Been gone a long time!!!

Well, it sure has been a long time since I wrote! Life has been REALLY busy! We have been blessed with 4 more kids we are planing to adopt :) That makes 8 kids total for now. God is so good to us! I am homeschooling them all plus the little girl I watch on weekdays. We are doing school a bit different this year. We are schooling 4 days a week, year round. I like this much better, and think the children will benefit greatly. DH has been hunting with no luck yet...we have been busy with church and on and off with being sick. All in all, life is great! Just thought I would drop in and say hello....not sure if anyone will even read this....it's been so long since I have been in "blog land"...lol...

Blessings,
Kim

Happy Monday!

I LOVE Monday's!!! It may sound crazy...but I do! I cherish the time I have with my family all together on the weekends....well, I guess we are all together everyday (except DH goes to work)...but weekends are different somehow :) Today will be busy with cleaning and playing. This is our first week of "summer vacation" :) I am taking this summer to really get organized and develop some routines in our home, mostly morning routines. I found that during the school year if we are not "on the ball" and we get off track I have "lost" the kids and they struggle to get back on task..I struggle too! So, I will work on that some today as well. I will also be planning to get ready for our anniversary trip this coming weekend. DH and I have been married for 10 yrs on June 5th!! That went fast! My WONDERFUL sister is coming here with all her kids to stay with all my kids for the weekend! She will have her hands full! I'm not sure we have enough chairs for the dinner table! LOL...anyway, DH and I are going to a NASCAR race! We are SOOOOOO excited!
Well, I am off to start blessing my home and making a weekly menu! Lots to do!
I also have to go uncover my entire garden! We were supposed to have a frost last night! ARGG...we did get a light one! DH said we should move farther south! LOL
Have a blessed day!

Frugal buy!!

This is a picture of the new curtain I made for the living room and a new sun catcher I got for .99 from CBD!!!

a closer look at the sun catcher

a closer look at the curtain :)

The curtains cost me $1.25 a piece to make ! Pretty and frugal ...just the way I like it!

Have a blessed day!

Just some fun!

We got the baby a baby pool, but all he wanted to do was stand in the bucket we got out so the kids could fill water guns! LOL

DD enjoying the pool :)

DS just lounging around!

DS just riding the waves! It took days just to get him to even get IN the pool! He will ONLY get in if he can ride in the "boat"...lol...kids! He sure does have fun though! Even DH and I got in the pool over the weekend :) Now it's raining..and cold...so these pictures are nice to see right now :)

the garden

This is just a picture of our chicken coop, I thought I would include....it's right by the garden :)

These are our strawberry plants

This is our potato garden...we also planted pumpkins in the empty space you see on the right.

this is a picture of our "main" garden...I couldn't get the whole thing in...but we have planted peas, onions,carrots, beets, lettuce, spinach, brussel sprouts, beans, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucc., asparagus, rhubarb. I can all the veggies and put them up for the winter :) We LOVE our garden and the blessing that it is! God is so good!! We love to see His hand at work! Have a blessed day!!

SHOCKED!!!!!

My 9 yr old daughter and I went into a nearby public library last night and as we were checking out I looked over to where the computers were (in PLAIN SIGHT!) and saw a teenage boy looking at pornography!!!! I was SHOCKED! So, I was trying to tell the librarian, who was hard of hearing, that this boy was looking at trash on the computer without drawing attention to myself or alarming my daughter, this was not an easy task! Finally she heard me and took care of it, but wow!!! Are we not even safe to go to the public library?? Why don't they have net nanny on the computers??? I am so thankful that my daughter didn't glance over that way, wouldn't that have been so sad? She would have been corrupted and a little less innocent in that moment, all at the library! Sad times!

kim

homemaking

Recently I have noticed myself saying that I was bored. What is that?? I happen to LOVE Mondays, it is house blessing day! The kids and I work on the house all day and ask God to bless us and we thank Him for all we have, it is ALL His, but He has blessed us with it :) Anyways, as I am going from room to room looking around I can name off a hundred things that need my attention (along with the help of the kiddos), so I wonder why am I bored? Just say that I was to get EVERYTHING done or just wanted a break from housework, isn't that the time I should use to play with the kids, make a special meal, work on a craft, read a book, you know the fun things! I am shocked at myself sometimes, and grateful for the Lord showing me the way...because if I was leading...that would be trouble! LOL...
So, today I am feeling extra blessed and encouraged! Like I said I LOVE Mondays! Hope you all are finding joy in homemaking, and seeing all that we have to do in a positive way!
Have a blessed day!

