Burrrrr

I really do like the change of seasons here in Wisconsin but.... it is SO cold right now. This morning when I woke up it was -8 and -26 with the wind chill!!! Too cold for me....ugh. Our land lord was supposed put in new windows before the cold set in...ummm...that did not happen. So we have some windows with a few inches of ice on the insides, a couple that are stuck half down so you can get a nice crisp breeze in your face if you stand in just the right place, we have one in our bedroom that has no storm or screen just a thin piece of glass separating us from the outside world. Poor hubby that window is right next to his side of the bed. Our heating bill has skyrocketed!!! And let me tell you I am VERY conservative with the thermostat. I turn it down to 50 at night, in the morning I put it at 70 to get the chill out of the air but once we are all dressed and moving about it stays at 60 the WHOLE day. We just wear lots of layers,LOL. I know every body is going to think I am so cruel but hey I am not going to pay hundreds of dollars for heat...nope not going to happen. But I am still VERY thankful to have a roof over my head..I always say "it could be worse". Boy do people get ANGRY when I tell them that...I don't really know why, LOL. Most of us are so spoiled we don't really know what it is to struggle or to be without..some of us think we have it hard..no we have it SUPER easy. When I was 3 yrs old I lived with my Mom, my sister, and my Aunt in a house with NO heat. My mom told me that we all slept together to keep warm and when we woke up in the morning the glass of water we had on the nightstand was frozen solid...now that is cold. My Mom also told me that we did not have much food to eat and she knew a guy that was a garbage man. He would take the frozen food that McDonald's would throw away because it was a few days past its expiration date (everything still in unopened packages of course) and that is what we ate quite often :-0
But anyways my point being that we should be thankful for all the good we do have in our lives... most of us here in America are so blessed..yet we still gripe about how bad we got it.
So just BE THANKFUL!!!! I believe that hard times are coming and boy is most of America going to be in shock..YIKES!!!

On my mind..

I have so many things on mind....it gets very overwhelming at times. When I was younger my mind would go 100 mph when I was trying to sleep at night and because of that I used to have insomnia. Well, having a few children and being utterly exhausted at times when I finally get to bed has cured me of my insomnia, LOL. But I still have the problem with my mind going berserk on me. There are so many things I am thinking of at any giving moment.....ahhh... oh well~smile~.

I really would like to start working on some emergency preparations...SOON..as I believe time is running out. Even unbelievers think that something BIG is going to happen soon, worse than the great depression..and I for one want to be ready for it. It just seems like such an overwhelming task though and honestly....I have no idea where to start. ~sigh~

I also really want to get our debts payed off ASAP. This is very important to hubby and I right now....I just need to come up with more ways to save money, so we can get our debt payed off!!!

I could go on and on and on......with all the things I am thinking of,LOL, I am very sure though that you all would be very bored..he he. I am off to drink a cup of tea and perhaps ease some of the thoughts in my mind with some good 'ole Bible reading and some prayer :-)

For we wrestle not.....

.... against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph. 6:12

This verse has been reiterating in my head over and over as of late. I feel such a strong spiritual battle going on in my house and in the world in general. I have been walking around the last few days praying, crying out for wisdom and strength. I just have been feeling such an urgency...I can't really explain it...I have such a strong urge to pray and dig deep into the Bible.

Has anyone else had any of these feelings as of late??

Mission Organization

Right now I am on a Mission to get my house organized and KEEP it that way (o.k. maybe I have been on this mission for a couple of years now ,LOL) Gilbert (my hubby) loves order and neatness. I do to, but it is much easier said then done ~smile~. I want to have every thing organized for my sake (and the children's of course) but also so I can really bless Gilbert with a clean and organized home!! This issue has been one of much discussion.....and much frustration on both sides. In the past I have made such statements as...~gulp~..."I am not superwoman you know", "If you want it so organized why don't you do it"...~blushing now~..."At least I keep the house picked up"...I will stop there I think you all get the general idea. Well I know now and knew before that the attitude I had was not a good one. So I am very determined to try my best to keep it all in order and even if I don't, to not make such unkind statements ;-)
Believe it or not I LOVE organizing things..yep...I do. I literally drooool when I look at stores like this one. My Dad was quite OCD when it came to neatness and cleanliness..and I did pick up the WANT to ..but I also picked up some procrastination habits from my Mom.

