Community and a Coming Home Story

I wonder sometimes. Why blog? Isn't it a little shallow and narcisstic? What do I really have to contirbute anyway? This isn't "real."

THEN..I see something like this.

The "blog world" acting as community. In an amazing way. Maybe blogging is silly but God can use WHATEVER HE WANTS.


Have you heard about this family


and Baby Sergey

and their coming home story?

This is something I want to be apart of.

READ THIS and come back. I'll be here waiting.

Yeah. Are you crying? I LOVE that the Farley Family's blog has under 100 followers. Yet, somehow, word has gotten to every corner or the internet and sooo many people came forward and reached out in HUGE amazing ways.



 

Reformation Day

I really really don't like Halloween. I don't want to celebrate it and I don't want to celebrate in reaction to it. I don't have nay traditions to pass down and havent decided exactly what my ideal is...My husband was able to pick up an "extra" shift which is good but made for an extra long day for me:)

I have NEVER carved a pumpkin. My dear friend, Jane, decided to show us how. She got pumpkins for everyone, tons of supplies and made a HUGE pot of chili (and cornbread and honey/butter)



I was all excited for Gabriel, being his first pumpkin carving and all. Then I relaized, with a little help, that it would be a first for me and ALL five of my children.


Nate wasn't too sure about it all. But had a GREAT time once he let himself:)





Erin blew me out of the park with her carving of something profound..IN JAPANESE!!




Luke discovered that if you stuck your head way down in the "pumpkin guts bucket and screamed that IT ECHOED!!


Here is the conspiring that led to an Awesome "G" pumpkin.







Here are the works of the day...they look good...



AND SOOOO good all lit up. Apparently, pumpkin carving is very forgiving.

Dining Table? Where are you??

Friends, I need direction.

I have been on a financial roller coaster more than normal. I had a death in the family with a lot of emotions. I was offered a house (paid off) I was offered a new vehicle. I was then offered $10,000. I started thinking and praying about ways to use that money to actually change our day to day struggles. What actually came of it all was $800 (and a silver tea/coffee service:) I am grateful for the money. Very. Im trying to get my mind and all it's plans to calm down and re-adjust.

Then I thought we could get some nice functional furniture for this small space that we are in all day. **We do get out in the fresh air and exercise and we do socialize :)

We are now using a borrowed (for 6+ years) futon that is sooo worn and not really functional. We have a pretty nice dining room table, but it seats 6 with both leaves in and we are now 7. The chairs are very worn and were recovered without cushions as in there needs to be a funky shaped octagon cut out of wood to staple padding to. We dont have the tools to do that. Right now, material is just stretched over the open space. Not really functional or comfortable :) We are renting and the dining room is tiny and wont fit anything bigger. I dont think. We are now eating on carpet. Im wondering how much space we would "gain" by moving the dining room table to the living room and switching things around....there may not be enough room for that and we really do LIVE in this room.


Here is our living room currently. The camera is ON a another wall, flanked in bookcases :) I dont know if I can squeeze anymore space out...

I think you can see in this picture how funky the legs are..You cannot add more chairs. Can you see how small the space is too? hmm....



I saw these at JCPenney.com:


HERE (I can add a leaf and seat 8..in theory) I wonder if I could add a bench for $60.00 too....

I dont normally buy new, but I'm having trouble finding anything used that would fit us on craigslit, the classifieds and yard sales. I fell in absolute LOVE with a table at a furniture store that will "let" me make payments for a year. I cant make payments. There just isnt enough to have "extra." There has to be an obvious design solution, right? Is there an online office furniture place that I could purchase a sturdy table from? Could I have my current chairs recovered by some great go getter for less than new? Can I get anything for under $800. Can I squeeze in a Jcpenney bench and buy my back injured hubby one good comfortable chair and pray for a new rental? Has anyone else dealt with this? What would/did you do?

Thriving When Little Ones are Added to your Homeschool

It seems that we have been homeschooling for a while now:) This year my children will be: 8th grade, 6th grade, 3rd grade, age 3 and age 1. As I'm taking time out to plan this year's academics and our days, I'm not as worried about academics. They are important to us and we have strong opinions. The question upon my heart is how to balance the instruction of my "older" children with the care and nurture of my "littles." they are both important to me, yet there is only one of me.

