Breaking Ground

Our New School Year is Here!

2011-08-01T23:18:00.001-04:00

I just finished ordering the last of our school books yesterday and we are getting excited to be starting school again! Last year was our "official" start of homeschooling, although we had completed a year of Pre-k the year before that.

We chose My Father's World curriculum for Kindergarten last year and both Luke and Chloe loved it. Luke was already reading a little at the start of Kindergarten but he just completely took off. He is reading on at least a third to fourth grade level now! It seems he is a sight reader, so he just memorizes the words and that's good enough for him. The K curriculum wasn't really a challenge for him but he still had fun with it. My goal was to give him a good phonics base and I was pleased.

Chloe learned her letters, their sounds, and how to write them so she had a great year! She is starting to read very simple books and I'm sure she will continue to excel with practice.

We are using My Father's World again this year and both children will progress to the first grade. The reading will not be a challenge for Luke at all but my main goal for him is to have a good foundation for phonics and that will continue this year. I realize Chloe is young to start first grade but I feel repeating Kindergarten would not be the best thing for her, as she grasped the material quite well. She is starting the K level for math this year. We weren't happy with the math in MFW so we chose Math-U-See and love it.

I am completely drawn to the Charlotte Mason style of teaching which is one of the things that drew us to MFW to start with. If you don't know much about this style I would encourage you to educate yourself. I think you'll find it well-rounded and "gentle."

So here's what our year looks like:

Luke (6)

Math-U-See (Alpha Level)
My Father's World for History, Reading, Phonics, Science, and Picture Study
Copywork for Little Boys

Chloe (5)

Math-U-See (Primer Level)
My Father's World for History, Reading, Phonics, Science, and Picture Study
Rod and Staff Preschool Set-This is considered Rod and Staff's kindergarten level. We LOVE these books and the kids have had a blast doing the workbooks. Plus they are super affordable. We've bought several different things from this company and have been very pleased with everything.

I also adore Sonlight curriculum because they are all about reading. I am being extra ambitious this year and plan to read their read-aloud recommendations for the K level. That's roughly 25 books! I also plan to have Luke read the Grade 3 readers as he breezed through the Grade 2 readers this year without any struggle whatsoever. Chloe will be reading the Grade 1 readers as soon as I feel she's ready.

I have found about half of my material needed on allofcraigs.com . This is a website where you can search all of craigslist for whatever you're looking for. It has been a huge money-saver. There are tons of homeschoolers out there that are selling their used books for a fraction of the cost you would spend new.

I have also utilized Amazon.com a ton. We are Prime members so we get free two-day shipping on anything that qualifies, which is most everything! :) And of course the library is priceless. Love, love, love the library. They are used to seeing me weekly there with my huge stack of books all crammed into my Publix reusable shopping bag.

So there you have it. I hope your retinas are still attached after such a long post! It's basically a two-in-one post because I didn't write about school last year. Now we'll just be watching for those last boxes from the mailman, UPS, and Fed-Ex this week so we can begin our new school year!

What Guys Think About Modesty

2011-04-13T15:09:00.000-04:00

This is an awesome video about the importance of modesty. And what better time to be reminded of the need for modesty than spring and summer-when suddenly everyone's clothes seem to disappear because "it's so hot?" I trust this will be an encouragement to us ladies to choose our wardrobe carefully!

Gems in Chronicles...

2011-03-24T11:10:00.003-04:00

Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people,

Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

~1 Chronicles 16:8-12~

Gratituesday: Spring

2011-03-22T15:13:00.001-04:00

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above...James 1:17

I've enjoyed Laura's Gratituesday posts for quite a while so I thought I would join her in writing about something I am thankful for. I have so many things.....where to begin?!

The radio station said it's supposed to be 80 degrees today! I love it! The beautiful spring weather has been so wonderful these past few weeks. It's almost impossible to keep the kids indoors. They are having so much fun jumping on the trampoline, digging in the dirt, having tea parties, making rivers in the mud, killing ants, target practicing, riding their bikes and Power Wheels, roller-blading, and picking flowers. There's just so much to do!

Jacob riding the Gator

Digging dirt for the "garden"

Working in the "garden"

Luke target practicing

Chloe and Asher having fun in the Jeep

Just yesterday I found the bag of pistachios missing only to find out that the nuts were being used as Easter eggs. They were hiding them all over the yard! They've been finding them all day today. Hysterical, these kids of mine.

Yes, I am thankful for the official arrival of spring with all of its warmth and beauty. Thankful to be pulling out the short sleeves and flip-flops. Loving the fact I can leave the doors open to peek on the kids while cooking dinner or doing laundry. Listening to their laughter while they're having such a good time.

The hard part is to be thankful when there is a brown ring of dirt around the bath tub and I have piles of muddy clothes to wash. But that's a post for another day!

What are you thankful for today?

Menu Plan for March 20

2011-03-20T23:21:00.000-04:00

We've got a super busy week this week so our menu is plain and simple. I am working and selling in a local consignment sale Tuesday and Thursday, keeping my friends' two boys on Wednesday, and we are leaving for out of town Friday so that means packing for everyone! Wow! Just the thought of all I need to get done makes my heart flop. I'll have to break out the energy boosting smoothies with all the running around I'll be doing. :)

Monday

Smoothies-Muffins
Bean and Cheese Burritos
Steak and Potatoes

Tuesday

Pancakes
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Potato Soup

Wednesday

Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Casserole
Soup-Pretzels
Spaghetti

Thursday
Breakfast Cookies
Lunch at Mom's
Dinner at Mom's (I'll be shopping and working at the consignment sale from 2:30-9:30 so the kids will be at Mom's)

Friday

Cream of Wheat
Annie's Mac n Cheese-Veggies
Dinner out (Leaving for trip)

You may notice several of our meals are repeats of last weeks menu.....if I decide on something different for a meal, I just add it to the next weeks menu! Hopefully we'll get around to the pretzels this week. I'm looking forward to trying them, as I haven't actually made them yet. I always forget to make the dough in the morning so it will be ready in time for lunch! You would think I would remember since all I do is sit around and eat Bon-Bons and watch the Soap Opera Network. ;)

Don't Be-A-Chicken Chili

2011-03-17T16:52:00.000-04:00

This chicken chili is fabulous! You must try this dish. I made it last night and there was just a tiny bit left. The recipe is from The Gooseberry Patch Halloween Cookbook, but I got it through their e-mail newsletter.

1 T. oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 onion, chopped
14-oz can chicken broth
2 (15.8 oz) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 (4-1/2 oz) cans chopped green chiles (I only use one to tone down the heat for the kiddos)
1-1/2 t. garlic powder
1 t. salt
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. dried oregano
8-0z. sour cream
1 c. whipping cream
2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Garnish: cilantro

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat; add chicken and onion. Saute until chicken is cooked through; set aside. Combine broth, beans, undrained chiles and seasonings in a large Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add chicken mixture; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add sour cream and whipping cream, stirring well. Top each serving with shredded cheese; garnish, if desired. Serves 6-8.

I had cooked a huge crockpot full of chicken pieces yesterday which yielded me 10 cups of shredded chicken! I used two cups for the chili and put the rest in the freezer to use later. I used chicken broth that I had made from a previous crockpot chicken batch. I soaked my beans the night before and cooked them in the crockpot yesterday (I have two crockpots!); used four cups for the chili and put the rest in the freezer for later! It was easy to bring everything together and now I have lots of good food already cooked and ready to pull out at a later date!

Sorry I don't have a picture to show you....the chili was gobbled up before I even thought about it!

Menu Plan for week of March 14

2011-03-14T11:06:00.001-04:00

I cannot tell you how much a menu plan has helped me! I love being able to just look at my plan instead of rummaging through the fridge and pantry, which I was notorious for doing. It makes life much simpler and that's something I can definitely use more of.

Our everyday life tends to change quite a bit from what we have planned around here so if we don't follow the meal plan for the day I'll just move it to another day or use it for the following weeks plan!

Monday:

Muffins
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Ribs-Beans-Slaw

Tuesday:

Baked Oatmeal
Pretzels-Soup
Chicken Chili

Wednesday:

Pancakes
Cream Cheese Salsa Dip
Red Beans and Rice

Thursday:

Smoothies
Grilled Cheese
Garlic Chicken Pasta

Friday:

Cereal
Out for Dr. Appt.
Tilapia

Saturday:

Yogurt w/Granola
Bean and Cheese Burritos
Venison tenderloin wrapped in bacon

Sunday:

Breakfast Cookies
Philly Steak and Cheese
Fellowship @ Church-Taking Strawberry Cake and ????

Now you may notice I usually only plan the main course for the meal so that leaves me with adding easy choices of breads, fruits, or veggies, depending on what I'm in the mood for. I usually just buy a variety of fruits and veggies each week and pull my sides from that.

So what about you? Do you use a menu plan?

Saturday Seven

2011-03-12T11:37:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted a Saturday Seven and there's a lot to share so I'll jump right in!

1) We've had some sort of stomach bug at our house every two weeks for the past six weeks! And I got the bug two out of the three times! Yuck! I'm sneaking Tummy Tune-Up into everything to try and get lots of good guys in our stomachs so they can hopefully win the next time the bad guys attack.

2) It appears that Jacob is potty trained! Hooray! He has been dry all week wearing his underwear and is starting to tell me when he needs to go potty.

He will be three in April so he's way behind Luke and Chloe, who were trained around two. But I take the blame for him not being trained sooner. I wasn't consistent at all with taking him to the bathroom. You can't expect most toddlers to start changing their ways all by themselves after they've been used to going in their diaper for two+ years!

3) Austin's birthday was this past Monday! He got to celebrate three times (Monday, Wednesday, and tonight) so I'm guessing he's feeling the love. Hopefully that will make up for the fact that he's starting a downward spiral to "middle age." :)

4) Asher now knows how to climb down our steps and I am ever so thankful. We have a flight of hardwood steps in our house and the kids' playroom is upstairs so he always wants to go where all the whooping and hollering is. (Now that I think about it, there's whooping and hollering all throughout the entire house pretty much most of the day so.....)

At any rate it wasn't the going up the stairs I was concerned with; it was the getting down. He may or may not have fallen from top to bottom once.

Okay.

So he did. And I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Literally. I ran through the house yelling "Jesus, help us!" And He did.

There was a bump on his forehead and that was it. It hurt me more than him, I'm pretty sure. My heart was beating out of my chest and I was shaking like a leaf. He didn't even cry real tears (I did) and he was totally back to normal in about two minutes. (I wasn't) By normal, I mean he was trying to go up the stairs again.

He's now figured out how to crawl down the stairs backwards and he thinks he is hot stuff. My nerves have settled a bit knowing he is learning how to get down the stairs on his hands and knees as opposed to tumbling down end over end.

5) I have recently discovered how much I love thrift stores. There is one less than a mile from the house and they have "Fill-a-Bag for $7" on Wednesdays. I've gotten some pretty sweet deals with that. You can cram a lot of clothes in a Wal-Mart bag when you're determined. :)

Two weeks ago I found two pair of Tommy Hilfiger dress pants, which he really needed, for Luke for $.75 apiece! I was so excited!

6) Our dining room looks kind-of like Home Depot's gardening section landed in there. We have a five-tiered wire shelf in front of our bay window with two long plant lights, two round lights, and over 100 tiny plants growing.

Austin is growing heirloom seedlings for tomatoes and peppers to plant in our garden this year. I've learned quite a lot about growing seedlings so far. Did you know that if you rub the tiny plants it helps them to grow stronger?

Yeah, me neither. Nevertheless, I've had several phone conversations that have ended with me being asked to rub the tomatoes. I'm pretty sure "Wilt thou love, honor, cherish, and rub tomato plants" wasn't part of our vows, so who knew?

7) I recently finished Ann's book and it was more than I expected! I cannot recommend this book enough. The Lord used her words, her quest for joy, to help me change my perspective on some areas in my life. I'm thankful God uses our brokenness to minister to others.

"One Thousand Gifts" reached #9 on the NY Times best-seller list last week so it's wonderful to know that God is using her life, with all it's hurts, to be a blessing to so many. You should definitely check it out. It's only $8.94 right now at Amazon for a new, hardcover copy!

~Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

The winner is.....

2011-02-03T08:41:00.002-05:00

according to random number generator....

number three.....

Christie!!

Congratulations!! I'll be in touch on getting this out to you. It might require another late night trip to Kroger for coffee and sharing. ;)

I would recommend everyone to read this book. It's a huge blessing to me already and I'm not even finished!

Thanks to all of you for entering. It was encouraging to see your comments!

don't forget....

2011-02-02T17:25:00.000-05:00

Tonight's the last night for the giveaway! It will close at midnight so if you haven't entered, you've got a little time. And if you have family or friends who might be interested in the book, tell them to pop over and leave a comment to be entered. I'll post the results tomorrow!

but God....

2011-02-02T17:20:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite phrases in the Bible is "but God." Such powerful, life-changing words!

The set of verses that most frequently come to mind are these found in Ephesians 2:

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Doesn't that make you want to give a little shout?!

