May. 17, 2007 - new blog

I will no longer be posting here-come and visit me here now!

http://laborblog2007.blogspot.com/

Apr. 22, 2007 - He's Here!

Jan. 20, 2007 - Pregnancy

Jan. 20, 2007 - Pregnancy

Jan. 20, 2007 - Pregnancy

Jan. 17, 2007 - Where I've been

Well, God must have thought I needed an internet cleanse.  We did not have internet for 3 months!  The cable company wouldnt run cable to our home without charging us $1,000.  It was going to be our only option since Paul needed a high speed connection so he could do work form home.  We decided we would pay the money and my husband called the cable people to set it up.  He ran into some customer service issues and they just couldnt get us hooked up with the right people to do the job.  Paul called the company every day and kept getting the runaround.  Finally he put his foot down and demanded to talk to supervisors and the like.  After 3 weeks of trouble, they felt so bad that they decided to run the cable for FREE!  Praise God!  They bumped us to the top of the list and got us takien care of right away!  God has been providing for us like that lately. 

   I never though I could live without internet but it was amazing!  I actually did survive.  It was amazing how quickly I forgot that it wasn't a necessity.  I did miss encouragement from other blogs and communicating through messaging and email.  It's nice to be back.  Since I've been gone for 3 months, you may need an update!  My baby ticker kept going while I was gone so you know how far along I am and how the nany is growing!  If you could see my tummy-you would really know how fast it's growing! We had our ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby and it's a .........SURPRISE!  We decided not to find out until the baby comes.  We are so excited.  We could use some more boys around here but the two year old wlaks around saying she has a girl feeling.  I don't have a feeling really.  No idea.  When the time comes, I plan on live blogging a majority of the labor so you will know everythign that is going on! 

  We moved into our new home in october and have been enjoying every minute of it.  I finally have some more kitchen space to work with and the property is just amazing.  We have about 6 1/2 acres, mostly wooded and it backs up to a river.  The kids are in play time heaven out here.  So is my husband!  We were so blessed to have been able to buy this house.  Next month we are getting chickens!  We will get day old chicks and raise them in the house(in a box of course) unti they are bog enough to go to the chicken coop.  It takes about 8 motnhs for them to start laying but when they do, I will be so excited to have fresh eggs!  That covers a whole bunch and i'm sure i'll have more later.  As for pictures, still figuring out this new blog stuff.  Hopefully soon. 

Jan. 10, 2007 - I'm Back

Oct. 10, 2006 - Moving

Boxes are being packed, houses are being cleaned and we are moving this Saturday!   Besides being exhausted, we are really excited!  On top of that-we have sold this house!  Closing at the end of October.  Yeaah!  Needless to say, we wont be online for a while so updates will be minimal but keep checking back and I will post new pics of the new house! 

Sep. 28, 2006 - Can't wait for Christmas

  Ok-I'm already thinking about Christmas, only because I know the new Vision Forum Catalog is coming soon!  This is a catalog our family loves to shop from and they have the best toys and books for the kids!  Kim has a contest where 1 person can win $700 worth of Vision Forum product just by guessing how many new products are in the new catalog this year.    I want to win!! 

Sep. 25, 2006 - This life

I like this Elizabeth Elliot quote, “If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next.

I like to think trials are reminders from God that there is something better.

  Paul and I have decided to go ahead and move to our new house!  We plan on moving the weekend of Oct. 14th.  We are very excited and nervous about the whole moving experience.  Last time we moved we had very little to move.  This time we have quite a bit more.  Thankfully, we don't have to be out all on the same day so we can take our time with the nitty gritty stuff that we don't know what to do with. 

  If some of you haven't already noticed, we're expecting baby #4!  Due on April 12th.  We are so excited and so are the kids!  We just recently rented a baby heart doppler so we can listen to the heartbeat whenever we want.  It's such a great sound to hear especially after losing the last baby.  Pregnancy isn't the same after you go through a loss. 

  I keep looking around my house thinking-what I am going to do with all this stuff?  And where will it go at the new house?  I'm a bit overwhelmed at the thought.  The new house is a bit bigger and we don;t really have the furniture to fill it.  Some of the rooms will be very empty for quite a while I"m sure.  However, I can't wait to fill up the kitchen!  Our is busting at the seams and the new one is considerably bigger!  There is even a perfect sized spot to put our upright freezer right in the kitchen!  I'm gonna have my fridge and freezer in the same room!  No more running down stairs to get my frozen stuff.  That is so exciting! 

  I'm going to go sit down and strategize a packing plan.  Much to do.

