today

~Our kitty is lost. We seem to go through these too quickly. :(

~G'ma came today! Great visit AND we got a day off school. I've had a hard time getting back into the swing of school since we were sick. School, house, laundry, nothing is quite back to norm.

~G'ma's visit: We played Bump. My team lost.
We talked and got caught up.
We drank hot chocolate with biscotti.
She left early to beat the traffic to Castlerock.

~The mechanic called about the van....$900!! Oh my.

~A friend came by to visit.

Tomorrow:
~The Ergo baby carrier I ordered will be here! Yay for Z and me!
~Bible Study. I wanna make something that's not chocolate since one of the ladies is trying to cut back. Hmmmm, should I go healthy or fun? Fun means a trip to the store. Healthy means blueberry muffins.
~The car will be ready.
~Soccer practice. Let the spring season begin!!

A Good Reminder

Talking to a friend from home today and was reminded of something useful.

She just got finished attending a big name....really big in the homeschool realm....seminar. She heard some things that just didn't line up with the Word of God and went home and investigated it. She was reminded that no matter who a speaker/author is, he is only man.

We live in a time when we have a book with an answer for everything. God has gifted some folks with great insight and the ability to articulate it in helpful ways. BUT they are still just men....with only a breath in their nostrils. They are often wrong and misled.

I do love my books. And I have a handful of favorite authors whose words have been very helpful to me. But I hope that I will remember to always check it against Scripture and not buy into something that is not Truth.

"Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Ps 121:2

Noah

I just finished the account of Noah in Genesis this morning. Here's what God says:

"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." Gen 6:8

"Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." Gen 6:9

"I have found you righteous in this generation." Gen 7:1

"And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him." Gen 7:5

I took these character qualities and wrote a simple prayer to pray for my family. It goes like this:

~Lord, please make us righteous, obedient, and blameless just like Noah. Show us your favor and help us to walk with you always. Amen~

I went over this in our morning meeting and #1 asked a good question. She said if we pray prayers that we memorize, won't they become rote and meaningless after awhile? Yes, that could happen. But when we are praying God's words it helps us to pray in a way that is not selfish and in a way that reflects God's will. His words, not ours. And if we are staying in the Word, He will continue to challenge us and stretch us and keep us from becoming stale.

So I will use this prayer to pray over my kids before bed and whenever it comes to mind.

On to the tower of Babel.....

More Sickness

Even the dog caught it!

Apparently Joey's Dog Chow didn't agree with him. He got sick all over the house last night. All over the house! Now we don't have a lot of carpet in this house, but whenever he's sick he is careful to aim right for it. Huge mess. Then he came upstairs, got sick, and walked all through it.

Stupid dog.

On the bright side: Everyone else is pretty much all well! Thank you Lord!

Kitchen Help

In keeping with my New Year's resolution, I've been including my little kids in the kitchen more. While I could do it tons faster all by myself, it's better for everybody when I let them help.

Tonight Mal worked on dishes. She is so tiny that even with a step stool she can barely reach down into the sink. She loves this job. Her shirt is soaked, the floor is wet, and all the dishes have been washed several times.

Mayfee unloaded the silverware from the dishwasher. He worked quietly and diligently until the job was done. When his brother reached in for a fork later, he exclaimed "The forks are hidden behind the spoons! Someone was confused. "

Jes and I worked on cookies. It was a super easy recipe and he did most of it by himself. Yummy cookies.

I'm looking for ways to include these little ones more in the kitchen. Everyone except Mal prefers to cook instead of clean. Imagine that. Of course, stirring and licking spoons are on the top of the list. They also like tearing lettuce, cutting olives in 1/2, making juice, and pushing the button on the food processor.

I call them my little sous chefs.

Sick

My little bitty has been so sick. Last night he had a big fever and would just lay on my chest. His eyes are huge and droopy and he's sleeping a lot. He woke up 2ice in the night and I was glad to get to check on him. Still feverish but happy to nurse. That was good. Today he's a little better but still hot and sick. Pray for him if you will.

The good news: everyone else is lots better! #1 stayed in bed all day but emerged much more like herself at dinner time. Good to have her back....and everyone else too.

More good news: Honey spent 2 days at the Jewish hospital undergoing aspirin desensitization. Taking 4 aspirin a day is supposed to help with sinus/polyps/asthma issues. It's all done, everything went fine, and we can continue on with life.

Come on Zekey Boy, we're waiting for you now!

