Working tonight.

Click Here to see what Im working on tonight...

the children's pastor is a friend and she asked to use some of my photos in the new nursery. Our church has been together for many years but they've always rented spaces. Right now we meet in a school in the area. But we raised the money to lease our own space so Christ Fellowship will have its own official building for the first time! (and not only did we not go into debt, we will save money each month!)

anyways, just playing around with some of my pictures so I could send her some ideas. Feels good to "work" and get something done :)

now im exhausted. off to bed!

Our Monday

Today is Tuesday which is our Mon since steve is off Sun/Mon. I must have really slacked last week because I had my work cut out for me. I caught up on dishes, folded loads and loads of laundry, sorted clothes for the change of season and then tackled the back bedroom. Right now Abrams sleeping in there but we are going to switch the kids so I need to get it together.

I organized all his baby boy clothes into their bins...the sweet little clothes that all of my boys have worn. It was sad though that some of the cute sleepers no longer stayed snapped on Abram because they've been used to much. So I got rid of some of those. But everything else got put into its correct bin (0-3 mos, 3-6 mos and 6-9/9-12 mos). Feels good!

Next I have to tackle Jaynas clothes. She has too many right now - last week I thought she didnt have any. But a friend gave us a bag (thanks les!) and I found another huge bag of 3t/4t winter clothes that a friend gave me a few years ago. So fun! So I need to pack up her 2T clothes, decide what to keep for the sister she will someday have ;) , what to keep for her this winter, what to give away, etc.

I really need to get it together and be super organized to make this space work for us right now. Its very overwhelming to me. I have such a need to create a space of peace and beauty. I feel like Ive done that in the front room and can get there in the kitchen. But the bedrooms are a major challenge. I used to think I was so busy when I had to do jobs like painting after the kids went to bed or at naptime - now those kinds of things are nearly impossible. Or possible but so out of my reach physically and mentally. The hallway's been partially cut in for months and months. I just need to do it and paint it! Its driving me nuts! :)

dont you just breathe easier when the house is clean? *sigh* love that feeling.

on a totally different note - Abram is totally trying to copy me when I say "uh oh spaghetti-o". soooooo cute. It sounds a little different every time but he gets the syllables right and he's been saying the 'uh oh' part for quite awhile. Ive been praying over him since he was born that speech would come easy to him (After what we've been through with caleb and jayna). I pray that a lot still, that the Lord would open us his mind, connect anything thats not working correctly, heal, open his mouth to speak easily, etc. So its exciting to hear him speaking! He says a lot of things now. He is starting to say 'no' but it comes out like 'neh'. Like when I ask him if he's ready to go night-night in his bed....he'll just matter-of-factly say 'neh'. :) so cute.

off to watch Biggest Loser with Steve. Last night I "got" to watch the Transformers movie with him. I think TV-watching is his love language. Which is hilarious because Id much rather be without it. But I do love our time together :)

Diva Cup

*Female's Eyes Only* :)




I know Im not one to talk about this right now since I dont have my cycles back yet but if you dont have one of these, you need one. For Real.

A diva cup is a small silicon cup that you insert and can leave in for 12 hours! On my heavy days I would change it at 6 or 8 but it could definitely go overnight with no problems. There is a learning curve on getting it to fit comfortably but once I got used to it, I LOVED it. Love, love, love.

No more buying tampons ever again! Tampons are bleached and this is SOOOO much healthier to have inside of you! Plus you save money after one month :)

LINK

just had Diva Cups on the mind. All this for free LOL ;)

A restful Sunday together

My sweet Abram is feeding himself applesauce with a spoon right now and doing quite well. So cute! (on a side note - why do people buy applesauce with sugar? its so sweet naturally!). He was never a fan of applesauce until recently. we've tried different types but the organic unsweetened from CM is very mild and he likes it alot. He's been super picky lately so Im glad to have something he will eat! He just had cold, leftover brocoli from dinner, scrambled eggs and now applesauce. Filling him up before naptime!

