorney and Senior Counsel of Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
• Len Munsil - attorney and President of The Center for Arizona Policy (CAP)
• Paul Overstreet - musician, songwriter
• Kelly Preston - actress, wife of John Travolta
• Mike Smith - lawyer and co-founder of Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
• John Travolta - actor, pilot
• Lisa Whelchel - former actress, "The Facts of Life", now a pastor's wife and author

Trusting God With His Blessings

I think the idea of allowing the Lord to bless me with children, as He wishes, began when I was at a very young age. I was only 17 years old, when given the news that it was not likely I would ever conceive. I had suffered a series of damaging infections, and then a uterine surgery. Of course, such news didn’t really hit me until I was married two years later. Suddenly I was crushed, and heart broken over the idea of never carrying a child within me. All my life I had dreamed of having many children, and now the reality stood right in front of me day after day. I grieved and mourned this loss for two years; and then at that time I finally gave it over to God. I just couldn’t carry such a burden any longer.

I have shared in another post about the glorious Christmas day, when we found out our first child was on the way (just weeks after I had given it over to the Lord)! I was amazed, and on my knees before Lord in thankfulness for such a gift! God not only opened my womb, but He kept it open. Our next five babies were born in a 6 year time span, and we lost twins in that time as well. We were not, however “QF” at this time. God worked in our lives little by little, especially my husband, in okaying and welcoming another little one into our lives. I wrote about when my husband said, “no more children” in another post some time ago. There certainly was a time when my husband said no more! And, to be honest, there came a time when I was so wrapped up in me, I didn’t want to think about having more children either.

Yet, God has a way of changing hearts, and our heart change came with a near death experience. Three and a half years ago I was bitten by a brown recluse spider. The bite went “all wrong” and I ended up getting staphylococcus toxic shock. One night I was singing and rocking my 4 month old baby, the next day I was in the hospital, deathly ill. I did not think I would go home. I even had a peace about dying....somehow I just knew God was going to take care of my family. BUT, God had other plans. I was sent home very sick and weak, but alive. I struggled to see, and walk well on my own. It took a very long time, but God brought healing to my body.

During that time, we found out we were expecting another baby. This baby was a definite “surprise” and I found myself questioning the Lord like I had never done before. I was terrified about going through a pregnancy, while still so sick and weak. It ended up being a very difficult pregnancy, but God saw me through it. The pregnancy ended in a necessary cesarean...one that saved our baby girl’s life. After a lot MORE time of healing, we felt we were finally ready to start thinking “baby” again.

We were met with more heartache, the loss of two more babies, before we were given a baby that we would hold in our arms 20 months after the birth of our baby girl. His birth was the turning point for my husband, especially. We were both so frightened about what would happen in this birth. We saw the Lord come through in so many amazing ways. He didn’t have to, but He proved His mighty power to us.

We came home with our tiny baby boy, and my husband told me that he was ready to surrender to the Lord. So, hand in hand, we started on this journey....a journey that has brought us MUCH joy, and some more heartache.

We have learned, that being QF is more than just accepting the Lord’s will if a baby is coming every year. It is also trusting Him when they are only with us for a little while...or if the months go by and the womb remains empty. We have since lost 4 more babies, and though our hearts ache....we have never felt closer to our Saviour. He has shown us that we can weep, and still have JOY! We can face the world’s ever criticizing eye, because He is there to back us up! We can rejoice, because we know that in the end, it is all about Him and what has furthered HIS kingdom! So, we, together as one, move forward, and we don’t look back.

Where Can I Find Joy?

“Where the joy is in this sort of life. Where is the fulfillment?" Christians started down a very steep decline when they started buying into the lie that we need to find some sort of fulfillment in this life. God did not place us here on this earth with the purpose of giving us days filled with happiness and other good feelings. We are here to serve and love others, and you know what? It is in the service and loving of others that we begin to feel, yep you guessed it, fulfilled. It just comes naturally when we are following the path the Lord has laid out before us. It doesn’t mean circumstances will change or our days will be filled with great wonderful feelings. It just means that way deep down in our spirits we will feel peace and fulfillment because we are doing the will of our Father.

If there is one area of life that I feel can lead us into danger spiritually, it is living our lives based on our feelings. If I lived according to my feelings, there would be days when my family would go hungry, my children would go uneducated and babies wouldn’t be changed. Oh! And my marriage wouldn’t survive! I have days when I wake up and don’t feel like cooking, cleaning, teaching, loving my husband and all the other things that living this God given role entails. If I did, perhaps, give into my feelings on any given day, the next day would be chaos and then the next, and then the next. Where is the joy in that sort of life?