Only God~

My kids at our Mother's Day trip

Only God can create such beautiful things! We should take a moment to reflect today!

Have a Blessed day!

WHAT...flowers & reptiles?!?!

I had a lovely Mother's Day! It started on Friday! DH got me flowers, then Sat. the kids gave me gifts, flowers & bird feeders...then on Mother's day we went to Reptile Land! I HATE snakes and lizzars...lol...but the kids LOVED it and had a GREAT time! I was very thankful to be a part of it :) We also ate lunch out and got ice cream later on. It could not have been better! I feel like God has blessed me much more than I deserve! Hope you all had a great Mother's Day weekend!

Kim

Special Day

Today is DH's B-day. This is a picture of the "mural" the kids made for Daddy! We all got him gifts for the garden, shop...and the baby got him socks...lol...The kids made him cupcakes and decorated them by themselves, and I made him a 9x9. Chocolate cake with peanut butter icing!! :) The kids picked out trick candles that won't blow out! We went to a grocery store that has the BEST meat around and bought big steaks to grill....and we will have ice cream later on. It should be really special. His mom is going to stop in and give him his favorite pie (strawberry rhubarb!). He will be a happy man :)

We have a busy weekend ahead! Tomorrow is the Mother Daughter banquet at church, we are going with a friend and her daughter :) Then we will cut grass. Sunday is church and Mother's Day! What fun! I am so blessed!

Have a GREAT day!!!

Kim

New curtains in the making!

This is the fabric I got at Walmart yesterday to make new curtains! It was only $2.50 a yrd~ so the curtains will be much cheaper than buying them pre-made :)

The first fabric (paisley) is for the shoe room...the second fabric (brown) is for two valances in the living room, and the last fabric is for two full length curtains in my room. I am trying to redecorate my room in red and black....that may sound cheesy, but I am doing it in red roses and black accessories. I think it will be romantic :)

Have a blessed day!

Kim

WOW!!! It's been a while!

It sure has been a long time since I last wrote! LOTS has been going on. We are getting finished up with school, getting the house all cleaned out and organized...the garden planted, we started mowing, my FIL had back surgery so we have been helping them out...church...family...KIDS...friends...you know, all the usual stuff :) LOL
Today has been CRAZY! I got all 5 kids ready and out the door to go to Walmart as DH's b-day is Friday, we were going shopping for him....we get there and it's CLOSED!! the power was out! I decided to NOT wait....we went home. I put the baby down for a nap, he climbed out of his crib and messed his room all up by the time I got up there he had toy boxes tipped over and the room trashed! ARGG...time for a big boy bed, I'd say! Then I had two more kids to put to bed and cleaning to do, so we have not yet made it to the store. The baby is back to sleep and all is well in the world. I still need to go because the cats need food. Oh well.
The Lord has been working in my heart and life so much as of late it is amazing! We have such a wonderful God, don't we :) He is showing me MANY areas where I need major growth, for that conviction I am pleased! We are studying the Fruit of the Spirit right now...so there is LOTS to learn!
I am working on getting school ready for next year. I have most of my stuff bought, but it is a mish mash of materials. I like them all and am grateful to have them (very frugal finds, I might add :) So, I need to really spend some time putting that all together, and making sure that God is in the center of it all!
I am working on sprucing up the house, but in frugal ways...so that has been keeping me occupied too...fun!
Well, I hear my baby...so I am going to try to load all 5 kids AGAIN and head to Walmart...then home for cooking supper, finishing wash, and running the sweeper...and cleaning the baby's MESSY room! LOL
Have a blessed day!!

Kim

frugal day!

