Martin Home Adventures - Homeschool Blogger

Continuing to blog elsewhere...

Sun, 5 Apr 2009 22:42:00 -0500

I am still blogging at www.xanga.com/LovingMyBlessings! Come and visit me there!

BLOGGING ELSEWHERE!

Fri, 23 May 2008 22:11:00 -0500

As you've noticed, I haven't been here for a very long time. That's because I am now blogging HERE! Come on over and see me!

Hey, Amy M! It was good seeing you at convention! I put this link here for you :)

Fun Christmas recipe

Tue, 4 Dec 2007 22:12:00 -0600

Last night for supper I made this recipe, and as I did so, I thought that it would be a fun recipe for a Christmas dinner--it's green! This recipe came from a good friend who is a wonderful cook.

MASHED POTATO CASSEROLE

Cook and mash 8 large potatoes.

Add: 2/3 c. sour cream or plain yogurt

2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 c. butter

Add milk if needed to bring to proper consistency and beat until fluffy.

Add: 1/4 tsp. dill seed

2 T. chives or onion, chopped

2 cups cooked spinach, well drained and chopped

Place in greased casserole and top with 1 cup grated cheddar cheese. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Note: May be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated, or make a double recipe and freeze half to add to future oven meal. Remember to chop the spinach and do not overcook. Just put it into the oven until heated through.

YUM! My children love this--can't even taste the spinach! I hope that you enjoy it too!

I love my man!

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:22:00 -0600

I love my man....let me count the ways! Let's see......

1) He loves me! How could I not love him back?

2) He is a hard worker.

3) He provides for his family.

4) He is generous.

5) He supports me in homeschooling our children.

6) He's a good-lookin' guy

7) He loves to have fun.

8) He is very smart

This is certainly not a complete list, but this evening........HE FIXED MY WASHING MACHINE!!! It went ka-put on me today, mid-cycle. Royce has fixed MANY things in our married life--anything from a vehicle to broken children's toys to the computer. But this time, I figured we'd have to call the repairman. NO INDEED!! My man looks up the make of our machine on the internet, does a little research, and WOO-HOO!! He pumps out the water, turns the machine over, disengages a few parts, and finds a safety pin stuck where it certainly should not have been (therefore, the washer did not want to spin and drain) Saved us a bundle of $$, I'm sure! And I got to be the grateful wife to help him. I just love to watch him do things like this for me!

Thank you so much Honey! I love ya!

Encouragement for mommies

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 10:13:00 -0500

This encouraging story comes from here. Be encouraged !

I have lofty goals for my children. I expect them to grow up equipped with both wisdom and common sense, able to sense and avoid danger, ready to see a need and meet it, and eager to make a difference in the world. However, I have two adolescent boys who are not as enthusiastic about my goals and standards as I am. In fact, their ideas and mine seem to clash on a regular basis. This results not in me lowering my standards, but rather in plunging into despair because I’m sure I have failed as a mom.

A typical example of this is the recent event we now refer to as the Blackberry Episode. Wild blackberries are both a pest and a blessing in this part of the Willamette Valley. Uncontrolled, they take over any vacant area, smothering old machinery and small buildings and anything else in their way.

But late every summer, along fence rows and behind old barns, they produce a crop of delicious berries, nestled among millions of vicious thorns, free to anyone brave enough to pick them.

I have found this a good enterprise for Ben, age 14, and Steven, 12, who like to attempt courageous feats and go exploring in jeans and rubber boots. As August turned into September, I sent them out every few days. They always returned with an ice cream bucket or two of berries, which I turned into pies, cobblers and jars of pie filling for this winter. Their best picking spot was about half a mile away, across the neighbor’s fescue field, along the railroad tracks.

One day I realized the rain would be coming soon and the blackberry season was about to end, so after supper I sent the boys on one last expedition, letting them out of doing dishes as a bonus.

An hour or so later they came back, but with only part of a bucket of berries. Suspiciously, I demanded an explanation and Ben slowly complied. “Uh, well, you see, it’s like this. We picked a full bucket of berries, plus about a third, and then we climbed the fence back into the field and headed home and I was like, ‘Hey! Big wide-open field — let’s see if we can walk 200 steps with our eyes closed!’”

I thought, “No no no. Please, no.”

Steven traversed his 200 steps safely, I was told, and opened his eyes to see that Ben had veered off north toward Substation Drive and a fence. He yelled, but Ben ignored him, figuring Steven had stepped in a hole or something. Shortly after, at step 181, Ben crashed into the fence and spilled his entire bucket of berries irretrievably into the dirt and straw. “Yeah.”

