Fun in the Oven

Bess:  Mom, I know what "fun in the oven" means.
Mom:  Fun in the oven?
Bess:  Yes.  It means you're pregnant.

Opossums

So Bethany was asking questions about opossums. None of our books had much useful information. We went online and after a short search ended up at The ‘Possum Pages. We found the following video and I just had to share. If you are looking for information on opossums, this is a good site. Maybe it will convert you into an opossum lover.

Not so me. I still think the opossum is really just a GIANT RAT. I'll grant that it's cool that they are marsupials. But that's as far as I'll go. Poor ugly creatures.

Btw, now that you are a opossum lover you will want to be sure to pick up the very useful 'possum tote bag or this lovely 'possum shirt.

My Name

Today Bess drew me one of her famous circle people pictures. Circle mom and circle Bess. Luckily we are always happy, smiling circle people. I take that as a sign that I’m doing something right.

On the opposite (outside) side of her picture (she likes to fold her pictures in half and turn them into “letters” or gifts) she wanted to write my name. She is just learning her letters so she needs a bit of help.

My initial unthinking response was to actually write my name, but somehow that seemed wrong.

A minute later I said, “Bess hand me the paper.”

To which Bess responded with her typical spunk, “No I want to write it myself.”

To which I responded, “I know. I’ll write it. Then you can copy it.”

So how did I spell my name?

M O M

I love that name.

Copywork for Mom (That's me.)

So I’m thinking that I need to do a little copywork of my own.

Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable. Love is not irritable.
-1 Corinthians 13:4

Hope that helps.

Have to Share

Sometimes I can’t help myself and I just have to share a good “resource”.

Here is the story.

A few days ago I was at Sam’s. I was there to spend the inordinate amount of money it costs us to stock up our pantry with basic supplies that will last all of a week. (I’m only half way joking.) I was also there to see if I could still find a little cookbook I’d seen a few weeks before called $5 Meals. When I was at Sam's the last time I’d looked through the book ($5 Meals) and decided that I already had most of the recipes in it and that I didn’t need it, (read that - I didn’t want to waste money on it) but as often happens to me over the course of a few days/weeks (and several meal plan headaches later) I decided that maybe I really did need that little cookbook. Also, it is important to note that I’ve been forcing myself to be more frugal so…$5 Meals seemed just the thing to help me out. Anyway, as often happens at Sam’s, if you don’t buy immediately, you are sometimes out of luck (did I mention that I also looked for the book at Target and Barnes and Noble with no success). But, there was another little cookbook with the intriguing title of “The Pioneer Woman Cooks”. Now, if you’ve been following along with me for any length of time, you know that my secret desire (read - I really, really want this) is to move to the country and disappear so that my kids can climb trees, wade in cold creeks and build forts made out of sticks and I can sit back in a rocking chair on the porch and watch the sunset - and so that Sundays become a day of rest and not of work (read that - no church committee meetings, deacon meetings or any of the other “meetings” that take up our whole Sunday and take it from a day of rest and worship to a day of work). So if you know this, you will know that opening this little book (with such a cute red headed lady on the cover) was something I couldn’t resist.

Well, long story short, the cookbook came home with me ($17 price tag and all - I do not spend $17 on a book without a lot of teeth grinding - and especially not a cookbook) and later that evening as I was waiting in the van for Mark to get off of work (we had to pick him up because in order to go to Sam‘s I had to drop him off at work) I read through the whole thing - all 237 plus pages (I waited a long time) and enjoyed every single minute. It is an odd thing to say that a cookbook was a “joy”. But, honestly it was. The author Ree Drummond was kind enough to include little stories and pictures about how she became “the pioneer woman” and about her cowboy husband, her children, her animals (cows, horses, and dogs), her friends and extended family, life on the ranch, and of course the food that she cooks. Did I mention that she is an awesome photographer. The pictures in the book are reason enough to buy it. She makes being a cowboy look like fun. And as an added bonus she has step by step pictures of how to make each dish - simple, wonderful dishes. No tofu or vegetables with weird names here. Just simple, easy, everyday food. Wonderful. The kind a girl can actually cook and her family will actually eat. Did I mention that the in the first couple of pages the recipes are for Pico de Gallo and Guacamole! I’ve decided that she must really be a Texan at heart. Btw, if you weren’t hooked by that, the first recipe is for BBQ Jalapeno Poppers. (This recipe is very similar. Yum, yum, yum!)

