Soccer season has officially begun!

This season, our two eldest are playing.  This is probably the last time we do that.  We don't like to become involved in too many things outside home.  But we felt we would let them try it this time.  This is P's (son #1 Nickname) third season and Daughter's first.  She probably won't play again.  I think we'll let Tani (Son #2 Nickname) play int he fall in the Kinder League just for fun.  It is really good exercise for them.  But we need to be exercising as a family.

I've been wanting to post for some time, but our lives have been so busy these past few weeks.  It is finally settling down (except for soccer).  But soon we'll need to start working in the garden and finishing our chicken coop.  I will post later about our FREE chicken coop.  You're gonna love this idea.  Especially if you like salvaged items.

Things have been turned upside down around here as we make some changes in our business situation.  I will share more about that later, too.

Today we go use our Book-It coupons.  We haven't done that since January when we all got the flu/colds thing.  We also need to go buy diapers and milk -the story of my life!  Hehehe.  I might take the boys for haircuts, we'll see how I feel.  And then back home to get ready for Tani's Pirate Adventure Birthday Party of Sunday.  He turns four years old on Monday.

It's hard to believe he is the same baby boy I struggled so hard to feed and keep alive when he was born.  He is now our biggest child (age comparatively speaking) and very strong!

I'm off to crack the whip!

Blessings today,

Kris

We lost a baby on February 25.  I had started having problems before I even knew I was pregnant. I was in the ER on one Monday, and by the following Monday, I was sent into emergency surgery.  I had an ectopic pregnancy and was bleeding into my abdominal cavity.  If it had not been caught in time, I would have died.

Up until yesterday, I thought the pregnancy was an ovarian ectopic pregnancy and did not involve my tube.  But at my followup appointment I found out that the placenta was in the middle of my tube and my tube had to be cut open to remove it.  The baby was, indeed, on my ovary.  My tube is still there.  But the way the tube heals and the possibility of scar tissue may affect my fertility.

This was a tough thing to go through and there are so many stages of emotion that follow something like this.  The first few days after the surgery, I felt happy to be alive and I felt so much better physically.  By Thursday, the grief hit.  I think in some ways it was easier because I didn't know I was pregnant until after I started having problems.  I never allowed myself to feel the joy I normally feel when I find out we're expecting another bundle.  I hoped that everything would be okay, but I didn't know. 

The grief comes and goes, now.  But God has been faithful and very gracious to me through it all.  Beloved and I are praying that my fertility will not have been affected.  And, we hope to be blessed again soon.

I call the baby Grace, because number five represents grace, and this would have been our fifth child.  We don't know the gender, of course, but I feel it is appropriate nonetheless.  And we know Baby Grace is in Jesus' arms, waiting for us to join him or her one day.  Especially on November first, when I would have been due, I will remind myself that the Lord wanted our little one to join Him sooner than the rest of us.  And I will not second guess His plan.

We got 12 baby chicks yesterday.  They are darling!  They are messy.  Right now, they are in a large tub on my pantry counter with a heat light above them.  They seem to be happy.  Daughter is writing a list with their names on them as I write you.  They all look pretty much the same, except for two.  One is very blond (Blondie) and the other is reddish (Delaina).

I thought I would get to choose my breeds and I did so much research on them.  But when you go to the Grange Coop and they are only a few days old, all they know is that they are all pullets (hens).  But the breeds I ended up with are desirable.  Rhode Island Red, Barred Rock, and my favorite, Buff Orpington.  I'm not sure yet which are which or how many of what, yet.  You get what you get.  When you buy a 50 lb. bag of feed, you get five chicks free.  So I only paid for the seven.  I got organic feed, which I have read can be as much as double.  But it was only $5.00 more than the standard, and it is really important to me. 

When you order from breeders through the mail, you can choose your breeds.  But there is a minimum order of 25 chicks, as they need that many in a box to keep each other warm enough during shipping.  Also, you have to allow that you might lose a few during shipping.  I am not in a position to house that many hens at this time.  They will be in a 100 square foot shed and 12 is probably pushing it.

