~"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6~ ..................... ~I have been happily married for 11 years. We are prayerfully raising 7 children "in the fear and admonition of the Lord." May you be richly blessed!!!~ http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:01:00 -0500 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:01:00 -0500 I miscarried...Wednesday, July 2 It started early in the morning (around 5 a.m.), after I had taken another pregnancy test. I couldn't tell if the test was positive as I thought that I saw a faint pink line. I sat there in the bathroom and prayed, I wanted an answer. God heard my prayer, and answered. It was His timing, though as I had prayed that same prayer time and time again. It was bittersweet to know that I was miscarrying, as I had hoped to keep this little one for my own...but God took this little one to be with Him. I can't argue with God, but only be thankful that He thought so much of this child to never allow him/her to enter this cruel world. But miscarriage is hard. You don't have a present at the end, a little bundle of joy...a tiny form to hold close to you and gaze upon...just empty arms. I have struggled with that thought every time I have miscarried... December 22, 1999...June 3, 2001...August 4, 2006...July 2, 2008 But I have cherished each and every one of my children even more after I have miscarried. I have grown closer to the Lord with each miscarriage. And I have learned to put all of my trust and hope in my Lord Jesus Christ. His will for our lives includes all of these difficult times as well as the good, for nothing happens outside of the will of God. He has already ordained each and every detail of our lives, and though we might fight against it, we CANNOT change God's will. Why did He take away my precious child from me? Did I deserve this? It is possible that He used this miscarriage to open my heart. You see, I was feeling quite overwhelmed with all of my children. I struggled to keep up with everyday tasks and almost every day I prayed for a rest from pregnancy saying, "Lord, just give me a little break, a little time, I don't think I can handle another baby right now...please Lord, just a little more time..." My heart was closed. I don't think I was ready for pregnancy again, not until I realized that I was threatening to miscarry. And then I did everything in my power to keep the pregnancy...but it was out of my hands. Am I ready now? Absolutely!!! And I am regretful that I was so "against" being pregnant again. Will God bless again? Who knows? But I will be content either way, as the Lord knows what He is doing and why. I have cried, and when among dear friends I find more tears... I know this is God's perfect will, I accept it... but I am still grieving the loss. Nothing really replaces the one's that we lose in miscarriage.... Sometimes I wonder, "What would my baby have looked like? What color hair & eyes? How big? A soft cry or a gruff cry?" Those questions I will not know here on earth. And I know as time passes, my heart will heal, and I will look back and see the "Big Picture". Maybe you are ready this a praying for a pregnancy...my prayers are with you. Blessings, my friends! Heather http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/561521/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:01:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/561521/ Well, things have been busy. In February, we moved states... We now live in a beautiful Spanish style home...the picture above is our barn with my petunias...trailing petunias. And with our move we also change gardening zones. We struggled through school...it was difficult due to our move...things will pick up again once I am on my feet again... You see, just a few weeks ago I found out that I was expecting again, but I am threatening to miscarry...so that means nothing strenuous. I have taken to lazing around on the couch, basking out in the sun, ordering children to do their tasks, and sewing...trust me, I would rather be up helping my children clean...fix dinner...getting laundry done...gardening...ANYTHING but laying around and doing nothing productive (except sewing). I know my job right now is VERY important...that is trying to keep a baby inside my womb, unfortunately I am not very confident that I will carry full term...I just don't feel that things are right with this pregnancy...mainly because I don't have any morning sickness. I have had two previous miscarriages with the same symptom...no morning sickness...felt a little queasy today but I have to be sick...throwing up sick to know for sure that my body is not miscarrying. I can't think of much else that has happened lately as my mind is consumed with this current pregnancy/miscarriage. I will update when I have had my ultrasound... I hope this day finds you doing well! Blessings! Heather http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/553786/ Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:12:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/553786/ MamaforHim said: If you had to choose 5 foods on which to survive the remaining years of your life, what would they be? Answer as if because you can only choose 5, there would be no consequences of bad choices!!!  No weight gain and cost is not a factor--what if they were free?? Oh and there is no limit on drinks-- you can have whatever you want at the time to wash it down...so just mention the solid foods! My Answer: 1. Fruit Salad w/cantaloupe, apples, oranges, raspberries, bananas, blueberries, blackberries, pineapple & Shredded coconut 2. Beef & Bean Burritos with cheese 3. Cadbury or Dove Chocolate bars (or chocolate covered coffee beans) 4. Cheese (mild cheddar or mozzarella) 5. Gourmet Salad Mix (baby greens) That's my choices! (I'll explain later why I haven't been here much) Blessings! Heather http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/543744/ Fri, 6 Jun 2008 06:34:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/543744/ 1. Bible Study/Devotions~ Daily Bible reading. 