Loving Life

Saturday morning I woke up BEFORE 7:00. Applause. Didn't go to bed Friday night until after midnight. Pause. No, I was not contemplating deep thoughts in my recliner with my study books at hand. No, I was not cradling an ill child, or talking deep philosophy with my precious husband. What was I doing up at that time of night?



I was having a BLAST! Okay, the wonderful person with whome I was shopping, was not having so much fun. Bless her heart, we both had our children with us because our hubbies were out of town, totaling 5 small children, and one who is coming soon (mine, that is!). I was a chatter box... no big surprise! Everything in the world got talked about, due to my conversations being bottled up for so long, and the fact that I just love to talk. I could talk for hours on end, and not get anything accomplished (except to seem ridiculous to all around me). Not really proud of all that, but ask my parents, hubby, or close friends... I think they have all been shocked at my never ending flow of words... I will even repeat the same story sometimes, just to have more of a chance to be vocal.



Anyway, Ron had taken a large group of young people to a lock-in in Zanesville, Ohio, and Brother Manley was gone to some sort of event this weekend, so I thoughtit would be a great time for Sister Manley and I to get together and do something ladies like to do. Really, I don't usually mind having my kids coming along, because it is what I am used to. So... off we went to go out to eat andgo shopping! Fun, fun.



It all started off that my girls were in their jammies the whole time...love my girls' PJs! Then, the place we chose to eat out at was packed... we had to wait for highchairs for our babies, and the noise and the busyness of it all was playing on my dear friend's nerves. I was just happy to be near yummy food, and was glad that I only had to pay $5, plus tax, for my meal, and my children's meals were free! I would say that was a nice bargain for getting all you could eat! The restaurant had a hideous cartoon playing "Pokemon." I am very anti-Pokemon... but, we survived the Cici' exerience. A little frazzled, but well.

Then, we went shopping. I had a total of $15 to spend on this whole evening, so I had to be a wise shopper! Ha! I was down to nine something because of the meal, but I liked looking around and daydreaming anyway! My oldest daughter had the case of "I want to buy this, I want to buy that!" One dollar to heris equal to $500. She didn't even have any money, she just loves to beg.

Then, the worst thing ever started to happen... my children got tired! Major melt-down! It starts offwith whining and complaining, and then, later comes the worst behaviors you ever saw from a human being... uncontrollable screaming and crying, you would have had to be there. Okay, my princesses are a bit on the strong-willed side, so when the strong willed hearts meet absolute exhaustion, it is not a pretty sight indeed.

We got "lost" going to Walmart... don't ask! Sister Manley was getting so nervous, and I was taking it all in. I thought it was fun! I have been lost so much, and ususally despise the lost feeling unless a friend is driving! Then, for some weird reason, I sometimes think it is really fun! I, chatter-boxing in the front seat, her children giggling and tickling each other in the back seat, Faithy crying out "We're lost, we're lost, we're lost, we're lost!", and both babies whimpering for their mothers... it is a miracle that she didn't loose her mind! I am laughing even now just thinking of this whole scene.

Well, to make a very long story short, we actually made it to Walmart, where I actually made some purchases (the other store I had just browsed). This is the place that Sister Manley and I were when we looked over while in the shoe department just to find Faith without her clothes on. Because she had on a sleeper, she felt it necessary to disrobe herself to try on flip-flops... She is obsessed with flip-flops! Oh, my silly child! Faithy's behavior kept getting worse, and by the time that we were back in the van, she was a nightmare! We survived, but I am not sure we will ever completely recover from this episode... definitely not sure that we will ever go late night shopping together with our children again!

Sometimes you just have to laugh or die, I think this time I will laugh.

Well, on a more serious note, I have been reading some child training material lately, and I am trusting that God will give me wisdaom and help, as I train my children to obey better and have better attitudes... God is helping me make necessary changes already, and I am glad!

Oh, for those who think me "brave" about the cloth diaper thing... think "crazy" instead! But, it really isn't that bad. I am happy just knowing that with every diaper change, I am saving money... not sure how long I will keep doing this, but for now, it is manageable :-) You always thought I was off my rocker anyway, huh? You're right, but I am having fun!