Later, we'd like to raise some of the Cornish Rocks for meat.  They are ready in 4-6 weeks.  I think I would hoop house them in the field until they are ready to butcher.  We can process and freeze them and not worry about chicken meat for the year.  And, you know what you're eating.

Later, when my older children are 12 and 13, we will find more land to build a green/solar/ecological home, where we can raise more animals.  Here we cannot have a cow or goats.  We can have horses here, however.  Our neighborhood has Covenants, Codes and Regulations governing what types of animals we can have on our land.

Well, I have several chicken books and I am learning as I go along.  I hope I don't lose anybody.

Blessings today,

Miss Kris

So sorry I haven't checked in for a while.  We keep getting colds around here.  Something else happened, too.  I will share about that later.

Today I wanted to tell you about my grocery savings at Albertsons yesterday.

I bought 40 items.  The total before coupons was 163.50.  The total after coupons was 85.75.

How cool is that?

How do you save money on groceries?  I am challenging myself to save as much money as possible at the store, while still trying to eat in a healthful way.  I would love to hear how other homeschool moms keep food in their houses on a budget.  It seems like all my children do is eat!

Miss Kris

Sorry it's been a while since I wrote.  We have been down for several weeks with the flu and colds.  It was actually a nightmare!  Especially with Baby throwing up!  One thing I have a hard time with is vomit.  Baby isn't so bad, but the older children, uhhh!

Anyway, we are finally all healthy again and I will try to post more regularly.  I would like to talk about some homeschooling subjects, how I teach my children, etc.  We are finally getting into a routine that works for us with curriculum that works, too.  It is such a relief.

I am attending our monthly local homeschool meeting tonight and am looking forward to it.  It is the only time I go out without my children and last month was very educational.  It's so encouraging to listen to experienced homeschool mothers and what has worked for them.  No two families are alike, but it is always helpful to glean ideas from others and use them however they work for your own family.  I learn a lot from them and it is truly a Titus 2 ministry for me, anyway, to have them share with us.

Have a blessed day,

Miss Kris

Here are a few raw foods recipes I've created in the past few weeks.  They are both good.  The beans in the salad are obviously not raw, but we're not doing 100% raw and the beans make the salad nice and filling.

Banana Carob Shake - Raw

Description:
We've gone raw at our house for a bit and I made up this recipe to keep the chocolate cravings at bay.   Now it's hard to get some for myself -everyone wants it.   Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Place in Blender:

2 Bananas
1 Large Glass of Chipped Ice (I get it from my frig icemaker)
1/8 to 1/4 C. Coconut Water (or water)
2 teaspoons Coconut Oil (optional)
2 Tablespoons Raw Honey
4 Heaping Tablespoons Carob Powder


Directions:
Blend, serve and enjoy. Good and good for you.

Number Of Servings:2 Lg. or 4 Small

Preparation Time:FAST

Mexican Salad - Raw

Description:
Here's another recipe for a (mostly) raw salad that is a meal itself served with fruit, the shake above, etc.

Ingredients:
1 Large Head of Romaine (or 1 bag of Romaine)
1 Large Avocado, cubed
1 English Cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced into half moons. (Seed it if you want)
1/2 Sweet Red Onion, sliced thin
1 15oz. Can Black Olives, each halved lengthwise
1 15 oz. Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 Bunch Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1/2 C. Salsa, raw or jarred

Directions:
Arrange attractively in bowl with salsa on top.   Toss just before serving.

Number Of Servings:2 Very Large   Full Course Salads or a Family as Side Dish

Preparation Time:10-15 minutes

Beloved and I have been busy trying to eat well.  We began a 50-75% raw foods diet two weeks ago.  The first week went well, as I we was doing almost 100% raw foods only in order to detox my systems.  I detoxed, but Beloved showed no signs of it, as he was eating some bread, etc.

This past week has been more difficult for me as I have been hungrier.  I have cut out all sugar and caffeine, except for last night.  I fell off the wagon and had some Hershey's Kisses.  Other than that, I have been pretty faithful.

