Ranch Shekinah - Homeschool Blogger

Biltmore Estate in Ashville, North Carolina

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:49:00 -0600

I write you sitting comfortably in my home - although that may not sound surprising - I have been without use of my pc/internet access for what seems like forever. But tonight, it is working again, and I am sitting on my couch with my laptop, watching The Sound of Music with my family at the same time. I do hope to visit with all my friends, but before I go around and visit, I wanted to at least finish my post of Biltmore Estate.

Have you ever visited the Biltmore Estate in Ashville, North Carolina? If not, it is worth the effort if ever given the chance to visit it. The house covers 4 acres, totaling 175,000 square feet. It consists of 250 rooms and includes 35 guest and family rooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, and three kitchens. The old fashioned kitchens are my favorite rooms in the house. In fact, I love everything in the basement - the 70,00 gallon indoor pool, the old fashioned laundry rooms, and the multiple pantrys. I wish I had pictures to share of all this, but you are not allowed to take pictures once in the house. Also in the basement is a gymnsasium and a bowling alley.

.A favorite room of my children and husband is the two story library. This is an amazing room filled with old books and beautiful woodwork.

Upstairs on the third floor, in addition to more bedrooms, are areas where guests once
played parlor games and took afternoon tea, as well as rooms formerly occupied by ladies’
maidservants.

Fully electric and centrally heated, Biltmore House, at the time of its completion, was
considered one of the most technologically advanced structures ever built. It used some of Thomas Edison’s first lightbulbs, elaborate indoor plumbing for all 34 bedrooms and even had several elevators (that still work today.)

So that's it - now I'm going to see if I can come by and visit and say hi!

This Is the Day the Lord Hath Made....

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:37:00 -0500

It is cloudy, cold, and damp outside today. But inside, it is bright, cheerful, and warm.

The fireplace is roaring, taking the cold and dampness out of the air. There is contentment within our family, although going nowhere today, and just staying inside.

We started our morning with my usual Sabbath breakfast recipe – a dozen eggs, some whole wheat bread, a cup or two of cheese, and about four turkey patties (pre-cooked) crumbled. I mix all of this together and then sprinkle the egg dish with more cheese, and then bake at 350 for 45 minutes. This gives us a protein rich egg dish to start our day, without all the usual mess and hassle of an egg, sausage, and toast breakfast. We had bought cinnamon rolls the day before to have as our breakfast dessert.

So far today, we have read a chapter in Psalms, Proverbs, and a portion in I Samuel 13, 14, 15 and I Chronicles 5 and 9 -this is the story of the reign of Saul. Besides having generous portions of Bible reading as a family, we have played a game of Scrabble, watched the movie, Toy Story, a board game of Monopoly, and read from our historical novel ( a G..A. Henty book) while many of the children colored pictures with fine art- grade precision pencils.

My niece was with us this weekend. She arrived Friday evening, as we were preparing our pizzas and breadsticks. We sat at the table together, and before eating, we had prayer, and sought forgiveness from one another for any transgressions against each other in the past week. We remembered as a family how Jesus died and paid the penalty for our sins against Him. His blood was poured out and His body was given up for us. After pizza, we read a portion in the Bible, played a game of Scrabble, and hung out in the family room around the cozy and warm fireplace.

I am still having an internet connection problem – therefore – my lack of posts. I have a lot to share and find myself seriously behind in things I’d like to share, such as –

Our trip to Biltmore Estate and our tea time with Grandma in August

Our first visit to Ruth’s farm in Tennessee in August

Our Family Camp here at Ranch Shekinah in October

Our second visit to Ruth’s farm in Tennessee in October

Our week of celebrating the Biblical Holiday, Tabernacle of Booths, in Tennessee with Ruth and her fellowship group

Ruthie’s 11^th birthday party – A Victorian Tea party that we hosted 17 little girls and some of the mom’s

Add to all of that, I still haven’t posted on the foaling of Hot Shot and Willow!

Although I am way behind in posting, I have been enjoying my family thoroughly. As I mentioned above, we took another trip to Tennessee just a few weeks ago. Just as soon as we got home from that (we were away nine days) it was Ruthie’s birthday – we took all week getting ready for her Victorian Tea Party.

There have been a lot of changes within our family since our summer trip to the Bill Gothard Institute of Basic Life Principles seminar, followed up with two inspirational visits to Ruth’s wonderful family in Tennessee. I'm looking forward to sharing what's new with our family, and also to visit with you. See you soon (I hope!)

Antoinette

Enjoying Autumn

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 19:52:00 -0500

What’s been happening around here since I wrote last….

Given it’s been almost two weeks since I posted, a lot has happened. My internet connection has not been working, so therefore, I have been unable to check my emails or my blog. Although I’ve missed both of those things, I have been very busy enjoying my family, our friends, and the fall season.

I’ve been enjoying…

This autumn season. We have a lot of apple trees here at Shekinah Ranch. In past years, I was too busy “doing school” to go out and harvest the apples . But, this year, I’ve taken the time () to go out with my children to pick the apples, freeze them, and even make some of my first apple pies. I had fun with Ruthie and Jacob collecting them, and enjoyed my time with Rachel in the kitchen getting them ready for the freezer and making the pies.

