On a journey

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I keep wanting to blog about what is going on in our life as a family and keep everyone updated and I always amazed at the end of the month that the whole month has gone by already.  When I do think about my blogging and what I am sharing, it always seems to fall short of what is truly important to me and that is my walk with the Lord.

I am wanting to share what is happening in my life and at the same time I just want readers to see that this is just my journey and not one to be compared to.  Others, I am sure are far beyond where I am at and I am sure there are others that are not where I am at.  As long as we are all on the path towards seeking the Lord, I think we are doing good.

With that said~~~Since the beginning of the year, I have had this strong, strong conviction on my heart to seek the Lord, to spend time with him.  It came through a series of different sermon’s at church and I believe culminated right before we had our Missions Conference in February.  I had also started to a series on Revive Our Hearts about the Song of Solomon How to Fall and Stay In Love with Jesus.  WOW!!

I have not finished the series and I am just amazed at what the Lord has shown me through listening to these broadcasts.  I have been able to focus my time throughout the day to make sure I am getting chapters of His Word read.  I want to share with you a few quotes that I heard in the broad cast…

“But I want to love Him with a passionate, fragrant love that engages my whole being and all my senses.

She has come to realize how wonderful he is, and she longs to experience his love in the fullest possible way. She doesn’t want to just know about him casually. She doesn’t want to just know about him. She wants a close, intimate, personal relationship with him. There was a time when she was contented with his absence, but not so any longer.

I think this is a picture here of a believer in Christ who has an intense desire for a more personal, intimate love relationship with Him.  This is somebody who’s come to be dissatisfied with the ordinary. They long to go further than average believers. There are other believers around you in your home perhaps or your church who are content with the status quo, just to go on professing Christ. It’s just a so-so, ho-hum relationship with Him. But you have been awakened to the loveliness of Christ. There’s something in your heart that can no longer be satisfied with a common, casual, distant relationship with Him.

You long for that intimate love relationship with Christ.”

This is where I am at.  I find it so hard to put into words.  The quotes from the broadcast resounded so much within me.  I just have this feeling that penetrates my soul it is in the very cells of my being.  So I have given up per se my Pinterest account…I have it but I know longer pin items to it, I see it was taking up too much of my time.  There are lots of great recipes on there I still plan to use and there are decorations on there for our Ladies Tea at church I will be using, etc. It has just come to be uppermost in my mind to make sure my free time is on those things that would really glorify Him.  Not that Pinterest is the evil one, but if something is taking so much of your time that you are no longer focusing large amounts of your day on the Lord but on a worldly pursuit, then it is time to let something go.

I believe it was in early March that I was at a Sunday evening service and was blessed beyond measure. Unbeknownst to the congregation the teens had been challenged by our Youth Pastor to memorize scripture.  I am not sure if the verses or chapter was assigned or if they were able to pick on their own.  What took place, was a young gentleman by the name of Timothy, came to the podium and recited all of John chapter 4 with no assistance.  I think Timothy must be all of 17. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the congregation.  Perhaps due to the conviction of the Holy Spirit upon most of us for not spending enough time to get God’s word in our hearts.  I am told he did it in a week earlier than the time allotted.

Well shortly thereafter, there was another broadcast on Revive Our Hearts You Need Hunger a three part series on how to memorize the word.  Janet Pope was the guest speaker and she has written a book on how she started this process in her life.  I might add she has memorized 14 books of the bible and over 100 chapters. She showed that we do not have blocks of time in our day to sit down and devote to memorization.  However, we do have time when we are getting ready in the morning, when we are folding laundry, when we are putting together the evening meal, driving children to sports practice, waiting in lines, waiting at practice, and the list goes on and on….when you add up those little snippets of time, you DO have time to get the word in your heart.

So I took the challenge I heard, just as she took it years ago when she first heard someone quote a chapter at a conference.  I started last week and memorized Psalms 1….yes 6 verses.  Some might scoff, but I say let them.  I did it, I set my mind to it and accomplished my goal and am moving forward.  My children are on board with the idea and we sat down this week to start the complete book of Titus.  One verse at a time day by day building on the previous verses.  I am looking forward to the blessings that abound for getting the Lord’s word in my heart and a constant mediation in my mind.