Steve had a late night at his second job last night and wasnt in until 3am! Jayna had a fever last night so we just all stayed home from church. Its cloudy and cool and a nice fall day to hang out. He's out working on the yard actually - mowing and edging and preparing a ditch....we have flash floods in the forecast again tonight. Im cleaning and trying to catch up from my week where it looks like I did nothing in here all week long ;)

I want to try to write quick posts more often and remember all these little things like what Abrams eating, etc. Sweet moments.

Another pumpkin patch day

My good friend Leslie invited us up to a small pumpkin patch near her house. It was a gorgeous fall day and we had a lot of fun! And I finally got IN one of the pictures :)


I look kind of weird...maybe thats where Noah gets it from LOL. I love that boy but he sure is goofy. They just got these hats from Heidi (my stepmom). I had them all bundled up but it turned out to be really warm! oh well. Behind us is a huge corn maze. I actually got pretty lost in there with the two little girls and Abram. Started to feel the walls closing in - I was glad to get out!





My mom bought Noah a huge set of the Boxcar Children books on ebay for his birthday. Anyone ever read those? Well he started his first book yesterday - his first chapter book to read all on his own. And he finished by bedtime!!! I was shocked, it was like 155 pages. I knew he'd love to read things like that though - just like his mommy and daddy. I remember devouring Nancy Drew books like they were chocolate ;) He's buzzing through book 2 now. So cool!!!

New Scooter

Noah got a Razor scooter from Nana from his birthday. Caleb's had one a few years, but Caleb's has three wheels and Noah's has two. Anyways, its scooters, scooters everywhere in here (of course they can ride in the house!)

Well sweet Jayna was playing on Calebs and fell and this happened.....




it looks worse now - its turning blue all underneath her eye and its very swollen. Poor baby girl!!!

(she just played checkers with Noah and lost and screamed at him, "you. hurt. my. FEELINGS!!!!". oh the drama!)

Today - 10/22/02

Im sooooo sore. We had a crazy flash flood yesterday afternoon and our back porch was a mess. there is a piece of wood infront of the back door and the water came up halfway across it. one more inch and I would have been mopping like crazy! Instead I was outside, barefoot, shoveling grass to try and help it drain. I actually put on my shoes to go out front. Im civilized like that. I was completely soaked through, it was raining soooooo hard. We definitely were missing daddy at that moment! but thankfully no water came in the house.

just random things i want to write down....

Abram says "ya/yeah" when I ask him things. "Is that a ball?" "ya". Its really funny. If I keep talking he'll have a conversation with me with all these short made-up words (ne/ba/meh/etc). Its super cute.

Noah turns 7 today! We had a few of his buddies over yesterday (supposed to be at the park but we got rained out) and he got some fun "big boy" toys that have a million pieces. He's so big! Nana gave him a razor and he's been riding in the house all morning - between school assignments of course ;). We started reading White Fang today. Im censoring out the curse words but otherwise its really good so far!

Jayna's starting to write her letters. She is doing so well - such a girl in that way. For the longest time she's been able to draw a straight line of perfect little circles. Very detail-oriented.

Abram just pulled the clean clothes down and is stepping all over them. *Sigh* This boy is b-u-s-y. He is on the table constantly. We do time-out over and over and over. Its helped a little but not completely. His new thing? He eats the erasers off of all our pencils. For real. We need those for school buddy!!!! stinker :) Been working on nursing him less at night. so when he wakes I tell him that the milks "all done". He is adjusting to it. I still nurse him, just less. We will keep decreasing.

Then we will work on having him sleep in his own bed at night. It will be a hard transition for both of us, I sleep better with him with me now! We are also thinking of switching the kids' rooms and letting Noah take the room up in the attic. Steve thinks he's reading but Im not sure. makes me nervous!

getting off the computer now and focusing on getting ready for Core. Since its Noahs bday we are picking up a costco pizza for something special. And Zevia soda as another special treat (its healthy, sweetened with stevia!) Looking forward to all of it! :)

God is good!!!!

Ft Worth Eggs

Im so excited to find a great contact for farm-fresh eggs!!!

There is a lady named Laurie who works in Ft Worth, just south of downtown. She has 33 free-roaming, happy hens. They are allowed to run all over and eat bugs and all that good stuff that make the eggs super healthy and composed as God intended. She also feeds them table scraps and they love it.

