AHEF accomplishes this patriotic mission by writing, producing, and distributing FREE K-12 lesson plans to teachers, students, and families in all 50 states and through additional initiatives, programs, and partnerships.

Here I am on Saturday about to head off to bed. It has been a full but relaxing day. I do have one question? Do you realize how much work clothing is? I have 4 Precious Blessings and that adds up to alot of clothing. I don't buy much but I do have to buy a few things, some clothing comes by way of hand me downs, I do a little thrift shopping and a little retail sale shopping, some comes in wonderful packages in the mail from Nana(I love these). 

Work created by clothing:

• Laundry....multiple loads daily around here
• Sorting of seasonal and worn out and too small clothing
• Finding someone or some place to pass on used clothing(I have 2 boxes and two bags next to the front door right now to pass on and take to the resale shop)
• Buying or making new clothing ===I would love to make more clothing but I am barely taking care of the daily life requirements at this time...soon, I will sew, the girls are at the age to begin learning.
• I am sure there is more.....

Now, I am happy for all this clothing work because it means:

• I have people here that need clothing, precious little people that call me Mommy and oh, that little guy who is learning to say Ma-Ma, sounds more like Mu-Mu, I don't care what he/they call me as long as they call me!
• I have the health and energy to take care of the clothing needs for these people
• They have clothes to wear....we lack nothing, need nothing, want very, very little
• I know how to sew even though I don't do any right now, I have a sewing machine.

Speaking of those little people, they are all bathed and tucked into their beds and the only noise I hear is the heat running through the pipes and the DRYER!!!

Are you prepared to Worship tomorrow?....Sunday's worship preparations begin on Saturday.

I am going to go do a little more preparing then off to sleepy by land.

May the Lord find us faithful.

More drama in our family.  I have a genetic defect called medullary sponge kidney disease.  It's not as ominous as it sounds, although some people do seem to have a terrible time with it.  People with MSK have deformed kidneys.  The drainage tubes in the kidneys have small pockets where urine collects and turns to stones.  I have hundreds of these pockets in both my kidneys and hundreds of stones.  I know; it sounds like I'm exaggerating.  But my doctor said there were too many stones to count.  I used to joke that my x-rays looked like I had been hunting with Dick Cheney.  (An x-ray of my kidneys shows tw oval areas of what looks like buckshot!)  Some people have chronic kidney infections, constant pain, and other problems.  I am truly blessed with sporatic pain, and so far only one kidney infection when I was 11 years old.  (I wasn't diagnosed until I was 38 y.o.  Most people aren't diagnosed until their first kidney stone.  I probably had my first stone when I was 18, but they didn't do any x-rays or extensive testing, just sent me home with an "I don't know what's wrong with her, probably in her head" look.)

Thursday I had another kidney stone, large enough to cause severe pain.  The only reason I even want to write about it, though, is that I have to tell you about my sweet children.  Around 8 p.m. that night after about 3 hours of unrelenting pain, I lay down on our bed.  Before that I had a heating pad and rice sock (tube sock full of dry rice heated in the microwave) and sat in a chair or paced the house.  By this time, I had reached the point of wanting to go to the ER.  I made calls to arrange that, knowing I would probably be there HOURS if not days.  Then I just lay there.  Praying.  Oh, how I prayed. 

Then my sweet children came in to ask if I needed anything.  They re-heated my rice sock, brought me water, and then began to sing the most beautiful songs.  Noah sang "Good night, sweet Mommy, flush that stone right down the drain."  Jonah sat on the bed and held my hand, and Gracie sang "Silent Night".  What an amazing prayer meeting we had.  They got ready for bed, and we had our evening prayers.  Again, they prayed for my healing, and as they prayed the pain subsided GREATLY.  Within an hour, I passed the stone!

I love my children and my dear husband.  You're probably wondering what he was doing?!  He so hates to see me in pain and feels completely helpless.  He's really good, though.  He makes sure I have what I need, reheats the rice sock, brings me water, stays close enough that I can tell him if I need anything, but doesn't hover.  He prays for me, and reaches out to our friends and family to ask for prayer.  I had prayers going up all over this country.  (Just before Mark's heart attack, we joined Facebook at the urging of one of his brothers.  We thought it would be a good way to stay in touch with family and share pictures.  It has turned into a blessed prayer ministry.  When we need prayer, we share our requests--our "friends" are limited to family and friends, no strangers--and friends post their prayer requests.  So many people we have been able to pray with, so many old friends we've found, and so many relationships built with family that we saw only at reunions and so briefly, then.)

So today I am just resting.  We will be celebrating Jonah's 11th birthday with my parents this afternoon.  His birthday isn't until the 16th Nov., but my parents will be out of town.  He's kind of excited.  He gets an early birthday and then we will celebrate his birthday at home on the day.

And I'm counting my blessings!!

Oh, you should see how beautiful the snow is! And today it has snowed all day...this morning we had small snowflakes but this afternoon we have medium sized flakes flowing steadily. The older blessings were out playing this afternoon. I have yet to get out and get snow pictures...my camera batteries died last time I attempted but they are now charged and ready to go. Maybe tomorrow, todays daylight will be gone soon.

May the Lord find us faithful.