Six Olive Plants

Wednesday night ramblings...

2012-02-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here late Wednesday evening waiting on Marc, McKenzie and Matthew to get home. Marc had a business trip in New Orleans and he took the oldest two with him. It was Matthew's first time flying and he loved it!
Their trip started off with a bang. They drove two hours and spent the night near the airport they were flying out of. The next morning they had to get up early to catch their flight. Marc went to the car to put something in it and someone had broken into it and tore up the steering column and ignition trying to hot wire it. The only thing in the car were muffins that Madeline had made for their breakfast that morning. They stole them! Even though it wasn't funny that it happened, we did get a good laugh about them taking the muffins. Other than that, their trip went well. They said New Orleans is a very wicked city. I am sure McKenzie will blog about it, so I won't give too much away. I think they enjoyed the historical sites but they said it wasn't somewhere they would want to go again. I know Marc enjoyed spending time with the kids.

Here at home everything went pretty smoothly. Madeline and I stayed very busy! She worked hard and Mariah was great to pitch in and help too. I have a new respect for how much work it is to feed and water all of the animals! I will be glad in the morning that Matthew can take over his watering job! We had dental cleaning appointments yesterday. Normally our whole family goes at the same time. I had to reschedule their appointments but I decided for the rest of us to go ahead and go. We all got called back at the same time so I took Myles with me. At first he sat in my lap and watched. Then as he warmed up to the hygienist he started diving towards my face and cracking up laughing at what she was doing. When I couldn't handle him anymore I let him get down. He turned the sink on and started splashing me. He was laughing so hard while he did it. The lady cleaning my teeth kept saying, "He is so cute. I don't know how you ever get onto him." I wanted to pinch his head off! I was SO glad when that appointment was done and I will NEVER take a two year old in with me again. When we left there we went to the park. The weather has been gorgeous and I wanted the little ones to wear themselves out!

The little guys.

Sweet girls.

Mariah runs everywhere she goes. :o)

We took bread to feed to the geese and ducks.

The mallard was beautiful!

I have muffins baking in the oven for when they get here. I thought it was kind of fitting since they didn't get to eat theirs! :o)

Goodnight!

Good-bye January...

2012-01-31T17:22:00.001-08:00

Hoping that February is as beautiful as January has been!

Perfect picnic weather.

I am already itching for spring gardening.

A winter project

2012-01-27T07:09:00.000-08:00

My sweet husband (who didn't really care what our bathroom cabinets looked like) spent his day off the other day painting.

I have hated the brown wooden cabinets since we moved into this house seven years ago! The tile is slate blue (not something I would have chosen either.) I decided to paint the cabinets black and go with pewter hardware on them. The walls were khaki and he painted them again with a shade darker. I like the way the black and khaki look together.

Now... on to the next project!!!

2012-01-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

It has been one of those days. I started my day off by fussing at Matthew the minute I saw him this morning. After he left the kitchen to go do chores I turned to my kitchen sink, and there in front of me was a scripture verse that I wrote on an index card.

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight O lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalms 19:14

I love writing verses on cards and taping them to mirrors or sticking them places so that we will see them as we go about our days. Honestly, my motive in doing it is so that my children will read them. But oh how I need to read them every day!

When he came back in the house I asked his forgiveness for being harsh with him. He admitted he had not followed instructions and he was quick to forgive me. I am always humbled at how when I screw up my children are so quick to forgive.

"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

I am very thankful that His mercies are new every morning! Now, I need to go to bed so I can get up in the morning and hopefully have more patience with my children than I did today!

Matt is Driving!

2012-01-24T16:18:00.000-08:00

After 3 hours spent at the drivers license office, Matthew got his permit! We had already been waiting over an hour when he finally got to take his test. He finished the test in about ten minutes and then the computers froze. We waited forever while they worked on them and finally got out of there at 5:30!

He turned 15 last year but didn't have any interest in driving until now. He has had lots of practice already driving tractors, four wheelers and the truck in fields. When McKenzie got her permit she had NO experience at all. The day she got hers I took her into the little town where we live to practice. There wasn't a car in sight but she was terrified. The speedometer didn't even register. I remember thinking she would never learn how to drive. She is now a very capable and careful driver! :o)

We left the drivers license place and I had to go by the grocery store. I knew he was wanting to drive, so once I got back out of town where there wasn't any traffic I got out and let him drive. There is a five mile stretch of a country road that leads to our house. He hadn't gone half a mile when there was a license check! The state patrol kept flagging him to move up and he was creeping. He finally stopped five feet from the officer. The guy laughed and said, "What are you going to make me walk?" I leaned over and told him that he had just gotten his permit an hour before. He said, "Yeah, I thought so." I don't think Matthew thought it was funny. :o) He drove really well for his first time and he went quite a bit faster than McKenzie did her first time! When we left the house everyone was cheering him on, and when we got home they were greeting him with the camera!

Monday

2012-01-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

It's a dreary Monday morning....

He is sleeping it away.

Wish I could curl up and join him but school and laundry are calling.

Go GREEN....

2012-01-21T18:35:00.000-08:00

A while back I had an idea to do a post on some of my favorite things. I never got around to taking the pictures and doing the post. I decided this morning to take pictures about one of my favorite things!

No, bananas are not my favorite thing.... :o)

I had been wanting a Vitamix for years and just couldn't ask Marc to spend that kind of money on a blender. Finally, after hearing so many good things about it we splurged on one several months ago. Once I got it I wished I hadn't waited so long!

We drink a smoothie every morning now! On a typical morning we go through about 6-8 bananas! I buy about 4 bunches of bananas twice a week! We use lots of spinach, kale, carrots,bananas, apple, orange, pineapple (when it is on sale!), cabbage, frozen fruit, flax seed or coconut oil etc. I change them up sometimes but they always have the first six ingredients. If I use fresh pineapple it is plenty sweet, otherwise I use a little agave nectar. The Vitamix is so great that you really can't even tell what is in it. It is perfectly smooth when you are finished!

Even Myles loves them! :o)

Come on McKenzie.... SmiLE!!!

**No, I do not work for Vitamix nor do I get anything for doing this free "advertisement" for them! I just thought it would be something interesting to share! :o)

Christmas 2011 Pictures

2012-01-18T06:25:00.000-08:00

I realized when I was cleaning pictures off of our computer that I never finished posting Christmas pictures. If looking at lots of family Christmas pictures bores you, you might want to skip this post. :o) This one is for me... I like documenting as much as I can on my blog. One day I hope to have it printed!

One evening before Christmas Marc took us out to eat at Cracker Barrel and then to look at lights. It was a pretty impressive light display and the temperature was mild! Makes looking at Christmas lights even more fun!

I loved that the Nativity was a focal point in the front of the house.

I didn't realize that Myles wasn't looking until later. Oh well... I think he was just making sure that strange bearded man wasn't going to get him!

I took Malachi to the dollar store to do his Christmas shopping. He was a hoot! McKenzie followed him around with a video camera. We laughed so hard the whole time. When we got home I let him do his own wrapping. He wanted it perfect and got so frustrated that he almost ended up in trouble! :o)

We got a call from our local Chick fil a that Myles had won the Christmas gift basket. We are regulars in there and they all laughed when we brought him in to get his prizes!

Myles didn't really get into the present thing this year. We would try to get him to open something and he would push it away and say, "Uh-uh."

Christmas isn't complete without some new horse tack!

The only thing Malachi asked for was a policeman G.I. Joe. I think he was pretty pleased!

Mariah is very proud of her Bible. It was so sweet tonight when I was sitting on my bed reading my Bible, she went and got hers and brought it in there to read with me.

We had planned an ice skating day with some friends from church. That was the day that my dad fell and broke his hip. We ended up leaving our oldest four with our friends and taking the younger two with us to the hospital. I snapped a few pictures before we left.

We ended up having "Christmas" at my mom's a couple of days after Christmas. My dad was in the hospital and we knew he would be there for a while.

Myles and Malachi with their cousin Clayton. Below -Madeline with grandma.

Mariah and Madeline with their cousin Carrington.

These are the best days of my life...

2012-01-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

He was quite pleased with himself! He did have the truck and wipe container in the toilet too!
Well, she didn't write "no clue" this time, she just wrote "nope". During her math lesson she was learning about yards. She was supposed to guess how many yards it was from our front door to the mailbox and then to actually measure it. I told her we weren't going to do it because our driveway is so long. In her written work it told her to do the same thing from the front door to her bed. She took it upon herself to decide that was too far too! :o)

A note from Mariah...

Malachi's attempt to get out of drinking his green smoothie this morning. "Mommy, do I have to drink one today? You know, you are going to lose all of your vegetables?"

This afternoon I was heading out for a run. Mariah and Malachi were playing outside. It was looking like rain and I told Mariah if it started to sprinkle to tell the other girls to get the laundry in. Malachi hollered, "Can I put my bathing suit on?"

McKenzie had been dealing with the little ones and she came downstairs exasperated. She said, "Mama, you are amazing!" I asked her why and she said, "Because we are so draining and you just keep having us." :o)

May your days be as full as mine...... :o)

Off to work he goes...

2012-01-12T06:52:00.000-08:00

Matthew turned 16 in December and went to work at his first "real" job in January. We didn't want him to work just anywhere. We were thinking along the lines of outside/farm type work after school hours. The town that Marc works in has a large Mennonite community. He often goes into their stores and has gotten to know a lot of them. Matthew was hired at one of the hardware/sporting goods/feed stores. He started this week and has loved it. His schedule will be sporadic during the school year. He will work four days this week (one of which is Saturday) and then has a couple of weeks off. Then a three day stretch. I think it is going to be good for him! He is learning that he can't procrastinate anymore! School work in the evenings, studying on the weekends, and jumping out of bed to get chores done before he leaves. He is growing up! His first day was supposed to be today but they called at the beginning of the week to see if he could work this past Tuesday. I was out of town at my parent's house and missed his first day of work! It made me sad not to see him off, but McKenzie took pictures and packed his lunch for me. :o)

I know you don't protect, train and raise your children to grow up and stay up under you, but when the time comes to start letting them spread their wings it sure is sad! From the time that Matthew was about four or five he has always stood and waved to Marc as he left for work. To this day he sees his dad off every morning. That is one of the qualities that we love about him is his loyalty. Marc said it was a strange feeling to be taking him to work instead of waving to him as he left.

The owner of the store told Marc that Matthew did a good job, caught on quick and as long as he kept that smile on his face he would do great! :o)

Funny, Funny Mariah...

2012-01-02T21:37:00.000-08:00

I recently told my children that when they tell me they are finished with their school work I expect every assignment to be finished and with no blanks. I was grading Mariah's math the other day and one of her "answers" was "no clue". She said, "Well, you told me not to leave anything blank."

Tonight she was playing a hymn on the piano and she told me she wanted that sung at her funeral. I told her that I wasn't planning on being at her funeral and she very indignantly said, "Well, that isn't very nice."