The joy in an “off” day may not be felt until you fall into bed at night (exhausted), stare at the ceiling and think about how you handled such a day. You woke up to a grouchy toddler, after being up all night yourself. Some of the children were fighting already. The home was in disarray and by 9:00am it already seemed chaos would rule the day. Instead of giving in to the frustration and tears welling inside of you, you gathered your little chicks and knelt to pray with them. You asked the Lord for His perfect strength and blessed the children with your prayers of thanks for each one of them.

When done praying you turned on the praise music and joyfully (even though you weren’t quite feeling it) exclaimed, “Children, let’s bless daddy and the Lord today by working together to get the house nice and tidy. Jimmy, you dust the chairs. Sally, you sweep under the table.” You work as a family to dust some of that frustration away. Jimmy did give attitude about helping out, but you calmly disciplined him for his attitude. You didn’t allow discipline issues with your child to rule your spirit or your day.

So now you are lying in your bed, house strangely quiet (and clean), and you realize an interesting feeling in your spirit! Is that JOY? Your choice to go against the feelings at the first part of the day, have turned into joy at the END of your day. That joy will begin to flood into the next day and the next and the next. Before you know it, you will be feeling more joy than all the frustrations you left behind!

I can honestly say, that the days when my heart is full of joy and even fulfillment in this role the Lord has given me, are days when I am keeping busy. I have had days when I just wasn’t keeping busy. My mind was busy, mind you. Busy with thoughts of all I should be doing and am not; thoughts of what others should be doing; thoughts that turn into a whirlwind of nothingness! When I am busy, sure my body is tired, but my heart is vibrant. It is during times of idleness when satan begins his work of chipping away our joy. BE VERY CAREFUL! Do NOT allow idle time in your day. If you are, then expect your joy to be robbed and the spirit of discontent to take over. Remember the age old saying, “An idle mind is the devil’s playground.”

Monday Meanderings (a little late :))

I am going to try to get back to posting my Monday Meanderings. I am a bit late posting them! BUT I did have them written out and in my binder....if that counts!? :)

Things that NEED to get done this week:

School~
Correct Children’s School Work
Spelling Test
Spelling Bee

Sewing~
Make Myself a New Apron
Start Piecing a Quilt I am Going To Make

Organization~
Continue to Work on Homekeeping Binder (revamping)
Organize Digital Pictures, Put Them On To CD’s (DONE!)
Organize Craft Room

Deep Clean~
Back Porch
Library

Health Needs~
Call Eye Doctor to make an appointment for 6yo
Call Pharmacy to Refill Prog. Prescription

Meal Plan:

Monday
(B) Eggs & Toast
(D) Italian Meatloaf, Brown Rice, Cucumber salad
(S) Rice, cinnamon, sugar and milk

Tuesday
(B) Cheese Omelets & Toast
(D) Macaroni & Cheese, Steamed Peas
(S) Chicken Enchiladas and Steamed Broccoli

Wednesday
(B) Cinnamon Rolls (made with WW flour) & Milk
(D) Spaghetti, Garlic Herb Bread, Salad
(S) Biscuits and Gravy

Thursday
(B) Granola and Orange Juice
(D) Chicken Pot Pie & Corn
(S) Sloppy Joes & Baked French Fries

Friday
(B) Fruit Salad, Yogurt & Milk
(D) Leftovers or Sandwiches
(S) Pizza

Saturday
(B) Baked Oatmeal & Milk
(D) Leftovers or Sandwhiches (nobody is too hungry after the baked oatmeal :))
(S) Cornbread with Honey Butter & Milk

Sunday
(B) Granola with Orange Juice
(D) Taco Salad
(S) Cheese, Veggies, Fruit and Crackers

Bulk Granola

This recipe is not a crunchy granola, but a chewy one. I took Marmee Dear’s granola recipe in Martha’s Family Cookery Book(which is my FAVORITE cookbook, by the way!), and adapted it to best suit our family. It is packed full of nutrients and my family favorite! It will make about three gallon bag fulls of granola. You can put any bags you are not currently eating out of, into your freezer. Take what you have out, top it with fresh milk; and add some yogurt or fruit to the side for a delicious, fulfilling breakfast for your family! And it will save LOTS of money too! Enjoy!

I put the following ingredients into my large roasting oven. You can spread it out on baking sheets and bake in the oven instead, if you do not have a large roasting oven. In this case, I have put smaller measurements in parenthesis, in case you need a smaller batch).