I went riding with Rachel and her friends through the trails here at Ranch Shekinah last Saturday afternoon and into the evening. This was the first time I’ve gone riding since early summer. I rode Maria – and although I rode Western (English is my preferred mode of riding), she was perfectly behaved and did everything I asked. She was like riding a “button horse” – this is what I call a horse that does everything you want it to do. She stopped immediately when asked; slowed down when I indicated that’s what I wanted, and went fast when I desired. It was like she had a gas and a brake pedal. We rode for hours.

Rachel and I went to a “flea market” (my first ever) in Shipshewana, Indiana, with some friends. I bought a bushel of green peppers for $5.00; and two bushels of peaches for $26.00. We brought them home and froze them for the winter.

Here's something else that's been going on here at Ranch Shekinah. We gutted our barn - it's our autumn project. We've had lots of help from our good friends, the Vales.

The most recent is the family camp we just had. We had approximately fifty people attend. Boat rides, horseback riding, good food, and lots of fellowship. But, that's another post for another day!

Margie's Apple Crisp

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:52:00 -0500

Margie’s Apple Crisp

Crust:

2/3 cup oil

1/3 cup water

Mix the oil and water, then add:

2 ½ cup flour

Roll this out and fit into your pan. I use one of those long rectangular stoneware dishes that I got from Pampered Chef. If you have one of these, this recipe is perfect for that.

In a bowl, stir together:

½ cup of sugar

½ cup of flour

¼ tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

12 cups of chopped apples

2 Tbsp butter

Pour this on top of the crust.

Then, make another crust, roll it out, place it over the apples.

Bake at 425 degrees, for 1 hour.

When you get it out of the oven, it’s ready for a drizzling of:

1 cup of powdered sugar

Add just enough water (start with a few tablespoons) to give it a thick syrupy consistency. Sorry this isn’t exact.

(All of the pictures on this post were taken this past Monday.)

When the Vale’s came to our home a few weekends ago, Margie brought this Apple Crisp dish. My husband loved this and had a hard time not taking one more piece. He’s talked about it ever since.

In fact, this morning as he was leaving for work, he began to reminisce once more about Margie’s awesome Apple Crisp. Now, I have to insert here for you here, that I have never baked a pie in my life, or if I did, I don’t remember it, and I must have had someone standing right by my side helping me every inch of the way. But when Bob left for work this morning, and I looked at all those apples the kids had brought in for me and set down in an oversized bag and box, I began to think that maybe I could try my hand at Margie’s Apple Crisp.

I love this picture - it is of my grandchildren playing with my children.

I called Margie, but the only one available was her daughter, Mara, who can make this Apple Crisp as good as Margie can. She gave me the ingredients and the instructions. Rachel and I worked together on this after Biology class. Together, we managed this. Now, tonight, I will surprise my husband with his own homemade Apple Crisp. I hope it’s good as Margie’s!

(The girls found some old fashioned clothes in a trunk when they were cleaning out a storage area this past Monday. They even got Joshua to pose for a picture with them -although he doesn't look to happy about it!

Chicken and Rice with Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:08:00 -0500

(These pictures were taken just before we took off for the lake this past weekend.)

Since I wrote last, I have -

Friday we spent the day as a family doing yard work and cleaning house. For the most part, Dad and the two oldest kids worked outside, and Mom and the 2 younger ones cleaned inside. When we left for the lake later that day, our house looked sparkling clean, and our ranch looked great. It was overdue for a good cutting.

We spent the weekend at the lakehouse. We attended a special event that I took tons of pictures - I am working on posting and putting a blog together. Coming soon!

When we got home Sunday night, I picked bowls of raspberries. They tasted great on my blueberry granola cereal I had this morning. I added peaches and poured on raw goat milk (from my daughter's goat farm.) Delicious!

Monday we had a terrific school day. If you have been following my blog for sometime, than you know that I love Monday's! I even have a special file on my side-bar labeled, 'Mondays'. It's a day that I spend time at home and plan no outside activities. I run no errands. I spend a lot of time teaching and reading with my kids.

The kids picked 3 bags of apples behind the crib barn. Well, they didn't exactly "pick." I told them to just get the ones off the ground. The ones we wouldn't eat go to the horses and the chickens, and the ones that still look great, go to us. I have a big bag of good apples waiting for me to do something with them.

I tried a new recipe and everyone loved it. It's definitley something I'll repeat very soon.

Chicken and Rice

I had a huge chicken breast in my freezer (already cooked and ready to go.) Perhaps it was from my roosters a year ago? I cut up the meat - this huge breast gave me 4 cups of white chicken meat. 2 cups went into this recipe, and 2 cups went back into the freezer for next Monday night when I make this again.

I put some brown rice in the steamer in the afternoon. 3 cups went into this recipe, the other 3 cups went into the refrigerator for another meal this week.

To the rice and chicken, I added:

1 cup of sour cream

1 onion

1 package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 can of Cream of Chicken Mushroom Soup

I stirred all of this together, and put it into a greased pyrex dish. I sprinkled on top Durkee French Fried Onion Rings. I baked it for 45 minutes at 350.

This recipe was a hit. Everyone loved it, even dad and the boys - the litmus test of a good recipe!

Today, we had a good morning in school; the ferrier came and trimmed our horses hooves; we had a terrific lunch of fresh garden cucumbers, (from my brother's garden); tomatoes (from our ferrier's garden); Hickory bacon from the Amish. My mom arrived in time for lunch (she comes Tuesday through Thursday every week to help me with homeschool.)

