Here we go again!

UGH! I feel like I am always in this same position...the homeschool rut! I LOVE teaching and doing homeschool...but it seems as if I never am happy with the material, or the set up, or something! Well, this year we decided to do a charter school...I as in ME...I really like this school...it is easy for me, there is no planning, no scheduling, it's free, there is support, you have cool extras....there are lots of things that make it easier for ME...some of the kids like it and some don't...I'm ok with that. I don't expect all the kids to like every single thing we do. My issue now is this...my husband (I do think he's right) thinks that things are moving too fast. They introduce a new math concept daily and my oldest student is having a hard time! For example, they introduced multiplication for the third graders and they stayed on it for only 4 days...tops. They had them do up 3 tables a day! Then after the 4 days they were on to something new. I LOVE the younger grades in this school...they cover all that I could dream of! Another issue is time, this school takes a lot of time and there is not much wiggle room as far as days off goes. But then, planning regular homeschool takes a lot of time too! I can't really take days off of my choice freely...which "I" like...I NEED that! In years past, I have been known to get sucked into many different things and not do as good of a job on school as I should have! This school keeps attendance, records, EVERYTHING! No need to get a GED or do a diplomacy program...great for "me"...and them, really. But are they learning....really learning?? Another example....for third grade they touched on Lewis & Clark...it was one PARAGRAPH! For 5th grade...the Boston Tea Party was a chapter! There is so much more to learn here! I try to weight the pros and cons...I am really struggling. This school year has been the most organized, and on task year we have had to date! The kids HAVE to do their lessons because it's a public school online, they would have serious repercussions if they didn't....in the same breath...we got behind while I was tending to the hearts of people who are in need....when the kids might not feel well, I still push them through school because we HAVE to do it...this is good and bad. Good, because it teaches them perseverance, and bad because they should be able to rest. In the past, I found myself taking too many sick days...I am a push-over. This school helps me stay focused and on task. There is no time left to supplement any extra materials, and the curriculum moves too fast to even add anything extra. I am not sure what to do! Here are my;
Pros
1. free books
2. free support
3. free record keeping
4. keeps me and kids accountable
5. no planning for me, it's all done
6. lots of free resources available, and I DO use them...a lot!
7. love the structure..
8. teaches kids and myself to keep plugging along, even when we want a day off...much needed for a softy, like myself
9. don't have to make a portfolio
10. don't have to have an evaluation
11. don't have to figure out diploma issues
12. free computers
13. they pay for your internet use


Cons
1. secular education, which we are adapting to by teaching them this is what the world thinks, and here is what the Bible says is true.
2. curriculum moves too fast
3. too much work to do
4. would have to pay LOTS of money for books for this many kids
5. not enough time for the fun stuff
6. no wiggle room
7. have to do PSSA's with a class and not with the evaluator
8. too strict
9. I have to figure out what to teach them and make sure they learn all they should, this scares the day lights out of me!
10. if I didn't do this school, I would have to search for and buy books,,,takes up $ and time.


To be honest only #'s 1,2,5,6 bother me at all. Any suggestions would be great! Here is what my wish list would be...
not too much planning as I don't have much free time (although, for my kids education I would MAKE the time if need be)
it would have to be cheap...I don't have much money
it would need to be organized

my head is spinning, and I'm not sure what I want to do. I just need to find something and stick with it! I thought this was it.....intil hubby told me his thoughts...HELP! LOL

Needing Frugal Organization!

I feel like everywhere I look there is an unorganized mess! We are "re-doing" our kitchen...so my free time is being filled with that...but I don't feel like it's just that. I feel un-inspired to want to get things together. Maybe it's the winter blues, I don't feel sad, but kinda lazy. I don't have much time, maybe that's it. I tend to see a lot to do and shut down! I also think space is a HUGE issue for me! I am not always the most creative person when it comes to finding ways to store things or make the best use of my space...So, for the next few weeks I am going to be brainstorming frugal ways to get organized. I don't want to spend a lot of money on storage containers, shelves, and the such. for starters, of course, will be do de-clutter! From there...not a clue what I am going to do! Ha! Any ideas?