2. Must Do"~ Clean house from top to bottom...really!!! I have company coming this weekend, and yes it is just family but it is my husband's parents and his mother gives the white glove the white glove test!!! I want everything to be clean and inviting! Exercise...I am going to start doing Billy Blank's 8 minute Tae-Bo tape to start out. Homeschooling: I missed today due to birthday party preparations, but tomorrow we are back in full swing. 3. Zone~ Well, since I have to clean the entire house here are my zones for the week: Monday: Kitchen Tuesday: Living Room & Kid's Living Room Wednesday: Bathrooms & Laundry Room Thurday: Kid's Rooms Friday: Guest Room & Master Bedroom Saturday: Clean & Vacuum Every Floor (they will be arriving in the evening) 4. To Train them Up~ Character Training during homeschooling. Learning to be Helpful. Learning to work together. 5. Menu Planning~ Monday: My Oldest Daughter's B-day!!! Crunchy Chicken & Little Smokies, Tator Tots, Baked Beans, Sliced tomatoes & Cucumbers. Birthday cake in the shape of a Kitty Cat. (O; Tuesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans or corn, toasty French bread. Wednesday: Oriental Chicken Casserole, raw veggies. Thursday: Breakfast...pancakes, sausage, egg casserole or quiche. Friday: Spaghetti & meatballs or Meatball sandwiches, veggie. Saturday: Hamburgers & Hot dogs on grill, potato salad, baked beans, sliced tomatoes. Sunday: Ham in Crockpot, Cheesy Potatoes, Green beans, homemade rolls.   To join us for Monday Meanderings go HERE! To Join us for Menu Plan Monday, go HERE or HERE!!!   Blessings! Heather http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/405057/ Mon, 8 Oct 2007 15:49:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/405057/ More Clouds~ Baby Bliss~ Shhhhhhh! Wordless Wednesday with Tiany. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/402137/ Wed, 3 Oct 2007 13:46:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/402137/ Another first! I thought you might like to see the photos that I have taken of clouds lately and see the most recent photos of my flowers. So here goes: If you would like to join us, go HERE! Enjoy! Heather http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/399150/ Fri, 28 Sep 2007 08:47:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/399150/   To join us this week, go HERE! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/397860/ Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:00:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/397860/ Another week, another plan. Have you tried planning a weekly menu? Monday: Italian casserole, green beans, french bread. Tuesday: Little smokies, mac & cheese, green beans, sliced tomatoes. Wednesday: Chicken & noodles, mashed potatoes, corn or green beans, corn muffins. Thursday: BBQ Chicken, tator tots (or mashed potatoes), salad & fresh tomatoes. Friday: Lasagna, rolls, salad. Saturday: Pizza & bread sticks with marinara sauce, raw veggies. Sunday: Leftovers or Sub sandwiches, chips, veggies.   If you would like to join us this week, go HERE or HERE!!! Ever since I have been planning my menu, not only do I feel less stressed, but I have a happy husband...he is thrilled that I have a plan, FINALLY!!!   And now for Monday Meanderings... This is the first time for me to do this, but with everything that is coming up, I must start somewhere. First of all, my mother and father-in-law are coming for a visit in October, so I greatly desire to have things somewhat in order when they come. This past weekend was quite productive for me as I had to clean out my refrigerator because my dear sweet hubby got me a new one (a new used refrigerator, that is) for $150. I had to not only clean out my refrigerator, but I also got to clean UNDER my refrigerator. That is like something that NEVER happens!!! So I felt quite accomplished with that ONE task behind me. Secondly, in order to get the refrigerator in the house, I had to move some furniture around in the living room to get it in the front door (one we don't use since it is 10 feet from a busy "country" intersection...trust me, people don't even stop for the stop sign half the time!). So to make a long story short, I had to clean out from under my couch. Thirdly, my son decided to help me clean up the girl's room so we could move my 2-year-old's toddler bed in there. Instead of asking me first, he decided to start it on his own right before nap time!!! How did he do it you ask? Well, he dumped out ALL of the tubs of toys and these are not small tubs, mind you!!! We are talking about a BIG, HUMONGOUS MESS of all messes!!! So, to make a long story short, three things happened this weekend alone: My refrigerator got cleaned out and replaced. My couch was relieved of all the toys underneath it. My daughter's bedroom was thoroughly cleaned and organized...although I had to clean it up AGAIN today after they had turned it upside down again!!! A few things that have happened in the last few weeks since baby was born are: My room was cleaned with the exception of a few things on the dressers. My kitchen was thoroughly cleaned. My laundry room was cleaned up. My husband made a dent in cleaning the office. As far as this week is concerned, here are my current goals: Read Bible each morning. Keep up on the kitchen duties. Finish mopping the kitchen floor (I mop it in sections). Catch up on laundry. Start exercising again. Homeschool my children every day. Tidy up both bathrooms. I believe that is all that I will try to tackle this week. If you would like to join us for Monday Meanderings you can sign up HERE!!! Have a blessed day! Heather http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/396988/ Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:15:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/396988/ I hope you don't find this offensive, but there is nothing sweeter to me than a baby while she's nursing! To join us for Wordless Wednesday, go HERE! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/394096/ Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:42:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/394096/ http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/389586/ Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:00:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Heatherslittlehearts/389586/