I was curious to see what other scriptures contained these exact words so I did a word search using my Sword Searcher. Turns out there are some pretty awesome verses all throughout the Bible that contain that phrase. I hope you are blessed and encouraged by these powerful words!

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, -Gen. 50:20

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. -Psalm 49:15

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. -Psalm 73:26

But God raised him from the dead: -Acts 13:30

So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. -1 Cor. 3:7

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. -1 Cor. 10:13

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, -Eph. 2:4

I'm so glad we serve an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever present, non-changing, holy, righteous GOD!

My First GIVEAWAY!

2011-01-26T17:39:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how excited I was to see the FedEx man yesterday. I almost hugged him.

Almost.

While I didn't hug the delivery guy, I did do a little happy dance while hugging the box. I have read rave reviews about "One Thousand Gifts" and have long been a fan of Ann, so hugging the box which contained her book was entirely appropriate. :)

I started reading it last night and it's wonderful. Wonderful, I tell you. Very moving, both spiritually and emotionally. I was crying in the first chapter. God has truly given her a gift with words.

I took a five minute break (okay...maybe fifteen) today during nap to read more and am looking forward to reading more tonight. I already know it will be one of my favorite books, with dog-eared pages and highlighter marks everywhere.

And guess what?

I bought an extra copy for a giveaway! That's right, one of you sweet readers will win a copy of "One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are" . All you have to do is leave a comment with something you are thankful for. That's it!

The giveaway will close Wednesday, February 2. I'll choose a random winner with the help from one of those number-picking websites and post the results Thursday!

One Thousand Gifts

2011-01-17T13:00:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited about the new book release "One Thousand Gifts" by my favorite blogger, Ann Voskamp, at A Holy Experience. Her words have encouraged and challenged me for the last couple of years.
It's been quite a while since I've bought a book at the bookstore, but for this book I'm making the exception. I've read rave reviews about it and can't wait to delve into it myself.
If you haven't heard of the book, or Ann, or her counting the gifts, watch the video below and dare to begin counting!

**Edited to Add: For a limited time you can purchase the book at InCourage for only $10! And if you order two or more.....free shipping! That's amazing!

Scripture Memory

2011-01-15T10:18:00.001-05:00

One of my New Year's resolutions was to memorize more Scripture this year. I find myself lacking in Scripture memorization and want to make huge strides in that area of my spiritual life. Perhaps I'll share with you this years goal soon. I'm really excited about it!
This clip by John Piper is so moving and motivational. I get goose bumps every time I watch it. You're sure to be blessed and inspired by the truth he speaks.

Just so ya know....

2010-12-01T15:10:00.000-05:00

I didn't fall off face of the earth. We've just been super-duper busy and I've taken a blogging vacay. Not that I blogged frantically anyway but......

And as my luck would have it we are moving this weekend. Just in time for the holidays. Which brings out the good and the bad......yay for a new place with HARDWOOD floors (roll the heavenly chorus) and nay for unpacking a house this close to Christmas. With a first birthday and necessary party thrown in there!

The plan is to start blogging more frequently-like more than once every two months-but I'm not so good with plans. That's all most of my intentions are---good. :)

I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving! Our week was complete with taking my two-year old to the ER because he drank a lot of Benadryl and then rushing to Augusta to the ER where my husband was passing kidney stones. Very eventful. We were thankful to be safe and snug in our own beds on Thanksgiving day!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed Christmas will be relatively uneventful but with this crew ya just never know!

Another big win.....

2010-08-02T23:54:00.000-04:00

Last week I redeemed some of my Swagbucks for some amazing books from Amazon. They arrived today and we have already started reading them! What fun to get new books in the mail!

Here's what we received:

Eloise Wilkin Stories--This includes nine of Ms. Wilkins stories. I absolutely adore her pictures and books. So sweet and innocent!

Aesop's Fables for Children--This included a read-and-listen CD, which I'm hoping Luke will love, especially during quiet time. Such a classic book!

The Jesus Storybook Bible--This book was highly recommended by two of my favorite bloggers on the same day! We read the introduction tonight and I think the children will really enjoy it. The pictures are really great, too!

The World of Christopher Robin: The Complete When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six--This is a collection of poetry by A.A. Milne. It also has adorable little pictures. I love reading poetry to the children. I want them develop an appreciation for its beauty.

The Children's Book of Virtues--I have checked this book out from the library before and we loved it! It has short stories that have some sort of moral in them. It's similar to Aesop's Fables, in my opinion.

I was under the assumption that you had to order new books to be eligible for the Super Saver Shipping on orders of $25 or more. Turns out that's not the case. Three of the five books I purchased were brand new, while the other two were used. All five of them were eligible for free shipping, so be sure to check carefully when shopping!

If you aren't familiar with Swagbucks, you can read my original love letter here! :)

Just when I thought it couldn't get worse.....

2010-07-14T15:00:00.002-04:00

In my e-mail this morning from Parents Television Council:

Today, New York's Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the Fox v. FCC case, approving the airing of unedited profanity at any time of day on broadcast television.

In this ruling, three New York City judges have made a decision that will affect every child and every family in the United States, and authorized the broadcast networks to use the "f-word" at any time of day, no matter how many children are in the audience. These three judges substituted their own personal opinions for those of the Supreme Court, the Congress of the United States, and the overwhelming majority of the American people. For parents and families around the country, this ruling is a slap in their face.

The judges claim the FCC's rules aren't clear enough about exactly which profanities, under exactly which conditions, are illegal. If this kind of illogical analysis would be applied to other areas, virtually every law on our nation's books would be overturned for "lack of clarity."

The broadcast decency law, which the Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld, is clear: broadcasters must refrain from violating community standards of decency during hours when children are likely to be in the audience.

"...the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things." - Prov. 15:28

A Few Frugal Tips

2010-07-13T17:35:00.000-04:00

I've learned a few things over the last several years about being frugal. By no means do we live a frugally as some people (I just can't give up my paper towels completely like some do!) but we do pretty good.

Here are just a few ways we've helped cut our bills down. Remember, a little bit saved here and there really adds up over a year's time!

-During the hot summer months, I keep the blinds closed to avoid the extra heat from the sun. I also bump the thermostat up a couple degrees when Austin leaves for work and turn the fans on instead. I also try to keep the lights off, particularly the bathroom lights, to keep from generating so much heat. You would be surprised at the noticeable difference in the temperature of the bathroom! Make sure to turn off things like radios, appliances, DVD players, etc., if your not using them.

-I reuse freezer ziplock bags! Just this morning I pulled out some homemade frozen waffles for the kids, washed the baggie out, let it dry, and stuck it back in the drawer. I don't reuse bags that have had meat in them, just to be safe concerning bacteria.

-I use mainly vinegar and baking soda to clean and mop with. It's amazing what a great job these household items can do on a bathroom! Plus, they are really inexpensive and aren't harmful to touch or breathe, like most cleaners

-I keep old baby washcloths in the kitchen to wipe up the kids after meals. This helps save paper towels or wipes. You can find these super cheap at yard sales or consignment sales.

-As stated above, obviously I shop at yard sales and consignment sales! It takes very little effort to save money this way. Don't let pride stand in your way of saving money! And for any of you name-brand lovers out there, I get Old Navy, Gap, and Gymboree clothes all the time at these sales. I have to admit I'm pretty partial to Gymboree! :)

- Coupons, coupons, coupons. I can't begin to tell you how much I've saved using coupons. And it's not as time-consuming as people think. Just a few minutes a week and you're set! Pretty much all of our toiletries are free (shampoo, gel, toothpaste, deodorant, shaving needs, feminine hygiene products, etc.) due to coupons, sales, and playing the drugstore game.

-I've recently started making our own laundry detergent which has helped to save a lot of money. Detergent was one thing that was hard to get really cheap, even with coupons. I also wait until I have a full load of laundry (which isn't a problem!) or dishwasher before washing.

-I try to make much of our meals from scratch. This has helped to really cut down the grocery bill. I even make our own cream of chicken soup and we love it! Even the off-brand of that stuff is around a dollar a can and it seems every recipe I cook calls for it! Bags of baking items can go much farther than a boxed package, not to mention the health benefits of cooking from scratch.

-We recently called and changed our cell phone plan so that we are paying less. It's good to review your utilities ever now and then to see if you can bundle services, lower them, or even do without. As I posted a few weeks ago, we have canceled our Directv service, giving us about fifty extra dollars a month.

-I have nursed all of our babies at least the first seven months, which has eliminated the need for the expensive formula. Luke weaned at 7 months, Chloe at 8 months, Jacob at 13 months, and Asher is still going strong at almost 7 months. I also mixed their baby cereal with water or breast milk instead of formula.

-Utilize your local library! They have lots of cd's and dvd's you can check out for free! Not to mention all the thousands of books! Hours of entertainment provided at no cost! Well, that is if you return them on time!

Many of these frugal ideas were born simply out of a desire to live healthier. Cheap and convenience doesn't always mean better, especially when it comes to food.

So there you have it. A few frugal things we do around here to save money. What about you? What are some ways you save money at your house?

Four years ago....

2010-06-29T23:53:00.001-04:00

She was born on Thursday, June 29, 2006. She weighed 8 lbs., 10 oz., and was 20 inches long.

She found her thumb at four months old. She still has it, even though she's four today. :)

She. loves. sweets. The cliche "Sweet as sugar" definitely applies in her case.

She loves to smile and laugh.

Her curls can be a bit unruly at times.

She has a keen fashion sense.

She is our one and only princess in a house full of princes and we love her with all our hearts!

Happy fourth birthday, Chloe!

Words of Wisdom

2010-06-07T01:13:00.003-04:00

"If the ultimate, the hardest, cannot be asked of me; if my fellows hesitate to ask it and turn to someone else, then I know nothing of Calvary love." ~ Amy Carmichael

A Letter to DirecTV

2010-06-04T17:50:00.000-04:00

Dear DirecTV,

It's been four months now without you and we are doing just fine. We didn't even have withdrawals from you like we thought we would! The only thing we've missed a little bit is Fox News, and that's usually depressing anyway, so we're still okay. And the extra fifty bucks in our bank account is super sweet.

So please tell your customer service people to stop calling us. Tell them to believe us when we say we haven't switched to another provider. That we discontinued our service with you because we simply don't want television service in our home. I'm pretty sure that one lady swallowed her gum when I told her that. Oops. She sort of choked up and started laughing rather hysterically if you ask me. Apparently she doesn't hear that often.

To be honest, we are just plain tired of your cursing, your vulgar language, immodesty and nudity, your dysfunctional families, your homosexuality promoting, God-hating programs.

Please believe us when we say we want more time for our family, for our marriage, and for God. Please don't try to entice us with free service or premium channels like HBO and Showtime. They have more filthiness than the other stuff, so why would we want that?

I know it sounds crazy to not have television service, but we're crazy like that. Rebels, living life on the edge. The edge without TV.

Again, I repeat, please stop calling us. You've called three times now and each time you've received the same answer. We are satisfied without you. You are wasting your time. Kindof like we were wasting ours.

Sincerely,

A now satisfied use-to-be customer

Saturday Seven - Link Edition

2010-05-29T11:51:00.000-04:00

I have so many blog posts or articles I've read that I would love to share with you, so I am going to occasionally use Saturday Seven to do just that! I encourage you to read these, even if you may not be interested in the subject. A little challenged thinking never hurt anyone! :)

1) Large Family Myth Busters

2) I don't want my children to be happy

3) Woman performs abortion while pregnant (Mature Audience)

4) The Pill: Making Motherhood Better?

5) Pros and Cons to Homeschooling

6) Subtle Effects of the Birth Control Culture

7) Top 5 Reasons Not to Send Your Kids to Govt. School

The Dirty Dozen

2010-05-12T13:29:00.003-04:00

I recently stumbled across a list, published by the Environmental Working Group, of the 12 most dirtiest fruits and veggies, aka "Dirty Dozen." It's best to always buy them organic, so as to reduce the pesticide intake in your food.

On the flip side, they also published a list of the "Clean 15" considered the lowest in pesticides.

I'm all up for feeding my family less pesticides, so this list will be beneficial. I try to buy organic but am always hesitant because of the expensive prices. Often I limit buying many things because my grocery budget doesn't allow to buy all organic produce. By utilizing this list I should be able to buy more produce and still limit the amount of pesticides. Now I can definitely buy organic of the Dirty Dozen and feel safe when I buy non-organic of the Clean 15.

2010 Dirty Dozen

1. Celery

2. Peaches

3. Strawberries

4. Apples

5. Blueberries

6. Nectarines

7. Bell Peppers

8. Spinach

9. Kale

10. Cherries

11. Potatoes

12. Grapes (Imported)

Clean 15

1. Onions

2. Avacado

3. Sweet Corn

4. Pineapple

5. Mango

6. Sweet Peas

7. Asparagus

8. Kiwi

9. Cabbage

10. Eggplant

11. Cantaloupe

12. Watermelon

13. Grapefruit

14. Sweet Potato

15. Honeydew Melon

As always, be sure to wash all produce, regardless if it is organic or not.

If you want a printable guide to take with you to the store, click here.