This has been weighing heavy on my heart. I don't want to ask my older children to train and "raise" my younger.
There is alot that has to happen each day for this overflowing house of 7 to function. I don't want to miss out on the limited time I have with either...I came accross a ministry today that seems to understand the balance that I want to achieve.
Values Driven Family.com I am really excited about the book that they describe this way:

As a homeschool Mom, you've probably asked yourself some of these questions:

>> How do you homeschool older children and adequately nurture your little ones?

>> Is it possible to keep a clean house, raise infants and toddlers, homeschool--and more?

>> Can you successfully "do it all" and enjoy doing it?

As a homeschooling mom, your day is full . Juggling home management, family, ministry, often work-at-home, and your children’s education is a challenge. When you add infants and toddlers into the mix, things can get downright hectic. The Growing Homeschool can help you not only survive, but thrive!

You will discover the difference between balance and integration, and how to leverage both for maximum effectiveness. Learn from an experienced, but in-the-trenches homeschool mom of six how to prioritize, develop a workable routine, address the needs of different ages and stages of children, homeschool with greater ease, keep the little ones productively occupied during school time, and—most importantly—continually focus on the things that are of greatest value to God.

Click here to view more details
Will you check it out with me?

A Time of Mourning and Change

Going to be a rough few days here.....
My husband's grandfather died Thursday evening. He was an amazing man of God in his ninetieth year. There are very few people who you feel you KNOW without any doubt that they are believers and that Christ has a hold of their lives. Grandpa was definitely one of them. We know where he is now and can imagine him running, dancing joking...Talking with C.S. Lewis? Spurgeon? Moses? There is such joy in knowing that he is no longer in pain and all his questions are answered.

We couldn't have planned our night better. We gathered and said goodbye and prayed. Now the hard part begins. My husbands family isn't very close. We live, mostly, in a pretty small radius of each other, yet we don't get together. We don't talk regularly. AND we all get our feelings hurt and feel left out.

How do we figure out what life without Grandpa means? How do we cope and deal with our grief not knowing how to rely on and support each other. These remain to be seen.

I can see God's hand clearly even in this mourning. Each of us has had a time with Grandpa recently to say goodbye and. Hospice came in and gave Grandma an opportunity to grieve and prepare for losing Grandpa.

On a much more personal note--My hormones are wacking out and I need to wean my 10 month old..IMMEDIATELY. He is exclusively breastfed and doesn't want a bottle :)
We were up until 2:30 am on Thursday and in our little home everyones nerves are raw and vulnerable....A lot of crying, unplanned meals, misplaced blame....Then there is the Wedding on Sunday and my husband returning to work. I'm feeling torn in so many directions and left with no support. Will be a long next few days but God is good........

Praying for Stellan

Any sick baby can break your heart. Here is a very young, very sick baby. He has SVT. We know that. But it is not a textbook case of SVT and no one can figure out just what to do.

This family has amazing faith, and three other little ones at home (two of them were so sick this week they were rushed to the ER.)

I KNOW that it shouldn't matter, a single bit, what I think of these people. BUT I really really like them!! Their latest post is titled "I will praise You in this storm" ....see what I mean? and Stellan's mom is funny too. But I'm not going to convince you :)

Please head over here and look around. Please pray for this family. For each one of them. There is also a place to make donations and an Etsy shop is set up. Then....could you kiss your little ones for me, your nieces, nephews, (not your neighbors, better just wave to them) Why do terrible things happen to some and not others? Why are children ever sick? I can't answer that but am so glad that I know the One who can. Please remember Stellan when you spend time with Him.

Week in Review

This didnt get done this weekend and now it is into the next week....

I am back to drinking way too much cofee and enjoying it :):

We got a new bed! We went from this:

To this:

Our old bedframe was cracked and hanging on less than a thread. I had gotten it a few years back at the thrift store for $10.00. I guess it lasted us. We way overthought our new bedframe. We'd really like a King size but there is now way to fit that right now. We paid $229 including tax and shipping. It took all day to put in. Why do these things take ALL day and where do you put a toddler during the process. Where does said toddler nap during this process? Why are the directions so discumbobulated? Do they make sense to anyone?