In the afternoon, I had biology class with Rachel; took a mini nap on the couch; exercised; got the green beans (from Margie's garden) trimmed and cleaned (with lots of Rachel's help); and got cleaned up before dh arrived home.

Now, it's time for dinner. I've had beef stew simmering all day so there was no time involved in making supper (I prepared it yesterday when I made the chicken and rice.)

This picture was taken (this past weekend) at a favorite little dinky restaurant that we go to on the weekends when were at the lake. They serve the best "Huckleberry Pancakes."

We have a very spontaneous family - mostly because we have a very spontaneous daddy! After dinner, Bob asked Grandma if she'd like to go for ice cream. She started to say, 'no', but, the children altered her answer very quickly knowing what dad might be up to. When she answered in the affirmative (with the help of her grandchildren prompting her on), we all jumped in the car, and off we went for ice cream.

I think this is the quickest a picture has ever gone from my camera to my pc to photobucket and then to my blog. This pic was just taken a few hours ago.

Stones Trace Tavern

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:57:00 -0500

No, we haven't taken up family visitations of our local taverns....

But rather, this is a historical place that is like a living museum for people to walk through and visit once a year.

It is located close to the cottage. We have driven by this place a hundred times and always say, "We should go there some day." It always looked empty, kind of closed-up, and we never did pull into the place to check it out.

But on our way to the lake this past weekend, we saw a big bill-board, advertising this weekend as a special Civil War reinactment. I've seen these signs previous years, and this seems to be the only time of the year that this place comes alive. This became the #1 thing I wanted to do this weekend - more than anything else there is to do on the lake.

This building that I was taking these pictures in was an inn for the stagecoach customers. There were two rooms. One of the rooms was for everyone on the stagecoach - no beds - just lay out on the floor. But the above room, was for customers that were rich - they got their own room, complete with a bed and a potty (between the bed and the nightstand.)

This was Jacob's favorite part of the day - the reinactment of the Civil War - the shooting of the cannons.

I love old fashioned kitchens like this one.

This might have been Bob's favorite part - he loves maps. I knew when I seen this map, that if he went near it, he'd be there a long time. It happened just like I thought it might.

Well, there's more I could write about this day - the autumn crisp weather; the sounds of the old fashioned music being played; the smell of the burning fires, and the mustiness of the old homes. But I'm out of energy - it's time for bed.

Check out Mary at Canada Girl for other show and tells -

Afternoon Tea at the Biltmore Estate Inn

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 17:57:00 -0600

Yes, I am still around, or, kind of. It is very inconvenient to check my email, or to blog, so therefore, I have had very limited time to sign on. But I'm still hoping for a remedy, soon.

Meanwhile, I'm going to try to go down my list of Things I Want To Post, and perhaps when I finally do get back on, I'll be all caught up.

************

This past summer, in late August, we took a trip to the Biltmore Estate in Charlotte, North Carolina. The first night we stayed at a hotel right outside the Estate - it looked liked it has been here as long as the Biltmore has, yet, it was only recently built and opened this past spring of 2009. It deserves it's own post, so maybe I'll get to that sooner or later, too.

The next day, we moved from the hotel outside the grounds, to the Inn of Biltmore Estates, right on the property. It is a very elegant place. While we were waiting for a van to take us over to the castle, my husband thought it would be a great idea for us girls to have tea.

I confess, I didn't want to take the time to have tea. I was afraid that we'd miss the ride over to the castle - it was mid-afternoon, we'd already missed it twice, and they left every half hour. If we didn't wait right at the front door, I was sure we'd not make it over there.

So, although I tried to convince my husband that we did not need any afternoon tea, he insisted. He said that Grandma would enjoy this. When I realized I would not be winning this battle of "To Tea" or "Not To Tea," I resigned to an elegant cup of tea.

We girls - Ruthie (10); Rachel (17); Grandma; and myself, sat at a table as we were brought tea and scones. Dad sat on a nearby couch with the boys, reading to them. I think they thought they were getting jipped - we got something to drink with cookies, and they got to be read too. I think Ruthie enjoyed the tea all the more, assuming she was one up on her brothers.

(At the Biltmore Estate looking over the balcony of the beautiful view.)

We did miss the next van over to the castle. Just like I thought would happen. But, eventually we made it over and seen everything by closing time. And guess what? When asked what was the highlight of their day (grandma and the girls), they said it was the afternoon tea. Dad's spontaneous idea was what made the day for them, even though mom's punctuality nature thought it might ruin it.

33rd Wedding Anniversary

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:53:00 -0500

It’s been busy around here since posting last. After our trip to the b&b, we have:

Had my husband’s parents over to our home for a two day/one night visit. They stayed in the missionary apartment that is presently vacant. It was a wonderful having them here. We had several family meals with them that included Matt & Kristi, and my niece, Jennifer.

That was Tuesday and Wednesday (of last week) and then on Friday, we travelled to Indy again for a business luncheon. When we got home later that day, we packed up and went to the lake for the holiday weekend.

On Sunday, the Vales joined us for a two day stay. In the evening, two other couples joined us for dinner. On Monday, Labor Day, we spent the entire day out on the lake boating and taking the kids tubing. My kids and dh said that this was the best weekend they’d enjoyed of the entire summer. What a great way to end the season.