Today I took DD out for an afternoon of shopping as she had a lot of Birthday money to spend. While we were out I got 3 Christmas gifts for next year on clearance....I got 2 pairs of pants and an outfit for 90% off! And to top it all off we went to a new thrift store in town and I got 3 sweaters for 50% off!! I was pretty happy! DD got a few of her toys on clearance as well, she is learning to be a bargain shopper! YEAH!!
Not too much is new here...just trying to keep up! The weather has finally broken and we have been playing outside a lot. It is going to be time to collect sap soon and make syrup :) It is fun, but takes forever and we get just enough to last us the year! LOL. I am also working on lowering our grocery bill...I feel like I am spending too much and am working on that. We have been doing some Spring cleaning, but that is getting really boring, so I am going to take a break and sort through some kids clothes and get ready for Spring and summer, that will be a nice break :)
School has been going ok, but we are ready to start wrapping things up for the year. We are making sure we are getting in the things we really want and learning what we had planned....this school year has zipped past!!! Before we know it it will be time to plan for next year!
Foster child #2 is really going through some hard times, so that is going to be time consuming. And all 3 foster kids have court next month. We are hoping to be able to adopt two of them :) We are praying for God's will here.
Well, it's time to put the 3 little kids to bed...so that's it for now!

Spring Cleaning

I am starting my Spring cleaning! I am not sure that it should be called spring cleaning or not....as it will take me until the beginning of summer to finish every room in my house! LOL....life gets in the way, huh? :) I am going to try to do one room a week...I know this does not sound like much...but for me, it is! LOL...I still have to be mom, teacher, wife, foster parent, and babysitter...so I am already busy! My plan is to go through EVERYTHING in each room....get rid of unwanted or broken items and deep clean. I am also hoping to make any repairs or decorating changes during this time too. I have not done this since we moved here 9 years ago! I have cleaned each room, but not all at one time like this...so it will be nice at the end to have an entire house clean and organized! YEAH! We shall see how it goes. I hope I don't tucker out and quit...lol...
Have a blessed day!

It's been a while!

Well, it has been a long while since I posted last. It seems that I have nothing to say! LOL...I know that seems hard to believe and my husband would fall over if he ever heard me say such a thing! LOL... There has not been anything eventful happening around here as of late. I can't complain about that! We have delt with sickness and some good weather. We are now back to our normal good health and cold weather :) I guess we are trying to catch up on missed school and think about starting to Spring clean. I can't really do that until we are done burning coal as the coal dust is everywhere. LOL. I guess that is all for now...maybe I will think of something to "talk" about soon...lol...Have a blessed day!

Newest Student

This is my DD working hard at her Math lesson.
This is my DS working at his counting book.

and this....this is my newest student! Can a baby really do third grade language arts?? We shall see!!

Have a blessed day!

simplify

This was interesting....about a month ago we moved all the toys into one room (all the downstairs toys)...and when we did that we cut our toys in half...(we have 5 little ones who play with them)...not one child noticed that there were less toys! So, Monday we went through and cut the toys in half again..still not one child noticed! That is telling me that I wasted hundreds of dollars on toys that nobody cares about! It made me sick, but also encouraged me at the same time. I realized that we don't need much to be happy or "entertained". I have always felt bad if I could not get my kids a lot of toys for Christmas and Birthdays...but obviously they are not feeling bad! If they don't play with most of the toys they have that shows me that they don't need them and I NEED to quit buying so much! I feel even more refreshed and can't wait to go through the house with my walmart bag and get rid of more "stuff" that is not needed. I bet I could really cut my cleaning time in half! I have already done this and decluttered a lot...and I keep doing it. But this time it is a bit different, I am seeing the difference between what I want and what I need and how long will I care about getting something that I just "want" compared to something really useful?? I don't know if that makes a bit of sense or not..lol...but that is what is running through my simple mind today :) Have a blessed day!

Shh....do you hear that??

Oh yes, the sweet sound of SILENCE! I have an exciting day ahead of me! DD and DS got a call from the grandparents, they were inviting them to come play for the day...foster children #1 & #2 have a visit with their family, and foster child #3 is in public school...so all that leaves is my 2 yr old babysitting kid :) It will be a quiet afternoon....as she will nap! I will be enjoying a cup of coffee and a good book...with the ringer turned off! It will be short lived as DH will be home about an hour after I get my "alone" time, but that's OK...I'll enjoy his company :)
Have a blessed day!

Monday's Activities

They are logging across the road..so some of the littles are eagerly watching truck load after truck load of logs and sawdust being hauled away! too cute!