20 cups of rolled oats (10 cups)
2 cup sunflower seeds (1 cup)
2 cup pumpkin seeds (1 cup)
1 cup sliced almonds (½ cup)
2 cups dry milk powder (1 cup)
3 cups coconut (1-1/2 cups)
2 cups raisins (1 cup)
1 cup sesame seeds (1/2 cup)
1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp)


Stir together and heat until sugar melts:
2 cups brown sugar or sucanat (1 cup)
1-1/3 cups cooking oil (I use canola) (2/3 cup)
1-1/3 cups honey (2/3 cup)

Pour the above over the oat mixture. Mix thoroughly. If using roasting oven, turn to 300 degrees, put lid on and set timer for 5 minutes. You will do this for a total of ½ hour. After the granola is baked, turn off the roasting oven and let sit for several hours to cool (I leave mine overnight, and everyone gets their first bowl directly from the RO :)). If you let it cool completely, it gets wonderful chewy chunks in it :).

If you are using baking sheets, bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove from sheets immediately to cool (in any large container). Cool completely before storing.

We'll Take the Joy With Us

Wow, was it way back on Thanksgiving when I last posted!? Life has run away with me! A dear friend of mine took her baby to ER some days after Thanksgiving. Her little one has been in the hospital since then (just got out of PICU), and it has been very difficult to think of much else. If you feel led, go over and leave her an encouraging note at Raising Arrows . Her last update was very encouraging, but now she is looking at another surgery to have a pic line put in again. They will also be doing a sonogram of her heart, and do some testing on her eyes on Monday. She is fighting systemic yeast now :(. Please also pray for this precious 6 month old as she continues to battle bad health. She has been through so much and has come a very long way!

In the midst of all of that, we have been dealing with the yucky viruses going around. I think we are on the tail end of things, FINALLY!

Last night we went Christmas tree hunting and had a blast! I was struggling with this season, still mourning the loss of our last babies. Last night brought so much joy into my life! While out looking for “the perfect tree”, it started to snow! Our two year old was running from tree to tree, saying “Dis one! Dis one!”. Watching her skip in pure delight, flooded my heart with such joy! On the hay ride back to the barn my oldest daughter said, “We got the best tree out there!” The light in her eyes made me so thankful.

We went inside to have cocoa and popcorn. At one point, while I was visiting with my husband, I turned around and saw the children kneeling by the nativity. Our two year old was singing out, “Away in a Manger!” for all to hear. Tears literally welled up in my eyes! If I only received one gift this Christmas, that is the one I would choose! It was a priceless moment.

It snowed BIG flakes all the way home, while we sang out Christmas carols. The Lord reminded me once again, that even in our times of grief, He is holding out great joy to us. We can take it, we can laugh, live, love, dance and rejoice...because in the end, it is what we will take with us on to our eternal home. It is a place where grief and sorrow will have no home.

Blessed Christmas season everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Our home has been full of activity all morning! We enjoyed a wonderful church service last night, and then enjoyed sleeping in a bit this morning. The turkey is on, sweet potatoes are already cooking! We will have our turkey dinner sometime late afternoon. At noon we will all close ourselves up in one of the bathrooms, with candlelight, dry bread, water, ocean wave music and books as we think about what it may have been like on the Mayflower! The children are so excited to do this! After we are done with that we will come out and eat a Plymoth dinner of Plymoth bread, cheese and vegetables (all way more than the Pilgrims ever had, really!). Then we will play games, watch a Christmas movie and prepare our Thanksgiving meal. After the meal we plan to snuggle up in the the living room by candle light and listen to Focus on the Family’s radio presentation of Squanto. It is SOOO good!

Before bed we will take out a few Christmas decorations, just for the joy of the season! I will leave you with a link to a beautiful poem written by my mother....it just makes me want to snuggle up with my loved ones and praise the Lord for the different seasons of life!

Winter Welcome
You can also read some of her other wonderful thoughts on life at her blog
On The Write Narrow Path.

Blessings to you all!

A Joy The World Doesn't Behold~Take 2 :0)

I am sorry I have abandoned my blog these past days. I came down with a horrific flu right after a series(days) of migraines. I am finally feeling good again! I am heading off to bed, but I am feeling led tonight to repost this article I wrote last summer. Many blessings to you all!

A Joy The World Does Not Behold
Today has been a blessed day for me to focus on the many things for which I have to be thankful. Though my heart hurts, I do feel blessed! I soaked in every breath of my children today. I look into their eyes and am saddened greatly by the views the world now holds of children. I wonder how so many can view this life I behold as one of “settling”.

I look out the windows of my home, and I just can’t see it. It doesn’t have a hold on me....it doesn’t beckon me or tempt me....it only makes me all the more grateful that I am woman. I am woman, and I am blessed. The joy and fulfillment that I have in my life comes from doing my very best at living out my God given role.