YES!

2010-05-06T07:00:00.001-04:00

I just had a teary-eyed mother moment. And not the kind where the kids are fighting, the house is a mess, and it's 6:00 and dinner is the farthest thing from happening. (Although this seems to happen to me a lot!)

No, these tears were accompanied by a heart surge of pure joy.

Chloe has been asking for about two weeks to play Candyland. She always seems to ask at the most inopportune times, so the answer has been no. Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow.

So tonight during dinner she asked if we could play. My first reaction was to check the clock. Eight-o-clock. Baths still needed to be given. No way. It would be too late to play games.

Then I remembered Ann's post on the year of Yes. (I highly recommend this post)

So I said YES!

Fast forward cleaning up the kitchen, three baths later, putting the youngest two to bed, and it was almost 10:00. Way past bedtime. Not that we have a strict bedtime but I shoot for 9:00. Most nights I just shoot myself in the foot on that one! :)

But I had said YES so downstairs we went to play Candyland. There were lots of smiles and laughter, some jumping up and down, praises sung, and a good time was had by all. (And might I add yours truly won the game.)

As we were headed upstairs Luke said, out of the blue, "I always wanted a mother like you." Chloe echoed, "Me too!" To which I replied, despite the lump in my throat and the tears in my eyes, "I always wanted a little boy just like you and a little girl just like you. And God gave you to me!" Then Chloe ran over and hugged me and said, "I love you Mommy!"

The power of a simple YES.

Your Attention, Please

2010-05-05T00:25:00.001-04:00

I think about my blog a lot. I write about five posts a day in my head. Couldn't tell it from my 0.9 posts per week, right?

The problem is that, well...how do I put it? Remember how I told you about God breaking ground in my life? As a result, many of my beliefs, opinions, convictions, or whatever you choose to call them go against the grain. And so, for fear of hurting someone's feelings, I don't write anything at all.

Nada.

Zilch.

Which is really frustrating because you either believe something or you don't. I am not being true to myself or to my readers if I don't write about who I really am and what I think about things.

Things like marriage, submission, feminism, dress, child rearing, education, religion, and the list goes on and on.

Maybe it's because I know most of my readers. People I went to school with, or to church with, or are family. People that I see on a somewhat regular basis. And so, I let fear of what some of you might say or think, rule what I write about.

But.

This is my blog. About my life. And I'm purposing to take a very deep breath and write. Write whatever it is that I'm thinking about. No matter how controversial the issue. And if it offends you, please know that is not my intention. And if you think I'm crazy, well, you won't be the first!

Now don't be getting worried I'm going to actually publish five posts a day. Chances are I'll stick to my 0.9 posts per week. After all, I do have a busy husband, four children ages five and under, homeschooling to do, a dog, some chickens, hu-mon-go-longous mounds of laundry and dirty dishes, dusty baseboards, dust bunnies, piles of ironing to be done, stacks of books to read, and much more. I'm not sure I could fit the 2.3 hours it takes me to write a post into my schedule.

So now you know. I've been a big chicken. Not any longer. I'm going to throw my neck out there and write with no fear!

Yeah, right. Who am I kidding? I'm reconsidering publishing this post. You can't say I didn't warn you, though...... :)

I have a little two year old....

2010-04-27T23:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to my blue-eyed, dimple cheek, lover of danger, lover of laughter little Jacob!

Saturday Seven-Quick and Condensed!

2010-04-24T12:10:00.000-04:00

1) We are having a birthday party for Jacob today, (his 2nd birthday is Tuesday) so I'm SUPER busy cooking and cleaning. Thus, the quick and condensed version.

2) My house looks like a tornado came through here. Maybe two or three, even. And it's a really good thing I waited to mop the kitchen floor. I was going to mop it yesterday but decided to wait until the last minute today and it's a good thing, too. Considering the mess after dinner last night I'm pretty sure I would've laid down in the floor and threw a tantrum!

3) I'm listening to the song playlist from my blog as I work today. I do that a lot. Austin does too. Obviously, my favorite songs are on here! So uplifting and encouraging.

4) I'm absolutely loving the lush beauty of spring. All the green leaves on the trees are so gorgeous. God is the best artist!

5) I won a giveaway from Quinn at On Just a Couple of Acres! She was giving away six Bible story books she had accidentally ordered duplicates of! I'm super excited about that, seeing as how I've never won anything from all the blog giveaways I've entered!

6) We are now the proud owners of ten baby chicks! They hatched a couple of weeks ago and are really cute! Too bad they don't stay that way. We are looking forward to having fresh eggs in a couple of months or so!

7) We went "fancy" camping last weekend with two families from our church and had a blast. If you have a camper, electricity, or bathrooms (and not necessarily all three) then you are "fancy" camping. It was my first time fancy camping and the kids first time camping ever. We borrowed my father-in-laws pop-up camper, which was really nice to have. The kids were so incredibly dirty from playing in the lake, the dirt, and even the charcoal ashes. They could've qualified for some of those "adopt a child" commercials!

~This post wasn't all that condensed after all! Imagine that! :) Now off to conquer more of Mt. WashMore! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

My Earth Day Contribution

2010-04-23T02:04:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I made my own laundry soap. I had wanted to make it for a ~~couple of years~~ while but thought it was going to be this tedious task. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was and how little time it took. And the ingredients can be found at your local grocery store!

I have been aware for some time about the harmful chemicals in laundry detergent, thus sparking my interest in making my own. Not to mention all the money I would be saving.

It wasn't until I read an article in Prevention magazine that I got myself in gear and followed through with my good intentions. Here's a portion of the article:

Researchers at the University of Washington analyzed a popular detergent and found that it emitted 13 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), five of which are regulated as toxic or hazardous by the EPA. "Often, laundry products can contain hazardous chemicals such as neurotoxins and carcinogens," says study author Anne Steinemann, PhD, professor of civil and environmental engineering and public affairs at the university. "Exposure to them can cause migraine headaches and asthma attacks."

Just Google "chemicals in laundry detergent" and you can find dozens of articles that will make you want to go back to boiling clothes in a big pot over an open fire while stirring them with a stick.

Or not.

At any rate, you'll probably think I'm not so crazy after all for making my own detergent! You might even want to make your own. There are many different recipes you can use but here's how I did it!

Homemade Laundry Soap

1/3 bar Heavy Duty Laundry Bar Soap (I had Fels-Naptha, but Ivory would work too)
1/2 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
2 gallons water

Grate 1/3 to 1/2 bar of soap. Add to 6 cups of water in a large pan.

Heat until soap dissolves. While waiting for soap to dissolve, heat 4 cups of water in microwave. Add washing soda and Borax to dissolved soap mixture.

Add the 4 cups of hot water to the bucket you will store the soap in. Add contents of pan to the bucket. Stir. Add 1 gallon + 6 cups of water to the bucket. Let it sit for 24 hours.

You can also add 1/2 bottle of essential oil if you prefer a fragrance. I didn't have any oil this time but have recently ordered some lavender oil I plan on using next time.

Here's what my detergent looked like right after I made it. I just used a five gallon paint bucket from Home Depot.

After it sits overnight, it will turn into kindof a goopy gel so I just stir it up before I use it. I use a little less than 1/2 a cup per load. And my load of laundry is all the way to the top of the machine. I don't mess around with wasted space in the washing machine!

I was impressed with how well the detergent cleaned our clothes. And we know how to get dirty around here! Sometimes I can only see the whites of their eyes amidst all the grime! I honestly couldn't tell a difference from the commercial stuff.

I will most definitely be making my own soap from here on! It gives me great satisfaction to know I am saving money and reducing chemical exposure to my family.

If you'd rather not bother with making your own but would love to buy someone else's homemade soap, check out HopeSuds-Do Laundry. Save Orphans. Andrew and Lora have five children and are hoping to adopt a child from Uganda. They are selling their homemade powdered laundry detergent and using the money to help fund the adoption! What an inspirational and worthy cause!

Words of Wisdom

2010-04-20T21:38:00.000-04:00

"If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves." -Carl Jung

Freebies in my mailbox!

2010-03-23T16:06:00.000-04:00

Remember when I told you about Swagbucks? A couple of weeks ago, I redeemed some of my bucks for some books on my wishlist at Amazon. Here's what I got for FREE:

A Mother's Heart: A Look at Values, Vision, and Character for the Christian Mother by Jean Fleming

Little Pillows by Frances Ridley Havergal

The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliot

Swagbucks are so easy to earn and they add up quickly, allowing me to be able to purchase books. There are many prizes you can redeem your bucks for, but there are tons of books I want, so the Amazon gift card works best for me!

It's super easy to sign up for. You can also download their toolbar, which frequently has free codes you can redeem for bucks. Lately, I have been winning Swagbucks just for logging in on their toolbar! It's great!

Can't wait to cash in some more Swagbucks to expand my library!

CVS Savings!

2010-03-20T14:09:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since I've been to CVS. The deals have been pretty slow. This week, however, proved to be awesome! Look what I purchased last night:

Here's the breakdown:

Six Degree deodorants- $2.50 each
Herbal Essence Shampoo and Styler-$2.99 each

Total=20.98 (before tax)

Used:
$4 of $20 purchase (in email I received)
(3) $3/2 deodorant
B1G1 Herbal Essence product
-$4 ECB's
-------------------
Grand Total of $2.11 (with tax)

And I received $6 ECB's! They pretty much paid me $4 to take this home! Wow! I love a good deal!

Saturday Seven

2010-03-20T13:51:00.000-04:00

1) I just finished making my own laundry soap. I've been meaning to do this for about.....umm.....probably a couple of years. Yep, procrastination is my middle name. It seriously took me all of 20 minutes. Super easy. It made about 2 1/2 gallons. That will go a long way when I'm only supposed to use 1/4 cup per load! I have to let it sit for 24 hours so I'll let you know next week how I like it.

2) Jacob is now in a toddler bed. We really had no choice, trust me. It was either put the toddler rail on his crib or end up with a broken arm or other body part. We would hear a loud thump followed by the sound of his diaper swishing as he came running down the hall. The biggest challenge has been his lack of sleep! The first peep of the eye and he's up and running. I'm hoping once the newness of it all wears off, he'll not be quite as excited about getting up.

3) To prove he's not getting the sleep he's used too......

He fell asleep eating lunch while I was writing this post. He didn't even care about the peanut butter and honey all over his face! Not that he normally does.

4) Today is officially the first day of spring! Yay! I'm so ready for warm weather and sunshine. The kids love playing outside so much better when it's warm! And trust me, the boys need to get out all of that energy. There are little holes all over the backyard where they've been digging with their shovels. The poor swing set has taken a beating since Luke got a tool set with a hammer in it!

5) Speaking of back yards, Austin has decided we are going to raise chickens. Last week he built a door in our fence that will open up into the coop. (Or whatever it is you call the place chickens lay their eggs) I think the plan is to get about ten eggs and hatch them out. The kids are super excited about it. I love the idea of having my own eggs, although I'll have to get used to the fact you actually have to go get the eggs from the chickens and not the store. Big difference.

6) Austin was talking to someone the other day and telling them about the chickens we're hoping to get. The question was asked if we could have chickens because we live in a subdivision. Austin's reply was "I own the subdivision. I can do whatever I want with it!" 'Nuff said. Definitely a perk for us, huh?

7) If you didn't already know, we do in fact own a subdivision. We bought and developed the land about two years ago and he is finishing up his fifth house now. I am so proud of him! He has amazed me with his determination. He can do whatever he puts his mind to. Not to mention, he recently got promoted to manager at his job! His big thing now is, whenever I have a problem and he helps me out, he'll wink at me and say "I'm a manager, baby." He's such a nut! :)

Feelin' Froggy

2010-03-11T00:47:00.000-05:00

Showers

2010-03-09T11:06:00.002-05:00

Oh, happy day was the day my Luke said he wanted to take a shower like Daddy! I was more than happy to oblige him.

Let's be honest, bathing four children is no small task. I feel like SuperMom on the days everyone gets a bath!

So, we marched off to the bathroom, turned on the shower, and had a lesson on how to actually take a shower. And that the point of a shower is to get clean and not to stick the foam letters all over the tub wall.

A couple of days later, I realized I had failed to mention we don't close the drain when we're in the shower. It's not exactly safe. Or good for the bathroom floor. Or my stress level.

It's been great to be able to tell Luke to go jump in the shower and never have to get my sleeves wet! I've pretty much traded his bath time off for this little fella's bath.

I'd say he's pretty happy about the trade!

Cookies for Breakfast

2010-02-23T09:58:00.000-05:00

I've been trying several new recipes for breakfast lately in an attempt to break away from cereal. We LOVE cereal at our house but it is a highly processed food, even the "healthy" kind, and we are trying to limit those as much as possible. (Couldn't tell it by the Butterfinger Bliss recipe I posted last week, right? *Smile*)

Laura, at Heavenly Homemakers, has a lot of great recipes, many of which we are trying. Her Giant Breakfast Cookie recipe looked great.....and I can attest that they taste great, too!