In the midst of all of this, I came across a blog post that mentioned The Hello Mornings Challenge A challenge to get up and seek the Lord first thing in the morning with prayer, scripture reading as well as exercise.  I took the challenge as well.  I was getting up at 8am previously and am now up at 7:30 and am seeking to get up at 7am.  The next challenge session starts May 6th and the FREE registration starts April 26th it will be a 13-week bible study of John and there will be a downloadable file to study along.  I am really excited to be apart of this Spring/Summer session and have signed up to be a an Accountability Coach to encourage those on my team.  I hope you all can join in if you have the time.

I also finally found a great deal on a used copy of Baxter’s Explore The Book, it is by J. Sidlow Baxter and it is the six volumes in one book and goes through the whole bible in an in-depth study.  I had asked my Pastor for a good study book of the bible as he does not recommend Strong’s concordance and he gave me this book that I mentioned.  I am really looking forward to being able to find out more about the bible and the people that wrote the books of the bible, etc.

Well that is it in a nutshell.  You see everything else just seems, to me, to pale in comparison to the Lord and my hearts desire. 

Whatever happened to February….

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We started out the month with two of my son’s getting chicken pox within three days of each other so we were someplace and were exposed.  Thankfully this particular son weathered it very well and was only mildly discomforted.  The other son only had about 20 on him, Praise the Lord….I did my best to make sure the other four would be infected but would have to wait another 15 days to find out.

Master J with the doughnut celebrated his 7th birthday.  As his breakfast request was doughnuts I went ahead and made homemade!

 

Dad enjoyed a doughnut or two as well before leaving for work that morning and you can see that Master T. enjoyed the chocolate ones!!

 

Looks as good as store bought I say!!  We had chocolate, old fashioned, and cinnamon/sugar!!

  

For dinner that evening it was to a restaurant in town and there was a nice peanut butter chocolate pie to be shared…..I am one of those that thinks peanut butter and chocolate only belong in a Reece’s cup and that’s it so I gladly watched them share it!!

 

Once home it was time for cake.  That’s a big deal around here, they start pulling out the cookbook with all the pictures at least a month or two in advance and start picking out all the ones they want me to make.  We settled on a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and the Oreo's in the shape of a number seven.  Upon finishing, the birthday boy decided he wanted maraschino cherries on the top as well with sprinkles so we added them on of course!!  I don’t recommend the intense blue frosting…it seems to get everywhere but on the cake!!!!

Master A, had his second front tooth come out on the top row and managed to win the race to lose a tooth with his sister!!

We invested in a new house servant!!!  This one is so sweet and quiet, just does the job and works like a charm.  The old one was rebellious and refused to wash the dishes after having run for a full cycle.  There is no sense having a dishwasher that you then have to wash all the dishes by hand!!!

Our neighbors down the road have small herd of goats and several of them gave birth several weeks ago.  I had my own names for these two…Cinnamon and Sugar….

My husband picked up the one so I could get a close up…I almost had my parents fooled for a second and said this was the new family pet!  Right, just what I need…A GOAT!!!!

As an update….I found out last weekend that this little cute one passed on :- (

Then it was round two for chicken pox with three more children and you can see that these two little guys suffered much worse than the first round.  My oldest son went through the sick feeling but never had a single spot on him!!! So we will see how he does throughout the rest of his life.

Then towards the end of the month, Master M up there in the blue pajamas had a birthday and turned three!  He wanted French Toast with Cinnamon and Sugar on top.

For lunch we all partook of grilled cheese sandwiches and picked him up a balloon while doing our grocery errands that morning.

I couldn’t resist this picture of my littlest man trying to reach up for the balloon just a 1/4 of an inch out of his grasp.

Master M enjoyed the afternoon playing with his new soccer ball out on the back deck, I was sneaking pictures of him through the screen door and caught him action kicking the ball.

We ended up the days meal with a rare treat of crinkle fries and nuggets.  I love that it doesn’t take much to make the children smile with joy!!

Another chocolate cake of course…I had one of those pressurized containers of icing in my cabinet which I attempted to write his name with…and then I remembered why I had stuck it up there, because it was too difficult to try and write with….sometimes a little would come out and then other times a huge blob!!

There was a baby shower at church and I found this cute tutorial on Pinterest to make these baby diaper wreathes so made one to bless the new mom with.  It was a nice change from the regular diaper cakes you see.

The image on the left is what I was trying to copy and what I ended up with at church was on the left.  I figure it was pretty decent considering the ceilings were like 15 feet or close to it!!!  The pin didn’t go to a website that was working so I don’t have direct link to the picture.