I was laying on the couch and I told her that I would pay her $1 if she would rub my feet. She looked really grossed out and said, "I don't really do skin type stuff."

During Bible time Marc always asks if anyone has anything they need to "get right" or share anything from their day. I asked Mariah for forgiveness for being short with her during her math lesson. Immediately, two others asked her for forgiveness for different things. She looked so pleased and said, "I get three forgiveness's tonight!"

And.... When she found out I was blogging about her she said, "When I get a blog one day, I am going to embarass you!" :o)

Happy 9th Birthday Mariah!

2012-01-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

Mariah Noel entered the world shortly after midnight on January 1st 2003. I remember just moments after she was born my midwife saying, "Happy New Years baby!" She has always felt special because her birthday is the first day of the year.Mariah has added so much fun and laughter to our family. She was a high strung and very emotional baby/toddler, but is probably one of our easiest going children now! Funny how that works....

Another good quality that Mariah has is contentment. She never asks for anything and is always wanting to give gifts to people. We had the hardest time coming up with things to get her for Christmas and her birthday. Each of our children get a leather Bible with their name engraved on it when they learn how to read well and show responsibility to take care of it. This Christmas Mariah received her Bible. She is so proud of it that she has even carried it with her into the grocery store!

When we asked her what she would like for her birthday she said, "If you gave me a pack of gum I would be thrilled!" :o)

When she was born a friend brought her this New Year's crown. Every year we take her picture with it on.

I am very grateful that the Lord saw fit to put Mariah in our family. She has been a blessing and a joy! This past year has been a big year for Mariah spiritually. She has asked lots of questions and is really trying to seek the Lord. I pray that she will always have a hunger for God's word and love Him with all of her heart.

We love you Mariah!

"Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart." Psalm 119:1-2

Happy 16th Birthday Matthew!

2011-12-31T18:33:00.000-08:00

You always hear mothers say, "I don't know where the time has gone." It is so true though. Childhood is fleeting, and before you know it they go from being a chubby little baby to a teenager that is taller than you!
This is one of my favorite pictures of Matthew as a baby. He was such a fat and happy baby! :o)

I was looking through some old picture files and found this one of Matthew and Mariah about four years ago. Matthew was born on New Year's Eve and seven years later Mariah was born just after midnight on New Years Day!

I asked Matthew what he wanted to do for his 16th birthday and he said he wanted to have some of his friends over to shoot air soft guns. Here he is with two of his closest friends from church. They are all within a few months of each other. I will post more pictures from his party later.

Matthew has been a joy to raise. Raising teenagers is definitely hard work, but it hasn't been the nightmare that people told me it would be. I am very grateful for the Godly young man he is growing up to be.

Our charge to you Matthew is that you continue to grow in faithfulness according to God's word so that He will preserve you and plentifully reward you.

"O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer." Psalms 31:23

Please pray...

2011-12-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

On the morning of December 23rd my dad fell outside by his pool and broke his hip. He had surgery on Christmas Eve morning and is still in the hospital. He has had some setbacks but today seemed to be doing better. He is 86 years old and has never been in the hospital- not even for his own birth! He has always been in good health and in excellent shape, so this has been very hard on him. Please pray for him! My mom (who is 18 years younger than him) has lots of health issues. The whole thing has been hard for both of them as they are very dependent on each other.

Only a week before his accident he and my mom came down to visit to celebrate his birthday. I am so glad that McKenzie did a "photo shoot" with him outside and got some great pictures of him.
He grew up on a farm and enjoys coming to our house to see all of the animals.

Romping in the woods with the kids and seeing Matt's "fort".

I love this picture of him with all of my children!

Happy Birthday Mamma

2011-12-20T06:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Mama! We love you so much and we hope you have the best birthday one could ever have!

Happy Birthday Mama!

Below are a few things I love about you

1: You are faithful in keeping this house in orderly shape
2: You are faithful to dad in all you do
3: You desire to keep us healthy by not letting us eat too much sugar
4: Your health shakes :)
5: When we need help with a science project you always join in to make it fun

6: When we are hurt or sick you always try to make us as comfortable as possible
7: When we are having an argument or a fight of some sort you always make things come out right.
8: When our rooms are messy you always remind us to clean it up as part of our training for our own houses one day.
9: When we neglected to do a jurisdiction we were suppose to do you always make sure you tell us to do it (8: above)
10: For just being you and for loving us the way we do.
I love you soooooooo much Mama! I just want you to know that you are very important to each one of us.

Happy
Birthday
Mama!
Love your daughter

~Madeline~

Mary and Joseph

2011-12-19T20:29:00.000-08:00

Can you tell what they had been watching?

" The Nativity". :o) Last night Mariah talked Malachi into being "Joseph". This morning she wanted to play it again and Malachi wouldn't cooperate.

Myles loves Mariah, and was a willing participant! :o)

Adoration......

Malachi said he was a Roman soldier. :o)

More Christmas happenings...

2011-12-14T17:02:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season is going by so fast! We have been busy with lots of different things. A couple of weeks ago we had our church Christmas party. The church looked so pretty!

Madeline with one of her sweet friends and her baby sister.

Mariah with two of her sweet friends. Emma Kate was being bashful. :o)

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The next day we headed to town for the Christmas parade. It is a small town but the parade was pretty cute.

Only in a small southern town does the public school band play Christmas hymns! I loved it!

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Last week Marc took a few of us on a business trip with him. The hotel was beautifully decorated for Christmas.

Madeline and Mariah both enjoyed the ice skating. I skated with them once, but I decided not to post a picture of me! :o)

They enjoyed the indoor pool. I was glad to see that Myles still remembered how to swim too.

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McKenzie took her piano students to a nursing home to perform and pass out cookies and cards. I think it blessed us even more than it did the residents. Our family plans to go back next week.
Madeline and Mariah aren't McKenzie's students but they played too.McKenzie with one of her youngest students.

Hope you all are having a blessed Christmas season!

Christmas Shopping With Mariah

2011-12-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was driving the girls home from their piano lesson. Madeline was discussing her Christmas shopping and the fact that she hadn't gotten McKenzie anything yet. I asked her if she had any ideas and Mariah spoke up and said, "I am getting her toilet water." I thought she was being silly and I laughed and said, "Well, that is really nice Mariah." She said, "She likes toilet water." I told her to quit being silly. She very indignantly said, "The stuff she sprays on. She told me it is toilet water." I told her that McKenzie was pulling her leg and she kept on saying that it really was toilet water. When we got home she marched upstairs and brought me a bottle of perfume that said "Eau de toilette". I will never convince her otherwise!

This evening I took Mariah out to get her shopping done. Last year she did her shopping at Kohls and it got pretty expensive for me, and I am not sure she ever really worked her debt off! :o) I decided to take her to Dollar General to shop this year. She got her little basket and set off to find the perfect gifts. She grabbed an item and put it in her basket for Madeline and then it was off to find something for Matthew. She picked up a UGA coffee thermos. I told her that Matthew doesn't drink coffee so something else might be better. She said, "Ok, how about this?" as she tossed a mug into her basket. I suggested a ball cap for her daddy. She looked at the price tag and said, "Oh, $8 is way too much!" Next on her list was McKenzie. She came to a big bin of really colorful socks. She grabbed two pair really fast and threw them in her basket. She said, "McKenzie will really make a fool out of them." (Still not sure exactly what she meant by that.) She found a couple of things for the little boys and then it was just me she had left. She was seriously considering a pack of paper towels for me when McKenzie stepped in to help out. I was waiting at the front of the store. She came up there and I told her I would help her check out. She quickly said, "You can help me, but I don't want you to see the bracelet." I started laughing and she never did get it!
Yes, shopping with Mariah this year was a memory I won't forget!

These are a few pictures that McKenzie took of her the other day. The third one really shows her personality!

*Oh, and thanks Doris from Holland for leaving the comment. That was pretty neat to hear from someone so far away.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T18:43:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is already Thanksgiving. Time goes by like a freight train! I thought I would share some things that I am thankful for.

I am thankful for:

-my salvation
-God's mercy and forgiveness
- my husband who is a faithful man and a hard worker
-my six children. I am thankful for each one of them and what they bring to the family. Each one is so very different and very special!
-that my parents and Marc's parents are all still alive and my children can be a part of their lives.
-living out in the country
-animals that provide for our family (and some that contribute nothing but eating up our money! :o)
-my bed, nothing like laying in my bed reading after a long day!
-the beautiful weather we have been having. I do NOT enjoy cold weather!
-the privilege to home school my children. Some days I don't act like it is a privilege, but I can't imagine them being anywhere else but here with me.
-our church, I am thankful for our pastor who reinforces the things that we are teaching our children at home. I am thankful for good friends that my children have, and that they are being raised in a similar way.
-for God's protection over my family two years ago in the car accident.
-for God's protection over Mariah when she was kicked by one of our horses.
-laughter that my children (two in particular! :o) bring to our home.

Well I guess I could go on and on but I will end it there. Tonight during our family Bible time (Madeline posted about it here) Marc asked us to all name two things that we were thankful for. Everyone said things like "salvation, family, finishing the chicken pen, being together with family etc. It came time for Malachi and he said, "My toys and playing with my G.I.Joe" I kind of chuckled and said, "Wow that was deep." Matthew said, "He is only five. How deep do you think he can go?" Just sitting and listening to my children talk is such entertainment! :o)

Hope you all (if you live in the United States) have a Happy Thanksgiving! (Which makes me think....... I noticed some really interesting places on the blog map of people reading from other countries. I would love to get a comment from you and how in the world (ha ha no pun intended!) you found my little ole blog! :o)

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness:come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God:it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,and into his courts with praise:be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good;his mercy is everlasting;and his truth endureth to all generations.

Cleansing the Home

2011-11-22T18:15:00.001-08:00

Last Sunday our pastor preached on cleansing your home from things that could bring spiritual harm to your family. We have heard him teach on this before but it is always good to be reminded of the things that we often let our guard down on. He talked about fear, anxiety, anger, lust, even health problems and how it can be directly related to things in your home. As parents we should be constantly going through books, movies, magazines, and even objects that could invite demons into our homes. We have always tried to be careful of what kinds of things come into our home even to the point that we throw sales papers and catalogs away when they come in the mail. Can you believe the pornography that comes even in a department store ad!? Anyway, one area that we have dropped the ball on and were convicted in was books. Our pastor said if a book contradicts scripture it should be burned! How many seemingly innocent books contradict scripture? Truth.... it is a word that keeps popping up around here. I want my children immersed in God's truth! Here are some quotes we have heard just in the last week that I have been pondering....

"Truth without love is harshness. Love without truth is compromise."

"Truth doesn't change just because it is uncomfortable."

"Truth without application is useless."

Here is our little Myles Truth. :o)

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Here are some funny pictures that McKenzie took of Mariah and Malachi the other day. It has been like spring lately and the kids are loving it! Malachi drives us crazy until Mariah is finished with school and can go out to play with him.