While the cookies were baking, Luke kept saying, "But we don't eat cookies for breakfast. They are for snacks!" After he saw I was seriously giving them cookies for breakfast, he went running to tell Chloe and Jacob the great news!

Here is my modified recipe:

Breakfast Cookies
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chocolate chips (Any excuse to get in some chocolate!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, applesauce, honey, eggs, salt, soda, cinnamon, and buttermilk. Stir in flour, wheat germ, and oats. Fold in raisins and chocolate chips. Spoon heaping tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Free Book!

2010-02-17T10:13:00.000-05:00

What a great deal on a must have book! Now through February 19, 2010, you can get a free copy of Passionate Housewives Desperate for God from Vision Forum. You pay only shipping, which for my address was only $7.50 for Priority Mail.

"Hear a former “Christian” feminist share how she went from a die-hard homemaker-in-training to a dedicated career woman and then back again — after God gripped her heart."

This is a must have for all women, whether you're a stay-at-home mom or not, in my opinion. It has been a wonderful blessing and encouragement to me. It's one of the tools God has used in breaking ground in my life. Here's what you need to do:

~Visit Vision Forum and add Passionate Housewives Desperate for God to your cart.

~Go to checkout and add coupon code FREEPHDG.

~You should only have to pay shipping charges! This offer expires at midnight (CDT) on February 19, 2010, so you must act quickly!

Butterfinger Delight

2010-02-13T14:20:00.000-05:00

Because one can never have too many recipes for delicious desserts, I'm going to share this yummy-scrumptiously-chocolatey recipe with you! It's SUPER easy and oh-so good!

Here's what you need:

Brownie mix, chocolate pudding, large container of cool whip, and Butterfinger candy. My mouth is watering already.

First, prepare the brownies and pudding according to the directions on the package. Crush up the candy into tiny pieces.

Optional, but highly recommended: To make sure the brownies aren't poisonous, help yourself to a small portion, as seen in the picture above. You certainly wouldn't want to make your family or guests sick!

Then, place chunks of brownie to cover the bottom of your dish and spoon half of the pudding over top.

Next, spread whipped cream over the pudding and sprinkle candy pieces over top. Repeat the layers again: brownie, pudding, whipped cream and candy!

The finished product! Your friends and family will love this!

Breaking Ground

2010-02-03T22:54:00.002-05:00

When I was thinking about starting a blog, one of my biggest concerns was the title. I racked my brain trying to think of something that spoke to me. I wanted something that jumped out at you; something that made you think, "Why did she pick that title?" And I also wanted something that was biblically related.

There is a local Christian group (which I love) and their name is "Breaking Ground." And, yes, they have Hosea 10:12 as their title verse. I didn't really copy their name intentionally. It just kind of happened that way.

One night, as I was reading through Hosea, I came across verse 12:

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

It just spoke to me. I thought it was the perfect title because God has broken a lot of ground in my heart and life in the past couple of years.

For me, the title speaks of personal experience and longing. Longing for the fallow ground of my heart to be broken up so God can rain His righteousness down on me.

Strong's Concordance defines fallow as "freshly plowed land." Land is allowed to lie fallow so it will become more fruitful. When it is in this condition, it quickly becomes overgrown with thorns and weeds. The cultivator of the land must be careful to clear the field of weeds before sowing seed in it.

Charles Finney answers the question of what it means to break up our fallow ground. He says:

To break up the fallow ground, is to break up your hearts, to prepare your minds to bring forth fruit unto God. The mind of man is often compared to the ground in the bible. The word of God is the seed sown there, the fruit representing the actions and emotions of those who receive it. To break up the fallow ground therefore, is to bring the mind into such a state that it is fitted to receive the Word of God. Sometimes your hearts get matted down, hard and dry, until there is no such thing as getting fruit from them until they are broken up, and mellowed down, and fitted to the Word. It is this softening of the heart, so as to make it feel the truth, which the prophet calls break up your fallow ground.

God has exposed so many opinions, views, and beliefs I held that were not in line with what the Bible says. We often form opinions or beliefs about things and never search God's word to see what He might have to say. Culture, society, and even religion shape and mold so much of what we believe and we don't even realize it. Our hearts do get hard and dry to what Scripture actually says about many issues because we aren't willing to examine them in light of Scripture.

How do we break up this fallow ground? Again, Finney says:

If you mean to break up the fallow ground of your hearts, you must begin by looking at your hearts: examine and note the state of your minds, and see where you are. Many never seem to think about this. They pay no attention to their own hearts, and never know whether they are doing well in religion or not; whether they are gaining ground or going back; whether they are fruitful, or lying waste.

To do all this, you must set yourself to work to consider your sins. You must examine yourselves.

Self-examination consists in looking at your lives, in considering your actions, in calling up the past, and learning its true character. Look back over your past history. Take up your individual sins one by one, and look at them.

It's never easy to examine ourselves; our actions, attitudes, and intentions but that's what we must do to prepare our hearts for His word and His work. The breaking process wasn't and isn't easy. I stumble and fall and resort back to old thoughts and patterns daily, but His mercies are new every morning. I'm slowly learning to lean on Him through it all. Learning to recognize areas that I'm trying to go it alone, instead of letting His grace and love lead me.

You see, I want to have a teachable spirit. I want to be conformed to the image of Jesus. I want people to see Jesus in me. For others to see the fruit of the Spirit. If things in my life don't line up with the Bible, I want to change those things. Phooey on the popular trends, latest psychology, or cultural and religious norm. I don't care if every one else is doing things another way. If it means persecution or ridicule, so be it. It's temporal. I need to focus on the eternal, for that's what really matters.

My prayer is that God would reveal areas of my heart that need breaking and that I would allow Him full reign over every area of my life.

Don't Forget the Lyrics....and Don't Use the Chapstick

2010-01-28T11:54:00.007-05:00

For Luke's birthday party, we invited family and friends and went to Monkey Joe's to jump. The kids had a blast...all eighteen of them! (Well, if you don't count the three babies under nine months, all fifteen of them.) And to think all those kids belonged to only four families!

Austin gave me a new pocket sized camera to keep in my purse as an early Valentine's Day present. Apparently it doesn't take very good motion pictures because every picture I tried to take of someone jumping ended up looking like this one. I'm sure my lack of photography skills had nothing to do with it. :)

The camera does, however, take great videos like this one of Chloe singing. It's slightly repetitive but worth the wait to see Jacob using the Chapstick. Now you see why all the kids have the same cold.

Birthday Boy

2010-01-21T23:10:00.000-05:00

Guess

who

had

birthday

today?

Happy 5th Birthday, Luke!!!

We Love You!

Help for Haiti

2010-01-16T10:32:00.002-05:00

Crystal, over at Money Saving Mom, is hosting a fund-raising effort to help the people of Haiti. (Be sure to visit her site as she is donating $0.30 for every comment and $10 for each blog link-up!) I feel it is an extremely worthy cause and would love to do my part. Thousands of people are hurting and need our help.

First, and foremost, we can pray, pray, pray. I showed some of the pictures of the devastation to the kids this morning and we talked about what these people were experiencing. Then we prayed together. It was a sobering time for everyone and also provided a wonderful discussion about the power of prayer and our God!

We can also give to those in need. No matter how much or how little, surely there is something everyone can give, even if it's just a few dollars. A little goes a long way, especially in Haiti.

Austin and I will be donating $0.30 for every comment left on this post to Numana Inc., an international hunger relief organization. $0.30 can provide one meal for a starving person in Haiti. So your single comment will essentially provide a person with a meal! How awesome is that?

Comments will be left open until Jan. 21. So what are you waiting for? Blow my socks off with comments! Let's work together to Help Haiti!

Ever been eaten by a bean bag?

2010-01-13T16:21:00.001-05:00

I have. Many times, in fact. Watch the video to see if you've been eaten.

My apologies to those who have already seen this over at Kelly's blog. I'm such an *original girl.*

Asher Alexander Harmon

2010-01-07T21:39:00.000-05:00

What an unexpected Christmas surprise! Although we weren't expecting him until after the New Year 2010, December 17, 2009, was when Asher Alexander Harmon decided he wanted to make his grand entrance! He arrived via Cesarean at 4:54 p.m. His 19 1/2 inches weighed in at 7 pounds 2 ounces!

Because he was almost a month early (due January 11) his lungs weren't fully developed so he had to stay in the NICU for a week, until he proved he was breathing like he should be.

Wow, that was a really trying time for us as parents. It was heart-wrenching to have to leave him....especially after I was discharged and had to leave the hospital. We rented a hotel room nearby and stayed there until he came home on Christmas Eve.

This will definitely be a Christmas to remember! It was wonderful to be able to bring him home before Christmas so we could all be together. We are so thankful for all the prayers on our behalf. God's presence and strength were with us as we faced this difficult time. How good it is to know He does all things well, even when it doesn't seem that way. We thank Him for a beautiful pregnancy and a beautiful, healthy baby boy! How great is our God!

Saturday Seven

2009-12-05T11:13:00.001-05:00

1) It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! The tree is up and Christmas music plays most of the day. And we (actually Jacob) have only broken three ornaments so far this year! The kids are really excited about Christmas this year, so we're looking forward to a lot of funI'm thinking wrapped presents under the tree are going to be a challenge for the first time. Jacob, aka mini-destructor of all things, can tear up jack in two seconds flat. Seriously, the child's guardian angel works overtime....he might even have two or three.

2) My sister and I went shopping on Black Friday. Since we're both expecting in January, it was quite the sight to see. I thought we did pretty well.....we were at the stores at five in the morning and shopped until about two that afternoon. And if we had a dollar for all the comments....we could have paid for our Christmas purchases! I did manage to get over half of my shopping done, which was great for me considering I'm the most indecisive person I know. I think....well....no.....maybe my mom is.

3) We're counting down to January 2, 2010! That's the date we've scheduled for our new baby boy to arrive! It's hard to believe I'll have a newborn again....ooh, I can't wait! All the tinyness of an infant.....so sweet!

4) As of now we still haven't decided on a name for the baby! We've managed to narrow it down but nothing definite. We had Noah Jackson picked out last time, but after he was born we decided on Jacob Andrew. So maybe we'll wait to see what the baby looks like before we decide for certain! The kids are telling everyone we're naming him James, like the engine on Thomas and Friends. I'm pretty sure it won't be James, but you never know. I tell the kids it's going to be Sir Topham Hat, to which they wrinkle their nose and laugh hysterically. (Sorry if you're not familiar with the characters on Thomas....get you some three and four year olds and you'll know all about the Island of Sodor.)

5) I've had my fill of Pigeon Forge for the year! Last month we went for a few days with Austin's parents and had a wonderful time. Our cabin was nice and we had beautiful weather. We have season passes to Dollywood so that was fun. It's funny to experience the change from riding all the roller coasters and doing my own thing to standing outside the ride where the pigs go round and round at one mile an hour, snapping pictures with my camera. Or the fact I was a little scared on the ferris wheel thinking about how horrible it would be if the thing broke.

6) We came home from our mini-vacation on Monday and on Wednesday I left for Pigeon Forge (again....told you I'd had enough) with my mom and sister and the kids. We attempted shopping on Thursday, which didn't turn out so well with tired, grumpy children. (And a tired, sick-with-a-cold me.) We were getting ready to try it again on Friday morning when we heard a knock on our cabin door. Who could it be??? My wonderful husband! He had gotten up early and drove three hours to pick up the kids for me! Isn't he the greatest? He took the kids home with him and I had a relaxed day of shopping! It was such a wonderful treat for me and so incredibly thoughtful of him!

7) Looks like it's only gonna be Saturday Six today because I've gotta run and get ready to go shopping with my family! Pray for us...shopping on a Saturday with Christmas crowds...shot nerves are sure to come. :)

Freebie Friday

2009-11-12T07:30:00.004-05:00

A few great freebies to share with you this week!

- Go to christianaudio.com to download a free copy of John Piper's book Desiring God.

- Need some new Thanksgiving recipes? Go here to access the October/November edition of Taste of Home magazine. I love this magazine! There are always tons of great recipes.

- Get 50 free photo cards, along with free shipping, at Freebies 4 Mom! The coupon code expires November 30, so you still have time to order. I can't wait to get some cute pics of the kids for our Christmas card!

- Although this offer isn't entirely free, you can go here to order return address labels for the holidays! You get 140 labels for free...just pay shipping and handling. (Click the red letter Holiday under the Home and Family Category) I've already received mine and they are too cute! It only cost me a little over $3 for shipping. Well worth it!

- Sign up for free samples of:

     Dove Calming Night Body Wash and Body Lotion

   Aveeno Nourish+ Hair Care

     Huggies Little Movers

     Kotex Overnight Pads with Wings

Easy Cooking Ideas

2009-11-11T14:27:00.005-05:00

Spending my time standing over a hot stove is not my idea of fun. I'm always looking for ways to minimize my time in the kitchen, so when I read about the concept of cooking ahead, or freezer cooking, or baking days, (you get the idea) that sounded like something that would work for me. Cook a lot on a given day and freeze for later. Fantastic!