We didn’t come home from the lake until Tuesday afternoon, so we started school on Wednesday morning. It feels nice to be getting back into our routines. I’m enjoying some of the new books that I got for this school year.

Thursday was our 33^rd wedding anniversary. We were going do something kind of special, but dh’s day at work didn’t go as planned (he was to get off early) and we didn’t carry through with our planned activity in which to celebrate. Instead, I spent some nice time on the telephone with my oldest daughter, Becky; fixed a good dinner for the family; and had a nice time just enjoying our family at the dinner table. The Vales dropped by about 8:30 p.m. and brought us a beautiful cake, trimmed in baby blue (the colors of our wedding, although they didn’t know that) roses, with the words written on it, Happy Anniversary. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a prettier cake.

I still haven’t finished telling you about our vacation - Biltmore Estate; our visit to my blogger friend Ruth; and a drop by visit to the Creation Museum bookstore. I have more things to write about than I have time.

The Cider Mill Bed and Breakfast of Zoar, Ohio

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:35:00 -0500

It’s been busy since unpacking our suitcases from our two week family vacation. Every day has had a list of priorities to be accomplished. When my husband told me that we needed to take a “quick” trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (an 8 hour drive) for a business appointment, I can’t say that this was one of the top ten things I wanted to do.

We were supposed to leave early Thursday afternoon, but instead, we weren’t on the road until after 8:00 p.m. There’s nothing like starting a long trip when it’s almost time to go to bed! My husband was more tired than I was – so I volunteered to drive. The roads were clear and it was easy driving until about 2:00 a.m. Then it began to downpour rain, we were in the mountains, and there was construction going on. This is where I decided that my time to drive had expired, and Bob took over the remaining 100 miles. When we arrived in Pittsburgh, we found a hotel and crashed for a few hours.

The business appointment/lunch went well and by 6:00 p.m. it was time to head back home. We decided to take the scenic route through Ohio this time. It was around 9:00 p.m. and we decided we’d better get a good night sleep. While my husband went into check on a hotel accommodation, I got busy on our GPS system. When it is just the two of us on a trip, I like to stay at a bed and breakfast. This is something you generally cannot do when the children are with us. I like the adventure of visiting a personable home, rather than a hotel chain; we both like getting to know new people in this way; and I love seeing different homes. Bed and Breakfasts almost always have such charm and ambience, not to mention the awesome breakfast that is generally served.

The chances of finding a bed and breakfast at 9:00 p.m. at night, was remote. First of all, without a previous reservation, a bed and breakfast is a personal home – even if they had a vacancy on a Friday night, the possibility of one admitting us with this last moment’s notice was not very great. Yet, I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.

On the GPS system, I found one B & B listed, “Cider Mill Bed and Breakfast.” I called the number right away (Bob was still in the hotel lobby checking out rates and available accommodations.) Knowing this was a far-out possibility and even risking the incredulity of a B&B homeowner asking for this last moment arrival, I asked anyways. “Do you have an opening for tonight?”

“Tonight?” I heard the proprietor ask, with a hint of astonishment.

“Yes, tonight. I am in the area and I could be there within the half hour.”

Silence, and then a giggle. “O.k., sure, come on over, we’ll take you.”

When Bob got back into the car with the information he had been seeking, I told him I had reservations for us at a bed and breakfast. Although he was a bit surprised (an understatement, as when he went into the lobby of the hotel, I hadn’t even hinted that I would be trying to find a b&b) we headed over to Zoar, Ohio.

Have you ever been to Zoar, Ohio? Well, if not, put it on your lists of places you need to see. This entire geographical area of Ohio is beautiful. Rolling hills, pastures, farms, and a heavy Amish area, this is a place to visit if one desires serenity and beauty.

We arrived at the Old Cider Mill at 10:00 p.m. The old mill was built in the mid 1800’s and had once been a real cider mill, before being renovated into the beautiful b&b that now inhabits it.

This b&b home defines the word, "Ambience."

When we stepped inside, we were greeted with the warmth of old friends by the proprietors, Pat and Sandy Reagan. We stood in the doorway chatting and getting to know each other. (When was the last time you had a hotel greet you like this upon your arrival late at night?) After talking for almost an hour inside the doorway, Pat and Sandy invited us to get situated in our rooms and then to come back down and visit some more.

Follow the winding staircase up to the third floor of the old mill to find your charming bedroom awaiting you. Or you can go downstairs to Sandy's adorable gift shop filled with antiques and novelty items.

After putting our suitcase in our room we came back down and sat on the comfortable wicker furniture in the outdoor screened-in porch. It was raining heavy outside – the breeze felt so nice. It was enjoyable sitting on the porch getting to know our new friends. Bob talked comfortably with Pat, while I chatted with our beautiful hostess, Sandy. All of the sudden, I heard the men get a little quiet, and when our conversation lulled, I seen that Pat was waiting to ask me a question.

Isn't this one of the coolest hallways you've ever seen?

“So Bob tells me that you get up early every morning to pray and to read the Bible?”

After I answered in the affirmative, Bob mentioned that my mornings are sacred and humorously added that I get irritated if he gets up too early and disturbs this quiet time (I confess, it’s true.)