Basha has put up with so much nonsense over the years. :o)

Pioneers driving their wagon. :o)

A fall day...

2011-11-17T15:32:00.000-08:00

I rarely take pictures because McKenzie does a better job, but the other day I went camera crazy! It has been unseasonably (even for the south!) warm lately and yesterday a storm was brewing. The children went outside and played in the leaves and it just looked like good lighting to snap some fun pictures of them! :o)

Well, actually this is one that McKenzie took of Madeline after she got 9 inches cut off her hair. She donated it to Locks of Love. My girls have always talked about doing that so it was pretty neat to finally get to!

This cozy coupe was McKenzie's. Little Tikes is tough stuff!

McKenzie works two afternoons a week at a music studio teaching piano. We all hate the days that she is gone!

These two little guys are FULL of energy!

Don't feel too bad for Myles, he holds his own! :o)

Mariah had about 6 inches cut off of hers. You have to have at least 8 inches to donate. You can't tell with her hair in a braid, but it does look shorter!

Jumping pictures are always fun!

Worn out...

Happy Fall!

Pumpkin Bread

2011-11-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

When fall hits we bake lots of zucchini and pumpkin bread at our house. We use this recipe with just a few changes. We use fresh ground whole wheat flour, a little less nutmeg than it calls for, sucanat instead of sugar (and I only use 2 1/2 cups.) I made some today and the kitchen smells so good! :o)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15 ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 9x5 inch loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, canola oil, water, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until smooth.
4. Slowly blend in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Evenly divide batter between the three loaf pans.
5. Bake for 60 minutes, or until browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove loaves from oven and cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. With a knife, go around the bread and loosen the loaves. Remove from pan and cool completely before slicing.

Mariah

2011-11-09T17:51:00.000-08:00

The same little girl that put this in my bed last night....

put this by my bed tonight. :o)

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Mariah has been learning about verbs in English lately. In her lesson today she had to write a poem and use the words "come" and "gone". This is what she wrote....

Winter has gone and springtime has come;

I love spring, it is so much fun.

Flowers grow and the sun shines on me;

That's the way I like it to be.

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She is my new running buddy! I usually let her come out and finish the last mile with me. The other day she asked if she could do two.She did it!

A fall walk...

2011-11-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

McKenzie recently bought a new dairy goat. One day Malachi asked me over and over again to take him out to see the new goat. I had no desire to go back to the barn to see goats! I felt bad as the day was coming to an end and decided to take the two little boys outside. They had so much fun!

Quite pleased to meet "Rose".

Talking to "Nilla"

This little guy almost always has a smile on his face.

I captured Myles with a smile. He is usually my serious one.

McKenzie's "girls"

Visiting "Candy"

Myles ended up staying out past dark and went milking with McKenzie.

Sometimes I have to force myself to forget my "to do" list and remember the little things in life are much more important!

Chicken Pox

2011-11-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

Several years ago my oldest five children had chicken pox. McKenzie was 14 at the time and it was horrible! I really wanted Myles to get them while he was little. Last spring I drove an hour and a half to expose him to them. He didn't get it and I figured I would have to try again next spring. Thanks to vaccines it is hard to find cases of them now. I was so excited last week (well, the timing was bad... that is another post!) when we realized he was getting red spots all over him! :o)

Isn't he pretty! :o)

I put him in front of the mirror and he was scared of himself. Later he looked at his hands and said, "Oh no! Yuk, yuk!"

Now a week and a half later his skin is clearing up and it was really a breeze! SO much better to get it while they are young!

Redneck trampoline...

2011-11-03T05:56:00.000-07:00

Fair 2011

2011-11-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy fall and I am going to attempt to catch up posting some of our hundreds of pictures. About a month ago the fair was in town. It is a huge fair and lots of fun to go to every year. We always try to find a food contest to enter so we can get in for free. This year we did the pie contest so that we would have the pies for dessert later in the day. It was hilarious because I threw mine together the night before without a recipe and got 2nd in the adult division. :o) It was made with sucanat and it wasn't very pretty!

Madeline got 1st place in the youth class! It was her first blue ribbon at the fair.

I was impressed that Matthew even made one. He did it by himself and even made his crust from scratch!

McKenzie entered lots of sewing projects and canning. The two blue ribbons (and yellow one) are hers! :o)

Madeline got 2nd on her knit hat.

The cows are always one of our favorites to see!

"The look, the feel of cotton, the fabric of our lives...."

Myles riding with grandma on her "hot rod"!

McKenzie's dress.Pajama pants that Madeline made for Myles. This is the first sewing project that she has ever done by herself.

More knitting by Madeline.

McKenzie's pillow. The girls placed 1st or 2nd on everything they entered! :o)

A boy and a tractor.... the thrill!

Matthew checking out the engine. For as long as I can remember he has always been fascinated with how things work.

Waiting for the alligator show.

With grandma and pa after a long day at the fair.

We went another day so that Marc could go. We entered a soap carving contest. Marc wouldn't do it but I did. I did a fabulous job! ha

McKenzie really put a lot of effort into hers!

Mariah got second place in the younger youth division and Matt got 1st in the older youth! My children are much more creative than I am! :o)

Madeline has been raising chickens for several years. She has always loved baby chicks.

Well, that is just a few of our fair pictures! Until next time...

Beach...

2011-10-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you to those who left the sweet comments on the last post. I know it is the prayers of friends and family that have helped me get through it. I didn't mention that the day I miscarried was the 2nd anniversary of the car accident that Marc, Matthew and Malachi were in. Those of you that know us or have read my blog for a long time remember. Matthew was injured the worst and spent a few days in the hospital. The people that saw our van and the paramedic that worked the wreck couldn't believe that he had survived the accident, much less without lasting injuries. There is no doubt in my mind that the hand of God was on him. So while I was very sad because of the miscarriage, I looked at Matthew that evening during our family Bible time with a heart FULL of gratitude!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our family went to the beach several weeks ago. It was a much needed distraction with everything that was going on with me. The weather was cooler than normal and it was a very relaxing trip. McKenzie posted a few pictures here. (We only took about 500! :o)

Mariah and Malachi always supply us with lots of artwork! :o)

Lined up in birth order after we had a picnic at a rest stop. Eating Chinese food the first night is one of our traditions. :o)

He did this so many times while we were there. I think he liked the upside down view.

Where we stayed we could see the huge ships going in and out.

The little guys...

Pippy long stockings :o)

Malachi's "jumping" picture. :o)

The big kids...

One of our favorite places to eat.

Eating out by the water.

Mariah and Madeline love playing in the sand.

Napping on the beach is the best!

Walking the pier at night.

Goodbye summer 2011...

Haven

2011-10-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

The beginning of August we were so excited to find out that we were expecting baby number seven.

Marc and I were just as excited with this pregnancy as we were with any of the others. Sometimes I think the older you get it is even more amazing to think of "another one". Life is such a miracle. We waited a few days and told the oldest two children. McKenzie was up late one night working on an embroidery project when I told her. I don't think I will ever forget how sweet her reaction was. She clapped her hands together, cried and said, "Are you serious?" She was so excited. Matthew just grinned and said, "Cool." After another couple of weeks went by I felt like we were safe to tell the other two girls. Madeline was very excited and Mariah just kept saying, "Please don't tease me if this isn't true. I am so excited!" Yes, another baby would be very much welcomed in our home.

I scheduled my appointment around the time that I would be 9 weeks pregnant. The only day I could get an appointment with my midwife was on Malachi's birthday. I took him and Madeline (so she could watch him during my app.) with me thinking it would be a fun day. On the first OB appointment they always do a sonogram to measure for an accurate due date. I went in there expecting everything to look fine. I immediately saw the shadow of the baby and a strong little heartbeat. I kept thinking that it didn't look as big or as distinct as it should for nine weeks though. Then the lady doing the sonogram said, "You are really early." I knew then something wasn't right. She and my midwife were very positive and told me to come back in the next week for another ultrasound, that I had miscalculated. The only problem was that it meant I would have only been 2 weeks pregnant when I had a positive pregnancy test and that doesn't happen.

I left the doctor's office very upset and discouraged. I immediately called my husband who was his usual positive self and he kept telling me to trust the Lord. We told the children that the baby was very small and there was a good chance I would miscarry. I really hoped for a miracle but the Lord had other plans for our little one. The next week the sonogram showed that the baby had not grown and the heart beat was very faint. I knew that at 10 weeks I should be able to see arm and leg buds and that it was very obvious this baby wasn't going to make it. I went home to wait on "nature to take its course."

McKenzie brought these flowers to me that evening when she came home from teaching piano lessons.
It has been a very sad time and I feel like I have been on an emotional roller coaster. I don't think anyone can understand miscarriage unless you have experienced it. It is not a fun thing to go through. Sometime between week 10 and 11 the baby must have died because a little after week 11 I miscarried. One of the things that I had prayed was that the Lord would allow me to see the baby. I did not want to just flush it down the toilet. Amazingly I did find the baby, and as heartbreaking as it was I was so grateful to have it. I wanted to do some kind of memorial for the baby. We decided to bury it in our garden area and plant bulbs that will come up in the spring when the baby would have been born. One night in the bed Marc asked me if I had a feeling of what sex the baby was and did I want to name it. I told him I felt like it was a girl. Our family are all "M" names but I couldn't come up with any "M" name that seemed fitting. The only consolation I had through this was thinking that the baby was in heaven and would always be safe. I told Marc I thought "Haven" (which means a safe dwelling place) would be neat but I felt sad not giving it an "M" name. He assured me that she wouldn't care. We even had a good laugh thinking about if we get to heaven and it was a little boy! :o) (Although, Haven is English and is considered a unisex name.)

I also wanted something for the house that would remind me of the baby when I see it. Marc and I found this cross with "Trust" on it that I knew had to be it!

I hung it where the next baby's picture would have hung. It seems fitting for now.

Well, this has been a road that I would rather not have traveled. I would love to say that I had the perfect faith and trusted the Lord through the whole thing. Malachi pretty much summed it up tonight. I had to go back to have more blood work done today and the sonogram lady came out to see me and brought the sonogram pictures to me. They were laying on the kitchen table and Malachi asked me what they were. I told him that they were pictures of our baby. He asked me if I had a baby in my tummy, and I told him that Jesus had taken our baby to heaven. He said, "Well, that's not fair." Nope, doesn't seem fair at all. We heard a family sing this song a couple of years ago and the lyrics have been on my mind a lot lately.