My son approached me and said that that I had to much to do and could he do math with his sister...uh..yes please!


Her other older borther has also started reading her a Bible story each day and doing a Bible Study together.

I feel guilty that Im not doing it myself but it does warm my heart to see them spending this time together.

Dear daughter also finished her quilt sampler for Keepers at Home Girls' Club:


We had a celebration at church. Our dear elder stepped down after 41 years of service. Wow huh? We celebrated his service and continue to share with him in worship. We had a potluck and presented him with an awesome clock/plaque. I brought my camera but there are no pictures because...it wa a potluck and I was preoccupied with eating :)

Baby now has two big teeth on the bottom and is pulling himself up on EVERYTHING

7 Quick Takes

-1-
In my last blog, I lusted over the Fuzzi Bunz giveaway. A friend who I havent spoken to in forever, and isnt excited about my blog (read: doesnt read it) gave me 14 Fuzzi Bunz diapers today. 14. God is good.

-2-
I am selling this. I loved this. Still do. My church family all chipped in and bought it for me when my two year old was born.

-3-
My baby will be 7 months old this week. He crawls. I put him somewhere safe to leave the room. An older child frees him and he finds me. It's scary.

-4-
I joined facebook. enough said

-5-
We have been sick. Miserably sick. BUT it's just a headcold so we shouldn't complain, right? But my babies are sick and coughing and hacking and have chapped little faces and noses. And my bigger boys are gross and snotty. And I am so tired and cranky.
We didnt go to the homeschool co-op yesterday. A new friend brought by lunch, juice, bread, oranges, apples, tea.....WOW.

-6-
We have a snake! My dear friend knitted my two year old a scarf in the shape of a snake! It is theee cutest thing!

-7-
It is Raining! It is beautiful and needed.
Remember me saying that I was all caught up on laundry and using cloth diapers?
Remember this post about the downside of this house is not being able to do laundry in the rain?

MMHMM....

A Friend Close By

I have had a hard few days. yes there is a lot going on and a lot on my plate and a lot that is expected of me. Yes I "just" had a baby. There is a lot that could bring on the blues but..it is me. It is my outlook and my endurance and fragility.

I caved in to peer pressure and joined facebook. I found a lot of friends on there right away. Did I feel loved? NO, I felt like they was a big party going on without me. Its not like I hadnt been invited 961 times. A dear dear friend, and neighbor is moving. (Edie, I KNOW how you feel and I dont like it :(

This friend would do anything for me. And she has. When my father in law had a heart attack, she walked over and stayed up all night with our kids while we drove to the hospital. When I paced the block trying to jump start labor, she came over to see how she could help. Gabriel's heart tones dropped and our planned home birth ended in a mad rush to a hospital an hour away. My neighbor stayed, without a second thought. A few times a month she'll bring us fruit. Or presents or toys or clothes that her daughter has outgrown. Her daughter ehlps with birthday parties for my kids. Her son climbs up in my rafters and amkes a MEAN R2D2 cake. She has overflowed such generosity and kindness on us so many times. So many. Nothing too big or too small.

They have owned and lived in their house forever. From the time they were married. Three kids came home from the hospital to that house. Those three kids have been home schooled in that house. A few years back their dad was laid off from his long time job. He has looked everywhere and tried many things...things aren't coming through....their house is being foreclosed and they need to move. Now. To where? They could stay temporarily with extended family. Those three kids don't want to leave their friends, lives, and all they have ever known. I am watching my friend lose everything and don't know how to help.

I want our community to rise up and join together and have a bake sale and car wash and barbeque and buy their house free and clear. But three more of my immediate neighbors have also lost their homes to foreclosure recently. It feels like everyone around me is selfish and blind to the needs of others and unrealisitic. Yet, what am I doing to help? What can I do? I can't do anything to "repay" her for all that she has given to me. I can't undo her situation. I can cry with her.