One simple thing I've started doing is, on the days we have pancakes, cook up the extra pancake batter and freeze the pancakes for another morning. Sometimes I double my recipe just to put extra in the freezer.

The same works with waffles. They freeze wonderfully and all you have to do is pop them in the microwave for a quick breakfast! And, since they're homemade with whole-wheat flour, it's relatively healthy! Much healthier than the frozen or boxed mixes.

Another great time saver is to buy meat in bulk, cook it up at one time, and divide it into portion sizes conducive to your recipes. It's even better when you can get meat reduced for quick sale at your local supermarket. Kroger is great about marking down their meat for quick sale.

Just last week I put two packs of chicken into the crock pot, added some seasonings, and cooked it on low all day. That evening I chunked up the chicken, divided it into several two cup portions, and stuck it in sandwich bags to freeze. Today I used the chicken broth to make homemade cream of chicken soup! How easy is that? It took me about ten minutes to get the chicken from the crock pot to the freezer and about fifteen minutes to make three cups of soup (about two can's worth)!

I also love to make up a batch of muffins to freeze for a quick breakfast or snack. One of our favorite is Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Yum! Kroger usually has ripe bananas marked down to 29 cents a pound, so that makes for an inexpensive ingredient!

I recently found a recipe for Freezer Mashed Potatoes that looked delicious. Since I had some potatoes that needed to be used, I peeled and quartered the potatoes and threw them in the crock pot this afternoon. That took me less than ten minutes! Tonight, when the potatoes are through cooking and I finish the recipe, I'll have two 8x8 pans of potatoes ready for the freezer!

My plans are to have a major baking day (or two) before the baby gets here. That way, my freezer will be nice and full of meals or parts of meals so I can spend less time in kitchen and more time with my family! And since I'll have four littles five and under come January, I'm guessing I'll need all the time-saving help I can get!

*Image from Allposters.com

Belly Laughs

2009-10-26T21:23:00.004-04:00

Today marks my 29th week of pregnancy with baby number four....only 11 more to go! I'm thinking it will go by fast due to the busyness of the holidays. I'll be 37 weeks at Christmas! Yikes!

So far this pregnancy has been great, other than the fact I've gained weight like crazy! I've gained #*&! pounds already. What? You couldn't see the numbers? Hmm....That's weird!

I went for my checkup last week and I am already measuring a week ahead. I'm guessing that means another eight pound baby! So far we've had 8 lbs. 10 oz. (Chloe), 8 lbs. 11 oz. (Jacob), and 8 lbs. 12 oz. (Luke). I'm curious to see if we have 8'9 or 8'13 this time.

Last week, a friend of mine told me about her conversation with her son's barber, who also happens to be a member of the church where my father pastors. Somehow they were talking about pregnant women when he made the comment that, "The preacher's daughter is the biggest pregnant lady I've ever seen. She gets way out there."

Yep. That would be me. Way out there.

It's no secret....I carry babies like I've got a beach ball under my shirt. I've had to buy XL shirts at the end of every pregnancy because all my other shirts were too short due to my protruding belly. Contrary to popular opinion, preggo bellies should NOT be shown! Not that bellies should be shown in general, but definitely not ones with babies in them.

Anyway, back to the point.

If I had a quarter for every time I've heard, "How many you got in there?" "Are you sure you're not having twins?" "You'll never make it to your due date. Your huge!" "You look like you're going to pop!" And so on and so forth. I'm already getting these types of comments and I've got two months plus to go!

While these comments don't exactly make me laugh, (Honestly...the thing people say to pregnant women! It's a wonder I didn't knock some of them in the head with my purse!) I've had a couple of incidents that were unforgettable.

Like the time I had to play the invitational hymn for church. The sermon had been very moving but was coming to a close. My dad had asked the musicians to come to the instruments so I waddled up to the piano. It was quiet and somber as people were soul-searching. I sat down on the piano bench and what should happen? Well, let's just say my depth perception was off somewhat and my largely pregnant belly hit the piano keys causing this awful sound. Snickers are heard throughout the audience. My dad turns to look at me with a half grin on his face like "What's going on?" I could have crawled under the piano; I was mortified!

And then there was the time I hit my dad in the back of the head with my belly while trying to get out of the pew to go sing in the choir. His head went flying forward, almost messing up his hair. And if you know my dad, his hair is his trademark. He turned around, while smoothing down his hair, and said, "Hey, watch that thing!"

However, that wasn't nearly as embarrassing as the time I hit a visiting preacher in the back of the head while trying to get out of the pew. It's one thing to hit your dad with your stomach, another thing to hit a semi-stranger. And a preacher, at that.

Then there was the time I got stuck on the subway in Washington, D.C. I was six months pregnant with Luke when Austin and I took a trip to the capitol. He had gotten on the subway and I was following suit except the doors were closing on me. Then the buzzer went off and the automated voice asked to please clear the doorway. Austin then decided we were on the wrong train, so he jumped back off. I swung around only to have the doors start to close on me again, catching my stomach, which caused the buzzer to go off, which caused the automated voice to come on again. People were staring. Austin was laughing hysterically. Fun times.

I'm curious to see what the next couple of months hold for me in the way of memorable stories. The comments and stares I can't do much about. Just grin and bear it, I suppose.

But you can bet your life I'll fake contractions or my water breaking or something major before I attempt to play another invitational hymn!

Psalm 30:5

2009-10-15T14:55:00.007-04:00

"...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5

Remember back in March when I posted this tribute for William Charlie? He went to be with Jesus just weeks before his due date. This was the fourth child in a row this precious mama had lost.

I cried when I read of her loss and I cried when I read of her gain.

God has placed in her arms two beautiful baby girls by the way of adoption! He has turned her sorrow into joy! What a mighty God we serve!

School Days

2009-10-08T14:24:00.008-04:00

Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart! How I am finding that out! There are so many curriculum choices and ideas on different styles of teaching. The possibilities are endless. While this is exciting in some ways, it can also be very overwhelming! Especially for a girl who was not home schooled and hasn't had much exposure to what's out there.

This year, after much deliberation and hours spent reading and searching the Internet, we decided to go with the Pre-K curriculum from Rod and Staff. They have two levels of curriculum so we bought the About Three set for Chloe and the ABC Series for Luke. I also ordered an extra Bible coloring book for Chloe, which was part of Luke's set, and a memory verse coloring book for each of them.

Chloe coloring her Bible story picture

They were SO excited when the books came. They couldn't wait to get started! They have both already completed their first books and are working on the next level. Luke especially loves it. He wakes up every morning asking "When are we going to do school?"

We start by reading a Bible story and they color the corresponding page in their coloring book. Then we complete our workbook pages. It takes about thirty minutes of our time.

Luke carefully cutting-He sticks his tongue out when he's concentrating!

I also read aloud several books a day to the kids; something we all look forward to. I have found they enjoy a variety of books, even chapter books with no pictures; not just the "twaddle" books that we tend to offer our children.

We are having a lot of fun learning together and I am so thankful for this precious time with our children. So while our journey is just beginning, and there are many decisions to be made and ideas explored, I am very excited about our future in homeschooling!

Peek-a-boo

2009-09-30T23:47:00.003-04:00

Guess who?

ROAR! It's Jacob!

Isn't he the cutest lion you've ever seen?

Saturday Seven

2009-09-25T23:45:00.005-04:00

1) I finally signed up for Facebook. After months of nagging from friends, I succumbed to the pressure and joined. It's good to be able to connect with friends and family, especially those I haven't seen in a while. I love looking at every one's photos. And I love the Farmville game. If I can't have a garden in real life, at least I can get my giggles out of this virtual one!

2) I love consignment sales! There was a huge one in my hometown this week and I got lots of great stuff! It's so awesome to get expensive, name brand clothes for just a few bucks! Because I volunteered to work, I was able to shop early. I shopped for, ahem, three hours! Can you believe it? And when my work shift was over, I ran back out on the floor and grabbed a couple of things I'd missed. Craziness, but such fun!

3) My husband is a natural born athlete. Really. Last night we went over to some friends house for dinner. After dinner, the kids and daddies went outside to play roller hockey. In-line skates, hockey sticks, and a little ball on a whole bunch of concrete. Sounds like fun to me! NOT! I would so be in the hospital with a broken something if I even attempted anything like that. Anyway, I'm pretty sure Austin has never had on a pair of in-line skates but he took to them like a fish in water. He was rolling around on the concrete slapping that little ball around with the best of them. He amazes me! Oh, and his team won! Hopefully, our children have inherited his athletic nature because me......well, I have NO skills whatsoever!

4) Did I mention our friends have eleven children? Eleven. Six boys and five girls. Ages 17 to 5 months. And their mother is the sweetest, most joyful lady you'll ever meet. The children? They are SO incredibly sweet, happy, well-mannered, smart, well-behaved ...did I mention happy?.....just a pleasure to be around. They bless me so much to watch their interaction with each other and with our children. I am so thankful the Lord has allowed us to get to know them better and for our children to have such positive Christian influences.

5) Chloe has been telling everyone she's going to have 10 kids (as she holds up all ten fingers) when she gets married. Five boys and five girls. And she's going to cook for them. Today she told me she was going to live with me.....with her ten kids. I told her when you get married you live with your husband in another house. Especially if she's going to have ten kids!

6) Luke tells everyone (in his thick, country accent) "When we get some land, we are going to have some cows, and chickens, and roosters, and some bulls, and a tractor, and a bush hog, and a garden, and a hay baler, and a barn." Now that's some list! Obviously he hasn't grasped the whole "you have to have money" thing yet. If only it were as easy as making a list! Hopefully, we'll get there some day, little buddy!

7) Jacob rubs his tummy or his fingers when he's sleepy. It's the cutest thing to see. He's extremely ticklish anyway, which makes it funnier to me. At night, when I'm rocking him to sleep, he will pull his shirt up and rub his tummy really lightly with the tips of his fingers. If he's awake but getting sleepy, he will rub the fingertips of one hand over the fingers of his other hand. It's so sweet! I love it! I need to get the video camera out and capture it.....if I could only remember to charge the stinkin' battery!

Silverware Lessons

2009-09-15T23:06:00.009-04:00

Whining is not on my list of character traits I want for my children. Not that I have an actual list, but if I did, you wouldn't see whining on there. Nevertheless, whining sometimes happens around here.

I'll share what happened a couple of weeks ago:

Chloe was in a whiny mood. Just complaining in general about everything. I was emptying the dishwasher so I asked her to come into the kitchen and put the silverware away. She immediately started whining and telling me she was tired and didn't want to work, but she came anyway. She started putting the silverware away but she was whining and crying....sniffing really....the whole time. I calmly told her that if she didn't stop whining I would start putting silverware back in the basket, which would result in more work for her.

She continued to whine so I walked over to the drawer, took out a clean utensil, and put it in the silverware basket she was emptying. I ended up putting about six or seven clean pieces of silverware back in her basket, just as I said I would do. I never yelled, raised my voice, or showed any signs of stress. I tried to remain cheerful and indifferent. I would simply remind her that the more she whined, the more work she would have to do.

After seeing that whining was only making things more difficult for her, she stopped whining and actually started smiling and laughing. She quickly finished her job and went off to play; her whole countenance being changed.

It was vital that I follow through with exactly what I had said. If I had not followed through with the consequences, I would be teaching Chloe that I don't actually mean what I say. If I sometimes follow through and sometimes don't, I am sending mixed signals and my children will be confused.

If a child is given a cup at lunch and whines because he wants a different kind, (never happened here!) another cup should not be given. To lecture him and tell him to quit whining, only to turn around and give him another cup, would be the worst thing you could do. All you have done is reinforced the whining. He got exactly what he wanted and he got it by whining; never mind your lecture. This will only prove to him that whining is a way to get what he wants.

I love the following illustration given in To Train Up a Child.

If State Troopers ceased writing speeding tickets and instead started nagging and threatening, it would be tantamount to abolishing the speed limit. Picture a trooper pulling a speeder over and then explaining how sad it makes him feel for them to be going so fast. Can you see a trooper sitting on the side of the road shaking his fist and turning red in the face as each car sped by? Imagine him pulling a speeder over for the sixth time and saying, "Now, I am not going tell you again!" If this were the case then all law and order would break down into "every man did that which was right in his own eyes."

Parent, you can't blame your children if you have trained them to obey only after several warnings, threats, an ultimatum, and finally a gesture of force. It's not their fault. It's yours.

This excerpt is dealing more with obedience in general, but the point of speaking vain and meaningless words is what I'm after. Whether we intend to or not, we are training our children, either negatively or positively.

Patience and consistency are key in dealing with whining, as with all training issues; both of which I have to work at. It's often so much easier just to ignore or excuse the negative behavior, but that would not be fruitful for our children.

As parents we must constantly be looking beyond the outward actions and look at the attitude of the heart. We should always be striving for actions and attitudes that are Christ-like, both in ourselves and our children.

My Three Sons

2009-09-09T21:12:00.003-04:00

Remember that old TV show My Three Sons ? Come January, we could have our own version of that show....maybe "My Three Sons and a Girl." To put it plainly: We're having another boy!

