My Simple Blessed Life

Birthday Blessings...

2012-01-25T09:39:00.000-05:00

My wonderful (only) son turned 10 last week...and after 'days' of celebrating...he is one happy boy! For some reason, 10 just seems so much older than 9 to me....he seems so much older. I can catch glimpses of the man he will become....as I pray for guidance and wisdom to raise him up according to the Lord's will for his life.

He is so loving...creative, brave, tough, tender, sensitive, smart...and He loves the Lord.....he loves His word....and He gets it....in an amazingly mature way...his insights are dead on...Oh, how I look forward to watching the Lord's will unfold for his life! To my son....Ronnie, you are loved so very, very much!

My wonderful son!

Family celebration....

Ronnie's gf birthday cake...and his constant sidekick, Anna!

Cool Lego and Ninjago birthday!

Ronnie and Caleb...they could be twins!

Sisterly love for a "Ronnie" sandwich!

Cousin Ty, Ronnie and Anna...the 3 Muskateers!

January Joy....

2012-01-11T12:42:00.002-05:00

Words that have been going thru my mind lately...joy...amazing grace...intent...being present in the moment....it has become a challenge...what used to be natural...now has to be intentional...I almost said that 'we've become a nation of....' but let's be honest...I have become distracted...'escaping' when I need a little peace and quiet. Internet is so quietly addictive...it's always there...it is visual...it allows us to 'visit' minutely...and provides instant knowledge at our fingertips...and for a person who loves to read...to research...this can be addictive. I say addictive...and yet, I am on all "good" things...keeping in touch with friends and family...reading devotionals, homeschooling, cooking and organizational articles/blogs...but I am finding for me...that thinking that I would only be on for "one minute"...turns out to be a restful (but totally disconnected and distracted 30 minutes)....so convicting...as I pray for the Lord to help me to re-focus on Him...my family...the basics of my life before the internet entered it...so I am praying for help in being 'deliberate'...using the good...not taking my attention away from my family. I've been challanged....and the peace that I suspect I will find will be so worth the self-denial and self-discipline (that I've sorely lacked).

I'll be focusing on Grace...and Joy....and Gratefulness....I've always documented my blessings in pictures...as long as I can remember...and that will continue here. Might be daily...might be a month...when led by Him...but I will be counting my blessings at home...getting back to basics...in our home...and in my heart.

Looking for the joy in the unexpected...and joining with the many other women counting it all joy...over at Joy Dare ~Sue~

Precious friends....and new life!

So grateful for our church...His word...and getting back to the basics...

Parenting...with Grace...

curling up in warmth....focusing on Him...

Joy of family...little cousins....

Hiding God's word in our hearts...

Just because...I love watching them...

Antique bowls...filled with good fruits...

Kefir smoothies...because they make me happy!

Blessings of a full fridge...and a new one...only the 2nd one we've gotten in 22 years...

View from my deck...awe-inspiring...sunset...winter sky...

Feet...and God's gentle leading

2012-01-08T21:42:00.001-05:00

"...He will never make you take one step beyond what your feet are able to endure. Never mind if you think you are unable to take another step, for either He will strengthen you to make you able, or He will call a sudden halt, and you will not have to take it at all." Frances Ridley Havergal

My "everyday" foot fashion look! LOL

With my RA and Fibro being in what feels like a never-ending flare for so very long now...my mornings are especially challenging and painful...I move slowly...and as the RA keeps flaring seemingly in every joint...my feet have changed...and hurt. These ugly green crocs are one of my best friends.

I was so blessed this morning by this devotion in Streams in the Desert! He knows my pain...He knows my hurts...and that my feet hurt...He knows my limitations...and He truly has been faithful to either strengthen me for His purposes...or has many times called a halt...either by cancellations, or illness...or even snowstorms...He calms the storms of these diseases...He soothes my soul.

Taking life one day at a time...moment by moment...trusting in His leading...He will direct where my feet go...and not one step outside of His will.

May you be strengthened and encouraged to trust our Shepherd to guide your steps....moment by moment. ~Sue~

"It's raining Bean Juice!"

2012-01-06T09:12:00.000-05:00

Bean rain! This is what 3 of my 4 children were laughingly yelling today as bean juice became a misty volcano and then rained down on my kitchen! That picture is Ronnie & Anna pointing to the ceiling where evidence of my folly was dripping down.

Let me back up...it is cold here...like single digits cold...so I decided to make a large amount of chili and let it simmer all day. So...after soaking 2lbs of dried pinto beans overnight, into the pressure cooker they went. Well...as I usually do, I used the 'quick release' method and removed the jiggler from the pressure cooker...apparently, I had a lot of liquid in there and it spewed all over...looked just like a volcano! LOL As the jiggler was hot...I was frantically trying to get it back on to stop the explosion while the kids are laughing hysterically! Ronnie says "We are SO lucky! I bet we're the only family in the world to have it raining bean juice in our kitchen!"

Sara said " Wow....Meghan and Dad don't know how much fun they miss while they are at work!"....This was before she had to clean the ceiling since she was the only one who could reach. Fun times, fun times! LOL

What silly 'unique' to you memories have you made in the kitchen lately? Blessings! ~Sue~

Yarn Along....

2012-01-04T21:08:00.000-05:00

Joining with Ginny over at Small Things for her yarn along. Anyone with a love of reading and 'fiber' love...knitting or crocheting, please feel free to join along or head over to see what everyone else is reading or working on! (I love checking this out...I've gotten great recommendations for books for myself and the children...and lots of inspiration for relaxing, fiber fun)

Well...over the holidays, I'm sad to say, that I only made 2 hats...between my RA and Fibro in major flares, just making memories happen for our family was about all I had in me. I am still working on my nieces afghan...although it is slow until these flares are under control. I did promise my little one, Anna, that I would make her a hat...with a couple stripes she said...and ear flaps...and braids...and a tassel...so that is what I am working on finishing right now...in warm wool. Hopefully, next week I'll have a picture of Anna IN the hat! LOL The little ones and I started a nightly read-aloud of 'Little Men'. I wasn't sure at first if both my son and daughter would like it...and it is rather old fashioned, but it is quickly becoming much beloved by all of us.

Enjoying the fiber and the fire tonight with temperatures in the low single digits. Keep warm everyone! ~Sue~

10,000 small resolutions....

2012-01-02T09:54:00.001-05:00

‎"So, we wake up each day committed to live in the small moments of our daily lives with open eyes and humbly expectant hearts."

It's the day by day...moment by moment quiet 'resolutions' that make up change...spirit led change...excellent article for this time of "Resolutions" for the New Year.....small steps...moment by moment.

Desiring God

Operation Deepen Faith 2012

2012-01-01T15:39:00.001-05:00

It's "Operation Deepen Faith" in the Gorecki home this year! After much prayer...our family has felt led to read thru the Bible in one year....and this is the year! We are very excited about what God is going to do thru His Word.

We are excited and blessed that our church, The Bible Chapel is encouraging everyone to do this as well...and will be sending out daily email devotions along with the scripture reading schedule...I can only imagine, since God's word never returns void, how this will impact our family, our church and our community. I'm thinking revival...personal and corporate...and community wide!

We are also availing ourselves of the Bible reading schedule and daily emails from www.familymatters.com...with 6 of us and our individual schedules, when we come together in the evening for prayer, these resources will allow all of us to "be on the same page"...to hold each other accountable and strengthen each other on our walk with the Lord.

What I feel led to do with my little ones, is read thru this with them every morning ...

And use this resource (which is very cool...timeline, archeological photos and history) and...

This resource to really 'bring it alive' and flesh it out for them. My 10 year old may do the regular reading with us as well.

If you would like to join us and receive these wonderful daily devotions and readings, please go to thebiblechapel.org and sign up for our pastor's blog.

We are blessed to have my "daughter of my heart", Gabrielle, in Idaho joining us for this spiritual journey this year.

May 2012 be a year of many, many blessings for everyone! ~Sue~

Thoughts on a new year....

2011-12-30T10:32:00.002-05:00

So...like most people these days...I've been thinking of fresh starts...a New Year...and realizing that I need to prayerfully plan....day by day and allowing the Lord to reveal His will for that day...not try and jump ahead to 'plan' out our whole year...oh, goodness....I NEED to walk with Him moment by moment even...and these are just some of my thoughts....

In my quiet time this morning, I opened to 1John 2:15-16 "Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions." Ouch! I had really been bemoaning that fact that I NEEDED a small, portable electronic 'device'...with my RA, this old laptop I am typing on is so heavy, sometimes I'm afraid of dropping it....but I'm so grateful to be able to sit in a comfortable recliner when necessary...rather on a hard kitchen chair at the desktop computer that died this year.... So the fact that the new Kindle Fire...or an itouch....or any other tablet is NOT in the budget...it's ok....I'm grateful and content with the very old laptop that I have...right now, it works and meets our needs.

Ok...so this cute, PORTABLE little 'netbook'...that would PERFECTLY meet my needs...is also...not necessary...and not in the budget.

Redoing my kitchen...removing a wall, opening it up...and making it more workable...is also....NOT in the budget. (BUT...it has a new refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave...all of which makes my life much easier) And for these things...I am very grateful!

Hmmm....having a workable solution for homeschooling my "distractible" little ones from distracting each other, short of having a seperate homeschooling room/library to house all of our books...actually...this might work! I'm going to have to try this! LOL

Planning....planning our schoolwork for a graduating senior, and 2 little ones for the rest of the year....planning schedules for 6 people of who needs to be where, who needs a car/ride...and planning meals...healthy meals...for people who have special dietary needs...and adding my new restrictions in...AND making 3 meals and at least 2 snacks HEALTHY....and hearty and pleasing to my husband and children....planning/revamping chore charts...to reflect added responsabilities for little ones...and an oldest daughter who is now working outside the home 20 plus hours a week, as well as volunteering....(sigh) lots of planning....but yesterday, a wise friend said to me "just plan one thing at a time"....plan out meal plans that meet all of your needs....done....then rough out the rest of your schoolyear....done...just like relying on God moment by moment....planning WITH HIM....one thing at a time.

Now this...this is what I am focusing on for 2012...counting my blessings...a year of graces...contentment, gratefulness...simplifying....prayerfully planning...prayerfully making relationships my priority...my relationship with my Savior....my relationship with my husband...and my children...top priority. Prayerfully, mindfully...focusing on the meanful...sharing and discussing Gods word...and His work in our lives...making memories....giving thanks...in ALL things...you can go to www.aholyexperience.com where many wonderful resources are provided to help you do that. A year of graces....daily....even a free app for those of you who would like to use your phones...counting blessings, photographing them...and even counting them for you....visit Ann's blog...I promise, you'll be blessed.

We are blessed with a wonderful church, where the whole church is encouraged to read thru the Bible in one year...together...where the children are led each month thru a particular virtue...which we will be studying at home as well...it's all simple....it all goes together.

I'll be writing more on my health as well...sort of like a journal...also, sometimes it helps to know you are not a lone when you have a chronic illness...live with chronic pain...and really, this is a big part of who I am....God alone knows why I suffer with Rheumatoid Disease and Fibromyalgia....but I know He is working all things for His good...He is refining me...and carrying me thru this...moment by moment....so I am looking for the graces...the blessings...moment by moment. ~Sue~

Christmas Memories 2011...in pictures...

2011-12-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

The joy of childhood...Anna was so happy to get a hairstyling chair and set for her dolls!

Anna was "in charge" of gf pecan tassies this year...she particularly loved the filling!

Sharing earbuds is fun!

and silly!

Bobalki making by everyone this year! Now there isn't a bobalki left in the house!

Ronnie, almost 10 years old

Anna, 7 years old

Sara, 16 years old

Meghan, 18 years old

My precious blessings!

Our 25th Christmas together!

My dad and I on Christmas Eve

My missing angel...Gabrielle Nichole!

Twas the night before Christmas!

LEGOs (Ninjago) always make him smile!

She's all grown up...when did THAT happen?!

I had no idea how BIG this was when I ordered it! LOL (she loves it...can't wait till the movie)

My mom and her girls!

Decorating the tree...it was so nice to have my helpers! I simply relaxed and "directed"! LOL And laughed...a lot!

We didn't have a lot of parties and activities this year...which was nice...but we did do a couple of special activities...took the kids to a special display of over 280 Creche's from around the world...wow....beautiful!

A live Nativity/Journey to Bethelehem was another special outing we had...

Hats were made for winter warmth....

Cousins at Grammy & Buppy's house

The annual "sister picture" with my sisters...

My sister Pam and her twins Justin and Tina..

My mom and one of her Christmas traditions...Polish Blintzes! Yum!

My beautiful mother and I!

~We had a wonderful Advent season...quiet, simple...focused at home and on preparing our hearts for to celebrate Jesus birth. Seems what has mattered most to my children has been the nightly devotions, reading, candles, singing...unit studies of the names of Jesus....the 'getting ready' for our savior...makes us want to keep doing this...wanting more of Him...and less of the world...less of focusing on ourselves.

After a beautiful candlelit Christmas Eve service and a traditional Slovak dinner with my dad visiting...we had a quiet, 'silent night'....and a joyous Christmas day! After cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa....singing 'Happy Birthday' Jesus....stocking were explored...then a tradition we started when our children were very young....3 gifts...hidden....clues read and followed...gathered....gathered around the fire as each one takes turns opening and appreciating each others gifts....the kids always look forward to "finding" their gifts each year...as they 'journey' around the house. Of course, we now let the little ones read them and figure them out...the big ones just tag along!

Then....after brunch....onward to visit! We were blessed to visit with Aunts and lots of cousins....many in Pittsburgh from out of town....then more aunts, uncles and cousins....then down to grandmothers for yet more relatives...what a blessing family is!

Now...this week...we'll quietly reflect on the season...as we prepare for the new year...new chances...new blessings...and more visits this week!

As we finish out 2011....what are some ways that you are preparing for 2012?

May you have a very blessed week!

Bobalki...A Slovak Christmas Eve Tradition

2011-12-13T08:52:00.003-05:00

Bobalki

One of the traditions that we share with our children and extended family every Christmas. I had the extreme blessing of living with my grandmother for years before I married...and then only living 5 minutes away until she passed. I've always been fascinated with all her old stories and traditions and have passed them on to my children....and Christmas Eve dinner wouldn't be quite the same without our Bobalki!

I was asked to post the recipe, and since now, after making them for so many years I simply don't measure, I had to look it up, but here is how we make my grandmother's bobalki.

2 cups water
3 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons canola oil or butter (if not fasting)
2 packages active dry yeast
6 cups all-purpose flour

Mix the water (making sure it is very warm...almost the temp. of bathwater) with the sugar and yeast, stir and allow to 'proof' or foam up...then add the oil to yeast mixture and mix the whole thing with the flour...mixing and kneading on an oiled surface until smooth and elastic.Place into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. To ensure a good rise in this cold winter weather, I preheat my oven to 200 degrees, then shut it off, put a pie tin filled with boiling water on the bottom and place bowl of dough in oven. Let rise till more than doubled in size. Punch it down.

Now...this is when the fun starts. Gather helpers or in my case...children and give each one a butter knife. Break off small pieces of dough....roll into thin "snakes" of dough, then cut each 'snake' into little nuggets and place onto a lightly floured jelly roll pan. When pan is full, let rise again. (then work on more pans) When risen, bake for 10-20 minutes (depending on the size of your bobalki) until light golden brown...then with spatula, turn so they brown on all sides...bake for just a few minutes more. When done, let cool and store in a large container, tin or ziplock bag until ready to mix for dinner.

Now some people like to mix theirs with honey and poppyseed...but that is not our families tradition. We like ours with browned butter and sauerkraut. So on Christmas Eve morning....

Place a large pot of water onto boil. While waiting for the water (because a watched pot truly does NOT boil), you will drain and rinse your sauerkraut in a colander. Rinse very well, and squeeze most of the water out. Set aside. In a large pan, melt butter....watching very closely as it turns a beautiful light brown color and smells almost "nutty"...then add your sauerkraut to pan and stir...turn on low. Now, I am not telling you how much butter or how many cans of sauerkraut, because it depends on your preference and how much bobalki you've ended up with...we like a lot of butter and sauerkraut and use at least 1lb of butter and 3 large cans of kraut.

Ok...you are ready for your final step....once water has boiled, add salt, stir and now dump all bobalki 'dough balls' into boiling water and stir gently JUST UNTIL SOFTENED...then drain in colander gently and slowly...and when drained fold into the browned butter/sauerkraut mixture....and ENJOY!

We will have this on Christmas Eve with traditional mushroom soup (even though I am the only one who likes it..everyone must have at least a spoonful), pierogies, fish and peas.....and then we'll have our bobalki again Christmas morning with our Polish traditions from my mother's side....fresh kielbasi, bobalki, eggs and 'palacinta'....or blintzes filled with a dried cottage cheese mixture.

And there you have it! I've found that for our family....it isn't the presents and parties that make Christmas special for us...it is following our Advent devotions and traditions leading up to the birth of Jesus...and then celebrating His birth with the same traditions that our ancestors did...giving thanks for our Savior and giving thanks for the blessings of family. Enjoy!