A New Fear

I suppose getting that Noah's Ark video for the girls from the library wasn't a good idea after all. I don't usually get videos anymore from the library anyway, don't ask me what caused me to do it this time. It was kind-of cute, although maybe not quite Biblically acute, but now my daughter has a new fear... She already loves the story of Noah as it is and this just added to her fascination. (Which I love my children's fascination with the Bible anyway.) Well, yesterday, Ron, the girls, and I went on a walk through the woods at Ceaser's Creek... it was thundering and by the time we were almost back to our car, it had started to sprinkle. Faith started to panic. She kept begging me to carry her, and insisted that a flood was coming. I tried to reassure her that a flood was not coming, and that God had promised He would not flood the whole Earth again.
She is really getting tender toward the Bible, and that is great. Heard her singing, "Since Jesus Came Into My Heart" and many other songs on the trip to Ceaser's Creek yesterday, and this overflowed Ron's heart. He said it was worth it all just to hear her singing those songs!
Lately she has been drawing crosses alot, and the other day she drew a large cross "for Jesus" and a small one "for Faith." Another time, she stood up on my bed with her arms outstretched and was pretending to be on a cross.
She is also memorizing scriptures. A Beka has these verse cards for each letter of the alphabet, and this is what she is learning right now. She is now on the D verse, and is doing fantastic! Praise God!
Now I long to see her really give her heart to Jesus. She has prayed before and asked Jesus to come into her heart, but she was quite little and I am not sure what she knew... I hope to see a real hunger and change within the next year or two.
As for Charity, she is only one, and still demonstrates a very strong will... and, loves yelling "No!" and "Mine!" Faithy struggled with strong willed behavior when she was little too. Still does sometimes... had a "battle" just the other day, and it was not pretty. Be glad you missed it. After proper disciplining, she was a much better little girl that day... Disciplining is not always my favorite job... sometimes makes me want to cry with the child, but it must be done.
Anyway, coming off my soapbox, I thought you all would enjoy the Noah story. Don't always know what is going through a child's mind!

Yikes! I have been "tagged"!

Um, let's see... seven things at random... and, seven people to tag... this could be hard, since several of the bloggers I know have already been tagged!

Well...
1. My husband is almost 6 years and 3 months older than me. Just think, when he graduated from high school, I was just finishing 6th or 7th grade... like an 18 year old dating a 12 year old... He actually was a Senior at GBS when I was a Freshman (in college, that is)... became good friends during a trip to Taiwan that year! He was a city guy, and I was a country gal!
2. My worst fears are my children drowning or being in a house fire or some other dreadful thing happening to them... this is a serious fear... I can hardly go fishing anymore because of it... I clam up... need read prayer about this... I am not sure I have ever been so afraid of something since I was a child!
3. I hemorrhaged at age eight, after a surgery on my mouth, and my mother stuffed tea bags in my mouth thinking it would help... have no clue where she got this idea! It was nasty!
4. I went to public school kindergarten through 12th grade, and somehow survived all the trauma! I was already so awkward around other children my age as it was. I was socially very immature, and I am sure that this actually helped keep me out of trouble!
5. I love English... grammer, etc. I think I had the highest grade in English 101 at GBS the year I took that class... Loved it! Struggled more in English 102 due to all the reports, etc., I think I will blame this on public schooling... or maybe it was my staying up many nights studying :-) (Yeah, right), and playing around all day.... I really, really, really, really loved being at GBS, and all the Christian friends I had around! (I got a little caught up in the social world. Needed it, though, I think.)
6. I received a call to missions at about age 14. One of the most exciting things that ever happened to me! I couldn't wait to be placed into some jungle :-)
7. I think my husbands smiles are about the cutest thing on the planet!

Now, all that information probably bored you half to death,
these are the people I would like to tag...
Melodie Y., Heather D., Sonja V., Dixie P., Sarah F., Linda S., and Heather L.

