Busy week...and God's goodness!

My goodness....this has been an unusually busy week around here. (right now, I have a little calico cat curled up on my hands and wrists...it's a little hard to type right now) LOL (late Saturday evening....)

At the end of a particularly busy time in our lives, I've found that when it is over and life settles down again, I see God's hand helping me thru...and the blessings that were the results.

We had a nice 2 day visit with my Mom, who we hadn't seen since December. She had been in Alabama helping my aunt after surgery. We enjoyed watching Ty 2 days this week....a wonderful day-long visit with dear friends, a couple cubscout events , a visit with our old friends and neighbors and our churches progressive dinner.

Now...Ron and I had never been to a progressive dinner and had no idea what to expect. We had so much fun! First, we were directed to have appetizers at the home of our good friends, the Skiles home. There, we were able to fellowship people from our church for a little while, and were able to meet some people that we hadn't had the opportunity to get to know before. We were then handed our itinerary for the evening. We then traveled to another home for soup/salad...and again, wonderful fellowship. One of the things that was nice, was that in between, Ron and I felt like we were on a 'date'....we laughed, and were able to talk uninterrupted by little ones. After our soup/salad, we headed to the church office to co-host one of the main courses. For our final destination, we headed to a home of friends from our caregroup for dessert. What a sweet spread! We laughed and had a lot of fun....and are looking forward to it next year. Now....it is time to REST after church...no one is going anywhere, no one is coming over....we're all going to rest, enjoy each other's company and have a relaxing dinner....with no one rushing out the door.

One thing that this week has taught me, is that our family does not do very well, with lots of activities. We are really praying about guarding our family time....and down time. Not sure how that will look in the future, but I know God has a plan and for our family, it is NOT to be running out the door every evening. Many women get a 'nesting' instinct before a child is born...well, I think I get that instinct everyday...I love the warm, homey, old-fashioned, slower pace of life....at home. I'm definitely a homebody! Oh, I am definitely happiest when home...and I love having guests here with us as well. Tonight after a simple dinner of potato pancakes, applesauce and sweet/sour red cabbage, we'll light a fire, have a little family devotion time, crochet and just hang out together around the fire....maybe add a little popcorn and an old movie to finish the evening.

I wanted to share a portion of some lyrics that we sang at church this morning , they really blessed me.

'Blessed be Your name, when the sun's shining down on me, when the world's all as it should be, blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering, though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your name.

Ev'ry blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise. When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say...Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be Your name! Blessed be Your glorious name!

You give and take away...you give and take away, my heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be your name.'

May you all have a peaceful day and a blessed, restful Sabbath! ~Sue~

Nature Pictures

Today it was beautiful outside, so I took advantage of the weather to snap some shots of Ronnie and Anna. Here are some of the best:Anna and I had just finished 'dance class' and I had to take some pictures of her in her leotard! HOW CUTE! She has on her angelic smile, adorable!

I have a 'thing' for pictures with trees :o) Ronnie with his Blue Bear... he was leaning on a car by the way :) Without even trying, I made Ronnie blurry, but the background more focused... hmmm A hunk of log fell down into our yard a week or two ago and provided us with great picture seats!I love the brick! I needed a change of scenery (so to speak) from trees and leaves.

Well, those are the best; email me if you want to see the others... more pictures soon!

Tagged & Awarded!

WE HAVE BEEN AWARDED! Not just a, "Whoever wants this, take it" kind of thing, but we were specifically awarded the excellence in blogging award!

I AWARD:

Ella

Lydia

Bekah

Rose

Southern Maiden

I was also tagged to do this...here are the instructions:

1. the rules: erase my answers and put yours in. Use the first letter of your name to answer ALL of the following questions. If the person before you has the same 1st letter pick a new one. You CAN NOT use anything twice, and you CAN NOT use your own name for the boy/girl question. After you are done, tag 5 people...

Here is my tag:

. What is your name? Sara
2. A 4 letter word: Star
3. A boy's name: Samuel
4. A girl's name: Samantha
5. An occupation: Singer
6. A color: sienna
7. Something you wear: shirt
8. A Food: steak
9. Something found in the bathroom: soap
10. A place: South Park

11. A reason for being late: stomach ache
12. Something you shout: SUPER!

13. A movie title: Sense and Sensibility!!!!!!! Woohoo!
14. Something you drink: SODA

15. An animal: snake
16. A song title: Savior Song (rachael lampa)
17. A verb: swings

I tag Dani, Lydia, Bekah, and Ella!

Eternal perspective.....

Tonight was our monthly homeschooling support meeting. You know there are times when you feel that you need to be somewhere, and the enemy tries every which way he can to thwart God's plan? Well...today was one of those days. But...again, the enemy was defeated.

We had a speaker tonight who's topic was eternal perspective...eternal focus in our homes...with our children. This is her last year of homeschooling...I think it's her 20th year. She, her husband and children are in full time missionary ministry thru Heaven's family. http://www.heavensfamily.org/ The most important thing that she spoke on, and the reminder for me was so timely, was keeping our focus on things/activities/homeschooling that have eternal value. Not that academics are not important, but that teaching about who God is, and what His word says and helping them have a personal relationship with Jesus has so much more importance than any 'schooling' that we do.

We all spoke a lot about things of eternal value and eternal perspective. Becky shared all about the different missionary ministries that they have, particularly about the orphanages that they support and help run. Three weeks ago, she just got back from Myanmar. (formerly Burma...which I didn't know) Myanmar is a 3rd world country in Asia. As she described her trip and her journey to one particular orphanage, my thoughts listening to her ran the gamut from "oh, those poor children! And, how do people live like that?!" to...".oh, my goodness how can we (meaning our country) be so very focused on money and the economic climate, recession, depression that we are experiencing now, when we are and will continue to be the richest country in the world?! Wow...does our family have so very much of everything we need...and we have it in abundance! As simply as we live, we could live so much simpler...and we could live everyday with gratitude and contentment. Money has no eternal value. People have eternal value. Caring for each other, our brothers and sisters in Christ has eternal value...whether the caring is done here or overseas. But these children! They have so little, especially compared with my children...they don't even have parents...and yet, they know the Lord, they are joyful and grateful....she told a story that thanks to this ministry, one particular orphanage was able to have rice and vegetables everyday and they were especially grateful to now have chicken once a week. They were GRATEFUL to have chicken once a week!