We closed out the month with a fabulous pizza recipe found on Pinterest that was Barbeque chicken and pineapple with caramelized onions.  The sauce was really good, I had never used molasses in a BBQ sauce before and it was well worth trying.  I will post the recipe next time I am on.

I pray everyone is well and God Bless,

Melissa

 

Something besides a recipe….

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I am just waiting for Winter to be over this year.  Normally I don’t mind the change of season’s and the cooler temperatures that come with them.  This year, there has just been too many health issues and sickness.

It just seems like we get well for two days and then back to being sick again.  Last week my daughter and husband were sick to their stomachs on Monday and this week my son has the chicken pox.  My oldest son woke up today not feeling well and then sick to his stomach, I am hoping his bought with the chicken pox will not take too long to come to fruition.  The one son, who was the first victim, is having a hard time with the itching today but we are managing with Calamine and liquid Benadryl.

This week is our Missions Conference at church and I hate to miss it.  I missed our Baptist History week a few months back due to sickness and now we are sick again.  Thankfully, we can watch on the internet and still here the Word of God, it is just not the same as being there in person.  I am to bring several of the side dishes for the Lunch meal on Sunday, but I think we will end up having to stay home from service that day and just I will bring the food up.

School is taking a back page these last few days, I just feel like we are having a hard time this Winter period with trying to stay on schedule. I finally felt the timing was right to share with my daughter about Women’s health, she is 10 and will be 11 in April.  We have been using three resources so far.  The main curriculum I have used has been from Blessing God’s Way called Maidens by His Design.  I have really enjoyed the fact that it celebrates what God has created in us as Women. The curriculum gives us scriptures to focus on and shows us how to focus on the Lord each day of the month, how to not have a spirit of fear.  It basically takes a biblical approach and turns you to the Lord as opposed to a worldly view which would tend to point one towards thinking it is a curse and something to be negative about.

One of the other resources I have used briefly has been a book by Dannah Gresh Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl there are some good points in there about modesty and there are some ideas presented about how to keep an open dialog with your girls so that they feel comfortable asking you questions.

I have used both of these in conjunction with a great resource from Queens Homeschool The Standard of Purity.  I had started this study in 2010 and with the study on health opted to finish it up and it has lead to some wonderful conversations about what God’s standards are for Purity and Beauty as compared to the worlds standards.  We have been able to talk about whether or not we need to wear make-up.  How much make up to wear if needed.   We have been able to talk more importantly about our inner beauty and how that radiates out from within.

If anyone is looking for some great resources for either boys or girls on how to navigate through these conversations Queens Homeschool has some wonderful biblical resources that can help any one out.

I am getting ready to post our Monthly menu for February in the next day or so as well! I pray you all have a blessed week, make it through the cold and any storms coming across your path.

What’s new this week.

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We are still on our search for property and have found a nice piece that would work for our family some how… :- )

We had seen another piece that we really liked that was within the city limits and was 18.22 acres, however, we walked that piece of property and the lower portion floods when there is torrential rain so you cannot build on that section, the other portion of the property is too steep to do anything with and that leaves only the top flat section to build on, and it would be somewhat near the road.

We would ideally like to have a piece of property where the house is not seen from the road and you have to drive down a long drive to find it.

The piece we have found is 16.3 acres. and about 45 minutes away from where we live now. It is up in the foothills and a really nice neighborhood. The owners know my husband and are willing to work any way possible to sell the land. This might work out for us to be able to purchase it somehow while we have not sold the house we live in.

In the meantime, I am reading an ebook I came across on building your own house and be your own Contractor. The book is called Build or Remodel Your Own House by Carl Heldmann.  You can find it on his website Build Your Own House.

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I entered a drawing a week ago on the blog Pure Modesty.  The drawing was for a set of card devotionals called Cravings.  I think I had entered at the beginning of the week and the drawing was held on the 7th and since I did not hear anything, I deleted my reminder and deleted settings that I had put in place to count as entries….you know, “like” here on Facebook, and Follow here on Pinterest, etc. just to get extra entries…well that was required so I tidied up those loose ends this morning.

Then I went to my junk email account and saw “winner” as the subject line of the unread emails…..and sure enough I WON!!!  I sent back my address and will await the devotional cards later in the week!!!

