Good Morning!

Good morning dear sisters in Christ! I pray this day finds you all well.

We have had a busy weekend. A friend of ours came across a deal on potatoes for 15 lbs for $1! They are leftovers from I think she said a food service supply house. So we now have 45 lbs of potatoes that need to be used very quickly. We also came across a deal on apples, a half bushel for $5 ( I believe that is 25 lbs). And then a friend of ours had pumpkins left over from her harvest gathering decorations, so we have 4 large pumpkins that also need to be used right away. Needless to say we have a LOT to do in the kitchen! Saturday we peeled, cored, and sliced the entire half bushel of apples, and 15 lbs of the potatoes. We already have those pototoes cooked and mashed for making potato breads and pancakes that we can freeze. We also canned a batch of apple butter. The apple butter turned out very delicious so I am quite pleased! I think I am going to be quite busy in the kitchen over the next few days.

We also started a huge reorganization project around the house this weekend. We had a spare room that I used to use as a craft room (although I found I never had time to go back there so I had moved all of my things to more practical locations) so we decided to turn that into a play room. We were finding that having toys in the school room was a distraction, so moving everything into a play room just made sense. There was quite a bit of rearranging and moving things to different rooms, so the house feels like it's in a bit of an upheaval right now. But I am working on getting it all straightened out. :)

I will get the next verse of Proverbs 31 sent out later today.

Hugs and Blessings,

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Harvest Blessings

Our new friend is going today to a shop in town and is picking us up a few bags of potatoes, she found them for 15 lbs for a dollar! It looks like we are going to be having quite a few potatoes in the near future! She is also giving us a bunch of the pumpkins left over from her harvest gathering decorations, so I am going to be making some pumpkin recipes as well. It is so neat how God can provide for our needs, even when we are not struggling financially. I have learned that many times He provides things for us that we do not yet know we need, so perhaps He is supplying food so that funds may go to other needs. We may never know, but I am thankful nonetheless!

I started a new Yahoo Group. I had never really thought about doing something like that, as I am really rather shy and tend to like to leave the leading up to someone else. But the subject kept coming up and finally I realized that perhaps I should listen! I pray that God will use this tool for His purposes and that someone may be blessed by it. Maybe it will be an encouragement to me as well :).

We have reworked our schedule again. We tend to rework it frequently to keep it updated and working best. We tried a little different approach this time though as we were discovering that often times we would need to rearrange our day according to the children's needs. So we wrote each block of time on a separate index card for each family member and put them up on the wall. This way we can take a card and swap it with another if we need to move things around. So far we really like it and it is working well. Jacob liked that I color coded it (a child after my own heart :)). He was excited to start following the new schedule and frequently runs over to ask which one we are doing next. It would be neat to have pictures of the different activities and then make a schedule with pictures for the little ones to follow. I may have to do that at some point...

I finally finished the cross-stitching that I was working one, and have already begun another project. I have also been struggling to learn to crochet. I do not know why but I just cannot grasp this skill. It frustrates me because knitting came easily, as did sewing, and so many other skills, but I just cannot figure this out. I am stubbornly determined though to learn, so I will just have to keep at it!

I am thinking that I might do a verse by verse study on Proverbs 31. I have really been thinking a lot about what the role of a biblical lady really is, what all does it encompass, where are my strengths and weaknesses. I just feel as if I am really wanting to grow in this area. Perhaps I will start a study on the new group...

Harvest Blessings,

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Returning Good For Evil

It seems that no matter where I turn these days, this particular topic keeps popping back up. Believe me, I have tried to get away from it. The thought comes up in my mind and I instantly start scrambling to think of something else. Every time it comes back up it is as if I am screaming "No, God, ask me to do anything else and I will, but not this!"

We have been through some very difficult trials with our extended family. We have been broken-hearted and so angry at them for their outright persecution of us. After much prayer we were eventually able to move past our anger and even forgive. We even came to a point of feeling compassion for the utter emptiness that is in their lives. But doing good to them? How? How am I supposed to do this? Isn't just not being angry enough?