(PLEASE FORGIVE HOW THE TEXT POSTED...I CANT SEEM TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX THIS, MY APOLOGIES!)

(and yes...I've figured out a way to make gluten free versions of all of this...has taken me years, and I have to make both versions...but it is so worth it! LOL)

Wishing and a hoping...

2011-12-11T23:26:00.000-05:00

Wishing and hoping to slow down this Advent season! Christmas is coming too soon! This was the conversation I had with my 9 1/2 year old son this evening....he decided that he loves this season leading up to Christmas, he wanted it to slow down and last longer! Oh, how I wish it would, too!

Just some notes from around the home....homeschooling is going well...just doing the basics of math drills, daily grammar and spelling...but lots of reading, devotionals, names of Jesus and unit studies going on...picking out gluten free cookie recipes...traditional Slovak and Polish foods (and how to make them gluten free)...some shopping...hoping to finish up this week....lots of get togethers...church activities...doctors appointments...RA flare up that never ends...just now getting off of a methotrexate "hangover" headache that has lasted too long....have chronic auto immune diseases makes things tricky during holidays...ok...pretty much makes life tricky all the time...but having these really makes me be more purposeful...to prioritize and adapt...and to count my blessings.

With a week very full of activities (including bloodwork, doctors and a root canal for hubby)....I am going to try and only focus on the most important things...my family. After the 18th....our lives slow down considerably...just in time to breathe a sigh of comfort...get some baking done together and really slow down and focus on Jesus...as we follow the star that last week leading up to Christmas. Lots of pictures and recipes to post...as time allows.....I pray you all are having a very, very blessed Christmas time! God bless you all! ~Sue~

Doing Christmas differently this year...Jotham's Journey &Tabitha's Travels

2011-12-07T09:29:00.000-05:00

We are doing Christmas differently in so many ways this year! As I mentioned before, we have been very blessed by the free Jesse Tree devotionals by Anne Voscamp and our evenings before bed have been special times of closeness as we have been snuggling up and reading these wonderful books by Arthur Ytreeide.

For the first time, we are reading thru Jotham's Journey and also Tabitha's travels. I had heard of these books for years and this year decided to get both thinking that both my son and daughter would be able to relate....and they do...we all do.

Each book has one chapter a night for every night of Advent and at the end of each chapter, there is a "cliffhanger"....and a short, but very clear devotional with scripture pertaining to that chapter. We've been blessed with discussions about God's love, forgiveness, provision, protection, the consequences of sin...anger, disobedience vs. making a mistake, grace and mercy....my little ones can't wait, each night to snuggle in and read these devotion stories. Focusing on unit studies of the names of Jesus, Christmas hymns and carols, Christmas symbols, our Advent wreath and devotional stories...talking about giving and accepting the greatest gift of all...that is what our Advent season leading up to the Joy of Christmas is about this year! (it is so hard, in todays world, to 'block out' commercialism and materialism...so hard as a parent to help 're-focus' our children on WHY we're celebrating Christmas)

I would love to hear any ideas of how you might be 'doing Christmas' differently this year. Peace and Grace to you on this rainy, dark December day! ~Sue~

So sorry....

2011-12-04T20:51:00.000-05:00

So sorry....I was mistaken and think a little explanation is in order.....

First...Advent! I am loving this Advent season as we are celebrating the birth of our Savior...and we are doing Christmas a little differently around here this year. For this reason...I thought I would have time to blog this special time in our family's lives but am realizing that time is indeed, very precious...and in short supply around here! LOL

I mistakenly thought I could just "stop" the blog for a little while and then get back to it when I could...without it being visible...but after some dear friends brought to my attention that it appeared as if I had blocked them (I guess it looked like I had blocked everyone) I realized that I had better let everyone know and check my settings! (I am pretty computer illiterate...so wasn't really surprised that I had messed this up~ LOL) Add to that that my computer is acting up for some reason....and it became time-consuming and confusing for me. But....

My wonderful daughter, Meghan, brought to my attention that like everything in life....we are to use the gifts that God has given us...and if the Lord says to sing...then we must sing for Jesus (even is no one is listening) and if God tells me to write...then I must write for Him....not for a publisher, not for an audience...writing only for Him....when He tells me to.

So sometimes this little blog will be my thoughts and sometimes it will be a record of our lives...sometimes recipes, books or crafts...but all will be when the Lord prompts me to write...for Him.

And for those of you who enjoy reading my little blog...I heartily apologize for the computer mix up...and I thank you, my dear friends, for letting me know! I will be writing/posting as the Lord leads...and I wish you all a very special Advent season as we celebrate the joy of Christmas! ~Sue~

Advent beginnings.....

2011-11-27T22:37:00.000-05:00

Happy 1st day of the Advent! What a glorious way to transition from focusing on gratitude, contentment and thankfulness...to joyous preparation! We've been preparing to celebrate the birth of our Savior...yes, decorating the house for our celebration and focusing on preparing our hearts to receive the ultimate gift...Jesus Christ.

I collect nativity sets. A number of years ago, we made a conscious decision to try and make our Christmas celebrations visually as well as spiritually focused on the Lord...not on the commercial or material hype...and since we do well with visual reminders...we try and make our decorations meaningful to us. We've also been feeling the Lord leading us to simplify...a lot....some simplifying is for health reasons...some for financial...but really...I think He just wants us to simply focus on Him....and sometimes, with the distractions of this world...especially at this time of year, that is hard to do.

As we have for years, we will be doing Advent devotions with our advent wreath every Sunday of Advent. Ever since my older girls were little, we've used our homeschooling lesson time for the month leading up to Christmas to just do the basics ...a little spelling, grammar and math....and focus on unit studies about Jesus and Christmas. The unit studies we've used can be found http://easyfunschool.com/IndexChristmas.html at this link. We always do the names of Jesus study, the Christmas symbol study and Christmas Hymn studies.

We will also be doing a Jesse tree and devotional from Anne at A Holy Experience. We're trying to take every opportunity when the subject of gifts comes up, to talk about Jesus being the greatest gift of all. If Christmas lights and light displays comes up, we talk about John 1:5...and Jesus being the light of the world. We have some wonderful family times planned...not too many activities this year...and all of us as a family and all centered around Jesus...a special time for our family to enjoy...and to keep our focus on the gift of Jesus.

In the coming days...I'll be sharing some of our special books, devotions, traditions and special times that we have planned to focus our hearts on the gift of the Light of the World....and I hope to hear how all of you are celebrating this very special time! ~Sue~

Thanksgiving memories....

2011-11-26T20:33:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration this year! Wanted to share and save some special remembrances this year...

We made a 'gratitude garland' ...the 6 of us wrote many things we were grateful for and strung them across the mantle...a special, beautiful reminder to be grateful everyday! Every year, we plan on writing more blessings on our leaves and adding to our garland.

Beautiful roses...sweetly given to me by my beautiful oldest daughter, Meghan....so grateful for all 4 of my special children!

Very grateful for my wonderful husband and our 25 years of being together!

These 2 crack me up! Sara and Aunt Peppy...sharing earbuds and listening to Glee songs! LOL

Meghan and I with our sweet cousin, Jill!

My special mom and Meghan

Love this picture! What a crew! Ron, his brother Sean, Uncle Joe, and cousin Mike (holding Meghan's Godson, Colin)

And...my very tired children! LOL (Not the best picture of Ronnie...and Anna was so tired, she wouldn't even look...but this is real life, right?! Smile....)

The blessings of family mean so much to us...and we are very blessed to have a lot of extended family on both mine and Ron's side...and we see them frequently. We finished the weekend off with a family baby shower yesterday...and getting ready for Advent today....will be posting our Advent preparations and celebrations thru out the month....for tonight...we'll finish watching "White Christmas" and pray as we prepare to start the Advent season tomorrow. ~Sue~

Cultivating....gratitude

2011-11-23T10:04:00.000-05:00

It is a daily....ok...minutely, mindfully struggle to cultivate a truly grateful heart...to look for the 'silver lining'...to count your blessings...minute by minute...and then...how very many blessings there are! May your day be filled with blessings!

This week...a time to keep....

2011-11-21T10:09:00.000-05:00

During this week of preparation...we find ourselves preparing for this most wonderful of American holidays...Thanksgiving. As the tradition in our family goes...the Gorecki's will be traveling around sharing meals and yummy desserts with lots of extended family on both sides...enjoying grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins from near and far....and giving thanks that God chose to make us all "family". There are so many things we are grateful for and we are careful to remember to give thanks every day...not just on Thanksgiving. But, as we are hustling and bustling, I am trying to be aware of the need to rest in the Lord...to slow down, to snuggle and talk and make memories that don't involve involve hustling and bustling...so with that in mind as we cook and bake this week, get ready for a special baby shower and then prepare to start Advent (a very special, joyous time of preparation here) below are some of the books we'll enjoy reading aloud....snuggling under blankets....a fire lit....and counting our blessings. May you have a joyous week filled with thanksgivings! ~Sue~

This moment...

2011-11-18T08:52:00.001-05:00

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . .
Joining in this Friday Ritual over at SouleMama....no words...for me....just a peaceful photo thought of 2 little best friends.....Have a blessed weekend! ~Sue~

Inspirational dinner....

2011-11-17T10:22:00.001-05:00

After praying about 'stretching' groceries even more...and praying about what to have for dinner that would be warm, filling, healthy...and I already had the ingredients for...I found this recipe today! So THIS is what's for dinner! Perfect! Go to Family Balance Sheet for the recipe for italian sausage white bean kale soup! (with some GF garlic bread with parmesean cheese....perfect warm, filling dinner! ~Sue~

Heritage Field Trip Fun!

2011-11-16T10:17:00.000-05:00

Our family has a membership to the Heinz History Center...a wonderful museum affliated with the Smithsonian. This weekend, we enjoyed a whole day wondering around the wonderful old building that used to be the Chautauqua Ice House. It was Heritage Day. The above photo is of the Slovakian dancers. I, particularly, was touched by this group as they sang and danced to all the songs that my grandmother loved and I shared with her long ago. Baba would have loved this! Some of the people are the same as when Gram and I used to go see them perform many years ago.

Anna loved learning the art of making Slovenian lace...getting the hang of the rhythm of crossing the bobbins in the right order. She asked if she could have one of these at home! (I'm not sure, but I think they may be pretty expensive)

These gorgeous Slovenian easter eggs were so beautiful! I have a friend who does this art and am hoping to learn over the winter.

Ronnie had such a great time talking with these gentlemen....one from Scotland and one from Wales. Discussing the legends of King Arthur and the areas he most likely would have been from fascinates Ronnie right now. He and one gentleman had both watched the same documentary and enjoyed discussing it together.

Anna loves herbs and really enjoyed making her own sachet filled with lavender, rose hips, orange peel and chamomile.

taking a break from a lot of walking on 5 floors of the museum. (typical Sara....performing!)

A new exhibit that we hadn't seen yet, that is loaned by the Smithsonian is the History of the American Flag. Very cool exhibit! So many authentic flags from the 1700's, 1800's, both Confederate and Union flags...along with World War II flags and memorabilia...all the way thru the 60's and 70's and a large display from 9/11 as well. Very beautiful, humbling, educational tribute to the symbol of our great country.

My little readers read everything...and they also had a lot of hands on displays for the children including the proper way to fold a flag.

While the guys went to the Steelers and Penquin sports museum, the girls and I toured thru the Heinz exhibit...one of my favorite spots! (and the girls, too!)

Anna's advertising campaign for Heinz Spagetti!

One of the kids favorite things to do is pack the pickle jars! As Anna is now into helping me do anything I'm doing, including canning pickles, she had fun packing pickles at Heinz!

We enjoy educational field trips, but we really enjoy them when we can do them as a family. What a wonderful day we had! Finished it off by coming home to a delicious dinner, and watching the Duggar family start their tour of Europe...the kids were mesmerized by life in Scotland and Ireland...the castles, the farms the highland games....This is one family field trip memorie that will always be special to me! ~Sue~

Yarn Along....

2011-11-16T08:41:00.000-05:00

Joining with Ginny for her weekly Yarn Along...sharing my 2 favorite things...yarn and books! This week, I crocheted a hat and booties for a special cousin expecting her first baby and am working on finishing the baby afghan before the shower, the day after Thanksgiving. Working with 2 strands should get it done quickly. Am reading many books, but thought I would mention this one (before I need to return it to the library) Paleo Comfort Foods is a great cookbook! For anyone learning about low carb/no carb healthy living, this book has many recipes and advice to make what feels like "normal" food healthier. Check out more yarn and book goodness over at Small Things today!

Princess Party!

2011-11-15T06:42:00.001-05:00

My littlest girl...my sweet Anna! She said her 7th birthday has been her best birthday ever! LOL This year, for the first time we had a "friend party" for her and she chose a princess theme.

The girls all dressed up in their princess finery...decorated picture frames (glitter glue takes a LONG time to dry! LOL), beaded necklaces and bracelets, played Twister, musical chairs, Bingo and danced all over the livingroom...and last but not least...decorated their own purple princess cupcakes that my oldest daughter, Meghan, had made for them.

What a very special birthday Anna Lydia had! She had some wonderful little friends and made some very special memories!

I feel as if I need to "catch up" over the past 9 months and journal some updates on all the children and memories I don't want to forget....so look for some photo journaling catching up with our family coming soon. As my children are growing up so very quickly, I don't want to miss a thing! ~Sue~

Silver Lining...

2011-11-14T06:00:00.016-05:00

Oh, how I love this quote! I've always been an optimist...always loved 'Pollyanna', but since my illnesses have progressed over the years, it's been harder and harder on some days to count my blessings and look for the silver lining. I've recently discovered a very special blog.

Sara Gitzen has written a blog that has blessed hundreds and hundreds of people! Her blog, Choose Joy, does just that...reminds us to CHOOSE joy.

The link above will take you to Choose Joy and a post about not missing the silver lining because you are expecting gold. Sara wrote from the unique perspective of someone who has suffered from a very painful, debilitating ,chronic illness. Sara has recently passed away due to complications from her disease...which, to me, makes her thoughts even more poignant and meaningful. As I read thru more and more of Sara's writings....oh, how I am blessed! As she is now dancing on streets of gold...I pray that she knows....knows how very much the Lord has used her to bless countless others who are suffering from chronic illness and/or pain ..but there are so many more lessons to be learned here. I encourage you all to read this particular post of Sara's...and if you have some time....scroll thru and read more...you will be blessed! ~Sue~

Some daily grace....

2011-11-13T06:24:00.004-05:00

One of the many books that have blessed me is the daily devotional 'Streams in the Desert'. This little book has ministered to me so very, very much over the years and I've shared it with many people. From time to time, I'll be sharing some parts of this special little book with you as well as my thoughts....below, is some amazing grace...that came at a much needed time. May you be filled with peace that passes all understanding...the peace that only Jesus can give.

Something that I didn't talk about much on this blog before I took my hiatus, was afflictions...specifically Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia...the 2 chronic illnesses that I have. I never wanted those to consume me, to define me...I didn't want to fall into the trap of self-pity...but honestly, they are a big part of who I am...they touch every part of my life.

The sleepness nights...the daily bone-weary exhaustion...the heaviness of my limbs...sometimes it is hard to hold my head up. The weakness (dropping lots of things...or falling frequently)...the pain...the swelling of joints...muscle and joint pain...lots of medications (and subsequent side effects ) it has become just a part of my everyday life and my families' lives.

It took me a long time to come to accept that this was my cross....and to count my blessings in spite of it. But God is ever faithful...He is so faithful to lead and guide...to comfort...and to gently re-focus me on His goodness and the many blessings in my life.

He uses my little book...along with His Word to focus me...to remind me...to uplift and encourage me...and today, I want to share a little bit of what He has been telling me...what I am continuously contemplating as I go about my days.

"An affliction hits a believer never by chance but by God's divine direction. It is not only the grace of God, but also His glory that is revealed when a believer can stand and quietly endure an affliction." Joseph Caryl

" It is thru our trials and afflictions that God gives us fresh revelations of Himself." Nathaniel William Taylor

"If you have been praying to know more of Christ, do not be surprised if He leads you thru the desert or through a furnace of pain. I cannot explain exactly how we are able to receive the power to serve and to endure thru communion with God, but I know it is a fact. Are you in danger of being crushed by a heavy and difficult trial? Then seek communion with Christ and you will receive strength and the power to be victorious, for God has promised "I will strengthen you" (Isa. 41:10) Steams in the Desert

If you would like more encouragment...please read the posts at http://refined-redeemed.blogspot.com/ Refined As Gold, one of the blogs of my daughter, Meghan and her dear friend, Shannon....I'll be posting over there occasionally as well....as we are all being 'refined as gold'. ~Sue~

The devil's 'beatitudes'....

2011-11-12T06:13:00.001-05:00

After reading this, (again...as I recently got this book from the library)...I was reminded of how true these words are....please, go to my friend Judy's blog http://livingsimplyforhim.blogspot.com/ and read the devil's 'beatitudes' and maybe, like me, you'll be reminded of how careful we must be of the master deceiver.