I am not often at a loss for words, but when I heard this woeful tale I opened my mouth to say something, then shut it, shook my head, then opened my mouth again, then shut it again.

The boys quickly leaped into the gap and said all the proper things such as, “We know it was really stupid; we’re sorry; we’ll never try that again; we’ll pick more berries tomorrow.”

My husband, Paul, then joined the conversation. “See, what you have to do is look around and make sure there’s no fence within 200 steps in any direction before you try that.”

My silent tongue let loose at this point in a shrill, “What? That’s not the point! The point is that you think about the cargo in your hands before you do something that stupid! And you don’t walk with your eyes shut with a bucket of blackberries in your hands, fence or no fence!”

Paul and the boys looked at me sympathetically, no doubt thinking, “Poor Mom, off on one of her rants again.”

As always, I read far too much into the incident. I was failing as a mom; there was no doubt about that. All these years and I hadn’t taught Ben and Steven a shred of common sense. If they lived to grow up they would no doubt someday try to walk 200 steps across a fescue field — or a busy highway — with their eyes closed, only with their first child in their arms rather than a bucket of berries.

Paul, in contrast, was calm and straightforward as always. “Well,” he told me, “that’s one of the disadvantages of having creative kids.” He did not say out loud, but implied, “And I recall you were the one that always wanted creative kids.”

My friend Arlene, when I called her, was far more consoling. “Your boys are nice,” she told me gently. “And they’re smart, and they really are going to grow up into good people.”

Parenting, I have decided, is much like a jaunt to the berry patch, best undertaken with courage and resolve and tall boots. You hope for a bucket of ripe berries in the end, but there are no guarantees. The thorns may be frustrating and sometimes even overwhelming, but the real challenge for me at this stage is to focus on the berries instead of the scratches I get in the process.

Despite the stupidity of the Blackberry Episode, I have to admit that overall, Arlene is right, and my boys are turning into nice people. For example, both Ben and Steven, for all their irritation at 8-year-old Jenny, will make her a peanut butter sandwich before they make their own. They take her swimming in the creek and exploring in ditches and woods. The other day, Steven actually emptied the kitchen garbage without being told. Ben gets himself up early to finish his homework. Both boys are kind to cats — one of the best indicators, in my experience, of a man’s character. And the day after the Blackberry Episode, they headed across the fescue field without being told and returned with a full bucket of berries.

Sometimes, I’ve found, you push aside a large leaf among a thousand irritating thorns and find an unusually generous cluster of berries. Such was a little conversation I overheard recently, proof that despite my exasperation with them, the boys are absorbing the most important message of all — how truly loved they really are. Paul was on the couch one morning, reading that week’s Sunday school lesson, a study from the book of Genesis about Isaac and Rebekah and how they each favored one of their twin sons, Jacob and Esau.

“Hey, Ben,” I heard Paul saying, “Who’s your mom’s favorite child?” And Ben promptly replied with the perfect but completely unscripted answer: “It’s a six-way tie for first place.” As always, I read far too much into this, thinking tearfully, “OK, I can officially die happy now — I have succeeded as a mom after all.”

Parenting, like picking blackberries, is a journey into perilous territory. Sticky refrigerator doors and spilled buckets and senseless arguments poke and irritate. But eventually, biting into the sweet steaming goodness of a slice of blackberry pie, the scratches and scars become worthwhile and almost forgotten.

It's about time!!

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 22:26:00 -0500

That's what you're thinking, right??!! I know--it's been WAY TOO LONG since I posted. So much has happened in our family and God has truly been blessing us these last several months. I hardly know where to begin!

We are all healthy! There have been some colds and stomach bugs, but all is well. Health is such a blessing not to be taken for granted.

At 6 1/2 months old, Gloria is growing so fast! Her chubby little legs are adorable, her big smile lights up our world. Yesterday we discovered her first tooth and she seems to have noticed that something feels different in her mouth also. I've started her on some solids. After a failed attempt at applesauce (she got majorly constipated from it!), she is now eating carrots and prunes and still nursing, of course. She weighs around 16-17 pounds now, sits up alone since 5 1/2 months and is trying hard to figure out how to scoot on her tummy. She hasn't gotten anywhere yet, but it won't be long.

In other news.......God dropped a miracle in our lap in June. Royce got a new job! He wasn't looking for another job, but got a phone call, had the interview ON HIS BIRTHDAY, and was hired the same day!! Incredible! He was working VERY long hours (80 hours a week!) and was VERY stressed with his self-employment. He loved the work, but it was becoming too stressful and no longer enjoyable or financially adequate for us. So, he is now enjoying a new line of work, better hours, less stress, and we can pay the bills on time . He does still have the stress and headache of his business until the lease runs out or we have a buyer, but he has re-hired some wonderful helpers to assist with that load. So--the business is for sale--anyone interested? We thank God and give HIM the glory for providing for our family in so many ways!