Slow And Steady

I just finished my Bible for the 2nd time! I'm so proud of myself! I know, I know, lots of people read their Bible all the way through every year but I've never done it and I'm kinda slow. Soooo I do the take-your-time method and it works for me.



The first time I read it chronologically. That was good. And I did shoot for doing it in a year but it become more of a goal than anything else. My focus was wrong so I stopped. This last time I just took it book- by -book. I like chronologically better except that my Bible is not one of those. I do have one, but I'm sort of a one Bible girl and prefer my own.



Now I've started over and this time I have a special notebook for it. I'm taking it book-by-book again but this time writing out all my thoughts and notes in this notebook. So far so good.



Back to Genesis.....

This morning I started anew and was blessed by the idea of God being such an awesome Creator. And just as the world didn't "just happen", the sun doesn't "just rise" every day. Every morning is a new creation.



The pretty faces of my kids are beautiful creations too. Every new little baby is God's handiwork. Hey! There's the the answer to the ever-annoying question of "Don't you know what causes that?"

Super Powers

I watched Spiderman tonight. Super heros are great! I love them all. I don't even have a fave, they're all equally cool. And I'm nerdy enough to wish that I had a few super powers of my own. Well, all of them really. Who could pick just one?

Wide awake in the wee hours of the morning listening to a coughing little one, I tried to think which super power would really be the best....the most helpful. You would think I would have better things to think about, huh? Well, remember I just watched Spiderman.

Then I started thinking about the super powers that God gives us. He calls them "spiritual gifts". I have sat under some seriously gifted teachers whose wisdom changed my life. And to the hurting, healing can come through the listening ear of someone with the gift of mercy. Spiritual gifts are given freely. They are part of our creation. And just like super powers, we're to use them to encourage, edify, build up, and bless our brothers and sisters.

Seems like those would be more helpful than a guy that can fly a circle around your house or pick up your couch with one hand.

Today

~Every single kid in this house is sick or is just getting over it. #1 commented that it was weird that I wasn't sick. Yes, maybe so but I think God gives me extra grace so that I can take care of them. Honey and I are not sick so far. Thank you Lord.

~I'm experimenting with gollum juice, onion poltices, and garlic oil. My 6yo stinks.

~Jes is on the tail end of sickness and 6yo has a double ear infection. He woke us up at 4am with a hurting ear. I gave him some tylenol and he was happy to go back to bed. This morning he remembered he had a soccer game, woke up, and told us all that he felt perfectly well. Uh huh.

~Jess scored 2 goals!!! Oh man, how I wish I was there.......I gotta get this bunch well. These were his first goals of the season. First goals in CO for that matter. Way to go Baby!!

~I put 6yo on the couch with a garlic poltice. After awhile it started falling apart. He said "Mom, my artichokes are falling out!"

~I planted herbs in my kitchen window today and prayed for them to grow.

~I moved my scrapbooking stuff then decided to move it back.

~I taught #2 how to make enchiladas.

~I played a game with 5 kids.

~We got a new bathroom mirror! Honey brought it home from Home Depot. We also got blinds for the dining room and our room. It's looking better all the time.

~I don't think we'll make it to church tomorrow. Too many of us are still sick. Besides we probably smell too much of onion and garlic!

My Cell Phone

I took my son to soccer practice and forgot my cell phone. It was right there on the charger on the entryway table in front of the door where I have to walk right past it. ARGH! I realized it about 1/2 way there.

Hmmm, what to do? I have 8 kids at home and no phone with me. Turn around and go back? Being late to soccer practice is a terrible thing when you play at this level. Drop him off, then go back? A lot of gas and time. Chance it?

I decided to chance it since Honey works minutes from the house and could get there faster than me anyway. Good choice I'm thinking.

But then.....my imagination runs wild.....
What if they forgot Dad's number?
What if someone chokes on a muffin?
What if a baby falls on the oven door when #1 opens it to put the pizza in?
What if my daughter's fever gets worse?
What if Honey's phone just goes to voice mail?
What if the baby falls down the stairs?

Oh my goodness! Why do I do this? So I prayed! And prayed!

We come home and when I turned on our street I saw Honey's car in the driveway. "So early? Something must've happened!!"

Nope, he just left at 5pm and got home at the normal time. Everything was fine in the house and with the kids.

Whatever did I do before cell phones? I realized what a false sense of security it gave me. If any of those things actually did happen, having my phone wouldn't have stopped it. Really the only thing my phone gives me the power to do is to talk a 2yo out of a fit. Sometimes.

Happy Valentines Day!!

I woke up to a surprise. A bunch of snow! Since yesterday was short sleeves weather, beautiful, sunny, and just right this really was a big surprise. And disappointment.