“Well, you see, I need this quiet time with the Lord in the morning to restore my soul and spirit. I need this especially, because I home school my children. I do not send them on a bus to go to school for the day; but rather, we are together from morning until evening. If I don’t get my quiet time with the Lord, after a few days of this, I begin to wear down.”

I had already learned that Pat and Sandy were professional educators, and I surmised that the home school concept may take them by surprise (as it often does for almost everyone that I meet for the first time!) The subject of home school then became the focus of our conversation. They were both very curious about this, given that their own occupations were in education. Pat is a university professor, and Sandy is a “Literate Specialist”. This evening began to seem Providential. I had been wanting to get input and perhaps a program to increase reading fluency for one of my children that struggles.

We didn’t finishing talking until almost 1:00 a.m.!

I took this picture after we had slept in it - I couldn't get it back into the perfect bedding form when I first climbed into it. Sandy does everything perfect in this house - including ironing the 100% cotton sheet to make the sheets feel crisp.

When we retired into our bedroom on the third floor of the old cider mill, as I turned off the lights and climbed into our King size bed, I couldn’t help but think about the novelty and uniqueness of a bed and breakfast such as this one; A home that is filled with warmth; a comfortable bed to sleep in; and new friends that have received us into their beautiful home. Pat and Sandy truly have the gift of hospitality. They had explained to us throughout the evening, that this B&B is a labor of love. They don’t do this for the profit of money, but rather they enjoy sharing their home, and even if they did not receive the exchange of monetary value, they would still want to do it. Pat said, “It is just a bonus that our guests pay us for our hospitality.”

I love the angles of this home. This led to the bathroom that had a clawfoot tub.

In the morning, we sat around the breakfast table, again exchanging conversation and getting to know our new friends. Sandy is a gourmet cook (even offering cooking classes in her b&b) and had made us an awesome breakfast of stuffed French toast smothered with fresh fruit, bacon, freshly squeezed orange juice, and a pot of hot coffee. We talked for another couple of hours over breakfast. When we finally departed from their home, I think we were mutually enriched. The Old Cider Mill B&B is not one that I will ever likely forget and will always remember with great fondness.

We spent this day perusing the area. This area in Ohio is beautiful (It is off I-80, northeast.) Sugarcreek, Walnut Hill, Millersburg, and Zoar (my favorite of all of them) are filled with quaint gift shops, historical homes, and a taste of yesteryear when life was simpler.

The next time you desire to get away on a romantic trip with your husband – head for Zoar, Ohio. Stay at the Old Cider Mill - and be greeted with the warmth of old friends receiving you as the honored guest of their home.

Home, Sweet Home

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 07:41:00 -0500

We arrived home from our trip late Thursday night. The following day was spent unpacking, doing laundry, sweeping and mopping the floors, and preparing for the Sabbath.

We do not start school until after Labor Day, as our custom has always been since beginning to homeschool in the year of 1992. I spend these last two weeks of summer in preparation of the coming school year.

My preparation first starts with a “school” that is ready-to-go. To this, I mean the school building, our home. I had told myself that before school officially starts, I would get our weak areas in the home strengthened. For us, our bedrooms are our weakest point. They are small, the closets are small, and there never seems to be enough space to put everything.

We made a small dent in this goal on this day. Friday is our routine cleaning day, and since we had not been home for two weeks, and we had cleaned before we left, we were able to spend this day tidying up the weaker areas in our home. The goal for next week is to come up with a better plan for the bedrooms.

During our two weeks on the road, I was unable to have my personal one-on-one time with Him in prayer, and this is what I have been enjoying the most since I’ve been home – my early morning time with Him spent in prayer and Bible reading.

I am reading in the book of Isaiah – it’s taking me a while to finish this book. There is so much richness to it that I cannot just fly through it. I like to look up verses in my Matthew Henry commentary, or look up Hebrew root meanings to various words. Another thing that I especially like to do when reading the Bible is to keep a notebook journal by my side to record verses that are significant and seem to personally speak to me. By writing them out it gives another layer of understanding and depth to my reading of the Scripture. These are verses that I wrote out this morning from the book of Isaiah, chapter 46 –49:

“ .

“Listen to me, O house of Jacob,

All of you who remain of the house of Israel,

You whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth,

Event o your old age and gray hairs.

I am He,

I am He who will sustain you.

I have made you

And I will carry you.

I will sustain you

And I will rescue you.

To whom will you compare me or count me equal?

To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?

Some pour out gold from their bags

And weigh out silver on the scales…

Though one cries out to it

It does not answer

It cannot save him from his troubles.

Remember this

Fix it in mind

Take it to heart…

Remember the former thing

Those of long ago.

I am God and there is no other.

I am God and there is none like me.

I make known the end from the beginning

From ancient times, what is still to come.

I say: My purpose will stand

And I will do all that I please.

From the east I summon a bird of prey;

From a far off land,

A man to fulfill my purpose.

What I have said,

That will
I bring about:

What I have planned

That Will I do.

This is what the Lord says,

Your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

I am the Lord your God

Who teaches you what is best for you.

Who directs you in the way you should go.

If only you would have paid attention

To my commands

Your peace would have been like a river.

Before I was born the Lord called me

From my birth.

He has made mention of my name,

He made my mouth like a sharpened sword

In the shadow of His hand He hid me.

He made me into a polished arrow

And conceived me in His quiver.

