Unexpected blessings

At our missions conference last September, my husband met a missionary from Bearing Precious Seed, a printing ministry that prints tracts, Bibles, and John & Romans booklets; in various languages. This missionary told Jason that when we get closer to our start date of our church, to let them know and they would give us some John & Romans booklets to pass out. Since then, we have been in contact and they had 5,000 of these booklets ready for us to pick up at any time. Bearing Precious Seed is in Milford, Ohio, about a 2 hour drive.

Jason got off work early yesterday and decided to call and see if it would be a good day to go and pick them up. He was planning on just him and a friend to go and pick them up but his friend had plans yesterday. So he said we could all just go and enjoy a little drive. One of the beauties of homeschooling...you have so much flexibility. They said it would be fine to pick them up and he told them we would arrive around 1:30 p.m. I packed a few snacks for the kids and we were off!

When we got there, they loaded our van with 17 boxes of John & Romans booklets and asked us if we wanted a tour of the place. SURE we would! It was amazing to see how the Lord took this small printing ministry back in 1973 and grow it and use it to reach the world with the gospel. They print in so many different languages and send Bibles free of charge to missionaries all over the world.

After our tour, the director asked us if we had ever been to the Creation Museum, which is located only 45 minutes from BPS. Well, no, we hadn't. He said they have free passes and we could use them anytime we wanted, we could even go today! Jason looked at me and said, how about today? Like right now? Well, SURE, I would LOVE too! So off we went to the Creation Museum and it was fabulous. If you have not been there, it is a must. We really only had about 2 1/2 hours to spend there since they close at 6, so we flew through there trying to see as much as possible. I am eager to go back when we have more time to look at everything.

On the way back to BPS (we had to take the passes back), we discovered that their midweek Bible study was on Thursday instead of Wednesday. We looked at each other and thought, why not, we'll just stay for church too! After a quick call to my mom to let the dog out, we were ready to spend the evening at First Baptist Church of Milford, Ohio. The pastor was out of town, so an assistant pastor gave the message. At the end of service, the pastor announced who we were and that we were planting a church in Columbus and to make sure to stop by and say hello. What a huge encouragement for all of these people, whom we have never met, come by and let us know that they would be praying for us and our church plant.

When our church is able to start supporting missionaries, Bearing Precious Seed will be one of the first that we support.

What a wonderful, wonderful day. God is just so good.

All
the
time.

Frozen!

This tree is in my backyard and is coated in ice. Isn't it pretty?! We have had snow, sleet, freezing rain, and more snow. It is so beautiful to look at but a nightmare to drive in :o(. The kids love, love, LOVE to shovel and they have been keeping busy with shoveling not only our driveway, but some of our neighbors too. It really helps burn some of that energy. One of the neighbors insists on giving them a couple dollars. I have told the kids that they should not expect it but if they receive money, then be grateful. They have earned enough for a new shovel and then some ;o)

I hope you are all having a wonderful winter. I used to hate it (kind of like I hated summer). It's too cold, too much snow, roads are too icy, doors are frozen shut, can't keep hats, gloves, scarves, and coats together for 8 people, etc... but I am making an effort to just enjoy all the seasons that the Lord set in place. God's Word says in Philippians 2:14 to do all things without murmurings and disputings. This is probably been the best winter yet.

Proof!

Here is proof that our orthodontist did not take off Kayleigh's braces and put the same ones on Melissa.

Since my oldest was due to get hers off around the same time as Melissa was getting hers on, he jokingly told us that he could just take Kayleigh's off and put them on Melissa, ewwww!

Before After

Homeschool: Scheduling and other stuff

There are many different approaches to homeschooling, there really is no "one size fits all". We have tried several approaches within our own family over the last 10 years ourselves, and I am sure that we will try other things in the future. During the time that my husband pastored, we did a lot of work in the church. While this is good, our basic school suffered.

Here is what we are doing this year:

• Mostly textbooks, Rod & Staff (with a little Abeka for my high schooler)
• Non-fiction DVD's from the library
• no classes, field trips, gym days, etc...
• no homeschool group

Doing this has really helped our family to get back on track. Not that homeschool groups, gym days, etc are bad, those were just things that we had to cut out to get our family back to where we need to be. Maybe next year, we will add those things back in. We will see. We will be taking a week off at the end of each quarter to do some fun things. The important thing to remember (and it can be sooo hard at times!) is that you need to do what is right for your family!