Other than that we are going to slow things down a bit and really enjoy life a bit more. We are going to relax a bit more about housework and school...we will get it all done, but maybe not all done by the time we are used to getting done. There's no rule we have to have a day's work done by lunch, right?? So, we are really enjoying this slower pace and we are talking to each other more..and just spending time. That's my Monday in a nutshell. Well, I am off to watch Little House with DD :) Have a blessed day!

Blast From the Past!

Well, at Walmart today I had a blast from the past! I ran into an old high school friend! It was very nice to see her and I truly enjoyed talking to her. This is someone who I kept in distant contact with over the years, I have witnessed to her, she didn't want to hear it, so we kinda drifted. Anyways, she lost a bunch of weight and looks great, but to hear about the life she lives and the lives of all the other people whom I used to "hang out" with was SO sad! Most are childless, unmarried, or divorced, unsettled and still thinking life is a party. It brought to my attention how very grateful I am that the Lord saved me from that life....or that would be me...kinda...I got married at 18 and had DD at 19...so I would have been married and with a child, but still no different. This also brought to my attention that I REALLY need to pray for these "old friends"...they need Christ! I need to live a life that honors Him, so I can be a light...I don't have a clue where to find these "old friends"...I might run into them every few years or so...but if my life is a reflection of God's love, maybe they will see the light!
Have a blessed day!

Laura Ingalls Wilder's Birthday

I just wanted to pop in and let you all know that Saturday (the 7th) is Laura Ingalls Wilder's Birthday. She was born in 1867. We are using this for school. I found a map of her travels, and interactive time line...and of course we will watch Little House and read a biography...and probably eat something from the Little house cookbook...and look up lots of pictures about the REAL Ingalls family, I want the kids to see the real people and not just the pretty tv people...lol...

Have a blessed day!

A fun weekend ahead!

Well, things have been really SLOW here as of late! I can't seem to get moving...my head is in a fog! And one of my children in particular is seeming to give me a hard time! But...that's OK, because we have FUN weekend ahead :)
Today we are having school and house blessing. We usually do our house blessings on Monday and Friday...but we are getting overnight company!! YEAH! My sister in law and her kids are coming to stay tonight and play tomorrow...so NO SCHOOL...then from our house my sister in law and her crew are going to my father in law's...so we might just tag along and have some extra playtime! Saturday we are supposed to have warmer weather...like 40, so we will take FULL advantage of that! And maybe have a friend over for DD...not sure. We are so excited! Hope you all have a blessed day!

The heart of a Mother

Well, as many of you may know, DH and I are foster parents. We take our job (calling) very seriously and love each child that comes through our home. A few years ago (5) we met and took care of a young teenage girl. We loved her as our own...she lived with us for about 3 years, then she had some personal issues and it was not a good thing for my own kids to be around, so she moved out. We have always kept in close contact with her after she moved out....until the last few months. She had been living with her boyfriend and his parents, had finally graduated school, and had a good job at a Walmart...she was thinking of doing an online college too...since we didn't agree with her life choices and she would not stop lying and doing things that would endanger the welfare of my kids...we couldn't let her live here...tough love, they call it. Well, I'm not so sure that was right now. she took off a few months ago, and didn't tell us where she was going, or that she was going at all! She broke up with her longtime boyfriend and took and got married to some guy we have never met and moved to a different state! My heart is so broken...for me...for my husband...for my kids...but mostly for her...it is so sad that she didn't feel enough of a connection with us, as her "parents"...as she didn't have any of her own...to involve us. Did she think I would yell at her or disapprove? Or was she just being selfish and not caring about anyone else, her youth getting in her way...love blinding her? I am so saddened by my actions...I was not nearly as supportive as I should have been...I can see that God is teaching me through this to not give up on pepole...EVER...yes, I did pray for this girl...but did I DO anything? Not really. SHE needed ME and hubby to be her family...and we didn't do as we should have because it was "too hard"... I am being brutally honest with myself, I never saw it this way before. I honestly thought we did what was right in God's eyes...He just wasn't ready to show me how wrong I was until now. I am so thankful for God's rebuking and teaching. I know this is not easy, but I am really going to try to look past the hurt and anger about being left out of her life and persevere....I WILL be a mom to her... I will support her even when it's hard and try to guide and train her in the ways of the Lord. She claims to be saved, she got baptized and was in church 2c a week while she lived here...did she learn anything? Did she really accept the Lord? Only He knows. But I KNOW we are to spread the Good News...and I will. I will try to reach out to her and her new husband, and love her even when it's "too hard". What an excuse, right? I am so ashamed of myself...there are not even words to tell you how much.