(also, if you get the chance...I echo Judy's opinion of the book "The Simplicity Primer"...excellent book and on my wish list to own!) Check it out! ~Sue~

This moment...

2011-11-11T06:25:00.000-05:00

Sisterly love!

Joining in over at http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/ for a Friday ritual...a single photo...for This Moment. May your weekend be blessed!

65 degrees in Pittsburgh in November?! Field Trip!

2011-11-10T04:19:00.002-05:00

When you have 65 degrees AND sunshine in Pittsburgh in November...you take a field trip! After we finished up the academics this morning my little ones and I headed out to a local farm to meet my sister and nephew...what a fun day! (ok...the above picture is NOT the most flattering of me, but since I'm usually not IN the pictures...I'm thrilled to have this one for the memories with my little ones!)

Other than enjoying the fall day, the farm had these wonderful, inter-active boards up that show how this farm is "going green"...we learned a lot about sustainable farming.

We also just had some plain old fashioned FUN! A chocolate lab named 'Sydney' joined us on all our activities...what a sweet dog! Instead of a sand box, the 'corn' box was a hit with the kids as something different.

The petting zoo was a hit for a little while...(until a goat started eating Anna's shirt...she was less than pleased)...my nephew, Ty, was so happy to be with his cousins and not afraid of the animals...goats, sheep, chickens and ducks were part of the fun.

And...pumpkins! I am so grateful for the chance to spend time with my sister, nephew and our little ones! Blessings like these are precious memories that we will always treasure!

I am trying to be more mindful to say "yes" more....to LOOK for opportunities to make memories with all of my children... to laugh more and treasure the time we have together.

Yarn Along....

2011-11-09T09:14:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Ginny over at Small Things for her weekly Yarn Along! I enjoy a chance to share 2 of my favorite things...books and yarn! Right now, I am working on a couple small crochet projects and one large one...the afghan in the photo is for my niece, who graduated college and is working in Boston now. As I wanted to have this done sooner and it is getting COLD in Boston, I'm hoping to finish this fairly soon.

I've always tried to draw from Karen Andreola's wisdom in her book "A Charlotte Mason Companion" and have many books that I am reading at any given moment, but my current fiction book is one I've been waiting for for quite a while and my copy just came in today from the library...'The Wedding Quilt', by Jennifer Chiaverini...the latest book in the 'Elm Creek Quilt' series. Lots of loose ends tied up in this one as well as more history from Elm Creek Manor and the Bergstrom family...I love this series! It is the series of fiction that inspired me to learn to quilt. If you would like some fiber inspiration and enjoy sharing your love of reading and fiber, head on over to Ginny's and check out some great inspiration! ~Sue~

A Time for Everything

2011-11-08T15:50:00.009-05:00

'To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1'

Originally, when I started this blog, it was for the purpose of journaling for our family...with photos, recipes...just chronicling our days in a format that will never be lost....I used to have a hand-written journal, but due to Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia...writing hurts...typing, as of now, does not....and I've found that my children love to see pictures of themselves and read all about their days.

Over time, the RA became very aggressive and is not responding to treatment...and the past year has been full of trials..trying different medications, and simply adapting life, once again, to changes and limitations. So...with that said...this "new" blog will again be journaling for our family, as well as my thoughts and feelings about this journey the Lord has me on with RA and Fibro...homeschooling, and trying to live as simple and joyful a life as we can. We are so very, very blessed....

I had someone once ask me why I wrote about our meals and what was going on in our lives, and for any readers that I may still have out there...I will say...I pray that my writing blesses first my family...that it honors the Lord...and if it blesses others, then I will be content to share our lives with others.

The Lord IS faithful to keep His promises...and this journey...this path that we are on as His pilgrims...is best not walked alone...I'm looking forward to sharing my journey with all of you...may your day be blessed!

Weekly Yarn Along....

2011-01-26T21:50:00.003-05:00

Joining again the weekly Yarn Along with Ginny over at Small Things. I am finding that I really feel connected lately with the other women involved in the Yarn Along...and this blesses me to share two of my great loves...reading and yarn with others who appreciate the special place they hold in my heart. My reading this week has been all about recipes....so I've combed thru my daughter's new issue of Taste of Home's Healthy cooking magazine and have some earmarked...and also, my new favorite cookbook "Extending the Table"....I LOVE this cookbook as it is organized by country and region as well as ingredients and type of food...so if I am looking for something to do with chicken, and a portuguese chicken recipe catches my eye....or tomorrow we're making "Papusa's" stuffed with ground venison, onions, seasonings and cheese and having them with pickled veggies from the summertime....and next week we're going to try Phillipino "Lumpia" for dinner....love how these meals stretch my ingredients, are healthy and spice up our winter a little bit! LOL

Hmmm....my knitting....well, that has now turned into crochet! My friends, I started this darn knit hat 3 times and STILL had to frog it...and discovered that by switching to crocheting my hat that it is almost done! I guess I've crocheted for so many years, that it is much faster and easier for me to do. I'll still keep plugging along at knitting....I have scarves to make and am determined to learn how to knit socks on circular needles someday. But for now....I'm finding some simple pleasure with the familiar rhythm of my hooks. What are you enjoying during this cold, cold winter? Have a warm, blessed evening! ~Sue~

Menu plan Monday (and a crockpot, meatless meal)

2011-01-24T09:49:00.000-05:00

Time again for Menu Plan Monday and today's plan includes a crockpot, meatless meal as well! A friend had recently made this soup and her family loved it, so I thought this would be a great day to plan this for the Gorecki family as it is a very hectic Monday! LOL So....here's the weekly menu with recipe at the end. ~Sue~

Monday: crockpot African chickpea, curry soup and brazilian chebe bread buns

Tuesday: crockpot cream cheese chicken, gf pasta and salad

Wednesday: Great-grandmother's beef soup( Baba's soup) with meat/potatoes eaten seperately. (short story...when my great-grandfather and great-uncles worked in the steel mills, my great grandmother HAD to make soup for them everyday...and only the men got to eat the meat....if there was any left, then the women could have some. There were 8 children....4 guys and 4 girls...and all 4 guys worked in the mill with their dad...so the reasoning behind only the men eating the meat was because they worked so hard in the mills....I've always found this interesting)

Thursday: meat and cheese Papusa's, homemade salsa and salad

Friday: crockpot Beef Stew

Saturday: gf steak/mushroom white pizza , pickled veggies

Sunday: roast chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots and corn (one of my husband's favorite, traditional Sunday suppers)

Now for the recipe for the african soup....you can follow this link to http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2006/03/african-coconut-chick-pea-soup.html

You can also find more Menu plan Monday's over at Frugal Granola's site at: http://frugalgranola.com/2011/01/menu-plan-monday-1-24-1-30/

(This new setup on blogger has me slightly confused ...have to spend more time getting used to the links) Have a great day! ~Sue~

One Thousand Gifts...a give-away.

2011-01-20T22:46:00.003-05:00

There is a very special give-away being offered from Michelle over at She Looketh Well ....Ann Voskamp's new book "One Thousand Gifts". Ann's writings have brought simple joy and much thoughtful subjects for prayer into my life over the years, and I encourage you to go check out Ann's blog over at A Holy Experience as well as Michelle's and enter this give-away...I promise you, the writings of these two humble, joyful, godly women will be a blessing to you. Have a blessed weekend! ~Sue~

Yarn Along....

2011-01-19T20:18:00.004-05:00

Joining with Ginny over at Small Things for her weekly Yarn Along! I so enjoy sharing my love of yarn and reading with many other ladies every week...the inspiration is wonderful and the creativity is inspiring.

This week...not as much knitting has been going on as I would like, but after starting over 3 times, I'm making progress on my hat. I also received a book that I've been waiting for for months from the library....Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanders. This is the 13th book in a 14 book allegorical series that I started reading over 17 years ago. I love the good vs. evil and GOOD always prevails! I love long series of books where you feel as if you know the characters and can't wait for the new book to find out what happens next.

We're expecting quite a bit of snow over the next day or so, and since my oldest daughter had 4 impacted wisdom teeth out this morning, I've cleared our calender at least until Saturday, so am hoping to make plenty of progress on my knitting AND reading this wonderful book! ~Sue~

Everyone is an artist....

2011-01-18T08:30:00.002-05:00

I read a quote somewhere that said " Constructing something uses only the head, but creating something comes from the heart."

Here at Moonbeams Dreams , she is participating in a create something (anything) everyday for a month. I was inspired to think about the many ways that I 'create' everyday. By the way, please....go to Moonbeams Dreams and check out Jessica's etsy shop. I use her soaps and they are the creamiest, most delicious high quality soaps I've ever used. (her orange vanilla is my favorite)

As a homeschooling mother of 4, I had many years where I felt I had no creativity. I realized a few years ago, that just homeschooling 4 kids IS creative! LOL I was inspired by our Creator...by His creation....and since we are made in His image, ....I felt the need to be creative for me....to use the Godly creativity that I was given. I started making new recipes from foodnetwork...and tweaking the recipes, and loved being creative in the kitchen! I also started falling in love again (as I had years ago) with fiber....yarn, sewing, quilting....and started crocheting, and quilting....then in the middle of 36 inches of snow and 2 sick small children...I taught myself to knit. I also fell in love with writing again and started this blog along with journaling.

I was inspired by Jessica's post, to create "something" everyday....and as I usually work on something everyday, more specifically....I want to work with my children and get them into creating more....to look for the beauty more and to help them figure out what their medium or mediums for creating bring them the most joy.

How do you all feed the creativity that our magnificent Creator gave each one of us? Have a blessed, creative day! ~Sue~

Menu plan Monday...

2011-01-17T09:19:00.002-05:00

Well, my friends...after this past weekend of parties, and still trying to get my meds adjusted...I am not as prepared for menu planning as I should be this week....but again, sometimes...this is real life...I am not always as organized as Iwould like, but I am prepared. My freezers are full and pantry is full....I can whip something up quickly using the ingredients that I have on hand. This week, in particular, my oldest daughter is having 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed on Wednesday, so I am making extra chicken broth, and homemade vanilla yogurt for her and trying to think of meals for all of us for the end of the week that she could eat, too....so I don't have to cook double meals, she can eat it well and the rest of the family likes it....so I'm still working on ideas for the end of the week...but, here is my 'loose' menu plan for the week...and just dinners right now...that's about all I can get together in my mind! LOL But again, this is my 'real life'...and it will be good! Blessings on your week! ~Sue~

Monday: crockpot venison stroganoff, brown rice, sweet/sour red cabbage w/bacon

Tuesday: chicken and rice soup, brazilian chebe bread

Wednesday: chicken enchiladas and salad (my daughter, Sara is cooking that day!)

Thursday; gf pierogie casserole, peas

Friday: chicken and gf dumplings, veggies

Saturday: homemade gf mac and cheese, green beans

Sunday: porcupine balls, mashed potatoes, peas & carrots

~Next week....trying some new 'international' recipes, such as homemade 'papusas'...can't wait! This week...we're all about comfort.

A fun filled birthday weekend....

2011-01-15T20:09:00.003-05:00

~Happy 9th birthday to my special, one and only son! Happy Birthday, Ronnie!~

What a whirlwind the past few days has been! Lots of preparing to host 2 birthday parties in 2 days here....don't know what I would ever do without my oldest daughters...they are such a help and so accomplished in the kitchen, too! (you should taste their cupcakes!)

We hosted family last night for Ronnie's birthday....lots of fun and visiting going on...Ronnie is a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey fan and my cousin got him a hat and an official winter classic puck...cool!

I love this picture! Ronnie and our cousin, Maggie share the same birthday! When I was expecting Ronnie, my cousin, Kim was anxiously waiting for the go-ahead to get Maggie from China and brought her home a few short weeks before Ronnie was born...so we were expecting together....what a blessing family is!

This morning, Ronnie woke up very early on his birthday to brave the cold and snow for his basketball game....here is the team picture with his buddies.

After the game, we brought home 5 of his best friends for a party....lots of food, Star Wars and Legos going on...and a fun pyramid, too!

While I was the commander from the 'mother ship'...these were my Jedi....they saved the universe and rid the galaxy of evil this afternoon!

Our tired, but happy birthday boy! Happy 9th Birthday, my son! We love you!

~Sue~

One Small Change...

2011-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am joining in with the folks over at One Small Change again. I know it has been a while...and many changes have been occuring in our family...but I wanted to mention one small change we're doing for 'winter'.

We've been homeschooling for 12 years now, with another 11 to go and over the years my husband's job situation has changed many times, and the Lord has taught me to trust in Him...and to be prepared and a good steward of what He has given us...so, all of this to say our change is....'purging'....scaling down, getting rid of excess.

We have been going thru the house...filling up boxes of books to donate, recycling books/magazines...donating clothing and household items that haven't been used and finding creative ways to store what we do use and have it accessible. This has been so freeing, on the one hand and opened up so much space. But, I also have the dilemna of wanting to save certain books and curriculum that we've collected to use in the future with my youngest two children. It is very hard, at and 9 to know what curriculum will work with them best in middle school or highschool and yet...I already own it, and want to use it with them. Problem is how much do I keep and where do I store it?

But I feel like I am being a much better steward by donating our excess to people who could use it....to better utilizing our space to make it more open and hospitable....what would be one small change that you could do in your lives? ~Sue~

Yarn Along...

2011-01-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Joining with Ginny over at Small Things for her weekly Yarn Along...posting what we are working on with our shared love of fiber and our love of reading...please, go on over and check some wonderful reading and fiber art! ~This week, I've started a hat to match a scarf I finished using Paton's chocolate wool and simply softs 'toast'....I've found working with 2 strands of yarn are trickier for me, but as that is what I did for the scarf, I want the hat to match. Underneath, I have a shawl that should be finished soon...as soon as I have a little more time to sit and knit! LOL I've been working hard at purging our home of 'excess'...excess everything! Not a lot of knitting going on, but I try and do at least a few rows a day. I've been reading a lot of books by Ruth Bell Graham at night and have been challanged and inspired by her writings....In the above book, Legacy of a Pack Rat...these are various writings of hers thru the years....mostly journal entries and her thoughts thru the years...wonderful reading! So concludes my 'Yarn Along' for this week! I'm looking forward to getting some good reading ideas and yarn inspirations over at Small Things! ~Sue~

A Tale of Two Chickens....

2011-01-11T11:54:00.002-05:00

~Sorry...no pictures...but I have 2 "fall-back" recipes using chicken that have become true family favorites and today will share the 'recipes'. I'm so sorry, but I am one of those people who rarely follow a recipe...and most often simply adapt it to what I have on hand and my families preferences.....so without further ado....Our standard favorite "Brown Sugar Chicken". I adapted this from Stephanie's website crockpot365.blogspot.com. Here are 2 ways I've prepared this for my family.

First, I've used everything from boneless chicken breasts to bone-in legs/thighs...doesn't matter, just use what you like. I prefer the bone-in because of the rich taste it adds and the nutritional value of the bonebroth. Just put your chicken in the crockpot on high (I always put it on high to get it started) then add lots of chopped garlic and salt/pepper (if I have it, I drizzle a little sesame oil over the chicken and garlic) then stir up in a bowl approx. 1 cup soda pop (I've used everything from sprite, gingerale or pepsi, doesn't seem to affect the taste) 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/2 cup or more of soy sauce and 1 cup brown sugar...mix it all together and pour over chicken. Turn crockpot on low and cook 5-6 hours. If you use the bone-in chicken...I like to take it off the bone and use a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I serve this with jasmine rice and steamed or stirfried cabbage/carrots/onions. That's it! Now, I've also made this in the pressure cooker, putting a rack on top of my chicken and steaming the veggies....this worked VERY well! Hope that is clear...like I said, I tend to not measure and just throw things together. LOL

Our new favorite chicken recipe was done on the stove...Orange Chicken. I took parts of many recipes that I've read and used what I had to make this delicious dish. Again...I served this with jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. Ok....here is what I did:

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks, season with seasoned salt and garlic powder and brown in butter/olive oil blend....brown well, then turn and brown on all sides. (this doesn't take long) Take chicken out and place on plate.....then add 1 cup water and scrape up all the brown bits, deglazing the pan...add lots of chopped garlic and saute, then add 3 tablespoons of unsweetened orange juice concentrate, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup soy sauce....stir until well mixed, adding chicken back in and adding a little water as needed, simmer until chicken is very tender. (this all took about 1/2 hour) That's it! This was a huge hit...especially with my younger children.

~I tend to make a lot with chicken and venison, because that is what I have...we also eat at least one meatless meal a week...along with lots of eggs, yogurt and cheese for protein along with our kefire smoothies.

A local grocery store had a sale last week on bone-in chicken leg quarters, a 10 lb bag for only 39 CENTS a pound! Amazing price! So....I got 40 pounds! (thanks to my dad and step-mom storing 2 bags for me in their freezer) For a while, I determined that we wouldn't eat anything that wasn't organic and all natural, but unfortunately, our finances for people would not allow that...and I now have peace that God is in control of our health...as He is in everything. And, that eating healthy, cooking from scratch and not following the 'standard American diet' (or SAD) is much better for us, even if not everything is organic.

