Hey everybody -
For the last few weeks I have been blogging elsewhere - and I just wanted to come here and let you know how much I hope you'll visit me there.  I heard that great new things are happening here - like a new server, which is really exciting - but I am not sure if I'll be back to this blog or not at this point.
If you are interested come visit me here at my new blog!  
Hope to see you there! 

Today I got a beautiful hand-made card from my Secret Sister.  It was very beautiful - and a kind note.  I wanted to say thanks!

Also, I am attempting to start a new blog elsewhere as it took me three attempts and more time than I care to mention to log in just to post this simple note.  I'd like to have a more reliable and less frustrating blogging experience.  I have appreciated Homeschoolblogger so much - and met some great women here - but I do hope some of you will come and visit me at my new blog.    Until further notice, this blog is orphaned.     What a shame - as you can tell from what all has been done here, my archives and the number of posts I have made - I have put my heart into this blog - but it does me no good if I cannot reliably access it.  I have not even enjoyed blogging in a couple of months because of it.  I hope to find the joy of blogging again soon! 

Since several of my friends have requested to see my hair with my new perm - I thought I'd humor you.   Please scroll down
                                     
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and without further adieu ......   - Okay - it's not me - but this is pretty much what I look like right now - only a LOT less cute.  I caught my girls making fun of me behind my back while I was reading aloud this afternoon!   How rude!?!

Today started off with a bang!  Quite literally!  A grouchy husband dropped something on his way out the door at 6:30 am and I never went back to sleep.   I decided to use my nervous energy (I never really do recover when I wake up with a start like that!)  to clean out the area around my desk.  Around 7:30 a lady that I met at church called – Kendra has been making friends with her daughter and telling her she should “quit school and get a REAL life” – and giving her the whole “unschooling” schpiel.   The mom said that they had been reading a book that Kendra loaned to her daughter, and she wondered if she could stop by and talk with me.  My first thought was “Oh no!”  I thought we had made her mad.  But when she got here it was a pleasant surprise – she is considering letting her daughter pull out of school and Homeschool/unschool!     This girl is the head of the flag squad, and very involved in so many activities at her school, but her mom said that school has gotten harder and harder – too much workload, and too much pressure – and never any time to live a life.  What a fun job to get to be the one to tell her it didn’t have to be that way! 

I looked some things up on the HSLDA website – because as I spoke with this woman, I wasn’t sure that I had a full grasp on the Texas state Homeschooling laws.   I found more about them on the THSC site.  However, when I was perusing the HSLDA site, out of curiosity I found out that a secretary in Jefferson County where I used to live had sent out letters to homeschoolers in that county that contradicted Homeschool law.  Just a reminder to those of us who Homeschool to stay informed about the laws of your state!

THEN I had to go and pay our taxes.  I got a little education about the differences in how things work here and what I was used to in WV.    That was a difficult check to write!  OUCH!  When we refinance in 2 years, I am going to have the taxes and insurance rolled INTO our loan.  I’ll never do it the other way again!

             Late this afternoon – I did it.  I have debated about it for months now – on and off again.  I have worried that I would hate it – but I don’t.   Actually I love it – once it stops stinking – yep – I went and got me all permed up!   J  Ha haa!   I have been so frustrated with my hair l   Anyway – my husband says he loves me and I’m cute even if I do stink! 

                Okay – I’ll post more later – I have some pictures of the kids updated bedrooms that I wanted to post later – but there was just way too much that went on today!   Sorry about the rambling post – thanks for hanging on until the end.  I bit you adieu!

We have been attending a new church that is actually right around the corner from our house, and while it has paramount differences from everything we are used to, we are definitely feeling our hearts tugged, our souls warmed and our spirits fed while we are there.  The service and style are far more traditional than we are used to, in many ways.   The music is ALL hymns when we were used to a more contemporary service, and while I find “worship” slightly strained at times, I find the meditation on these long standing hymns of the faith is a joy.  Kullen and I had a “lightbulb” moment one Sunday when I pointed out that one of the hymns we were singing was by Fanny Crosby, whose biography we had read a couple years ago.   I am also thankful that my children seem to know more of them than I thought, considering that they seldom heard hymns in our previous churches.  The congregation has a majority of older folks, but they are unexpectedly warm and gracious with our whole family, including my 9 year old son.   (Oh yeah, and they never snubbed me, not even once because I wear jeans every Sunday!)   One thing that is taking some getting used to is sitting in the middle the ADD section at church – meaning my hubby and my son.  Kullen puts his feet on the pews in front of us, uses his clipboard to fan himself in wide, sweeping motions distracting other parishioners up to 3 or 4 pews back, and just about any disruptive thing he can think to do.  I am sympathetic, as I know how difficult it is for him to sit still – but it makes it VERY difficult for me to fully engage my brain in the sermon.  My hubby, while not up to the same antics as his son, gets restless at times, and I can feel it.  Isn’t that weird?  There is no such thing as “children’s church” where the children are dismissed to their own mini-sermon and activities – the children actually *gasp* sit through church with their parents.  And while I am distracted, I am trying to remember that this is a season of training for our family. 