For those of you who knew we were so determined not to find out the gender of the baby, let's just say I was having a very pregnant hormonal day. We actually didn't find out at the ultrasound appointment. The technician put the revealing picture in a sealed envelope. Obviously, that didn't last too long! I think my mom was more surprised that we actually found out what we were having than the fact we were having a boy

It will definitely be wild and crazy around here with three lively little boys! We will have to plant a garden just to feed them! Just last week I made homemade waffles (YUM!) for breakfast and Jacob ate THREE of them! And the child is only 16 months old! Little piggy! :)

My due date is January 11, although I haven't scheduled my c-section yet, so it will a little earlier than that. The pregnancy is going well. I'm so busy I hardly have time to think about it! Yesterday, while we were in the grocery store, Luke asked me why my belly was getting so big! It's funny to watch the kids try to wrap their little minds around the fact there is a growing baby in there!

We are so thankful for God's blessings in our lives and know He is sovereign in all things, even in giving this mama three boys. This mama who only had a sister, and no brothers, growing up! It is no small thing to bring an eternal soul into this world; to be responsible for teaching and training them. Our prayer is that God would give us wisdom and grace in raising these little ones and that, one day, they would each come to a personal saving knowledge and acceptance of Him!

Idol Worship?

2009-08-20T13:57:00.004-04:00

"The only reason we fail to pray is because we've made an idol out of self."

Ann Voskamp has written a very convicting post entitled Prayer: Why We Struggle (and how not to) . I encourage you to take a few minutes of your time and read it. Then take a few more minutes and pray.

Super Savings!

2009-08-18T10:21:00.003-04:00

*click image to enlarge

I had a very successful shopping trip to Publix and Kroger this week! I got a bunch of groceries, as you can see! Before store specials and coupons this would have cost $159.10. After sales and coupons I paid $69.50!! That's a 56% savings!! (Thanks to my quick math lesson from Austin!)
Not too shabby!

How did you do it, you ask? Simple! I paired coupons up with the sales and items I needed. I try to buy the Sunday paper each week so I can clip the grocery coupons and look at the sales papers. There are also great coupon printables online.

Both Publix and Kroger double coupons up to $.50, which can really add up. Publix also runs Buy One, Get One Free sales each week on many items. Pair that sale with coupons and you can get stuff for free. For example, this week Publix had Purina Beneful dog food on sale for B1G1. The normal cost for one bag was $5.49, but with the sale you could get two bags for that price. I had two coupons for $3.50 off per bag - a total of $7.00 off. I actually had $1.51 in overage and two free bags of dog food! That's what I'm talking about!

We have a weekly grocery budget, so I plan our menu based around what is on sale at the stores. I also cook a lot from scratch...well, a lot for me....which helps to cut costs. I usually don't buy this much pre-packaged food, but I got most of it for just a few cents. All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good shopping week!

Freebie Friday

2009-08-14T08:42:00.003-04:00

Today I'm going to share two ways I make free money! It doesn't get much better than free! Granted, it's not oodles of money, but any is better than none in my book.

First, there is Swagbucks. Swagbucks is an online search engine using Google and Ask.com that rewards you for searching online! How cool is that? It takes less than a minute to sign up and they don't ask you for personal information like your address, phone number, or credit card.

After you sign up, you will be rewarded three free points. Then you download the toolbar, use it to search, and start earning Swagbucks! I just cashed in some bucks for an Amazon gift card which I'm planning on using for some great books. I am seriously considering the Starbucks gift card with my leftover points! Yummy! There are tons of other prizes you can get if those don't appeal to you.

The second way I earn extra cash is through YouData.com. You fill out a short survey and then are paid to view online advertising. They transfer your earnings to your PayPal account each Friday. They do ask for your cell phone number and email address, but no mailing address or credit card information required.

Both Swagbucks and YouData have referral programs, so you can earn more cash if you refer your friends. They earn and you earn! Sweet! This is a great way to earn a little extra money for the upcoming Christmas season without hardly any effort at all.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for Swagbucks and YouData today!

In Case You Didn't Know....

2009-08-07T13:18:00.016-04:00

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works;..." Psalms 139:14

Recently, I posted a little science lesson refresher about what happens during the first couple of weeks of pregnancy.

If you'll remember, there is ovulation in which an egg is released from one of the ovaries into the fallopian tubes. If sperm penetrates the egg then fertilization, or conception, occurs. These cells begin rapidly dividing, becoming a hollow ball of cells. The ball of cells attaches, or implants, to the lining of the uterus. The inner cells develop into the baby and the outer cells develop into the placenta. From there, the baby grows and develops until the blessed day of his/her arrival.

Take a look at the following statement:

Preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the endometrium (uterine lining)

Now the obvious question would be "What would prevent a fertilized egg (baby) from implantation?" The answer: Birth Control Pills. What happens to a fertilized egg (baby) if it doesn't implant? Simple. It dies.

"But I thought birth control pills just caused me to not ovulate?" Yeah, that's what I thought. Turns out I was wrong. They do more than that. They cause changes in the cervical mucus, making it difficult for sperm to pass through. This change affects the endometrium lining, which makes it hard for a fertilized egg to implant, should "breakthrough ovulation" and conception occur.

I never could figure out why some Christians said birth control pills caused abortions. I just thought they were misinformed. Turns out, I was the one without all the facts.

Below are actual statements from the prescribing information for different types of BCP's. There are also other statements from other sources as to how the pill keeps a woman from getting pregnant. Let's take a look:

Although the primary mechanism of this action is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the cervical mucus (which increase the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus) and the endometrium (which reduce the likelihood of implantation).
www.thepill.com

Making it harder for sperm to reach the uterus and harder for a fertilized egg to attach to the uterus.
http://www.drugs.com/changes.html

Ovulation normally occurs when a spike in estrogen levels signals the ovaries to release an egg. Combination pills prevent ovulation by adjusting hormone levels to prevent this spike. They also thicken cervical mucus to prevent sperm from reaching the egg. In addition, they change the lining of the uterus to make it more difficult for a fertilized egg to implant. http://women.webmd.com/features/comparing-birth-control-pill-types-combination-minipills-more

Used in combination or alone, these hormones prevent pregnancy by:
~Preventing ovulation
~Keeping the mucus in the cervix thick so sperm cannot penetrate it
~Preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the endometrium (uterine lining)
http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/birth-control-pills.html

Combination oral contraceptives act by suppression of gonadotropins. Although the primary mechanism of this action is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the cervical mucus (which increase the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus) and the endometrium (which reduce the likelihood of implantation).
www.loestrin24.com
www.yaz-us.com
www.seasonique.com

The hormones in the Pill can also sometimes affect the lining of the uterus, making it difficult for an egg to attach to the wall of the uterus.
http://kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/contraception/contraception_birth.html

The lining of the uterus becomes thinner, making it more difficult for a fertilized egg to attach to the uterus should ovulation occur and fertilization take place.
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/preventingpregnancy/birthcontrolpills.html

According to this statistic, about 5 out of 100 couples will get pregnant in a year while using the pill. Now stay with me here. I'm just logically thinking. It takes a couple of weeks after conception for a pregnancy test to show up positive. The implantation is completed by day 9 or 10, before a test would show up positive.

So if 5 out of 100 women have "accidental" babies, how many of the remaining 95 had unknown "accidental" pregnancies that resulted in the baby dying due to the effects of the pill?

Maybe you already knew this. I didn't. And I just about fell off the couch when I found out.
Thankfully, I have only taken birth control pills for a short time, several years ago. I tried a few and they didn't agree with my emotional state of mind at all. If I were taking them, this information would be enough to make me stop.

Most of the women I know (of child-bearing age) use birth control pills. I'm not looking to start an argument or to seem "holier than thou." Please don't feel like you have to defend or explain your choices to me. I wrote this out of love and concern. Love-because babies are God's gift, only He can give, no matter if we "planned" them or not. Concern-because the devil is a liar and the father of it.

I didn't write this post to tell you what to do with your birth control practices. That is between you, your spouse, and God. I wrote this because I feel it is important that you know because, for some of you, it may influence or change your form of birth control.

**You can download a free copy of Randy Alcorn's book Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions? here.
Prolife.com has great article on BCP's here.

Saturday Seven

2009-08-01T12:12:00.000-04:00

1) I am now a van mom. The combination of expecting baby #4 and our Total Money Makeover has caused us to sell our SUV and buy a minivan. (Used, of course!) By doing so, we shaved off a pretty nice chunk of our debt, making us closer to our debt-free goal! I think I'm going to like being a van mom. There is so much space! And the automatic sliding doors....now that's what I'm talking about.

2) I'm thinking about changing my last name to "Nightingale." You know, like Florence Nightingale, the famous nurse. For the past two weeks the stomach flu has camped out at our house. Fun. Cleaning carpets, mattresses, forcing Pedialyte down with medicine droppers, having to get up 15 times a night, and all the rest that goes with the stomach blues. I have done more laundry and given (and taken) more baths in the past two weeks than the whole year combined. All three kids were sick; then Jacob decided he hadn't had enough, so he got sick again. He is finally feeling better and I am so ready to hang up my nursing hat.

3) Whenever I see, hear, think, etc., about the word "nightingale," I start singing the song from Walt Disney's Cinderella. You know, the part where the stepsisters are practicing their music and singing "Sing, sweet nightingale. Sing, sweet nightingale. Aahhh, aaaahhh, aaahhhh, oohhhh, ahhh, aahhh." They are singing so badly the cat leaves and then he hears Cinderella, who is scrubbing the floors, singing in her beautiful voice. And then the cat starts pouncing his dirty feet on her clean floors and she.....Is it obvious I've seen the movie a hundred times?

4) I'm blogging from my new computer! Yea! We finally broke down and bought a new laptop since our other one was about to die, or maybe fry, on us. Seriously, the kicker was when I started smelling electrical burning one afternoon while checking my email. Austin said "TURN IT OFF NOW! AND UNPLUG IT!" We figured a new computer would be a lot cheaper than a fire. Or having the computer blow up in my face.

5) Chloe is sporting a black eye. She and Luke were chasing each other last night when she fell and hit her eye on the rocking chair. She hit right under her eyebrow and immediately had a big knot. Poor thing. Today it is purple and swollen. She looks like she's been in a boxing match. Maybe we should teach her to say "Yo, Adrian."

6) I've never seen the Rocky movies. Or the Rambo movies. Is that considered un-American? I'm guessing some people out there think so. I'm not a big Sylvester Stallone fan. My parents wouldn't have let us watch them anyway. We didn't have a TV until I was eleven and then it was only the channels you could pick up by antenna. I would have to go out onto the side porch in sunshine, rain, or snow, and turn the antenna pole around slowly and wait for somebody to yell "WHOA!" Any of you have that same memory? Those were the days.

7) Apparently, I have bushy eyebrows. I was getting my hair highlighted a couple of weeks ago and I was using a new stylist. She is Asian and speaks with a thick accent. She asked me if I wanted my eyebrows waxed and I told her no. While she was trimming my hair, I was looking at my eyebrows and decided they could use a little shaping up. I never can seem to get it right with the tweezers anyway. So I asked her if she still had time to wax my eyebrows. She said, (with her Asian accent) "Good. They too bushy. Too bushy." And I'm paying for this kind of harsh criticism? Sheesh. :)

A Little Science Lesson

2009-07-31T16:39:00.007-04:00

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works;..." Psalms 139:14

I have a point to this post, which I'll share a little later. Right now, let's refresh our memory at what happens during the first stages of conception and pregnancy. I understand the terms blastocyst, embryo, and fetus are "scientific", but they sound so inhumane. I believe we can call it a baby from the moment of conception.

The following was taken from Merck.com. You can read the full article here.

A baby goes through several stages of development, beginning as a fertilized egg. The egg develops into a blastocyst, an embryo, then a fetus.

Fertilization

During each normal menstrual cycle, one egg (ovum) is usually released from one of the ovaries, about 14 days before the next menstrual period. Release of the egg is called ovulation. The egg is swept into the funnel-shaped end of one of the fallopian tubes.

At ovulation, the mucus in the cervix becomes more fluid and more elastic, allowing sperm to enter the uterus rapidly. Within 5 minutes, sperm may move from the vagina, through the cervix into the uterus, and to the funnel-shaped end of a fallopian tube—the usual site of fertilization. The cells lining the fallopian tube facilitate fertilization.

If a sperm penetrates the egg, fertilization results. Tiny hairlike cilia lining the fallopian tube propel the fertilized egg (zygote) through the tube toward the uterus. The cells of the zygote divide repeatedly as the zygote moves down the fallopian tube. The zygote enters the uterus in 3 to 5 days. In the uterus, the cells continue to divide, becoming a hollow ball of cells called a blastocyst. If fertilization does not occur, the egg degenerates and passes through the uterus with the next menstrual period.

Development of the Blastocyst

Between 5 and 8 days after fertilization, the blastocyst attaches to the lining of the uterus, usually near the top. This process, called implantation, is completed by day 9 or 10.