Anyway, that is not all. The cookbook came about as a result of her blog - ThePioneerWoman.com. I couldn’t resist checking it out - right now she has a recipe for Apple Fritters up that makes me want to put on my apron and pull out my pans. So if you are wondering what to cook for dinner tonight...this!

But, again that is not all. Guess what? (I’d already wondered about this before I checked her out.) Yes! She home schools. Make sure you read her post about how that came about. It will have you laughing. Did I mention that she has a great sense of humor.

Side Note #1: I don’t usually like to post about things I haven’t actually tried so I am breaking my own rule in posting this - I haven’t actually made any of the recipes in The Pioneer Woman Cooks yet, but having cooked for many years now, I can usually look at a recipe and know whether not it will “work” (read that - taste good or not) and I think these are keepers. Although, in a pinch I might simplify them a little - as I usually buy chicken breasts instead of fryer chickens. But, maybe I’ll reform.

Side Note #2: For those of you who already live on a farm and have chickens, etc. or desire to do so...I thought I’d pass on another bit of info. - while I was at Sam’s I also perused the magazine racks and came across a little magazine called GRIT. It is all about life in the country. There were two issues on the stand and one was all about raising chickens. I didn’t buy that issue, but the one I did buy is about gardening and other things (it has cookie recipes in it and is the one pictured in the link). Very interesting and helpful - even for this city girl.

So that's it. Just thought I'd share.

Desktop Wallpaper

So, oddly enough, I seem to be posting a lot this week. I must have more time than I thought! Anyway, here is one more reason to check out Revive Our Hearts. The desktop wallpaper! I love these wallpapers and I’ve gone through several of them. This new wallpaper may just be my favorite of all (although I have become really attached to both the “Thirst” wallpaper and the “Legacy” wallpaper). The new wallpaper is of 2 Peter 1 and I love it, love it, love it!

Check it out.

Then download it.

Then join with Nancy in memorizing the verses. (By the way, today's progam is again about self-control. Remember we are to be diligent! I wrote the phrase on our school white board because I love it so much. Be diligent!)

P.S. Please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers. One of our dear friends lost her mother in the earthquake and there are so many others…

I’m always amazed at how suddenly life can turn upside down. I’m not sure why this is always shocking to me, but it is. It is a good reminder that we must live our lives with eternity in view.

Yippee!!!

It's snowing!

It's snowing!

It's snowing!

Miracles do happen!

A Free Gift from TOS

A little something to “jump-start” your holidays



and a new and intriguing Charlotte Mason curriculum provider that I just discovered but haven't decided what to do with ( if anything).

Epi Kardia

Happy Reformation Day!

Love This!

Happy 4th!

National Donut Day

Bet you didn’t know that today is National Donut Day. Yep. Grin. And you can go to either Dunkin Donuts or Shipley (in Houston, Tx) and get one free donut with purchase (which doesn’t sound very free to me, but hey…).

Last night or the night before Sonic had a better deal - they were giving away free Root Beer Floats with no strings attached. Btw, Dunkin Donuts really does have good coffee.

National Donut Day

What is your favorite Donut? I like cake donuts and donuts with coconut on top. I also very sinfully like the vanilla cream (white cream) filled donuts and I really dislike glazed donuts.

Pi Day

The time change is killing me. I hate that it is dark until after 7 in the morning. How depressing. I love the sunrise and having to wait until 8 am to see it is just the worst. Of course there was no sunrise this morning because it is still raining, but….