Yesterday I felt like myself again.  The first remarkable thing that happened was compiling that list of the Lord’s faithfulness to me.  I am going to make it a point to do that more often as it had a tremendous effect on me throughout the entire day to remember His great love for me.  It spans beyond the cross and reaches into the everyday living of this common life.   Referring to one of my lessons yesterday about “uncommon friends” – there is none more uncommon than the way Christ loved us.  In fact He loved us so much He elevated us beyond mere friendship to the status of “brother”.  Oh how I wish I could walk with that truth ever present in my mind as I live my life each day.  How it would change much of what I do, say and think!

                Yesterday after we attended the local co-op, the kids and I were in Walmart grabbing a few things we needed while we were “in town”.  I asked the kids if they thought they would enjoy having a certain family over one afternoon for lunch and a visit.  They all said yes, but the Kullen added, “Let’s ask them over tonight for dinner!”  After calling Travis and making sure he was up to it, I called and invited them and they said “YES!”  They came over and we had a nice dinner and great conversation.  The kids all enjoyed themselves, and we had some real discussion.   It was such a fun time.  It reminded me of some of the first times getting together with some of my dearest friends.  We were thankful to have fellowship with another Homeschool family.   It is very rare, seemingly almost non-existent in this area to find other families that Homeschool and share similar family values and reasons for homeschooling.    It was a great night – and we hated for it to end!

This morning I got an email with a testimony from friend.  I wanted to share it because I thought it might touch your heart like it did mine.  I hope that I am not sharing out of turn, but this was amazingly profound   I have a precious friend who was  the very proud parent of a spunky little dog.   We all loved his little dog who was a BIG part of his family.  Yesterday my friend had to make the decision to have the dog put down for reasons I am not aware of at the moment.  When I emailed him to tell him how sorry I was, he said this……”for the hour after I made the decision I was a basket case, in the midst of it I got a microscopic glimpse of how God's heart breaks for us and I can't begin to imagine how horrible it was for him to watch his son die for filthy me.  I thanked him for that glimpse and for his grace.”    What a testimony, and a reminder that He is revealing Himself in everything that happens, if we will just open our eyes to see!

Okay, let me first say that the overwhelming responses to yesterdays post which was put both on Homsechoolblogger and Homesteadblogger was amazing.  The words of encouragement were astounding to me, and I cannot say how much this has meant to me.  I think I grasped it this morning when one of my precious blogging buddies, Deedeeuk sent me an e-card – I realized I DO have friends, just not ones I can put my arms around and HUG right now!  Thank you all so much for your kindnesses.  They blessed me beyond measure.  BUT I do want to say that the most astounding comfort came directly from the Lord.  Where to start…. Hmm…. I think I shall have to make somewhat of a list:

• Yesterday afternoon my friend Carol called just to chat. She is one of those friends you can share anything with and never fear that she will put you down or judge you – and yet she will tell you the truth.  She is also very compassionate.  She had received a card I sent her to encourage her through a rough season in her life – and we discussed how I can see the Lord’s promises hold true for HER situation – but have difficulty applying them to my own.  By the time we got off the phone – I felt so much better. 
• Last night during family devotions (we use the One Year Book of Family Devotions and read one every single night before anyone is allowed to leave the table!)  I was reading, and the scripture text was Romans 8:26-31.  Verse 28 says this………And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.   (NKJV)  As I read this out loud to my family I started to cry.  Then we all started to laugh, because we knew that God had spoken – directly to my heart.
• After dinner, we went to church.  The adult Bible study text was ALSO from Romans 8!  The focus was on verses 12-14.  The emphasis of the teaching was that we “owe no debt to the flesh” – the life in the body is nothing compared to the spiritual aspects of our living for Christ.  The pastor talked passionately and confrontationally about sanctification.  How can we be caught up worrying about the flesh while people around us are dying and going to hell.   I felt about this small, and so very convicted that I’d lost a day of my life to live for Christ wallowing in self-pity.    Basically,  the Lord kicked my BUTT and then turned around to help me back on my feet!  (I love it when He does that!)
• When I woke up this morning, the SUN was shining!  It streams through the window beside me even now and I can feel God’s love in it.  It calls for rain again tomorrow – but I will enjoy the sunshine for today, and let tomorrow carry its own worries.
• My Bible study this morning was out of I Samuel – and focused on the uncommon  friendship of Jonathan and David.  Beth Moore’s notes highlighted some attributes of uncommon friendships:

1 – Uncommon friends can speak their minds without fear

2 – Uncommon friends can share their hearts without shame

                So I am reading all of these notes and starting to feel again – thinking about my friends back home.