So anyways.....last Saturday I organized the Homeschool area. I completely organized all the bookcases and shelves. Part of the problem in that area was I did not have enough room, well there is a closet in that same corner. The closet was full of stuff that I really could move else where..so I put a couple small shelving units in there and created a wonderful extra storage area..YAY!! Now I have room for everything. The key point is to KEEP it organized, so even if I don't get any other project (organizing project) done that day I make sure I "refresh" the homeschool area.
Yesterday I started organizing the downstairs bathroom (Hubby's bathroom) I cleaned out the drawer where he keeps all his stuff, lined it , washed down all his bottles and such and put them neatly back. I am hoping to finish the bathroom today. After that I am starting with areas that bug Gilbert the most when they are disorganized like the stairs (I tend to pile stuff there that needs to go upstairs), our bedroom (where there is usually a mountain of clothes that needs to be ironed and folded) and the basement (which hubby has been wanting me to turn into a playroom for quite some time now).
So besides homeschooling the kids and such, I am in organization mode.
If need to get organized and need some inspiration here are some great sites:
The Container Store
Real Simple
See June Work
Organized Home
Organize
Organize Magazine
Life Organizers

My public school "experience"

Originally posted on Sept 1, 2006

My Mother took me and my sister out of school in the winter of 1984, at the start of the home school "movement". I had just finished one semester of 1st grade and I had skipped kindergarten, so school was nothing that I was attached to.I was excited to be able to stay at home instead of go to school. So began my journey.....
My Mother was definitely an "unschooler". We had for are use, plenty of literature ( I had learned to read when I was 3), Ray's Arithmetic books, McGuffey Readers and a few Rod and Staff books. She never "made" us do school work, we did it whenever we felt like it ( which wasn't very often). However we did read ALL the time. I was constantly reading anything and everything I could get my hands on. I also loved doing art , I made my own books and art projects galore.
When I was a little older I started using Christian Light Paces, I think I did complete a couple grades of those ( all with my own motivation). I was very involved with caring for my younger sisters, changing their diapers, bathing them, getting them dressed, etc. I also learned how to cook and bake at a very young age. I loved cooking!! My mother taught me to sew when I was 12 or 13. I sewed matching dresses for my sisters, sewed myself some some dresses and several skirts, I even had a friend pay me to make her a dress.
Well when I was about 15 years old some home circumstances prompted me to want to move with my Dad (my Mom had divorced him when I was 3). My Step-mother had deceived me into thinking that when I moved in with them I would be attending a christian school with my best friend. However, I was very disappointed to find out that I would actually be attending the local public school. I was VERY upset and scared. This was not what I had bargained for. But it was too late I had to go.
I proceeded to take some placement tests, surprise, surprise, I tested above average in everything except math.(never was my favorite subject)LOL.
When I first started going it seemed o.k. I was just auditing classes to see what it was like and I was put with a group of nice girls to show me around. I became friends with them pretty quickly. ***I need to give a little background here- The church I was attending with my family was a Pentecostal church, where woman had to wear long skirts, could not cut their hair , no make-up,etc. At the time I had always adhered to these standards***
So being dressed the way I was people started talking about me saying I was strange for always wearing dresses, for being so quiet, etc. When people started asking me why I wore dresses, I only had the courage to blame it on the church that I HAD to go to. Yes, my friends, I was not the salt and light. I was intimidated, embarrassed and absolutely not strong enough to stand up for what I believed.
As quickly as I could I borrowed pants from my older sister and wore them everyday. Whew!! At least people stopped saying I was that "weird" girl that always wore dresses. I also tried to be as loud and outgoing as possible. Yes, it worked I was finally fitting in with everyone else. I proceeded to fit in more and more. Yes, I had successfully lost the sweet, quiet spirit I had and replaced it with a loud, boisterous outgoing one. This was just the beginning for me. I graduated high school. And went on to do several very foolish things, that I will not go into detail about, but they changed me forever and not for the good. During those years I always retained and held on to my beliefs about God and prayed and read my Bible. But it was never reflected on the outside, I always remained a "good" person and never did anything the world would deem as "bad". But I had lost somethings along the way. People always used to tell me I was such a sweet, kind person, that I had such a meek and quiet spirit. I had lost that. Essentially I lost more than I will ever be able to regain.
Why am I sharing this??? Because I am hoping that some one will read this and perhaps think twice about sending their child into the lions den. Yes, there are children out there who can endure and share their faith, but there are many more who can't. If you can save them from what I had to endure and what has taken me years to get back to where I am today. Please, please spare them that.
Thank God that He is a forgiving God, He has forgiven me. But there is so much that can never be fixed from the mistakes that I made. That meek and quiet spirit; much easier to lose then to get back, I struggle with it everyday. Some of the mistakes are ones that my children are paying for, and that is not fair. As I write this, it makes me cry. It makes me cry for what I lost by going to public school and it also makes me cry for the many christian parents that think their children will be "the salt and the light" because they just might not.
In the words of Gena , TOS publisher, "Keep them home where they belong"