When to lay off....and chit chat

Well, we are going through a very hard time with tow of our foster children's grandparents. The boys are very well settled with us, call us mom and dad...they are happy. BUT...the one set of grandparents want the kids. There are 4 of them, the other 2 are older than mine, but the grands are only trying to get my two because they are upset that the kids have bonded so closely with my family. I know doing foster care that you have to give the kids up...we have been doing this for years, we know the routine.... but these grandparents just sat back and watched these kids be neglected day after day, year after year, and did nothing to stop it and now they want the kids!!! NO WAY!! the kids' quality of life would be so poor living with them that I actually think they would be better off back with the parents! (and no, that would not be a good thing! )....we are willing to adopt them, and the family who has the other 2 are willing to adopt them ( we are related to the other family,so the kids would even have the same last names! )...but we are waiting to see what happens with these grandparents. When the grandparents have the kids...they come back smelling of smoke (very smelly), only have eaten junk, the baby always has wet through at least 2 outfits, and they are exhausted! The case workers know all of this, but still the judge can do what he wants! Now, to my point...I am trying o hand this over to the Lord...it is SO hard, And I am feeling very torn. Where do I lay off?? Am I to sit back and just wait, or do I keep voicing my opinion, emailing and calling those in charge?? I DO NOT want to take this into my own hands as I KNOW I will fall short...only God can take care of this. It is incredibly hard to wait and do nothing. I wish my flesh was stronger. Please pray for these boys and their little lives, as they are so worth saving!

Ok...so my chit chat :) Today is Monday! Back to the grind! I am excited to get back to it...it always refreshes me when Monday rolls around..the kids are too, believe it or not! We have a lot to do today! I am going to clean house...do school...and I am getting back with my diet and exercise routine. I am also back to making a list each morning! you would be shocked if you knew all that I forgot to do while I was not making a list each day! I was disgusted with myslef...lol...So, I feel re-newed and refreshed today! It's only morning, the kiddos just walked down the steps, so I hope I can carry out this feeling throughout the day!

Today's frugal doing I am going to talk about it my long distance....we use Grand Central...it is free long distance offered through google....we don't have cells anymore as we didn't really like them, so we can get by with just a land line..much cheaper! My sister, sister in law, and brother, brother in law, and a few friends are all long distance, so this really helps out!

Have a blessed Monday! I must go...the baby is up!

Decorating for Valentine's Day

Today I spent some time decorating for Valentine's Day! The picture above is kind of dark, but it's my mirror in the living room ...it has a berry garland, but I added a garland of hearts for a little bit of a "lovely" touch :) I stuck a window cling to the mirror as well.

This is a candle and roses I threw together

I quickly sewed up these cute hearts and stuck them in a basket with some fillers....it sits on my buffet in the dining room.

This jar with Valentine Candy Corn sits on my kitchen table for the little ones to enjoy!

and heart gummies....also for little ones...and ME! I LOVE these!!! I really enjoy decorating for the holidays and seasons, but can't seem to make myself spend much money on something like this. So, all of my "decorations" are either sale items, I like to shop for Valentine's Day things after Christmas as red is a main color for Christmas, I shop after Valentine's day for the following year, and some things are handmade....I have a few more things to put up, and have a few things up I didn't take pictures of. Our house is full of Valentine's cheer! I think that is MUCH needed....winter has been long and cold here! I'm ready for some color and cheer! Have a great night! Enjoy the Lord's Day tomorrow!

Frugal Doing for Saturday

My frugal posting today will be about the school books I bought, some new, some used, but we are all stocked up for next year! I have not paid full price for any of these books.

I could actually get by until 6th grade if I needed to...(my oldest is in 3rd)...I did not post all the books I have as some were stored away in a closet upstairs. So, I am pleased as I didn't spend much money at all, and will put the savings to good use! We will be able to do more filed trips and things like that!