Our homeschool group is having a party that we were hoping to go to. Some of my bunch is coughing and if they weren't better today then I was going to take COW to lunch with some friends from church. Now we can't do either one. Usually the snow doesn't stop me but it's pretty deep and shows no sign of letting up. Better stay in.

Plan B:
~Make Valentine decorations for our family party tonight.

~Get everyone's coffee cup presents ready.

~Play in the snow.

~Drink hot chocolate.

~Make some chili.

~Watch Food Network and work on my menu.

~Maybe a little XBox.

~Enjoy the brownies that we made to take to the party.

Plan B sounds pretty good too.

Opportune moments

Yesterday I had the most wonderful conversation with my 11yo son. We started out talking about LB's b-day party at the farm in Sept. That led to talking about Granddaddy.

LB's party was the last time we were to see him before the Lord called him home. I'm so thankful for that one last time. The funny thing is that I had a dream about him that night so he was on my mind already. None of my kids had the privilege of knowing him well b/c we always lived so far away. I told my son how wonderful Granddaddy was and how much he would've enjoyed him if he'd had the chance.

We talked about heaven. No more suffering, no more curse. Someday all my kids will get to meet Nanny and enjoy Granddaddy. That makes me smile. My pastor is doing a great series on heaven right now and this fit in just right.

God is awesome to give us more than we deserve. The thought of worshiping at his feet and walking and talking with Him just leaves me speechless. We'll get to see our loved ones again and be with them forever. Forever.

If I homeschooled for no other reason than this it would all be worth the cost and so much more. Being able to drop everything and talk to my son about Jesus, heaven, and my sweet Granddaddy is something I'd never be able to do otherwise. I'm so thankful for this freedom.

About an hour later the phone rang. It was my grandmother. We spent about 30 minutes talking about Granddaddy together.

It was a sweet morning.

Again??

I found myself once again pulling out my Debi Pearl Helpmeet book. I've read this at least 4x and everytime I learn something new. You see, I was pretty put out with Honey. Ok, I was mad. And....with company here and all there was no time to hash it out.

Oh well, it gave me some time to read and think. Created To Be His Helpmeet is a must-read in my opinion. It is, by far the best marriage book I've ever read. So practical and no matter how offended I think I have a right to be, that book always seems to turn me around and help me see it differently. I'm glad it's in book form and not me talking to Mrs. Pearl in person. For I'm sure she'd say, "Do we really have to go over that one again?"

This morning during our morning meeting I went over the trash bag story with my older kids. They laughed and said "Mom, we talk about this every time you read that book!" And so we do. I want them to get it and not take as long as I do. I can't share the trash bag story here. You really have to read the book.

Monday

Prayer is amazing, huh? And, I believe that thanks to my good friend that left me a comment saying that she prayed for my Monday that it was much better than usual. Thank you!

And so it was. After being off for a whole week with Honey home it was now time to jump back into it.

~I have 3 coughing little boys so their school was pretty scaled back. I wanted them to spend the day being quiet and hopefully getting better before Valentines Day. We have a party to go to and I don't want anyone to miss it.

~I finished the Flylady book over the weekend. I had this book on hold at the library for weeks. Apparently it's pretty popular. When I finally got it it was in such terrible shape that #1 set to work right away with a repair job. She *is* good at that. The cover was all torn up and clumps of pages were just falling out. At least they were all there though. Anyway....I read it all and was eager to put some ideas to work.

~I wanted to start with the "home blessing hour". We decided that was a hokey name and changed it to "extreme home makeover hour". So I make a long list of lots of things that needed doing and set the timer for 15 minutes. Everyone worked on a job until the timer buzzed. We set it again and changed jobs. We did it 4 times and got a ton of work done in an hour. Many hands do make light work. I think everyone was surprised how fast we can get stuff done when we work quickly with a timer. Breaking it up into 15 min increments made nothing too terrible. You can do anything for 15 minutes, right? Is the house perfect? No. But it sure is better than it was.

~My neighbor came over and stayed for about 30 minutes.

~It was a beautiful sunny sorta warm day. Then it snowed.

~Gasp! I got every bit of laundry done, folded, and put away!! Every single dirty sock. I think it was 8 loads total. The timer helped me with this. I do not remember the last time this was done. The kids are great folders and put-awayers. I gotta do this more often. It feels so good.

~As I type, LB is doing the kitchen clean up and singing the Oceania song from our geography tape. Funny!

~We returned the movies we rented and they won't be late. Unheard of.