Vroom....Vroom....

Yesterday I did a project with my 6yr old.. We put together a wooden car. It was really neat and an easy project for a 5 or 6 year old to do.

Here are all the parts:

Putting it all together:
Attaching the grill:
And the finished product:

We still have to paint it but we will do that next week :-) Now my Son says that he wants to be a carpenter when he grows up!!

Yummy...chocolate

Today we made chocolate!!! I got my daughter this "make your own chocolate" kit for Christmas:

Here are some cacao beans that came with it. You don't use it in the chocolate they are just so you can try them..they taste like unsweetened bitter chocolate:

Here is the chocolate tempering, you have to make sure it is at exactly 94 degrees:

And my daughter stirring her chocolate (she has her new apron too ;-))

And this is the finished product..this produced a VERY rich treat. I could only take a bite at a time!!

And the very funnest part of all ...cleaning out the bowl ;-)

Tea Time...

For Christmas we purchased the lovely tea set from Vision Forum for my 8 yr old...she absolutely adores it. I told her that every Tuesday we could have afternoon tea.

Here is the beautiful tea set all ready:

The children enjoying their scrumptious tea. 8 yr old and 2 yr old thought it would be fun to "dress up" to have tea. On a funny note, ds6 said that maybe he should use a different cup because those cups are for girls. My 8 yr old proceeded to tell him that he should learn how to use the fancy cups because someday his wife might have fancy cups and she will want her husband to have tea with her....too funny!!

And since this is her tea set .... a special picture :-)

A Cup Of Tea

When the world is all at odds

And the mind is all at sea

Then cease the useless tedium

And brew a cup of tea.

There is magic in its' fragrance,

There is solace in its' taste;

And the laden moments vanish

Somehow into space.

And the world becomes a lovely thing!

There's beauty as you'll see;

All because you briefly stopped

To brew a cup of tea.

"If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are depressed it will cheer you; if you are excited it will calm you."~William Gladstone

I choose joy!!!

My deleted post was a very "poor me" type of post and am not like that...I have always found the good in my situations all my life. So I am not going to start feeling sorry for myself now!! Instead I choose joy..I am thankful that I have 4 healthy children that the Lord has given me to take care of..what a GREAT honor..I am thankful for everything that the Lord has blessed me with. I am not going to throw a fit just because things don't always go my way!!!

Thank you to those who did read it and are praying for us..please continue to do so :-)

Busy as a beaver

Monday we start school again after being off for a few weeks, we also are going to start to try and implement a schedule again. So...I have a ton of stuff I need to accomplish today (by the way hubby works all day on Saturdays so for us it is kind of like a weekday). I want to have everything ready to start Monday with a bang!!!

What I need to get accomplished today:

• Get all the schoolwork ready for Monday (print off some stuff, draw up some charts etc.)


• Wash and Iron at least 2 loads of laundry


• Get every body's clothes ready for Sunday.


• Pack diaper bag for Sunday.


• Straighten up the whole house.


• Clean out fridge.


• Clean out microwave.


• Finish up schedule.


• Get exercise DVDs ready for Monday (the kids always move them all over and then I can't find them when I need them,LOL).


• Give kids showers and baths.


• Take a shower.


• Work on Binder.


• Get chore cards ready for Monday.

And what are the kiddo's up to?? Having a blast in this under the table hideout I purchased on sale from Hearth song (which, unfortunately, is no longer available) last year and forgot about. So it is brand new to them and will keep them occupied for awhile!!! Doesn't it look like a blast?