                Sadness attempted to come in – until I got to the third note:

                                3 – Uncommon friends can stay close, even at a distance!!!!!!

I got chills when I read this!  My friends and I are friends, united in a bond of love with the Lord.    This verse is illustrated in the friendships that I do have whether near or far – “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken”   Eccl. 4:9-10, 12b    

I am so thankful that the Lord heard my prayer, and the prayers of any of you who were willing to pray for me.  Once again He dazzled me with His love.     

I haven’t blogged for a while.  I have been in somewhat of a funk.  I have been struggling with all sorts of things – mainly sheer isolation.  It has been a dreary, rainy winter.  I expected Texas to be warmer in the winter than I am used to, however, the dampness here penetrates all the way to the bone.  The sun has done little more than peek out over the last couple of weeks – and it has really been blah.    I still haven’t really made one friend – and while I know that is a process, I am feeling a bit impatient at the moment.  Eight months without “girlfriend” time is taking its toll on me. 

                Another issue is my blog.  I don’t know where to blog – and about what.  I have attempted to start a new blog elsewhere – because I think I have come to the conclusion that I would rather belong to the larger blogging community.  This has caused me to be disinterested in this blog in general.  I do have friends here – some great ones, and now that we’re using services like “Bloglines” it should be easy to stay in touch with one another, regardless of where we blog. 

                On the issue of being in a funk – it was  a topic of our Sunday School lesson this past week – but instead of the word “funk” I believe the pastor used “discouragement”.  He talked about how it was a tactic of the enemy to keep us down.  I know that is the truth.   Even while I know it,  the feeling has been washing over me every day.  I asked the pastor if he thought that wallowing in discouragement – having a pity party – feeling sorry for yourself – whatever you want to call it – was a sin.  He said he thought so and so do I.  So I am sorry for another bleak post on this blog.  If you happen here could you pray for me – I am struggling with this right now.  I know God has a purpose in this time of isolation – perhaps to remind me that He is all that I truly need. 

I have to post about this.  My daughter came to me with eyes overflowing with tears, and showed me this website this afternoon.  We just sat in shocked horror and disbelief.  Satan has attempted to capture the minds of the youth of a generation - and this is one of the most devious, and heart wrenching tactics yet.  Check it out if you dare - it is horrifying to think that there are people out there who spend the very breath God gave them to blaspheme His name, but worse to encourage others - the total videos posted thus far range around 150,000 - to do the same.  There was one personal "blasphemy" video where the credits rolled at the end thanking those who had contributed to his "enlightenment" - and the last name that slowly scrolled up the list was "my dad".  As a mother this makes my heart skip a beat.  Did this dad contribute to this young man's position by sharing his own atheistic viewpoint, or was it because he lived a life of hypocritical Christianity?  We are all hypocrites at times - and it is difficult for us to lead anyone in our fallen state to the only One who was perfect - but let's not cut ourselves too much slack here.  WHAT are our children seeing in our lives?  Religion or relationship?  Are we showing them even in our failings how Christ redeems us daily?  How can we as parents keep from turning our children away from our Lord?  I have an uncle that I love dearly who is the father of eight children - one in heaven since infancy - and six out of the other seven that want nothing to do with God or church - which to them is synonymous.  They saw organized religion as a system set up to hold them in restrictive confines.   My mind is reeling.  And what is blasphemy anyway?  Is it word or deed?  Maybe it is a combination of both.  
Pray, not only for this generation that the enemy would love to pervert, but also for each of us as parents, that our lives would draw our children TO Christ and not away from Him.

I talked to my mom - she is nervous today because she is going to see an oncologist.  She has had quite a time with her health spanning over two decades now.  She has type II diabetes, ashtma, etc.   While a lot of these health issues are exacerbated by lifestyle choices, I still love her and worry about her.  In 2001 she had gastric bypass surgery that put her in ICU for three months, primarily unconscious, shut her kidneys down, and had her hooked up to life support.  We saw a dramatic answer to prayer when her kidneys started to work on their own again after about 6 weeks of dialysis.  She has recently had skin cancer removed, and ended up in the hospital when the incisions of every single one erupted almost immediately with severe infection.  They found out that her body has been carrying a staph infection all this time which explains a lot.  But they can't figure out why her white blood cell count is still up.  Her doctor told her that she needs to see the oncologist because she "needs bone marrow".  None of us really knows what this means for her - but if you are a prayer warrior, please pray for my mom.  Thanks.