I wanted to post all of this while it was fresh in my mind. I wanted to write it down to talk about with my children tomorrow...and to remember as we're doing our schoolwork, that the time I spend with my children reading and discussing God's word, the time that we sing worship together, the time we spend praying together has much, much more eternal value than any books or knowledge we get from academic studies.

We will be looking into ways that we can help these people and orphans...even in our uncertain economic climate. Because...I know that our God provides...and if He is leading us to provide for the 'least of these'...then I know He will provide for us as well. And, oh, Dear Father...forgive me for my times of ungratefulness and discontent! Help me to avoid worldly distractions and spend as much time as I can with my children praising You and reading your word as we study your world....raising these children to know you and love you is our greatest ministry as parents. May you all have a blessed day! ~Sue~

Giveaway Winner

The giveaway is over, and we had the same winner! Bella won the Valentine's Day giveaway! Congratulations Bella,

and look over at http://unendingjoyfilm.blogspot.com/ for a movie-related giveaway!

Creative frugality....& Menu plan Monday!

As we continue to pour our researching skills and creativity into living a "creatively frugal" lifestyle, our menus will reflect that. Recently, I've done some bulk shopping and am pretty well stocked in freezer and pantry....it's become fun to look thru what I have and come up with some frugal, but good tasting meals. This is a busy week coming up, and two nights we won't even be home for dinner. But..."Mama said there'd be days like this, there'd be days like this my mama said!" It is a very good "busy"....fun activities, spending the day with special friends, my mom coming to stay for two days (Hooray!!!! We can't wait!), Cubscout activities and a church 'progressive dinner'. (never went to one of these....we're looking forward to it.) All of this to say, I guess, that I'm trying to encourage you to "accentuate the positive" and "keep on the sunny side"...and enjoy God's blessings and provision! He IS faithful to provide! He WILL meet all of your needs! (maybe not all of our 'wants')I've been reading in 1 Thessalonians and I pray that these scriptures encourage you: 1Th. 4:11-12 "...that you may aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward thoses who are outside, and that you may lack nothing." And, one of my very favorite verses, 1 th. 5:16-17 " Rejoice always! Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

So... get your kids excited about being creativily frugal...using the God given creativity and promoting contentment....kids (if there are any kids reading this) get yourselves excited about being creativily frugal....make something out of nothing....CREATE! Especially, get creative in the kitchen...look up some 'Great Depression' recipes online...surprise your mom! LOL We're created in our Creators image....therefore....be creative! Of course, it takes more work...but it can be fun....make it fun! And...remember to laugh....life is way to short NOT to! Here's our frugal menu for the week!~Sue~

Monday
GF blueberry pancakes (the only day I have time to make them!)
chicken veg't soup with brown rice
GF chicken pot pie, green beans

Tuesday
cheesy eggs, potatoes, fruit
GF pancake & nut butter sandwiches with fruit
Dinner at the Goettel's! (friends we don't get to spend time with very often...she is making GF spagetti and meatballs, and I'm bringing the salad and dressing)

Wednesday
Brown rice custard with apples
quinoa lentil casserole, beets & cucumbers
GF fettucine alfredo, green beans with mushrooms

Thursday
cereal, bananas
leftovers/pbj
crockpot/ swiss steak with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, & peppers over brown rice, and salad

Friday
oatmeal with raisins, bananas
GF steak pizza, salad
Church progressive dinner (chicken parmesean, pasta, mine gluten free of course)

Saturday
GF banana nut bread, fruit
leftovers
GF pierogie casserole, green beans

Sunday
cereal, bananas
good Sunday soup, GF crackers
potato pancakes, sweet/sour red cabbage with bacon, homemade applesauce.

Be anxious for nothing...Sabbath Rest.

~In these very uncertain economic times, and the headlines predicting a Great Depression worse than the Great Depression....on this Sabbath, let us remember what God's word says...and cling to it as we rest in the surety and knowledge of His love and provision for us today...and everyday. Have a blessed Sabbath! ~Sue~

"In nothing be anxious" (Phil. 4:6).

No anxiety ought to be found in a believer. Great, many and varied may be our trials, our afflictions, our difficulties, and yet there should be no anxiety under any circumstances, because we have a Father in Heaven who is almighty, who loves His children as He loves His only-begotten Son, and whose very joy and delight it is to succor and help them at all times and under all circumstances. We should attend to the Word, "In nothing be anxious, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

"In everything," that is not merely when the house is on fire, not merely when the beloved wife and children are on the brink of the grave, but in the smallest matters of life, bring everything before God, the little things, the very little things, what the world calls trifling things -- everything -- living in holy communion with our Heavenly Father, arid with our precious Lord Jesus all day long. And when we awake at night, by a kind of spiritual instinct again turning to Him, and speaking to Him, bringing our various little matters before Him in the sleepless night, the difficulties in connection with the family, our trade, our profession. Whatever tries us in any way, speak to the Lord about it.

"By prayer and supplication," taking the place of beggars, with earnestness, with perseverance, going on and waiting, waiting, waiting on God.

"With thanksgiving." We should at all times lay a good foundation with thanksgiving. If everything else were wanting, this is always present, that He has saved us from hell. Then, that He has given us His Holy Word -- His Son, His choicest gift -- and the Holy Spirit. Therefore we have abundant reason for thanksgiving. O let us aim at this!

"And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." And this is so great a blessing, so real a blessing, so precious a blessing, that it must be known experimentally to be entered into, for it passeth understanding. O let us lay these things to heart, and the result will be, if we habitually walk in this spirit, we shall far more abundantly glorify God, than as yet we have done. --George Mueller, in Life of Trust

Twice or thrice a day, look to see if your heart is not disquieted about something; and if you find that it is, take care forthwith to restore it to calm. --Francis De Sales (from devotional 'Streams in the Desert'

Valentine's Day Giveaway!