Asking for prayer

I am asking that any who read this please pray for my SIL, Jill. She and my brother have tried to conceive for 13 years...they finally have and are rushing to to the hospital as I type. She has had a very traumatic pregnancy, with blood pressure issues, very sick, and has been on complete bed rest, in and out of the hospital. She got a call this morning that the blood work she had done yesterday came back VERY bad and her health is at risk, so they must take the baby via c-section today. She is 30 weeks along. Please pray for her and the baby...she is very scared. Thank you!!

Peace & Quiet

I was reading a Russian folktale to my kinders today and it was titled "Peace & Quiet". It was about a man and a woman who could get no sleep due to a tree branch scrapping the window and a squeaky floor...so the sought advice from the town elder and he told them to bring a whole bunch of animals into their home. All the animals made noise and fought with each other and the couple could get no sleep and yearned for some peace and quiet so they could rest. In the end the elder finally chased out all the animals and told the man and woman to listen carefully...they heard only peace and quiet even though there was still a branch scrapping the window and a squeaky floor...in comparison it was quiet. This got me thinking about what do I consider peace and quiet? I often find myself yearning for quietness...and in some ways I pair this up with peace. They have nothing to do with each other in reality. My family went from 4 to 9 (plus I babysit two other 4 yr olds, so 11 most of the time) in the matter of 2 years! What was once quiet is no longer quiet in the same way. It made me see that I don't need things to be "quiet" in order to have peace. Gos has filled my home with people whom I love...it leaves me wondering why I ever wanted them to be quiet?? I wonder how strange it would feel if they were suddenly gone...like in the folktale, how the elder chased all the animals out...did the couple feel strange without them? I could imagine what my house would be like with no laughter, no "roaring dinosaurs", so princess songs, no "vrooming" cars, no army men, no pitter patter of feet on the floor above me, nobody calling out to me from the other end of the house...this is not something I am interested in... I'll pass on the "thought" of peace and quiet and take my noisy home any day! Thank God for showing me and teaching me this lesson before my kids were grown and gone..and then my heart would break for what could have been had I just let them be "noisy animals"...

Broken!

What a day so far! Everything is breaking! I went to grab a shirt from the dryer this morning and all the clothes were still wet...I thought it was strange and went to turn the dryer back on and it made an awful noise! I called hubby and had him listen to it over the phone...he had me try a few things...and he thinks it's something he may be able to fix! YEAH! But how soon...we don't know as we will need to order parts, and it's an old dryer. I don't do wash over the weekend..so we are backed up...big time. It's FREEZING cold here and my clothes line is in the new horse pasture, the horses would eat my clothes even if I could hang them...and I don't even own any clothes bars! HA! This will be interesting! Also...I turned the dishwasher on and walked away...I came back out about 15 mins later and smoke was rolling out of it! I had to call hubby again...he had me check a few things and he said he thinks it is "toast"! EEK! We can not afford new things...so it will be interesting! I run my dishwasher 3 times a day! Our house is going to be a bit nutty this week :0) I was able to pray about all of this with my children and tell them how this was NOT my plan for the day...but it was what God allowed into my day...and I need to make the best of the day and go about taking in these things with a smile on my face :0) It was a great time to pray and talk with them...we talked about the different ways we will go about getting things done with this many people and already being behind on the wash. So far, I am doing well...keeping the smile on my face...I pray that God will help my continue to keep my eyes on Him and not to focus on these "things" that are throwing a kink in "my" day! This is the day the Lord had made...I shall rejoice and be GLAD in it!

Another Frugal Day!

I wrote a post the other day about all the kids clothes, going through them, and making a list of just what was needed. Today was the day we went to the thrift store to pick up what we needed. I was amazed at how easy it was to shop...all because of the list! I had each child's name, what they needed and the size. Other people could look and see what was needed and look for it! We were about 45 minutes total...and that is with them all trying the clothes on! It was amazing! We ended up with 22 pairs of jeans, 3 shirts, and 2 pair of pj's for $85!!! I was thrilled! We also packed our lunch and drinks and ate in the van....another big savings of anywhere from $50-$90...depending on where we would have ate. It was a good day!

Frugal Friday

I have set aside Fridays to review my week and do a "frugal check"! This week was pretty good as far as being frugal goes!
* I made homemade pizza
* I made my own crafts, with all the "stuff" needed for each child in a zip bag, like you would get from oriental trading!
* I resisted buying new things
* I went through EACH and EVERY piece of clothing for all 7 kids and moved things around and was able to make a small detailed list of the needs we have.
* I am going to the thrift store to buy the things on this list (tomorrow) instead of buying new at the store.
* Hubby took our hinges and handles from our kitchen cupboards to work and ran them through a grinder thing (I'm ignorant...I know) and they look as good as new! Saving us a minimum of $60! I know this because we priced the cheapest ones at Lowe's :0)
* I cooked all meals...no going out here!!