I was reading through the news this morning since I no longer have television to tune into (not that I did anyway) and read this article about the world's first test tube baby, Louise Brown from England, becoming a first time mother.  I was less than 10 years old when baby Louise was born.  This was a definite step toward some of the scientific advances we have continued to make, for better or worse.  I know that there are many infertile couples that these kinds of breakthroughs have helped - and in those cases it seems like the Lord has used science in the same way that He uses doctors and medical advances to help the sick.  However, I can't help but think of the story from the Bible of Lot's daughters - and how their incestuous relationship with their father, taking matters into their own hands so that they would have offspring brought about two of Israel's biggest enemies.  I wonder where the dividing line is between God's provision of science, and our taking matters into our own hands. 
Just some thoughts that were scrambling around in my brain this morning.  I'd love to hear your opinion.

I hesitate to post this - only because this is the new year, and it seems so cliche.  For me it is not a resolution but a desire to make a permanent life change.  I read a bulletin board in our tiny town of about 50 churches a couple of weeks ago that read, "God desires repentance more than resolutions."  A resolution means that I am going to make a change - but repentance means I have admitted to God that my behavior is wrong, and I am asking Him to help me turn away from what I know to be sinful.  No more resolutions for this girl.  But I do know that I have a struggle with gluttony.  I have a love affair with food.  I recognized this about 9 years ago when I attended my first Weigh Down workshop.  The truth found in the precepts used in that Bible study are profound for someone with my particular sin struggle.  I have recently had a breakthrough in dealing with temptation the way Jesus did in the desert when Satan tried to tempt Him - by quoting scripture.  It is amazing how effective this is.  I have been able to leave a lot of food on my plate, and resist temptation - even Hot Fudge Brownie ice cream with the Lord's help.  The weird thing is that He didn't just help me resist it, but the Lord helped me not be overwhelmed by a preoccupation with what I had given up.  I didn't have ice cream - and I walked away and hadn't thought about it again until it came up to share here.  Amazing.  Only God could give such victory to a food-o-holic like me.
If you are unfamiliar with the concepts of Weigh Down, here is a breakdown in my words:

• no diet foods - God made all foods for us to enjoy, and declared all foods clean - after all our grandparents ate fried foods and real ice cream and maintained their healthy body weight for their entire lives
  
• diets don't work, because we make the food "behave" instead of our hearts - stuffing in artificial sweeteners, fat replacements, etc. but it doesn't do anything to restrain our sinful appetites
• you retrain yourself to respond to your body's "empty" and "full" gauge - eating only when your stomach is truly empty (with a growling sensation, or slight burning) and stopping after your stomach is full  (the stopping part is more difficult for me)
• acknowledge that food has become a god in your life - and work to transfer the love of food over to a love of God

When we decided to take a break from "formal" homeschooling and try a more relaxed, bordering on unschooling approach with our children, one of the first things we did was to get rid of our television completely for a month.  This little experiment went so well that nobody even noticed when the original goal of a calendar month was over!  My children were playing games, making up stories, and finding all kinds of fun to get into, but not at first.  At first it was a lot of, "Mom, we're BORED!"  But what I saw slowly and gradually take place was that each member of our family started to find their own groove.   What I found was that the quiet, the calm of boredom forces a person to have a more grounded inner life.  When all this chaos of television, activities and even the voices of other people are swirling around, there is little opportunity to hear that inner voice, sifting thoughts and forming opinions, much less to hear the voice of the Spirit, the whisper only to be heard in silence.
Tonight I am feeling particularly lonely.  I am writing this as a truth as much to myself as to anyone who may find their way here to read it.  I miss my friends, and the constant activity of all the things that were familiar.  On Friday nights back in WV you never knew who may be at your house - maybe playing cards, maybe laughing with a house FULL of teenagers over large quantities of Doritos, or watching a movie with girlfriends while the kids jump on the trampoline in the late hours of the night!  These were precious times that I will always treasure, but this boredom and loneliness has a purpose.  I can hear the whisper.  I can feel the breath of God lean in and come near to dry my tears.  I know that there is a work in progress in me, and I will hold tightly to the one who already sees the finished product.

Today was one of those days you wish would never end.  It started off in a bit of a tizzy but ended up so lovely.  When I woke up this morning I had not remembered that it was the first day of the local co-op that we were hoping to attend.  We went late, but all three children were ready to go and went along happily.  I did not anticipate this - as none of them seemed to particularly enjoy themselves the last time.   The co-op itself was enjoyable, however since we have been out of the loop for a while, we did not know that there was a field trip to a state part for a nature walk at the end.  What a joy it was.  The sun was shining, and the temperatures were mild.  None of us were even wearing a coat on this mid-January afternoon.  The lady that guided our walk was energetic and enthusiastic, and you could tell she really loved what she was doing.  Although I was taken aback by the sign as we entered the park that read "ALLIGATORS PRESENT: Do not approach or touch!" (like I would!) - we did learn about many native plants and animals.   Maybe just for a moment I started to feel what it would be like to fall in love with Texas.  I felt God here - and wherever He is can't be all that bad. 