Have a blessed day!

Frugal doing for Friday

Today's frugal doing is about "juice"...we go through a lot of drinks, and we do drink plain water, but we also like something else too. DS has ADHD (so they tell me...lol...he is unmedicated and fine if you ask me :0)....anyways, we don't use regular "kool-aide" because of the sugar and we don't drink a lot of fruit juice (we do at breakfast)...so we use the generic brand of Crystal Lite drink mix. What I do is mix the little packet that makes 2 qts with 4 qts of water. We get double for our buck :) We really like it this way! We think the drink mix made properly tastes too thick...we only do this with grape and cranberry flavors, as the others taste a little watered down. I do mix the other flavors with 3 qts of water, so it's still frugal! :)

Here's a picture of the little man who "made" this jug of drink :)

And for good measure I am including a picture of the curtain I got at the thrift store yesterday. I love it and think it makes my kitchen cheery during this LONG and COLD winter! And it was only $1! I took the curtains off the other window in the kitchen as I only had one "new" curtain...and it lets in SOOOO much more sunlight...we we desperately need! so, I'm happy :)
Have a blessed day!

Thrift Store Fun!

Today the kids and I went to a thrift store to donate some unwanted items from the baby's room...we went in afterward and came out with....

• 3 pairs of jeans for me
• 3 long denim skirts for me
• 4 shirts for me
• 2 pairs of pants for DD
• a shirt for DD
• a camo hunting bag for DH
• a curtain for my kitchen window
• and each child got to pick two toys each

We got all of this for $40!! I was thrilled!!! All the clothing was on my list of "needs"..."needs" meaning we wouldn't have died without them, but if I found them cheap I would buy them...and the others were nice cheap thrills!

Frugal Recipe: Meatroll

First of all, as I am "re-inspired" to be frugal, I thought I would post for a week about a few frugal things I already do! This first post is about my husbands favorite meal. Most of the kids like it too, I think there was one who didn't like it. It is called "meatroll"...there's no "real" recipe...so here goes. First you make your favorite biscuit recipe (above)...I make a double batch.

Then, you roll it into a big rectangle, spread a little cream of mushroom (condensed still) on the biscuit and sprinkle cooked, ground meat (I use venison) on...

roll it up like a jelly roll

slice and put on a greased cookie sheet

bake at 450 for about 20 mins and serve with cream of mushroom soup on top! EASY! and very yummy! Hope you enjoy!

A few frugal things I made

The other day I needed to make some homemade dishwasher soap (above) and some homemade laundry soap (below)

I like making these things for a few reasons....you buy the big boxes of ingredients to make them, so you have them on hand ....when I run out I can just make more...both things take almost the same ingredients...so I'm killing two birds with one stone, so to speak!

And the main reason is that is saves us money :)

I have been "re-inspired"the last few days....I am always frugal, but not always excited about it and not always looking for new ideas. So, this new "re-inspiration" has been great! I found a cool blog that has great ideas..http://blog.boreingfamily.com

I love it...she also has videos about being frugal and simple :) My loving sister and my good friends have also been talking about being frugal as of late...and of course my favorite fru-glas!

I want to thank each of these wonderful sisters in Christ, as we need to uplift and encourage each other to be good stewards of what the Lord has blessed us with!

Have a blessed day!