Sep. 21, 2006 - Time

So sorry blog readers!  I've been busy busy!  Tired too-bet you can't guess why. 

We have been diving into a new schedule which involves new chores, homeschooling, library trips, etc...  I forgot to schedule some blogging time ;)

  We still have not sold our home and we haven't moved into the new one either.  Patience, patience.  We had a showing today which seems like it could go somewhere.  We'll see. 

  I think Saturday marks the first day of Fall.  The past couple of days have been so cold!  Isn't it funny how at the end of summer, 60 degree weather feels cold, and at the end of winter, we break out the shorts for the 60 degree weather!?  It has been windy and cold and I'm not sure I like it.  I love being able to go to the store in light clothes and sandals.  Now, we're going to have to bundle up!  I do like the fall colors and I do like snow-from the inside looking out. 

  I have discovered a new hobby.  I have been scrap booking for quite sometime but it seems so hard to me to get everything out all the time and then clean it all up.  Who has the time?  I can't give up my precious sleep!  And so I have discovered digital scrap booking.  All I need is my computer-no mess.  I have only done part of one page as I am learning about the software, but I am hooked!  No more paper scraps, scissors, cutting tools, embellishments all over the table!  I am so excited!  It makes it even easier since I store all of our photos on the computer.  The only thing I need now is a really good printer.  Until then, I can make my pages and store them in my computer!  Yeaaah! 

  More updates to come when I have a chance!  If you notice anything new to the blog, drop a comment!

Sep. 21, 2006 - Notice

Notice anything new on my blog? 

Sep. 8, 2006 - Frugal Friday

I'm loving Frugal Friday's already.  I've had a lot of great ideas.  Check out Crystal's Blog  www.Biblicalwomanhood.com for some great frugal tips.  My frugal tip for this week has to do with Goodwill.  If you have a goodwill near you, you must shop there!  The deals you will get are unbelieveable.  I shop mostly for childrens clothes and long skirts.  Granted, you will have to sift through a lot of junk to find something good, but it is worth it!  Most of the clothes I find for myself are brand name, Liz Claiborne, Eddie Bauer, Gap, Old Navy, etc...  Some of my best clothes are from Goodwill.  The other day I was there, they had a Gucci purse in their window display.  You can find great used toys and home decor, glasses, dishes, etc...  I usually check out Goodwill before any purchase.  You can really save a bundle.  Don't forget to bring in a box of things that you have decluttered from your home.  It might be someone else's treasure! 

Aug. 29, 2006 - The last days of summer

Here my girls are picking tickle flowers for mommy.  A weed is just a weed if you don't like how it looks.  I like bouquets of  tickle flowers.

Aug. 29, 2006 - Typing with Cheetos

Cheetos are not a usual occurring food in the Deweese household but I couldn't resist them at the grocery store last night.  It is not the best idea to eat Cheetos and type as your keyboard will turn orange.  These things are so addictive!

  It is quite cool outside today at 66 degrees.  Feels like fall is coming.  It's time to rev up the homeschooling schedule and get to work.  I'm also pondering some ways that I can include chores for myself and the children is our daily routine.  I'm looking for ideas on how your homes deal with chores.  Do you have a chore chart?  Does everyone have their own certain job?  Do all the chores get done at one time(i.e. morning, afternoon?)  What about homeschooling?  Does it get done in the morning or afternoon or all day?  Keep in mind my children are 2,4, and 6.  I would love, love, love some advice!

  Paul's birthday is on Friday and the children and I are very excited to celebrate with him!  Upon his request I will be attempting a layered German chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting.  He would like a big hunk of cake in a bowl with fresh, raw milk poured over the top.  He's usually never a particular kind of guy so this request must be made very special.  Paul will eat whatever I feed him for dinner and be satisfied and not complain.  I try to keep yummy, nutritious meals for the family on most nights.  Here is an example of the menu for this week.

Tonight: Stir Fry

Wednesday: Lasagna

Thursday:  Waffles, fruit, bacon or sausage

Friday:  Paul birthday-date night-out to eat!

Saturday:  Beef stroganoff (Mom's recipe)

Sunday: Crock pot Teriyaki pineapple chicken

Monday: Tacos

Monday night is grocery shopping night which we mostly do as a family.  We all like the grocery store.  As I was buying milk for the week at the health food store last night, the clerk said we should probably just buy a cow.  I think she's right and I told her we would look into it.  Good friends of ours are starting an organic cow farm, so we hope to get fresh, raw milk from them very soon.  And beef too!  We love our milk!! 