I posted yesterday about the possibility of changing my blog to Homesteadblogger and let me explain just a bit further. It isn't because I'm impatient or whiny.  I honestly understand that there is work that has to be done, and after reading a bit more on the Tech Help blog I have a little better understanding about why certain things aren't working. I don't care about the Javascript being disabled - and truthfully I am learning to live without my favorite "Friends" feature - I just created a bookmark folder called "Blogs" on Mozilla and browse from there. Yes, it is more time consuming - and often I have to look at someone's blog for the tenth time with nothing new - but like I said, I'm learning to live with that as well. But, when I have to spend a lot of time trying to log in, or can't get anything but a white page for weeks now, it is time to start thinking of whether or not it is a wise investment of my time - and then after the exercise in frustration of posting, I see that nobody is visiting my blog - likely because they can't get here - well, why blog? Another thing to consider for me that has nothing to do with changes made here or the service consistency has to do with issues that are important to me - such as gardening, food storage & canning, food safety, etc. are not widely discussed here - and when the blogger was working consistently and I posted about anything on those lines, there was very little feedback - which is not the case at Homesteadblogger. Yes, and there are a LOT of homeschoolers there as well. I will either operate two blogs - or change over largely to that one. If you are interested in checking out my Homestead-blog, you can find it here. It mainly mirrors this blog for now. Happy Blogging everyone - whether here or there - we can all stay friends.

YAY - we did it and I feel like I can breathe again!   When we moved to TX - we got cable internet in our apartment.  Travis and I reasoned that it wasn't a bad idea - as we were five people staying in a 2 BR apartment - confined living quarters in the heat of our first summer in TX.   The amount of television - albeit shows we deemed appropriate (few and far between - and even they sneak junk into the programs and catch you off guard!) - was sickening.  We kind of planned to discontinue it when we moved - but when I called to get our phone and internet - I found that DISH network was nicely bundled together in a package.  I didn't want the DISH - however, I did find out from a lady that lives in this area that it is the only way to get decent radio because DISH carries SIRIUS channels.  I caved!   However, upon installation, I found that the package that we enrolled for did not include the SIRIUS channels - (great customer service as I informed them that was the only reason I wanted it!).  Long story short, we went away in November for 3 weeks - right after it was installed, and I never got around to getting the thing disconnected.    It isn't the kids - guess who has been the total TV junkie - watching late night M*A*S*H marathons, CSI, etc.  ME!!!  Today I made the call and feel like a gigantic elephant has been lifted off of my shoulders.  I am so happy.  I feel almost giddy about it.  It is gone effective immediately because my billing cycle ends TODAY.  How great is God?  He sends the conviction - and makes everything happen to help you be able to obey!  Makes me think of a verse:

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful.  He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out, so that you can stand up under it!                I Corinthians 10:13

I am not sure just yet - but I am thinking about relocating my blog entirely to Homesteadblogger - For some reason ever since the changes that were made at HSB - I don't seem to be getting any traffic.  I also am not entirely sure about the traffic thing because I can't use the trackers that I have found that use Javascript.  I keep watching my counter at the bottom of my right column - but the numbers don't seem to be changing.  I can only guess based on the lack of comments on my posts lately that either 1. I am boring everyone or 2. nobody is making their way here.  Now, let me be sure that I do not blog for comments, however it is somewhat of an interactive activity - because if I was keeping a personal journal, I would not have it online.  So, what to do - I do not know!   Anybody else facing this dilemma?  I am also noticing that yesterday when I tried to sign in to my blog - several times the page would be completely white and at the bottom left hand corner it said "done".  When it would load the page or the administrative features - it was v-e-r-y s-l-o-w.  I don't know if people maybe aren't visiting or commenting because maybe they can't load the page.  Is that happening to anybody else?

It is risky business loving a teenage girl - I know! First, they will want to use eye-popping colors to paint their bedroom in your new house - and they will want YOU to help them!  (Can anyone spell A-D-V-I-L?) 
Then, they get upset if you try to wipe the fluorescent colored stuff off of your hands onto their shirt - and really mad should you try to put your hand on their FACE! But at least they walk around always smelling like bubble gum and flowers.  At least there is somebody that notices when you're having a bad day and likes to bring you hot tea, and snuggle up next to you in your chair!  Sometimes you are lucky and they bring an adorable kitty cat into your life.   Yes, they like to make you the butt of their jokes, and they make fun of you when you say things wrong, or prove yourself a total "nerd".  But all in all - I think the risks are worth it.  You always have somebody around who wants chocolate as much as you do.  Sometimes you get to see your clothes walking around in front of you - just to show you how cute you'd be if you were like 30 years younger and like 50 pounds lighter.  You always have someone around who understands PMS, and there's someone else in the house who knows how to put toilet paper on the roll, and who can load the dishwasher properly (even if they don't always choose to!)  Life is a little softer and gentler just because they are around.   I know these things to be a fact - because I am head over heels for two of them!   This is me and the youngest one........I like to refer to her as the one least likely to leave home and travel the world!    She's my keeper.  The other one is going to take my heart halfway around the world - and squeeze it till it breaks - but more about her later.  This cheeky one is my Kaity-bug - and I LOVE HER WITH ALL MY HEART!    Thanks for letting me be your mama - buggy girl!  It was fun being messy with you - now "don't ever do that again!"