Have a blessed day! ~Sue~

Menu plan Monday....

2011-01-09T22:03:00.004-05:00

Trying very hard to get used to my husband getting paid every 2 weeks instead of every week...finding I'm running out of a few things like milk, cheese, apples...my goal is to ONLY go shopping once every two weeks....thank goodness for my extra refrigerator and freezer! Here is our menu for this cold, snowy week in Pittsburgh! ~Sue~

Monday:

Breakfast: homemade granola, and yogurt
Lunch: gluten free steak and mushroom pizza, veggies
Dinner: split pea soup and chebe bread

Tuesday:

B-pumpkin raisin bread
L-ethiopian veg't stew (from cookbook 'Extending the Table') & Ingera bread
D- roast chicken legs quarters, sweet potatoes, corn

Wednesday:

B-cheesy scrambled eggs, gf toast
L- black bean soup and gf cheese puffs
D-crockpot chicken parmesean, gf pasta, salad

Thursday:

B- oatmeal, and smoothie
L- chicken & rice egg drop soup
D- venison meatloaf, gravy mashed potatoes, green beans

Friday:

B-crepes with homemade jam
L-homemade hummus with veggies and gf flatbread
D-(pressure cooker) Borscht soup and gf caraway salt sticks

(my son's 9th birthday family party...lots of cake and icecream!)

Saturday: My son's 9th birthday...he picks the menu!

B-cocoa crispie cereal and bananas (early basketball game)
L- hotdogs, french fries, veggies...more cake and icecream for party
D-pork ribs, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes...and homemade chocolate custard for his birthday dessert!

Sunday:

B-pumpkin raisin bread
L-crockpot "Good Sunday" soup (chicken soup with veggies and chunks of cheese)
D- barbeque chicken, wild rice, salad

~For more menu plans every Monday check out orgjunkie.com

This moment...

2011-01-07T07:12:00.000-05:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Joining with Amanda over at http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/ this moment.

My oldest quizzing my youngest on her spelling words....she got them all right! LOL I love homeschooling! ~Sue~

Thrifty Thursdays....

2011-01-06T12:34:00.003-05:00

I love this idea! Today is Thrifty Thursday over at Saved By Love Creations blog...and since I so enjoy the creativity and challenge of simple, beautiful frugality, I thought I would join in this weekly blog hop.

Since I am using my pressure cookers 3 times today, that is what immediately came to mind for thrifty cooking today!

For lunch, I pressure cooked potato soup...made more nutritious by leaving the skins on for fiber and nutrients, homemade chicken broth, lots of garlic...and done in 40 minutes. Tender chunks of potatoes....and using much less energy by using the stove for a fraction of the time.

For dinner tonight, I will cook brown basmati rice in one pressure cooker and pepper steak with tons of mushrooms and peppers, onions and garlic in another. Being able to use inexpensive cuts of meat and have them just melt in your mouth and stretch to feed our family is such a blessing to us!

There are many books on pressure cooking out there, especially by my favorite pressure cooking expert, Lorna Sass. Also, in the new issue of Hobby Farm Home magazine that I mentioned yesterday, they have a huge article on pressure cooking....from the history of it, to safety issue and delicious recipes. Just another way to be creatively thrifty! ~Sue~

Yarn Along...

2011-01-05T17:51:00.006-05:00

I am joining Ginny over at SmallThings blog for the weekly Yarn Along! Oh, how I LOVE yarn...the feel, the colors the different textures. I also love reading and books just as much! After 12 years of homeschooling...I've collected so many books that the challenge is finding adequate storage for all of them!

This is a picture of the afghan that I FINALLY finished for my niece's wedding gift. This was such a soft yarn to work with. I first learned to crochet and last winter during our 36+ inches of snow and 2 little ones with whooping cough, I taught myself to knit...and am now addicted. Will post next week a couple of finished projects along with one almost finished shawl and one started hat. (I have found that crocheting is so much faster for me...but ends up being very painful with my RA and Fibro...knitting is so much kinder and gentler to me)

The picture above also shows one of my youngest daughters favorite books at the moment, "The Spinner's Gift"...what a warm, beautiful book!

I am reading my 2 favorite magazines....curled up in my comfy queen anne chair with the beautiful, warm wool sweater that my husband blessed me with for Christmas. I just discovered Hobby Farm Home and love it! The above issue has features on making homemade yogurt , and cooking with the pressure cooker, which I have been loving lately and will be using tomorrow.

Maryjane's Farm magazine has been a favorite of mine for years and the new issue just arrived in the mail today! Wonderful reading for a cold winter's day!

For more inspiring "yarn alongs", go visit Ginny's blog at the link above. What is inspiring you in the afterglow of the holiday season? ~Sue~

Giveaway: Solar powered radio & light

2011-01-04T19:42:00.002-05:00

A wonderful blog Homestead Revival is hosting a generous giveaway for a USA solar powered radio/lantern. This is a wonderful radio that has so many features...a light, can be powered 5 different ways and will charge a cell phone as well....follow the link above to enter and for more information! ~Sue~

Finally...Success!

2011-01-04T19:18:00.003-05:00

One of my 'resolutions' this year is to eat healthier and to save money. My family LOVES vanilla yogurt....and I use plain yogurt for everything. I've tried many times with many different methods to make my own yogurt and the results have been very disappointing (runny, taste a bit off...) until now!

Last night (after much research of different methods) I tried a simple oven method. First, I brought 1/2 gallon of milk plus 1 cup of dried milk powder to 185 degrees, then lowered the temp. to 100, added the starter, poured 1/2 into a quart jar, mixed vanilla and stevia with the rest and poured that into a quart jar and put them into the oven that I had heated to 200 degrees and then shut off. I kept the oven light on all night and this morning...perfect, delicious yogurt! I had to laugh as my children all had bowls of it this morning...at this rate I'll be making it frequently!

I was reminded of the classic children's book "The Little Engine that Could"...I hope my children will see that yes, their mother has many failed attempts, but keeps persevering...and occasionally has success...now, if I can learn to ferment veggies....and knit something other than a scarf....and finish the quilt I started and......so many things to learn, so little time! I hope I never lose the desire to learn! Have a blessed day! ~Sue~

New Year! New Goals...Menu Plan Monday

2011-01-02T22:33:00.004-05:00

I'm back in 'blog land'...and find that I've missed journaling my thoughts and a little about our lives. I also am finding that menu planning is now ESSENTIAL...especially as my wonderful husband gets paid twice a month now instead of every week...so, if I can stretch menus out to 2 weeks worth at a time and only go grocery shopping once...I think we can save a lot of money, and always be prepared with whatever we need on hand. So...here is this weeks "Menu Plan Monday" for 1-3-11 thru 1-15-11 (we have kefir smoothies everymorning as a snack between breakfast & lunch...so I won't list them repeatedly)

Monday 1-3-11

Breakfast- oatmeal & apples
Lunch- leftover ham/potato casserole, greenbeans, tangerine
Dinner -Black beans & Rice, salad with homemade dressing

(to do: make hardboiled eggs, granola, gluten free bread and yogurt)

Tuesday 1-4-11

Breakfast-Granola & yogurt
Lunch -bean & cheese quesadillas and salad
Dinner-SmokedTurkey leg paprikash in crockpot with gf pasta and steamed carrots

Wedneday 1-5-11

Breakfast -GF pancakes with homemade jam , tangerines
Lunch - Homemade tomato soup, cheese, nut crackers & apples
Dinner- Crispy chicken breasts, roasted potatoes, salad

Thursday 1-6-11

Breakfast- eggs and gf toast, pineapple
Lunch -potato soup, cheese & nut crackers, homemade pickled veggies
Dinner -Pepper steak with mushrooms and brown rice

Friday 1-7-11

Breakfast -GF apple muffins
Lunch -chicken lettuce wraps, tangerines
Dinner -Crockpot orange chicken, jasmine rice and steamed broccoli

Saturday 1-8-11 (9AM basketball game)

Breakfast-muffins and yogurt
Lunch - Leftovers, fruit
Dinner .-Homemade gluten free veggie pizza and salad

Thru out the week, we eat fruit everyday, fruit kefir smoothies everyday, so I don't list every snack. But this is our plan for the week. I've been loving my crockpots...sometimes the main course is in one and rice is in another....I've also been loving my pressure cookers...yes, plural...a huge one for large meals and the smaller on for main courses or for rice.

You can link up for menu plan Mondays by going to http://orgjunkie.com/ or just to glean some great ideas from others who have benefited from menu planning!

Now to TRY for an earlier night and earlier wakeup tomorrow! Due to a lot of health issues that I've had this year, and especially this past 2 weeks, we are seriously in need of some organizing and getting into workable routines for our family....and God is so faithful to lay them out for us......back to schoolwork tomorrow! Have a blessed week! ~Sue~

In Thanksgiving and Gratitude....

2010-11-25T06:39:00.003-05:00

~May you all have a very, very blessed Thanksgiving! May we all praise our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for his love, provision and many blessings! I cannot express it as well as my daughter can, so please ....go to my daughter's blog and read a special Thanksgiving blessing!

www.justasiam-meghan.blogspot.com

~Sue~

Simple imaginative fun....

2010-11-04T14:00:00.003-04:00

It is a very dark, chilly, gray day here today...but inside...it is warm and wonderful!

My ALMOST(on Monday!) 6 year old littlest daughter, Anna, was playing in her room with her 2 year old cousin, when she came to the kitchen like this.....to tell me her play was about to start! She had spent tons of time patiently teaching her little cousin and coaxing him to say the right words and BE "Joseph" to her "Mary"...
Scene one....take one....in Bethlehem praying over baby Jesus...

Ty (Joseph)....looking more like "Linus" clutching his blankie!

This was a 'scene' from Tinkerbell (guess who is Tink?)...she dressed Ty up as the boy tinker fairy, Terrance...he plays along with whatever she wants so well!

And of course....the ever-present 'Star Wars'....these things and Legos are very present thru-out our days....Anna LOVES to color and spends a lot of her time doing that and playing with her dolls....and she loves it when her big brother or little cousin plays along with her.

Now....rest time for everyone! Have a warm, wonderful day! ~Sue~

Operation Christmas Child...a God moment...

2010-11-02T22:26:00.003-04:00

We've always heard of Operation Christmas Child...and years ago, filled some boxes when my older girls were little. But this is the first year that we've gotten involved in a big way. My dear friend, Cindy, is the coordinator and she really needed some help...so...we jumped right in!

Today, my oldest daughter , Meghan, and I went to our local Chick-Fil-A and promoted Operation Christmas Child. (OCC) What a blessing it was to us to see how many people wanted to bless a child! To see children excited to give to others...to see teenagers excited about filling boxes for little ones....at this time of year, when consumerism 'peaks' I was humbled and blessed by being surrounded by the generousity of people and the people of Chick-Fil-A.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, to reach children all over the world. Each box is filled with generously given gifts for a child who might not otherwise recieve any gift. But, the most precious gift each child recieves is the gospel. Yes...the gospel of Christ's great love goes out in every box.

It really is the "Power of a Simple Gift" that makes such a difference!

For anyone wanting more information about Operation Christmas Child, please go to: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

With the economic downturn and rising prices, many many families in our own neighborhoods are very hard hit, many for the first time. We'll be looking into serving in our community to help other families.

God bless the power of a simple gift!

~Sue~

A Quiet day at Home...

2010-10-31T08:52:00.003-04:00

~My motto lately....Keep Calm and Carry Yarn! ~

Today is a quiet day at home....church was wonderful last evening...lots to reflect on today.

Resting in the Lord and His word....resting while doing my planning for the week on this overcast, chilly fall day.

Special homemade wings and 'snack' foods this evening in front of the first fire of the season...while enjoying being together.

A perfect, quiet, family Sunday....may your Sabbath be blessed.

~Sue~

technologically challanged...or learning something new

2010-10-22T20:44:00.002-04:00

Ok...I know I was born for another era...not sure which one...I think I could fit well into many different time periods...but not this one!(although I DO like electricity and especially plumbing and running water!) LOL

So...last night, our family went to the "mall". Now, you must realize that I hate the mall...my husband hates the mall...and I actually hate shopping at all...but all 6 of us trooped to the mall. This is because I would rather talk to a human being in person, than try and do something online or by touch-tone phone. The reason, (for all of you waiting with baited breath) is because it was time....time for my daughters to get cell phones.

We've held off on the whole "every child must have a cell phone" thing, but lately they've been babysitting so much and working/volunteering so much outside the home that after an incident when Meghan was done early from an activity and had to wait for me to pick her up...after much prayer, we decided it was time for the girls to get phones. And...in the interest of time and convenience, we decided to get texting as well. We have also discussed with them the importance of being responsible, paying for them monthly themselves...and not giving their numbers out to everyone.

For anyone who knows me...this was a surprise! LOL My mom and sisters are so excited...as is a close friend who does not have internet, but does have texting...and 8 children and is very hard to get a hold of.

I'm getting the hang of it..as my girls good-naturedly laugh with me. I love learning new things and I am determined to conquer this! LOL I don't want all of the bells and whistles of technology...but will use it to my advantage and benefit for my family.

There are so many things I want to learn! I'm hoping that having texting will keep me off of the phone (now if my dad would only get texting! LOL)...and still allow my extended family and friends to keep in touch if they need me.

What new things would you like to learn? Winter is the perfect time to cozy up and learn something new. Blessings on your weekend! ~Sue~

Piccalli...or what to do with all my green tomatoes?!

2010-10-19T21:06:00.000-04:00

Green tomatoes...we had SO MANY of them when last week, the weather forcasters were predicting the possibility of a frost...so my son Ronnie and I picked all the green tomatoes (and semi-red ones left), and all the peppers and filled bowls and bowls of them....and I wasn't sure what to do! LOL This year, we put a fence up so the deer wouldn't eat all of our hard work...and we had a wonderful yield! We were so grateful to eat from the garden all summer and still have a lot of celery to harvest and dry in the dehydrator, basil to be made into pesto and frozen and even a couple of large cabbages to make into fermented saurerkraut. So...on Friday, my oldest daughter, Meghan, and I canned. For the first time, I made piccallili (followed the recipe in the Ball Canning book) and it is delicious! I didn't think I would like it...I actually made it for my dad and mother-in-law who mentioned that they liked it, but we love it! Especially my little ones love it and kept asking for more at dinner! This is a recipe I'll have to make more of next year.

We have about 4 quarts of pickling brine left, and will be going to our farmer's market on Tuesday to see what else we can pickle! We'll be getting some apples and hopefully pears to can apple/pear butter and applesauce.

My kitchen counter right now. We canned so many jars (I am so happy to have 4 gallon jars filled!) of pickled green tomatoes with peppers, onion and garlic as well as our piccallili. I have to re-arrange our pantry to accomodate all of our jars.

One small change we're making in our family is preserving...canning, freezing and dehydrating...and enjoying the fruits of our labors in the cold, winter months. We're finding that actually living a simple life, and doing some things the old-fashioned way (preserving, cooking from scratch, etc...) is actually a lot of hard work! LOL But....satisfying.

Have a blessed week! ~Sue~

Fall Fun day!

2010-10-17T21:21:00.005-04:00

My husband grew up in scouting...his parents were very involved and he was a scout well thru highschool...and it looks like we're a scouting family, too! Today was Cub Fun day at South Park. The weather was so beautiful! Blue skies, white fluffy clouds, a small breeze...and the perfect temperatures...60's and gorgeous! What fun all the boys had! My husband and son....Ron is so proud to involved with his only son in scouting!
Ronnie is in the orange t-shirt pulling back a catapult...he got very close to his target...and had so much fun!

Ronnie and his best buddy, Aaron. These two have been friends since birth....it is so special that they get to experience scouting together!

I love this picture! Ronnie is shooting a slingshot...he is so good with this tool! He can hit almost any target!

There were BB guns, archery, marshmallow shooters, large and small catapults, slingshots, and they even made rubber-band shooters. (we call them 'gum-band' shooters in Pittsburgh!) They played games like frisbees, paper airplanes, scoops and rockets.

Some of the boys from pack 215...what fun they had! It was a great day for scouting!

So glad I was able to experience this with my son! Hope your day was bright and sunny! ~Sue~

Living History...Fall Field Trips

2010-10-14T19:12:00.000-04:00

The 8th regiment of the Pennsylvania division of the Continental Army is mustered out! (or Aaron, Ronnie, Anna and Ben were mustered out!)

Living history! One thing that I've found to be a huge blessing in my 12 years of homeschooling is living history field trips...re-enactments, living history/hands on museums....they just make history relevant and come alive for my children! It's also fun to do it with friends!

~We've been doing a lot of living history field trips around here lately with some warm, lovely fall weather.

Ronnie (on the right) and his best buddy, Aaron, enjoyed being 'mustered out' at a Revolutionary War encampment re-enactment in South Park recently. We have loved going to the Oliver Miller Homestead for years on Sundays when they open the home and really show what life was like in the late 1700's in our South Western PA area. They offer so many hands-on learning experiences! We are blessed to have a very rich history in the Pittsburgh area!