*UPDATE: This giveaway will be closing 2/23/09: TODAY IS THE LAST DAY!*
I love 'Love' don't you? Not just a friend or family member's love, but Christ's love he shows to us each day. John 14:23 says, "Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." How amazing to know that the Lord God accepts us and loves us so much, all the time! What an awesome God we love and serve!

On a slightly less deep level, I have another giveaway for y'all! These are home made jewelry sets for, of course, valentines day! We also have a guest giver, Lainey! She is one of our latest followers, a dear friend, and a jewelry maker extraordinaire! She generously donated a pair of earrings, while I made a necklace/earrings set. Sorry, but there are no clip on earrings in this one... sorry! Same as last time, just comment and you will automatically be entered. If you have a blog, you have a chance to earn an extra entry: make a post about the giveaway, then tell all your friends! We will enter your name twice if you do that. Here are the pictures of the jewelry!
These earrings are called Rosy Love, hence the red beads, it goes along with the necklace below

The giveaway also has designer earrings, made by none other than a sponsor, Lainey's Lovely Beads who makes lovely jewelry. These are called Cotton Candy Love.

Remember, when you comment if you're doing the extra entry, to state that in the comment so I can check it out! Feel free to use a picture, but please credit this blog. Thanks, and happy belated Valentines Day!

Hospitality and eternal value....

~This evening....I have been listening to A LOT of giggling, out-loud laughing...lots of gabbing....and more giggling! Ron and I have been enjoying it.

Meghan and Sara have had two very good friends over for dinner and a movie. The 4 girls opened up the pull-out couch downstairs, and are watching 'Pride and Prejudice'. They came up a little while ago for 'intermission'...which consisted of making their own 'decaff lattes' and then they decided to add icecream sundaes to go with them. Can you all say "sugar high"?!

I love, love, love having my children's friends over! I love having Ronnie's little friends here...and someday, Anna's as well. I love hearing them share their thoughts, I love hearing them laugh and enjoy themselves. I love offering them hospitality where (I hope) their friends know that they will always be welcomed...and their company enjoyed. ( I made the girls, whom I've know since they were both little, to promise that even when they are grown and my girls don't live here anymore, that they will still pop in and visit "Mrs. G"....or I wouldn't give them any icecream! LOL Just kidding!)

When we first moved into this house 3 1/2 years ago, Ron and I prayed that it would be a home of hospitality...that everyone would feel welcome here, that whoever might need it, would always have a meal, a bed if needed, and people who were genuinely glad to see them....and we have people here quite frequently. Years ago, when my daughters had a "keepers at home" group....I guess Meghan and Sara were probably 6 and 4 when we started it, we did a meeting on hospitality. One of the things that stuck out to me the most ( and I found out recently that it stuck in others memories as well) was that biblical hospitality is not only a command, but is supposed to focus on the other person...NOT on how clean your home is, or how tired you are, or if you only have soup and bread to offer (which we had tonight) instead of steak.....we should go out of our way to make them feel welcome and special.

For years, I was mortified if someone stopped over unexpectedly and the house was messy or I didn't have a full meal....or even if I just wasn't "in the mood" for company....I had a very close friendship that was very hurt by my attitude. My attitude worsened in direct proportion to my fibromylagia getting worse. Then, at the Keeper's meeting, I was teaching the lesson on hospitality and in my preparation, God clearly showed me that focusing on myself or the state of my home, was NOT God honoring OR showing biblical hospitality. As I taught the group of girls this lesson...it was a lesson that has stuck with me all these years.

Now...thru the fibro getting worse, having 2 more children, moving, and various other interesting scenarios....I've learned to value the people in my life....not the things. Would I like my home to be spotless? Sure! Is it likely to happen anytime in the near future...not likely....and that is alright. Focusing on people, not things, having a warm home ( sometimes messy) instead of a sterile showplace is what is important to me now. Relationships have eternal value....making memories with my family, welcoming family and my children's friends into our home has eternal value...and teaches my children by example. I know that my mom always welcomed our friends into our home and always had snacks or dinner for them...and I know that my friends loved my mom and the example that was set for me.

So come on over and visit, we would love to have you! And, most likely, as I did when my friend Linda stopped over today, I will move some books and stuffed animals and sit down to chat for a little while. You may have to step over the Lego creations, move past the dollhouse, and be careful not to squoosh Anna's favorite stuffed animals ( they are ALL her favorites!)...at the table, some homeschool papers and books may have to be moved...but we'll be so happy to have you here! I hope my children learn by example that PEOPLE have eternal value, not things...including houses. Home really IS where the heart is! God bless! ~Sue~

Simplifying, health and Nourishing Traditions...

Along with our simplifying as well as trying to save money like crazy...the first thing I thought of was meal planning, eating healthy and saving money. Ok...I'm working on that, and it seems to be working out well. The second thing I thought of was saving money on supplements. So...again, I poured over all of my books, prayed, and God has showed us (and is still showing us) a plan for health and thrift....as naturally as possible. I've been reading and putting some things into practice from Nourishing Traditions. It is a book by Sally Fallon, who follows the health studies from the Weston A Price Foundation. You can check out their extensive website here (hope the link works) Most of what is in the book is really good old-fashioned common sense, as well as centuries old practices of preparing food.

Here is some of what we are doing. You'll see jars sitting out on counters here, or in cupboards. The one on the left is 'beet kvass'...a wonderful blood and liver tonic, the one in the middle is my 'kombucha'...also a good liver tonic as well as loaded with enzymes and 'good' bacteria. The white one on the right is my kefir. I culture this daily, and make smoothies with frozen unsweetened strawberries that everyone likes...and it has so much more good bacteria even than yogart does...and is so much easier to make than homemade yogart!

