My year in review...

As we say goodbye to another year we all take some time to look back over the past year and ponder the good, bad & the ugly..

As I look back over 2012 I see much heartache but many blessings also. Isn't that just like the Father to bring sadness with joy? And to teach us through the loss and grief things we needed to learn.

My year in review...

January 2012 I found out I was pg. My dh and I were both ecstatic; through the roof with excitement. We love children and each new pg thrills us to our toes!
Sadly though a week after the positive hpt (home pregnancy test) I miscarried the baby. As you can imagine we were crushed. This m/c hit me very hard. I laid in bed each night and cried and cried. It seemed the tears would never end. My dh would wake to my tears and reach for me, holding me as I cried..
I couldn't face anyone and so I quit the bible study my children and I were attending and begin to stay home alot..    It was the right decision for me as it helped me to deal with the loss in my own way. My dh and I did a Mikvah ceremony and rededicated my womb and body to the Father..It was beautiful and gave me much needed peace.

In March I again had a postive hpt but that same day started my cycle and the hpt went negative..This is what they refer to as a chemical pg..although I was sad, because it came and went so quickly I was able to get through it much easier.

In May I became pg again and although the 1st trimester I was worried and afraid I was so excited and hopeful. In Sept. we found out our new baby blessing was a girl! Our first dd in 7 yrs!! We feel so blessed! And now? Well, this precious baby girl is due later this month and we are anxiously awaiting her arrival!! She is much wished for, longed for & prayed for!

In July, after  just beginning our search 4 days before, we found a home in the country where we can have animals and begin to live a more simple, self sustaining lifestyle. August 1st we moved into our new home..It's been amazing living here! In October we ordered chicks and began the adventure of raising chickens. This past month we put them out into the coops that everyone in the family worked hard to get ready. Our little homestead is coming along! We are learning alot as we go and enjoying every minute of it!

Also in September my parents came to visit for the first time. They got to see our new home and have a wonderful visit with the kiddos. We had such a great time with them and can't wait until they come again!

In late Sept. we received a call letting us know my sweet love's mama passed away. We quickly had to make travel plans to Mansfield, MA. We decided to go by bus, just my dh, myself and our baby boy. Although it was a sad time we also enjoyed getting to visit with family again. We stayed for almost a week and then again headed home by bus. The bus ride was long and very hard on me as I was in my 6th month of pg at the time but I am glad to have been able to be there as a source of comfort for my sweet man.

This year my oldest daughter Morgan-Britney opened her own in home bakery. She has done well with it and we are proud of her!

There were many birthdays in our home and our anniversary. On our anniversary in Feb. we celebrated 17 yrs of marriage. We went to a very beautiful bed and breakfast cottage in Abilene Tx where we stayed for the weekend. We had a wonderful time being with each other, seeing more of Texas and remembering the many years behind us.

April I turned another year older and so did my son Josiah. He turned 16 and is very much a young man now!

In May Micah turned 10 & KianAdley turned 2. June brought Zechariah's 15th birthday.

July my dh celebrated another year..  Quentin turned 12 in September and we celebrated his birthday with friends and family.

ZaraLayna is now 7; Oct. 4. Gabreillia turned 14 on Oct. 24 and JaidenNoah 5, on Oct 25th.

In November Isaac turned 9 and Morgan-Britney is now 21; Dec. 16.

I also spent much of my year working towards getting the LLL group here in our city going. We had our first meeting in Jan. Later in the summer months I decided to retire. Through all that happened that brought me to that place Father has taught me much about forgiveness and hurt. It's still something I am working through but I have come along ways. I have now made decisions regarding my future involving breastfeeding and childbirth. I have learned that regardless of what other people do or say Father has given me the experiences in my life and the knowledge I have to help women be empowered. I almost quit and gave up but Father has helped me to see I have a place in that world. He has given it to me.. and I am so thankful!!

In the upcoming New Year there is one theme that resonates in my mind. And that is working towards having a closer relationship with the Father. It not easy but it's definitely worth it as so many things in life that we have to work for are. I want to be more like Him, to learn more of His word and to know Him better. I want to take any areas of my life that I compromise and seek Teshuva (repentance). To give them over to Him and to walk out of sin into His waiting arms.