The food they are supplemented is not organic. But from what I've read, eggs from truly pastured chickens are healthier than store-bought organic eggs. This is good news since they are cheaper! they are only $2/dozen and they are awesome. They are big and the darkest yolks Ive ever seen (and Ive had farm eggs before!) She is very friendly and sweet :)

check out this awesome article: Healthy Eggs: What to Buy

If you want her contact info let me know!

Pumpkin Patch 09

We were super excited to get to go to the pumpkin patch as a family today :) The kids, Steve's parents and I went two years ago for Noah's 5th birthday...thats the day he broke his arm in the bounce house. Fun times.

Two years later and Im happy to announce that no one was injured this year :)

This is the coolest pumpkin patch - first of all, because its totally free :). It was a little bit of a drive but worth it. We did get the kids 50 cent tiny pumpkins and they were/are thrilled! We are going to paint them in school tomorrow.

The boys loved the bounce house thats like an obstacle course, Abram loooooved the pumpkins, Jayna enjoyed them too. We didnt get a ride on the tractor/hayride because it was stuck and things were backed up, but we had fun anyways. I packed some snacks and took a ton of pictures.

Here are a few of my favorites







Here is the whole album

PumpkinPatch09

Miss Jayna

Three posts in a row - what can I say?

Had to share this picture of Jayna that I took today at a birthday party we went to. How cute is she?! :)



This was just a quick snap and edit. I have some more to post later. Night y'all!

Freedom

The lady hosting the baby shower invited two women who have recently come here from Iraq. The are muslims, who have fled due to persecution. I had the honor of sitting awhile with one of these sweet ladies and talking with her - may the Lord forgive me for how I take my freedom for granted. I know she told me very little of the horrors she has seen but even what she did share was sad and shocking.

She's fiesty and I loved it ....there women are forbidden to wear pants, but now, living in America, she doesnt own one skirt! I love the rebel in her. She has reason to rebel. I wont share any more of her story for her privacy and protection but please pray for her husband who is still in another country unable to get a visa here. They have been married less than a year and she misses him terribly.

What a hard, hard thing to come to a country like this. She loves the freedom but there is a lot she has to do for herself now, like get a job. And its hard when you arent comfortable speaking the language (although she is very good!)

There are refugees from all over the world living here in Ft Worth and I never had any idea. A new friend from church works for Catholic Charities who helps them get settled, find places to live, work, etc. These people are lonely and struggling and need the love and hope of Jesus ... people from church are constantly reaching out to them. One life group recently went all out and decorated an apartment for a new family - they were blown away!

Im excited to get more involved. What an opportunity to love people like Jesus would. I asked her if she'd come to visit our church and she said yes....thats huge! And she's never seen snow ....Lord, let it snow this winter! May she marvel in the freedom we take for granted every day - and may she find true, lasting freedom in Jesus!

Diaper Cakes

I made my first diaper cakes earlier this year, for a friend at church. The project Ive been working on is my next two - for another friend who's shower was tonight. so now I can share :)

The first two I made - I like to do an elegant/fancy one and then a fun/funky one with all the goodies on it!

In the middle are bottles filled with yummy chocolates!

(I was really happy with how these two girly ones came out!)

this isnt the best picture but you get the idea :)

Swagbucks

Click below to sign up for Swagbucks (just close the ad if it pops up). I wouldnt promote something that was a scam. This is for real. I have earned a total of $40 in Amazon gift cards since I started (45 swagbucks=$5 amazon gift cards) and I already have 18 more swagbucks towards my next one.

Just use the search engine or swagbucks.com every time you do a search. If you want to go to facebook type in "facebook", or whatever site you want, or whatever you need info on. Randomly you'll win, usually $1 or $2 swagbucks at a time. Fridays (today!!!) are mega swagbuck days, and you can earn up to $100 swagbucks at a time!

If you sign up a friend, you earn what they earn, up to 100 swagbucks.

Until tomorrow enter "Swaggenstein" for an additional swagbuck!



Until tomorrow enter "Swaggenstein" for an additional swagbuck!

Zoo pictures

A few weeks ago we went to the zoo with some friends. The mom and I actually went to high school together and her mom babysat me. The Lord brought us back together - of all places - here in Texas :) We have a lot in common and get along well and so do the kids. We went to every.single.part. of the zoo. We were there for hours and we were thorough. It was fun!