Cowpens Battlefield

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:33:00 -0500

On our way traveling from Charlotte, N.C. to Ashville, we stopped at Cowpens Battlefield. This is where a historic battle took place during the Revolutionary War on January 17, 1781.

Dad just loves stuff like this. He's a history lover, and knows every battle in every war, it seems.

The kids posed for me to take pictures at historical markers.

At each marker, Dad gave a little history lesson. There were no tests at the end of the tour, though.

If everyone in the picture does not look perky and happy, it is because this was a hot and humid day. We were all miserable because of it!

The historical narrations gave us a lot of information, but I don't think dh needed it.

Now, here is where mom gets interested! (Strategic battles, yawn.....)

This is a cabin that presides on Cowpens Battlefield. I thought this was adorable, and read all the history about the family that dwelled here. Dad skipped this part - he sat in the car.

Eleven children lived under this roof!

The Fanciest McDonald's I Ever Saw

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:31:00 -0500

This McDonald's is in Charlotte, North Carolina. The inside of this restaurant is as impressive as the outside. The ceiling is in that old fashioned tin; there is a spiral staircase going up to the 2nd level; and there is a grand piano on the first floor.

Destinations

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:42:00 -0500

This vehicle holds everything but the kitchen sink. We have suitcases packes for two weeks of travelling for seven people; a cooler; and a guitar.

So far, we have travelled to Booneseville, Kentucky (and had a blast); to Charlotte, North Carolina for a semina (learned a lot); and today, we are in Ashville, North Carolina. We are going to see the Biltmore Castle. My husband and I took our older two children when they were young to see this beautiful castle, but our younger four have never been here before. I am looking forward to showing them this beautiful castle.

And guess where were going after this? To meet a friend that I met through this homeschool blog - Ruth . She lives in the Tennessee mountains. My family considers this destination as the highlight of our trip. "When are we going to get there, Mom?" is a question that I keep getting asked. I can't wait either!

This is a picture of yesterday when we visited Cowpens Battlefield. Dad's a history buff - he gave a narrative throughout our walk around the battlefield.

Booneville, Kentucky

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:47:00 -0500

Our destination was Charlotte, North Carolina, to attend an Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP). We had a reservation for a suite to accomodate all seven of us. We thought that on the way to NC we would stop over in Booneville, Kentucky, to visit Pastor Keith and Amy, and some of our campers. We figured that we could just "wing this" and find a place to stay when we got there. This did not turn out to be as simple as we had thought.

When we arrived in the vicinity of Booneville, it was a real challenge trying to figure out where we would stay. Some economical hotels had rooms that smelled strongly of smoke. Then we checked out the cabins, as this was in the Cumberland State Park area. This resulted in a lot of humor for some of us. The first cabin we checked out was beautiful - but it was on a mountain and dh didn't like climbing mountains in a mini-van.

The second cabin we checked out was situated at the end of a lonely cul-de-sac. It looked isolated, and relatively abandoned. It looked totally unappealing.

Finally, before the day was entirely spent trying to find a place to stay, we came upon this adorable little house that a bed and breakfast rented out. I thought this house was cute, charming, and gave us lots of room to spread out. The proprieter only charged us $80.00 for this three bedroom bungalow!

This is the dirt road we drove to get up to the house.

We have taken many vacations touring through the hills of Kentucky, and I always loved looking at the charming little homes that would dot the country side. I thought it was really neat to be actually staying in one now!

Some of the campers joined us and spent the night with Rachel. They had a lot of fun!

The morning view was so pretty as we looked down from our porch in the light fog.

This is a picture of the kids getting ready to go into the old church building, nestled in the valley of the Cumberland mountains.

We stopped at a restaurant to eat breakfast on the way out of Kentucky. I couldn't help but take a picture of the sign of this restaurant called, Buckaroos.

On "Vacation"

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:04:00 -0500

I write to you from a hotel room in Charlotte, North Carolina. While I write, dad and kids are watching a movie, eating a pizza, and drinking coke. This is what we do every Friday night, whether at home, or in a hotel room.

This wasn’t a planned vacation. It wasn’t exactly a good time, given the economy. Yet, my husband and I realized half way into this summer that we had never taken our two middle children to the IBLP seminars that our older two had attended. Rachel will be 18 next January, and time was disappearing over the horizon to see that this happened. When I looked at the IBLP seminar dates, the ones located close by were past. We decided to make it a priority, and wing it. So here we are, in North Carolina, attending a seminar for a “vacation.”

Topics covered are:

Tearing Down the Strongholds of Bitterness

How To Conquer Fear and Worry

Transforming Irritations

Removing the Cause of Anger

The Principle of Success – Discovering True Purpose in Life

The Purpose of a Life

Insights Into Finding God’s Will

How to Overcome the Power of Sin

If you ever get an opportunity to attend an IBLP seminar, do so. You will never regret it. Your children will never forget it.

Strongholds

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:15:00 -0500

The word “stronghold” is something that is used in Scripture. I have seen this word used by Christian authors, and during the past few months have become more and more aware of just what this word means.

A “stronghold” is a false pattern of thinking. When we go to bed angry, we give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:26, 27) by establishing a stronghold in our mind. This will cause us to make decisions that are contrary to God’s will.