My girls and I on a family field trip for the day to Meadowcroft Village. They always have a 'frontier' town to walk thru and observe, and authentic guides to teach and discuss life back in the 1800's in S.W. Pa....but on this particular day when our whole family was able to go, they had a native american re-enactment ...with a twist...2 villages of the Delaware tribe....one before the "white man" arrived (around 1650) and after around the year 1850...how they lived and the diffence the white man made to the native americans. It was a very cool day!

My blessings...my precious children, hiking thru the woods from the frontier town to the indian villages.

One of the very authentic Native American re-enactors...everyone was so knowledgable and so kind....they all took a lot of time with the children, answering questions and showing them hands-on learning.

Ronnie was enthralled by the gentleman in the background...he was cooking over a homemade grill..turtle in it's shell, rattlesnake, rabbit, squirrel as well as venison and pheasant and lots of fish and shell fish. He was also telling us and showing us all the edible plants, berries and uses for different herbs and plants.

Oh...a close up of the food and how they made their grill...they were also roasting meat under rocks IN the fire and soup in a pumpkin 'tureen' was bubbling away!

We all learned how the different homes were constructed and what life was like during the different seasons in them. For example, the home above was very warm in the wintertime, and we were told when a warrior would come home after hunting all day, he would get a rub-down of bear grease for warmth (as would the moms and babies and children as well) and a big bowl of bear stew. The native american homes in the 1800's used fabric for a lot of their tents and clothing that they would trade with the white man for furs and they had learned to weave fabric as well.

Ronnie loved this typical native american children's game of throwing sharpened sticks thru the different parts of the hoop.

Sara and Anna in the desks of the frontier school, writing on their slates and listening to the teacher.

Anna was just enthralled with this outdoor chapel. She was praising the Lord for the beautiful weather and singing worship songs as we walked the paths to and fro...she wanted her picture taken with the cross.

Loved this picture of my older daughters....so beautiful...and such best friends! Even though they've been on hundreds of field trips in the past 12 years, they were able to enjoy it and learn thru the fresh eyes of their younger siblings...spending the day as a family enjoying God's creation, His provision and His history!

Sorry about all the space between pictures...I can't seem to make these pictures move on this computer! Hopefully, soon...the computer situation will improve and it will be much easier to arrange!

Just a couple of weeks ago, along with our dear friends the Skiles, we traveled to down town Pittsburgh for a very cool field trip to the Fort Pitt museum and origional block house. This history is primarily the French and Indian War history of our area and the events leading into the Revolutionary war. We learned so much at the museum which just opened this year and is a very, very hands on place for the children.

Inside an authentic fur traders long cabin along the Ohio river.

The children were able to see maps of the area from the very early 1700's all the way thru the turn of the 19th century of Pittsburgh.

We were able to follow the progress of the war as we moved thru the museum and also how the native american's played a huge part in the Revolutionary way...working primarily for the british.

The museum sold very well produced dvd's to further learn about the wars and the role that Pittsburgh played. I was able to order them thru our library system and can't wait to watch them.

I have found, especially when my children are younger that historically accurate movies or documentaries really help bring to life everything that we are studying and reading together.

Below...the children outside the origional block house at the point where the 3 rivers meet. So hard to imagine that it is so well built and still standing with most of it's origional structure intact.

~Looking forward to some more fun, educational activities while the weather still holds warm and beautiful here in Western Pa! I love this time of year for getting in as many field trips and outdoor nature activities as we can before winter sets in.

Of course, then...I love 'hunkering down' with lots of warm blankets, hot tea or cocoa a fire in the fireplace and lots of reading aloud,(knitting for me) game playing and educational dvd watching....I have found that a good 'bulk' of our book learning takes place in the winter time in our family. And that 's ok...I know that learning occurs everyday in lots of diffent ways. Just wanted to share with you all our wonderful, hands-on fall field trips. May your day be exceptionally blessed! ~Sue~

Closer to God...

2010-10-11T19:57:00.003-04:00

Today was one of those days...I was up most of the night and out of bed at 4:45am with pain....pain so intense, that it made me cry....and cry out to God. I found myself, while waiting for pain meds to kick in....crying out to my Father...but continuously, my mind was drawn to pray for others....a friend going thru a divorce, my mom who was having tests at the hospital all day....for my great-aunt who is very ill and in the hospital, for a dear friend who's mom just passed away yesterday...and for my husband, who only has 4 more weeks of working 3 jobs...but for now, is exhausted and stressed.

I wasn't much good to my children this morning...couldn't concentrate thru the pain...the meds didn't help, and yesterday, my little ones had way too many "goodies" at a birthday party...so they were tired and couldn't concentrate either. In spite of my pain and fatigue....in spite of my little ones withdrawing from the sugar and food coloring they ingested yesterday...somehow, learning still occured for them (thanks in part to my wonderful daughter, Meghan)....and I was drawn ever closer to my Father.

I was led to choose a book off of my shelf entitled " The Journey" by Billy Graham. I've had this book for years...always meaning to read it, but today...I opened up to the chapter on pain. Friends...my Father knows exactly what I need when I need it!

After he describes his wife, Ruth's chronic, debilitating pain....he leads us back to the comfort of God's word....His love letter to us. Psalm 31:15 says "My times are in your hands"..... "Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love." Lamentations 3:32 He goes on to suggest 2 ways that will help us thru chronic pain: #1 Be on guard against pain's dangers...focusing on self (on the pain) and ignoring others around them...falling into the trap of self-pity or bitterness. He goes on to suggest one way to counter-act these feelings is to pray for OTHERS and their needs... and to count your blessings....LOOK for reasons to praise Him...and always be thankful.

#2 Ask God to help you learn the lessons inherent with chronic pain. God can use it for our good....it causes us to depend on Him for everything...minute by minute. As I write this...my little ones are bathed and ready for bed, my older daughters cleaned up the dinner that I managed to prepare for my family...and I realize the day is almost over...when I wondered how I would ever get thru this day at 5am this morning....and looking back....oh, how He helped me! He brought a dear friend to me this afternoon....a hot shower helped....and once I focused on serving my family and just trying to "do the next thing"....He helped me...and I am so grateful!

"The Lord is near to all who call on Him...to all who call on Him in truth." Psalm 145:18 and "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" Deuteronomy 33:27

To quote Mr. Billy Graham "Earth's troubles fade in light of heaven's hope." So...as my day ends, may I encourage those of you who are in pain....who suffer...draw closer to God...He loves you so much and will carry you thru your pain and suffering. May I end with a verse that has uplifted me and comforted me for many years.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" 2Corinthians 12:9

~Sue~

When learning occurs...in spite of illness...

2010-10-11T06:45:00.000-04:00

We've had a week of sickness here....the flu hit both of my little ones pretty hard and not much of our typical homeschooling occured...certainly not much of what I had planned for our lessons this week. I've also had to accept the fact that sometimes, it is MY illness that prevents our homeschooling days to go exactly how I've planned....I have fibromyalgia, and I've learned over the past 12 years of homeschooling (and living with my own illness) that learning will occur everyday...and that you have to be adaptable. Along with lots of reading out loud, of course, below are some things that have helped us this week and over the years with my older children as well.Math war card games have been wonderful tools to help with memorizing the math facts. Right now, my son is memorizing his multiplication/division facts.
School House Rock! I LOVE this! I remember them from when I was a little girl...and I can only recite the preamble to the constitution by singing it! LOL This has helped all of my children memorize multiplication facts as well many history, grammar and science as well. Now, they even have a section on government and of course, who doesn't remember "Bill"...and how a bill becomes a law?!

And of course....Conjunction Junction!

The time period we are studying in American history is the Colonial/Revolutionary War period right now and all of my children love Liberty's Kids! I was so grateful that we were able to borrow the series from our library.

Also...these Nest videos are wonderful resources! As my children were laid low with fevers and headaches this week...they were entertained by watching some of these history dvd's about people and events that we had studied....there have been a lot of "Mom...did you know...?" questions around here, since they alway seemed to learn some little bit that they didn't know.

Forgot to find an image for the LeapFrog dvd's. My 5 year old has watched the phonics and reading dvd's and they have really helped cement her reading skills in a fun and memorable way. I've found that all 4 of my children are "kinesthetic" learners....they learn best by hearing (which is why songs stick in our heads), seeing and doing/reading for themselves.

I've had moments over the years of dealing with my illness where I've questioned, can I really do this? Can I really effectively teach my children at home? And the answer is a resounding yes! With some adaptability and creativity....and a lot of prayer...homeschooling can be the perfect fit when there is an illness in the family. ~Sue~

What a difference a week makes!

2010-10-09T22:27:00.003-04:00

Last Friday, my littlest girl came down with the flu...oh, my...was she ever sick! Above is my poor Anna sleeping on a hot water bottle because her ear hurt...she had a fever and was bundled up...she had thrownup, had terrible congestion and cough...the works. Then...her brother followed 2 days after her with the same symptoms....and the two of them have been slowly working thru this all week. It hit them very fast and furious! I've been giving them lots of vit. D, elderberry and vitamin C...along with lots of soup LOADED with garlic. So far...the rest of us have managed to avoid it. But.....Tuesday evening...my wonderful hubby stayed with the little ones so my older daughters and I could attend a worship concert that we had had tickets for and were so looking forward to...and we weren't disappointed.

This was a worship concert at our church with Paul Baloche, Katherine Scott and Brian Earkson...it was wonderful! The spirt of worship filled the church as every song, every statement pointed to the Lord....oh, how I needed an entire evening without interruption to just WORSHIP...to REST in Him and just praise Him!

It was Sara's first ever concert and she wasn't sure what to expect...but to look over at my daughters and see them loving and worshiping so freely the Lord who loves them so very much...it was an experience that I will never forget. I bought one of Katherine Scott's cd's...I wish I could have gotten one of each of them, but the lyrics of one of her songs particularly touched me...."...I'm falling on my knees....offering all of me...Jesus you're all this heart is living for." Brought me back to a simple focus on WHO I'm living for.

I know it looks odd....going from a wonderful worship experience to a loaf of bread...but that has been my week! LOL A week of contrasts...of highs and lows. Lots of purging went on this week in between nursing my little ones....paring down, organizing and simplifying...God has given me a plan and it has been so nice to see some of it coming to fruition! Today (since my awesome daughter ground over 35 pounds of grain into flour for me the other day), I was able to bake my husband 4 loaves of freshly ground, whole wheat flax bread....2 plain and 2 with caraway seeds. He loves my homemade bread so much and it is so healthy for him (gluten containing anything is NOT healthy for me, however)....with him working so many hours right now working 2 full time jobs plus fixing cars...I'm trying to keep him as healthy as possible.

So I was happy to surprise him when he woke up tonight (he worked all day yesterday, slept for 3 hours...worked all night and morning today...and has to go back into work at 2am) with lots of fresh coffee and lots of homemade, healthy bread with homemade peach jam. I was so happy to bless him in this way!

Not a lot of homeschooling happened this week...not typical lesson plans, but lots of learning DID occur in spite of the sickness in our home. Another post coming soon about alternatives to typical school days.

So....how was your week? Hope everyone has a happy, healthy, blessed weekend! ~Sue~

One small change for October...down-sizing.

2010-10-01T18:29:00.004-04:00

I've been spending a good part of my days recently (like many of you) switching sizes and seasons for my 2 youngest children as well as myself. (Thankfully, my older daughters do their own) As I've been folding and sorting and going thru the (what seems like) endless bags of clothes stored in our attic, I've been thinking of something my mother said to me recently. When my 2 sisters and I were little, we had very little clothing...and needed very little clothing...we had a few dresses for church/holidays,about 5 or 6 "nice" school clothes outfits that we had to take off and put away the MINUTE we got home and about 5 playclothes outfits. Not very many compared to most children today.

I've also been praying about down-sizing....paring down everything...from kitchen items, to books (this is my HARDEST area), to clothing as well as trusting the Lord for His provision...rather than hoarding in my attic things that I think I "might" need someday. He is faithful, and He will provide just what we need when we need it.

So....today I started with clothing...and will (hopefully) finish tomorrow, including tackling the attic and donating/purging all of the things I've been hoarding for years. Some of my mind-set goes back to when I first started having children and being a stay-at-home mom and living on one income...we COULDN'T just go to the store and get lots of clothes every season, so as people would pass on clothing to us, (know matter how much we already had) up in the attic it went "just in case".

Over the coming weeks in October, I hope to finish 'purging' our home of unnecessary "stuff"....and too much stuff, making more room for the things that are important to our family...and less clutter, making it easier to clean and a much more peaceful home.

What is one small change you can do? Have a blessed fall season! ~Sue~

A "Good" Busy Fall Season....

2010-09-30T22:08:00.003-04:00

~Wish I had pictures, but can't upload to this computer...and since my other computer is also giving us fits...well...I'm grateful I can check email!

Fall has traditionally been a busy season for us. Seems we would go on tons of family outings, field trips with friends...walks in the park and busy outside. Will have pictures coming soon of all the fun outings/field trips we've taken recently! We've been busy preserving for winter. Lots of tomatoes canned, along with salsa, pickles (Hooray!) and a bunch of different jams. We've dried tons of peaches and are drying tons of thyme to be made into medicinal teas for winter...I never knew how effective thyme is for pneumonia, upper resperatory infections, throat infections....just brew into a tea, add honey and drink. Of course, we are stocking up on our elderberry as well. Now....the only things left to can are applesauce, apple butter, pear butter, can pears and can apples for pies (I'm going to try a recipe for canning apple pie filling...just dump into a crust and go)....and green tomato pickles, some piccallily, and homemade sauerkraut. So....we'll be very busy for the month of October! LOL

After the busyness of summer, we're back to taking more of an effort with our health....grinding wheat for hubby's breakfasts and lunches...grinding lots of gluten free grain for the rest of us. Baking...making stews and chowders...lots of soups and broths....it is so nice to have hot soup for lunch...or even a mug of broth in the afternoon. We have also been culturing our kombucha...and we're now culturing kefir again. Within the week, I would like to make yogart and granola and back some banana nut muffins as well. Still have a few zucchini to shred and freeze.

Along with getting back into our schooling....we're now at the point (let me hear all other mothers of young children SIGH) of switching sizes and seasons for the little ones. What a job! We are blessed that people give us clothes and shop the thrift shops for whatever else we need, but it takes so much time to go thru everything, have them try them on to see if they fit. My son is skinny, but needs the length in his pants...my daughter is skinny and also needs length in her dresses and things...both children need boots and church shoes. I think Anna needs a winter coat. Some days my head swims trying to keep track of everything! Thank goodness, that my older girls handle their own things, and help me when I am busy with the little ones.

Today...I had to completely defrost our upright freezer...empty, break chunks of ice off...wipe it down (thanks to my Honey for helping me with this!)...and while I was at it, I cleaned out the other 2 freezers that we had and organized them. I was very grateful to my Sara for cleaning up 2 big kitchen messes and Meghan for making a fantastic meal for all of us! I so enjoy working with my older daughters in the kitchen! Now, my little ones want to help more...have to figure out the logistics of that one with a tiny kitchen...some of us will have to work on the diningroom table! LOL Oh, well...we'll do it together.

Looking forward to Saturday....supposed to be very chilly here in Pittsburgh, so have turkey and rice soup planned, sweet potato biscuits....and hopefully....all clothing sorted, organized, bagged up and washed for the new season. I love fall!

Hope you all have a very blessed weekend! ~Sue~

One small change for September...

2010-09-21T07:48:00.002-04:00

There is a nip in the air this morning....mornings are cooler...the leaves in S.W. Pennsylvania are starting to change...there is the smell of fall in the air.

Last night, I was blessed to attend our local homeschool support meeting, where the fellowship was wonderful...and I could really see how very important homeschooling moms supporting each other really was. My oldest daughter, Meghan, went with me...and she enjoyed the meeting as much as I did....one of the things that stood out to her is how everyone prayed for each other...ministering to each other's needs....even just the simple need of someone to listen and give a hug to.

After listening to everyone last night, this seems to be more and more a 'transition' year for many families that I know. Many families are transitioning with job changes (as are we), budget cuts, illnesses and also extended family commitments. I suppose the older we are getting, our families are also and many of my homeschooling dear friends and I were saying what a blessing it is to be able to homeschool anywhere...and minister & share Jesus love with our parents and extended family. It truly is a blessing! My older girls remember homeschooling in the van and at the personal care home that my Gram was in for the last 2 years of her life....how her friends loved seeing my little girls come in! They got such a valuable education in respecting the elderly and serving that they would not have gotten otherwise. My little ones are now learning that people come first...that relationships have eternal value and to show Jesus love and care is much more important than their schoolwork....so they drop everything when Dad comes home for lunch just to be with him.....they drop everything when a grandparent comes over to spend time with them...or if we need to go to help someone else....we either take our work with us....or know that it will get done eventually. What a blessing it is to serve the Lord and love His people!

All of this to say that our "one small change" for September...actually for all of fall is to look for opportunities to serve others....it is soup and stew season....so stretching these and making them go farther is easy....along with hot, fresh, homemade bread and a simple salad....that is comfort food to people in a hurting world. A card in the mail...a phone call or email letting them know we love them and were thinking of them. Visiting the elderly....these are the things that we are focusing on.