The last few mornings the birds (a dove and a songbird) outside my kitchen window have been serenading me during my quiet time. What a sweet blessing. I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this but I love doves.

Here an interesting verse that I read in Numbers this morning, “Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving (Numbers 11:4).”

It might seem an odd verse to you, but this verse made me want to frown in sympathy, laugh, cry, and beg God's forgiveness all at the same time. Do you know what God did to this rabble? Mmmhmmm...He gave them what they desired and then…

While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague. Therefore the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving. –Numbers 11:33-34

Ouch!

Would that we all feared the LORD a little bit more.

Well, I’m about to color my hair…Ha! Vanity! Why can't I just go gray gracefully? I know some really beautiful gray haired ladies. (Do you think gray should be spelled "gray" or "grey"? I actually prefer "grey" because it reminds me of Susan Cooper's book The Grey King. I loved reading The Dark Is Rising series as a child.)

And then we are off to a costume birthday party this afternoon about which Aaron informed me, “I think I’m too old for costumes.”

Hmmm….

And a bit of interesting trivia - today is π day at 1:59 pm (only math geeks would have a certain time of day for Pi Day - gotta love it).

π = the 3.14 ratio (the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter)

Mourning Dove = Order: COLUMBIFORMES; Family: COLUMBIDAE

First Blog in a Month

Sorry I’ve been gone so long. Here are a few updates and additional thoughts about my last two posts and a few other things that have been going on, etc.…

1. We did buy a new washer and a dryer and I love them! Can I say that again, “I love them!” They are super large capacity and fabulous! I can get so much more laundry done than I could before and so much faster. Did I say that I love them!

2. About Scouts – we’ve decided to let Aaron finish the year with Webelos, but we will be reevaluating whether or not to continue in Scouts once it is time to graduate to Boy Scouts.

3. Several months ago I tested Aaron and came to find out that he has an Auditory Processing Disorder. I’ll explain exactly what this is and how it affects him another time, for now let me say that finding this out has been such a relief. It has explained so much. Like why he covers his ears when he is in a crowd, and why he can’t stand the sound of pencil lead on paper, and why he struggles to read - one day reading well, the next unable to read any word with more than five letters, it also explains his immaturity.

A quick example: Mark and Aaron have been working on a Pinewood Derby race car that they will be racing today. At one point the car needed to be sanded. The sound was so unpleasant for Aaron that he had to leave the room.

3. We recently celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary (Feb. 19th) and every day I love my dear hardworking hubby more and more. (And he is hardworking – this week alone he has worked two jobs, taught two Bible lessons - if you count Sunday as the start of the week - and worked every single night for hours on three Pine Wood Derby cars. The week before he and Aaron camped in the backyard, in the rain and cold, I might add, and made a wonderful Dad and Scout cake for the Dad and Scout cake contest. It really was cute and they should have won. And he has put up with me being grouchy and failing yet again…)

4. As I already mentioned, Mark and the boys are making Pinewood Derby cars to race in a Pinewood Derby Scout race today.

5. I’m reading the Bible through chronologically. (So far, so good, and loving it!) I’m in Leviticus…and the blood on everything is about to do me in. Sacrifice this, sacrifice that, use this lamb, and that bull, and if you bring a bird…and put the blood here, but don’t drink the blood, and don’t eat that, but burn this, and the priest can eat this sacrifice, but not that sacrifice…Laws for burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, and sin offerings, etc. How thankful I am that we are no longer under the law. I have no idea how the Israelites kept it all straight. (I guess that was the priest’s job. No wonder they were so messed up by the time Jesus came…they had too many laws to keep track of. ;) I wonder what our excuse is.) I feel like I need to make a chart just to figure it out. There is one phrase that is repeated over and over in Leviticus that I love – “a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the LORD”. Oh, that my family and I would be a pleasing aroma to the Lord!