This is not a complete tutorial...you can go to youtube and watch any tutorials on making these things that explain it very well. This is what my kefir 'grains' look like when strained. There are different schools of thought as to using metal utensils/spoons or not....from what I've read it doesn't make a difference.

Here is how I drain the kefir into my blender. Simple, isn't it?

This is a picture of the tea for the kombucha brewing while the 'mother' kombucha culture (some call mushroom) waits to be added.

And here is my glass of cold kombucha with ice ready to be enjoyed as well! It is really good...tastes like a cross between 'sweet' iced tea and ginger ale.

Along with doing these things, we're eating lots of broth. I've been making my own homemade broth for years....origionally because it tasted better. Then, because it was cheaper....now I know how rich in health benefits homemade bone broth is! I make chicken, turkey, beef, and vegetable broth...and even when I make the veggie broth, I throw in 1 or 2 beef bones to the broth.

What does this all have to do with supplements? Well...since we're boosting our nutrition thru food, and getting our good bacteria from yogart and kefir....I'm not buying probiotics anymore, and not giving a multi-vitamin everyday. We're also drinking our 'green lemonade' and carrot juice....the only supplements that I haven't figured out how to cut down or out completely is evening primrose oil for me, and cod liver oil.

So...as we're on this journey to simplify, save money, cut costs and do it in a healthy manner....cutting back on our meat consumption, eating more 'raw' foods....making everything we can from scratch and focusing on our meals and supplements has allowed us to save money...and be healthy. Does all of this take time and planning? Absolutely! Doing things in a simple way doesn't mean easy. Would it be easier for us to not cook everything from scratch? Sure! But it is so much cheaper and healthier for us to cook and eat whole grains, salads, fruits and veggies, and culture some of our food. I will say, that shopping at Aldi's once a week for our main shopping has saved us a ton! And, what I buy there is very healthy. Buying in bulk once a month from a natural foods co-op, Trader Joe's once a month, and costco once a month...then planning my meals accordingly also saves us quite a bit. We're still praying and planning on other ways to save money and cut costs as well. More in future posts as the Lord leads. I'm also reading everything I can as to the 'old-fashioned' ways of doing things....and now have 3 nice long clothes lines in my basement, more planned for outside when Spring arrives, and a garden this year. ( we haven't had a garden since we moved 3 years ago)....also learning to dehydrate, canning more and now...even making homemade ketchup! (did you know ketchup is loaded with high fructose corn syrup, and how bad it is for your health?!)

Anyway....off to get snacks for the kids, switch loads of laundry before Ty wakes up from his nap, then make our kefir smoothies. May the Lord bless you abundantly! ~Sue~

Unending Joy

Just a quick post here, because I need to go help with dinner. There is a new blog in town and I created it. Not for personal use, but as an updater of sorts. On it will be Lydia, myself and other girls who will be participating in the new documentary, Unending Joy. Here is the blog link:
http://unendingjoyfilm.blogspot.com/ so you can read all about it. It will be similar to the dvd Return of the Daughters only for younger girls ages 10-15. I will be posting the teaser trailer on the other blog soon, so watch for it and follow the blog so you can stay in-the- know about what's happening with the production!

Song Tag

I just got off of the phone with HP tech support. I talked to a tech person over in Mumbai, India for almost two hours trying to fix my webcam. But it is fixed, and I need to relax! So we have been tagged by Unworthy Maiden, and this one is my speciality, song lyrics! I am going to do ten song lyrics and you have to figure out what song they are from and by whom! Good luck! Comment on what you think they are!

1. And now I'll never ever be the same, It was the sweetest voice, That called my name


2. I won't convince you; with anything I say; But maybe you will see His love, in how it is portrayed. An act of kindness, A loving sacrifice-Simple little things that have the power to change your life!


3. There is love, there is forgiveness;there is love in times of need. When life is cold, there is a promise; you'll never go without, oh


4. With so much more than I deserve; to be here with the ones that love me- to love them so much it hurts...


5. The journey from your mind to your hands is shorter than you're thinking- Be careful if you think you stand, you just might be sinking...


6. (My mom's favorite)When we left the movie show the future wasn't bright; But came the dawn the show goes on and I don't want to say good night! (Easy one here)


7. And I have been made new by the one who has found me. Words just can't say enough, when all I can feel is love...


8. Let me be your shelter; let daylight dry your tears; I'm here, nothing can harm you, my words will warm anad calm you...
   
9. something familiar, something peculiar something for everyone... (M & M fill in the blank!)
10. I'm gonna roll that stone away, live my life my way, stand up for my faith just like the sun rises everyday, the tide is gonna change, you can't keep me...

Legacy Part 1 of 1

*I have had requests to post the next part of my short story, Legacy. Well, here it is! For all who have not seen the giveaway yet, the giveaway ends Sunday, February 22nd, 2009. You have 4 days left to enter.*

Part #1:
“I got it, I caught the fish! Cogí un pez!” The dark haired little boy waved a fish in the air, which received applause from his sister. Isabella was braiding wildflowers into her long dark hair, but she smiled when her brother called her. Isa was ten years old, only seven years after the exile. She, along with her brother and foster mother, were re-located to Segovia after their father died, leaving their half brother, Henry the IV, as heir. Isabella was still saddened about her father’s death, but she tried not to show it. She knew Alfonso’s health was delicate and her foster mother worked from sun up to sun down to provide for them. Isabella couldn't’t count how many times she would wake up in the night and hear weeping. Madre is working so hard for us. All because Henry had to be such a odio egoista tonto! He was always a hateful selfish fool, but I never thought it would come to this. Isabella threw aside her daisy chain and lay back in the soft grass. The Spanish moss trees drooped overhead, and Isabella smiled. “Isa, Isa, you must come quickly! Madre says to hurry!” Alfonso shouted from across the stream, and Isa quickly leaped to her feet. Grabbing her cloak off a nearby bush, she followed her brother across a wheat field and into the small village where they lived. Smiling at their elderly neighbor, she dashed into their house; stopping short when she saw a knight of Castile. She quietly sat down on a mat and listened to what the man, who she recognized as her father’s most trusted knight, had to say.