"Here I am before you Lord
falling at Your feet
My longing is to know You more
Your purpose to complete
When I look around me
its so hard to understand
I want to see You move, Lord
I want to see Your hand
Trusting You, Lord
does not come easily to me
Trusting You, Lord
I need Your eyes, that I may see
When the way is dark and I'm afraid
and don't know what to do
Help me take my eyes off me, Lord
and keep my eyes on YOU.
I stand upon Your promise, Lord
You have a plan for me
And though I may not see it yet
I'll trust You faithfully
You have spoken to my heart
a message strong and true
So I'll gather up my courage, Lord
and humbly follow You.
Trusting You, Lord
does not come easily to me
Trusting You, Lord
I need Your eyes, that I may see
When the way is dark and I'm afraid
and don't know what to do
Help me take my eyes off me, Lord
and keep my eyes on YOU."

"The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

Myles' birthday celebration...

2011-09-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

On the day of Myles' birthday we were traveling home from the beach. On the way home we stopped at a really pretty park and let him play.

We made his cake and celebrated after we got home. McKenzie made him a pumpkin cream cheese cake. It was healthy AND yummy! :o)

He was so cute when we were singing to him. He kept looking at everybody with a big smile on his face.

It cracked me up when he actually knew to blow his candles out. I guess he remembered from Malachi's birthday. :o)

I fixed hamburgers for his birthday supper and he wouldn't touch them. Of course, when cake time came he ate that just fine!

The only movies he will watch are our old "Miss Patty Cake" VHS tapes. We found a new one on DVD. Once he saw that he didn't care about opening anything else. He loves Miss Patty Cake!

Malachi's birthday celebrations!

2011-09-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

The weekend before Malachi's birthday we had a family from church over to eat and celebrate his birthday with us. Malachi picked the cowboy theme and decorated his cake by himself! :o)

We had several cowboy games planned but they just wanted to play!

Cute little cowboys!

Mariah decided to put Lily Beth's bandanna on like a scarf instead! :o) She was so cute!

Cute little cowgirls!

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On his actual birthday he wanted blueberry pancakes for breakfast.

I had a doctors appointment that day. I didn't want to be away from Malachi the whole day so I took him and Madeline with me. After the appointment we went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch.
They put this hat on him and sang to him for his birthday. He thought it was pretty cool. He asked about Mexican stuff the whole way home!

He was so excited to get a new pistol and holster and a Red Ryder DVD!

I will post pictures from Myles' birthday another day!

Happy Birthday Myles!

2011-09-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Myles Truth is two today! Myles is a quiet but very busy little boy. He has made my heart fall to my stomach many times already! He is a climber and our little stunt man. He can now climb out of his play pen, crib and both kinds of baby gates that we have! He loves to give hugs and has lots of willing recipients! There is nothing more precious than his chubby little arms around my neck as he says, "Oh weeeeet!" (Oh, sweet) He is also getting very independent. I hear many times a day, "I do it!" We all enjoy him so much. I think being the sixth born I have learned (finally :o) to relax and just soak up every stage. Even the stages that are frustrating go by so fast!

Happy Birthday Myles!

(Yes, that is lipstick on his cheek. Thanks to kisses from his big sister!)

Myles,

May you grow up serving your Lord and Saviour so that He will honor you in due season.

"If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour." John 12:26

Love you,

Daddy and Mommy

Happy Birthday Malachi!

2011-09-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

Our fifth born, Malachi David turned 5 today! He is a bundle of energy and lots of fun. Even though he is probably our most rambunctious child, he is also one of the most loving. I can't leave the house without getting a hug and a kiss and told how much he loves me.
He loves guns, swords, baseball and to play dress up. You never know if he is going to have on armor, a cape, cowboy stuff or a conglomeration! He learned how to swim this summer and is now busy learning how to read. He is passionate about anything he does and lives life to its fullest! :o)
A blessing to you Malachi:

In your pursuit of happiness and the good life may you always look to the one who gives it abundantly.

John 10:10 "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

We love you!

Daddy & Mommy

Atlanta Trip

2011-09-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago (yes, I am behind on my blog...) Marc had a business trip to Atlanta. He likes for me to go with him when I can. If it is somewhere that has a lot to do I like to take a couple of the kids with us too. This time we took Matthew and Madeline (and of course Myles!)

The first night we went to the Varsity to eat. I don't think their food is that great (my slaw dogs are much better in my opinion!) but there is something nostalgic about going there. I always think about when my parents were growing up in Atlanta and picture them going there. It was Madeline's first time going and she thought it was pretty neat.

Myles loved the Varsity hats! :o)

Boy can Matthew eat!

Me and my sweet girl.

Myles had fun at the pool.

The gold dome in the background is the state capitol. The gold that they used to make it was from Dahlonega, Georgia. Matthew told me that he read somewhere that if you rolled up the gold it would be the size of a soccer ball.

We toured the CNN center. That was pretty interesting. Since we don't have television we watched CNN at the hotel so we could see their news people. :o) We actually saw one of the ladies doing a live interview that we had seen on t.v. that morning. The guy that did our tour told us that you wouldn't even recognize the news ladies without their hair and makeup done. Matthew thought that was funny!

A whole lot more goes into a news program that you ever realize!

Matthew's favorite place on the whole trip was the Braves store. Yes, that is where he spent his money! :o)

Matthew being goofy in Olympic Park.

We had a good trip but it is always great to go back home!

Encouragement by Charlene Notgrass

2011-08-26T05:08:00.000-07:00

Teach Your Children to Live

Take pressure off yourself by realizing that your children are learning all the time. Be disciplined about completing the curriculum you believe God wants your children to learn, but quit hurrying up to “finish your schoolwork” so you can go on vacation (which can be geography and maybe science and history, too) or get to soccer practice (health and PE) or fix dinner (home economics and science and math). Fill your lives with rich experiences, godly people, and service to others. Don’t let “school” be a pressure—learn to live instead. Today look for the learning opportunities in the activities of life.

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10

Reminders...

2011-08-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

It has been one of those days. Nothing really bad happened, just a blah kind of day. This evening Madeline took Malachi out to feed the horses and milk the goats. It was really time for his bath but I thought the few minutes of quiet would be nice. When they came back inside she sheepishly said that both goats kicked their buckets over. In frustration I said, "I can't help but think you weren't paying as much attention since you had Malachi out there." I took him by the hand to go take his bath. I was scrubbing his head when he looked up at me and said, "Mommy, it is a choice to be happy."

Wednesdays are hard because Marc has men's meeting at church, Matthew goes with him for scouts and McKenzie teaches piano lessons. Normally Marc puts Malachi to bed and it gives me a break in the evening. Tonight I was reading and praying with him. I often ask my children what their favorite thing about that day was. When I asked Malachi tonight he enthusiastically said, "Milking with Madeline!" Sometimes we have to be reminded of what is really important. Nothing like a little child to do that for you!

Keeping cool...

2011-08-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

We have had a HOT summer. The kids have found some creative ways to stay cool!

Matthew is always creating something!

Having a blast!

We were deep into our History lesson one day when Mariah looked stressed out. I asked her what was the matter and she said, "If you don't hurry up we are going to miss the sprinkler!" The kids love when the center pivot in the field across from us is spraying into our yard. I let them take a break to cool off and then our lesson went much better! :o)

Malachi always manages to find mud!

Soaking up the last bit of summer...

My other Little Fish...

2011-08-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

Myles absolutely loves the water. He has no fear (which makes me have fear! :o) and likes to be left alone. He will walk right off the steps without water wings on. We laugh and say he is going to be our "extreme sports" kind of guy.

Sporting Mariah's pink goggles...

then she took them. Gotta love those toddler tantrums!

Swimming w/ Malachi

2011-08-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

Malachi went from not wanting to get in the pool at all to swimming by himself this summer! He is the kind of kid that has to make his own mind up to do something. A few weeks ago we were at my parents' pool and it clicked with him. Of course, I didn't have my camera! We went swimming the other day and I got these pictures of him.

He is so proud of himself. :o)Once they learn... there is no stopping them!

Proud that he conquered!

Butterflies...

2011-08-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

We have a huge butterfly bush by our front porch. Madeline and Mariah are fascinated with the different butterflies that it attracts. I bought two nets for them, but they actually just reach over and pick them up off the bush.

Mariah was asking questions about what kind the different ones were. I had no clue what most of them were, so being the wonderful homeschooling mother that I am (haha) we researched to find out. We checked a really neat butterfly guide out at the library this summer. The pictures were so pretty.

Mariah was amazed that there are about 20,000 species of butterflies around the world and close to 600 here where we live! This morning alone she saw a Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and a Monarch (Danaus plexippus.) We found the "family" that the above butterfly was from but couldn't figure out the exact one that it was.

This one was the clouded sulphur. There are tons of different ones in that family.

Malachi just stood by eating his pear taking it all in.

What a life... :o)

School days...

2011-08-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

August 1st marked the first "official" day of our school year! I am always ready to have more of a routine, but it is sad that another summer break is over.

I have most of Madeline and Mariah's things in these two crates. They both work in our office at desks. Matthew has a separate shelf and he works at the kitchen table. As of day two it is working for us. :o)

I love this American History curriculum by Notgrass for high school so much that I bought the middle school Am. History from them.

Chemistry!! Thank goodness for Apologia!

I am so excited that McKenzie asked if she could work with Malachi this year! I would have only read books to him this year. She started working with him some over the summer and already has him reading some short vowel words. She works with him while Myles is napping and that frees me up to work with Madeline and Mariah. I LOVE having a daughter that is finished with school. She is staying busy! I will write more about what she is doing in another post.

Not sure why Myles was so unhappy.

I have a graduate, 10th grader, 7th grader, 3rd grader, preschooler and almost 2 year old this year.

Matthew always loves the first day of school photos.

Smile Matthew... it's not that bad!

We have had two days so far and the only challenge is keeping the toddler in his bed! He has learned how to climb out. Hopefully with some consistency I will convince him that nap time is a good thing. :o)

Tubing in Florida

2011-07-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

We headed to Florida REALLY early one morning to go tubing and to swim in the springs. The younger kids didn't know we were going until that morning. I woke them up at 4 AM and told them to put their swimsuits on and Mariah said, "Don't be silly mama!"
Notice everyone was groggy except Malachi! :o)

The weather was perfect and we were the first people on the river! There was literally nobody on it with us!

Malachi loved it.

Jump baby!

She got the "pretty" tube. :o)

My only regret from the trip is that I didn't have a camera on the river with us. It was gorgeous and we saw lots of wildlife.

Mariah was the only one that didn't enjoy the tubing part of it. She was terrified that something was going to touch her!

To start with I had Myles in my tube. He fussed because I was keeping him pinned down in my lap. Marc made me pass him to him and he let him hang off the side of his tube. He loved it and didn't utter a peep the rest of the time! :o) Daddy is so much more fun than mommy!

After we tubed we had a picnic and then headed to two different springs to swim.

You could see straight down to the bottom of the springs. The water was beautiful and COLD!

I did have alligators on my mind... but we didn't see any.