My baby is up coughing and it depresses me :( I am glad no one else is awake though as I sing unconventionally to him. Right now it is "ooh baby I love your ways, I want to be with you night and day oooh ooh"

I am feeling torn in so many directions and unable to help in the ways that I want. Yet I KNOW that GOd has equipped me for what he has called me to do. He has plan for my life and won't let me get in the way of that plan. I believe that. I know that. I can see that.

Christmas! Ready or not!

I don't know what is going on this year. It has to be me. *Normally* I get VERY into the season. Tree and decorations up day after Thanksgiving, cards out, Christmas music playing 24/7....lots of coffee in Christmas mugs. Christmas dishes, Chrismas sweaters, Christmas clothes for all. Snowmen EVERYWHERE.

This year....I didnt even unpack the Snowmen stuff. Tree was done last night-the 17th....

But we are catching up-WITH A VENGEANCE!!!

8 year old daughter was in a Christmas paegant.

That day we were given a tree!!! By the cleanest best decorated people we know. God is so good!! I coudln't figure out the money for a tree...then I priced artficial and couldn't figure out what was a good one and the idea of a used hagard dusty tree wasnt very festive. Our decorating budget was also $0.00. I tried to tell myself that a tree wasn't necessary. BUT it is this little guy's first Christmas!!!

Doesn't he DESERVE and just HAVE to have a wonderful wonderful tree?!







We have very little living space and it took a while to figure this out...it took a while to put the tree up and then move out furniture and move around furniture and clean some more and then all the older kids took a nap. I drank coffee.


Then I tried to put lights up. That was a joke. Somehow I have never put the lights on myself. go figure.

I read about making Christmas ornaments in the crockpot and got really excited. Our new tree is 7 1/2 feet--we arent really prepared for that much decoration. For days I tried to get those ornaments made. Somehow though time doesnt stop for Christmas. There are still meals to be shopped for planned, made, eated and clenaed up after. Feelings to storke and attitudes to discipline and laundry so so much laundry. Could not get to those ornaments. I yelled at everyone to get their chores done so we could make ornaments. My 10 year old son mumbled that he ddnt even want to make ornaments. Chores got done. He wandered away and 8 year old daughter and I came up with these.

I had a cherry Kool Aid packet left over from my great idea to make play dough for 2 year old son. Two year old son ate play dougha nd didn't play at all so I thought we could use the kool Aid to color these red. That is why they are pink :)



10 year old son got frustrated that I didnt decorate the tree properly and he fixed it. Seriuosly. I DIDNT do it right and he DID fix it. No argument here. I put the smaller tree in my dear daughter's room and got pink lights.


And we delivered cookies to our friends:




And a dear friend of ours was given a basket of food and gifts from her church. This church took it one step further and asked if she had someone she'd like to give a basket too. Being the great friend that she is she immediately wanted to bless us and did.

Real Life Monday

VAFB presented my sons Boy scout troop with commemorative coins for a work day.

Gabriel is now 4 1/2 months old, rolling, and very proud of himself.


Why is it that newborn bibs ALWAYS seem to end up as superhero capes?

Wordle?

Feeling a little overwelmed today. Feeling like a lot of children are in my care. What a huge privledge--not feeling very up to it.

We went to a co-op at a friends hous today and then Girls' Club. My two year old dumped our friend's fish food. My twelve year old yelled at me. I sent my husband away to watch basketball. My two year old just went to sleep :) My eight year old daughter made us cookies and tea (wow huh?) I should go enjoy that (AND HER)

I made something today. I haven't done anything personal for Gabriel. I was thinking about framing this:
title="Wordle: gabriel2"> src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/315606/gabriel2"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">
I dont know how to change it much. I think this may be the best I can do :)

WHAT DO YA THINK?

Real Life Monday

I laid in bed this morning with a long to do list weighing on my mind............

We need to research and prepare to write a report (I won't DO any of this but it takes so much of my time when anyone does ANYTHING around here :)

Madelyn needs to catch up on her Bible Study on Kindness (she is keeping a 30 day journal and answering questions about passages she's reading BUT she cant write soo....)

I still have toys to unpack from the fumigation...

Dinners to plan.....

My two year old isnt feeling well and wants to be held....

We need to do our "normal" school.....