I am not one to believe in "coincidences". I have always believed that God is Providential, and that when things happen, there is usually a reason. We do not always, or even often, know why things happen, but it just seems that in hindsight, there was a really good reason for almost everything. Recently we met a lady while shopping at the Salvation Army, and that weekend she invited us over for tea and cookies. As we were preparing to leave and head home the subject of the difficult situation we had faced with our extended family somehow came up. She said "I have a book that you just have to read, it's about almost the exact same thing!" We were astonished. We have been constantly amazed to hear that so many families, just like ours, had faced the same difficulties. My husband started reading the book that evening, and could hardly put it down. He kept telling me about the story, and we were amazed, over and over again, by the similarities. The family in the book's situation went further than ours did, and they faced bigger difficulties than we did, but it was a story that we could relate too, even in the small details. After he finished reading the book he kept telling me how this theme of returning good for evil ran all through the book. It was interesting as this topic had been on my mind already, but as I mentioned, I didn't really want to think about it. He said that he just couldn't stop thinking about that, and that it was really weighing on him. Now my heart felt really heavy. I felt like screaming "Ok, ok I am listening God. But please don't make me!"

Finally willing to submit to this, we face a new problem. How do we honor God by returning good for evil, while also honoring our biblical responsibilities as parents to protect our children and to shelter them from harm? The answer of protecting them seems clear, but then what are we supposed to do to show kindness to these people? My mind feels boggled to even think of it, and to be honest, it makes my heart anxious a bit. Yes, I know, anxiety is not a godly feeling. I know that He will provide the answer to us, in His time. And I know that I am ready to listen when that answer does come. I pray that God will soften my heart so that I will not have hesitation when He reveals to us what we must do. I know that God has allowed us to go through difficult times for a purpose, and much of that purpose has shown itself to us, but is it possible that this is also part of that purpose? Is there some big lesson in learning to be kind to these people? Somehow I think the answer is yes.

A.M.D.G.

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Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow

Do you ever wake up with a song in your heart? I did this morning, I woke up singing "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow". Perhaps it is because we have added the singing of this song to end our meals. When we have finished eating we all join hands, just as we do for prayer, and sing the hymn together. The children absolutely love this new tradition, even little Joshua is trying to sing along. There is something so beautiful about the sound of little ones singing to Our Lord, even when it is off-key or the words are a little mixed up, I know that He knows they are singing from their hearts!

Praising God!

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Stitching and Growing Up

I finished stitching my Bible cover to match the bookmark I made. I have been so blessed by a dear friend who sent to me a package of cross-stitching supplies, she was so kind and generous and her sweetness has truly been a precious gift. I know I will think of her whenever I am stitching!



My little ones have been just blossoming it seems. Joshua is really beginning to talk in clear and understandable sentences. It seems like every day new words just come pouring out of his mouth! I am amazed at how quickly he is picking things up, and his determination in learning how to use his new found ability to communicate. Jacob is growing up so quickly that when I look at him he seems to be bigger each minute. He is beginning to look so much more like a "big boy" and less and less like my little baby. And Joseph is on the verge of crawling. He seems to be growing up even more quickly than his brothers did. This week his baby babbles are beginning to sound like baby talk. He has started saying "dada" and is quite pleased with himself. He is all smiles and squeals when he realizes that we know what he has said.

With Love,

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Stitching and Schooling

We've had some busy days around here. Some good, some not-so good. We have all been fighting through a yucky little cold bug. Nothing serious, just bad enough to make us not feel good, but not bad enough to have to stay in bed. It has made the boys rather cranky, which I am quite sure has made me a little cranky as well. I just keep reminding myself that this will soon pass, and that we will not feel this yucky forever :).

I did finish the little book mark that I have been cross-stitching. I have now started working on the matching Bible cover. I must thank my dear friend who was so kind to send me so many stitching supplies! What a blessing that was! I have been rather enjoying all of the wonderful things she sent and am eager to stitch, stitch, stitch!