The wall of the blastocyst is one cell thick except in one area, where it is three to four cells thick. The inner cells in the thickened area develop into the embryo, and the outer cells burrow into the wall of the uterus and develop into the placenta. The placenta produces several hormones that help maintain the pregnancy. For example, the placenta produces human chorionic gonadotropin, which prevents the ovaries from releasing eggs and stimulates the ovaries to produce estrogen and progesterone continuously. The placenta also carries oxygen and nutrients from mother to fetus and waste materials from fetus to mother.

Some of the cells from the placenta develop into an outer layer of membranes (chorion) surrounding the embryo. An inner layer of membranes (amnion) develops by about day 10 to 12, forming the amniotic sac. The amniotic sac fills with a clear liquid (amniotic fluid) and expands to envelop the developing embryo, which floats within it.

Amazing, isn't it? More to come next week.....

Freebie Friday

2009-07-24T09:49:00.001-04:00

-Make any purchase at Bath and Body Works and you can use this coupon for a free travel size item of your choice, up to $5. Offer good through July 29, 2009. No minimum purchase required.

-Get a free subscription to American Baby here.

-Every Monday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., you can get a free Iced Mocha or Hot Mocha at participating McDonald's! Yummy!

-Participating Arby's locations offer a free item with purchase every Wednesday. I found a calendar inside the restaurant with the scheduled free foods. This past Wednesday, the offer was a free Roastburger with purchase of a drink. Not too shabby!

-Go here and login to print coupons for $1/1 Chef Boyardee coupons. You should be able to print these twice per computer. Most grocery stores have Chef Boyardee cans for around $1, so this would make them free. If you have a Publix nearby, they have them on sale for $.85, so you would actually make money! Sweet!
Note: These coupons must be printed in Internet Explorer.

We're On Our Way!

2009-07-22T07:09:00.000-04:00

I'm really excited about some financial changes we're making around here and wanted to share with you. Austin and I are striving to become debt-free! Yes, that's right, debt-free! Last year we purchased Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover and have started implementing the steps in the program.

I don't know about you, but it seemed like we were just getting by from paycheck to paycheck and never really getting ahead. It was so frustrating and discouraging for us. We began to see the bondage that debt has on us.

My sister gave me a copy of The Duggars: 20 and Counting for my birthday. They are completely debt free (with 18 kids!) and they talk about that process in their book. There were so many illustrations where they saw God work in miraculous ways to provide things they needed/wanted. It was so encouraging and uplifting.

I think that's when the wheels really started turning for us. Austin started working on a plan to pay off our debt and to put us on a pretty strict budget to accomplish our goal. It will take discipline and a little creativity, but I'm positive that with the Lord's help, we can do it.

I'll keep you updated on our progress, as well as some ideas and tips for saving money!

Definition of Embarrass

2009-07-21T17:04:00.003-04:00

The following definition is from yourdictionary.com:

em·bar·rass (em bar′əs, im-)

transitive verb

to cause to feel self-conscious, confused, and ill at ease; disconcert; fluster

My definition:

When the cashier at Kroger tells you that your balance is $42 and you only have $33 in cash and NO, may I repeat NO, other form of payment because you left your purse AT HOME!!! So then you have to start taking stuff out of the cart because you are short $9 and change. And there are three people behind you, rolling their eyes, staring at the pregnant lady with three kids under the age of four, who can't even remember her purse-or so she says. And you've already made them wait while you gave the cashier all your coupons. And your oldest child is almost in tears because he doesn't understand why we are giving our groceries back. Then you give back the sour cream and have a credit, which you can't do, and have to figure out a less expensive item to swap it with. And when you finally leave, everyone starts clapping. Okay, not really, but I'll bet they wanted to.

I was self-conscious, confused, ill at ease, disconcerted, and flustered. Yeah, I'd say that was embarrassing.

In answer to your unspoken questions-
1) Yes, I knew my purse was at home. I just forgot about that small detail when I was shopping. I knew I was over my cash on hand. I was thinking, "Oh, I'll just put the ten bucks on the debit card." Pitiful; just pitiful.

2) The reason I had cash, even though I had no purse, was because I had our grocery money envelope with me. What's ironic is that I went back into the house before we left for the store, specifically to get the envelope because I had forgotten it.

3) Our grocery budget is more than $33. I had already been to Publix. You were either impressed by my seemingly ingenious frugal menu planning, or thinking about dropping off a box of groceries at my doorstep.

Feel free to leave a comment with an embarrassing moment so I don't feel like such a weenie. :)

Please the Lord Now

2009-07-18T11:14:00.005-04:00

Do not let your growth in holiness depend upon surrounding circumstances, but rather constrain those circumstances to minister to your growth. Beware of looking onward, or out of the present in any way, for the sanctification of your life. The only thing you can really control is the present--the actual moment that is passing by. Sanctify that from hour to hour, and you sanctify your whole life; but brood over the past, or project yourself into the future, and you will lose all. The little act of obedience, love, self-restraint, meekness, patience, devotion, offered to you actually, is all you can do now, and if you neglect that to fret about something else at a distance, you lose your real opportunity of serving God. A moment's silence, when some irritating words are said by another, may stem a very small thing; yet at that moment it is your one duty, your one way of serving and pleasing God, and if you break it, you have lost your opportunity.
~H. L. SIDNEY LEAR~

Thrifty Mama

2009-07-07T17:04:00.008-04:00

Last week I cooked a big pot of pinto beans in the crockpot, fried up some potatoes and onions, and made a cake of cornbread. Yummy! We ate that for two nights! Talk about a frugal meal....just pennies per person.

At any rate, a small bag of pinto beans can go a loooonnnngggg way, 'cause we're having them again tonight! I had about two to three cups of beans left so I am jazzing them up for dinner. Here's my plan:

Drain beans and mash them up.
Add chicken chunks from the freezer, about 1 cup.
Add 1 can of Ro-Tel chilies (mild-cause of the kiddos).
Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
Mix ingredients well and then roll the mixture into flour tortilla shells.
Place the rolled up shells into a big baking dish and then bake for 25-30 minutes on 350.

Oh, and of course sprinkle more cheese on top of the shells before baking. One can never have too much cheese. Well, okay.....unless your allergic. Major bummer for you.

So that's my plan for dinner. Who knew that a $.99 bag of beans could feed our family of five for three nights? Gotta love beans! :)

Happy Days

2009-06-29T19:00:00.002-04:00

The last two months in a nutshell:

~Happy 1st Birthday, Jacob!
~Happy Positive Pregnancy Test Day!
~Happy Mother's Day!
~Happy ?? Birthday, Me!
~Congratulations Graduate!
~Happy Family Vacation!
~Congratulations Bride and Groom!
~Happy Week of Vacation Bible School!
~Happy Family Reunion Day!
~Happy More Vacation Bible School!
~Happy 7th Wedding Anniversary to Us!
~Happy 3rd Birthday, Chloe!

It's been extremely quiet here, but don't think for a second it's been quiet at our house. As you can see, lots of happy days around here. I'm absolutely exhausted from all the happiness!

Our biggest news is the upcoming addition of baby number four, due January 11, 2010! We are very excited and pray God's blessing upon the pregnancy and delivery. (Also praying for my sanity because life is sure to be crazy around here with four kids under five years old! )

I hope the past few weeks have brought you as much happiness as we've had!

Going Green

2009-04-20T00:10:00.006-04:00

Our fashion senses are still alive and well! Isn't she adorable in her cute froggy rainboots?

Saturday Seven -The picture edition

2009-04-18T22:54:00.014-04:00

1) Jacob is now walking! He started walking a couple of weeks ago, around 11 months, and life hasn't been the same since. For any of us. He's into EVERYTHING! Nothing is safe around here. He thinks he's been walking for years....he practically takes off running when you put him down. He's so cute toddling around here!

2) Chloe loves junk food. Seriously, she wakes up in the morning and asks for candy. The girl is a sugar-aholic. We had an easter egg hunt and luncheon at church a couple of weeks ago and there were three trays of cupcakes. So I'm sitting there eating my hotdog when a little girl brings me this cupcake and tells me that Chloe grabbed it off the tray, licked the icing, and stuck it back. Yikes! And she had already eaten one cupcake....well, licked the icing off of it. The proof is in the picture! :)

3) Luke had a great time hunting eggs until he saw the church lawnmower. He was suddenly tired and wanted to rest....on the lawnmower, of course. Hunting eggs just takes so much out of you! All the stress of finding them and then picking them up only to have to put them into your basket. Whew! Who wouldn't need a break after that?

4) This is the best Easter Sunday shot I got of the kids. Every year Luke cries while I'm trying to take pictures for Easter. I'll post the pictures one day. It's crazy. He starts crying because he has to stand next to Chloe and touch her. And since Jacob is walking, he decided to walk out of the picture. So much for sweet family picture memories when we're all old.

5) Look at those baby blues shining! And yes, Jacob did wear shoes to church. He wore his squeaky sandals that everyone loves. And yes, I forgot to put socks on Chloe. I bought her a new pair of ruffly socks only to have them soaking wet in the washing machine. Not cool, Jennifer. Not cool.

6) Our jazzy family of five! I had to post this picture just because I spent three days looking for these outfits. Lots of stress....lots and lots of stress. See, I was so tired from shopping I couldn't even keep my eyes open for the picture. What a dud!

7) Meet Rusty! Our newest addition is a seven-week old beagle. He's adorable and the kids love him. They were having serious screaming fits whenever they got around dogs so we thought it would help if we had a dog of our own. So far, so good.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, I can't even think straight I'm so tired. I was trying to come up with a cute way to end the post but I can barely hold my eyes open. How 'bout another cute pic? That doesn't require much thought!

A Tribute

2009-03-30T01:25:00.003-04:00

I have only tears as I read the following. Please read this tribute and pray earnestly for this hurting family.

William Charlie

Hello, again.....hello

2009-03-19T23:30:00.005-04:00

I'm back! No, I haven't fallen off the earth, as I'm sure many of you were thinking. It's been pretty crazy around here. Jacob has had an ear infection since Christmas, and if you've had a child with an ear infection, you know how difficult it can be! The poor baby has been so fussy and irritable. (which can make for an irritable mama after three months of continual fussiness!) On top of that, he got the flu a couple of weeks ago. Then, of course, I got it, along with a sinus infection. Pretty sure I was close to dying, or at least I felt like it. I was sick for a week!

We're all doing much better now and the fussiness has somewhat subsided, which has me hoping the ear infection has cleared up. We're looking at tubes for the little guy if it's not cleared up by his next appointment, so say a prayer for him!

Our laptop screen no longer works so we've got the laptop hooked up to a monitor downstairs and it's "out of sight, out of mind" for me. (The screen not working may have something to do with being stepped on by all three kids, being dropped a couple of times, and pulled off the table.) The only reason to go downstairs is to do laundry and I avoid that at all costs! :)

At any rate, I apologize for my lack of posts. To be perfectly honest, I've been in a personal "blah" mode. It's been a difficult few weeks for me on all levels. By levels, I mean spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental. I felt like throwing in the towel on several occasions. But God
is good and His grace is sufficient.

Thankfully, I'm feeling rather ambitious and much like my old self again. I've got some thoughts on future posts running around in my head! Stay tuned!

Give Me the Old Barn Yard

2009-02-22T22:35:00.006-05:00

Uncommon Common Sense

The way the farmer used to get new chickens was to allow the hen to sit on her eggs until they hatched. The proud mother would lead the little chicks around the barn yard, teaching them what it meant to be a chicken. But unknowingly she was teaching them how to be good mothers when they grew up. When they begin laying eggs, they too will find a nice place to lay a dozen eggs and incubate them into chicks. Then, just like their mom, they will proudly carry on the farm tradition.

But there is a new way. Every spring, we go to the Co-op and buy a new batch of chicks. They have been hatched in an incubator and are only a few days old. When you look down in their box you notice that they are all grouped according to age and size, and usually grouped according to sex. They grow up with their peers. They remind me of children in a school yard or grouped in a day care center. They learn to compete and survive in this prefabricated social order. It is not like the old barn yard where the chicks followed the mother hen around looking for something to eat. The new way is much more efficient. Where efficiency and an abundance of eggs is the goal, it is definitely progress. It is a fast new world, you know.

The only problem with this new way is that the young chicks who grow up without a mother’s care have lost the natural instinct to be mothers themselves. It is rare that one of these modern egg layers will devote the time and energy to sit on their eggs and care for young chicks. They are too busy with their own fulfillment to care for the brood.

How are you choosing to raise your chicks?

*Image taken from Allposters.com

Saturday Seven

2009-02-21T00:43:00.007-05:00

I love 7 Quick Takes that Catherine Wheels has on her blog on Fridays and would love to do something similar here. Since Fridays are already taken (Freebie Friday), I took it upon myself to create Saturday Seven! So here goes:

1) It struck me just now that the title I chose, Saturday Seven, is extra neat because Saturday is the seventh day of the week! Purely coincidental!

2) Don't ever, ever, ever put carpet in your house if you have children. Seriously, there should be a law that says you can't even buy carpet if you have children living at home. Hardwood, tile, or linoleum should be mandatory floor covering.