I keep hearing this verse in my mind:
Matthew 16:26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

If I do all to gain popularity, friends and live so that no one will be angry at me, having gained the world  but having lost my soul; what do I have? I am left with nothing of any value..I am left without Yeshua, my Saviour, and life with Him.

It is so easy to fall into that trap and I am constantly having to bring myself back. Reevaluating why I am doing what I am doing. And asking Father to lead me into all truth.

Yes, my hope for 2013 is that I will be a mighty woman warrior for my king!

And the other? That I will have a healthy, robust baby and wonderful God-honoring birth that He gets all the glory for!
      
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chickens, Junk Food Day and white stuff..

Our chickens have grown so much.  

And that meant the coops needed to be finished so they could be put in their new homes. The whole family got involved.

 Josiah working on the fence for the chicken yard.

 ZaraLayna & Isaac digging out the bottom of the coops so we could put a sheet of chicken wire down which was then buried. This prevents animals from digging under the coops in search of food.

 Micah digging in another coop..

We were able to get the coops finished and our chickens are now outside. They seem to love their new home. And we are glad to have them out of our garage..boy! they are messy!! (and they stink!!)


Yesterday was our yearly Junk Food Day. We had such a wonderful day together! It was a precious time making memories!

 KianAdley & JaidenNoah sitting at their cute little cars table ready to eat. KianAdley walked out with an apron saying he wanted a tablecloth on their table...:) A boy after my own heart!

 Quentin & Micah..

 baby boy KianAdley. He is so precious! Love him so!

 Two of my girls: Gabriellia & ZaraLayna

 My two oldest sons; Zeke & Josiah. They are such characters. Had to pose for the picture..

 Watching Meet Me in St. Louis. What a wonderful movie! We laughed and thoroughly enjoyed it!!

Boys watching the movie...

We also had our first "real" snow. It actually stuck to the ground and was more than a dusting. Our last one was just a dusting and you could never even really tell that it had even snowed...Around here everyone loves the snow because we don't get much. Maybe 3 snows a year...

It is beautiful..but I still prefer no snow..not a huge lover of the white stuff!

 The view from our front window

 And the view from our front door..

Another view from the front door...

All in all it was an awesome day! All cozy inside with each other, laughter, fun and food! Love my large family! This is JOY!

Our doings..

My littles could tell you how wonderful having a big sister is! How creative she is when finding ways to keep them busy while mama is homeschooling the other children.   

 KianAdley & JaidenNoah having a snack as big sister Morgan-Britney prepares to do a pasta necklace craft with them.

 JaidenNoah working on putting his painted pasta noodles on a string for his necklace.

 And....the finished product!!!



The children got to perform for all of the ladies at bible study (Community Bible Study). I am so proud of them! KianAdley had a hard time sitting still for too long (you can see him with his back to the camera in the front row, crawling up the steps) but it was so sweet seeing all of my babies on stage. My oldest son Josiah is in the very back row and was playing his guitar along with the singing and music of the children.

Hanukah began at sunset on Dec. 8th. We all enjoy Hanukah here in our home and it's a holiday we look forward to all year. We love getting out the Hanukiah and playing dreidel with M&M's.

We spent 8 fun filled days exchanging small gifts, eating yummy goodies, doing Haunkah readings, lighting the candles, looking at lights, gingerbread houses and much much more!

Such wonderful family memories to treasure!!

Until next time!!

pregnant Mama

33 weeks along now..

These last months..

I posted this on my pg blog and am posting it here also as it's a good update as to where my head is these days..

ENJOY!!
*********************************************

Last night when dealing with two of my dd's and their emotions and hurts I begin to cry..I have so many of my own emotions swirling around in there as I carry this little life to term. My dh and I stepped out for a bit to get a few things at Walmart. It was a much needed respite. I just needed a moment to collect myself and to gain perspective.

