What a difference a week makes!

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.

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....

~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...

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....

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....

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.....

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

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~