(click to see album)

Zoo Oct 09

a Caleb funny

Caleb: Hey mommy, what are our nails for?

Me: (I shrugged my shoulders - finding myself suddenly stumped!)

Caleb: You should ask God that when we are in heaven.

















I love that he was thinking about that (his nails often get him in trouble - he likes to peel things like paint off the wall, stickers, pick at things, etc.). He is so sweet though, such a tender heart. He is doing REALLY well learning his phonograms and learning to sound things out and read. And his writing has come so far in just 5 weeks. I love him so! Dont know what I'd do without my sweet K-bear.

Good Morning World!

Happy Thursday morning!!! :)

Thursday is a super busy day for us with school and Core and all it takes to get ready for Core. Abrams up earlier than usual and Im tired. But I have hope - hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. People always wonder how I can do this, with 4 young children and homeschooling ... its simply, grace. He has called me to this so He equips me! Its the same for all of us when we walk with Him. Its not easy but its so rich, so deeply satisfying to our souls!

I made some bean cake again last night and I tried to take some pictures to share the process - has anyone else tried it yet? It really is super easy - beans, cocoa and eggs. (I want to send something "normal" looking for dessert for the kids for Core tonight. long story of why but just to help them blend better with the kids there)

I have a project this week that is super fun - I cant share right now, its a surprise for a friend. But Ill have pictures soon!

Here are some more pictures from my session with baby A. I hope they bring a smile to your face this morning! What a marvelous Creator we serve! (these are on facebook so many of you have already seen them - sorry for the repeats!)

If things are hard for you too......

If things are hard for you too......

I just encourage you to pray. Be open with the Lord and take time to be still and **listen**. He will show you what to do, how to change, and grant peace.

A few weeks ago we prayed in our small group at Core, for provision for us, as well as another family in our church that is struggling. A week later someone left $2000 cash in their mailbox!!! I felt tempted to be jealous and I even told myself that they are just much more godly and more committed to prayer (just being honest!)....but thats not how God works! We dont earn His gifts, they are freely given. Our provision has looked different but its been everything we've needed. He knows what we need, and when we are seeking Him, and surrendering to Him, He will provide it.

So dont be discouraged if times are hard. Pray and pray and pray! He is faithful to answer us when we call.

Miss Jayna - smiling about getting ready to go out for some "girl time" with Mama :)

(my mom bought her this shirt and flower when she was here last time. Ive been waiting for the right outfit and the cooler weather to finally put her in it! I just love it in her hair!!! )

God is good

I should really just call my blog "God is good". Cant stop saying it!

I only have a few mins but I just want to say that the Lord is amazing. We are so blessed by our friends and family. We are so blessed to be in a community where there is love and generosity instead of judgement. We are learning so much from the people around us. We all make mistakes - our job is to LOVE. not judge.

We have made some mistakes with money in the past. And we arent perfect now. But we have really changed some major things in the last few months are joyful in living how the Lord wants us to - carefully, with discipline, as good stewards of what He's given us. "Act your wage" as Dave Ramsey says ;) We have never been into extravagant items, we have no care for status or material things like cars or clothes but we just didnt budget well. If we ran out of food, Id just go buy more. If Steve hadnt gotten paid yet Id just charge it. Add in the cost of moving, having a baby, medical bills, etc. and we got behind.

I used to be proud that we had no credit card debt. We paid it off every month. But you know what pride comes before .... ;) So if you are thinking it could never happen to you - repent! Anyways, things are different now. We are in the best place - having to depend on Him instead of ourselves. While things continue to break (oh my goodness our garage door almost fell completely off the other day!!! im sure it was comical LOL, my cell phone wont charge again, i have a headlight out, etc) the Lord continues to abundantly provide!

We had people here for dinner the other day and had so much leftovers (we all contributed) we had another meal from it. Then yesterday a sweet friend brought by two gallons of raw milk (I used to get raw milk and really believe in the health benefits but cant afford it right now) and THEN today....the FedEx guy showed up. He shocked us by dropping off $500 (!!!) in gift cards to Central Market! (what?!?!?!) They were from some sweet friends we went to college with - she is a faithful blog reader and a HUGE encouragement to me.