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There was a blog post a week or so ago asking us to list our Favorite things.  There were many wonderful posts to read about having a quiet moment to sip a cup of tea, having time to read a favorite book etc.  And I just had to chuckle to myself, because at this time in my life, there is not time for any of those things…however there was still something that was my favorite thing…..

Now don’t laugh too hard….

One of my favorite things is a toilette paper roll that goes around the holder silently...because it is perfectly round and has not been squished by one of 6 pairs of little hands bringing it to the bathroom or squished when they took the package out of the truck...which means in the middle of the night when you need to go, you don't hear the thump thump, thump thump as you yank on the paper.....I said it was silly, but it is music to my ears....

Well the person asking the question wrote back “okay...so i'm laughing in my bathroom this morning...and it's all YOUR fault! :) the toilet paper roll had been squished, and it thumpedThuMpeDthumped as it unwound...and i thought of you! i'm hoping that your weekend holds the silent music that you enjoy---says one understanding mom to another.”

So I am asking you all now, what is or are some of your favorite things???

Have a blessed week!!

Veggies from the Farmer

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We are on our second week of collecting our vegetables from our neighbor farmer.  We signed up with a local CSA this year.  We wanted to have fresh vegetables, grown locally and with no chemicals.  We signed up for a half share and have really enjoyed the harvest so far.

The children get excited to go to the Farmer and we get to try vegetables we wouldn’t normally purchase.  It is expanding our horizons and broadening my cooking skills!!!  We like the fact that we are helping out are local farmers as well.  Since we are in the process of selling our house, planting a garden that we might not be able to harvest our vegetables was out for this year.  This option was a really nice substitute.   If you don’t have space or time for a garden but would like locally grown fresh produce you might check out the link for your local CSA and see if there is a local farmer near you!!

 

I posted the other day about having Poison Ivy.  Last Wednesday at church I expressed that I felt like I was starting to itch all over again, like it was re-erupting.  I was only one day away from my last dose of medication.  Thursday I told my husband my concern, I was feeling like it was starting all over and he thought it was always like this when I got poison ivy and it would be gone soon.  Friday evening, I was in misery again and by the end of the weekend, my left eye was re-swollen, my face was swollen, I had bumps everywhere and every original place I had been infected, it was swollen around all those areas.  I tried taking Benadryl, and that worked a little bit, but was making me drowsy.  As of today, my eyes are ok, my face is still swollen and the affected areas are drying out, but still itch, there have been a few areas that have been scratched raw and bleed…it is just unavoidable!  I cannot wait until it is finally gone!

 

This past Saturday, my daughter and I had a Mother-Daughter afternoon out.  We went to the next town over and visited an Antique store we have been wanting to browse through.  We found a pretty plate for her plate collection.

Years ago, we started a plate collection of dessert sized plates for when she is older and doing her own hospitality.  Each one has its own special design and I am sure they will look so pretty the day she hosts her own afternoon of tea and dessert with her friends.

We left the Antique store, headed to the pharmacy for itch lotion for me and then went to our favorite place for burgers.  We had a great time over our meal with just the two of us.  We finished lunch and headed to a Christian Bookstore and the Lord truly blessed us with meeting some wonderful friends that used to attend our church.  They were out on their own Mother-Daughter day as well.  We ended up having some wonderful fellowship for at least a half hour!!  We were both rejoicing that the Lord had brought our paths to cross as we had both thought about calling the other to visit but had thought better of it and the Lord found a way to make it all work out!!

We came back home and my husband had managed to just splendid with all five boys and they had eaten lunch as well!!

You can kind of see my puffy eye when you are looking at me it is the eye on the right, that whole side of the face is very red looking, I tried to hide it with foundation but it is pretty bad.  However, I still love the photograph of my daughter and I!!

God Bless~~

 

 

Mother’s Day and an Anniversary….

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This last weekend was Mother’s Day.  For the weekend we went camping.  This year the holiday coincided with our Anniversary as it did 11 years ago when we were married. 

I wanted it to be a tradition every year that our family would go away together for our Anniversary and my husband was willing to compromise as long as we were able to have an evening out to dinner with just the two of us that same week or somewhere around that day.  Which, this idea should work out great if our Anniversary is not on the weekend  

Last year we were camping in Pigeon Forge TN.

I was 6 months pregnant at the time….here we were with our barbequed shrimp and Filet Mignon with sparkling cider….