  Want to see pictures form one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever seen pictures of?  Notice the rolling hills and water in the backgrounds.  I love the grapes and turkeys and loaves of bread.  These pics made me cry!  It really is beautiful.

http://www.visionforum.com/hottopics/blogs/dwp/

Aug. 25, 2006 - Where did she go?

I'm still here!  There's just not much time for blogging!  We've been a little busy here at the Deweese house.  We have to take care of two houses right now and one of them has  huge amount of grass to mow.  Paul has been busy with that as well as a deadline for work as well as taking care of us!  He does a great job balancing everything.  While he is doing all of that, I have been planning on how to curb spending around here.  Planning low cost meals, making sure no food goes to waste.  Clipping coupons and deciding which grocery stores to shop at.  It has been a challenge. 

  We may be close to moving.  We think the people that have an offer on our house will be getting a bridge loan and speeding up the process a little bit.  That would be an awesome blessing as we are ready to get moving! 

  If anyone has any tips for me on how you and your family save money, please let me know! 

Aug. 17, 2006 - Fun with Pancakes

We had much fun this morning making animal pancakes.  Libby was a great helper by thinking of many different animals for mommy to create. 

The Helper

The camel

The bunny

Classic Mickey

Aug. 16, 2006 - What I Learned

  The home school conference proved to be a changing week of my life.  There were a lot of things I learned.  Overall the most important lesson I learned was one of love.  Love sums it up. 

  One speaker I especially liked spoke about Eph 6:4  And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.    He said that Nurture = support and admonition = control.  Basically training your children by having boundaries but doing it in a loving way.  Paul and I realized that we were implementing all kinds of rules to get our children to behave in certain ways, but we were being very rigid and unloving.  It changed my perspective on things tremendously.  Just like adults, our children need to feel loved before anything else. 

  Another speaker gave a very simple yet very important message.  He spoke about the most important thing in raising children.  He asked this question-" Do your children know how much you love Jesus?"  If not, everything else is pretty much inconsequential <--- hard to spell word!  I desire for my children to see me as a living testimony.  The greatest gift we can give our children is our personal love for God.  I pray that as I draw closer to Him, my children will draw closer as well. 

  That is just a tiny nugget of what I learned but it is a general summary of what was most important to me. 

Aug. 16, 2006 - A new baby

  Friend Kari has finally had her baby.  We joked about her naming the baby Finally.  I believe she was about 17 days overdue.  They have a beautiful baby girl-Lillian Mercedes.  6 1/2 lbs., 18 1/2 inches.  That little peanut needed as much time in the womb as she needed.  Congrats to the Vincents! 

  We have other friends that just has a baby boy too.  I am busy preparing meals this week!  Chicken pot pie, salad, and peach cake and meatloaf, sweet potatoes, green beans with bacon and coconut cream pie!  Everything doubled of course so our family can enjoy too!  It's not too often we get two desserts in one week.  We usually don't have dessert at all! 

  House update, well, there is no update.  No changes.  Still waiting for the other people's house to sell.  Still waiting for someone else to make a quicker and higher offer.  I'm so excited to get to the new house.  We have realized that we might not get to live there if this house doesn't sell and that makes us sad.  We know God has a plan though, and we are looking forward to whatever that may be. 

  You may have noticed that my What's for dinner thing at the right of the blog is always the same.  We really don't have the same thing for dinner every night, I just forget to change it.   Tonight it's the best chicken pot pie ever!  If you want the recipe, post a comment and I will post it or email it to you. 

Aug. 14, 2006 - And We're Back!!!!!!!!

  Well, we actually got back Friday night but it has been a busy weekend.  We just got back from our Home school conference in Indianapolis.  Paul actually flew out from the conference early to go to the Entrepreneurial Boot camp hosted by Vision Forum in San Antonio Texas.  We came back LOADED with information and excitement. 

  God was so gracious to us in our travels.  I had the children to myself from Thursday-Saturday and I know God was with each of them as we had a glorious time at the homeschool conference.  James and Sydney went to a children's program during the day and Libby was with me.  It was a great time of fellowship and learning. 

  Paul learned so much and came home with so many ideas form the bootcamp on how to start his own business.  Our vision is to someday have Paul work side by side with the children at home.  He has a million ideas swimming in his head.  I can't wait to see what God has in store for our family.

  Paul was very blessed to be able to stay with a wonderful family in SanAntonio and therefore avoiding hotel expenses.  Paul learned so much from this family.  They have seven children.  Paul was able to sit on on their family devotions and he was so impressed and excited to see that!  It gave him great ideas for our own family worship. This family, by just living their lives, are a testimony to those around them.  I am so very grateful to them for their generosity! 

  I have so much more to recount but not enough time in one sitting!  More to come later!