“King Henry has summoned the young children, Isabella and Alfonso, to court. His summons cannot be denied. I have brought a royal carriage for them to travel in, and boarding has been taken care of.” Isabella quickly looked at her mother, who looked shocked and a mite dazed. “Of course, orders are orders. When do we leave?” Isa’s foster mother asked, rising to curtsy. “That is one problem. You are not to come. That was a stipulation that was clearly stated by the king himself.” Isa and Alfonso’s faces paled and their mother drew herself tall. “They will not move one step without their Madre. Surely the king can understand that.” The knight shook his head, gathered the children, and set them inside the carriage. “NO! Madre, a dejar decirle que! Tell him to stop, please!” Alfonso wept and pleaded with the guards. They are taking us away yet again. Taking us away from another mother. Will these tyrants stop at nothing? Isabella sunk into her seat, sobbing as the carriage pulled away from the village. Madre, weeping and shaking her head, went inside to cry in private. The elderly neighbor followed her inside, where she found her lying on the floor: she had fainted in her grief.

Three days went by, the hours seeming longer and longer for the children. No room to play, barely any to sleep, and the food was stale and moldy. Isabella and Alfonso read prayers to each other as their only comfort. “Lord, you are holy and mighty. You shall deliver us out of this venomous pit of doom. “ Isa spoke, Alfonso resting his head on her shoulder. They stayed in this position until their arrival at Castile. They were led out of the carriage and into the castle, where two maid servants were awaiting them. “Lucille, Cecelia: these are the two charges. Take good care of them, and do not let them wander out of your peripheral line of vision. Understood?” When the maids nodded, the guard marched down the corridor.

Friday with Friends!

This is a slightly belated post, since it is now Tuesday, but better late than never! :) This past Friday the 13th we had some friends over for snacks and a movie. These friends were Caelyn, Morgan and Gabriella (all sisters) and earlier in the day Sarah and Rachel came over. It was so much fun! As customary that afternoon before dinner, Mum made us strawberry Kefir smoothies. They were yummy! Because this time we had Stevia to sweeten it with instead of honey. I MUCH prefer Stevia to honey in our smoothies. :) Sarah and Rachel both had some smoothie, too. Here's Sarah drinking some:

The poster child for Strawberry Kefir Smoothies! :)

Almost as soon as they walked through the door, poor Sarah and Rachel were cajoled (forced!) into tasting Mum's kombucha; as were Caelyn and Morgan. Mum is such a great sport with our friends, but forcing kombucha on them was a little overly much. Caelyn said she didn't mind it, and that she'd drink it. Morgan said that it tasted better than it smelled. Amen to that! :)

Our lovely beverage that our friends got hounded to try a sip. Out of us four kids, Anna seems to like it and I don't mind it.....the other two.....well, not so much. :)

Here is Mum and Rachel in our kitchen....Mum with a big glass of Kombucha in her hand. Rachel's face was priceless when she tasted it. :)

Here is sweet Rachel crocheting. By the end of the day she had finished a hot pad for her mom. We showed her a few new crochet stitches and had a blast! She was my crocheting buddy.

The two Sara(h)'s on my Sara's laptop. They were looking at different blog backgrounds, how to make them.....they hardly came off of the bed until it was dinner time. :) They were funny. And no, the Sarah on the left is not sleeping. :) She has what I called her 'thinking cap' on over her eyes. :) While our Sara is hamming it up. While watching a movie that evening they made some adorable jewelry together on the floor and did not spill any beads! :)

We loved getting to know Caelyn, Morgan and Gabriella better and found that we have a lot of the same passions and interests. Mum made her 'famous' popcorn and set out Salsa Verde and Tortilla chips. We had some homemade lattes-mine wasn't really a latte. I had more coffee than milk. :) But you know me. :) We watched the movie State Fair from 1945 and loved it! Caelyn and Morgan are into old movies, too, and had never seen this one. Unfortunetly they had to leave before it was finished because it was getting late. :(

Caelyn, Sarah and your's truly. :) Coincidentally, we're the three oldest girls in our families.

Morgan and Sara. Look at those adorable glasses. :)

Our rather blurry group shot of the night. :) In front of me you can see a popcorn container. :) Big surprise. Seated on the couch are from left to right: Rachel, Gabriella, Morgan and Sara

Seated on the floor are Caelyn and Sarah.

We had SO much fun with all of you girls! We have to do it again soon and watch another old movie. :) It was such a fun time, though we did get to bed rather late. Luckily the next day was a Saturday so we could sleep in. :) Sorry about the post being so late!

God's gentle correction and grace....

Had to post a picture of the beautiful roses Ron gave me for Valentine's day. They looked so pretty this morning, especially with the sunlight coming thru the lace curtains, and set against my antique china with pink roses in the backround. These roses also represent to me, the grace that has been shown in my marriage as well as God's gentle correction in that area...but that's a post for another time!

God has been doing such a work in me! His patience with me continues to amaze me....years ago, when I was a new Christian, God basically showed me His plan for our family's lifestyle. How He wanted us to live, what our homeschool plan should look like....and somehow, over the years...I've taken my focus off of "His" plan for our family....and either focused on what I thought our lives should look like or I compared our family to other families that we know...again, taking my focus off of His plan for us.

I've been feeling God's prompting strongly lately...to simplify. But, in reality, it is to repent and turn to God...to return to God's plan for us...to "seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you"....to seek Him, and follow his commands....not ignore them, and do what I want to do. A friend and I were recently talking about God's rebukes, and for me, it was confirmation that what I was doing was grieving God's heart. He had called us to live simply and be content...and with our focus off of His plan, we were filled with discontent and a lack of gratitude to God.