Wise words

Well, things have been pretty laid back around here...not much going on.
With 5 kids living here...things tend to get a little out of hand (speaking of toys), so DH decided it was time for some rearranging. that was really fun! We sent DD up to CLEAN her room and take out any trash and dirty clothes and such. She is 8, and a pack rat, so you do the math...her room was not tidy, even though she is required to clean it up daily! She had dirty socks in toy totes, scraps of paper everywhere...etc... So, after a few hours of "cleaning" she's done! She comes down to the kitchen and was BEAMING....like she had done he BEST job ever! She told us she not only cleaned her room, but decorated it too by rearranging her Nick knacks, music boxes and things like that. Earlier in the day we talked about what her "dream room" would look like, she told me, but still I had my "own", adult, picture in mind. As we are walking up the stairs she said "Mommy, it is just like my dream room!". I almost expected to walk into the room I envisioned as my "dream room"...FOR HER....but was let down as I walked in...how AWFUL of me! She worked her little heart out...and I am SO proud of her! Of course I NEVER let on for a second that it was not my "dream room" for her...and DH and I went back to the kitchen and left her to lay on her bed and enjoy her "new" room. When we got down there, I was asking him what he thought....he said to me..."that room is beautiful in her eyes"...WOW! Why didn't I see it that way, am I that critical? DH gently told me that we often expect our kids to live up to our adult standards and that they can't as they are just kids. Is my home somone elses "dream home"? Probably not....but it is beautiful in my eyes!
Now I want to back up a bit....my hubby is so smart and seems to always have an answer to my questions (he IS my "dream man"! )....so one day on the way home from town I was just thanking God for such a smart hubby who could always answer my questions. After I got home I asked him something...and he said " I don't know"...well, I laughed so hard I thought I would die...he didn't understand what was so funny...so I told him my praise, and then he got it! Well, I was sharing my husbands wise words with a friend, and I shared with him later that night how appreciative I am of him and how he so gently corrects me, and he was then worried what would come next...as the last time I praised him for knowing the answers to questions, he had no answer....! LOL I couldn't explain this nearly as funny as it was....sorry :) Trust me ....it was funny!
That leads me to my last thought for this post....we as wives should really be listening to our husbands and allowing them to gently correct us...this is submission, and it is biblical. I'm so grateful to have a leader for a husband, I trust him with ALL things and would never doubt him. If more wives would put that faith in their own husbands, I think more marriages would last. There seems to be a huge power struggle going on in marriages today. We each have our place, a place that God gave us, and we are to honor and LOVE our husbands....not just when we agree or it is easy to do, bu ALL day, EVERYDAY! So ladies, start today and LOVE your man as the Bible tells us we should!
Have a blessed day!

A day of listening

Today has been a strangs day. Not too much has gone as I would have hoped, and I know why! I really need to make some heart changes. I am not practicing as much slef control as I should in many areas. The first area is with my kids, they are getting into trouble (minor infractions, they have been cooped up so long...our temps have been beow 0) Well, I am falling into sin here...the kids are doing dumb little things, and they should be corrected, but I seem to take it too far. As always, I am like the energizer bunny when it comes to lecturing...I seem to go on and on and on as I feel like nobody hears me! I tell one to not dilly dally while doing her chores and no sooner do I get done "lecturing" her, than she turns right around and does what I just told her not to do! Then , she acts suprised when she gets sent to the corner! The kids are not "hearing" me...as they tune me out when I "lecture" them. So, this needs to stop. The Bible says we are not to provoke our children! "....provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" Ephesians 6:4 Am I living out that piece of scripture? NO! I am provoking them to wrath beacuse I am not training them...I am PUNISHING them...and yes, they do need punishment....I do not spare the rod on my kids. But, if all they get is punished and not TRAINED, then they will surely do the same things again and again...and it will be MY fault as I am not following through with what God is telling me to do! and the sad thing about that is, that I KNOW what I am supposed to be doing! So, my goal and prayers are going to be that I can TRAIN them in the ways of the Lord...but FIRST...I need to have some training...as I am not where I should be in my walk with the Lord.
The second area that needs to have a little more of "me" is my house. I know things are in "ok" shape around here...but it could be better. As I told a friend of mine the other day, I would like to light a match to my upstairs! LOL...this needs more of "our" attention. "our" meaning the children too! LOL...
The third area that I could practice more self control is in my weight loss journey! I was doing really well, but since DH has been only working a few days a week, things have gone down hill....in a BIG way! This should not have happened! I am NOT going to be a slave to my body, and really want to get healthy so I can live a long long time ( Lord willing) :)
These days where you can sit back and really listen to what God is telling you are precious and I am thankful for them even though those days are really full of conviction. If we never felt this conviction there would never be any spirtual growth. I know that God is good and God is God, so what He says is what we should strive for. Afterall, we were made in His perfect image...we have to try to be Christ like! This is really hard as we all live in a fallen world and are born sinners! But without my personal realationship to Christ as my saviour, I would have nothing to look up to! What a wonderful example we have in Christ! I pray for each lost person to find the Lord and trust Him! That's the only way!!!
Have a blessed day!