I decided to do something new today. I made turkey & noodle soup for dinner, which is one of my favorites - but when I make it, I tend to make way more than my family can endure to eat. This has always been nice as there is always someone - a new neighbor, someone at church who is sick, or just somebody who needs some TLC to take some of the extra soup to. It is so hearty and warm, and nourishing. Anyway, since we have moved, I haven't really established those kinds of relationships with anyone to know who needs what - and after watching a lengthy documentary about "The Future of Food" on Susan Godfrey's blog yesterday, I have decided that I am going to jump into gardening, canning and homesteading with both feet. I always have canning jars, so I took two pints down from the cabinet and ladeled the hot soup into them, added lids and rings, and then gave them a boiling water bath. The lids actually "set" (or whatever you call it when they suck in and make that "POP" sound) and I was so thrilled. My son and I like to have hot soup for lunch, etc. so after we are not tired from the two nights of dinners we will eat with the fresh soup, I will have two nice jars to open at different days for he and I to share. (My girls like it too - but it is one of his favorites!) 

• Food (corn, soybeans, etc.) is being engineered to keep it from being killed by the pesticides sprayed in order to reduces pests - and the way this is genetically being done is to essentially turn the food itself into a pesticide.   Bugs and worms that eat the food that is part of our food supply drop dead after eating it.
• Our food supply can no longer reproduce itself - as it has been engineered with a "suicide gene" that makes it unable to be used for seed.
• Japan is very concerned about genetically modified foods - and has decided to keep a "hands off" position until they watch American children for the next 10 years.  (OUR CHILDREN are essentially an experiment!)   This totally freaked me out!

My Bible study time today had me reading in I Samuel - where the Israelites were fighting the Philistines and being continually defeated.   They decided that they would bring the ark of the covenant with them into battle so that they would have victory.  Long story short - they were slaughtered, even worse than before, and the ark was captured by the Philistines.   Here is the interesting thing - they didn't seek to take the LORD into battle with them, but just the ark - which without Him was nothing but a box.   This was superstition.   It implied that if we do A, B, and C - that God will do what we think He is supposed to do.  How arrogant to think that God was theirs in a box to take and do with as they will.   Ah, but this made me think.
Go back with me if you will to 1981.  I was 11 years old.  I was living with my mom and step-dad in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.   This was a time of serial murders of young boys - predominately African Americans.   In the middle school that I went to, it was talked about on a daily basis.  Teachers would hear of another child's death and talk openly and honestly with us about it.  It would be on our televisions every evening as the whole city was gripped with desperation over what to do to prevent any more innocent deaths.  All my friends and I were gripped with fear.  Rumors started circulating through our school that the killer had said he was going to start abducting white females, and that was it - I was paralyzed with fear.  I found myself unable to go into the bathroom at home without my brother.  The bus ride to school was fine, but when my brother and I let ourselves into an empty house every afternoon, it was all I could do to go inside for fear that someone would be hiding around a corner or in a closet, and was motivated to enter only by the larger fear of staying outside.    I am not sure how it started, but I started carrying my Bible with me every minute of every day.  I even slept with it in my hands at night, I carried it with me every day to school, and had it in my hands every minute of every day.  I didn't know that that what I had done was exchange the God of the universe for a symbol. 
How many times do we do just this with the LORD today?  We go to church, we listen to "Christian" music, and we go through spiritual routines - even reading the Bible - and yet these are all symbolic of a relationship with God - but not truly a relationship.  Personally, as a newer believer, I had even gotten my thinking twisted to the point that when God doesn't respond the way I expect Him to - or want him to, I think, well why am I doing all this stuff then!   The answer is that I am not having a relationship but going through a set of rituals - doing ABC and attempting to get the God of the universe to come out of the box and do a trick for me. 
This was a miserable way of thinking and living.   It put my faith in God in jeopardy every single time something difficult happened.  Today I am so thankful to know that I don't have to have my Bible in my hands every second of every day - for one because I have the Word hidden in my heart - but moreso because the Bible, while the written word of God is a tool to deepen our relationship - but NOT a relationship with God.  (Think of believers the world over who do not have their own Bibles and yet have a passionate love and devotion to the Lord!)  I also understand that while my personal devotional time (quiet time, devotions, study time, whatever you want to call it) is essential to my relationship with God, He doesn't love me any less on the days that I don't have it, and more on the days that I do.  I don't do A and expect God to respond with B.  He is God - and cannot operate inside my box.  (Thank heavens!)