We are blown.away. Humbled. and thankful. and amazed.

We are getting ready now to head off to CM and get some food! I went the other day with our first gift card but I was super cautious in what I bought. We ran out of oats and a few other thigns so we are off to shop! I love how the Lord not only provides but provides the best for us. He knows that central market really loves on my heart! HE IS GOOD!

Wednesday Oct 7

Its not even 1pm and what a day! Abram had his 1yr check-up today. It was his first check-up ever actually...kind of on purpose and kind of not. I never intended to go to every single one since we dont vaccinate and I can tell when my baby is ok or not by now ;) But I did intend to go before he was 14 months. Of course now we are right in the middle of the swine flu season so I was a nervous wreck but I prayed, gave us our Vit C and went for it. Well they had some many walk-ins from the flu that we had to wait an HOUR. The Dr is a friend from church so I wasnt mad or anything, it just sucked up my morning. Abram looks great. They did some blood work to check on iron and lead.

Those that know me would have cracked up at me if you had been watching...brought in my folder with the growth chart Ive kept for him since birth (specifically for breastfed boys) as well as a typed account of when he hit his milestones (sitting, walking, etc), the words he currently can say and the foods he does and doesnt eat. It may have been a "little" over the top but as a Christian, homeschooling, non-vaxing family we want to be careful to cover our bases and make sure there is documentation that we care for the children. Thats really the only reason I wanted to have a check-up at all - to make sure it was on the records. So anyways, glad thats over with :) (p.s. the only reason Im able to blog right now is because abram is pulling everything out of my purse and the closet)

So as Steve was going to work he checked our mailbox........there was a card inside with our names on it. It has a quote from Sheila Walsh on the front, "We can thank God for the simple gifts of grace He gives us every day" and inside was a gift card to Central Market ... for $250!!!! What?!?!?!?!?! All it says inside is "Grace to you!". So whoever out there was so kind and generous us to use thank you, thank you, thank you! I love the body of Christ, so beautiful! Its so very humbling to need this but you are truly an answer to prayer. I will be spending it so very carefully!

I get a lot of our food from other stores of course but there are some things I can only get from Central Market - Jaynas almond milk, organic dry beans (way less than canned beans and healthier!), cashew butter for the boys, etc. I just went there actually and carefully spent $35. And $12 of that was on probiotics for Abram - hated to do that but his tongue is turning white again and Im very concerned the thrush may come back :( so I had to. Anyways, super excited!!!! and thankful! I had *just* said to Steve and that we only had a little left to spend until he gets paid on Oct 30th. Oh what a blessing!!! We are still using the food my friend dropped by the other day but its almost gone. He truly always does provide!

(you should see the mess abrams making!)

well time to do some school. its so much harder for me to homeschool in the afternoon but thats what we do when Steve closes, since he doesnt go in until 12. Its actually going REALLY well, Im really thrilled with what they've learned already - several verses, tons of phonograms, Calebs reading and writing so well, etc. So fun to homeschool!

love y'all. Cling to Jesus - everything else pales in comparison. Id never want to live without Him again. His love is overwhelming. He is REAL!!!!

Here is a picture from our last homeschool co-op day with my friend Candice and her kids. We learned about Hawaii so they are giving the "hang loose" sign. This friday we learn about Thailand! (look at Noahs face LOL!!!)

n

First Oct Update

Its quiet. Steves at work, the kids are all asleep. The only sounds are the occasional waves of rain that move through outside. so lovely :) My dishes are done, clothes folded. Just a few more chores and Im ready to face Sunday! I love church but it is a ton of work getting us all out the door on time and presentable. I try to do whatever I can the night before. Plus we have be having life group here tomorrow.

It was a good week. We had an awesome time at the zoo on Tues with friends. The kids got to play outside several days and we got school work done in the middle of it all. Thurs night at CORE was totally awesome - learned a lot. And Abram did very well - he not only stayed down in the childcare all night, but he was asleep on Ms Sarah's shoulder when we went to get him :) We've had some totally awesome weather too. I just love Fall!