I have been busy gathering materials for preschool. We had taken a bit of a break from schooling. Jacob was so excited and just could not wait to get started! I have been making him some file folder games, and a few little activities in bags that he can do while I am busy. He certainly loves school, which makes him a joy to teach. It is interesting too how seeing him makes Joshua want to learn more. Isn't that just wonderful?

Happy Stitching!

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Silly Hats for Silly Boys

With all the excitement over the fireman hats, the boys have a sudden interest in all sorts of hats. They have found endless entertainment from wearing the different hats that they have found and pretending to be everything from farmers to baseball players to puppy dogs in hats, bears in hats, policemen in hats, train drivers, and many, many others. Joshua's favorite is a ridiculous looking circus hat. The funniest part is that he has no idea that it is ridiculous. He wears it with such seriousness and a look of intense concentration. Could anything be cuter? Jacob is rather fond of his John Deere hat (which both he and Joshua are getting too big for, it must be time for a bigger hat :)) Joshua has sweetly tried to share his many hats with baby Joe, gently attempting to put them on his head. We have had much fun with hats!

With a Silly Grin :),

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The Sweetest Things

It seems to me that some of the sweetest things in life are when little children are deliberately kind to one another. There have been so many little moments in the past few weeks that have just melted my heart.

Joshua "reading" stories to his little brother, Jacob sharing his favorite toy and his beloved "nap" with Joseph. The boys telling each other "Good Morning" when they wake up, and hugging each other good-night before bed. These moments fill our home with a warm sense of affection and love, and our days with joy.

And I'm not sure if there is any site more precious than that of a little child peacefully sleeping. So content, so comfortable and so at peace.

I cannot help but to be so in love with my boys. My husband and I were talking last night about how not that long ago Jacob was so little. When he was first learning to put sentences together he used to say the cutest things. When he didn't like what you were saying he would say "Don't say dat" or "That's not right", but he would say them in such a cute way it has hard to realize that he was talking back. Or how he always loved to look out of the "weeeeeeeendow" and how he loved "buppies" (puppies). And how he would climb out of bed and fall asleep right beside his door with his knees tucked up underneath him. We would have to try and wake him up from behind the door so that we could open it to carry him back to bed. And now, at three, he seems so much more grown up. He still comes out with cute ones though, last Saturday my husband had turned on the radio to see if he coud hear the scores of his favorite college football team's game and when they were listing the scores the mentioned the school Rutgers and Jacob thought that they had said "Ruffers" (which his favorite toy dog's name) He said "Ruffers is playing football, Daddy?" It was just too cute. I'm still not sure that he is convinced that they did not say Ruffers. Now as Joshua is entering that learning to really talk phase it is neat to hear how he tries so hard to talk "like Jake" (everything has to be "like Jake"). I love hearing him say new words and phrases in his deep, husky little voice. It is such a contrast to Jacob's higher, more dramatic tone. We always tease that somehow Joshua has ended up German. He always says things so forcefully and intense, and in a funny little way. He seems to add a lot of "tsk" and "ch" type sounds to his words. But he is as cute as can be. I wonder how Joseph will sound. Will he be as intense as Joshua, or as dramatic as Jacob, or will he be completely different? It won't be too long before he will tell us. I do look forward to hearing what he has to say! :)

In His Never Ending Sweetness,

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A Neat and Tidy Pantry

In keeping with the theme of cleaning the kitchen, today I organized the pantry and cleaned out the refrigerator (my least favorite task:)-) But I do enjoy organizing! After straightening a few things the pantry looks less full, but I think that is because we have not been buying many pre-packaged foods. We are working through the last of the store bought items in the pantry and not going to be buying any more. Looks like I need to do some food preparations! :) Perhaps tomorrow on the last day of cleaning the kitchen I will use that time to restock the pantry with homemade items.

Happy Homemaking,

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