Of course, like anywhere that there is swimming there is immodesty. The Lord really protected us from the crowd when we tubed. When we got off the river there was a huge crowd coming. When we went to the springs it was a little more crowded when we first got there. Mariah said, "A fat lady with a bikini AND a tattoo...it takes away ALL her good looks." Malachi slapped his hands over his eyes one time and said, "She is so embarrassed!" It was funny, but it is also frustrating that you can't ever get away from it!

Headed home...

Definitely a do again for our family. Next year we will go on a weekday after school has started.

Training him young... :o)

2011-07-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

Summer Projects...

2011-07-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

I always have a list of things I hope to accomplish over our summer break. Homeschooling mothers don't have a whole lot of time to do projects during the school year! My list is always longer than the time I have to get it done, but I have gotten a few things done.

The boys' room was looking like this... (Malachi loves when Matthew builds Lego creations for him to play with! They make such huge messes though!)

I can only take it so long and then I have had it! I got a big black trash bag and cleaned out, washed windows and curtains, and Marc and I painted the walls. The walls have been a taupe color for six years. Malachi has been really rough on them and had even picked a hole in the wall where he sleeps. I wanted to change the look a little bit so we painted a blue accent wall (Eddie Bauer- Denim) and painted the other three taupe again. The boys like it and I am pretty happy with it.

I need to take the crib down. My last two babies have slept (Myles still is) in a pack and play in my room. With my room being downstairs it just works better for everyone. I have left it up for the past six years and I think Myles has taken maybe two naps in it!

Matthew was really glad when I told him we wouldn't paint his closet. I let him hang anything he wants as long as it goes in the closet. It is pretty much covered! This is what it looks like...

Nice huh? :o)

Very glad that job is done!

I love being a mama...

2011-07-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

Summer Learning

2011-07-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

I love the laid back days of summer when you aren't bound to a schedule and schoolwork. We always do lots of reading though and this summer I decided to get a jump on Mariah's science. It has been fun because we have the time to do the experiments without rushing through them. Madeline has joined us and we have all (including me!) learned a lot! We are studying astronomy with "Exploring Creation with Astronomy".

One of our projects was to make homemade clay and make a model of Mercury. They looked better when they were first made. :o) Did you know that even though Mercury is the closest to the sun it is not the hottest planet? I don't remember learning that in school. Venus is hotter because of the atmosphere (in which Mercury has none-- so while it is HOT during the day, it freezes at night.) There are lots of really easy experiments and projects that help the children remember what they learned. Another thing they are doing is keeping a notebook on what we read each day. They write about it and draw pictures. They have had lots of fun doing that too.

My sister let me borrow these DVDs. They were AMAZING!!! I never really thought about how HUGE all of creation is. We are such a tiny speck living on little bitty Earth. It is amazing that God created ALL that He did and yet he chooses to love us. A man at church gave the illustration last Sunday and compared it to picking up a grain of sand and saying that you love the inhabitants on that grain of sand. Pretty amazing huh!?

"The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork." Psalms 19:1

Chick Fil A Cow Appreciation Day!!!

2011-07-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

Last year our whole family went to Chick Fil A for cow appreciation day. This year Marc and Matthew had a white water rafting trip with scouts and McKenzie and Mariah went to visit grandparents. Matthew was so glad he missed out on the humiliation this year! That left me and Madeline taking the two little boys. Madeline and I were a little embarrassed when we walked in and they rang a cow bell and mooed at us! :o) It was fun for Malachi though and we got free food!My mom made this cow costume for Madeline years ago for a church fall festival. Myles was able to wear it last year and this year to CFA!

Bits and pieces...

2011-07-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

It has been SO hot. One evening we were all outside and Myles decided to take a swim! It started off with him just standing there, but it only took a minute and he was diving all over the pool!

Marc and I celebrated our 21st anniversary on June 23rd.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The other night McKenzie was teaching piano lessons and Marc and Matt were gone. Madeline and I went outside to move our baby chick pen to a new spot in the yard. I don't go outside in the evening very often but when I do, I usually see lots of things that need to be done. I walked towards the swing-set to pick up the yard toys. I bent down and there was a big black snake! I freaked out and told Madeline to call daddy and see if he was on his way home. To make a long story short... McKenzie got home before Marc and Matt. The snake started to move and she was brave enough to kill it with a shovel! I know, I know, you shouldn't kill the "good kind" of snakes, but it was where my little ones play! McKenzie wouldn't move the shovel until Marc came home to make sure it was dead. She was shaking like a leaf when he got home!

Mariah wanted to be "brave" too and hold it. (The pictures are blurry probably because I was shaking, but I thought they were funny!)

She quickly threw it down! :o)

My gross son inspected it with bare hands!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So THAT is where the missing puzzle pieces were!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whenever one of my little boys gets quiet I always go running. I found Myles helping himself to watermelon with a knife! I ended up watching him for a minute and McKenzie took pictures because he was very carefully cutting a bite and then picking it up with his fingers to eat it. Pretty smart huh!? :o)

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My children at our church 4th of July party.

I am so far behind on pictures this summer. I usually upload them onto the computer, go through them (blog with some), and then upload them to Walmart.com. I print the ones that I like best and label the envelopes with the date and a brief description. I used to immediately put them in albums. Not only do I not have time to do that now, I don't have the room to store that many albums! It works well until I realize that my children are taking hundreds of pictures and then I get overwhelmed! That is one of the many projects I hope to get done before school starts back!

Because I might forget...

2011-07-01T09:21:00.001-07:00

I could write down funny things Malachi and Mariah say all day long! Most of the time I forget. Sometimes I will grab a piece of paper so I can remember to tell Marc. I try to write it down in their journals (I write a journal for each child), but that doesn't always happen either. Yesterday though, I was in the van a good part of the day and I did write some down!

While sitting in the library parking lot waiting for Madeline to come back out, Mariah and I were both doting on Myles. She kissed his cheek and said, "You are a bag of chips!" (You know the saying, "He thinks he's all that and a bag of chips too."

Last night Malachi and I rode to town with Marc. It was past his bedtime and he was very irritable.

Malachi: "Daddy, when we get home will you play with me?"
Marc: "No, it will be time for bed."
Malachi: "You are so greedy!"

I asked him to stop doing something and he said, "Mommy, you break my heart!"
Marc told him he needed to get saved and asked him when he was going to ask Jesus into his heart. He said, "I don't know, that makes me tired. Maybe next year." Anything in the past was last week and anything in the future is "next year".

Yep, they keep us laughing!
"A joyful heart is good medicine...." Prov 17:22

Family...

2011-07-01T07:02:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago we had a family get together at my mom and dad's house. My sister and her kids came down from Kentucky, my other sister and her kids, my mom's cousin and her husband, and our aunt and cousin. Myles would love for us to let go!

The big girls...

Playing spoons.

Myles sporting Aunt Kellie's glasses! :o)

Matthew keeps the younger boys entertained for hours playing baseball.

A boy and his hat... you just don't mess with it! :o)

My mother's cousin Bette. She lived with my mom's family during part of their childhood.

All of the cousins minus Myles who was taking a nap.

Aunt Pam and our cousin Emily. We had not seen them in forever!

Malachi has gone from not wanting to get in at the beginning of the summer to swimming all over the pool with his water wings. We are working on swimming without them. :o)
Kellie's girls came home with us to spend the night. They stayed up half the night catching up!

Summer 2011...

Susannah Wesley's Rules for Raising Children

2011-06-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

John and Charles Wesley founders of Methodism and great evangelical Christians gave much credit to their mother Susannah Wesley for her godly influence in their lives. In her later years she gained a measure of fame as the mother of those great men. Before she died she was asked of many people how she was able to raise not one but two great men for God. Thus, she gave her "Rules for Raising Children."

Susannah Wesley's Rules for Raising Children:

1. Subdue self-will in a child and thus work together with God to save his soul

2. Teach him to pray as soon as he can speak.

3. Give him nothing he cries for and only what is good for him if he asks for it politely.

4. To prevent lying, punish no fault which is freely confessed, but never allow a rebellious, sinful act to go unnoticed.

5. Command and reward good behavior.

6. Strictly observe all promises you have made to your child.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought this was good and really liked #4 and 6. It is easy to tell your children you will do something (with the intentions of doing it) and forget. They don't forget though! Our pastor encourages us to ask our children periodically, especially if you are dealing with bad attitudes, if we have made a promise to them that we didn't keep. You will be surprised at the little things that they remember that you have totally forgotten!

We were having our family Bible time a few nights ago and Marc was teaching out of Proverbs. Mariah quietly said, "Great, I think I have probably done every one of those things." We thought it was funny, but to her she was burdened by it. Yesterday I found a bracelet that had the word "kindness" on it. I told her to wear it and whenever she wanted to be unkind to someone to read the bracelet as a reminder to be kind. Last night at Bible time she asked for forgiveness for: "Whatever I did today, I am sure I did something. The bracelet didn't help me a bit!" We never have to worry about what is going on in the heart of Mariah because she will tell us!

We try to have one on one time with our children as much as we can. It might be a shopping trip and out to eat with mama and daddy on Friday night or just a trip to Lowes with daddy. It is amazing when they are by themselves how much they talk! We don't do it as often as we should, but Marc thought this was a good week for Mariah to have an outing. He took her out last night for ice cream. Kids are great, it doesn't have to cost much for them to be happy! :o)

Calling to see when daddy will pick her up.

Waiting patiently...

Happy Anniversary!

2011-06-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

Today was mine and Marc's 21st wedding anniversary. Marc celebrated by going to work and I celebrated by cleaning house, taking the girls to piano and grocery shopping! :o) Just kidding... We have plans for tomorrow!

I thought in honor of our anniversary I would write some things I am thankful for about Marc.

- He has been a faithful husband.

- He is a good daddy.

- He is a good provider.

-He is forgiving.

- He works hard. He has spent countless hours on the barn, chicken pens, and fencing for animals he cares nothing about, because his children love them.

- He is a MAN in a day when so many men don't want to grow up. He doesn't pursue selfish ambitions, but always puts his family first.

- He is very humble. You will never hear him "tooting his own horn".

- He acknowledges when he is wrong and bends over backwards to make it right.

- He does things like picking blueberries at 6:00 in the morning on his day off because he knows it's important to me.

- He honors even when it is difficult.

I could write more but I will end it with that. Happy 21st Anniversary Marc! I love you!

(It is pretty bad when you have thousands of pictures on your computer, but you have to go to your facebook profile to find one of the two of us!)

Summer Fun

2011-06-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

We don't have television and it is hard to find decent movies to watch. I was so excited to get the first season of Hazel on DVD. We also ordered "Father Knows Best". It is fun to have something we all enjoy watching, and I don't have to cringe wondering if there is going to be something inappropriate! Check out Amazon for lots of old shows on DVD.

I bought a set of paints for Malachi and one for Mariah weeks ago. It has kept both of them busy! Mariah painted a picture of Hazel! :o)

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it is Sunday night and I am just now writing a Father's Day post. I am tired and bleary-eyed, but I am determined to get it done!