The last few months of pg can be so hard. It requires alot of energy to grow another human.
I am not sleeping well, going to the bathroom many times each night. The pain in my hips and pubic bone has increased, even as bad as my legs giving out underneath me.  I was able to go for a walk with my sweet love and my children Sunday afternoon. It did exacerbate things with my hips but the walk was so lovely!
The weather here has been beautiful! The sky so clear and blue! Most days do not even require a jacket and if so a light sweater works nicely. Such wonderful fresh air to breath in over and over again!   It lightens my spirits. Colors my world in bright green and blues..
I can be so hard on myself even when pregnant. I know logically that it's normal to slow down and need more rest and pampering but yet, I push myself to do more. I must learn to just be..  to let myself rest when needed and allow my body to continue to house and grow this blessing as she finishes her journey in my womb. 
As I get closer to the end of my pregnancy I am even more keenly aware of the need for education regarding pregnancy and birth. I wish more women with the knowledge and wisdom would rise and teach so that we could birth our babies without fear. Knowledge is power. We don't need to place our care and that of our babies into the hands of another. If women were taught they could then be in charge of their own care.  .their own pregnancies and births. In the future days I pray I will see women rise up to teach each other. Midwives,  experienced mothers,  doula's, etc..  This is how we truly empower women.. We walk in community. We trust birth! We trust our Creator and this body He gave us as women. That we can birth our babies without intervention..  without intrusion..It is our right to choose what we want  for our births.. Let's choose trust and knowledge!

 

Our home this week....

This week in our home:

We will be fasting from TV. I need to refocus on the Word and my homeschooling schedule. There are also books I am trying to glean from and am hoping to get to them also.

I also want to begin a new adventure! Soap making! Not just body soap but shampoo and other household cleansers. I need to get a list written with the essential oils and other things I will need before I begin.  I'm looking forward to all my creations!

We also have added two new fur members to our family. The children are enjoying them and I know they are loving all the attention they get!

 Lily

Albie

This past week we made meals without meat. And it turned out quite well! We had ground turkey once and the other meals were things such as meatless chili, a baked pasta dish, tomato basil soup. egg salad sandwiches, etc..  We will be continuing this meatless meal plan this week and the upcoming weeks also.

I am enjoying reading through cookbooks and finding hearty meals without meat. I have found some tasty looking Indian food recipes that I hope to make in the weeks ahead.

Our chicks are growing quickly. So quickly that they are starting to fly out of their home. It is getting close to wing clipping time.

And I have a little less than 3 months left before our precious new blessing arrives!

Blessings!

The adventure has begun!

And so the adventure begins...raising chickens that is! Our chicks have finally arrived. We ordered 25 and have 24. One was dead when they arrived.

They are doing well so far. Growing so quickly. We are continuing our work on the coops before the chickens head outside at about 10 weeks. Need to do a bit more patching against predators and get the chicken yard up...

In the spring it's two goats, one for milk, turkeys for meat and meat chickens also.

Our little farm is growing. We are clearing an area for a BIG garden this upcoming spring. We want to grow most if not all of our own produce. I can't wait to can my own tomatoes..!!!

I am enjoying country life and so are our children!

Some pictures of us all these days..

 The children

   Me! One week and I'll be entering my last trimester!!

KianAdley..our baby boy


BLessings!!!!!!!!!!

The past 2 weeks..

It's been awhile since my last post.

We recently returned from MA for my love's mama's funeral. It was a hard 9 days away. I have been spending this past week trying to recuperate and get life back on track here in our home.

My dh and I did get a few pictures of the ocean near where we lived back in 2002 in MA. It was beautiful!

 at the beach

My parents, affectionately referred to as Nana & Papa came to visit. We all went to Palo Duro Canyon. We had a great time and got beautiful pictures!

 So wild and beautiful!

 All the children with Nana & Papa

   Going for a hike



Getting back into normal routines again...

Baby girl's first pictures!

Here is baby girl at her 20 week scan...

Here she is with her foot in her mouth. She likes her toes. No thumb sucking for her! LOL! :)

Her girlie parts. No denying she is a GIRL!!

Her sweet baby foot! Baby feet are so cute!

Socialization

Please welcome our guest speaker; my daughter Morgan-Britney! She is a 20 yr old darling girl and she wrote this post on socialization a yr ago after graduation from our homeschool!

• • Last Friday my family made our weekly trip to the library. As usual, I had a huge stack to check out, and the poor librarian was trying to check them all out and not forget any. As I was organizing my books into my bag, she smiled at me and asked "You are a homeschooler, aren't you?" I smiled back and replied, "Yes, I am. I actually just graduated last year." She chuckled and said, "You can always tell the difference between a public schooled child and a homeschooler. Those homeschoolers are something special."
    
    I agree.
    