God's blessings

You know, God has really given us so very much! Most of our furniture was free (one person's trash is another person's treasure), but some of it was on sale or used. All of our baby furniture, just about, was given to us (who cares if it was used many years ago?). Our couch was found by Ron... in someone's trash pickup stuff... the people just didn't need it. So on and so forth. The house we rent is in a nice neighborhood, and we live right next door to people from our church... the thing is, that we don't pay as much as many people do, and we have great neighbors and a kind landlord. If something miraculous doesn't happen in the next week or so, we will most likely be signing another one year lease here. There is plenty of space here for our family, and generally I feel very safe. (Neighbors here look out for each other, and some of them know each others' business like family!) I have nothing to complain about! Yes, money does get tight... really tight sometimes, but we have everything we need. Since I don't work outside the home, this is clearly God taking care of us! It is not easy these days for families to have a stay at home mom. Here are some pictures of what our home is like. The computer room still needs help as you will see, but you can only do so much at a time. Found the detergent on sale yesterday, and was pretty excited about that! Oh, and as you can see, my children have plenty of toys, books, purses, and you may not be able to see it, but they have lots of clothes... and, the best part is that we actually didn't buy most of it... well, I do go thrift store shopping. Yes, even the piano was given to us! Lots of this stuff came to us through church family! I am so rich! When I compare what we have to the needs of so many, we really are rich! I actually may have to tell people at Christmas not to buy toys, etc., for my children... I don't know where I would put them, and I don't want them spoiled either! Wouldn't mind maybe diapers and bath stuff, though! Always could use a stock of those types of things! There is more to our house, but, because we've been moving rooms around this week, it wouldn't be appropriate to show you some of the other rooms that are still being put together. One room actually has a set of bunk beds for guests... want to know how much we paid for it? $20!!! Yeah for garage sales! Thank you, Lord, for Your many blessing on us!

The book at the end is a book I have been devouring the past few days! Has alot of good material in it that we, ladies, need to pay attention to. Of course, not every drop is agreed with, but if it is in the Bible, who can argue with that?

Oh, before I forget, our pastor and his family did a really cool thing this morning for Parishner (sp?) Appreciation weekend. They made a really nice pancake, etc., breakfast for the church folk. Tomorrow, we are having special services as well.

Okay, here's some picts... house is not perfectly cleaned, but I am working on that!

The "MOM" moment

Has your child ever embarrassed you? I mean REALLY embarrassed you?

This is what happened this evening. Went to the park... great daddy and mommy! Ron smelled something when we got the kids out of the car... He checked Charity's diaper... good to go! So, off we went... I let the girls go play on the slides, which Faith has become very good at lately. Ron sat beside me later, and as we were talking, Faith made a little friend (male, perhaps 3 years old) who asked her to go meet his daddy... Funny! Okay, so I thought this to be a little young, but cute. This "daddy" had a little girl, too, who was probably Charity's age. Anyway, when Charity decided to go down the slide the other kids were on, Ron asked me to go over to her to make sure she didn't fall... When I arrived on the scene, something was definitely NOT right! There was a foul odour... and, it was coming from my oldest. You guessed it! Not so potty trained after all! On the slide, right by that poor daddy, who shortly left after the discovery, was not a pretty sight. So, I being common sensed (HA!) clean off the polluted slide. Then, into my mind, comes the thought... OH, NO! She has been on numerous slides. You guessed it again! Most of the slides in the park had the precious mark of my three year old's presence. I was glad I had plenty of wet wipes on hand, and the park got a little bath. Could have died! Wondered in agony what the other parents thought. I would have been a little more than upset if I were them, having to tote off their now dirty children to go home! Either you laugh or cry, so I decided to think it to be somewhat funny... I suppose! Poor Faithy! She was too young to be embarrassed, but this mama may never quite be the same!
I am sure you'll understand the lack of pictures to go with this post... I think you all have enough imagination to get the point!
Well, the house arranging and cleaning are going well, and I am pretty proud of that... but, I certainly could not have done it without my strong hubby, and actually, my children even helped clean... yes, they can make good little helpers! I will have to share all that at a later time! Good night, and may you all have pleasant smelling dreams!

HELLO OUT THERE!!!

Um... sometimes I wonder if I post in vain... sometimes I wonder DOES ANYONE EVEN READ MY BLOG! Sorry, pregnancy hormones kicking in... a little on the moody side!
Got great pictures coming up soon. Rearranging the house this week, and find it rather exciting when a room is done!

Oh, pictures!

LOVE PICTURES, don't you? Sorry that I don't have any of last week's youth event... the canoe trip... Could smack myself for not being more prepared!