Of course, we're still preserving the harvest....making plum jam today, dehydrated a ton of peaches the other day....more tomatoes...then pears and apples will be starting.

We're also 'nesting'...switching sizes and seasons for my little ones...pulling out the sweaters...finishing up some knitting and crochet projects. My son & husband are working on plans for a small wood shed and organizing our kindling. Our garden is still producing...and we are blessed by a wonderful farmer's market close by.

Off to finish my last load of laundry! (ok...for today!) and to get Anna's room all ready for the cold season. Visiting a brand new baby this evening and welcoming this precious, sweet little Rebekah Diane into her new family and into our lives as well. A new generation....a continuation of multi-generational faithfulness. So many, many of our friends are first generation christians and homeschooler just as we are and it is humbling and awe-inspiring to me to see this strong faith and vision for families being carried on in my children and their precious friends.

May you all be abundantly blessed! What is one small change you all are doing this fall? Click on over to this link for more ideas. Have a blessed day! ~Sue~ http://www.1smallchangeblog.blogspot.com/

Margin....

2010-09-19T21:59:00.002-04:00

So, I was asked to speak tomorrow evening and give a short devotion for our local homeschooling support meeting. As I've been praying about what the Lord would have me share...He keeps bringing me to the word "balance"...and this led me to remember a book that I had read called "Margin" and it's sequel entitled "The Overload Syndrome".

Let's face it, folks.....as any mother knows...whether you are a mother who works outside the home, a stay-at-home mom or a homeschooling mom....we all are trying to perform a balancing act...trying to balance the needs of our husbands, our children and ourselves(forget sleep...there will be time for that later! LOL)....let alone the needs of extended family members, churches, neighbors or communities...all while trying to keep up with the housework, laundry, meals, etc...

I often wonder how past generations of moms did it...kept their homes immaculate, had warm cookies waiting for their children after school...meals prepared from scratch...AND helped out on PTA and church committees! (Then I did realize...since their children were gone all day, then they could clean uninterruped and focus on all the work they had to do during the day!)

As this book helped me to see....we all need to build in a little 'margin' in our lives...in our daily schedules. As women and nurturers...most of us have a hard time saying 'no'....whether it is to help those in need, to serve....and to things that would benefit our children...ie: activities, sports, etc....

But...if we don't have boundaries....and prayerfully seek the Lord and His will....we may fill up our lives with so many "good" things...that we are missing God's best for us and our families. God's word tells us to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness...and all these things shall be added to us" (ok...I'm paraphrasing a little...I"m tired! LOL) I know it is hard for me not to 'over-schedule' sometimes...ok, a lot of the time. And as I look at my schedule filling up for the week...sometimes I get a little frantic, and need to build in some margin.

I highly recommend these books....they not only make you aware of how harmful over-load is to our bodies and our families, but also, how to avoid over-load as well. Most importantly, if we, as moms...as nurturers and care-givers, remember to stay focused on His word...and prayerfully seek His will...carefully guarding our homelife and families....God will be glorified in our homes as we seek to do His will. Have a blessed week! ~Sue~

Desires of our hearts....

2010-09-16T21:36:00.002-04:00

I know the Lord ALWAYS provides for us...and it never ceases to amaze me when He also DELIGHTS in providing for us some of the desires of our hearts, too! This is my son's face when he saw the drum set that his dad set up in our basement! A friend had seen that we were looking for one but they were so very expensive, and emailed to tell me that her sister had one that we could have...all we had to do was pick it up! Ronnie is so excited! I'm listening to the sounds of the drums right now!

He has been practicing so diligently his piano lessons and doing so well....he also has learned a couple of chords on his electric guitar and been practicing...I know he'll practice his drums, too. Music certainly seems to be his thing....I'm so grateful that the Lord has allowed us to help him pursue this gift.

Of course, his dad loves the drums too, and is enjoying them immensely! (and loudly!) LOL

Our little Anna also was blessed today! She has always loved her cousin, Ty's, play kitchen and would play with it forever when we would visit. My sister told me recently that the only time Ty really played with it was when Anna was over, so they asked if we wanted it here so she could play with it whenever she wanted and he could play with it when he was here. My brother-in-law brought it over today and she has been playing resteraunt and her own kitchen with her babies all night!

I am in awe and very humbled by the Lord's love, provision and delight in us! Thanks, Dianne for being so giving! Thanks, Debbie for the drum set...Ronnie loves it! Thanks, to my sister & brother-in-law for their very generous hearts! We are feeling very blessed right now! Have a wonderful evening! ~Sue~

Our extraordinary, ordinary life.....

2010-09-15T08:04:00.002-04:00

We've been having a lot of computer issues on our main computer for quite a while now...everything is taking FOREVER to do...it shuts off frequently and can't even recognize a disc now....so very old, little laptop is our trusty standby....great for emails, READING internet, (can't print or run discs)...and I am grateful for it....for keeping in touch, for research....but it makes blogging, especially with pictures very time consuming lately. Frankly....I wish I had more time! LOL And a computer that worked quickly without aggravation. (we are not a very computer literate family)

But I have come to realize...that I LIKE the excuse of not feeling as if I HAD to write something everyday....to put every picture we have taken on...or even to research....we've been reading BOOKS! We have thousands of books and are rediscovering the joys of sitting together and reading aloud...playing games...learning games, games for fun.

Now that our learning is in full swing....our "lazy days of summer" are ending....and we are moving into our favorite season. Productive, sometimes busy...simply living life together, is our family of 6 these days....with lots of extended family added in.

I've noticed that right now, we have lots of transitioning going on around here...and it is causing us to guard our time more. We're transitioning from Dad working nightturn and weekends for 10 years...to daylight and weekends off....with the added bonus of being able to come home to lunch everyday as well. My oldest is in a transition period right now....learning how to drive...finishing her last year of formal schooling, praying about her future...taking over more responsabilities around the home. My Sara is in a fairly comfortable position right now...not a little girl anymore, but not quite entering the "grown up" stage either...she is content with herself and her life. My son is transitioning more and more to wanting to be more responsable, tough & manly....more and more doing whatever Dad does. (he offered to pump gas into our suburban last night...he is 8 years old...I thanked him, but told him that Dad would teach him!) He is learning a lot of new things this year...and learning multiplication/division and fractions...so some days, those things are hard to wrap his brain around. My little one, Anna....she is such a joy!!!! She is learning to read...and wants to read her own Bible so badly! She is trying to read everything in sight....and some days is very frustrated by her efforts...other days...she is so proud! So as she transitions into a reader...and she seems to be taking after her older sisters and wanting to read historical fiction....we're all helping her transition into a great reader who LOVES to read.

We also have a big (for us) transition of finding a church family. We feel the Lord leading us to find another church family, but aren't quite sure where He wants us to be. So....we are going tonight to get involved in a local church that seems where He is leading us...we will be stepping out of our "comfort zones" a little bit, meeting new people, hopefully forming relationships...and getting involved and serving within the church and our community.

Nothing extraordinary about our lives....we're still preserving the harvest, getting ready for winter. My 2 very favorite foods of the summer will soon be gone...corn on the cob and tomatoes, so we are putting lots of them away for winter! FInishing up some crochet and knitting projects so we can start planning for Christmas gifts...getting the wood pile and kindling ready. I don't know how often I'll be posting....when I feel the Lord leading...and the computer cooperating! LOL May you all be abundantly blessed in all the Lord's goodness!!!!! ~Sue~

It's a new year...for homeschooling! Part 1

2010-09-13T22:13:00.003-04:00

I always feel so badly when I don't update this as often as I would like...so please, accept my apologies! After our vacation, we jumped into this years homeschooling full force and as this year I am teaching a 12th grader, 11th grader, 3rd grader and 1st grader....and a busy 2 year old 2 days a week, it has been a little hectic to say the least! LOL

Just as an update...my wonderful husband started his new job last week, working daylight for the first time in almost 10 years...and it will take a little bit to adjust to the hours and time changes. He is able to come home and have lunch with us every day....what an unexpected blessing! Everyone stops and gathers around dad when he is home, since he only has a short time before he needs to be back on the job. My older girls and I are spending a lot of time planning menus lately.

Lots of canning and freezing has gone on....tons of quarts of salsa were canned recently as well as lots of quarts of pureed tomatoes, corn cut off the cob and frozen and I even tried pickles this year. (I really hope they turn out!) Going to the farmer's market tomorrow to see what else I can get...I would love to make plum jam again...and maybe still can some peaches and nectarines and lots of pears and apples as well. We will be canning lots of applesauce this year, too...to bake with,make granola with and of course to have on hand for a healthy snack, too.

So....homeschooling. Well....this is our 12th year, and I wanted to write down a little of what we are doing with my youngest two. We are starting our day with reading/discussing the psalms...then we are finishing up an attentiveness study to be followed with an obedience study. The kids and I are loving the character studies from www.iblg.org this year. We are studying proverbs at lunch and it is really neat listening to all the ages of my children and how the older ones explain and mentor the younger ones.

My little ones have to read every day. Ronnie is reading a chapter book of historical fiction on the Revolutionary war...and Anna is reading...some easy readers. We are studying the Colonial time period thru the westward expansion this year, so will be following Lewis & Clark and doing some Little House books as well.
This year, Ronnie and I were discussing what he was really interested in for science and found that the Answers in Genesis physical science curriculum is a good fit for him. So far, we've learned the 8 forms of energy...and are learning about each one in more depth. Last week was chemical and mechanical energy...this week, we are reading about nuclear energy. He is loving this!

We have found that the Abeka math curriculum is a good fit for us. I really like their 'spiral' approach to constant review of concepts learned to cement the facts in. My kids like it, too.
We are studying all 50 states this year. We are learning the geography of the United States, the different regions, all about each state...such as geography, topography, famous people and events and even foods. We are also studying Native American's from each state....we're finding that that is very interesting!
This is the book that we read tonight. We are using these wonderful books, along with many other 'living books' and history texts about the time periods that we are studying...along with unit studies, too.

One of the things we are doing all together is a unit study of 'Pilgrim's Progress' from Answers in Genesis. Even my little ones are learning so much from reading aloud and discussing with them and my older girls.

I had honestly forgotten how much TIME it takes to plan lesson plans for the younger children...from phonics for Anna to grammar for Ronnie....to each state study, science experiments, history lessons, reading....the list goes on. Planning 2 highschoolers as well, the whole family adjusting to my husband's new job and hours...meals and preserving the harvest and getting ready for winter....my days are very full. I am so blessed! I know that no matter how tired I am, or how much my head swims....I am abundantly blessed! So...if this little blog suffers....my phone doesn't get answered as much...or we don't leave the house as much....this is a good season of our lives!

I want to write more about what we are doing with my older girls soon. It hit me this summer....this is it...I only have 1 year with Meghan and 2 with Sara....what does the Lord REALLY want me to teach them before they 'officially' graduate?

Now...it's off to bed! 5:45am comes very early around here! I like chatting with my husband and seeing him off...and having my quiet time before everyone else awakes! May God bless you all abundantly! Thanks for listening to my little update! I love journaling...on my blog and in my journal....and hope to look back at this little blog someday and have a wonderful record of our lives together! ~Sue~

Like father...like son!

2010-09-03T23:00:00.000-04:00

Having only one son and three daughters makes life interesting around here...especially as I never had any brothers. Sometimes....I just don't know how their minds work! LOL But tonight....it was a perfect example of like father/like son. Ronnie is now the proud owner of his own cherry red electric guitar...complete with his own amp! It used to be his uncle Tommy's and now it is Ronnie's...he is so excited! Meghan is teaching him piano, and he is learning quickly, and Sara is teaching him the chords....he really seems to have a knack for music! He is SO happy!

He played his guitar with his dad, who played his 1974 Fender precision base guitar while they were watching a Bruce Springsteen dvd concert and playing along.....they had a blast! And sounded pretty good, too!

He is so determined to learn to play this...can't wait to hear what wonderful worship music they can make! Meghan on piano, Sara on acoustic guitar, Ronnie on electric and Ron on base....all we need are drums and percussion. Anyone have a drum set they want to get rid of? We have room! We are so blessed to have these instruments...and to have the time to play them together. I love watching my husband and son do things together! Have a blessed day! ~Sue~

A "Fisherman's Tale"!

2010-09-01T22:50:00.000-04:00

Every fisherman has tales to tell...about the one that got away...about the one with the most fight in him...one about the mystery fish who keeps stealing his worm, but is too smart to be caught. Well....my 8 year old son has a tale of his own to tell. It started fishing from his favorite spot on the little wooden bridge just down the road....

He came home with my husband, opened the door and told me "Hey, Mum! I caught my own dinner!"

We were so excited over his blue gill that he caught! This trip, he has learned to bait his own hook, and to take the fish off after he catches it . We're so proud of his perseverance and patience!

So, his grandfather, Buppy, showed him how to scale it and filet it and to make sure he didn't get any bones.

I pan fried the 2 filets that we got so they were brown and crunchy...(and gluten free, of course!)
And, one happy, proud boy got to eat the dinner that he caught himself , not 45 minutes after he caught it! He was gracious enough to share with everyone so we could all taste his specialty....
And, he had to share a piece of fish and a hug with the cook! I'm so proud of him! This is something we won't forget for quite awhile!

And that is our "fishman's tale"....he is learning hard work, patience, perseverance...and to provide for his family....I know he would rather be out fishing than anything else! Thanks, God, for teaching him to fish...for life!

A Blessed Vacation....Lake Chautauqua, NY!

2010-08-30T21:31:00.007-04:00

Stealing a few moments away from lesson planning for this week's homeschooling and more in-depth planning for the schoolyear, to record some memories from our family vacation last week at Lake Chautauqua, New York....what a blessed week! As my dear husband will be starting his new job soon...and, it looks like working both jobs for a few weeks, we are especially grateful for this week at my cousin's home on the Lake.

Our view of the lake from the deck...so peaceful!

Tons of fishing was done everyday....my mom and step-dad came up for the week and my wonderful step-dad is an expert fisherman....my guys learned a lot this week...especially, my little guy!

They were able to fish from the dock...but their favorite fishing spot turned out to be a little bridge right down the road...Ronnie caught 38 fish this week! He was so proud! I'll be posting a seperate "Fisherman's Tale" later this week about a particularly exciting fishing day!

There was also bike riding all day almost everyday...at our home, it can be a busy intersection and our children cannot ride their bikes by themselves...but at the lake, these back country roads were perfect...and Ronnie learned to ride without training wheels! We're so excited!

Without any internet or tv....we read books, and played A LOT of games and cards....oh, how we laughed!!! Sara loves 'phase 10' and Meghan loved a card game called "pay me". Ronnie and Anna liked to play 'yahtzee' and 'pokeno' and of course, UNO is always a favorite. One of our favorite games of the week was 'apples to apples' junior version. We bought the normal game and don't like it nearly as much as the junior version.
We took most of our food up with us for the week, but after the 3 hour car ride up to NY, we went to our favorite pizza place. I will say....I cheated and ate gluten...the pizza was awesome, but oh, my goodness...I was so sick for almost 3 days! Won't do that again! The rest of the week I was very careful...and discovered that coffee eats my stomach (and it never used to) but a cup of tea is just the answer!

I was able to spend the week with my beautiful mother! She lives over an hour away, and between her busy schedule and ours we never seem to have enough time to spend together. It was so much fun and so special to spend the week with her!
My view of the lake from my seat on the deck. I did a lot of journaling and ....
...knitting, of course! I'm loving how this scarf is coming along...it will match perfectly with my fall coat!

Of course, we had to have a bonfire one night...and of course, we had to make s'mores! Anna's was bigger than her mouth! (I enjoyed mine with just a piece of Hershey's and a warm, toasted marshmallow...who needs graham crackers?!)

My big girls enjoyed the fire and s'mores, too!

My parents enjoying the fire..

My mom, Meghan, Sara and I set out one day for a "girls day"...what I called a field trip! LOL We drove to a little town called Westfield to find a museum called "McClurg House". We enjoyed our drive as much as the museum! After we got lost in Brocton, NY...we found our way to the little town of Westfield. Such a beautiful, old-fashioned town!
Our tour guide was so knowledgable and so kind...she even took us into the basement! We saw the most beautiful antiques, including a "Lincoln Rocker" that was just beautiful...and went into the kitchen, the pantry and the weaving room....I could have stayed for hours! But....the girls were getting hungry, so we moved on!There was so much history here including a lot about Abraham Lincoln, who had visited this town during his campaigning for president. The story goes that a little girl wrote him a letter telling him that he would look better in 'whiskers'...and he wrote her back the following week, then he DID grow the whiskers! He came back thru her town during the funeral procession, by train. It was a very touching story.

We found the cutest old-fashioned diner right on the corner from the museum where we ordered burgers and fries that were wonderful!

Walked past the apothecary(I loved the name and the sign!) .....and down to....

The Emporium!

We had a blast looking thru aisle after aisle of antiques...everything from kitchen things to whole bedroom suites, linens and quilts, children's toys and books....I loved this place! We all enjoy looking at "living history".