I think all in all this was a pretty frugal week :0) I like to take the day to think about the week past and think about the week coming up. Trying to come up with new ways to save, but also writing it down weekly, the ways we didn't spend, helps keep me motivated and not bored with being frugal :0)

Adoption/ Foster Care Pt 2

Today I will talk about the story of my boys. Just like yesterday, this has NOTHING to do with me...all about God!
The birth parents of my boys also had 4 children...3 boys and 1 girl. In August of 2008 we got the call for an emergency placement for two boys. When the social worker got here with these two boys we were floored! The older of the two (3 at the time) was nonverbal (almost) he could say dink (drink) and pee. He would not let people touch him, didn't know his own name, and didn't know how to play...seriously. He would sit alone on the couch and stare into the air at nothing for hours! It was so sad. He was potty trained, but had no hygiene at all in the area. The youngest one (10 months) was so gross! He was really fat...lots of huge rolls. He actually had mold growing in the rolls of fat! He had an awful skin rash and never smiled....EVER. He hated people and cried if you touched him. He couldn't sit up and had cows milk in his bottle. His mom sent only a few dirty clothes and no diapers. We knew nothing about what the living conditions were like for these kids. Come to find out they were removed from the birth parents because they (all 4) were left alone at night so the parents would go party. The oldest of those four was 5 years old. The would mess themselves and take off their clothes and walk around outside naked. They were not fed good food or watched. The children had no idea about how to eat healthy foods...and all they did was drink. the reason the 3 yr old we got couldn't talk was because nobody spoke to him! As soon as we started talking to him (the day he came we started...obviously)he started trying to speak. His first word was "bearplane" for "airplane"...he spoke V.E.R.Y. slowly and with GREAT effort. He still has speech issues that are serious due to him being ignored! The baby was the worst....his mom was selling his WIC checks for money for whatever reason she wanted. He was drinking cows milk and his system was not ready. We did not know this at first and the social worker didn't know it either as it was an emergency placement...we all thought she had just moved him to milk as you would an older baby...no big deal. Not so much. I was also feeding him table foods as I figured since she didn't send any baby food or even a note he must have been off baby food. Not so much. This poor baby got really sick because I was giving him milk and food! He hadn't even started cereal yet!!! I had to take him to the Dr. to find all this out, and he was lactose intolerant! She was giving him milk...that's why he was fat (he couldn't digest the milk) and he only drank! We got that all figured out. The boys were not used to any physical activity and would sleep all the time as they were so tired from playing :0) It didn't take long to get them adjusted. They have been very easy to care for and a joy. We have had MANY issues with the family of these boys, and their brother and sisters story is a sad one...I won't tell it...but it's sad even to this day they are not settled. We had to fight tooth and nail to get these kids. We are so blessed. The birth parents are still always in trouble, still having babies that they have to get taken away as their parental rights are revoked...and still in and out of jail...unemployed most of the time...it's sad.

This was a brief summary of the story of out journey with adoption through foster care. We encourage anyone who might have a heavy heart for this work to take the leap and get involved...there is much need. Feel free to send me an email or leave a comment with nay questions I might be able to answer concerning adoption/foster care...I would love to help in any way the Lord sees fit :0)

Adoption/Foster Care & Our Story

This is something God has put on my heart to share... not sure why, maybe someone is meant to read this or maybe it is a reminder to myself...I don't know. Talking about what my kids have gone through is VERY taxing on me...I am going to split their stories up. First of all, I am NOT trying to convince anyone else to do foster care or adopt...but I DO want people to be aware of what REAL kids are living with in our country...right in your own town...if you don't know..you don't know. I always felt badly for abused kids, but never really knew what they were going through...really. I will start with the story of my girls. We adopted three young girls through the foster care system and here is their story...it is a reflection on their strength and their survival skills. PLEASE know...this in NO WAY has ANYTHING to do with me...this is all God! People are always saying how wonderful we are because we adopt abused kids and foster many abused kids...it's not us...it's God! Here goes...