I can't speak for any other family, nor do I want to. But for us...God's plan has always led us to simplify...to move further and further from what the world thinks is important...to live simply, to live in a God honoring way. Do we always do that? Of course not! Living simply means different things for each family. Again, I only know what God has been speaking for our family. For us it means, no big vacations, no shopping at trending stores at the mall...no Starbucks everyday. (ok...Starbucks every long once in a while!) It means watching our pennies closely, saving as much as we can, being 'creatively frugal'...living simply. In order for our family to live the lifestyle that God has called us to live, a simple homeschooling lifestyle, this requires me to stay at home and have us to have one income. And...since that income is not huge....we have to choose wisely how to spend it. Would vacations be nice? Of course! Can we live without them? Of course! Can we thrive without them? Yes! If we cultivate a spirit of gratefulness....and contentedness....and practice the habit of being content with whatever God has for us. If day trips to lakes, fishing, trips to Kennywood or Idlewild Park, to Mingo Creek, or the Science Center,, a day at the Butler county fair, a day spent antiquing...or sipping sweet tea on our deck in the shade while the little ones play in a small pool is God's plan for our family...then we are abundantly blessed!!!! It might not sound exciting by the worlds standards, but it is peaceful, fun and filled with family memories...and it is God's will for us...therefore, it is God's best for us!

As we continue to follow God's plan for our family, I'm sure I'll be posting all the little joys of our days...some of which you may not think of as joys...but whatever God's calls us to, He equips us for. For me....hanging laundry on the line is a joy...especially taking it down...warm, sweet outdoor smell. That brings me joy! Crocheting with a wooden hook with some soft warm wool or super soft yarn brings me joy. Beautiful fabric, especially using scraps to quilt or make gifts, brings me joy! Giving my family a hot, healthy homecooked meal brings me joy...and offering hospitality to family and friends brings me joy. Having my children's friends here for a fun evening brings me joy! I don't need frills, expensive vacations, expensive clothes or filet mignon (although I do like filet mignon!)....I'm just as happy at my big wooden table with a big bowl of navy beans and my family happy.

Whatever God has for your family...embrace it! Cultivate contentment...and practice gratitude! Living the life that God has for you is different for each family....for our family, we will continue to simplify and find joy in the everyday. Living simply is not an easy life....but the rewards are endless as are the lessons learned. As my Gram used to say " hard work never hurt anybody" ....as well as "many hands make light work"....both good lessons to teach my children....and to remember myself. May you have a joyful day! ~Sue~

Menu plan Monday!

Another week....another menu! I've found that planning my menus helps me so much...and my girls, too. We're able to look at the plan, get things started, and save time and money in the process. Along with the main meals, we've been having strawberry kefir smoothies everyday, kombucha and either 'carrot lemonade' or 'green lemonade'...along with a little bit of elderberry here and there! Trying to boost our immune systems a little bit! LOL Here's this weeks menus:

Monday
oatmeal custard with raisins
veg't soup, cheese & GF crackers
Pasta carbonara, salad

Tuesday
cheesy eggs, potatoes
banana bread, yogart, pineapple
grain/garden burgers, refried black beans with cheese, cucumbers & beets

Wednesday
apple cinnamon millet
leftovers/pbj
seafood bisque,salad, cheddar garlic biscuits

Thursday
cereal, bananas, juice
GF mac & cheese, veggies
sausage potato stew, green beans

Friday
GF blueberry pancakes
brown rice lentil casserole, veggies
chicken soup, GF Foccacia bread

Saturday
oatmeal with raisins
eggs, turkey sausage, potatoes
Birthday party for Maggie & Maria!

Sunday
cereal, bananas
crockpot soup, cheese & crackers
GF chicken pot pie, green beans

Have a healthy, blessed week!

Valentines Day for Maidens

Happy Valentines Day!

Because I have a very, (*ahem!*) romantic heart, this holiday is a very sentimental one for me. :) Anyone who knows me knows that I am incredibly romantic and sentimental. :) For instance, because my hard-working Dad had to work this morning/afternoon, yesterday he came home from the store with a bouquet of light pink roses for Mum. :) It was a token of his love for her. Well, for Mum and all his 'little women.' :) Right now, I am listening to Frank Sinatra crooning a Jerome Kern song called, "The Way You Look Tonight," eating a box of Nerd candies, (wishing I had a certain Mr. D pillow) drinking a strawberry smoothie (pink!) and I just read a few 'courtship stories' from YLCF. So I'm just a weeee bit in a romantic mood. :)

I don't have a special someone to share it with but that doesn't make me 'single.' I have wonderful family and friends and the Lord who loves me unconditionally! So I'm not going to feel all pessimistic about Valentines Day or have a huge pity party with me as the honorary guest. That is not glorifying to the Lord nor a good heart attitude. The right heart attitude is to be content and happy where the Lord has placed you. Within your family. As a stay at home daughter and a maiden of virtue. I know that when the Lord's time comes, that He alone will bring my husband into my life and lead through my Dad......speaking of him.....

My wonderful Dad always gives us big hugs and tells us how much he loves us....and how we're growing up so/too fast. He does this everyday, but with just an extra measure on Valentines Day. Poor Dad....as he hugged me with a big, sentimental smile on his face, I looked up at him and grinned impishly. My dimples mirrored his. "And next Valentines Day I'm going to be 16!" He looked so sad! :) I'm a 'Daddy's girl', alright. :)

My friend Ella and I were talking the other evening about what we look for in a spouse. I personally, aside from a few silly things that I've listed over the years (ahem ahem!) I never really thought about what I wanted in a husband. I wanted him to be tall-my Dad's tall-and I like looking up. :) But, aside from silly preferences about his appearance, I never really thought about what the kind of man I want for a husband. I have been thinking about it recently and one thing I want in a husband is for him to be gentle and a 'Mr. Steady.' Like my Dad. :) On one of the Duggar episodes, one of the younger boys says, "You know, boys look for someone who's like their mom....so girls look for someone just like their dad." That's true for me! :)

I'm not going to be all mopey that I don't have a 'boyfriend' or that I'm 'never going to get married! WAAAH!' but rest in the Lord's will for my life right now. I'm sure as I get older, it will get harder and my patience and contentment will be tried but the Lord has already picked out who I am going to marry, and when.