I love these next pictures...while we ladies were off gallivanting, my husband captured my little ones so beautifully....

Best friends!

We ended our wonderful week at a little, local amusement park called "Midway Park"....which was origionally opened in 1898! It is a great little park...right on the lake...so beautiful!

There were bumper cars.....

A small rollercoaster that Ronnie and Anna particularly enjoyed!

Anna fell in love with the Carosel....and a 1946 horse named 'cotton candy'....it was a beautiful old Carosel!

The park boasted picnic pavillions right at the lake...benches to sit and enjoy the view and a very cool arcade just like I remembered from when I was young...my children enjoyed pinball machines and skee ball before enjoying a lemon slushie at the end of the day.

Our last view of the lake before we went home. Oh, how we love it up there! We didn't want to come home! We are so very grateful to our cousin's Kathy and Leon for blessing us with the priviledge of sharing their lake home with us. If you ever have the chance to visit "wine country"...visit the Lake Chautauqua area...especially this time of year....grapes heavy and purple hanging from the vines....it's beautiful and serene up there!

So...vacation is over....Hubby is back to work, about to get a very crazy schedule for a short time...we are back to fully homeschooling a fun, interesting and full year....will be back to watching my nephew, Ty, again tomorrow...but God has gently spoken to each one of us while we were away...lessons learned, and now having to put them into practice. Having no internet was fine....no one really missed it. It's funny...we have dear friends without any internet, and they do fine. Also....no tv...and we didn't take dvd's either....and the kids did fine. Distractions....oh, well....off to bed...trying to get into a good, workable routine around here. Will post again soon about my son's fishing tale....I love being able to journal and "photo journal" here on the blog...for our family...for family out of town and good friends. Thanks again, Kathy and Leon! We love you guys! ~Sue~

The creek, crawfish...and corn...summertime fun!

2010-08-19T19:59:00.004-04:00

I've always loved playing in a creek in the summertime! I remember coming to this very creek when I was a little girl...and we had a small one in the woods by our house that we would play in all the time.

My little ones like "The Sugar Creek Gang" stories. We have 5 on dvd's....and a lot of their books....so this was a great way to cool off, and pretend they were in the stories themselves.

As this was a homeschool field trip, we were blessed to go with a couple other families and enjoy God's creation, fellowship and fun at Mingo Creek! Today, the kids learned about inverebrates...specifically crawfish. They had a blast! It was my little nephew, Ty's, first field trip...after he got over not wanting to be dirty or wet...he ended up having a lot of fun! He especially loves to do whatever Ronnie does!

Anna loved it! She had so much fun looking for crawfish and playing in the creek! She is definitely my little nature girl!

After all of the children had a crawfish, the instructor sat them all down and taught them about different fish and fresh water creatures. Some people even found fresh water clams. I must say...Ronnie and Anna were very interested, but Ty was, too! He listened so well and wanted to be where all the big kids were.

There is a hollow sycamore tree that was the perfect photo op! We all had such a fun day!
I had to take this picture of Ty when we came home from the creek! He loves his corn-on-the cob as much as his Aunt Suzie does! We have a picture of Ronnie at this age eating his corn and they look so much a like!

~What a fun day at the creek! We have had a fun, BUSY summer...lots of get-togethers with friends...old and new. Lots of family gatherings, lots of TOMATOES this year....and more preserving the harvest than we've done in years past. Looking foward to a vacation at the lake soon....but also looking forward to starting school again...getting Ron and the whole family into a new routine with (FINALLY) my husband working daylight and weekends off...cooler weather and actually...a slower routine for us. Hoping for a large round of canning/preserving in September and October...and very much looking forward to soups and stews, "nesting" and preparing for winter's unique joys in Pittsburgh! Blessings to you all! ~Sue~

He is faithful!

2010-08-13T21:41:00.002-04:00

The Lord is so faithful! He has proven His faithfulness, provision, caring and blessing over our family numerous times...and today is another incredible day!

We had been praying for a very long time for the Lord to move my husband into another job. We were very grateful that he HAD a job...but we knew his contract was up for renewal...and the job didn't look good. Add to this, him working almost 10 years of night turn and no weekends off...and it's been hard for our family. He couldn't go to church with us, was one of the hardest and we worked our family around his schedule. He has been sending out resumes and putting job applications out there at least twice a week for 2 years...and not even an interview.

But...yesterday he had a job interview with the municipality where we live for a position with their public works department...and today, they called and offered him the job! Praise You, God, for your faithfulness, provision and perfect timing! We are so excited! It won't be more money...but we're alright with that...we know how to live frugally...but it WILL be daylight, weekends off and it will be secure and stable. We have such a sense of relief! He is so faithful to His promises!!! Just wanted to share our happy news!!!!! ~Sue~

PO-KE-NO!!!

2010-08-09T15:41:00.002-04:00

Games....family time....we've been trying to play more games as a family, and it has been surprisingly challenging finding games that all 6 of us can play. When Anna learns to read just a little bit better....it will be easier. Apples to Apples was a little much for her, so we moved on to my grandmother's game of Pokeno.

Pokeno is very like Bingo only with cards, which has actually taught my 2 younger children all the different suits of cards. Oh, my goodness....who would have thought we would have laughed so much! Anna was so funny...she got more Pokeno's than anyone and was tickled. This was a game we all enjoyed! We've been playing UNO as a family and the game of Pilgrim's Progress is always a favorite.

This week, we're going to try Yahtzee with Anna and see how she likes it. Family time around the game table is so much more fun than movie nights, I think. We talk more, laugh more and generally interact more together. We do love our movies together, especially in the winter with a fire going and popcorn or homemade cookies.

We're up for suggestions, though, for some games that are fun for a wide age range....and especially good for an "almost" 6 year old! Let us know your favorites! ~Sue~

One small change....Preserving the Harvest!

2010-08-04T08:59:00.003-04:00

Our 'one small change' for July and August (and will probably be doing it in September and October, too) is preserving the harvest. We are regulars at our local farmer's market. We've put up strawberry jam, canned some homemade barbeque sauce and have now made peach jam. We were given the gift of a big bag of peaches on Monday and yesterday, canned 15 jars of peach jam. Oh, the house smelled so good!
I will calling around to different farms and seeing if I could get bushels of "seconds" of peaches and tomatoes to can and dehydrate. We're also shredding and freezing zucchini in flat freezer bags to pull out for zucchini bread/muffins this winter. Cutting and freezing corn off of the cob. Today, I am going to try a small batch of pickles. I would like to ferment them, but I had heard that these need refrigeration and I am looking to store in the pantry to save room. I've never made pickles before, so I am praying they turn out.

Another change I would like to do is 'pressure can' rather than freeze broth, and cooked beans. Our freezer room is at a premium as we've been rather cutting down on the amount of meat that we are eating and preparing for some lean times ahead. Bone broths are so very healthy that I like to have a lot of them on hand, but don't always have the room to store them.

So many changes going on at our home! From gardening, to clotheslines, canning & preserving...to even reading aloud more and playing more games. We'll be working outside more to gather and organize kindling and firewood for this winter as well as harvesting the garden. I'd like to even try my hand at gathering some free crabapples from a friend and making crabapple jelly. Just trying to spend more time together as a family...building family time & memories and working together for the good of our family. ~Sue~

What is one small change you'll be doing this summer?

Generosity...and Gratitude!

2010-07-29T18:09:00.002-04:00

Thanks to the generosity of some kind folk (Thanks, Mom, my friend, Anna and anonymous neighbors!) we had some awesome fried zucchini with our dinner tonight!

Unfortunately, all 13 zucchini plants that we planted got 'eaten' by a grub...along with 9 cucumber plants and I think my butternut squash as well. (we'll see...I hope not!) I know a couple of friends that this happened to as well, and next year, I'll be prepared!

But tonight...hubby requested fried zucchini and GF pasta with sauce for dinner. So, Meghan and I made a tempura batter using rice flour & cornstarch and it was the best fried zucchini I think I've ever had! (ok...we fry twice a year...this was one of those times!)

So....since we accept any and all donations of produce that others may have too much of....I will be stuffing zucchini and shredding it to freeze as well. I would like to make dehydrated zucchini chips as well as zucchini pickles and regular pickles as well. I would love to try fermented pickles and some homemade fermented sauerkraut as well. (Nourshing Traditions has tons of recipes for fermented veggies as does Mary Jane's Farm)

We've been picking and eating lots of green beans from our garden and looks like we'll have plenty of celery and peppers as well as tons of tomatoes this year. (Hooray!) Think I'll clean out the garden beds and will be planting some lettuce for the fall...now that we are fenced in, the 'critters' won't be eating all of our efforts!

Thanks again, all, for the generous gifts of zucchini! Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful summer! ~Sue~

Happy 17th Birthday to our beautiful daughter, Meghan!

2010-07-24T08:00:00.002-04:00

Our special, oldest daughter, Meghan is 17 years old today! Seems like yesterday that we held her in our arms for the first time....and how fast time has flown! She is such a sweet daughter!
(Meghan & I on Mother's Day this year)

~Meghan....I pray that your birthday today is full of joy, laughter and many blessings! I love you! ~Mum~

Summer scenes....

2010-07-22T20:10:00.002-04:00

This seems to me to be one of the hottest, most humid summers in Pittsburgh in recent memory! LOL Lot's of fun going on...lots of work catching up in the house...cleaning out, rearranging and moving around of books....putting away last years, and getting ready for our new homeschool year to start. We are so excited to start! Here are summer scenes from our home this week..... Little ones in the garden....checking out the plants and picking these for supper....
Oh, these green beans were delicious last night, along with some stuffed zucchini and wild rice.

Lemon icecream pie with blueberry sauce...WOW! This recipe is a keeper from my friend, Rochelle....I made the crust gluten free by mixing in the food processor gf ricekrispies, melted butter, agave syrup and brown sugar. We'll be making this again!

Running thru a sprinkler on a hot day....I love this picture! My little Anna, cousin Ty and Ronnie had a blast earlier today!

My little Ty (just 2 years old) kept running over to me, patting my arm and telling me "oh, Aunt Suzie....water wet!)...then running back thru the water. I was cracking up in between taking pictures! LOL
Cousins having summer fun in the water! Hope you all are keeping cool! ~Sue~

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes.....

2010-07-20T22:26:00.003-04:00

~There is a fresh wind of change moving thru our family! Seems, some days as if the Lord is holding me upside down by my ankles and shaking everything loose. I know I can trust Him, though....He has been so faithful to us thru the years, that we have no doubts that He is faithful now. We are TRYING to 'seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness'...and He is closing some doors, opening a few others...and basically having us rest right where He has us in some areas for now. Just some of our changes:

Well...He has us switching churches. Yep....we've been praying about it for a while now, and with Ron working nights and weekends, it was impossible for all 6 of us to go to worship together and to a service as a family...let a lone any type of men's group for mentoring and accountability. So...He is moving us to South Hills Bible Chapel...where we have family, friends and a great men's group that Ron has gone to before. It is so hard leaving our church family, but it does make it easier knowing that we know many people at the new church.

He is also having our girls not do worship dance this year...at least, not in a formal school. The church has a ministry, and it is more casual...come when you can. We'll all have the opportunity to go together on Wednesday as well...which hasn't happened in years. Already, I see a glimpse of the work that the Lord is doing in my husband's life...and in our families.

He has also been closing some doors, and putting it on everyone's hearts to be home as much as possible....to do things together , rather than seperate. And to have more family time...for devotions, games and movie nights. (at least until hockey starts...I guess us girls will have to make more of an effort! LOL)

Sometimes,change is painful...and the treatment stings before it starts to heal...but as each layer heals, it gets stronger....I pray that as the Lord strips away anything in our lives that would be outside His will....that He strengthen and guide us to follow His path only...with His help and His strength.

(still have a lot of family birthday celebrations, graduation, family reunion , more birthdays and a vacation coming up....finding out that I just don't have as much time for the computer. Will post as the Lord leads me to sit down and take the time.) God bless you all! ~Sue~

A 'whirlwind' month!

2010-07-17T00:08:00.004-04:00

I'm back...thought I would update on everything that has been happening in our lives for the past few weeks. In my last post, I mentioned that our special girl , Gabrielle, has come to stay with us for 3 weeks. Well...this past Tuesday, she flew home to Idaho to be with her family...it is strangely quiet without her here. Our time with her FLEW by...and along with all the late night talks, movies and food network shows that we watched together...there were tons of get togethers with friends for...photo shoots, picnics, movies, baking (the chocolate expresso cupcakes were a huge hit...along with the lemon cream cupcakes with strawberry jam filling and lemon creamcheese frosting....do you think the girls have been watching "cupcake wars" on Food network?!)...family parties, graduation party, pizza at Danny's, many lunches at Panera's, shopping, card games, swimming....along with lots of laughter, a few tears, lots of talking, praying...and making memories! Here are some bits and pieces of our summer the past few weeks: Lunch at Clementine's Tea Parlor in Ohio....Meghan, myself, Sara and our sweet Gabrielle.

Cubscout day camp for Ronnie...a full week of all day activities with over 200 boys...it was so cool! I got to help out for a day and it was great!

Archery, slingshots, BB gun target practice, science experiments, games and crafts filled Ronnie's days...."guy stuff"!

My sweet nephew, Ty.....his 2nd birthday party was on the 4th of July (my dear husband's birthday)...what a wonderful party with family, good friends and the most awesome fireworks I've ever seen...right over our heads, courtesy of my brother-in-law, Todd!

I LOVE this pictures...the girls were doing the country line dance the "Hoedown Throwdown"...we laughed so hard! Lots of sleepovers with various friends...and of course, for Meghan and Sara...it was a glorious 3 week sleepover with Gabrielle!

The trail ride that Sara and Gabrielle went on was so much fun for them...and a very special memory.

Treated my Dad to a special father's day lunch at Big Jim's. This has become an annual tradition...he tells me all the old stories of when he was growing up, we drive thru his old neighborhood on the way to the resteraunt, and he has my undivided attention for hours...his stories never grow old to me...I love to hear them and they make me feel closer to my Gram, who I miss so very much!

This week....a whole week of basketball camp! 3 hours every morning of basketball, drills, scrimmages, devotions and fun...I love the Upwards program! Ronnie has really gotten good at basketball and has had a great time, too!

~Tomorrow....SLEEP! LOL ~

~ (Sigh....) Now that it seems as if our summer is settling down a little bit...I'm feeling the desire to "nest"...to clean out and organize, move furniture around, CLEAN...and get books organized. I'm very excited for our school year coming up and want to get organized. But first...more memories to be made...time with family and friends, swimming, picnics, bridal shower, lots of birthdays, a family reunion and finally...a family vacation to Lake Chautauqua, New York at the end of August with a day at Niagra Falls thrown in! What a great summer! Hope everyone's summer is going well...enjoy it and make some memories! Blessings! ~Sue~

Home, Sweet Home!

2010-06-29T06:48:00.003-04:00

Home sweet home! The girls and I had a wonderful trip to Ohio this past week! Gabrielle flew in on Tuesday evening from Idaho for a 3 week visit with us, barely unpacked, then off we went to Ohio! My little ones had a great time with Dad, then 4 days with Grammy and Buppy...they enjoyed themselves so much and can't wait to go back. We headed to my friend, Stephanie's house. What a great hostess she is! She even had lots of gluten free food for me (thanks again, my friend!) and her boys couldn't have been more welcoming and helpful! We had a wonderful time! We also went to the CHEO homeschooling conference in Ackron, Ohio. (that is a whole post in itself!) then, for a short visit with our dear friends, the Teeter's. (Sara is staying the week with them until the 4th of July) It is so good to be home! I missed everyone so much, and...when Sara is home again, all will be right with my little world! LOL Here is a little bit about our visit: Steph and I at the little town of Olmstead Falls. What a wonderful, beautiful little town!!! It is a late 1800's restored town and the businesses renting the spaces are perfect! The barber even came outside and offered to cut our hair! LOL There is a shop called "Yarn Knit by Sue"...I kid you not, and Steph took my picture by the sign....the nice man inside taught me how to knit the 'continental way' instead of the american way (which is much easier for me, being that I crochet) and even invited me back for their 'knit-in' that evening!

Stephanie treated us to a lunch at 'Clementine's Tea Room'....oh, it was good! Wonderful food, beautiful atmosphere...and special friends...what more could we ask for?!

Our three beautys , posing on a deck overlooking the Rocky river.

We visited a beautiful rose garden....(Meghan didn't want to leave!)

To go to the beach at Lake Erie at sunset...it was the most beautiful sunset...and unique, as well....as we were able to see the sun sinking thru a cloud...just gorgeous! 'Praise you God of earth and sky!!!'

The girls had fun wading in the 'surf'.....my Sara will always 'pose' for me!

My girls....I wanted this time with them since it seems as if sometimes, life is so busy and they are growing up so fast...just some special memories with me and my girls! I know I will be making many more...and I'm so glad that Ronnie and Anna had the time with Grammy and Buppy to make special memories as well.