Last month we enjoyed a mini weekend vacation to Niagara Falls. It was our first "vacation" since the business fire in '04. We had a blast! I was so ready to get away from here, I only wish we could've been gone a week instead of 3 days!

I'll sign off with some pics of our lives the last several months.

Connor turned SEVEN on May 4!! We had a birthday party with all his little friends.

Brady turned NINE on May 31! He loves John Deere--do you think it might have something to do with Grandpa and an uncle working for the company?

Ok....this isn't the greatest picture of my handsome, but he had a birthday too--on June 6. I couldn't ever give him a better gift than the Lord did that day, but here's one of the shirts he got from me--for his new job!

YES! That's my baby Gloria, with ABRAHAM LINCOLN! She is being held by a family friend, Alena. Our family participated once again in our town's annual Civil War reenactment. We reenact as civilians--an ordinary family of the 1860's. Here's some more of that weekend....

This is Justin and his cousin, Evelyn. They are the best of buddies!

I LOVE this picture of Gloria in her Civil War outfit. What a little doll!

This is the group of family and friends that we re-enacted with this year. Both of my brothers and their families are on here (the 2 families on the right hand side), and friends (on the left). We are in the middle--my boys are all in green, Emily is in pink. We had such fun, but it is hard to imagine wearing clothing like this all the time--the women wore about 7 layers, but I get away with only five. LOL!

Cute, cute, cute! What can I say?

I got to meet Amy!!! Visit her blog here. We met at a state park--and it poured down rain!! We went to another park with a pavilion, enjoyed our picnic despite the weather, then returned to the state park so the kids could play in the creek. We all enjoyed our time together and hope to do it again sometime. Thanks, Amy, for a fun day!

Our sweet Emily turned TWELVE on September 13. Wow! She is such a sweetheart and blessing to our family.

NIAGARA FALLS--God has created some awesome beauty!

So....that's the latest on our family. Now that I have finally figured out a faster way to upload pics to my blog, hopefully I will post more often.

Blessings to you all!

Sweet baby smiles

Thu, 3 May 2007 10:58:00 -0500

Our sweet baby girl.....so full of smiles!

I just love how her eyes squeeze shut with a big baby smile!

Tea Party

Wed, 2 May 2007 21:45:00 -0500

On my mom-in-law's birthday last week (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!), the women folk in Royce's family got together for some delicious victuals at sis-in-law's home. Since I recently gave birth (), I got out of having to make anything to take along. Not like anyone out there cares, but it was nice. Anyway, we had a splendid time together and here are some pics of the elegant feast and delicious eats that we enjoyed.

This was a "teacup" made from a waffle bowl, sugar cookie "saucer" and filled with cheesecake pudding and fresh berries.......YUM!

This is what our table looked like--bread bowls with fantastic cheesy potato soup. I ate my whole bowl, my entire teacup and saucer.......and THEN, we made banana splits!

Here is another shot of our edible teacup.

Babies :)

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:28:00 -0500

There's something special about being pregnant at the same time as a friend, sister or sis-in-law. I had the privilege of being pregnant with our sweet darling at the same time as several of my friends and sister-in-laws! What fun! Below is a picture of 3 of us--my sister-in-law, Ruth and our mutual friend Aimee. Ruth had her baby first (Christiana), then I had Gloria, and soon after, Aimee had baby Malachi. We were all together the other day in Aimee's home to see her new baby. Here we are!

And here are the babies close-up. Aren't they all such cuties?!? From left to right, in order of age, they are Christiana (who doesn't like the idea of a picture!), Gloria, and Malachi.

All 3 of us mommas used the same midwife and birthed our babies at home. Our stories are all different and unique and all so special. We are thankful for healthy babies and for the joy of sharing a common bond as friends. Thank you Ruth and Aimee for sharing pregnancy with me! Thanks also to my other sis-in-laws who recently delivered little cuties and for another who is yet to deliver :) It's been a fun journey! May we all continue to help and encourage each other as we raise our little ones for the Lord. Blessings to all!

Please pray for the Nelsen family

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 18:03:00 -0500

I found this blog the other day and would like all of you to pray for this dear family! Visit Leslie's blog to read about baby Eliana and her upcoming surgery on MONDAY, the 16th.

Thank you!