I am very blessed to still have my father and for him to be in such good health. He is 85 years old and in great shape. My dad is one of the most gentle, patient men I know. He was a great dad and now he is an awesome grandpa. My mom has been in poor health for several years now and my dad takes such good care of her. He truly is an example of loving sacrificially.

It has become a tradition for "Pa" to dive into his pool every summer. The kids always cheer him on as we take pictures for "proof" that he did it! He inspires me to take care of myself. I hope when I am 85 that I am in as good of shape as he is. :o)

The dive...

I love you dad! Thanks for loving unconditionally, being patient when I am sure raising teenage daughters was not fun and now for loving all of my children!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is the saying that you often marry someone like your father. That was not the case for me! :o) Marc has a totally different personality than my dad. There are qualities that I admire in both of them.

Marc is a strong leader and has never wavered on what he believes in. I may not always understand the decisions he makes for our family, but there has been such blessing when we follow him. It seems like we often go against the flow and sometimes that can be hard. I am grateful that he is willing to stand for what is right. When he is wrong he is the first to admit it. He is also the patient one when I have reached my limit with the children. He has been a faithful husband, a good provider and an awesome daddy! The proof can be seen each evening when I hear a little voice scream "daddy's home" as they race down the driveway to "ride home" with him. The joke around here is that mama worries about everything and daddy is the fun one. I am thankful that my three sons have a Godly example and I have told my girls they need to marry someone like their daddy. If they find a man that has a heart to follow the Lord like their daddy does they will be very blessed!

Happy Father's Day Marc! As your teenage daughter would say, "You're the bomb!" :o)

Boy Scout Camp 2011

2011-06-17T05:48:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago Matthew went for a week of scout camp with our church group. The last night they have a family night fish fry with the fish they caught all week.

The boys...

The ants go marching two by two...

The girls are always good sports about going. It was very hot and the ride home is a little less than pleasant with a weeks worth of SMELLY laundry! :o)

Malachi always has fun! :o)

Myles-

Summer is marching on way too fast. I wish it could stay June for several months! :o)

Hope you all are enjoying your summer too!

Not so lazy days of summer....

2011-06-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

Summer has been SO busy so far! Lots of fun things, but hoping for some lazy days ahead.

Matthew always figures out how to make things fun for the younger ones. :)

The lifeguard-- big brothers are the BEST! Trying to figure this thing out.Need a push?

Fun summer memories...

Happy Birthday McKenzie!!!

2011-06-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

Eighteen years ago today I became a mama. It was one of the most exciting days of my life! I honestly don't know where the time has gone. As the old saying goes, when it comes to parenting the days are long but the years are short. As a mama of both a grown child on down to a baby I really understand that saying! It goes by way too fast though!

With her first horse Abasha.

She was twelve here. This was the first time I let her powder her face and wear lip gloss! :)

Getting her purity ring on her thirteenth birthday. I thought she was SO big!

This was the day she got the horse that she won through a 4-H writing contest. That was an exciting day!

Her first love...

Getting her hope chest on her sixteenth birthday. Her little brothers have her wrapped around their fingers. :o)

Her senior year!

Happy Birthday McKenzie! We love you lots and are so glad the Lord blessed us with you eighteen years ago!

A blessing from Daddy:

Proverbs 31:25 "Strength and honor are her clothing: and she shall rejoice in time to come."

McKenzie you are a strong and honorable young lady. You are strong in your spirit and you hold to what is right. You honor us with your actions and your words. Because you are strong and honorable you will rejoice in your next phase of life. May God bless you! Love, Daddy

Summer Evenings...

2011-05-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

It has been hot and dry where we live. I feel like we water plants and animals from the time we get up until we go to bed!

The two little boys had already had their baths and I went out on the porch to water flowers. The next thing I knew, Myles had followed me out.

I dumped the water out of his baby pool. A boy and water (or dirt) are like magnets!

I heard Malachi knocking on his window. I looked up and he was giving me a thumbs up. :)

Madeline bringing in the last bit of laundry off the line.

We always look forward to seeing what they plant across the street from us. They have planted cotton the last couple of years but I found out this evening that it is peanuts this year. We like when they plant peanuts because we glean after the harvest!

Goodnight!

Laughs with Malachi...

2011-05-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

Mariah: "Mama, come quick! Look what Malachi is doing to the kitty!"

Malachi wakes up in the morning with a smile on his face. He is a happy child that enjoys life to it's fullest! Sometimes that enthusiasm wears me out! :)

Yesterday I heard Madeline screaming. I looked out on the porch and saw Malachi swinging his sword at her (with a huge smile on his face!) I brought him in the house and told him he needed to go stand in the corner and think about why it isn't nice to swing his sword at his sister. He said, "Ok, I will mommy." A few minutes later while I was in the next room I heard him singing to the top of his lungs, "When the ROLL is called up YONDER I 'll be there!"

Conversations with Malachi:

Malachi: "When is your birthday mommy?"

Me: "December"

Malachi: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!" (as he gives me a big hug!)

Me: "Thanks Malachi. When is your birthday?"
Malachi "I turned four on my birthday."
Me: "No, when IS your birthday?"
Malachi: "You are so silly mommy!"

Last night when I brought him inside to take a bath, (after he had spent a good bit of the day in trouble) he was fussing about not wanting to come in.

Me: "Son, you are driving me crazy!"

Malachi: "SERL?? SERL?? You are SO silly! You can't call me SERL!"

Me: "I didn't say serl, I said SON!"

Malachi: "Mommy, can you do me a favor? Can you be sweet tomorrow?"

Me: "Can YOU be sweet tomorrow?"

Malachi: "Sure, I'll be sweet tomorrow!"

Everyone needs a Malachi in their life! :o)

Faith of a Child

2011-05-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a missing library book. I don't know about your household, but no matter what system I put into place we always seem to lose books around here! I have a library basket that they are supposed to stay in unless they are being read. Without fail someone forgets and leaves a book somewhere and then it sends us into a tailspin looking for it. Mariah is our child that will search until she finds it. However, she looked and looked and couldn't find it. Matthew kept telling me that he thought we had already taken it back. There have been several occasions that our library has made a mistake and not checked something back in. I called them and after they checked the shelf and said it wasn't there I announced that I would give a prize to the person that found the book. Mariah set out on her search again. About an hour later she came downstairs and said, "Close your eyes mama." She had found the book. She told me she had already looked all around the bunk bed and didn't see it. She said, "I closed my eyes and prayed that God would help me find it. I opened my eyes and saw blue sticking out! He helped me find it!"

It made me think of the verse in Matthew that talks about having a "child-like faith". I don't think God wants us to have a "simple mind" or there wouldn't be other verses like:
"How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
and the man who gains understanding"(Prov 3:13).

Faith in the original language has more to do with confidence in something that is trustworthy (or faithful). Mariah's "child-like faith" was that she knew the Lord was faithful and He would help her find that book! Makes you wonder if we as adults had that kind of faith what God would do!

McKenzie's Graduation Day

2011-05-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

On Friday we met some friends at the church to set up for the graduation ceremony on Saturday. It was a huge blessing to have so many people willing to help.

McKenzie, Madeline and Madison (a friend from church) working hard in the kitchen.

A very talented and creative friend of mine suggested that I use clay pots and Gerber daisies to put on the tables. I waited until the day before to get the daisies to make sure they were blooming. I looked at Lowes, Wal-Mart and Ace and couldn't find any! I was so stressed out. I went into Publix to get some things for the reception and there sitting in the floral department were.... Gerber daisies! It was like the Lord put them there just for me! :)

Two ladies from church working on the tables. I think everything turned out so pretty. We wanted it to look nice yet fun.

Our pastor spoke and gave McKenzie a "charge". He did a great job. There were several different men including my dad that prayed during the ceremony. It was a very special day!

Marc spoke for a few minutes after our pastor. He talked more about the past. It was a sweet time of reflecting on memories of when McKenzie was growing up.
Here is Marc giving McKenzie her diploma.

Her piano teacher was there and we combined graduation with her senior piano recital. McKenzie played some hymns and classical pieces that she has been working on.

McKenzie's friend Becca made this cake from a picture. Didn't she do a great job!?

McKenzie with my parents....

and with Marc's parents.
This is a lady in our church that everyone affectionately calls "Aunt Donna". McKenzie has been quilting with her once a week since she was fourteen years old. She has been one of her best friends during her teen years.

McKenzie was pretty down that her closest cousin wasn't going to be at her graduation. They live in Kentucky and couldn't make the trip. I found out one of her friends that she met four or five years ago at the Vision Forum Father/Daughter retreat was going to come. I kept it a secret and she was very surprised when Julia's family walked in!

It was a very special weekend and I think she will have lots of good memories!

Happy Graduation McKenzie!

2011-05-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that our first child is graduating! It seems like just yesterday I was starting her first "official" day of home school. She was only four years old! We had a calendar, weather chart, ABC's and even aprons to wear during school. We crack up at that now! :) If I knew then what I know now, we would not have been doing school at four. Sad that it is so hard to relax with the first child. We call her our "guinea pig" and joke that we will pay for her therapy.

Here are a few of my favorite senior pictures that a friend of ours took.

Well, the big day is tomorrow... I better get to bed. I will post pictures from her day later!

Happy graduation McKenzie. We love you very much!

Budding Artist

2011-05-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

Malachi needs to be busy. We pulled out Mariah's old art easel the other day and bought him some paint and paper. Best money we have spent in a long time!

I am always reminded of the saying, "Idle hands are the devil's workshop." It is so true. Our home is a much happier place when everyone is busy doing something! We now have artwork hanging all over everywhere! :)

Funny Mariah...

2011-05-04T04:28:00.000-07:00

Note left by Mariah this morning when she wanted to come back to finish her oatmeal later.
What is funny, that is exactly how she pronounces the word "bowl" too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another encouraging note from Nancy Campbell...

‎"A mother had better be missed in the church, and at the public meetings--than be missed in her own household.:"~J. R. Miller. I am reminded of of the words of the Shulamite in Song of Songs 1:6, "They made me the keeper of the vineyards; but my own vineyard have I not kept." Don't let society, or even pressure from the church keep you from keeping your own vineyard.

Painting...

2011-05-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have two children taking ITBS tests right now. I am sitting here with two different timers going. The house is never this quiet! McKenzie is down the road spending the day sewing with a friend, the baby is napping and two are upstairs playing quietly. I thought while it is quiet and I can't move around and get anything done that I would upload some pictures.

Last week Marc was off all week. He and I worked three different days getting some painting done. We did the playroom, office/classroom and the stairwell. We still have lots more that needs to be done but this was a start. I hate painting but I love the results. Thankfully, Marc doesn't mind painting, especially when I work with him. We went darker in the playroom in hopes that the dirt won't show up as much. We painted over several pieces of "artwork" done at various times by different children! Here is the playroom when it was finished.