My goals for 2008

When I make goals or to-do list I tent to aim pretty high...I have always been this way...it is how I work best, LOL. I love to be challenged....so with that said here are my goals for this year in no particular order...... I am sure I will be adding to this list throughout the year.


1.Establish a daily quiet time.

2.Read thru the entire Bible.

3.Do at least one Torah class a week.

4.Re-read Created to be his helpmeet and chronicle my journey in the Helpmeet Journal.

5.Be more consistent in training my children.

6.Be softer and kinder in my words.

7.Create a budget and stick to it.

8.Pay off at least 50% of credit card debt.

9.Eat healthier

10.Exercise 5 days a week (alternating 3 days of Billy Blanks boot camp and 2 days for Pilate's)

11.Take a walk with children daily (weather permitting, LOL)

12.Spend more time playing and having fun with my children.

13.Follow a loose schedule.

14Try to do at least 1 scrap book.

15.Organize all photos.

16. Learn to knit.

17.Paint living room, kitchen, hallway and both bathrooms.

18. Turn basement into playroom.

-Organize everything in basement

-Purchase and lay down carpet.

-Finish painting mural

-Organize toys

-Organize laundry area

19.Sew at least 5 items.

20.Get caught up with baby books.

21.Research and put into action Emergency Preparedness plans.

22.Potty train 2 yr old.

23.Teach 8 yr old how to sew.

24.Have a rummage sale.

25.Lose 25lbs.

26.learn how to shoot a gun.

27.Make my own laundry detergent.

28.Start making wholemade bread on a regular basis.

29. Purchase a kombucha scoby and get some brewing again.

30.Make my own kefir.

A few of my favorite things

Tiany is hosting her blogaversery party this week. She asked us to post some of our favorite things.....she is also having a giveaway of some of her favorite things!!! So stop on over at Tiany's and join in the fun.

Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Raising Godly Tomatoes- Elizabeth over at raising Godly tomatoes recently published her book, I have previously read the info from her website but I am SO very happy she put it into a book. This is hands down the best parenting book (besides the Bible, of course)

2.Supermom Vitamins- These vitamins have given me So much more energy and made my nails stronger and my hair healthier....seriously.

3.John Frieda Hair Serum- I have been using this product for about 10 yrs now and it is the only thing that works with my frizzy hair. It is great for all hair types and you can't even tell you have anything in your hair...not greasy or hard.

4.ProActive-Yes I have a problem with adult acne. No matter how well eat, clean my face or anything I can't seem to control breakouts....except with ProActive it keeps my face 100% clear..it is wonderful!!

5.Coconut Mocha Chiller from Gloria Jeans- This is my treat of choice....I only have one every few months or so because it is so NOT healthy but it is delicious.

6.Coconut oil for hair and body- I use this instead of lotion and it works beautifully. It makes my skin VERY soft and it has no chemicals at all , it is just 100% coconut oil.

7.Home Management Binder- This has every thing I need in one handy dandy place!! I am sure many of you where beginning to doubt whether it really existed, as I have said I was going to post pictures of it for a looong time, LOL. Well here is a sneak peek ;-)

8.A women's guide to blessing her husband's vision-This is a wonderful message!!! I just happen to have a brand new extra one of these laying around the house so look for a contest to win a copy in the near future!!!

9.Created to be his helpmeet-

This is one of my all time favorite books, I recently purchased The helpmeets journal to go along with it. I am planning on reading it again this time chronicling my journey :-)

The New Year

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year!!! New Years Eve the kids and I (hubby got home from work about an hour before midnight)had yummy feast. We had shrimp, summer sausage, cheese and crackers, herring, smoked fish, a yummy fruit salad and sparkling Cider. We all put on some fun hats, made loud noises with our noise makers, cracked some crackers....it was a good time :-) On New Years Day we went over to hubby's parents house and had tamales!!! It was a simple but fun celebration!!!

I really love the start of new year...for me it is a fresh start, a clean slate....I get VERY ambitious, LOL. Later today I am going to post my New Years goals (not resolutions..I don't know ... just don' t like to use that word), I am also going to join Tiany for her blogaversery and post my favorite things later on. Oh, and I am planning on getting rid of the Christmas theme of my blog soon too, although the wonderful Ali is working on that for me :-)