~ Kim

Law & Order...

I must confess something to you... I am not an organized person! I have lots of good ideas and do a lot of organizing....lots of times! LOL...but it never stays that way! I have no ORDER in my homekeeping and that should be against the LAW...lol...it seems as if my life feels like a mess when things look like this! Ok...so, this is a little tour of our "family laundry room"....but only part of the family clothes are in here...there's mine, 3 kids, and DH's....so 2 of the other kids clothes are put elsewhere. DH built me this room so I could have a place to easily take care of our wash as at the time he was working 3rd shift and someone was always napping upstairs and our laundry was never getting done. This pic is of our dresser where the underwear and socks are kept for some of us.

this is the floor where I keep extra diapers and you can see a bit of our shelves...SCARY!!!

This is DH's shelves and my pj's and sweatshirts are in there too. We also keep the scales on a shelf because some kids like to weight themselves every 5 minutes and we were going through scale batteries like mad!

After about 15 minutes I got it all cleaned up! 15 minutes!! that blew me away! This room has bothered me for months and it only took 15 mins! all the kids were either working on school or taking a nap....easy! I think this has shown me that if I schedule time a little better I could get more done and that I also need to stay on top of these small things better! I need ORDER!!!

this pic is of DH's shelves, and yes, I did re-fold all the clothes behind the curtain :)

And here I cleaned off the dresser and re-folded the clothes. I got rid of two garbage bags of clothes and a bag of trash. I also cleaned up the floor so all that is on it now is DIAPERS and WIPES!!! That's all that is supposed to be there as I need to be able to get to them quickly!!! sometimes things get pretty messy! LOL :)

Doing this has inspired me to keep moving and organizing things! As I do this I will share pics so you can see how I am going to TRY to gain some LAW & ORDER!

Have a blessed day!

Trying to be creative

Well, not too much is new here. We are really trying to keep to a schedule which will prove to be hard this week as DH only works 2 days! He has some extra work on farm tractors, but he will be around more. The last day he was home he cut a trap door in the wall for the kids to play with! LOL....how will I keep them focused if Daddy is home cutting holes in the wall! LOL
DS is really struggling right now and can barley focus on anything for more than a minute (literally)... I wish I knew of more to do for him...I will not put him on meds again...but he needs something!
As for the trying to be creative part....I am making homemade decorations for Valentine's Day. As I said before, I LOVE decorating for the seasons! I wen to some country prim decor sites and got some ideas to make on my own...so we shall see. I got to use my new sewing table to sew little heart pillows that will go in baskets with roses and greenery....maybe a few white lites too....not sure yet. I want to make a garland and paint red hearts on cream colored pillar candles and make candle rings....and some felt hearts with buttons sewn on to hang over knobs on the canning cupboard and a few kitchen cupboards...and I printed some scripture about love and am trying to figure out what to do with that. So if any of you have any ideas, please feel free to share!
Hope you all have a blessed day!

~ Kim

Staying Warm

Today was a pretty lazy day. We mostly tried to stay warm! This morning our water was frozen so DH had to brave the below 0 temps and climb down the well box with a torch to defrost our pipes! then he had to brave the weather to work on tractors...while we stayed home and hunkered down to stay warm! I did a little bit of cleaning and whole lot of "dreaming" of what my house could be with a little TLC from me! I worked on a spring table runner and thought of some more things to make to decorate for Spring. I LOVE decorating for the seasons, but don't have much to work with. I also don't have a lot of money to spend on that as it is not a necessity. Any ideas are VERY welcome! hope you all are staying warm and cozy! Have a great day tomorrow as it is the Lord's day! It is our first 8:00 am service at church...(we always went at 10:30)....so that should be interesting!

~Kim

Gifts from Husband!

My husband bought me this sewing table, I can't wait to use it! The sewing machine folds down and you can close that part that flips out so it is just a small "desk"

It looks like this folded up

I have always wanted a corner cupboard...isn't it pretty!!

And finally this is my new canning cupboard! Rob built me the green one next to it during the summer as we never have enough room for our canned stuff from the garden. Now I have more than enough room!

We were at some furniture stores and I mentioned I liked these things...then later hubby took off to go see his dad...and came home with all of this! I have a wonderful husband!!

~ Kim