Dec. 8, 2006 - Cold Weather
It is really cold here this morning…23 degrees at 5:45 when dh left for work. I really HATE cold weather, but it does make it feel more like Christmastime when it’s cold. I just don’t even want to get out of the warm bed when it’s this cold, much less go outside. But I do have to go out later today and do a little shopping. Tomorrow is our Secret Pal Dinner at church and I have a few last minute things I need to buy for that and some other things I need to do. I hope it warms up a bit before we go this afternoon. Yesterday we took Zac for his doctor appointment to follow up after his surgery. He is doing well and the doc says he is on the mend. He is certainly getting around better than before now that his leg is not as sore as it was. He is able to do a bit more on his own now. He got to see his x-ray where you can see the titanium rods they placed in the bone. He even got to bring a copy of it home to show to his daddy. That was the highlight for him. Then after a few stops, I had to rush back home because my hubby wanted to take me deer hunting, just him and me. He always takes the boys and I haven't been in a long time. So I suited up in his camouflage coveralls and we headed for the woods and sat quietly in a hunting house until dark…just the two of us. We didn’t see any deer so he deemed me bad luck. I told him last night that I guessed he wouldn’t take me hunting again. He asked why, I said because I am bad luck. He said “Umm...yeah, I probably will.” So I guess he enjoyed our quiet time as much as I did Oh yeah, on Tuesday, Bradley turned 14! Where oh where does the time go?
even though we didn’t see anything.
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Nov. 27, 2006 - WHAT A WEEKEND!
Boy, what a weekend I have had.
Here's just a quick update. Maybe I'll have time for more details later, but I don't right now.
Zac, our 6 year old, had an accident and broke his leg. He was in the most excruciating pain I have ever witnessed. That was pure torture for this mama to have to watch and not be able to do anything for him. Then he and I took a trip in the Rescue 7 helicopter in route to the hospital. What an experience! He had to have surgery where they placed 2 metal rods inside his leg. He is still in a lot of pain, but nothing like what it was.
We got home only a few hours ago. Stacy and I are sleeping in shifts basically, because Zac requires so much help right now. They are both sleeping right now. The next several weeks promises to be challenging. However, I know the Lord will get us through, just like He did this weekend.
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Nov. 23, 2006 - Happy Thanksgiving
I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. We did. I spent the morning making sweet potato pies and a few other dishes to take to my in-laws' house. My hubby helped out a bit. Then we loaded up everything and left for their house, which is almost right next door. We spent a few hours there with family and ate WAYYYY too much food. Then we loaded up and headed to my parents' house. Dh and oldest ds left from there for their hunting trip, along with my dad and nephew. They were all excited about going hunting. The other two boys and I spent the afternoon with my mother. We had a nice visit. Now we are home just relaxing and watching a few movies we rented.
All in all we had a nice day and I am very thankful. We had a nice supper together last night for just us. That's a tradition for us. I always cook a dinner for us the evening before Thanksgiving. It's a nice quiet dinner where can talk about the things we are thankful for before we gather the next day with all the extended family. It's a special time for us that we look forward to. Stacy helped me out a lot with the cooking last night and was a real lifesaver. That is one of the many things I am most thankful for...a husband who doesn't mind cooking. Actually he really likes to cook and is actually very good at it. People tell him all the time that he should open his own resteraunt.
He has many more wonderful qualities too. Oh, I could go on and on about my sweetheart, but I would probably get carried away and this would wind up being too long. Suffice it to say that I am very thankful for the wonderful man that God gave to me. He's a great guy and I love him more than I ever knew was possible to love someone. He is truly my soul mate. 