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope."

Simple shopping....

Simple shopping...hmmm....sometimes the two don't quite go together! In my efforts to simplify our meals, our health and our budget...I'm trying to eliminate some supplements that we are taking....and get more and more of our nutrition from food. I have tons of books, and usually pick and choose and glean from all of them, but one that has made the most sense to me is 'Nourishing Traditions' by Sally Fallon. I've always made our own homemade broth...and when I found out how very nourishing homemade bone broths are, I rejoiced! (I'll be doing another NT post soon)

So...today, since Ron was off, a friend and I set off to do some healthy shopping as inexpensively as we could. We headed to Trader Joe's. (with a quick stop at a yarn store...I can never pass them up!) Trader Joe's (for those of you who have never been) is a really cool grocery with everything their own brand....most organic, or at least simple ingredients. I love this store! Shopping with Amy was so much fun,too, as we have never had the chance to visit....so we talked all day! Most of what I get at Trader Joe's are things that I cannot get anywhere else...or I can't get them for that low price. I stocked up on lots of Gluten Free pasta, GF spagetti, Thai rice stick noodles, tuscano sauce, green tomatillo salsa (my very, very favorite!)...cashew butter for Meghan, and some gluten free waffles.

After that, we headed to the Strip District to a restaraunt supply store, then an oriental market for more gluten free supplies. 85 cents for tapioca starch! I loaded up! Picked up my husband some of his favorite Mancini's bread as a treat and headed home. Shopping with a friend is always more fun than shopping alone!

Ron is picking up our natural foods co-op order now. I've found for us, that ordering all of my dry beans and grains in bulk really saves us money...and with a pressure cooker, they cook up quickly. I also grind a lot of beans on a coarse grind, keep them in the freezer and cook them up quickly with some boiling water and spices for instant refried beans. Now we have to rearrange the pantry, and we're done for another month. I love "shopping" from my pantry and seeing how creative I can get to plan my menus as healthy as possible with what I have.

Now I'm off to finish dinner. The girls have a couple friends here now who will be joining us for dinner and a few more coming over in a little while for another movie night....complete with homemade lattes and popcorn again! I love having their friends here! They are welcome here anytime....and I have fun with them,too! I'm sure the girls will be posting their fun time tonight soon! Blessings! ~Sue~

Happy Birthday, Ella!!

It is my dear friend Ella's nineteenth birthday today! We spent over an hour on the phone last night and I plan to call her later today to sing Happy Birthday to her. :) It's little tradition we have in our family. :)

Ella is truly a wonderful friend. Though we haven't known each other very long, it seems to me that I've known her forever! She has a wonderful gift of encouargement and her voice always rings with joy-over the phone and through her e-mails. I thank the Lord for Ella!!

We've discovered that we have A LOT in common.....to say the least. :) We're both old movie nuts, old-fashioned, love books and writing. :) But our common bond is not our passion for old movies and Frank Sinatra (who is crooning right now on the CD player) but the Lord. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful friend in Ella and has blessed our friendship so much!

My dear friend, I wish you a wonderful birthday and to let you know that, "I thank the Lord upon each rememberance of you." Phillipians 1:3.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Legacy: a Short Story in Progress

This is my homemade book cover for a new short story I am working on about a real life girl: Isabella of Castile. The story follows from age three until her secret marriage to Ferdinand, heir to Aragon. I researched her extensively, and whats really neat about writing fiction based on a true story is that the characters are already named, the story is written, and all I need to do is write about it and flesh out some details. Here is the prologue to Legacy; hopefully as I write more, I will post more of the story. But for now, here is the beginning:

Prologue:
Shy. Sweet. Innocent. Those were the words Isabella would have used to describe the reflection she saw staring back at her. She was only three years old, but wise beyond her years, her mother often times said. Her father had bought her first pony, and she spent much of the day riding it. She was just getting ready to have supper when her mother rushed up to her room, with a frightened expression on her face. “Isabel! Date prisa, no tenemos mucho tiempo! Tenemos que apurarnos y dejar! Ahora!” Isabella knew enough to know not to question her mother when she spoke so hurried. Isa quickly grabbed her cloak and a bag of possessions and ran with her mother. They went into the nursery, where Isa’s little brother, Alfonso, slept soundly. The queen wakened the sleeping infant, wrapped him in a blanket, and rushed out. Where are we going? I am so confundido! Isa thought as they ran to the stables, where they both collapsed into the hay.

“Madre, what is going on? Why are we running?” Isabella asked, gasping for breath while her mother patted her head. “My dear little Niña, your father has passed on. He died quietly in his sleep and is now gone.” The queen saw two silent tears run down the small child’s face as Isabella hugged her knees to her chest. “I am afraid that is not all. Not one hour after your father’s death, your half hermano has been crowned king.” Isabella’s eyes widened. Her half brother, Henry IV, was a cruel man interested only in himself. “What will he do to us? Aren’t you still queen?” Isabella’s thoughts ran at the speed of light while her mother rose. Isa stood and lifted the hood of her cloak. “He is splitting us up so we can no longer be together. My hand maiden, Maria, will watch over you and be your mother until we can be together on day. Learn to call her Madre and love her like you do me. You must have the strength of a lioness and the sharpness of a serpent. Now go and be a strong warrior angel.” The queen’s words rang in Isabella’s mind as she and her new ‘mother’ rode towards the road out of Portugal.

At a stop in a small village outside of Portugal, Isa asked her Madre to dictate a letter to a very important person:
Jesús, nos ayudan a estar cerca de nosotros oh señor su humilde servidor, ~Isabella~
This translated means:
Help us Jesus Be near us oh lord Your humble servant, Isabella

This was the beginning of some new adventure, and the end of everything Isa ever knew. She knew that if she wanted to survive, she needed strength. This simple child’s prayer would become a hero’s legacy.
This is Isabella’s story.

Gifts and Blessings!