My husband is hemm today and needed me "where is the owners manual for this?" "why cant we keep this clean?" "Kathy!" "Kathy!"

Our van needed to be taken in...."could you call and ask....how much money do we have in the bank?"

"Can I work on this merit badge"

3 loads of laundry.....

Gabriel turned 4 months old!

The excersaucer needs to be cleaned.....

The baby toys need to be brought in.....

My eight year old daughter needed to talk about what to do when your feelings are hurt and you feel left out......

We argued about how much peanut butter and how much honey should be on a sandwhich..........

We tried to figure out the legistics of dropping off and picking up a vehichle with sleeping babies and only one vehichle that we fit into.........

We tried to figure out what we are doing for Thanksgiving...there is a chance that my husband could work...he'd get three times his normal pay....but then someone else is already doing it...his family doesnt really want to get together....

I talked with a friend about why she is doing the bulk of the work in our homeschool co-op..I brought it up and I see it happening but I want to figure out why....

We cleaned and vaccummed...........

We taled about what merit badges to work on next and what was feesible for my son with learning disabilities to do in a group setting.......

I talked with a friend, who happens to be black about our president elect. We disagree with everything he stands for, everything, but we also want to be respectful of our government and revel at a man of color being elected by the people.........

I did hardly anything on my to do list, but ....I did get a lot done and it was definately REAL LIFE.

Diapers?

>
Diapers have been a big concern on my mind lately.

Our cost of living is going up. Not because of having a baby. The cost to heat our home, heat our water, have water, food in the grcoery store...all those things have gone up. We were barely scraping by before the increase, now we are running out of money every two weeks. We have so many phone calls about over due bills and I am so embarassed.

At one point in our lives, we had three little ones in cloth diapers. A good friend of mine set me up with her old ones and many that she had made. She also showed me how to contact WAHM to try out tehir diapers and write reviews. (Man, I miss Kellie, she really knows her stuff.) Then we made a move accross the state and everything changed and cloth diapers no longer worked for us. I ended up selling our cloth diapers and I cried. I dont know exactly what those diapers represented to me, maybe it was saying to me that I coudln't have any more babies?

Here I am just a few years later with two in diapers. My youngest is almost 4 months old and I have JUST used up the stock pile I was given when he was born. It's coming down to, do I buy food for dinner or do I buy diapers....What I am thinking through is wether or not cloth diapers are the "solution" for us right now. I applied at www.miraclediapers.com and was accepted BUT I didnt have the $15.00 shipping per child to order the free cloth diapers, and we were dealing with Gabriel's birth surprises and Drs. visits. As usual, I am beating myself up because I didnt buy enough diapers when they were on sale at Walgreens and I didnt stretch the money enough....my husband is beating himself up that he doesn't have a better job.....this is getting us nowhere...Incidentally, my husband just found chlorine free diapers for 16 cents each and Walgreens is having another big sale. He is also getting a raise at work due to a union strike, we don't know how much or how much the retroactive check will be or when.....
Does anyone have an opinion on our diaper "situation?" Looking at the cost of cloth diapers Im not sure how much it would really help. I need t know before I make the monetary investment...I also need diapers now....

LOOK WHAT I MADE!!

OK, I too realize how rude it is to say,"look at the cool gift that I gave!!" BUT I am NOT CRAFTY. Really really not.
I have poured all of my energy and time the last twelve years into my kiddos. Im not complaining and I have no regreats. I also have no hobbies and projects to show for.

I believe that children are a blessing from the Lord. I believe that babies are the most amazing thing. I want to celebrate and scream and cheer whenever someone has a baby. I have caught myself pointing and cheering at pregnant strangers. (not good :) I want to welcome a new baby with HUGE exciting gifts for their family. I am not in a position to do that.

Recently Walgreens had an amazing sale and diapers were really really cheap. I KNOW that I have two babies in diapers and do need diapers but I thought just maybe I could pull off making a diaper cake....THEN someone in our church requested diapers for their shower. I could be a little gaudy if not reigned in and LOVE girly things. This beautiful baby is a boy. I did have to thnk hard to find boy themed things. BUT I am actually happy with how it turned out!