Our Week in Review

This week has been busy and full of challenges. We have been doing a great deal of thinking and praying, trying to discern what was best for our family. You see, Jacob was right on the line for the age for starting school at the church school, and we have been trying to decide whether or not to start him in first grade this year. After a great deal of praying, we felt God was impressing on our hearts to homeschool him again this year. It was a very...

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Thankful Thursday- albeit late!

Yesterday was a busy day and there was no time to write a post, but I wanted to take a minute to remind myself of the many things I have to be thankful for. And so, it is Thankful Thursday on Friday!I am thankful for new glass milk jars! A dear friend was able to get the farmer that she buys from to sell us ten brand new glass milk jars at cost! What a huge blessing!I am thankful for my growing box of sewing patterns. It feels so nice to be able...

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Dealing with Discouragement

Discouragement is something that we all face at one time or another, and most likely we will face it more times than we'd like to admit. I've been facing quite a bit of discouragement lately, and it has really caused me to think about the ways we handle it when it comes along.When discouragement knocks us down, we really have two choices. One, stay down, roll over and let discouragement win. Or two, stand up and fight back. We can choose to turn...

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Oh, Christians!

It has been on my heart to write about this issue for a little while now, but I don't particularly enjoy writing about contentious subjects. Thus comes procrastination. It has been nagging at me though, so it is probably time to put pen to paper (or fingers to keys!).Several weeks ago one of our the ministers at our church preached a sermon on friendship. He made an excellent point, "Christians have more reasons to be friends with each other than...

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A Keeper at Home

I read this poem a while back in a Keepers at Home magazine. I liked it so much that I put a copy of it on my refrigerator where I could reread it often. A Keeper at Home- a reader, Keepers at Home Magazine, Fall 2010A keeper at home, I have promised to be,So many duties are waiting for me.A mistress of dust rags, of mops, and of brooms,A sweeper of spiders in corners of rooms.A shaker of rugs, a duster of chairs,A straightener of bookshelves, a...

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Do You Have Confidence, or Not?

Our little Joseph has the cutest way of asking questions. Everything has to end in an "or not". "Do you like chicken, or not?" "Are you sleepy, or not?" I love the way he asks questions, and I hope this phase takes a long time to grow out of!But on to the point...Some time ago, I had met a new friend. This friend had been reading my blog before we met face to face. One day we were talking and she told me that one thing that had really stood out to...

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Frugal Friday- Winter Drying

We all know that drying clothes on a clothesline is the frugal thing to do, but what about when the weather is cold? I have certainly hung clothes out in freezing weather before, but, of course, my clothes completely froze. The problem that I faced was that my clothes were wet once they thawed out. So, what are we to do then? There are certainly ways to hang clothes indoors, but for some this is just an inconvenience and not practical if you have...

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Thankful Thursday

I love little reminders to be thankful for the blessings in my life. It is so easy to get bogged down with the stresses and burdens in daily life and lose sight of the blessings all around us.Fresh, real milk...straight from a cow. Many times when we pick up our milk for the week, we see that it was milked that morning. I am thankful for the delicious cream and for how much the boys love drinking their fresh milk!I am so thankful for the warmth of...

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Daily Happenings of Milk and Dishes

Today was one of those days that seemed a little extra busy, although I'm not quite sure why! There was nothing out of the ordinary, just a typical day in our abode! Jacob's new favorite chore around the house is washing dishes. He actually asks if he may do the dishes. Today he told me that he wants to be the only one who washes dishes...unless he has to go to bed earlier and then he wouldn't mind if mommy or daddy did any that were leftover. :)...

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Our Days...Little Jewel Style

We have been reading a lot of the Little Jewel books from Rod and Staff lately. Our children love reading them, and I find the simple stories to be so wholesome and edifying. The boys really like that the stories resemble their own lives, and the pictures in the books look like us and our church family. They want to read story after story, and I enjoy reading to them as well!One thing I really like about the books is that the story lines are so simple,...

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Our Supper Table

Over the years I have made some really great long distance friends, and have often thought about how nice it would be to just sit and fellowship and eat together! So, this eve, I am inviting you to join us at our supper table, at least in spirit!The lamps are lit, and the table is set. On our menu this eve we have meatballs, mashed potatoes, and green beans (made with bacon and lots of butter of course!). After we eat, Daddy reads our Bible reading...

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Sausage Gravy and Buttermilk Biscuits

A friend asked me to share this recipe, so here it is! This is a delicious way to fill up your belly on a cold wintery morning like we had today!My recipe makes a big enough batch to feed our house full of growing boys, so if your family is on the smaller side, you may want to halve it.Sausage Gravy2 lbs. pork breakfast sausage (I use the medium spicy, which has a tiny kick to it, but you could use mild or hot as well, depending on your preference)1/2...

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Bedtime Routine

Our bedtime has been much the same for years. It has been so neat to see our little family grow and continue on with the same traditions.First everyone gets changed into their "nannies" (otherwise known as pajamas). We then read a bible story from Egermeiers Bible Story book. This tradition is especially sweet because Rick's grandfather, whom we were very close to, gave us this book. It was his book from when he was a small boy. It is so precious...

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