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Nov. 22, 2006 - Blessings To Be Thankful For Today
We had a good time on our trip. Each of our boys killed a deer. Zac, the youngest, killed his first. He was excited, but acted as if it was an easy thing. He talked about it “matter-of-factly” like he was a professional or something. It was too cute. And of course, the men and boys all acted just as I described last time. Stacy (dh) and Bradley (oldest ds) will leave tomorrow, after turkey, to go hunting again. B. has a draw hunt on Friday. He will come home with my daddy on Saturday or Sunday. S. will stay as he has a draw hunt of his own Sunday through Tuesday. He will get to hunt alone for a few days, something he doesn’t get to do often. He usually has one or all of the boys with him. I think he will enjoy himself, but I do think he will miss us after a few days, at least I hope he will. We are usually all there together and he at least gets to see us at night. This time he will be all alone the whole time after B. comes home. I’m sure he will really enjoy the quiet. I am enjoying taking the week off from school, but also feeling a bit guilty because we didn’t get much done last week while we were gone. We will have to double up for a few weeks, beginning next week to catch up so we won’t be too far behind. I’m so thankful that we do have this opportunity for the boys to have these life experiences. There are so many things that they have learned that they could have just as easily read about in a textbook. But instead of just reading about it, they get to actually do it, experience it and enjoy it. I think this allows them to really understand it on a level that they would never understand by simply reading about it in a textbook. They are also able to spend time with their family that they would miss out on if they were in a classroom all day. For the rest of their lives, they will cherish the time they have been able to spend in the woods with their daddy learning about the wildlife, nature, etc. and just simply bonding with him and learning from him. He is teaching them to enjoy the beautiful world that God created and to thank Him for it, be appreciative of it and respect it. Not in a way that they are worshiping nature, but in a way that teaches them that God provided all of this for mankind to enjoy and to use for food, medicine, etc. to live by, not to abuse. Of course, they also learn other things from him that have nothing to do with hunting. I think sometimes of how hard home schooling is and wonder if we’re doing the right thing or if we‘ll make it. At times like this, our wonderful Father reminds me that we are right where He wants us. I am reminded how truly blessed we are to have this opportunity to teach, train and guide our children in the ways of the Lord. A dear friend said to me a few days ago “You need to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks.” She is SO right. My husband tells me this all the time. But yet I still fall prey to worrying that I am doing the wrong thing, mostly because of what others say or do. Not just with hsing, but in all of life. I do feel that I am right where I am supposed to be at this time in my life. So why do I care what anyone else thinks? I’m thankful today for the opportunities that God has given our family. I’m also thankful that He has reminded me that we are right where He wants us to be…no matter what others may think. 
We will take the meat and have sausage made soon.
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Nov. 10, 2006 - Men and Hunting
Today we leave for a 9 day long hunting trip. The males in this house...that would be everyone but me...are beside themselves with excitement. Not that I'm not excited, I'm just the only one in this house who is not a male. 
Then we'll be back home for a few days and then some, or all, of us will be gone again for more hunting. I'm not sure if all of us will be going on the next one or not. That will be after Thanksgiving.
I will be taking schoolwork with us, but I know we won't get it done everyday. I plan to get caught up on some grading and lesson planning in my spare time. I also hope to get in some "fun reading" time. I don't get to do that too often here at home with all the responsibilities I have. It will be nice to have some quiet time.
My days will be spent mostly alone, although I will probably go along on a few hunts later in the week when it's just us there. Then in the evening my honey and boys and all the other men and boys that will be there will start rolling back in and they'll all be telling their hunting stories for the day.
It's so much fun to listen to them all reliving their adventures of the day. They get so excited, the men and the boys. They come back to the hunting camp looking kind of like this 
except all dressed in camo, and there's a whole group of them all trying to tell their stories at one time. Now, if someone comes in late and wasn't there when the story, or stories were told the first 3 times, then it is repeated again for them. Then the latecomer will relate their story for everyone. Now, if they actually kill a deer, then they really get excited and look more like this.
I think the men turn into little boys when it is this time of year. They all gather around and just tell their "big buck" stories. Sometimes, I wonder if all of them are true or if some of them might be a little like those tall fish tales.
Now, I'm not male bashing here, regardless of whether they are all truth or not, it is still fun to watch and listen to all their excitement. They are funny creatures, though. Then after all the day's events have been recounted, they all look like this 
Then they drag themselves out of bed the next morning and do it all again...long before dawn. After several days of this, they can become really grumpy and don't seem to be having much fun. It always makes me wonder why they don't stop before they reach that point.
So there you have it ladies, I have given you an inside look at what goes on when your men go off on their hunting trips...male bonding.
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Nov. 2, 2006 - Recovering From the Flu
We did get to go on the hunting trip the week before last. We left on Tuesday, October 17. We had an ok time. It rained almost the whole time we were there, so it was muddy & sloppy. But we did have a good time just getting away. Then we came home on that Saturday, October 21. I felt really bad on the drive back home that evening, but just thought I was tired from the trip. I had felt fine the whole time we were there, but all of a sudden I just felt totally drained. We got home about 7:30 pm and I went to bed at 8:00 pm. I didn't even unpack. We unloaded everything out of the truck and I just had to lie down. And that is where I stayed until the following Friday evening...6 days later…no kidding. I thought I was just tired but I was actually very sick. I don't think I have been that sick in a long time. I was in the bed for 6 straight days with fever, chills, aches & pains, etc…the flu I guess. My husband went hunting in the cold and rain and I stayed warm and dry, yet I was the one that caught the flu. Go figure!