Well, here's a few of recent happenings. Faithy got a dress up wedding dress. She loves to watch my wedding video... since it is one of the very few things I let her watch in our home. We don't have a TV, just a computer that can play DVDs at a very slow pace! Anyway, she asked me the other day if she could watch the "welding" (wedding), and I told her no, because it is not good to watch the same thing everyday! She simply stated, "I have wedding coming out of my ears." I had to laugh! Where did she get that one?

Her wedding dress...

Been doing really well with laundry... not really allowing any dirty laundry... doing about two loads a day! It is beautiful to always have an empty laundry hamper!

I ordered some books the other day, and I am going through them rather quickly. I bought volume one and two of "No Greater Joy" by the Pearls, "To Train Up A Child," and "Created to Be His Help Meet," I think they are all by the Pearls. I felt inspired by several friends to get these. Got two of them in the mail already.

Now here's just a couple of Saturday morning pictures!

Notice the flip-flops on Faithy's feet. The Manley's gave these to her, and I think she would wear them everywhere if I would let her. She calls them "sip-sops." Yes, the nightgown came from them, too. She likes Hello Kitty stuff!

Well, we are in Missions Convention at our church, and I have overnight company coming, so I need to be moving on! Have a great weekend y'all!

I think I am going to start a dental hygiene job!

Right here in my house! Yep, whip out a regular toothbrush, say some nice things, wipe off teeth with fluoride afterward... say, "no cavities" and send people away with a bill of about $135. I could make good money... you think?

Well, before y'all rush over here eager to give your money away, I must confess my sarcasm... You see, Faith had her first dental appointment yesterday, and the above just about sums it up. Yes, they were gentle, and Faithy had a good first experience in the dentist office, although the girls picked out hideous toys... an eye ball bouncy ball thing and a set a play cards... definitely NOT what I would have them to choose! Some of their hideous types of toys have a way of disappearing via Mommy... no, I don't throw all their toys away, but I have to have a limit!

Anyway, back to the appointment... when we were through, I found out the cost was much more than I thought, and had been told by someone over the phone, I believe! Our insurance would not even cover it all... we are supposed to pay almost $50 of it! You must understand, I tried to get a good deal here, and found it to be probably the most expensive place I have ever been!

We were not exactly happy customers... liked the service... for a toothbrush cleaning, I suppose, and Faith liked the "free" toothbrush and hideous toys... but, as ends meets type of people, we are still in shock! I mean, this doesn't even include x-rays, polishing;just regular toothbrush cleaning (like we do everyday!), fluoride, and a quick peak by the doctor!

You see, I am a thrifty type of gal. I found a school desk for my niece a few weeks ago. (She is home schooled, and her parents were about to pay too much for a new one!) Do you know how much I paid for that thing!? $.54... that is right... fifty-four cents! Long story! Most of my children's clothing is either hand me down, thrift-store bought, or on a serious sale! No, my children DO NOT dress raggy and tattered. I like them to be well dressed, but God has blessed me with so much that their clothes hardly fit into their drawers! $50 is alot of money to give for a toothbrush! Hope it lasts a LONG time!

Just wondering, what does your dentist charge?

Busy, busy... but, having lots of fun!

Tuesday, Ron had an appointment after work. Wednesday, Faithy had an eye appointment (no glasses... yeah, for her... but, I saw an adorable little baby getting glasses while I was there, and the baby seemed to enjoy it!). Thursday, I had an ob/gyn appointment. Friday, Ron got paid, so I paid bills, and we went out and bought some needed items... and, wanted, too! Faithy got a dress up wedding dress... and, was very excited. Okay, so it was used, but still cute!
Saturday was a youth outing... then, church cleaning... then, house cleaning... etc, etc...
Sunday, of course, was church. Today, was family night... cheap and fun! I also ordered some books today... child rearing and being a better wife kind of books... hope to get them soon and let you know what I think of them! Sorry, no pictures today agian! I have to go now... hubby needs me to help put away laundry!
This is a short summary of what we've been up to!