6. As a result of my recent Bible reading (and I’m not sure how or why this has happened, but I’m glad that it has) I’ve been spending less and less time on my computer and not missing it at all. Praise God.

7. I realized just this morning that I’d lost track of my priorities as a wife and mother…or rather I’d allowed myself to feel guilty about having them, but that too is another post that would start with the word “Time”.

8. I’ve started using 10 minute increments for school and it has made a huge difference in the amount of work we get done and in my being able to work with all five kids. The key word here is “Discipline”.

9. Yes, I said five because I’ve realized that I have to “work” with Bess or she feels left out, plus I’ve also realized that children only learn so much on their own…and that some teaching has to be deliberate. It doesn’t have to be “school” but it does have to be intentional.

10. I’m thinking about reading through Created to Be His Help Meet again. If any of you would like to join me, let me know and I’ll start writing a little about it and allowing for comments and thoughts.

Guess, that’s about it…I need to feed Ben and start getting us all ready to go to the race…it starts at 9:00 a.m. Wish the boys well.

New Trick

Dear Mom,

See what I can do! I'm never taking a nap again.

Love,

Benjamin

Secret Santa

Before I post Part 5 of Prayer I have to share the sweetest thing…

Some of you may recall this post from my old blog. In this post I listed several things that I wanted. One of the things I listed was that I wanted a long skirt that was suitable for going out on errands as well as sitting around on the floor with my little ones. Well…and my heart is just so overwhelmed at this…last night Mark was leaving to run to the store and outside our front door was a little bag marked to me and from ?. There was no name showing who had left it.

A secret Santa. (How fun!)

So, what was inside the bag? I’ve given it away already…Yes! The beautiful skirt pictured above and below. Some sweet person read my post and gifted me exactly what I’d asked for…and folks this is not just any skirt…this skirt is from J.Jill! I’m getting chills just writing about it. What a sweet, sweet, precious blessing! Thank you SO, SO much dear person or persons (I think I know who you are). You have blessed me beyond measure. This has to be the best Christmas present I will receive this year…because it was done so selflessly and was exactly what I asked for. It is just beautiful. I can’t wait to wear it. And it fits perfectly! (No small feat I might add.)

After the gift arrived the children kept asking me – does God send presents in bags to people? Can He leave presents for people? And my answer is, yes! Yes, He does. And He did. Because He uses His people…they are His hands and feet. This morning I read a wonderful story about this that I will share after my next post which will further illustrate this point – you might want to get your tissues ready.

And dear person or persons it may be that you have unknowingly answered an odd dilemma/question that has been rolling around in my mind for months, and months, and months. It may be that God has used you unawares to tell me through your gift that I need to do this thing, but that is another post for another time.

God bless you. And many, many thanks! May the Lord pour out His love upon you this Christmas.

P.S. This skirt will go great with my new boots! I love it!

*Magic*

It looks like magic anyway (in the Narnia sense of the word)...but it is really a miracle.

It’s snowing in Houston, Texas on December 10th!

Amazing!

Beautiful!

Do you hear the music? The “aaaahhhaaa” music? I’m hearing it.

The snowflakes are big, and fluffy, and fabulous.

And still falling.

Those of you that live in colder regions have no idea how special and amazing it is. We hardly ever see snow in South Texas…and when we do it is NEVER before Christmas. Amazing.

Every year my kids pray for snow.

One year it actually snowed on Christmas Eve, which Aaron said was because he prayed that it would...but to have it snow three weeks before Christmas. I’m in shock. The snowflakes are so enticing that even Mark who has been home sick with a stomach virus felt well enough to go out and play.

What a special Christmas present.

God is good.

Did I mention that it is still snowing.

This is why I love homeschooling. The snow started around 3:15 p.m.

And it is still snowing…at 4:00 p.m.

Wow!

20 and Counting

Have you seen this?



It's on my Christmas list.

Just in Time for Christmas

The Twelve Days of a Large Family Christmas



Can I relate? With five of my own? You bet!