After a very long work week, I took the poor neglected kids to see a movie.  (Then to the grocery store for 2 hours!)   We went to see Eragon.  We had seen previews and it looked pretty good, but to be honest I am not really someone who thoroughly enjoys reading or watching fantasy books or movies.  We went to this movie because the kids have wanted to see it - but in spite of my reservations, I really enjoyed it.  It was less gory than the LOTR trilogy - but full of action and adventure.  I loved the dragon, and the story line.   Kendra and I were even talking about how there was a girl he seemed interested in, but it was very subtle, and "wholesome", without any sensual undertones.  YAY for a good family movie!

On a different note - has anyone noticed how obnoxious the previews are becoming?  Even for this PG movie, there were some previews that I was shocked to see.  I am not sure how that works, if the previews are released by the production company or the theater, but they seem to be going way too far these days!

I don't know why I put it off - but I just hate running errands.  Because we live so rurally, I have to drive at least 45 minutes to make a bank deposit!  There is a "super" Walmart in the next closest town which is only about 12 miles away, but I would use the word super very loosely.  I have never seen a Walmart quite like it.  It only has one set of doors, and the last time I was there - between Christmas and New Years, the only eggs or milk left on the predominately empty shelves was whole milk and organic eggs.   They were picked clean, and it appears to me at this point that they evidently don't stay well stocked - so it is just a better idea for me to shop further away at a place where I know I don't have to come back later to get things they didn't have the first time.  ONE trip is enough for me.   Anyway, while we are in a bigger town, the kids like to do things, but I feel stingy with the errand time - I want to get it over with.  To reduce the amount of time, I have tried to put our family back on a two week menu - so I only have to go in between if we run out of something.  I am hoping that will reduce the amount of running.  It will also save on gas as well as wear and tear on a weary mama!   I think I would like to eventually get us on a once a month schedule, but that will require the purchase of a deep freezer for storage of meat, and dairy items that we won't use up quickly.  

Anybody else shop for large amounts of time?  Any tips in how to do this effectively?  I keep a pantry stocked with staples - and as a matter of fact, I went through it before making my list yesterday to see what I already had - and found that there was a lot of things I did have.  I tend to rebuy things - as a matter of fact my kids discovered the other day that I had 17 boxes of Jell-o!   Can somebody tell me why?  Because I am in the store and think what a fun snack it would be, but am NOT SURE if we have any!  Thank goodness they decided they were going to start making it every day.  (Little word to the wise - don't let your kids substitute Mountain Dew for the liquid in the Jell-o and then eat it after dinner - if you EVER want your kids to sleep again!)

Okay - well I'm not getting those errands done sitting her blogging!   See y'all later on! 

I am the mother of a family of night owls.  It has always been that way.  It started when my oldest daughter was a baby - her daddy worked nights, so we waited up for him.  After he got home around 11 or 12, we put her to bed, and then the two of us stayed up a couple of hours before we went to bed.   When she woke in the mornings, we brought her to bed with us for at least another hour of sleep - and got up usually between 9 and 10 am.   I suppose it actually started for her in the womb, as we kept later hours than most even while I was expecting her.  This is a rhythm she has never broken.     Our younger daughter was more of a "need to go to bed by 8 o'clock" when she was small, but now that she's a teenager she and her sister can stay up half the night giggling and talking.  Having not had the opportunity to really "grow up" with my only sister, I love that they are close, and even though we bought them both NEW BEDS when we moved to TX - and they were both dying to have their own rooms - they still want to sleep together every night!  (I don't fight it anymore - but I do insist that they quiet down so we can all sleep!)  Kullen who is only 9 was born a teenager - he was the kind of baby that never woke you up - could sleep late every morning, and stay up half the night.    Here's the thing, having grown up with a mother who struggled with depression, and stayed in her pajamas much of the time, having people sleeping in the house until 9 or 10, just totally zaps my mental energy.  But, I seem helpless to correct the issue.  We are all night owls.   I am wondering if this is something I should fight - or should I just give in to the seemingly natural rhythm of our lives?   Another thing that I hate about it is that my girls sit outside on the porch swing having their breakfast sometime mid- to late morning, and we had one nosy neighbor remark about it.  I do not want people thinking that because my kids are homeschooled that they lay around all day and do nothing!    On one hand, I don't care what they think, but at the same time, I don't like feeding the negative homeschool stereotype.    I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts!   

I love good biographies.  Emphasis on the word "good".  Many times what attempts to pass as a good biography are a bunch of cheesy stories intermingled with a lot of meaningless names and dates, sometimes slightly more engaging than an encyclopedia article, often times not.  I found and purchased on Amazon a biography about the life of Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest) called Abandoned to God.  It has been fascinating.  It doesn't only illuminate the life of this man - but the lives of those that loved him.  It tells much about the importance of a home life.  Here is a quote from the book by his brother Franklin about the importance of home:

"Each evening, after the home-lessons were done, was given up to games of various kinds.  We found our enjoyment and entertainment in our own home.  No outside amusements could possibly compare with the fun and happiness to be found there.  We never had any desire to be out playing or walking about with chums."