The parents of our girls had birthed 4 children...all girls. They were wild people with mental health problems. The mother had these 4 children with 3 different men. And often the men would molest the children..and it was OK with mom, it seems. The living conditions were what got CYS called out in the first place. The places they would live would look like this...just to give you a mental picture...in the reports it stated that there were open (huge) holes in the ceiling that let the weather come in...so imagine...it would rain and snow IN their house! They let the animals potty all through the home and never cleaned it up...hence maggots everywhere. They had no running water so the toilet was FULL to the TOP of "you know what"...which lead to using buckets and children "going" on the floor. They never did dishes, so there was moldy food all over...cigarette butts everywhere...and there was actually a nest of RATS living in one of my daughter's bed mattress! My youngest daughter was a baby at the time and her bed sheet was crunchy with dried urine. The smallest girls had awful rashes as they were never cared for. Cockroaches were many...so much the children (reportedly) smelled very strongly like cockroach dung. They smelled so bad they were forced to shower at school and later the lawyer that was helping them couldn't stomach the smell...he required that the children go to the CYS office and shower before entering his office! This is how they lived...this was really their home. Their parents were so mean and cruel, they would starve the children and then buy steak and ice cream and eat it in front of them. they would feed them ramen noodles every few days. My youngest daughter hardly ever got formula...they gave her mostly water in her bottle. All of my three girls are very small...my 8 yr old is of avg. weight now...but wasn't before...and my 6 yr old weighs only 36 lbs...and my 4 year old only 27 lbs. The just didn't grow because there was no nourishment! The parents would leave the children all the time in the hands of teen boys who were not caring for the in the right way...if you know what I mean. The parents would leave and lock them in the house. The parents forced them to watch pornography with them...the list goes on and on. The children had ill fitting clothes and they were VERY smelly and gross. They were made fun of at school. So, My oldest daughter (the second oldest out of the four) finally spoke up and the children were eventually removed from the home and put in foster care. The parents had visits with the kids but REALLY made it clear they hated my oldest daughter (my oldest of the adopted girls, I have a BIO daughter who is older) and ignored her fully. All of her siblings blamed her for the removal. They wanted to go home! Eventually the children went home...a few months later they were removed again because of the same stuff as before...so they were put back in care...all 4 of them together. Later they were split up as their needs were too great and one family couldn't put all the pieces back together and the kids were fighting with each other...and the oldest girl was in the parent role and it was abusive and messed up. From there my oldest daughter (the second oldest if the 4 girls) went to live with her birth dad...it didn't last only 2 weeks...then back to foster care....then with an aunt...didn't work...back to foster care...then with another who wanted to adopt her....didn't work...back to foster care...another family...back to foster care...then here. WOW! Her behavior is SO hard to handle that the other homes gave up....she makes it hard to love her. This is her defense....her survival mechanism. To this day she has been acting up daily since October when she got some news about her family...she is pushing us away to see if we will let her down, abuse her, and send her away. The other two smaller girls went to a foster home that couldn't have kids...and they didn't like the older of the two and blamed her for all the troubles the kids would get into...so she came to us angry and bratty...she is sweet and nice now. The youngest they had convinced she was a baby and a princess and she didn't have to listen to anyone! She told me this all the time! She is very small, so she looks like a baby...she's 4 and I just put away her 24 month clothes! She would tell me that she NEEDED to be a baby ans sit in a highchair, sleep in a crib...and poop her pants. She is now a normally functioning child...who delights in being a big girl! I left out some of the gory details to save embarrassment for the children...but you get the picture, I think. I am so grateful to God for bringing these girls into my family's life! I feel so blessed that God chose to have these precious children live here...and that He chose for me to be their mommy...forever! It's a scary thing...their birth parents have tried to even kidnap them before...but God will take care of us. I shared this with you not to make you feel sorry for these kids and other abused kids... It was a prompting from the Lord...and I am very pro-active where adoption and foster care are concerned. I want to raise awareness of the needs in our own communities...this is my mission field....God has blessed us beyond what I could ever dream of! This has not been an easy journey and is not without issues even now. These kids have major issues due to the abuse they have suffered....it breaks my heart...but God can mend their hearts.

Sunshine Award!!

Recently Michelle from http://www,munchkinfarm.blogspot.com/ awarded me with a Sunshine Award!! It made my day :0) Thanks Michelle!