This day has been so very, very filled with gifts and blessings! For some reason, I was so touched by each one of my children as a special, unique gift today...and the gift of having a baby in the house again! The weather today was so beautiful....especially for Pittsburgh in February! I've always said, that I believe that God gives us days like today in the middle of winter as special gifts...to remind us of His faithfulness....that Spring ALWAYS follows Winter...the seasons are unchanging....and so is He...the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Our high temperature was 64 degrees! And, did we take advantage of it! Today was another "Ty Day" as well....and we had him outside almost more than he was inside! Ty has 'graduated' to the clip-on toddler chair at the table with us..he loves it!
It looked like it might rain this morning, so I put Ty in the carrier, put raincoats on the little ones, grabbed my umbrella and off we went for a walk. I wasn't letting anything keep me inside today! We saw green garbage trucks, trolleys, birds and squirrels nests...and a water main break. ( Ronnie pointed that out, he was intriqued)

What a blessing it is to homeschool! I had to get a shot of this...where else can you do your geometry and lit with a sleepy cat on your lap?!


This is typical...Ty was playing, Anna was sitting next to him playing doll house, Ronnie was doing his math, and I was sitting on the floor with them doing some natural food ordering online. When Ty is here, he just fits right in!

This is so special to me! This was my great-grandmothers rocker. It sat on my Gram's front porch ( my Baba lived with my Gram) and between Baba and Gram....many, many babies and sleepy toddlers have been rocked in this chair! The only babies that my gram didn't rock at all , are Anna and Ty....you can bet I'll be rocking Ty a lot this summer on the deck in the shade of our big oak tree!

Today, though, Anna and I took turns rocking Ty in Baba's chair.

Ronnie and Anna had so much fun today! They rode their bikes, played in the yard and were swinging on the swingset....Anna learned to petal!

Ty got to swing, too! We got this toddler swing when Ronnie was a baby at the old house, then hung it here when we moved....Anna was only 1 year old, and she loved to swing. (still does) Now Ty gets to enjoy it too! And there is never a shortage of hands to push him or play with him around here!

Here he comes! Look at that face!

The closer he came, the more he laughed!
Everyone wanted a turn with Ty!
We all have so much fun with him!I pureed for Ty part of what we had for dinner...I just pureed some brown rice and carrots for him.....he loved it! He looked so funny "chewing" with no teeth!

Then his Daddy came....and finished feeding him before taking him home. It was hard for Todd a little bit, because everytime Ron would talk, Ty would swing his head to see him!

~Like I said...a day of gifts and blessings! After Todd and Ty left, we had a cubscout den meeting here. It was fun....our cubmaster came and told the boys all about camp and different activities coming up in the summer. The boys have already earned their Tiger badges, and will be officially "wolves" in May. It was a very full day, but so full of blessings! I am tired! Another full day tomorrow as well...so I'm off to bed! I hope your days are full of gifts and blessings, too! ~Sue~

Warm water therapy....

Ahhhhh....the joys of warm water! I was thinking of this yesterday morning while in the shower....when you have any type of muscular or joint pain (not to mention neck pain)....warm water is an inexpensive, calming therapy. It loosens the muscles, relaxes you....calms you and loosens you up.

For some reason, this thought continued in my head yesterday, as Anna was washing her hands...for a long time....and both my little ones like to play in warm, soapy water in the kitchen sink. (who doesn't?!)

Again, last night....Anna was swimming, soaking and playing happily in the downstairs tub for almost an hour...singing, playing with her Ariel mermaid doll and cinderella swimming doll...she made them a boat, had a fish and was having a grand time! Ronnie was in the upstairs tub...he said he just "wanted to relax....floating around"...I had to call him twice to get out! At the end of a long day....even if they are not really 'dirty' and need scrubbed....soaking for 1/2 an hour or so really does "sooth the savage beast"....I think when I'm in the kitchen working, that I'm going to start filling up the sink and letting my two little ones "do dishes"...even though we have a dishwasher....it will make them happy...and they want to be wherever I am anyway. We can put some Chris Tomlin worship music on (which will sooth me!)...and sing and play in the warm water. (I think I'm going to teach them to scrub floors for me as well....hmmmm...warm water sloshing around, crawling all over the floors....they'll love it!)

I think I'm going to start today! Hopefully, a quick walk in between raindrops, then some "warm water therapy" for my little ones!

Hope everyone has a blessed day! ~Sue~

A Spot of Tea

Today we went over our friend Bella's house to have a fun afternoon of crafts, slot car racing, and dressup clothes. Our mothers got to talk while Meghan, Bella, and I made cards. I am telling you, card making is really fun and I made two cool cards: one in a standard card style and another flower style. You use scrap book paper and templates and the cards turn out super well!

Anna had her very first real tea party at her first playdate! She and Sophia played baby-dolls, doll house, ballet class, and of course princesses. Everything a little girl should do! Ronnie had a blast with his friend Dominic playing cars, legos, and watching Lego movies. My mom and Mrs. Porcari talked until it was time for the tea to begin! Everything was set up beautifully, from the teacups to the candles and centerpiece. They served delicious gluten free apple spice cake that was so yummy! Anna and Sophia were pleased to be included, and they even had their own namecards in a decorative way: This was the place setting: little mirrors with the name written using special marker. Lovely!

Even if my name is spelled wrong, it is still lovely!
When we made cards, we talked and observed the little girls playing and chattering. They were adorable when they were playing together!

Mrs. Porcari and Mum (Below)

Well, I need to go finish cleaning up dinner and the the Duggar's will be on at 8:00 PM! You all know how much we like the Duggars :)

Special bulletin announcement!

We interrupt the progress of the famous "Dr. Who Scarf" for a very important project: I took this picture to show how long it is in respect to Anna's height!

I must make a very special, double flannel blanket for our good friend's new son, Camren Richard Reynolds! He arrived a little bit early, is doing fine...and will be home sooner than I thought...so Dr. Who will have to wait for someone more important! Welcome to God's world, little Camren! ~Sue~