I love when I know the whole room is clean, curtains and all!!!

We are finishing up school and I am really looking forward to the break! I have so many projects I hope to do this summer!

Well, one timer is about to go off. Better run........

Tornado Victims

2011-04-30T18:22:00.001-07:00

We have been following the news this week about the tornadoes and the victims. It has really challenged our family to be more prepared to be ready to help when something like this happens. Here is a link where you can donate money to help three different Christian families. One of the families not only lost their home but also their father/husband. The interview of their oldest son was so encouraging. What a testimony of a great job Mr. & Mrs. Lee did in raising a strong, Godly son! We need to be praying for comfort and peace for their family in the days ahead. I would imagine that when the shock of what they have been through starts to wear off that it is going to be very difficult.

Family...

2011-04-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago one of my sisters and her children came for a visit. We visited a local museum and the kids played hard outside while they were here. I don't know why I didn't take more pictures. I think because McKenzie usually does all of our pictures and she was bogged down with school work while they were here.

Malachi thinks Clayton is wonderful and he was glued to his side the whole time.

The girls the morning they left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Saturday before Easter we usually do things like coloring eggs and Resurrection cookies. We always do Easter baskets for the kids on Saturday. It is easier not to have to do it on Sunday morning and helps keep Sunday morning more focused on the meaning of Easter.

One of his sisters talked him into wearing the apron! :)

My little Easter bunny.

All the kiddos before we left for church.

An after church attempt at a decent family picture. I wish Myles was looking! :)

Lunch and Easter egg hunt at grandma and pa's house.

Malachi with his "Pa".

Easter Idea

2011-04-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from the Notgrass family. (Notgrass homeschool curriculum) We have had "Resurrection Eggs" since our oldest two were little. They have been used every Easter over the years. I thought this idea was something fun to do on Good Friday.

Resurrection Story Eggs
A fun way to discover the Resurrection story!
1. Purchase a package of inexpensive pastel plastic eggs.
2. Cut twelve strips of lined paper, each 1 ½ - 2 inches wide. (Younger writers may need wider paper.)
3. Copy one verse from Luke 24:1-12 on each strip, but do not include the verse numbers.
4. Fold up the strips and put one strip in each egg. Add a piece of candy or two!
5. Hide the eggs and have children find them.
6. As a family, put the verses in order, then read the story together

A Spring Sunday Afternoon

2011-04-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

This is our favorite time of year. We have been busy planting our garden and some flowers. I got my love of flowers from my dad and his mother. Now that I am older, I often think of my dad's parents and wish that I could have known them. They raised nine children on a farm. I can only imagine the stories and advice that she could have shared with me! I wish I knew more about gardening, but I learn a little more each year.

This rose bush produces the most gorgeous pink roses all summer long, but it always gets black spot. I have tried sprays (which smell SO bad- I wish there was something a little less toxic!) but they don't work. Any gardeners out there with advice???

When we got home from church the children played outside all afternoon. At bedtime we brought in very dirty, tired children! They should all sleep well!

Hope you all have a good week!

Sen. Rand Paul Destroys Ms. Hogan and Department of Energy: Get Out of M...

2011-04-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Rand Paul IS pro-life. Click here for the link about his stand on abortion. I think he was only proving a point (in which he did a great job!) on the hypocrisy that liberals are pro-choice when it comes to life, but anti-choice on everything else.

Wednesday night ramblings

2011-04-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

It is only Wednesday evening and I am already feeling like "What a week!" When I told McKenzie I was taking pictures for another post on what our days have been like she said, "Oh, mama... Do you have to be THAT real?" I guess I honestly have impure motives for venting on this post. My husband had a female co-worker the other day make a comment about not knowing how I have time to run every day. Another lady said, "Because she stays home. She has all the time in the world." That didn't set well with me! So... for the record....THIS is the reality of what a homeschooling mama does with her time.

Tuesday morning around 10:00 AM.... I had already nursed and bathed a baby, fixed breakfast for five other children (they cleaned up), washed three loads of laundry (one daughter hung two loads out), mopped all of the wood floors, made two phone calls... BUT, my bed still looked like this.......

because I was teaching a math lesson to a 2nd grader while a teething one year old was throwing cheerios from one end of my room to the other....

then when he bored with that he moved to crayons......

Of course, it is always fun to play in mommy's bathroom.......

and the math manipulative's are fun to throw too!

She was learning to multiply by '3', but in reality she was learning so much more. She was learning how to be patient with her little brother! She was learning that teething one year olds can be very difficult! After her lesson she learned how to serve by taking that one year old outside to play so that her mama could then move on to the 6th grader who needed help with her school work. (On a side note: Mariah had four teeth pulled the day before. She did great and got a milkshake when it was over!)

McKenzie had to dissect a cow's heart for school. Of all nights we had to have meat loaf for supper. It was very hard to sit down and eat that night! I don't enjoy the upper level Science and Math. Fortunately, Marc is always ready and willing to help! :)

I don't write all of this to complain. As exhausting as my life can be I truly wouldn't change it for anything! But PLEASE.... don't assume that we stay-at-home moms (especially those of us that also homeschool!!) have all the time in the world. It isn't always easy! But, the blessings way out weigh the negatives. I get hugs and kisses all day long. I have a four year old that tells me he loves me and I am pretty even when I am in my running clothes and have a ponytail. I get to "see" when the light bulb turns on for one of my children struggling with something in school. I get to mold and train them everyday. I get to hear the many funny things that they say! Like.... McKenzie has two dairy goats that she is milking. We have TONS of milk now. I am having to be really creative using it. Mariah asked me what was for supper the other night. When I told her quiche she looked like she wasn't thrilled. I asked her if she didn't like quiche. She said, "Well, it is just kind of awkward. We had quiche the other night." She cracks me up when she tries to use a word and uses it wrong. I am working on character things with her and Malachi right now. She told me the other day after we had had a long talk that "this is very difficult". When McKenzie was dissecting the cow's heart she told me she was going to go watch McKenzie "digest" the cow heart. Yes, I would miss out on a lot!

Then there is Malachi.... I took him on a walk yesterday and he said, "How old are you mommy?" When I told him he said, "Are you kidding?" When I had to correct him for something today he looked at me very seriously and said, "I want to make you really small." Tonight (when once again I was trying to use up some milk) I told everyone to eat a bowl of granola for supper. When it came time to get ready for bed I told Malachi I needed to brush his teeth. He said, "Why, I don't have supper on them. Do I have bret-fest on them?"

Yes, it is exhausting...... but there is nowhere else I would rather be!

A Merry Heart

2011-04-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a long week! Myles hasn't felt well and he has had a constant "whine". It is so unnerving when you are trying to get things done! Last night I was cooking supper (and trying a new, unfamiliar recipe-which probably wasn't smart) and he was really fussy. McKenzie works on Thursday nights, so I asked Madeline to take him outside. They weren't out there long until I heard him screaming. He had gotten hurt and she was bringing him back to me. I heard Malachi turning the water on outside which means one thing.... he will be filthy! Marc walked in the door and I greeted him with "PLEASE take your babies where I can't hear them!!" He was sweet and took them for a walk while I finished fixing supper. This morning has been more of the same. Fussy baby that wants to be held and a house that looks like this. Two of the girls were moody and snipping at each other. I looked at Matthew and said, "Don't you just love girls?" He (who doesn't say a whole lot) said, "When I get married I am going to make sure my wife is on that mood balancing medicine." Oh, he has a lot to learn! :>)

Malachi wanted to"help" me fix breakfast. I really wanted him out of my way! He mixed and mixed the pancake batter!

He was quite pleased with himself!

Malachi is a very happy child and likes to have a good time. He had us all laughing at breakfast with his "Bubba" teeth. I was immediately reminded of the verse "A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones." Proverbs 17:22

I love checking for daily encouragements on facebook from "Above Rubies". Today's message was pretty timely as I was not having the greatest attitude about my day. (I love Nancy Campbell and hope to hear her in person one day!)

"Do you feel "victimized" in an area of your life today? Are you battling self-pity? Christ had every reason to wallow in self-pity and He was the ultimate victim! Yet he never behaved as a victim and He continued to pour Himself out for His family! With Him as our strength, no matter what we face, we can do the same!"

So, the laundry is still there, the homeschool lessons still need to be done, children are still irritable but I CAN choose to have a good attitude! And as Nancy would say, I am going to push my sleeves up and get to work!

Hope you all have a good day!

Picture Me Mommy!

2011-04-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

Malachi loves church and he loves getting dressed for church. We used to laugh when he was younger because he ALWAYS got taken out during church for discipline, but he still loved going! After he gets dressed he often comes into my bathroom where I am getting ready and brushes his hair. He says he looks like "Bubbie" (Matthew). This past Sunday after he was ready he said, "Picture me mommy!" (Meaning, take my picture!) So, I "pictured him" on the front porch.

Meeting a blog friend and visiting with family...

2011-04-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago I got to meet a "blogger" in person! I have been reading "Kathy Mom of Many" for the last couple of years. I can't even remember how I stumbled upon her blog. I have several blogs that I like to keep up with, total strangers that you just enjoy taking a peek into their lives. It is a long story of how it all happened, but she and her husband (who live about 10 hours away) were traveling and stopped by to meet us. It was neat meeting them and we are looking forward to them coming back through this summer with their children. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of my sisters and her family moved out of state last year. They came home for Christmas, but I was sick with the flu and we didn't get to see them. They came last week and we met at our parent's house for a visit. The children were so excited to see them and were sad when the visit was over. I know McKenzie wants to do a post on her blog, so I will only post a few of the pictures! :)

This was the best picture of the two babies together. They wouldn't be still!

The boys played hard.

They wanted their own mamas!Much better... :)

The girls took tons of pictures outside.

It is late and we just got a weather announcement phone call (we live out where there aren't any weather sirens!) Bad weather is on it's way. I guess I will get off of here and go to bed!

Piano recitals, museums and other happenings...

2011-04-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

Life has been busy lately. I have tons of pictures that I have wanted to post and just haven't been able to slow down long enough to do it! A couple of weekends ago the girls had their piano festival and spring recital. Festival is where they go and play for a judge and are critiqued. They are judged in piano theory, piano solo and hymns. All three girls got superior in all three categories. The judges are outside people and don't hesitate to criticize when needed. I was very proud of them, they worked hard. The next day they had their spring recital. My parents drove down to hear them play. When the recital was over we went to an air force Air and Space Museum. Mariah with her grandma (my mom.) Malachi loved the museum. Matthew dreams of flying one day. He was in heaven all afternoon!

Myles doesn't look too thrilled about his ride!

My dad

McKenzie being goofy.

He was just a little bit excited! :)

Matthew and my dad have similar personalities. They like reading the details of the exhibits.

McKenzie being goofy again. :) I think she was feeling good that festival and recital were over with. She had the extra stress of being a teacher this year and not only herself playing but her students too!