There are 2 rules for accepting this award:

1)Thank the person who gave it to you!
2) Pass it along to 8 other blogs that bring a beautiful ray of Sunshine into your day!!

Here are my choices...I visit these blogs often and they bring much joy to my life :0) Grab a cup of coffee and have a visit... I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself~

• Rachel at http:// http://www.frugalandsimple.com/
• Renee at http:// http://www.babystam.blogspot.com/
• http://antsonafarm.blogspot.com/
• http://mommyx12.blogspot.com/
• http://agentlemother.blogspot.com/
• Jamie at http://pursuingtheoldpaths.blogspot.com/
• Meg at http://simplybonker.blogspot.com/
• Kimmy at http://homemakingmomma.blogspot.com/

Again, I want to thank Michelle for the award...makes me smile :0)

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes!

We are in the midst of growth spurt city around here! It seems as if ALL 7 kids have outgrown their clothes! I was putting off the dreded task of sorting out the clothes that didn't fit any longer. It seems like such a HUGE task to me...they have to try things on...we have to try to figure out if it is worth saving for the next person and so on. Last night I took the plunge! I sorted all 7 of the kids' clothes and made a detailed list of the needs that we have. As you can see in the picture I started folding the ill fitting clothing...then gave up and started to make a messy pile..LOL.. The great thing about this pile is that we didn't pay for any of those clothes! Those were all handed down from other people we know! God's provision is so amazing! We don't have a lot of extra money...living off one income (I do babysit...but don't make much at all...and sometimes I don't get paid) can be tight! I was rejoicing in the fact that God is such a loving God and provides for us in such a great way!! Not pictured is the clothes already put away waiting for others to grow into them...two other bags to give away. Some of these will be put away, given away, or used for rags. On Saturday (after we put the first coat of primer on our kitchen cupboards!!) Hubby is taking us to the thrift store to get the things on my list of needs :0)

My Favorite Vision

My favorite vision this weekend was a pile of sleds at the bottom of the sledding hill :0) The kids had such fun in the snow this weekend! We played and played and played!!! Hubby would pull them around in the sleds...big ones would hold on to little ones as they whizzed down the hill. I cherished the moments of watching the littlest ones try to climb their way to the top of the hill dragging their sleds along. I hope my mind can hold onto the sound of their giggles and hoots & hollers all through the week. We have plenty of time to play during the school week...but not just "us"...there are always extras or some missing...which is fine too....but I look forward to "family time" too! I am blessed, indeed!

Click-n-Pull!!

We fell out of the habit of going to Sam's Club over the holiday's...not a good thing! Since November I have been going grocery shopping weekly at Wal-Mart....and hating every moment of it! Then it dawned on me to go back to Sam's Club to get a month worth of food in one swoop :0) A few days before we were going to go, I read a lady's blog and she mentioned "Click-n-Pull"...light bulb moment!! I went on the site...and clicked on all the stuff I wanted and we simply went and picked it up! I was SO AWESOME! I spent less as well :0) When we started going to Sam's Club I would spend between $400-$500...by the time we stopped going I was spending around $800!!! WAY to salty for us! Yesterday I spent $342 at Sam's Club...then had hubby stop at Aldi for a few things...spent another $40. For a month worth of food (minus fresh produce, milk & bread) I spent $382! YEAH! Now, I just need to make it last! It doesn't get better than that....shopping at home...then driving to the store just to pick it up! Sam's Club is an hour drive from our house...so when we would all go in and shop we would be gone from home for about 4 hours or more...so we would always end up eating out. A trip to pizza hut for us is around $80 or so! This time we were so fast...only gone for 2.5 hours...we left after breakfast and were home for lunch! Saving more money :0)