    But not everyone does....In fact, many people believe homeschoolers are poorly socialized, inadequately schooled, or secretly abused. Though this may be true in a very small amount of cases, this is not a common event. However, there are quite a few poorly socialized, inadequately schooled and secretly abused children attending public schools.
    
    I hear this question a lot: "Are you socialized?"
    
    So what is the definition of 'socialization'?
    
    Websters definition of Socialization : the process by which a human being, beginning at infancy, acquires the habits, beliefs, and accumulated knowledge of society through education and training for adult status.
    Dictionary.com on Socialization : a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position.
    TheFreeDictionary : Socialize
    1. To place under government or group ownership or control.
    2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable.
    3. To convert or adapt to the needs of society.
    
    Most people, when they ask 'are you socialized' , they are asking if you play with or talk to those of your own age group outside your family. But that is not what the definition of socialization is!
    
    
    According to the definition of socialization, yes, I am very socialized. I also talk to and spend time with others outside of my family--this is what others truly want to know. They want to know- "Are you at home constantly, with no contact with the outside world?" Of course not!
    
    
    In fact, I have yet to meet a homeschooled child who cannot converse well with those of his own age, those younger, and those older, a stranger, or a friend. You will find that many girls my age and younger are very content to sit in the room while their mother's converse. with homeschoolers, you will be hard pressed to find a group of children, all the same age, huddled together, refusing to talk to anyone younger or older.
    That is the type of 'socialization' you get in a public schooled. A child learns naught of the outside world or his culture like the definitions above define socialization as. Instead, he gets to be friends with those of his own age, those he can not learn or glean from. How can he, when they are at the same stage in life as he? However, when I converse with my friend, A, who is 25, I can glean wisdom and insight from her. So, is it wrong to have friends your own age? of course not! But whoever said you must have friends your age only? In my opinion, that is a depressing thought. To only associate with those of my own age, to never listen to a 15 year old tell all about this exciting book she read, to never hear how a 22 year old coped with the loss of a friend. My life would be so lacking in experience and life lessons.
    True socialization is learning to deal with anyone who crosses your path. A 98 year old woman, a 10 year old child. Socialization is not listening and communicating with only your peers. I spent a week with a group of public schooled children. I heard a group of 16 and 17 year old girls talking about the 'kindergartners". Confused, because there were no kindergartners around, I asked her what she was talking about. She told me she was referring to the Junior High girls. I didn't really know what to say, except oh!
    
    
    Once again--my siblings, and nearly every homeschooled child I have ever met is socialized. Homeschoolers actually converse much better with those outside of their age group than public schoolers. Why? We have been taught that those younger than us deserve our kindness and friendship, and that those older than us and those in authority are to be respected. They are to be called ma'am and sir. They are to be treated wit the utmost respect. Why? Because that is what the Bible teaches. And though there are some who homeschool for non- religious reasons, most homeschoolers are either Catholic or Christian. Those in public school are not taught that. They are taught that younger is better, those older than you are stupid and 'behind the times' . (Especially your parents. Aren't they like, so dumb?) They are taught to defy authority, and to 'follow your inner star' My question is, what if that 'inner star' lies?
    
    
    
    
    Another question people ask is
    "Are you getting a real education?"
    
    
    Yes! Just like a public schooled child, I did all 12 grades. I had to correct any mistake on my own. I can read, spell, write, and do math just like a public schooled child. In fact, homeschoolers have been shown to test higher scores than public schoolers.
    Children who have been homeschooled all of their lives outperformed those in a traditional school environment
    Eighth grade students who have been homeschooled for at least one year scored in the 59th percentile
    Eighth grade students who have been homeschooled for two years or more scored between the 86th and 92nd percentile
    The following information was published by SAT and the ACT High School Profile Reports:
    homeschooler's composite scores were 18 to 28 points above their public school counterparts.
    In 1998, graduating homeschoolers had an average score of 22.8 out of a possible 36 on the ACT. The national average was 21.0.
    Interesting huh? So that dispels the myth that homeschoolers watch TV all day and never open a school book!
    I know quite a few homeschoolers that have achieved or are achieving higher educations. I know a young man who is a teacher (in public schools!:). I know a young lady who has recently achieved her degree in music. Another young man is attending college to become a history teacher. I know a young lady who is studying biology, another is a ballerina. To say that homeschoolers do not receive a good education and become a burden on society is an uneducated and ignorant thing to say. Did you know that just over a hundred years ago children were taught at home or in a small school outside town? They received a quality education, so unlike the one many children receive today.
    