~Tonight Honey took COW and went Valentine shopping. Oh, I get SOOO excited about Valentines Day!

God's Grace vs. My Effort

"The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons and idols..... Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts." Rev. 9:20-21

I'm reading in Revelation right now. This verse comes after 4 angels were released to kill 1/3 of mankind. Imagine that! The 2/3 of those left watch what happens but still do not change their wicked ways. I read my Bible and asked "Why not?! Wouldn't that be enough to prompt anyone to change?"

I'm also reading a book about grace in my Bible study. This morning I was able to tie the two together a little better. I tend to think I can handle my own sin or at least manage it. Without God's grace this is impossible.

Without God's work in me I can not change from my selfish and sinful ways. But by his great mercy He gives me grace and makes me a pure, holy, and righteous saint. One of the best points of my Bible study book is that the saved are not separated from God b/c of sin....God stands *with* me and we work on my sin together.

"It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy." Rom 9:16

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you...And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." Eze 36:26-27

Thank you Jesus that it is not all up to me!

Bathtime?

My aunt gave us new bath toys last night. That left us with little boys begging to take a bath. I don't think that's ever happened before! Boys and baths just don't seem to go together, do they? It was too late....translated: I was too tired.....so I told them they could do it first thing this morning. Here's my conversation with my 6yo.

Him: Can I take a bath now?
Me: Yep.

Him: Can I just play or do I have to really wash up?
Me: Well, while you're in there you might as well wash up.

Him: Will I have to change my clothes?
Me: Yes.

Him: All of them? Even my pants?
Me: Yes.

After much deliberation, he decided it wasn't worth it. Boys!

Thank you for the comments!

You are all very special and have made my day! Keep them coming please!!

Thank you also for the well wishes for my Honey. He's doing well and enjoying the visit with his parents.

Have a blessed day

Superbowl Wings

I tried out this new recipe for Superbowl Sunday. So I named them:

Superbowl Wings

5 lbs of chicken wings

Marinade:
1/2 C. each milk and cider vinegar
1/4 C. (generous) hot sauce

Marinate overnight. Then toss with:

1 C. each flour and corn meal
1 T. each salt and pepper

(Do it in the ziploc bag with the ol' shake-n-bake method) Place on baking sheet in a single layer.

Melt 1 stick of butter with 2 pressed garlic cloves and lots more hot sauce. Drizzle this over all the wings and bake at 425 until done.

These were not too hot and very flavorful. I think it'll be a new fave.

Hello??

This is an attempt to call out all lurkers out there.

Everyone enjoys getting comments on their blogs and I've been trying to do better about leaving mine. Sooo....if you're reading here please click on the little comment thingy on the bottom and say "Hi". I love hearing from my friends, even if it's just a quick note.

A Terrible Day

Honey had sinus surgery yesterday. Really I thought it'd be no big deal. I wasn't too concerned except for the driving issue...that is *me* driving back and forth in downtown Denver.

I had planned to break free about 4pm to rush home, feed Zekey, and go back. Surgery ended sooner than expected, all went well, and it was snowing like crazy. So.....why go home if I can just wait out recovery and we can go home together and be done with it.

He wouldn't wake up. Time goes on. He wakes up, goes back to sleep but would never just "snap to". Now what? It's dinner time! I had really planned to be home by now and Baby boy hasn't nursed since 11:30. Well, long story short he stayed the night and I headed home alone.

Now it's dark, it's VERY snowy, and traffic is horrible. The GPS is frozen and will not speak. I can NOT get home. I drive along for awhile trying to remember my way. I'm just getting farther away I guess b/c nothing looked familiar. At this point I am totally freaked out b/c I want to get home to my baby and I'm just farther away with no idea how to get there!

Finally I pulled over (crying) and called a friend from church. AAAhhhhh......someone who can help! They knew exactly where I was and was able to get me home.

My emotions went back and forth from anger to despair. What a day! I get home at bed time to a baby that was oh-so-happy to see Momma. My original plan was to drive home, feed baby, and go back up to help him settle in his room. Fat chance of that. I'm home to stay.

My good in-laws saved the day. They decided to come up at the last minute. I really didn't think I would need help but God knew better. They were there with the kids most of the day, saw them through dinner, and kept Baby distracted and happy.

Today I gotta go back and get him. It's a drive I'm not looking forward to. (Why hasn't someone invented the transporter beam yet?) But this time my FIL will drive and we'll take Baby with us. Hopefully there will be no nightmare included. On second thought, I wonder how much a cab would cost???