Many days I find myself falling way short, yet still have joy because God is my guide. He forgives and He leads me into a brand new day. A brand new sunrise, with fresh dew upon the path I am on. I am thankful to be challenged daily, in this life, to set myself aside and to live for others.

My joy comes from the things that this world has grown to hate.....serving my husband, creating a haven for him...a warm, fresh place to lay his head and find rest away from the wearisome world. Loving, caring for, nurturing, educating my children...being sure each night, before they fall asleep, that there is no doubt in their precious little minds how very much they are loved and wanted....knowing they are safe, secure and children of a God who has had a special plan for their lives, even BEFORE they were conceived!

Caring for my home. Finding the joys in the “mundane” things of home life...laundry, dishes, diapers, messy faces, dirty little hands, floors needing swept several times a day. Yes, I certainly can go about these tasks with a smile and a song, because they are gifts. God loved woman so much that He wanted to give her a fulfilling life in her home. Even when my heart, my body, my soul or my mind are tired and weary, I can still hold a song.

Thank you, Father, for it is in the dirty dishes, endless meal preparations, floors to mop, a husband to serve, a messy face to wash, grimey fingers to scrub, lessons to teach, little boys to train, new babies to welcome and babies to let go of, that I have learned of your love and sacrifice. I have learned to love in a way that I would have never learned, had you not given me this life. I have learned, what it means to live a life that is not all about me.

Dirty dishes piled in a sink mean a family was gathered minutes before. The dining area was more than likely filled with laughter and jibber jabber of the day.

Endless meal preparations, shows signs, that you have continued to provide food that we may eat and fellowship together. It means my little ones are growing healthy and strong.

Floors to mop is evidence that 18 feet have scampered about them all the day long, some rushing for an owie to be kissed, some running to present mama with a flower picked just for her. Or maybe it is left with sticky residue representing the precious time spent between mama and her children, making cookies and discussing life....and You.
A husband to serve means I have a man to love. It is a reminder to me that he is not my creation, or what I think he ought to be, but is your creation and is becoming what you intend him to be. In knowing this, I also know that I have the power to build this creation up, or to tear it down. Having this man to serve and to honor, and yes, to submit to, means I am not alone. I am protected, and I am loved. Oh, how I feel your love, when I love and honor my man. How I feel protected by you, when I submit to my love. Nothing feels better than being in your will.

Messy faces to wash mean I am still needed. How can I pass up that silly little grin as a face is being scrubbed clean and then planting a mama kiss on that soft little face, knowing it will be back momentarily for another washing?

And those grimey little fingers? That shows I have a little hand to hold. A little hand that is reaching up to mine, embracing mine....and without words, pleading with me to lead him/her on in the right way.

Lessons to teach...what reward I have in seeing the delight in my child’s eyes in learning new things about God’s creations and design. When my eyes are focused on my children and not distracted by worldly things, then I notice the sparkle in the learning of new things each day!

Little boys to train...OH! But what would my life be like if I weren’t busy with little boys! They are the key to keeping me busy and unselfish! They, along with my precious daughters, are the reason why I faithfully hit my knees and ask the Lord to lead and guide me. I wouldn’t know God, as I know Him now, if it weren’t for the responsibility in the daily training of my children!

Little babies welcomed. Yes, I welcome any babies the Lord sends my way. I cannot say it better than Elizabeth Prentiss in Stepping Heavenward:
Here is a little mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worth all it will cost, since it is abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother’s heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, to her most tender cares, to her life~long prayers! Oh how rich I am, how truly, how marvelously blest!
The babies my husband and I welcome into our lives have each offered a tiny taste of Heaven.

Little babies lost. This is one of the greatest griefs I have ever experienced in my life. It leaves me literally speechless at times. It is something that is so very painful to speak of, yet, at the same time, I am not convinced that I would ever know my Heavenly Father the way I do now, if it weren’t for the trusting Him with those babies gone from me. It also might not be as easy for me to keep things in perspective when the Lord wills to grant us a baby soon after another. It is in this grief that I have learned the most valuable lesson of all in this life. That is to cherish those we hold today, knowing truly tomorrow might never come.

This is how I can go about these things that others might find as dull and “mundane”, or even uncomfortable and unsatisfying, because God has allowed me to see the joy that lies beneath the surface of such things. There is no way that I would know the joy I know today, without these things. They are gifts and we only have a short time to accept them, before that time is gone.

Urgent Prayer Request

PLEASE lift this precious family up in your prayers! Sandy is the mother of five small children, and is very sick with cancer. They need our prayer coverage!