Well, I have lots of other things to post, but they will have to wait. I have a four year old that wants me to go outside and see our new kittens with him. Be watching for lots of pictures coming this week. I know you are all on the edge of your seats with anticipation! haha :)

Saturday ramblings...

2011-03-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

Malachi's artwork...

It was a permanent black marker and thankfully he only drew on his cheek. He was quite pleased with himself. He said he was drawing "whiskers". :)
I am a firm believer that children don't need a lot of stuff. I think it stifles their creativity. We had a basketball goal for years that finally bit the dust. We told Matthew (being that he is a baseball player- not a basketball player) that we weren't spending money on another one. One day after school I heard him banging out by the barn. He took the rim and made a "new" goal.

I really love the tarp wrapped around the tree. :) He told me it was like the cushion that they have on the gym walls below the goals. I thought he was pretty creative. He is pretty handy to have around.

We had a spring rain late this afternoon. It was so pretty this evening looking out the front door at the freshly cut green grass. The pecan trees have buds that are bursting open. This is my absolute favorite time of the year!

Look who.....

2011-03-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

is 18 months old!

Sunday evening...

2011-03-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful weekend, upper 70's and sunny! It was perfect for being outside, and that is where we were pretty much all weekend!

They have had so much fun running around with the baby goats. It is adorable to watch them hop around and run.

Marc bought the girls a round pen for their horses. We have been searching for a used one for over a year. It seems people don't want to part with their horse pens! It is going to be nice for moving around the field and getting the grass eaten down!
When Marc and I went to town Friday night to get the round pen I had to return a few things to Kohls. He knows that if I have a coupon in my hand I probably won't come out empty-handed! I passed a display of graduation 2011 picture frames. I glanced at them and thought- MY child is graduating this year! I don't know what it was, but seeing that frame it just hit me! I decided to use my coupon and get one for her, and I wanted to cry as I was buying it! You know your children are going to grow up but it just goes by so fast! I think that is why I cherish the little things with my younger ones so much. (Not that I didn't with the older ones, but I know how fast it goes now!) I keep journals and write the funny things that they say, trace their hands, take tons of pictures, save their artwork AND write this blog! There are times that I just stop and watch them and wish that I could stop time. Times like this weekend when they are running around playing without a care in the world. Watching McKenzie garden and working so diligently with her animals knowing that she probably doesn't have many years left at home. Seeing Matthew out in the yard working by his dad's side and so thankful that he is content to be there. Yes, it would be nice to stop time...

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1

Math with Mariah and other musings...

2011-03-11T07:18:00.000-08:00

I always love math lessons the first half of the school year when things are so easy. After Christmas when we start hitting so many new concepts it always takes longer. Mariah is in her last twenty lessons of Saxon 2nd grade math. Today the subtracting two digit numbers where you have to borrow "clicked" with her. She excitedly said, "This is easy now!" Happy day for me too! We were sitting there doing the lesson and she said, "Sometimes you leave your lesson book open while I am doing my math and I see the answers." I asked her if she ever copied them and she said, "Oh, no ma'am. I just realize I am getting a whole bunch wrong!" Love her honesty! :)

McKenzie took some pictures for me recently. She has a much better eye for photography than I do.

Her personality coming out!

She is terrified of dogs!

She climbed up here to get away...

but the dog out-smarted her!

More goofiness. These two keep our house full of laughter!

Hope you all have a good weekend!

Zorro...

2011-03-09T17:01:00.000-08:00

Malachi's Solo...

2011-03-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday our music minister at church heard Malachi sing "Amazing Grace". He asked him if he would sing it in church and Malachi said he would. I wondered when it came down to it if he really would. He surprised us this morning and did a great job! Some of the men gave him a "high five" when he finished--- I think he was pretty proud! :>) (Yes, he was sock footed!)

Happy Birthday Madeline!

2011-03-03T07:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet Madeline! It seems like just yesterday I was walking through our neighborhood picking daffodils trying to get labor going! I blinked and she is now twelve!

Madeline's middle name is Grace. It fits her perfectly because she is so very gracious to those around her. She is the most positive person and never says anything negative about anyone! I even told her yesterday that one of our goats was ugly and she said, "Oh mama, that is terrible. She is such a sweet goat!" She is a blessing to us and I am so thankful that the Lord saw fit to place her in our family!

Madeline's birthday is not complete without daffodils in our house!

A blessing from her daddy:

Madeline,
Continue to walk uprightly and keep His commandments and God will always pour His glory into your life.
Have a great birthday!

Love,

Daddy

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will be withhold from them that walk uprightly." Psalms 84:11

*Head over to Madeline's blog and leave her a birthday greeting! I know she would be excited to hear from you!

Happy March 1st!!!

2011-03-01T06:43:00.000-08:00

I love when the calendar turns to March! Spring is my absolute favorite time of the year! It appears we are having an early spring this year! The Bradford pear trees are always the first thing to bloom in our yard and it is full of white flowers. Hope it is warming up where you live too! :)

Mondays...

2011-02-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

Today was a typical Monday. We are usually tired from Sunday and it just seems like there is more housework to do on Mondays. I have changed a few things lately trying to make our home run more efficiently. I had thought about sharing some of those ideas on my blog along with some of my favorite things.

I woke up this morning and it looked like it was going to rain. It was much cooler than it has been and it was cloudy. It is amazing how sluggish the weather can make me! I put a big crock pot of vegetable beef soup on for supper and plodded through the morning. By lunch time it had warmed up and was sunny! Madeline and I went out to get some exercise. She loves to ride her bike while I run, and I love the company! When we got home McKenzie was baking bread and I got Madeline to take the three younger ones outside to play. I decided to get my camera out and take some pictures of "my favorite things" to put on my blog post that I had going in my head. I was having the nicest time when the weather started looking like it was going to rain. In came the little kids. Myles went straight for Malachi's Lego creation that he had worked on all morning. It crashed to the floor, Malachi yelled at Myles, Myles started wailing and that was the end of my pictures! I snapped these two pictures of them and decided that this was a much more accurate post of my Monday!

Maybe another day I will share my ideas and favorite things!

Tax refund...

2011-02-23T19:37:00.000-08:00

Before...

After...

Because it was too late...

2011-02-17T06:57:00.000-08:00

I decided to take pictures. :)

The other day after a big rain Mariah spotted Malachi laying in this puddle in our driveway. She yelled, "Mama, look at what Malachi is doing!" He was having so much fun and it was obviously too late to worry about it! The pictures pretty much sum up his personality!

Tuesday I was in the house when I heard a commotion. It sounded like the noise you hear when something has happened. My mind whirled wondering what in the world it was as I ran out the front door. McKenzie yelled as she was going in the other door that Malachi had burned his foot. The day before Matthew had been burning leaves in the back and the pile was smoldering. He was going to put the hose on it before he came in that evening and I told him to just let it burn down. Mariah and Malachi decided to go back there and "kick the ashes" on each other. She said she thought the fire was out because it wasn't smoking anymore. The ash went down into his mud boot and burned the top of his foot. I was my typical self and freaked out. McKenzie handled everything while I ran and jumped in the shower. (Why do these things always happen on the day you decide to stay in your pajamas longer!?) After four calls to our pediatrician's office and not getting an answer I decided to take him to the ER. Looking back (you live and learn), I probably could have treated it at home. There was a male nurse in the ER that came in and talked to Malachi. He said, "Dude what happened to your foot?" Malachi said, "Mariah put me in the fire." He can't say "Mariah" very clearly and the man said, "Your mother put you in the fire!?" I said , "NO, he said Mariah and no she didn't put him in the fire, they were kicking the ashes." I kept waiting for a social worker to walk in! Isn't it awful that those things even have to cross your mind when you are trying to take care of your children!? He has 2nd degree burns on the top of his foot, they gave us ointment, bandages, pain meds (that he won't take) and he got a Popsicle out of the deal! He is a tough little guy and has done great. I think that he and Mariah learned a valuable lesson that they need to obey when mama says NEVER go near the burn pile!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T08:23:00.000-08:00

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

I love Valentine's Day! It is always a fun and cheerful day in the dead of winter. This time last year we had snow on the ground. This year it is in the upper 60's!

Marc has a tradition that started many years ago that he cooks a steak dinner just for the two of us. I do not like crowded restaurants, especially during the winter when everybody is sick. The kids always have a snack supper and watch a movie while we eat. I look forward to it because I don't have to cook or clean up!

Lots of sweet Valentine's Day presents from my children! :)

Mariah wrapped up this lotion that she got for Christmas and gave it to me. I was sad when I opened it and told her I wasn't taking her lotion. She said, "No, really mama, you keep it. I don't even like it!" I tried to give her the little box back that she had wrapped it in and she refused to take it back. She said, "I just love giving people gifts. It is so nice to get rid of the junk in my room." (I love Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea!:)

A sweet little Valentine!

"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." 1 John 4:8

Loved this...

2011-02-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

Zechariah 11:17 says, "Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock!" Wow! God intends us as shepherd mothers to stay with the little flocks He gives us. He doesn't give us our children to give them to someone else to care for while we "do our thing!" He gives us the responsibility to tenderly care for them and w...atch over them. It is not only a charge from God but an awesome privilege. Love, Nancy

Nancy Campbell with Above Rubies ministry posted this on facebook. I needed to read that this morning! Busy morning, messy house, lots to do, teething baby that keeps saying to me "eyes, eyes..." (his way of telling me he wants ME!) Well... he just toddled in here with the toilet plunger! Yuck! Off to the bathtub we go. Better go "tend my flock!" :)

My warriors...

2011-02-07T20:32:00.000-08:00

Malachi wakes up in the morning and puts some sort of a "dress up" outfit on everyday. It might be his cowboy stuff, soldier, military or a mixture of all of it. He loves his guns and swords. Myles loves Malachi's swords and guns too and it causes problems sometimes! Marc and I were at Target one evening and saw foam swords in the $1 bin! Malachi was so excited that Myles had a sword. They were so funny having a sword fight. What does a one year old know about sword fighting!? He has quickly figured it out.

You can't tell, but in this picture Myles was screaming he was so excited!

Myles has played in the same playroom his entire life. He has had equal access to the toy kitchen, dishes, baby dolls... and guns, swords and trucks. He likes the boy stuff. He even makes "boy noises" when he plays with them. Funny how secular parenting magazines like to make you think boys and girls are the same. They are NOT! The other day I was looking at a friends newborn baby's pictures. Matthew looked over my shoulder and said, "I didn't tell you at the time, but when Myles was born I thought he looked like a lizard." McKenzie and I were both mad at him! Later that same day I was telling my children about a really neat adoption story I had read on a blog. He said, "It doesn't make me feel all tender when I hear that kind of thing." I told him when he became a daddy one day he would. His answer was... "I hope not." Yes, I do believe they are different! (Oh, by the way...the sword didn't last two days! Guess he had a $1 worth of fun though!)