Frugal Friday

This week was a good one for being frugal! I didn't do anything amazing...but I didn't spend either :0) I made homemade lunchables....for 9 people....so that saved us about $14. I switched from cleaning with paper towels to rags. This was a hard one for me as the kids do a lot of cleaning in chore time, so it was easier for them to use paper towels...but not as frugal...so now we use rags. I keep them in a cute container that the kids can easily get at. I did a few "make-do" things....like; I needed ice cube trays to make colored ice (the preschoolers are doing an ice theme this week, and we are going to paint with colored ice today!)...my freezer makes ice cubes, so we didn't have any, I used an egg carton. I needed crackers or cornflakes for my meatloaf...instead....I took 5 minutes and ran about a billion heel pieces of bread through my food processor and now have enough bread crumbs to use instead of cracker/cereal crumbs for a long time! I have simplified my meals by far...they are healthier and way less variety! What I mean by this is...if I buy 3 different kinds of crackers...and they eat all but a few in the bag...then we have odds and ends of crackers...but say I only buy "x" amount of the same kind of cracker...then there will be less waste and less for me to try to decide. We LOVE Ritz crackers...they work for many different kinds of treats...you can put pb on them...jelly on them...tuna, cheese...lots of different variety in ONE cracker! We also are eating fruit and veggies with every meal. To me...in my mushy mind, this is way more simple! I have been cooking more of the meals...where breakfast used to be cereal...I now cook on most days. this is more simple and frugal...and it keeps them full until lunch...hence cutting out another snack...frugal and simple! I am lovin' this! :0)

This and That

This Post is just a mish mash...LOL...I am feeling the winter blah's...so I needed to do a few things to make it more fun for myself and the kids! I love making special foods for the kids, but hate paying a lot of money for them...sometimes even making a new recipe is too much for me..LOL...so yesterday I made homemade "lunchables" for lunch! My husband takes the snack sized lunchables to work for a snack between breakfast and lunch. The kids thought this was cool...and it was so much cheaper than buying them :0) Add some cheese and fruit, and there you go!! Another thing I did to boost myself was to organize a drawer in my china cupboard. I used this drawer to hold "stuff"...aka...garbage! It took me 5 mins to clear it all out, clean it...5 mins to sort the "stuff" (throw most of it away)..and then I decided to put my cookbooks and aprons in the drawer. I think it turned out pretty nicely :0) I feel like everywhere I look there is a mess! I LOVE organizing and cleaning things, so I am looking forward to keeping things going!!

One More Step Done!

Yesterday we received 3 out of the 5 new birth certificates!! We are so happy to have one more thing done :0) We are still needing to get new SS numbers for the kids. We have gotten all the new insurance stuff done, the names on the Dr. records changed, and them trained to use their new names....the little ones didn't even know they had a last name! How sad. Two of the little girls thought their birth mothers were Disney Princesses. They had no picture memory of what their birth mother looked like....although they show "scars" of the abuse she put them through. The older kids had a hard time using their new names as they were used to the old ones. this has been an interesting journey that is nowhere near over. The oldest adopted child is really having a hard time...she is grieving her "lost" family and can't understand why they hurt her...it's a long painful story. But, I am seeing this....getting the birth certificates....as just one more step closer to closure to the past, to the abuse, to the pain....and one SMALL step closer to a normal and happy life.

Sick....Again!

We are sick....again! This is the 3rd time in 3 months that we have had sickness run it's course through our home. Sad times, for sure. hope all is well at your homes :0)

Have a Great Weekend!

Hope you all have a great weekend! My sister offered to watch ALL the kids...ALL day! So, hubby and I are going on a date...AGAIN! Whoo-hoo!! We have NEVER gone out this many times before! We are on time #4 in the last 12 months~ we don't like leaving our kids often. Some people gasp when they hear we only leave our kids once a year and do something just the two of us...but it works for us. We have enjoyed the extra time this year though. Anyway, I am leaving my computer to the cat for the weekend :0) I'm sure he'll gaurd it well!

Frugal Fun!

I have set Friday aside to think on frugal things....doing this will help me keep on track with trying to be frugal to get out of debt! A few frugal things this week were; grocery shopping... I went with CASH and a list... I kept track of what I was spending as I put things in the cart. I was shocked to see all that I got for $103! Another was fun....we have been feeling bad about not getting the kids "out" to have fun. They play outside daily....but it just seemed like we should take them "out". I threw that thought away and just plain old went outside WITH them...we had a ball! I do this very often...but this time I had it in mind that we were saving money by not thinking we needed to take them "out"...like to a movie, or McDonalds PlayPlace or something! I have stayed home all week...so no extra trips to the store...at all. That saved money as well :0) And we counted up all that we were able to put away (extra) to put towards debt and I think it was around $1,200! YEAH!!!