Something else to consider is that for many families, the family dynamics are constantly changing. One school year you may have babies & toddlers (which puts a lovely twist to any one's school day), the next year, that baby will be a toddler and the toddler will be a pre-schooler. There could be a new pregnancy, your olders are maturing more, etc... Constant changing.

This year, we have no pregnancy, babies, or toddlers. I have to admit, it is a little odd. We have been able to get much more done. Something that I wish I knew then is: Don't beat yourself up for not getting "enough" done! Treasure the little times, make memories with your kids, don't say no to things just for the sake of saying no. A friend and I were recently talking and we both admitted we have done this. I have found myself saying no for absolutely no reason other than my own laziness. How sad.

A wise saying that I heard from MOMYS several years ago is "While the days are so long, the years are very short". How true! What is the goal? What is the bigger picture? What vision do you have for your children? Do you pray daily for each of your children? Do you want them to "do school" well? Of course, we all want our kids to have a good education, but we also want them to love the Lord, to be able to minister to others, to be compassionate to their siblings, to honor mom and dad, etc...things that you can't learn from a textbook.

If only I knew then what I know now...

Last blast of summer

We spent Labor Day relaxing with just us. While we love to hang out with other families (!), sometimes it is nice to just be with each other. Our plans were to go to the fair close to where we live (within an hour or so) but when we saw that it was going to be in the 90's, we changed our mind! We went here instead...

It is always a little cooler close to the water, even when it's 90+. Oh yeah, and it was free. Family fun time, all together, a pleasant day...God is so good...all the time, isn't He?

School Supplies!

Back to school time has always been one of my favorite times of the year. It signifies the beginnings of fall, which is my favorite season. When I was in school, I enjoyed getting new supplies, backpacks, etc...; and I still do now that I teach my own children.




My husband, the organized man that he is, decided to clean out our "art" closet, the children's bedrooms, the office, and basement. Yesterday was the chosen day, in order to get ready for the new school year.





Here is just a sampling of what we had scattered through the house. I won't be buying school supplies for the next 50 years.

I know we have 6 kids, but do we really need this many pencils, markers, and crayons?

Happy 4th weekend!

I hope you have all had a fun long weekend so far! Since we have a birthday on the 3rd, we usually have a fun-filled July 4th holiday. We went to the fireworks at the Lake on the 3rd and then we went to the parade on the 4th. We always have dd's birthday party after the parade. My youngest sister's birthday is on the 4th so we celebrate her birthday too. She turned 17 this year! For the party I served grilled kabobs! YUM :o) I'll have to post that recipe next week.

Today we are going to another cookout with Jason's family. I hope you all have fun spending time with people that you love :o)



A few pics from our festivities...



Excitement builds whie waiting for the fireworks.

My new 10 year old :o)

The birthday girls: My daughter, 10 and my sister, 17

10 years ago...

...we had our third daughter. My husband and I got saved after our 2nd daughter was born. Melissa was our first child to be born to Christian parents :o) Right before I found out that I was pregnant with her, the Lord called me to quit my job and stay at home with my girls. It was difficult at first; but only because of my mindset at the time. I really thought that you had to have 2 incomes to be able to live and I wouldn't be pulling my fair share if I quit.

When the Lord called me to be at home, I was the bread winner. I had a great paying job at a utility company, full benefits package, etc. My husband was helping someone get his business off the ground making children's furniture (bunk beds, dressers, etc). It was something he loved, but it didn't pay hardly anything, no insurance either. The Lord spoke to us both and made it clear on what I was to do. I said, "Lord, we can't afford it! I am pregnant and I am the one who carries the health insurance." and then went to my employer to discuss my options. They actually created a part-time position for me! 2 days per week, same benefits. GREAT!

But, the Lord said to quit, not go part time. I was so sick with this pregnancy, more than the 2 before. Broken blood vessels in my throat from being sick. I was so sick that I could barely make it into work those 2 days per week. My husband said that we just need to take a step of faith and just do it. If this is what he has called us to do, then we need to obey. I finally listened and quit. Three weeks later, my husband landed a driving job for 7up, excellent pay, insurance that started the day he started-it covered the remainder of my pregnancy.