Homeschooling and housecleaning

Yesterday was a day that I really worked on teaching Faith. She is easily taught, but her attention span and motor skills are, of course, really young. She really picked up on her Bible verse for the week... A "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). This is here first verse that I am counting toward pre-preschool :-) Today, I haven't worked with her on these things yet... I have been housecleaning.
Got this bright idea last week (I think it was), to make a weekly housecleaning list to help me stay on target. Not that this warms your heart or anything, but so far today, this is what I have gotten done, and I have lots more to do...
Bathroom
Wipe countertop
Wash sink
Clean tub/ shower
Clean toilet
Mop floor
Clean mirror
Cleaned some of the shelving
Bedrooms
Changed sheets and made beds
Vacuumed and mopped
Kitchen
Wiped countertops
wiped front of cabinets
Cleaned top of stove and surface cleaned in oven
Washed sink
Mopped floor
Washed dishes
Living room/dining room
dust
Vacuum floors

Of course, I also have been washing laundry, therefore, I have lots to put away! My biggest mess is in my computer room. In here is my laundry awaiting to be put away, Faithy's school mess, etc. I also want to rearrange my house so that the baby can be properly fit in. I have done lots of brainstorming on this one, and I think I about have that figured out... but, it requires alot of lifting... knowing me, I hope someone offers to help soon, or I might try to do it by myself. I like things done on MY schedule, and I can get myself into trouble that way. I rearranged my apartment when we lived by the church by myself when I was pregnant with Charity. I am sure my husband was shocked to come home to a whole new arrangement in his house. He was worried that I had hurt myself, but I reassured him that I used my legs and not my back. He actually liked how it looked! Once I get something in my mind, it sure is hard to change me. Not to mention, when I get a color scheme in my mind... I even painted when I was pregnant with Charity. Now I am thinking about somethings that I would love spray painted. I bought some stuff to decorate with. (Forgive the prepositions at the end of the sentences... I don't feel like be gramatically proper today.)
Wow, I think I probably smell like bleach right now... hope my hubby likes that scent, because he will be home soon. I bleached alot of stuff today! I make it sound like my house is really clean, but it is far from being done! It is difficult to get everything done in one day when you have two small children you bathe everyday, and you obviously have to feed and care for them. Fortunately, they played well (overall) together this morning. That does NOT happen so easily all the time. I still had to hear, "Mommy, Charity hit me!" and "Mommy, Charity said NO!" So young... yet already fighting!
Hey... I know I have bragged alot today (just felt like it during this break, I suppose), but you will never guess what time I got up this morning! I got up around 4:30am, and made my hubby sausage and biscuits for breakfast before he left for work! Okay, I cheated on the biscuits... I popped open a can and just baked them. No, I did not stay up. I ate with Ron, then had devotions, and put myself back into my cozy bed until probably around 8:30!
Would love to have pictures today, but my disk is temporarily with someone else. I feel lost without it. Now you just get to read my boring entry without pictures! Enjoy, and I hope I have inspired some soul!

A trip worth the making

Today, we finally went! I have been longing to go for a long time! Creation Museum, here we come! (Sicknesses, or not! Okay, in my defense, I have been told before that after 48 hours of antibiotics, you are not supposed to be contagious! Also, I don't know that ear infections are contagious in the first place!)

Noah displays. Had some awesome little and big displays of the flood. The little display with the people on the top of the mountains begging for mercy with wild animals attacking and the water ready to overtake them, was breathtaking. This musuem is a job well done!

The serpent who spoke to Eve. Love the way this picture turned out. It looks so wicked.

A creation display. The dark blur in the middle is actually the girls and me posing for Ron. Not sure if he had the right light on.

Adam and the animals.

Ron and the girlies.

Plenty of dinosaur displays!

After we were done with the iside of the musuem, we went outside and went on a little walk. Loved the water bridge! We had packed a picnic, and after the picnic... Faithy and Charity got to jump in this blow up thing. So fun! We were all exhausted. Everyone but Ron (hopefully!) took a nap on the way home. Stopped by my brother's house to drop off some stuff for them, and he gave us pop and cookies! Thanks, Wes!

Loved the planetarium! Made me realize more the awesomeness of our universe and The Creator. Faithy was afraid of it.

Loved the presentation of the "Last Adam" as well. The "Men In White" was interesting. I held back tears in several parts of the musuem. God is so wonderful, and, although I had to tote around antibiotics and ibuprofen for Faith, I am so glad we got to go!

A big "Thank you!" goes out to Dr. Mark Bird and his wife for allowing us to use their guest passes! Yes, Dr. Bird, they still have some of your books available in the bookstore. Nice to see an author's name I know well :-)