“When Satan constructs a line of reasoning in our minds that is contrary to Scripture, he then influences our wills to make wrong decisions.” ~ Bill Gothard~

There is good news. Although we have violated Scripture in the past and have gone to bed angry. Strongholds CAN be pulled down.

We have been given weapons that are “….mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (II Corinthians 10:4). “These weapons of truth are designed to cast down every false philosophy and every deceptive imagination and bring every thought into line with the truth of Christ’s teaching.” ~B.G.

If you have ever gone to bed angry, His Word tells us that we have given “place” to Satan – he has taken ground in our life. We must take back this ground:

1. Confess the sin of bitterness.

2. Ask God to regain surrendered ground.

3. Tear down strongholds with truth. We are to build up “towers of truth” by reading, memorizing, and meditating on Scripture.

4. Show mercy by forgiving your offender. “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)

How To Forgive - Erasing Bitterness From Our Life

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:28:00 -0500

I wrote in the previous post that the Institute of Basic Life Principles has something for every season of life. And although I have attended these seminars a multitude of times, I am hearing some things as if for the very first time.

One of the most fascinating things I learned last night was about anger/forgiveness. There is a verse in the Bible that says to not let your anger go down with the sunset (go to bed angry and to not forgive someone before going to sleep) because if you do not, you will give place to the devil. Bill Gothard explained this verse in a way that I have never understood before.

If you have ever gone to bed angry with someone, then “forgiving them” is not enough. What happens when we violate the Scripture of letting the sun go down upon our wrath is that Satan is given a foothold into our life and a “stronghold” takes place. A stronghold is something that we begin to believe that is contrary to Scripture. In other words, we begin to believe a lie. We do not even realize that this has happened, even if that morning, after having opened our Bible to have devotions, Satan has taken a territory in our mind because we have violated the Scripture of going to bed angry.

Bill Gothard has this grid he shows in the workbook we received the first night. This grid represents our mind/ soul. Every time we went to bed angry, thus violating the Scripture, Satan took a footing in one of those representative grids in our mind. It is in this we begin to have a mind-set and conclusion about something that is contrary to Scripture.

Although I have read my Bible, prayed, and not strayed from Him for decades, I can look back and see times in my life where my thinking was not right. I can remember things that I did that were not glorifying to God. I can recall choices that I made that were not ones to be proud of. I made decisions that I would teach my children to do otherwise. How could one daily read the Bible and pray, and not walk in the Light for every decision ever made in the past?

This is the answer to that question. There have been many times in my lifetime that I have violated this Scripture verse of not going to bed angry. It is during those times that I gave a foothold to Satan in my mind and it is from there I have not always made the right decisions and choices nor had the right priorities and goals. Although I had gone on in life with the unresolved conflict, “forgiven” the one I believed had given the occasion to the offense, kept on reading the Bible and praying, a serious error had occurred in my life because of this violation.

Steps of Action as listed by Bill Gothard:

1. 1. Confess the sin of bitterness (Hebrews 12:15; I John 1:9

It is here that we close our eyes in prayer and ask God to bring to our mind the occasions that have happened in the past that have deep rooted bitterness within us. He will bring to our mind, if we ask Him, to recall those situations that are deep rooted within us, although we may have not consciously thought of them for a very long time.

2. 2. Ask God to regain surrendered ground – Psalm 23:3

The footholds that Satan took when we violated the Scripture of going to bed angry, we pray to God that He will take back this surrendered ground. It is through the blood of Jesus Christ, applied to our bitterness in this area that will give restoration and freedom from the strongholds that Satan has taken.

I loved this explanation. I have always thought in “word pictures” and this grid of the mind helped me to see what has happened in my life.

3. 3. Tear down strongholds with truth – II Corinthians 10:4-5 (Search out Scripture daily to apply to your life situations and beliefs.)

4. 4. Show mercy by forgiving your offender – Matthew 6:14-15

Be ye angry, and sin not:

let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.

Ephesians 4:26

Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP)

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:30:00 -0500

Our family is attending a seminar this week called, Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP), in Charlotte, North Carolina. I attended these seminars multiple times as a young girl. My father was a pastor and each year he would take a group of people in his church to this seminar, and I would tag along. At that time, these seminars were held in the big McCormick Center on Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois.

When my oldest two children, Becky and Matthew, were around 12 and 13 years of age, I took them to attend a week long seminar, also. They both have good memories from this. I think that these seminars made a difference at this critical age.

I’ve always been meaning to get around to taking my next two teenagers to these seminars, as I view them as an integral part of their education of real life principals, contrasted to knowledge that is gained from text books. This past summer, a month ago to be exact, all of the sudden, I realized, my third born is one year away from graduating, and my “meaning to get around to it” hasn’t gotten me there yet.

I went on the internet and found that the IBLP seminars are only hosted during a brief time in the year around the country. Mostly, they are held in the summer. When I looked at the schedule, I realized that I had already missed the seminar that was closest in location to me.

I talked to my husband, and although this was not an ideal time to take a trip, we chose the North Carolina seminar that is during August 10^th – 17. So here we are.

So far, we have had a lovely trip. We stopped in Boonville, Kentucky, on the way down, to visit some of our campers and Pastor Keith Murray and his wife, Amy.

There is something interesting about the IBLP. There is something for everyone, no matter what season one is in life. I got things out of this when I was a teenager that I have never forgotten. I have taught many of these principles that I learned back then, throughout the years to all of my children. Now, I am in a different season of life, and although I have attended the same seminar a multitude of times, I am still learning. I am looking forward this week to share with you some of these things.