I have NEVER regretted it since then. I have been a SAHM for 10 years and my sweet Melissa is 10 today. I completely fell in love with her the moment she was born. We never found out what we were having. Anyone who has children of only one sex knows the questions that come with each pregnancy: "Are you trying for a boy (or girl if you have all boys)?" Are you kidding? No, I am not having numerous children just to get a boy. I am accepting these precious gifts from God to raise for His glory. Someone actually said to me, "wow, it's cool to see you so excited since you had another girl." How sad. I was very excited because I had a new gift.

Wow, I didn't mean to get this long. So many things in my spiritual life happened before/during/ after my Melissa was born. I pray she feels honored, not just today, but everyday! Happy birthday sweetie!

Summertime Fun?

I am one of those people who hates summer. I mean, I enjoy watching beautiful sunsets, relaxing fun with the family, gardening & preserving foods, and just taking in the beauty of the multitude of colorful flowers. Our Lord is just so creative, isn't He?

Here is why I don't like summer:

• We eat a lot of casserole, soups, lentils, etc... and it just seems too hot to eat those things in the summer. I have to get creative to get some summer time meal ideas. (any input is much appreciated!)
• Lack of schedule! Generally we have finished school and it seems that I can't get a workable schedule together. It's really kind of funny, I feel like I don't have enough time when we do school but I have way too much time on my hands when we are through with school. This includes the children and myself.
• Hot weather.
• Although I enjoy gardening & preserving, it can be a very hot and tiring process. It seems like when the harvest is here, you just can't pick it fast enough.

However, this year I am going to change my attitude! I do not want to spend the next three months being grumpy because it is not my favorite season (fall).

I am going to stay on my schedule and tweak it to fill in the gaps and have some fun! I think I may even use some of my time to (gasp) find some new summer/budget friendly recipes.

As for the weather, I really should not complain. We had some hot days there for a while but this last week or two have been absolutely beautiful! When it does get hot, I will thank the Lord for a working A/C.

Instead of complaining about the hot process of canning, I am going to praise the Lord that I am able to grow food and preserve it for my family without have to worry about E.Coli and Salmonella poisoning.

It is all about attitude. Philippians 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings. Ouch. I think it means ALL things.

In my next post, I am going to list my ideas of what our family will be doing this summer for fun. I also have some ideas at the bottom of my blog.

Happy Summer bloggy friends!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! My daughters and I attended our home church's (Bible Baptist Church) Mother/Daughter Luncheon today and had a good time. The lunch was good and there were ladies that gave testimonies about their mothers. We also had a Spring Fashion Show (more about that later). After quickly changing back into my regular clothes after the fashion show, I walked into the sanctuary to find my 14 year old daughter up on the stage ready to give a testimony about me! She, my husband, and the pastor's wife have known about this for weeks! She said some very kind things about me, thanking me for being a patient, loving, teaching mom; I only wish that I were those things all the time. I fall short.

Now for the fashion show. Have you ever read any of the Amelia Bedelia books? Amelia Bedelia takes everything very literally. Our fashion show included a nylon dress, seersucker dress, Sundress, etc... I was a "tea length dress".

My daughter took this pic at the "show". I am holding a red teapot and passed out teabags on my way down from the stage. She took this one too, to be able to better see my "tea length" dress. I took an old jumper and sewed on the teacup ribbon and various teabags and packaging. Notice my teabag necklace? I cannot believe that I walked in front of 100+ people wearing this! It was a lot of fun!

She takes 3rd!

My 14dd took 3rd place in our local library's' "Teen Poetry/Short Story" Contest. She wrote a short story called, "A Dog's Daring Rescue". She didn't realize until we got there for the reception that she would have to read it in front of everyone!! She just might not have entered if she knew that. (She's just like her mother). She got up there and read beautifully! I was so proud of her. The pic is from my phone so the quality is not so good, but you get the idea. All the contestants got a free book and as a 3rd place winner, she won a leather bound journal. They took her picture to possibly be on the library's website and the local paper. I'm a proud mom :o)