"Hannah used their limited financial resources to create a home where gracious hospitality welcomed all who came.  Her diligence, ingenuity, and happy disposition produced an environment in which no one felt lack."

Well 2006 has been one unbelievable year!   Here is a small recap of the lives of our family over the past year:
January -

• My brother Rob left for Iraq
  
• My friend Tina and I hosted a "unit study" for teens on the country of China. 

• Found out my FIL was very ill
  
• Hopped a plane and came to TX for a surprise visit for two weeks
• I turned 36

• Home from TX, got news that my FIL's brain tumor would take his life - doctors gave 3-6 months without treatment - and he decided to forego treatment and live his life to the fullest for as long as he had

• Kendra turned 15
• We put our house back on the market

Today we visited a local church.  It was quite unlike the church we attended for 10 years in that it was filled with older people, and was a little more traditional - using hymns instead of worship music, etc.  But the people could not have been more loving and inviting.  We stayed about an hour and a half afterwards talking with the pastor and his wife and another gentleman.  It was so nice having adult conversation - especially with other believers.    Iron truly does sharpen iron, and I found myself very spiritually energized by the sermon and the conversation afterwards.   The text for the sermon was I Corinthians 4:1-5:

So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.  Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.  I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not judge myself.  My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent.  It is the Lord who judges me.  Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes.  He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts.  At that time each will receive his praise from God.

• We are the wrong person to do the evaluating - that is the job of the Lord
• It is the wrong time to be judging - there is an appointed time
• The wrong data is being used - we are judging based on our perspective but we don't have the full picture - only God knows the "truth" about any situation

I have been putting off posting this product review because my blog traffic is way down!  It seems like since the changes made here at HSB, without the friends function, I am hardly getting any visits much less comments.  I am really discouraged about that because I want people to see this review. 

I had the distinct privilege of being one of the first to receive one of Marmee Dear's new DVD, "Make It Special" that takes you step by step through the bread making process using the Bosch Kitchen Machine.   Martha Greene a/k/a "Marmee" begins the DVD with a discussion about grains and other products necessary to making good, wholesome bread for your family.  This was valuable information.  She then shows you in detail the steps for making bread, rolls, and other special items.    My family purchased a Bosch Kitchen Machine and I have been making our homemade bread since we moved into our new house at the end of September.   I have appreciated so much the encouragement I have gotten from Martha, her website, and her Bread Basket cookbook, however, there is no resource as valuable as this DVD in home-baking your family's bread supply.  You can see what the different steps look like, and hear tips and tricks from a veteran bread baker and homemaker.  Watching the video was like sitting in the kitchen across the counter at the home of a dear friend, and having her share her heart, her home and her kitchen with you.   
If you are interested in viewing a clip from the video, Marmee Dear has made a clip available on their website.  You can check it out here.

I know that there are 365 days in a year - 52 weeks of 7 days in a week - but time seems to be racing past me at a break-neck speed.   I feel almost panicked for it to slow down - as my children are growing up far too quickly for this mama's taste.   My oldest daughter applied for her first job the other day, and there seems a real possibility that she'll get it.  One of the things the manager liked most about her is that she was homeschooled and could work flexible daytime hours.  The thing is that one of the things I like about our homeschooling is the flexibility - and this will surely change a lot of things, not only for her but for all of us.  Like when I decide to "cancel school due to lack of interest" (this always means my lack of interest!) and take all the kids on a spontaneous trip to the movies.  That is going to change.  Even though her job would only be a few blocks away, and she could easily walk, her dad and I aren't letting her do that yet.   He and I sat with her for a while after dinner the other night explaining that once you launch yourself into the adult world like that - the "working" world, you typically stay there for the rest of your life.  We tried to encourage her to enjoy her teen years and the freedom that only that time in your life brings - but she was determined.  She has her sights set on a mission trip to Italy and Spain next summer - and there is no deterring her.  I am proud of her, but I just hate to see my baby grow up.  When she got out of the car to go in and apply for the job, I explained to her younger sister not to go and get any cheeky ideas - cause there was no way she was moving into this phase of her life anytime soon.  I think is quite content to just be a teenager for now!  (Thank goodness!)

Tonight my hubby and I had a "date".  Actually he had a doctor's appointment an hour away and he asked me to go with him.  It meant big chunks of time together in the car, in the waiting room, in the exam room and fast food dinner together afterwards, WITHOUT THE KIDS or anybody else!  Of course I jumped at the chance.   The weather was threatening to get nasty and I started to hesitate to leave the kids home alone because I've learned that in Texas the weather can turn brutal in an instant.  But, I decided to go - and later realized that the Lord had me right where He wanted me - and not necessarily to have quality time wit