Camp Food

Wed, 5 Aug 2009 09:28:00 -0500

Now, this is the most important piece of paper for the entire week of camp (or to me, at least.) I love this chart. Jodi formatted this with Rachel's imput, and I am totally impressed. Every night, I would look at this chart and see what I would have to prepare for the morning. After breakfast, I'd look at it again, and see what would have to be done for lunch time. And then I'd do the same thing after lunch for dinner. It was "my brain" for the week.

This made the week so easy regarding the food, that I've decided that this coming fall I'm going to implement this chart for our family on a week to week basis. I'm looking forward to this!

This is a pass-through to the kitchen. It worked out wonderful when it was meal time.

I don't know what I would have done without Margie. She helped with grocery shopping the week before; organized the kitchen; helped get the tables ready for every meal; made sure the coolers were full with lemonade, water, and tea. Margie was indespensible!

Although this camp may seem that it sprung out of no-where, it has actually been a vision of our church for over a decade. The kitchen was nothing but a shell of a room six months prior to this, but the pass-through opening has always been there since the building was designed. It was Robert Frye that put together the door on the pass-through that allows us to open and close it when the kitchen is closed. At course, this door was nothing compared to the entire kitchen that Robert finished out! Dry-wall, electrical, plumbing, everything. It turned out beautiful. (I hope to post more pictures of the kitchen so check back.)

The girls all surrounded me one morning and thanked me for cooking. It's nice to be appreciated!

Noah's Ark - Camp Ranch Shekinah 2009

Thu, 6 Aug 2009 23:12:00 -0500

Tonight's Show and Tell is a conclusion to the series of posts I have had on one of our church ministries, Camp Ranch Shekinah.

The vision for a camp here at Ranch Shekinah began over a decade ago. But similar to when God told Noah to build an ark, it took a while to see the end result.

Although we had the land and the facility to build our "ark", we lacked someone to navigate the way. Like Noah, we told everyone that we were going to have a camp, year after year, but it never happened. We didn't have the know-how to do this, and although we had a strong desire, we lacked the ability to put a camp together.

This all changed a year ago.

An old friend of ours that we hadn't seen in a long time, Curt Swank, dropped by our home. He had some friends that were missionaries to Romania coming to the U.S. on furlough. They would be on an extended stay, and were desiring a place of their own to stay, in contrast to their previous custom of staying with family members or supporting church families.

Curt knew our church had a big pole building that had shelled out a future kitchen and apartment. As we walked through the building, it looked just like it had the last time he was here, years ago - except - now the the rooms were filled with junk. It had become a storage room. Wall to wall, it was filled with stuff. Curt told me he didn't think it would work.

When Robert and Jodi arrived in the U.S., Curt brought them by anyways. They walked through the room that we once used for our company office, and the shell of the kitchen (no drywall, no lights, no plumbing, nothing.)

"This is great!" Robert and Jodi said enthusiastically.

Robert and Jodi were used to living in circumstances such as this - having spent considerable time in a country such as Romania. They would move into an apartment with similar conditions, and when Robert finished fixing it up with working plumbing and electricity, the land lord would evict them so the rent could be raised to the next tenant. This happened to them a multitude of times.

They moved in, and the shell of a kitchen began to transform into a big, beautiful kitchen. Robert, with his son William, drywalled, put a drop ceiling in, wired the electric (Robert was an electrician by trade before becoming a missionary), put plumbing in, and installed cabinetry (our church provided the material needed for all of this). They also partitioned the "office" and made it into an apartment, complete with a bedroom, a living room, and a full bath. In addition to all of this, they transformed a previous storage room into another apartment.

They were thankful to have a place of their own to live, and we were blessed at the same time.

It turned out that Robert and Jodi's ministry in Romania is having youth camps for Gypsie children. God had sent us a Camp Director in His timing, and in His way. We seen this as straight from the hand of God to us.

The children came from Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky. The cost was $0.00, as our church sponsored each camper.

We rented port-a-potties, and some portable hand-washing stations.

As we don't have all the sleeping accomodations we plan for yet, the campers lodged in the old cobblestone barn, the crib barn, and the small cabin by the lake.

In addition to Robert and Jodi, we had a special speaker, Keith Murray, a pastor from Booneville, Kentucky.

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I could not conclude these camp posts without mentioning Mike Vale and his family. God sent them to us, in the same way that He did the Frye family. They came to Ranch Shekinah every single day for weeks and weeks, prior to camp, to help in the prepartion of the grounds. They built our outdoor chapel by the lake from timber found on the property; fought mosquitoes to build a long bridge over to the island; built outdoor showers; and helped in every area of the entire camp. Only God could have placed it in their heart to contribute in the huge way that they did.

Everything we could have hoped for, happened. There was morning and evening chapel; boat and bicycle races; tug of war; a "swim" in the mud; crafts, and a day-trip to the dunes at Lake Michigan.

Robert and Jodi, with their two children, William and Randy, have now gone back to Romania. Although were seperated by an ocean, we are close to them through prayer.

Take a minute and scroll down the below posts and look at our camp pictures. I think you will see that although this was no "fancy camp," the kids had a lot of fun just the same.

Maybe you'd like to join us next year?