On Monday, October 23, I called my mother, who was already in town running some errands and she brought us a few needed grocery items so the kids would have something to eat. Since we had been out of town the week before, there weren’t many groceries in the house. She also brought me some jello to eat and some beautiful flowers to cheer me. Thanks Mom! 
By that Thursday, I was still in bed so my dear sweet husband went grocery shopping after work. Then he came home and cooked a 4 course meal for supper and even brought me a plate in bed. Now isn't he a sweetie? It was the first time I had eaten anything other than the jello all week, so it was delicious. He did everything he could to try to make me feel better. He even made me a "hot totty" which I thought would surely kill me instead of cure me. It was HORRIBLE! 
But I did feel a little better the next morning…but only a little. Thank you, Honey, for taking such good care of me.
All the boys pitched in and helped out with the housework and even helped take care of me, but there is so much to do around here, they couldn't possibly keep up with it all for a whole week. They were a great help though. I couldn’t have made it without them. 
And I certainly wouldn’t have made it through the week without the daily phone calls from my dear friend. She called me everyday, faithfully to see how I was feeling and if I was any better than the day before. Thanks Karen for the encouragement and concern.
I was still sick over this past weekend but was able to get out of bed and even go to church on Sunday (the 29) to hear Bro. Sam preach his first sermon as our new pastor. I didn’t have a lot of spring in my step, but I made it.
So now I'm slowly trying to get everything caught up around here. Boy, when Mama gets sick everything sure does pile up quickly. 
And for a week…ugh
it really piled up. It has taken all of this week to regain a bit of strength to be able to get some of it accomplished. I’m still not 100% but I’m getting there. I will be very happy, though, when the housework and the schoolwork is all caught up. 
Right now it doesn’t seem possible, but I know we will get there. After the week the Lord has just brought me through, I have no doubts He will help me get all of it caught up...eventually.
So that’s what has been going on with me for the last two weeks. More hunting trips are coming up for the boys in the next few weeks. I sure hope I don’t get sick during any of those!!! 
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Oct. 16, 2006 - God's Beautiful Creation
We had a very good weekend around here. We had the most fun on Saturday night when we were invited to go on a night fishing trip, something we haven't done in a long time. Check out this gorgeous sunset that greeted us when we arrived at the boat launch on the coast.
God sure does give us some beautiful sights to behold while we are on this earth. This is surely one of the most beautiful I've seen.
We caught so many fish that our ice chest was running over...no kidding. The kids had a blast catching so many fish, and so did I. I've never caught that many fish in one trip in my entire life, I don't think. I even caught 2 on the same hook and have a picture to prove it. I don't think both of them were hooked, though. One was hooked and one was kind of hitching a ride. But they both made it into the boat...that's all that counts right?
After church yesterday, we spent the whole afternoon cleaning all the fish we had caught. Then it was time for the evening service. We put quite a bit in the freezer so we can eat fish for quite a while. 
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Oct. 13, 2006 - Nice Cool Weather
Well, it's a nice cool morning here. The coolness makes it really feel like Fall. It was not as cool when I went out on the porch this morning with dh when he left for work. Not long after that though, it began to rain. While it was raining the temperature really began to drop. Now there is a nice breeze blowing.
The kids have been scrambling for jackets they had put away in their closets. I don't know what they'll do when Winter gets here and it really is cold. They have been having fun out in the yard this morning, though, doing different things in the fresh, cool air.
I look forward to the weekend. I'm ready for a break from the books. We don't have a lot planned this weekend, but I think I will try to get some yard work done in this nice cool weather. I sure could use a nice evening...or day out with my honey though. That would be nice.
Next week we will be going away for a few days to our hunting camp, a hunting trip, of course. MIL, the boys and I will do a little shopping and relaxing...and of course some school work, while dh and FIL are hunting together. Dh is so excited about this trip to be hunting with his Dad. They haven't done anything like that together in a long time. I'm excited for him.