Here we are this year….

And hey look the same meal!!!  It is one of the few times that we get to splurge and have steak and since it is the best price buying it ourselves and cooking it we almost get two for the price of one compared to going out!!!  Haley took our picture and it was pretty dark as you can see by the time we were able to eat that night…I think it was around 9pm!!! So here it is almost 9months post partum.  And of course our Sparkling Cider!!

It was pouring down rain the whole day.  We were able to stream a few shows over the iPad for the children to watch to keep the insanity from ensuing and then the power went out about 4pm!!  So we still managed to keep them occupied and we finally decided to leave the trailer around 6pm just to get a change of scenery, fresh air….still pouring rain….

  

We corralled the lil guy as best we could on our bed, it is getting hard to watch over him when he is so mobile…not a great amount but just enough to get into trouble and get slightly hurt if you are not watching.

Then we came back around 8pm, fixed up food for everyone and sat the children down for another movie. We had the children off to bed around 11pm and I looked outside at the rain and saw that some little critter had been out in the rain to get into the garbage.

The park owner usually comes by each evening to pick up the trash from the garbage bins at each site, however, that night it was pouring rain and they had been gone most of the day.  I saw them arrive back and they stopped in front of our campsite on the road but we didn’t see them come to our site….I mentioned to my husband that something had gotten into the trash and he got up to go look.  We couldn’t even see the garbage can but saw some garbage clear over by the playground…I was thinking a couple of raccoons had gotten into it as I think that is what had happened when we were camping in NC a few weeks back.  Then my husband pipes up and says…maybe it was a bear!!!  What…and he is leaning way out the door looking around and I squealed at him…”Then close the door!”

It turns out the next morning when the park owner was back around to pick up garbage….it was indeed a BEAR!!!  and we missed it only 4 feet away from the window with the shades open and we missed it…of course due to the infernal pounding of the rain, we were not able to hear anything…I don’t think it could have rained harder from the gates of Heaven had the Lord tried!!!

We were at a lovely campground called Solitude Point…a wonderful Christian owned place that was tiny…only 14 camp sites with 4 cabins to rent.  If you are in the area, it is well worth coming by for a visit.  They do not have a pool, however, if the weather is warm, you can rent canoes, or inner tubes to float down the Saluda river.

All the spots were beautiful like this, your own little cozy area where it was private from your neighbors, so nice and green.

    This is the playground area that was right next to us, just so beautiful, a little tucked away oasis and you can see our trailer through the last picture…

A nice little garden area up by the Lodge that has a cross and the 10 Commandments on display.

 

Hope you have a blessed week!!

Entering the next change of life….

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I think the main thing that is on my mind and I feel lead to share with other women out there though is that I have realized this last weekend that I have started Perimenopause……

Yep, the young age of 44, 45 in October.  I knew all about Menopause, I thought, but didn’t really know anything about Perimenopause but boy have I read up on it this last weekend while away camping.

I think I have been in denial or just not wanting to acknowledge that something was happening for several months….I think at least since, November of last year.  I had just seen Dr. Oz’s new show one after noon and this was the topic of the show: Do you have Perimenopausal Rage? 

I have had some severe outbursts at my children, they come out of no where and are so extreme and are so unlike me…there has been impatience and irritability as well, the like of which I have never dealt with….I watched the show and saw, myself in the video and was astounded…there was actually something going on….It has been a hard road these last few months since my youngest was born, there are so many hormone changes that come with a newborn……

This last Thursday getting ready for camping, I lost it, I deliberately broke a plate in my kitchen by slamming it down on the counter….it was awful, it is awful every single time I have an outburst, it is a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when your children are scared of the way you look…you are just a two headed monster….I sat down crying my eyes out and went back to that video and watched it again….

I vowed that before I went camping this past weekend, I would get to the health food store and get myself some help, I need to get my body back in alignment….

It is frustrating to have all this come about so soon after the birth of my youngest and it made it so hard to separate and realize that there was something more going on…I have had the post partum feelings of no libido, just don’t even talk to me about being interested in intimacy…at least that is what my brain was saying, but my actions new better than to do that, I could not do that to my husband….

and there is also that post partum night sweating that happens….but that was at the beginning…I am actually having that again…so that is going on….Oh and lets talk about the insomnia…..my brain is just going and going and going…it just won’t shut off….  And to mix in all of this, I am up at 12am, 2am, 4am, and 6am, give or take 20-30 minutes on each one every night still….so that is not helping with my sleeping….