3) The suggested restriction on carpet was brought about by last nights' battle of Georgia red mud vs. beige carpet. The mud won. By flying colors. The now-orangey trail starts at the garage door, goes up two flights of stairs, down the hall, and ends in the kid's bedroom, where Luke went to get socks out of his dresser to use as gloves. I was impressed by his creativity with the socks, but not so impressed with his inattentiveness to his mud-caked shoes.

4) Speaking of socks....I'm currently wearing hospital socks and no, I'm not in the hospital. They give you these ugly brown socks with tread on them to wear to the operating room when you have surgery. Since I've had three c-sections and one hernia repair, I have a nice stash. They keep my feet really warm; so I choose warmth over style. And as we all know, style isn't our forte.

5) And speaking of hospitals, I was actually looking forward to my three day stay when I was expecting Jacob. Who wouldn't? I got to lie in bed, hold my new baby as much as I wanted, choose my food for the day, have it brought to me, have family and friends come to see us, and watch TV. It was a mini-vacation and I'm looking forward to doing it again!

6) Yes, we plan on having more children. Unfortunately, I am limited as to how many because I've already had three c-sections. The risk for complications during future pregnancies increase with each surgery. I wasn't quite as informed about my options as I am now, but we're blessed to have our beautiful babies, however they were delivered.

7) I have come to the disgusting realization that size has NOTHING to do with birthing babies. My sister, who is teeny tiny, had her baby girl here in about 15 minutes. I haven't' been teeny tiny since the third grade and I couldn't get my baby here after 11 hours.
"Miz Charlotte, I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies!"

Table Talk

2009-02-20T17:23:00.004-05:00

Last night at dinner, Austin was talking to the kids about the episode of 17 Kids and Counting we had watched the night before. The Duggars had gone to El Salvador on a mission trip to assist a local church there in giving out food and host a Christmas party.

Austin explained that many people don't know who Jesus is, or what He did for us, and missionaries told people about Him. Austin asked "What did Jesus do for us?" Chloe, in her little voice, said softly, "He died on the cross for our sins." Being the emotional gal I am, I added a few tears to the chicken casserole on my plate. My 2 1/2 year old baby girl knew what the Son of God had done for her! What a wellspring of joy flooded my soul!

The Bible says in Deuteronomy 6:7

"And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."

What a privilege to impart the precious story of Christ to our children! Let us not grow weary or indifferent in teaching our children the things of God.

Freebie Friday

2009-02-13T12:55:00.004-05:00

Lots of great free stuff this week! (Thanks, MoneySavingMom!)

Print your coupon for B1G1 Hallmark Card valid up to $2.50. This is good through February 14, 2009.

Get a free one-year subscription to Martha Stewart Living and Woman's Day.

This is my favorite deal this week! I love T.G.I. Friday's. Buy one entree and get one free with this coupon! Valid through March 1, 2009, with the exception of Valentine's Day.

Not for Sale by David Batstone is the free monthly download available at ChristianAudio.com.

Future Fashion Designers

2009-02-09T10:11:00.007-05:00

Apparently we are severely lacking in the fashion gene here at our house. The kids decided to dress themselves this morning while I was feeding Jacob. Nursing mommies are a toddlers dream come true. All I could do was laugh....and run for the camera.

Notice the shirt is on inside out and backwards. The usual unbuttoned jeans, which around here, is the only way to wear them. And of course, the cowboy boots he hasn't taken off since his birthday. To his credit, the jeans are sordof tucked into his boots, which is pretty hip these days.

And here is pajama mama. Pink pj pants with a red Dora belly shirt. Top that off with yellow socks and brown shoes and we've got a fashion diva.

I'm pretty sure Calvin Klein will be calling once he sees these cute kids in their jazzy attire. Until then, we'll keep doing our best to keep on stylin' and profilin'.

CVS Trip

2009-02-02T22:46:00.003-05:00

I promised earlier today that I would let you know how my trip to CVS went tonight. I thought it was very successful. My dear, sweet husband sat in the car with all three kids while I went in to shop. Actually, I think he circled the parking lot 83 times trying to keep Jacob from crying. **dreamy sigh** The things we do for love and money. :)

Anyway, here's what I got:

2 Stayfree pads $3.99 each
1 Excedrin 10-ct $2.49
1 Huggies Wipes 216 ct $5.99

Total before coupons (and tax) $16.46

Coupons used:
B1G1 Stayfree pads
$1 off Excedrin
$.50 off Huggies wipes
$5 off $15 from CVS
$5 ECB's (Extra Care Bucks)

Total OOP (out of pocket): $1.35
ECB's earned for next visit: $6.49

So in the CVS world, they actually paid me to take this stuff home. Fantastic! See why I'm hooked? So go here to learn how to start saving money today!

Saving at CVS

2009-02-02T14:38:00.006-05:00

If you love free or next-to-free stuff, head on over here to learn how to make the CVS stores work for you. Since I started CVS-ing, I have gotten tons of hair care, toothpaste, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, make-up, diapers, wipes, and more for literally pennies.

Just last month I got two mega packs of Pampers diapers for a total of TWELVE CENTS!! No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you....that was 120 diapers for $.12. That's six cents per pack!! Tell me you're not remotely curious how this works???

And that's just one great deal off the top of my head. I've gotten tons of awesome deals like that one. It's great to see how much money we've saved in our budget by shopping at CVS.

OOOHHH, that reminds me....I've got to get on over there to use a store coupon that expires today. I printed out a $5 off of $15 Friday night. Pair that with a sale, some coupons, and ECB's, and I'm sure to come away with a great deal. I'll let you know how it goes!

"Children of Caesar"

2009-01-27T21:33:00.004-05:00

For those of you who didn't know, we are going to homeschool our children. Given the state of our Godless society and education system, we feel as if there is no other choice. We are constantly having to defend or explain our decision and encounter opposition by many.

When I found this clip by Voddie Baucham tonight, I was compelled to share. It makes me want to jump up and shout "AMEN!" This sums up any explanation I could give anyone on the issue.

Happy Birthday, Luke!

2009-01-21T14:55:00.024-05:00

His new pirate set...and yes, his shirt is tucked into his underwear. He was in a hurry to open his presents!

It seems unbelievable that only four short years ago we started this journey of parenthood. We found out we were expecting in May 2004. We had a positive pregnancy test in the bathroom of the movie theater at the Mall of Georgia. (Not very romantic!) We were so excited! I had had a previous miscarriage so my doctors wanted to check my hormone levels every couple of days to make sure they were increasing like they should. My parents were on a mission trip to the Philippines so we called them to tell them the good news and to be praying everything would turn out alright. Obviously, it did!

Just two days old!

January 21, 2005, Luke Austin was born at 9:57 p.m. He was delivered by cesarean after about ten hours of labor. And yes, I had an epidural during that time! He weighed in at 8 lbs. 12 oz. and was 21 inches long.

The only pacifier he would take....it was so big!

What a joy he has been! He has a tender heart, a great sense of humor, is cautious and very inquisitive. He adores anything John Deere. If you ask him what he's going to be when he grows up he'll say (rather loudly), "A doctor preacher!".

His "vampire" teeth!

We are blessed to have been given such a wonderful gift. It's my prayer that God will use him for His glory. Austin and I pray for wisdom and guidance as we strive to help Luke become all God wants him to be. Happy birthday Luke! We love you!!

I love Daddy!

The John Deere Tractor!

Chilling in the swing

Cruisin' on the Gator

Freebie Friday

2009-01-16T12:38:00.015-05:00

Periodically, I hope to post some freebies I've ran across. We can all benefit from stretching our dollars! Here are a couple for this week. Enjoy!

You can download free online books at DesiringGod.org. There are over 40 to choose from. This is a great way to save some money and still get in some good reading. I have downloaded several myself and am looking forward to reading them.

Over at ChristianAudio.com, you can download one free audiobook each month. This month, their feature book is Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God. Go here to get your free download.

*Image taken from allposters.com

Without End

2009-01-13T09:22:00.013-05:00

Tuesdays are busier than normal here around the Harmon household. Our little friend, Weston, is here on Tuesdays. Weston's mom is a part-time teacher and we are happy to help her out any way we can. Weston is six days older than Jacob, so it's essentially like having a set of twins! (Sometimes I wonder if God is preparing me for something--twins do run in my family!) So the day is filled with the usual, just a little more of it. Diapers, feeding, napping, playing, breaking up fights, reading books, going to the potty, kissing boo-boos....you get the picture.

One Tuesday, right before Christmas break, Weston had just gotten up from his nap and I was changing his diaper in the living room floor. It was a doozie of a diaper that was going to require a clothes change. While trying to take his clothes off, I made a worse mess than was already there, which meant now he needed a bath. Then the doorbell rang.....and I was still in my pj's.

As I was getting up with a naked child, Luke was running to get the door and he and Weston bumped heads. I had to kiss boo-boos while trying to get the door. And wouldn't ya know it was our new neighbor (did I mention I was still in my pj's)?! He needed the key for the house because they were moving in. I'm sure they thought twice about it after seeing four toddlers under the age of three staring at him. Possibly even thought about calling DFACS on the crazy lady who has naked children and doesn't get dressed 'til noon!

Generally, that's what life is like here at our house. Lots of laughter and squeals, smiles and giggles, and sometimes tears. There's toys everywhere, crumbs on the floor, and loads of dirty dishes and laundry. And I wouldn't trade it for the world. Honestly.

There was a time when I often struggled with being a full-time mommy. Others would talk about promotions, raises, meetings, luncheons, etc. I couldn't relate any longer. I had left the workplace to take care of my family. I felt very insignificant when I compared myself to other women.

My perspective was wrong. Very wrong. I was looking at my self-worth through worldly eyes; not through God's eyes. The Bible has much to say about women, our roles, and our importance. It isn't popular. I don't expect it ever will be. But then again, God's Word is usually never popular.

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

God has worked a wondrous work of contentment in my heart. He has also brought to light many ugly attitudes and perspectives I carried that were contradictory to His Word and His plan. I am a work in progress, as we all should be.

So give me the diapers, feeding, napping, playing, breaking up fights, reading books, going to the potty, and kissing boo-boos. I'm okay with that. I'm on a mission. God's mission. And isn't His really the only one that matters?

I leave you with this excerpt from Ann Voskamp's post Strange Disappearance:

If I identify myself as the culture does, as a “stay at home Mom”, one who has no intellectual contribution, gross-national product contribution or status symbol contribution, I become just that: a woman who sees herself as one who has grunted and groaned out another human being and now stays behind her four walls, in self-imposed seclusion. Not much of a vision there---it actually sounds strangely psychotic.

If I deem myself as a woman employed by the Creator of everything ever created, as on work assignment in a sacred domain for the sculpting of souls that will exist forever and forever without end, I have a burning passion of purpose. And a paycheck that is said to be beyond what eye or ear can even comprehend!

This world is going to burn up, cinders for the universe….but your child is a soul without end, forever and ever existence. The world has pitifully, laughably little to offer in comparison to this holy opportunity to raise up a child.

*Image taken from allposters.com

Drum Roll Please..........

2009-01-10T14:57:00.010-05:00

Ta-Da! My first post on my new blog! Welcome to our little corner of the world. I am Jennifer, married to Austin, and we have three adorable kids: Luke (01-05), Chloe (06-06), and Jacob (04-08). Life is pretty crazy around here these days, but we are loving every minute of it.....okay, most of the time. :)

Six months ago, I didn't even know what a blog was. The term "blog" still sounds funny to me. One day, while doing some internet searching, I stumbled upon a blog about living frugally and now I'm hooked! I have been challenged, encouraged, and inspired through the few blogs I read.

One night, through a few links from one site to the next, I clicked on a blog title that sounded good: Divine Calling. I found out our children were very close in age and we shared the same heart for our families. I was surprised to see we both lived in Georgia, so I decided to drop her a short email. Long story short, we live about 20 minutes from each other and get together often. I consider her one of my dearest friends. God used her blog to answer my prayer for a like-minded friend whose passion was God and family. Isn't God good?!

When Austin suggested I start a blog, I initially laughed it off. "I'm not a writer. I'm terrible at punctuation. What would I write about? No one wants to hear what I have to say." (I think he wants me to jump on my soapbox here rather than when he's trying to go to sleep.) But the more I thought about it, the more the idea intrigued me. I started playing around on Blogger and well- here I am!

Let me be the first to say, we are a normal family with normal struggles. I am a nothing more than a rotten sinner who has been miraculously saved by the marvelous grace of God. He has placed in me the desire to serve Him in all I do. I fall short daily and have to die to self daily, sometimes minute by minute. Sometimes I don't do so well at dying to self-other times, I don't die at all. I am continuously seeking His help and His grace.

Through this blog I hope to share a little about our personal lives, as well as make you smile, encourage you, and challenge you (In a good way!). It is my prayer that at least one life will be helped by something I might have to share. Until next time, here are a few family pictures for you to enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Our little munchkins in their pj's while mommy tries to get pics for the Christmas card.

Jacob stuck under the couch!

Daddy, Luke, and Chloe eating popcorn on our first movie night

"I'd Rather be an Old Time Christian"