Abram was extra tired because he has a cough that's been keeping him up. Wed and Thurs night I had to hold him upright from bedtime until about midnight. When I laid him down he'd start coughing again. Its dry but he has these "attacks" that, often, only breastfeeding will calm. So that hasnt been too fun. He didnt cough at all last night but both he and Jayna coughed over and HOUR this morning before they woke up :( Jayna said her back hurt from it, which worried me. But they are both fine otherwise and I barely heard a cough all day ... they played and ate normally.

Anyways. My biggest baby will turn 7 in only 19 days. So crazy. We asked him what he wanted for his birthday over dinner tonight. He keeps saying he wants a flat screen TV. You live on the same planet as I do, right son? I have no idea where he is getting that from. We dont have one. Of course he is smart enough to know those cost a lot of money - glad he cracks himself up. He also mentioned a canon that he could shoot himself out of. Do you see what I have to deal with?! :) I can satisfy his meal request - buffalo burgers with kiwi and cherries for dessert :) We will also be making a "dirt cake". Remember those?! So fun. Not healthy but fun. I still remember the first time I had it, the exact day and place. And yes Im cool enough to make it for him. I dont deprive them of sugary fun ALL the time!

So excited that so many people want to try the bean cake I posted about a few posts ago! Please let me know how it goes! Next time I make beans Im going to try it again myself....mmmmm can hardly wait!

Times have been a little tough her (ok, a lot tough). But its been good. Its coincided perfectly with our commitment not to have sugar for 2 months, no eating after 8, no fried food, etc. Ive lost 9 more pounds! :) Thats a total of 29lbs lost this year. It feels great. Im less now then when I got pregnant with Abram (actually less then when I got pregnant with Noah!) Five more and Ill be happy - 10 more and Ill probably be too hungry, but very skinny :)

It was very faith-building for me to just pray and pray for provision. There were tears but I *knew* He would provide. Anyways we were big-time blessed to have a dear friend drop some groceries off this week. She was so sweet ... everything was organic! Far more than I can ever afford to buy organic but she knows my heart and that I love to feed the kids like that. There were carrots, apples, eggs, milk, kiwi, avacados (yummo! those are mommy's!), lettuce, green beans, grapes, etc. It really blessed us - all I could do was bawl and mumble "thank you" through my tears :) And then today I sold a rug on craigslist! We've had it in the garage far too long - huge answer to prayer. Another friend dropped by some eggs today from chickens that live here in the 'hood ;) He really ALWAYS does provide.

Ive actually enjoyed have only a tiny bit of money the last few weeks ... its really built up the compassion in my heart for those that struggle with so little all the time. I prayed a lot about how Id spent my food budget ($50 for two weeks) and also how to use what we already had. The Lord gave me a lot of creativity and we've been fine, we've had great meals actually! I had beans, rice and meat in the freezer so it was fun to be more creative. Anyways not a sad story so dont feel bad - we are very thankful! God is good! :)

Id love to have my own chickens. I wonder if they'd lay eggs with my goofy dogs always barking at them? We eat sooooo many eggs, it would be so awesome. If I make eggs for dinner we can easily eat 15. Abram and I eat them almost every day and my kids will, thankfully, eat them whenever I make them. They love them boiled too. Ive always gotten the organic ones from Costco since thats the best frice for organic Ive ever seen. But Ive been chatting with some local people on craiglist about trying out their eggs. One lady's are completely free range and run all over eat grass and bugs and all that - thats so good for the chickens and great for the nutrition of the egg! So we'll see :)

Its fun to blab on my blog. especially when its quiet. And major shot out to all my stalkers - hahaha! you know who you are! ;) j/k. love ya!

All praise to the Father, from whom all blessings flow. Praise to our Savior who bore unimaginable pain so that we could return as children and be accepted as He is accepted. Praise the the Holy Spirit, our helper, we are never alone!

and because every post is better with a picture.......here is my good friend Candice's son. We do a homeschool co-op every other Friday and study the countries where the missionaries from our church live. Its mostly geography but we want to teach them about missionaries. We have them write to them, learn about the culture, etc. Anyways snapped this while we were at her house a few weeks ago! Remember his newborn pictures? Such a cutie!