But when I watched the video again, I realized…AH HA!!!!  IT IS NOT ME!!!!  God is trying to get me to realize it is time to move onto my next phase of life…..so Friday I was mildly depressed as all could be…happy to find out what is going on, sad to realize that I am actually at the end of of those years of bearing children….not that I couldn’t get pregnant again in the coming years, but I had asked God to give me a sign if this was to be my last child, and this is becoming blaringly obvious that things are about to change for me….

I am so blessed to have come across the best sales lady at the health food store, it was her day off and she was there and she took the time to help a blubbering lady out who was distraught over the turn of events of her hormones and desperate to help straighten them out….

I left with a bottle of wonderful food based multivitamins that had the B complex series, the D vitamin that I need as well, the advice to take Evening Primrose Oil, which I actually happen to have had at home already from using during the end of pregnancies…that was recommended at about 1500mg 2x a day and then I could back off once I had a better control on things… I also left with progesterone cream. In addition she said to take the Fish Oil capsules that I had already at home as well. The sales lady, though said, with the evening primrose oil, I would be amazed within 3 days like a load had lifted off of my shoulders….

And here I am on Monday, feeling amazing, like this depression I have been walking around in has abated, that I am once again taking charge of my health, that I am not going to be this awful mom that my children remember.   The irritability, the edginess is gone, I just cannot explain it…I just feel somewhat back to normal!!! I cannot say how thankful I am that there was a program that I saw that made me realize that there was something else going on.  I praise God that he brought back to my attention to help me find the right direction.

The insomnia and night sweats, the lack of libido..turns out these are all symptoms of Perimenopause…it just helps to know that sometimes it is something you don’t have direct control over causing issues, it really is hormones and we need to take care to watch over them to make it safely through to the other side.

I am so ready to embrace this next phase of my life and see where the Lord will bring me, I know it is not going to be easy and may be a balancing act to get hormones in check, especially when I don’t have a doctor, but I have some great resources and by talking about it out loud with other Christian women we can all help each other have the best possible journey and still glorify the Lord.

If you have started this time of your life and have thoughts to share I would enjoy reading what has worked for you or if you have questions feel free to ask those as well!!

God Bless ya’ll~~

I know it has been a while…

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Hi everyone, I know it has been since January when I last posted.  It seems as though so much as been going on and then not so much and now it just seems like a fog.  I have definitely had a time adjusting to our newest baby and finding our new routine.

I have taken the time to hold onto these last stages with our youngest as I know these will be the last time I get to experience them.  I have been somewhat withdrawn from life just being involved with this Little Man, I am not 100% ready to just pass him off to the nursery workers to see to his needs, that is my job and I am relishing the time.  I am coming to a point though where I am ready for him to grow onto his next stage and am seeking the Lord for the peace of mind to make it through to the next phase, it is bittersweet to see him growing up before my eyes…..Even now as I sit here typing and see him trying to climb up my leg for the very first time.

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January we put our house up for sale, it is still for sale and I know it will when the Lord feels it is the right time for our family to move on.  I am ready to move forward, but at the same time, I am hanging onto those memories that has made our family for the last 11 years that we have moved here and started our family.  It will be a somewhat sad day when we have to drive away for the last time.  In the meantime, we have a landscaper coming next week to spiffy up the yard and just make it a little bit nicer in the Curb Appeal category.

I spent a week ago Saturday, cutting back our woods.  About 100’ in length and 4’ in width, and while my efforts made a dramatic statement on our side yard the even more dramatic effect was the poison ivy that I ended up with starting Sunday evening covering my eyes!!!  The pictures don’t do it justice but it has been a week of intense pain and annoyance as I have awaited for the Lord to heal my body of this terrible issue. My eyelids are actually a vibrant red color, which the flash didn’t show very well but you get the idea.

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I have been experimenting with my daughters hair trying to practice some braiding techniques.  There are so many wonderful ladies out there sharing how to use this wonderful art to beautify ones hair and glorify God…here are a few examples…

 

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We’ve had a round of birthday’s since the beginning of the year from my husband through three of the children….we’ve been camping several times…with the latest being this past weekend for Mother’s day and our Anniversary on Sunday….