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Oct. 12, 2006 - What a Good Week
Those of you who know us know that we have been searching for a new pastor at church for a year now. Well, good news, actually GREAT news...the pastor that we have called as an interim pastor has accepted our church!!
It has been a tough year for us all. In the middle of that year, our then youth pastor was called to another church and moved away also. God has been doing a great work through his ministry at the new church and we are all very happy for him and his family, even though we miss them a lot. They are back home visiting this week, though. It was good to see them last night and a blessing to have them there when the announcement was made about the new pastor.
It has been such an exciting week. On Sunday, my "baby" was baptized. He asked to have Bro. Allen baptize him. That's our pastor who left a year ago. So he came and preached for us on Sunday morning and Sunday evening and then baptized Zac. It was wonderful to visit with him and his family again. Then we got to see Josh, MH & H. AND found out we have a new pastor all in the same week! What a week it has been!! Praise God!
Like I said, it's been a tough year on us all, especially when you add the events of Hurricane Katrina and the recovery from that into the mix. But God is still on His throne and He is still working. He knows what we need and makes provisions for it even before we know that we need it. He has certainly been with us over this last year, and continues to be. I am excited about what He is doing in our lives and in our church right now and what He is going to do in the future.
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Oct. 12, 2006 - Who's Strength?
I posted this a few months back on my old blog, but I seem to be struggling with it again lately. So I decided to post it here. I have just been feeling so overwhelmed lately in all that I have been called to do and feeling like I am not getting most of it done. Maybe someone has an answer for me. I'll post another entry for today also, about some good news. Who's Strength? I have been thinking a lot this morning about doing things in my own strength vs. doing things in the Lord's strength. I fail so many times at so many things, I think, mostly because I try to do things in my own strength instead of His. I think the problem is that I don't know how to not try to do things in my own strength. I think it is human nature to "just do it" in our own strength and not try to rely on someone else, at least it is for me. Maybe that's part of the problem, I'm too independent. So, I'm searching this morning trying to figure out exactly how to stop trying to do things in my own strength and just rely on Jesus and let His strength guide me and hold me up. And also trying to figure out just how often I really do seek His strength instead of my own, if ever. You know it sounds good in theory, but how does it look to actually practice it? How do you know if you are leaning on Him or if you're trying to do it all on your own? I ask God to help me with most everything, but how do I truly know if I am fully trusting in Him to supply the strength needed to complete a particular task or challenge? I think maybe the answer to that is in the results. I think if I am struggling to accomplish something, then I am probably trying to get it done in my own strength. On the other hand, if something seems to be accomplished with relative ease, then obviously I have fully leaned on God's strength to accomplish it since I can't accomplish anything on my own. It is only by Him working through me that anything gets accomplished. It is His work, not mine that is fruitful. But then, sometimes He requires hard work for a particular task, so it may seem as though I'm struggling in my own strength when actually, maybe He's just building character in me. He never promised that everything would be easy. So maybe that's not a good indicator. There must be a way to know in my heart, though, that I am fully relying on Him and not myself. Maybe it just comes in a quiet peace that tells me that He's right there beside me leading me and guiding me each step of the way. If there is one thing I have learned in my lifetime, it is that if I don't have peace in my heart about something then it is usually not something that the Lord wants me to do or either I am not doing it as He wants me to...or in His strength. Then there are times when I know He has carried me, like in the Footprints in the Sand story. It's usually only in hindsight that I fully recognize this. As I'm looking back at the hardest times in my life, I can see that there was absolutely NO way I could have made it on my own. I thank God for the times He has carried me and the burdens He has carried for me so that I wouldn't break beneath the load. So maybe my answer is that I just need to be sure to carry every task to Him and then trust Him for the results. And trust that peace that He gives me in my heart and in my soul. If I don't have that peace then I probably should ask forgiveness for not seeking His strength and trying to do it on my own. Then try again with His strength guiding me. There are so many areas in my life that I feel like I should have victory over, but I don’t. Areas where I have prayed for many years for changes in me, but still I don’t see many changes. I think that is because I haven’t truly learned to do it in God’s strength and fully give it to Him. I’m still trying to do it on my own. This must change if I am ever to have victory in these areas. So I am earnestly seeking an answer to my original question: How do I know if I am relying on His strength or on my own? Is it only in that peace that He gives? One thing I do know is the truth of the verse I cling to in Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I just need to learn to let go and let Him work through me to do it.
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