My Testimony

Recently,I have come across some people who God brought to us so we could share our testimony with them for their benefit of seeing what God can truly do. I also have been told from a lady that she was embarrassed to share her testimony fully as she feared judgement from others. Are we to fear people's judgement? There is no shame in your life before salvation....after you become saved you are white as snow! I lived an "awful" life of sin before coming to Christ and I would like to share that with you today....maybe God will use my "life story" to help someone else :0) I have no shame in telling you

I was born into a dysfunctional family...always fighting...my father was abusive and my mother spineless. They had 4 children, the first was great and could do no wrong...until the day he fell in love with a pastor's daughter and got married...the next children were a set of twins. My father seemed to not like them much as they got older and was not nice to them...at all. Then I came along 5 years later as a surprise. My parents treated me like their friend most of the time. I was "forgotten"...I see that now. They would just leave for months at a time when I was about 13 or 14 yrs old....they would leave me with my sister...and leave some money on the table to get me through. When I was about 15 things started going "down hill"...I was drinking, doing drugs and dating only MEN who were 21 or older so they could buy beer. It was sad! I was out of control! I then was dating a decent guy who I had manipulated into thinking I cared for him...I was cheating on him...with my now husband. I have been with Rob since the day I met him, so that was good. I was 15 and he was 23...he was also drinking and doing drugs. He is an alcoholic. My parents were so into themselves they had no clue . I would leave on Friday night and not come home until Sunday night....no questions asked. I would even come home high or drunk and it was not questioned. they would just give me money and that was that. My mom and I would hang outand have fun from time to time....but they were enjoying their "own" life at this point. They are not saved people...I do not hold this against them. Now that I could drive...when they would leave for months...they would just leave....they would leave me lots of money...and go. During these times I would live with my boyfriend (now husband) and not go to school...or go high. I went to school on acid everyday for about a month! I was driving while on an acid trip...daily! I am so luck to be alive. I would get lost on the way to school or home because I was so impeard. Nobody at school cared enough to step up and ask me what was going on or think to tell my folks. One teacher in my whole life ever even talked to me about drugs...and I still want to thank him. My parents had no clue or just didn't care who was buying my clothes, food, and gas from the time I was 15 until my senior year. they didn't know about Rob. He took care of me. they never even saw any of my report cards! I can't believe I even graduated! rob was still drinking....a LOT...and had been in jail, and was just a mess. We go married right after I got done with high school. On our homey moon we got pregnant with Ashley. I STOPPED drinking and doing drugs at the moment I found out I was pregnant. He was still drinking...and I finally saw what was there....it was crushing. From there our life turned into an episode of Jerry Springer! Rob was drunk ALL the time. I was so scared. I thought he would drop the baby or end up hurting her because he was drunk...we worked different shifts, I was second shift, so he cared for her in the evenings while I was at work. I was not perfect either. I was still drinking and doing drugs (after Ash was born) on rare occasion. During this time I was unfaithful to my husband. My thinking was this....he was drunk all the time and I hated being his wife, so I tried to find love else where...I was with a guy (but still with Rob too) who was no better....I had moved out and would just meet Rob as we would pass Ash off when we would switch shifts. I was so worried about her that in the middle of my shift, quit my job and went home to her because Rob was so drunk he couldn't even walk. It was terrified. When I got home I caught him with another woman. This opened my eyes and I cut off my other relationship and focused on Rob...he agreed to not see the other woman again. He was still drinking...it was worse than ever before...as an example, I had to drag him out of the bathtub after he passed out so he wouldn't drown...I then found out I was pregnant again. I was so excited. things went even worse. Rob totaled our car...he didn't have a license as it was revoked due to too many DUI's. He was hurt, I was scared...we knew he would have to go to jail. We appealed the court for over a year. He was not in jail for Ty's birth. But he did miss Ty's first birthday. During the time Rob was in jail it was so hard. Ty was sick...he had stomach issues and had to go to specialists 2 hours away...I had to take care of the kids, the home, cut the grass...etc...and take Rob back and forth to jail and work. He was on work release. So, think about this...I was 21...a husband in jail...2 kids...and had to do all the work, and get to the jail (which was 1/2 hr away) by 5:00 am...take Rob to work...pick him up fro work and then back to jail...it was hard! But here the good part....before rob went to jail...God got ahold of him...he quit drinking and smoking all in ONE day! He came home from work, sat on the bench to take his boots off and announced he was done drinking and smoking! He got REALLY sick, it was so sad. But he did it...really did it! Around the same time my SIL asked me if I was saved? I honestly didn't know what that meant! She explained and through the next few days had led me to Christ! So, the entire time Rob was in jail, we were saved and more in love than ever! God worked on our restoration during that time and it was amazing! After he got out of jail, the day he came home, Ashley was afraid of him and screamed at him "your not my daddy!"..."My daddy is away at work!"...she had not seen her dad in months and couldn't remember what he looked like. He had never been so hurt in his life...and that was all it took for him to know he would never go back to that life again. And either would I! He was on house arrest for a month after he got out of jail and it was the BEST month ever! From there we decided to do foster care so we could share our story with teens. We wanted them to know there was another side to life other than drugs and alcohol. and we did. We did teen girls for 5 years. These were the kids that were so "bad" the counties couldn't place them...so we took them. It was great! From there we settled into our church...we teach Sunday School, Rob is an usher at church, we still do foster care... and God saw it fit for us to be blessed with 5 kids to adopt! You see, God can do ANYTHING! Some people think that their sins are too big to be forgiven...they are not. God forgave us for our sins...and as you read....they were many...and "big"! He not only forgave us, but used us to further His kingdom! He has blessed us so much....and blessed us with this testimony to share....without shame. How can there be shame in what God has done? I am a sinner saved by grace!