~This week...Cubscout Day Camp for Ronnie all week! Yesterday, I worked it and got to see all the cool things he is doing this week, take pictures (of course)..then he went to hockey last night...both of us were wiped out! I was so blessed, though, that Meghan and Gabrielle made a delicious dinner for us...thanks, girls! Now, off to make Ronnie breakfast before I take him to daycamp. Have a blessed day! ~Sue~

More summer pleasures...

2010-06-27T09:41:00.000-04:00

As we will still be on our trip to Ohio when this posts, I wanted to share this precious summer pleasure...Anna playing 'Pioneer' with her dolls....her big sister , Sara, helped her dress all the dolls, dress Anna in the bonnet that her older sisters played with....I have such wonderful memories of my older girls playing with their dolls! All of the dolls were very busy that day...including Anna!

Can't wait to post pictures of our trip! My little ones will be staying with my mom and step-dad for 4 days while we are gone and Ron is working...can't wait to hear all about their adventures! ~Sue~

Pilgrim's Progress.....

2010-06-25T07:19:00.000-04:00

Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan....it is one of our very favorite books...and next to the Bible, the 2nd best selling book in history. We have come to collect many copies and interpretations over the years and if I could encourage you to read for yourself, read to your children...watch on dvd, even....I believe it will make a tremendous impact on your life, your children's lives and your family...especially your walk with the Lord thru this life, on your own way to the 'celestial city'!
We started years ago when my older girls were little, reading this out loud...they were enthralled from the first page.

I hope this image shows up....it is one of my favorite images, depicting Christian's journey.

http://www.redemptionca.com/Misc/OtherGames/recommendedgames.htm
THIS is the coolest game! We've had this for years, and as you travel the path, you fight appolyon, get past the lions, conquer your sins, and travel thru vanity fair...if you don't leave your burden at the cross, you cannot enter the celestial city. The website above sells many cool games, but unfortunately, this one is out of print at the moment...I"m sure it can be found, though, somewhere on the internet. :)

We have a 2 disc set starring Liam Neeson of Pilgrim's Progress, including Christiana's Journey. It is excellent...we all enjoy this very much, even my little ones. But...our favorite by far, is the new musical dvd that we got simply entitled "Pilgrim". This was performed by the highschool students of Covenent Life Fellowship, a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Maryland. I cannot give this high enough praise! The music is exceptional (we all have now memorized the songs), the acting seems professional and most importantly...this musical adaptation is true to the book AND scripturally correct. If possible...get one of these for your family library...you won't be sorry! Here is the link: http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=O9250-00-41

And, (thanks to my helpful assistant, Anna) we also have a picture book called "Go with Christian" that is a pop-up book with a little board game in the back.

I can only tell you that "Pilgrim's Progress" has blessed our family so very, very much! It has convicted, humbled and blessed us...as well as opening up many teaching and correcting opportunities for all of us...from the youngest to the oldest.

Read 'Pilgrim's Progress'....watch a dvd....get the musical 'Pilgrim'...I know you will be blessed! ~Sue~

Preserving the Harvest....Barbeque Sauce!

2010-06-22T09:44:00.000-04:00

Preserving the harvest...this was very commonplace for centuries before refrigeration, and even after as for many people, grocery stores were not on every corner, and many people simply could not afford to purchase 'store bought'...they ate seasonally, which I am trying to do for our family as much as possible. I'm new at eating seasonally, and have to really think and plan, but the book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" helped me a lot to realize that the old-fashioned way of eating seasonally was by preserving the harvest.

Now, the above photo is NOT from homegrown tomatoes (or any other veggie right now), but as our freezers are full of meat (Praise you, God!) I was at a loss as to how to store the excess of homemade barbeque sauce that I had made. The container in front is what we used for ribs for Father's day dinner....and I water bath canned the rest. As this homemade sauce is very time-consuming, I am pleased as punch that I now have 5 quarts ready and waiting when I need them! The other thing that makes me very happy, is that there are no preservatives, funny ingredients or high fructose corn syrup in there....and my family loves it! I will try and give the recipe, but, to be honest, I'm one of the 'those' cooks who does not measure...I just estimate and taste until it tastes 'right' . So, here are the general ingredients:

diced onions, green peppers, garlic, pickle relish, yellow mustard, balsalmic vinegar, apple cidar vinegar, lemon juice, pureed tomatoes, salt, pepper, honey, brown sugar.

Just sautee the veggies in a little butter/olive oil, spoon in the relish and just a little bit of mustard....add the rest of the ingredients to taste. My husband likes it sweet, so we add a good bit of honey and brown sugar.

~We are hoping to preserve A LOT of fresh veggies and fruits this summer and early fall...we will be canning, freezing and dehydrating as well. Anyone have any special recipes they might want to share? Here is to a "Happy Harvest"!!! ~Sue~

Family memories....

2010-06-21T09:51:00.003-04:00

My hard-working husband was on vacation last week, so we tried to do a couple fun things, relax at home and get some projects done....but the first thing we did was spend the day making a special family memory.

We packed snacks, drinks, extra water and lunches and headed out to Living Treasures Animal park. I really like packing all of our food...it's healthy and frugal..and picnics are fun! The day started out raining...but we decided that rain or shine, we were going to have fun! And...when we pulled into the Animal park...the rain stopped. What fun we had! Meghan and Sara were busy taking lots of pictures on their own cameras and LAUGHING....while Sara took home movies on her new FLIP camera.

Anna was enthralled with the kangeroos....the one on the left had a little baby in it's pouch and Anna wanted to take them home!

Ronnie fell in love with this big guy. He named him "Shellvin"...and spent quite a bit of time with him.

Afterward, as we were walking to the car...the rain started up again! We drove just a couple minutes to Morainne State Park...and by the time we pulled into the parking space at the lake, the rain stopped. We had a wonderful picnic lunch, then headed for the sand! Sara, Ronnie and Anna ended up putting their suits on and swimming, looking for rocks and playing in the sand. The blue gill fish were swimming around their feet, while Ronnie & Anna tried to catch them by hand.

I simply relaxed with a little bit of knitting...it was so peaceful there! I WILL be getting a nice, big straw hat to keep the sun off of my face though!
Meghan kept me company busily crocheting away....while the clouds rolled away and the sky turned a beautiful shade of blue!
Dad enjoyed the peace and quiet for a little nap while the little ones played...

The rest of our week, we watched Ty, went bowling one afternoon, finished our bathroom project! Then...from Friday on, it was BUSY! We had the highschool evaluations for Meghan and Sara (always wonderful, our evaluator, Diane is such a wonderful friend!)...then we went to a very special celebration...and adoption party for our friends, the Porcari's, who adopted Alanna! What fun we had! After the year they have had, since Alanna was placed with them when she was 3 days old...the ups and downs, the uncertainty, the joys...and the trust and faith that they placed in God....it was a joy to celebrate with them! It was such fun seeing all of our mutual friends, the older girls hung out with all of their friends, the little ones played on a big playground with tons of their friends...and Ron & I had a great time catching up with OUR friends, as well!

Saturday, we had my nephew, Shayne's graduation party. I have to say, my sister Lori is a pro at planning parties! It was such a special tribute to Shayne...the decorations were perfect, the food was incredible (my mom made most of it...pulled pork, meatballs, sauce, rigatoni, roast beef....all homemade from scratch)....even with the rain that poured down (it IS Pittsburgh, after all!) everyone had a great time!

We ended our week with Father's day! My wonderful husband enjoyed a special week with his family, we had my Dad and step-mom, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law for dinner (Ron's favorite...slow cooked barbecue ribs with my honey barbecue sauce)...then Meghan made 2 banana cream pies for dessert. A sweet ending to a special week!

~Now....tomorrow, our dear friend Gabrielle is coming to stay with us for 3 weeks...a nice, long visit! Then...on Wednesday....I am leaving for Ohio with Meghan, Sara and Gabrielle for 5 special days...time spent with good friends, a large homeschooling conference where we will have the privilidge of hearing Dr. Voddie Baucham speak...then more good friends, and home on Sunday!~ I have a couple posts scheduled to post while we're gone, then it's back next week to document our trip! Ah....summertime!!!! Have a blessed week! ~Sue~

Culinary endeavors....

2010-06-15T15:02:00.000-04:00

One of the many lessons my daughters are learning, are the culinary arts...I am so proud of them! They each are not afraid to try new techniques or recipes...and genuinely love being in the kitchen...usually together! They are going to be responsible for preparing many, many meals over the course of their lives, so I'm glad they enjoy it! Here are some of their culinary masterpieces!

Meghan's curried carrot soup with fresh chives...

Sara's 'famous' omlet and homefried potatoes...

Sara's rasberry tarts...
Ronnie "helping" Anna make her 'famous' pizza bagels for dinner! Even Anna is loving preparing meals! I'm looking forward to more culinary endevours from my girls in the future! ~Sue~

Bagels!

2010-06-14T14:41:00.000-04:00

Part of our lifestyle is making as much as we can from scratch...rather than buying everything. If it is food, then I know the ingredients (and can usually pronounce them), and it is much cheaper and healthier. So, Meghan and I set out to make homemade bagels...she whole wheat and I gluten free. We had so much fun! Her's turned out much better than mine did, so I will probably not try gluten free bagels again....our next project...english muffins, regular and gluten free! Meghan, kneading her dough.

Dividing it into equal pieces..

My gluten free bagels rising....

Meghan's whole wheat bagels rising...

The finished products...the gluten free version on the left and the whole wheat on the right. Since she mastered the whole wheat, this something that she'll be making for her dad and everyone occasionally as a treat. (we don't buy bagels too often)

As part of the girls education, they are being trained in the culinary arts...everything from canning, baking, cooking, preserving to menu planning, shopping and budgeting....along the way, they are mastering cake decorating, candy making, drying herbs for spices and teas, and natural remedies as well. Next stop...english muffins! ~Sue~

Civic duty....

2010-06-13T14:51:00.000-04:00

We are loving the cubscout program that Ronnie is in! Especially the wonderful leadership in Pack 215! Everything he is learning (and having fun doing) is very patriotic and civic minded. Ron & Ronnie were able to participate in a flag retirement ceremony at the boy scout cabin recently. There were 3 branches of the military there, as well as veterans from a nursing home who came to pay tribute to our flag. That was so touching to see the emotion on those veterans faces. Another thing that we love, is that Ron and Ronnie get to do most of these meetings and activities together...wonderful father and son memories. Who better to mentor Ronnie than his dad?

There were cubscouts and boyscouts from every rank...

Ronnie helping with the flag....he has learned proper flag ediquette as well respect for our country and flag.

And he gets to do these things with his friends...this is his friend, James.
One of the best parts of the day was sharing it with his grandfather! My dad was in the Marine Corp when he was younger, and came out to participate with Ronnie.

One of the many fun learning activities we are doing with the cubscouts. ~Sue~

Strawberry Jam! First canning of the season!

2010-06-11T14:29:00.003-04:00

Making memories, having fun, preserving the harvest for wintertime...some of the things I love about summer! We had the opportunity to pick strawberries with friends recently, and had so much fun!
Our "Peony" in a strawberry patch!

Sisters...doing everything together. It was so beautiful...cool & comfortable with a pond in the background...

Anna and Hannah...

Ronnie and his friend, Aaron...

(sorry about the steam) mashing the cooked strawberries, which yielded....

20 1/2 pint jars of jam! Since Meghan made dinner (simple salad and black bean pie, recipe courtesy of Dayna http://pleasantboundaries.blogspot.com/ )...I am going to rest for a little bit, shower...then it is off to my nephew's highschool commencements. Have a blessed weekend, everyone! ~Sue~

21 Years

2010-06-10T05:31:00.002-04:00

Looks like we made it,

Look how far we've come, my baby

We mighta took the long way

We knew, we'd get there someday

They said, "I'll bet, they'll never make it"
But just look at us holdin' on
We're still together-still going strong

You're still the one!
You're still the one I run to

The one that I belong to for life
You're still the one I want for life

The only one I dream of
The only one I kiss goodnight
Ain't nothin' better

We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen

Look at what we'd be missin'
They said, "I'll bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holdin' on

We're still together, still goin' strong
I'm so glad we made it
Look how far, we've come my baby
-Shania Twain, "You're Still the One"-
~~~
21 YEARS SINCE THEY SAID "I DO"

The Lord has brought them through the good times, the bad, the desert years, and the years of plenty. He has led them through the seasons of pain and blessed them with many seasons of joy. Only by Jesus' wounds has the Lord grown, changed, blessed and showered His mercy upon Ron and Sue during their 21 years of marriage.

~~~

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful parents who will (hopefully) forgive me for hacking into Mum's Blogger account to write this. Love, Meghan

What is wrong with today's "youth groups"?!

2010-06-09T08:37:00.003-04:00

I heard a story recently about a large "mega church" having a "hazing" to initiate incoming freshman to the senior high youth group. These young people (in order to "join" the youth group) had to pass a series of tests, including drinking a "mystery drink" (which turned out to be ketchup mixed with Sprite) and being forced to sing into a microphone in front of a ton of their peers. All of this and more with the blessing of the youth leaders! What is wrong with some churches today?! This particular young lady, is shy and left in tears...with a few of her peers jeering at her as she left. What damage has been done to this young ladies spirit?!

Here is a link for a sermon by a pastor named Dr. Voddie Baucham.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=5209234630

Please, if you have young adults in your home....or any children, please listen to this sermon...or (if you are like me and technically challanged), print off or read the pdf file. It is the 'centrality of the home' where our young people should be discipled! It is not the churches JOB to disciple our children...many times by youth pastors who have never parented themselves!

We had a rather bad experience at a church that we used to attend in the youth program. Both of my older girls were not included, whispered about and were hurt and made to feel uncomfortable in a place where the leaders should have made sure that every single young person there was accepted and included. Church is supposed to be a safe place, a place of acceptance. The scars are still there.

The church that we attend now has a great youth program....but, it is referred to as a 'youth/parent' group, where twice a month, a parent and their youth attend a youth function where we worship together, listen to the teaching together, discuss together and fellowship together....WITH our child. One night a month is Mom's night and one night is Dad's night. This was such a refreshing change for us! And, our church recognizes that the primary influence in our children's lives is us...the parents. We, as a church, support each other and accept each other. I know, no church is perfect, but for us...this is a good fit, and is God's will for our family.

I have been so very blessed by the teachings of Dr. Voddie Bachaum! I wish I could give a copy of 'Family Driven Faith' to every family! My oldest daughters and I will have the pleasure and priviledge of going to a homeschool conference in 2 weeks where he is the keynote speaker. We're very much looking forward to sitting under his teaching. You know how some pastors just seem to "click"...and you feel very comfortable with them and their preaching style as well as the Lord simply speaking more powerfully into your life thru one person than another? Well, for me, it has been this man. I encourage you, if you can, please go to his website...http://www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/Blog/Blog.html Read the resources available, go to the link above and listen to his sermons, download and read the pdf files....you will be blessed.

I'll leave you with the words to a Casting Crowns song "If we are the body"....this song came out when we were experiencing troubles at our former church and youth group...it illustrates, I think, how we, as the church, should be reaching out to each other...not hurting each other. ~Sue~

It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know Farther than they know

CHORUS
But if we are the Body Why aren't His arms reaching Why aren't His hands healing Why aren't His words teaching And if we are the Body Why aren't His feet going Why is His love not showing them there is a way There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coatAnd quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances Are better out on the road CHORUS

But if we are the Body Why aren't His arms reaching Why aren't His hands healing Why aren't His words teaching And if we are the Body Why aren't His feet going Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price For us to pick and choose who should come And we are the Body of Christ Chorus (2x) If we are the body Why aren't His arms reaching Why aren't His hands healing Why aren't His words teaching And if we are the body Why aren't His feet going Why is His love not showing them there is a way Jesus is the way

What to eat...what not to eat...

2010-06-05T16:35:00.004-04:00

Even since the Lord placed the desire in my heart to live simply, eat and live in as healthy a manner as we can...I've struggled with the fact that, let's face it...eating and living organically can be rather expensive. After much prayer, here is what our family does:

If we can afford to buy organic that week...then we do. We've found what works for us, is to research and read labels of ingredients in anything that we can't make ourselves, and we make our own laundry soap and cleaning products. More than anything....we pray, do the best we can following the Lord's leading for our family and trust Him for the our health.

That said, here is a link to a WONDERFUL resource from Kitchen Stewardship.

http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2010/06/03/the-list-what-to-eat-what-to-avoid-how-to-compromise-2/#more-6457

She has answered the questions about what to avoid, how to compromise if you have to, and the optimum things to eat/buy/make if you can. What a great resource! I have printed out a copy for myself to refer to in the future and just wanted to share this great resource with all of you. Sometimes, it is very hard to know what is best...especially if money is not exactly unlimited.

So check out Kitchen Stewardship! Thanks, Katie, for great information and resources! ~Sue~

Great giveaway! Raising Homemakers!

2010-06-03T13:02:00.002-04:00

There is a wonderful giveaway over at Raising Homemakers for a 10 dvd set of 'Homestead Blessing' dvd's! Check them out...and check out this wonderful new website! ~Sue~
http://raisinghomemakers.com/