This past camping trip, was great but made for some great memories with it pouring rain for half the trip, a power outage, and a bear…not to mention that meant 6 children in a trailer not more than 8 feet wide for all afternoon….sometimes technology is a huge blessing being able to find something to occupy them :- )

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I have more to write and more to the point of what is really on my mind and I will share that in my next post that I am already working on, but wanted to share some of what is going on and I am hoping I can get back into the groove of writing, I miss blogging and am hoping I am going to be able to find the time to pull everything together.

God Bless to you all.

Well Hello once again…

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Hello all,

I just don’t know where the time goes.  There has been so much going on, so much I would like to blog about, some things I would like to but should not…lol…. and I just don’t know how to fit it all in.  I am trying to find some sort of schedule for getting the boys homeschooled.  My daughter is almost independent for doing school work, but the boys are in the first grade and need lots of step by step guidance for them to understand what they are learning….and then there is the littlest one who doesn’t realize I am trying to get some sort of schedule together and does his own thing :- )

I had my in-laws here for a week a week ago and that was the worst visit/vacation we have ever had…the last part of their visit we all went camping together and that was just awful, even my husband said it was not good….The short part of that is that their dog bit my son right above the eye…no puncture wounds but scraped the skin enough to make a scab form…and they said it was not a bite…well according to state dog laws…it was a bite!!! (this just happens to be the third time at least that their dog has gone after one of our children.  The dog went after another child where they were volunteering, and yet they refuse to train their dog…it even goes after my husband when he walks in with a baseball cap)  So that just did not go over too well.  The whole week was stressful for them because on the way down in their RV from VA where they had been volunteering, they hit a deer.  A large deer so they were frazzled to say the least.

 

 

So they are gone home now, I don’t think I will be seeing them until at least January or February because it will take about 3 mo. to get their RV fixed…which is good, we need separation for everyone’s nerves to calm down and put this unfortunate experience behind us.

I have a freezer full of tomatoes that I need to try and get canned up this week, hopefully tomorrow. Ok so I started this post last Monday….and last Tuesday I DID get all the tomatoes canned!!!  Yippee!!

   

I worked from about 10 in the morning until 5:20 in the afternoon.  When it was all said and done and cleaned up….I had 10 half pints and 28 pints of pizza sauce!!!

Fall for some reason always seems like the time for Banana Bread, I’m not sure why more at this time of year than any other but it just seems right.  So after buying two bunches of bananas the other day and the children not eating them for snacks as I had planned…one of my sons came up to me and asked for banana bread…

So I decided to make a double loaf in my sandwich bread pan….

It has turned out delicious and if I hadn’t cut off half of it and stuck it in the freezer right away the whole thing would be gone already!!

 

We went and had family pictures taken this past Saturday, so I tried to get some pictures of the children before we went…..

Here are some of the boys….

I was hoping to get over to Clemson University and get Fall pictures by all the beautiful trees, but the best day was the day there was a football game so of course, all the green grass with fall leaves were covered with parked cars.

So, option B….use my own back yard!!

 

While we were camping we celebrated the birthday of my oldest son Master A.

     

And of course I am not going to disappoint the birthday boy by not having a cake while camping!!!  Nope, we had a Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Mousse filling, Chocolate cake!! Sprinkles were requested so that it would look like a picture we had seen on the internet…too cute.  Might I say….it was DELICIOUS!!!!  It is amazing what one can do in a tiny travel trailer for the love of their children!!

And of course, I think ya’ll might want to see some updated pictures of the lil guy.

 

   

So the little guy is approaching 3 months old on the 22nd…sigh….where has the time gone, I can’t help but be sad that I won’t get to go through this again, and yes, you will probably hear me say this repeatedly for the next year until I get over it This lil guy is such a sweetie pie, he smiles all the time, it is so delightful.  He does not really cry, just to let you know he is hungry and that is it and if I have been diligent in feeding him then he doesn’t even cry period!!  He is sleeping pretty good at night, maybe only up two times now instead of every two hours.  Yes you can see he is doing well in the weight gain department.  I think he must be around 15 pounds…he has that cute little double chin with full little cheeks that you just want to kiss all the time.  He is making lots of little soft cooing noises.  I can sit and look at him all day long and just fall in love more and more.  He is just so happy, he will sit on my legs looking up at me and make the sweetest little sounds trying to share his contentment.

Well anyhow, I am sure that’s probably enough for now, I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving week and Day!!