I really want to lose some weight before I have another baby.  I don't know if I'll be able to, but I'm gonna try.  With each baby I have gained more weight that does not come off.  It may not be coming off because I am nursing up until my babies wean themselves when I am pregnant with the next one.  So no break between nursing and pregnancy hasn't been good for that. 

However, with my last baby, I actually lost weight when I was pregnant.  I was very sick plus Number 3 had weaned, so that's probably why.  I also feel my metabolism is down from not eating enough regular meals.  I eat the three meals a day, barely.  So my body is in starvation mode.

It takes a lot of discipline to plan meals to eat every three hours to speed up the metabolism.  Sometimes I wish I was as thin as I was when I was younger.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to look like a Hollywood starlet (right, like I could), but my concern for my health grows with each year and I don't feel like doing as much as I should for someone my age.  I should be able to go on a hike with my children and there is no way I could hike the mountain in the shape I'm in.

What about you?  What do you do to keep your weight down between pregnancies?  I went to the Jeub's site and Mrs. Jeub had some good advice about weightloss.  www.jeubfamily.com  If you don't know about the Jeubs, I encourage you to go to their website and read their story.  Mrs. Jeub and other mothers of large families are always an encouragement to me.  And check out their book, Love in the House.  I am looking forward to buying it soon.

Blessings today, Miss Kris

Here's the list of what we're baking for Christmas.  But it could and probably will be tweaked/changed before it's all over!

Cranberry Almond Biscotti

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies - Done

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Done

Fudge - Done

Persimmon Bread

Banana Berry Bread - Done

Frosted Sugar Cookies

Almond Spritz

Mom's says she's making fruitcake.  Last year I made Almond Butter Cookies with Almond Kisses on them and they were good.  This year, I'm just using what I've got and not buying anything special.  But I will make those again sometime.  Daughter and I will be making Persimmon Jam tonight.

We were given a whole bunch of Persimmons and I pureed them this morning for baking and jam.  I have never had Persimmon Jam, but we are really low on jam right now, so that's what I'm making.  I hope everyone likes it!

Until next time, Miss Kris

Well, we have one more week before Christmas.  I still have a few sewing projects AKA gifts to finish, and lots of baking I want to do.  I am getting together a list of cookies and things I want to bake and will post it ASAP, promise!

Yesterday, we made a gingerbread house.  It was a kit given to me by a friend who had one in the back of her pantry.  I had planned to buy one, as Daughter has wanted to do one for some time, now.  But the Lord provided one free of charge.  It was fun!  I have only done something like it once, with graham crackers.  This was a nicer result, and of course, everyone ate their share of candy. (I had bought extra, so they wouldn't eat the old stuff.)

On a more depressing note, our employee's home, where he lives with his elderly parents, burned to the ground Sunday night.  They did not have insurance, did not use banks, and had priceless antiques within the walls of an old mobile.  It was an electrical fire and they barely got out before the smoke overtook them.  Wallets, glasses and their cat were all left inside the dwelling.

They are strong Christian folks and I know they will get through this.  They have a lot of support from their five children and their church, where they serve in leadership.  Mrs. Downes said she knows things are just things, but it is hard just the same.  All family photos were lost.  That is one thing I don't think I could ever fully recover from.

So I am considering this a wake up call to me.  This coming year is my year to become more organized.  I have always struggled keeping paperwork, photos, and more organized.  This is a must do in 2008.  Although the risk of fire in our home is slim, any number of things could happen, and it is only prudent to be prepared!

In the meantime, we got them a Walmart gift card to help them get some clothes.  It's not much, as we can't afford too much right now.  But it should help a little.  I mean, just getting some clean underwear would be a huge blessing to me in that situation!  If you think to, please pray for these folks, the Downes Family.  It's going to be tough Christmas for them this year.  But God is faithful!

Blessings to you today,

Miss Kris

I found this on my island this morning and thought it was adorable.  It is a letter my daughter wrote to her friends:

My Dear Friends,

I would like you to find a nearby place to live.  There is a nice place off of !@##$%$%^&* Road.  Please!

From Sis

Daughter is concerned because my friend M and her family are looking for a home even further away from us than they live now.  She wants tham to live near us so she can see them more.

I think that's very sweet.

Miss Kris