Winter Comfort Food

We love this easy and frugal recipe in the colder months! The kids have named it "Thanksgiving in a Pan"! :0)
Layer in a large pan:
cooked chicken or turkey (cut in pieces) mixed with some cream of mushroom soup
cooked corn (we always use leftover)
mashed potatoes
prepared stuffing

then bake at 350 for about 40 mins or until nicely browned and crispy on top!
We love this as it is such comfort food and reminds us of Thanksgiving! We created this recipe after Thanksgiving one year using all the leftovers. I am known at my house for putting all the leftovers in a pan, putting cheese on top, and baking it for dinner :0) Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not....LOL....but it uses up the pesky leftovers. Speaking of leftovers...what we usually do is this...we take a portion out of every meal we serve through the week and put it in a small container and freeze....then, once a week we give the frozen meals to an elderly man to cut down on his food costs. We love doing this...it helps us use the leftovers, and it helps this single elderly man not have to cook (which in my opinion is not a safe thing for him to be doing)...win win situation!! Is there someone who could use your leftovers??

Funny!

My 5 yor old son was getting ready this morning and he called me in....when I go in there he was in a panic and said " I wasn't even pickin' my nose and it's bleedin'! " HaHa!!

Pre-teen Heartcheck....Just For Her??

We are having to deal with some heart issues with our oldest daughter...she is almost 11. It's different now....when she was small we had to deal with small issues like naps, and getting along with brothers and sisters...but she was SO good! She's good now...obedient, but we are seeing some heart issues that need to be dealt with. It is a whole new world dealing with older kids! Their issues are so "real" and what you SAY and DO really matters. Don't get me wrong, it all matters to all kids....but she is really watching me to see how I deal with things and what I say and do in reaction to certain things. Is what I am seeing a reflection of myself...what I have taught her by MY example? I think so. There is much to be done in the way of shepording this child's heart...am I up for it? No. I'm so thankful that I have a God who never fails me, I am so thankful to have my own Bible to read and learn from, I am so thankful for good christian ladies who will guide me, I am so thankful for children to teach....as long as I am willing and open to the Lord teaching me first! I pray that I will get to spend much time with my oldest daughter and teach her heart in the ways that the Lord is teaching my heart. I am bursting with joy that this daughter is a saved person, so she will be more receptive to God's prompting and conviction! I am looking forward to this day :0)

Date Night & Happy New Year!!

We NEVER leave our kids and go on a date...usually once a year....tops is three times a year...but last night (actually it was afternoon....LOL) my wonderful and loving hubby arranged to take me on a date!! We had so much fun! It was even adventurous!! We got pulled over....by two police cars with flashing lights!! We felt like criminals....my man lives on the edge....he had the wrong SHADE of the RIGHT color marker light on the passenger side!! LOL....have you EVER heard of getting pulled over for the wrong SHADE of a 2 inch light! The officer was very nice to us and I'm sure was just checking to See because it was New Years Eve. He never even asked us if we were drinking...as soon as he saw us he was making jokes and being funny. I think he must have been able to sense we are the most boring couple in the USA! LOL....It was funny!

Happy New Year! Hope everyone has a great day!