    ~More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level - far below the level needed to earn a living wage.
    
    ~Approximately 50 percent of the nation's unemployed youth age 16-21 are functional illiterate, with virtually no prospects of obtaining good jobs.
    
    ~44 million adults in the U.S. can't read well enough to read a simple story to a child.
    
    ~About three in five of America's prison inmates are illiterate.
    
    ~Nearly half of America's adults are poor readers, or "functionally illiterate." They can't carry out simply tasks like balancing check books, reading drug labels or writing essays for a job.
    
    ~46% of American adults cannot understand the label on their prescription medicine.
    
    ~Since 1983, more than 10 million Americans reached the 12th grade without having learned to read at a basic level. In the same period, more than 6 million Americans dropped out of high school altogether.
    
    You may be wondering why I put only reading statistics up there. Here is the reason. One of the first things you learn in school is how to read. if you cannot read properly, you will not excel at anything else in school. It is not physically possible. How can you do science, history, spelling, grammar, or write an essay if you cannot read?
    
    This actually brings tears to my eyes. Books and reading is so powerful, and without it, doors slam in your face. So much is learned and processed in your brain when you read. did you know that 80% of American households did not pick up or even read a book last year?
    None of these statistics are made up or from a homeschool website. I got all this information from legit, government websites on education in America. apparently, we are doing a poor job of educating American children!
    
    I read to my 15 month old brother. I read to him anything that I am reading, because I want him to develop the same love for books that I have. We recently visited with a homeschool family and I happened to see a book called Culture Warrior by Bill O'Reilly. When I asked who was reading it, the 14 year old son said he was--and he was loving it.
    
    “The failure to read good books both enfeebles the vision and strengthens our most fatal tendency – the belief that the here and now is all there is.” – Allan Bloom
    
    “When I got [my] library card, that was when my life began.” - Rita Mae Brown
    
    “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” - Ray Bradbury
    
    The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.
    ~ Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!" ~
    
    Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.~ Frederick Douglass ~
    
    Did you know these famous people were homeschooled?
    
    ~Sixteenth President of the United States Abraham Lincoln was also the first Republican president and pulled the country through the Civil War, ending slavery. Today, Lincoln is widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history, but he grew up with much humbler roots. Lincoln famously lived in a one-room log cabin in Kentucky and only attended 18 months of formal school. Lincoln mostly taught himself under the guidance of his stepmother Sarah Bush Johnston and the local library.
    
    ~ Scottish business magnate Andrew Carnegie immigrated to the United States when he was a boy in the middle 19th century. He grew up in Allegheny, PA, and began working at just 13 years old, his only real education coming from his uncle back in Scotland. Though he had a history of working his way through menial jobs, Carnegie was eventually sponsored by the Colonel James Anderson, who allowed Carnegie and other promising teenagers access to his extensive library. Years later, Carnegie continued to foster relationships with academics and writers, but he is best known for building the Cargnegie Steel Company, which later became U.S. Steel after a merger. At one point one of the richest men in the country, Carnegie is also recognized through institutions like the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Carnegie Mellon University
    
    ~Woodrow Wilson: Woodrow Wilson served as President of Princeton University, governor of New Jersey and of course as 28th President of the United States, from 1913-1921. As President, Wilson started the League of Nations, which set up a foundation for the United Nations, and helped Europe in its formation of the Treat of Versailles after WWI. Before his life in politics, Wilson was an academic, attending Johns Hopkins for graduate school, and teaching at Bryn Mawr and NYU Law School. But as a child, Wilson struggled with learning and could not read until he was 10 years old because of his dyslexia. Wilson’s father — a professor at Columbia Theological Seminary in South Carolina — took over his studies for the most part until he went to college.
    
    ~Albert Einstein: One of the most famous and influential thinkers of all time, Albert Einstein, is credited with discovering the special and general theories of relativity, relativistic cosmology, quantum theory of atomic motion in solids, and many more scientific theories and laws. Born in 1879 in the German Empire, Einstein eventually moved with his family to Munich, where he attended a Catholic school. But when he was ten, the Einsteins fell on hard times and paid a Jewish medical student named Talmud to tutor Albert in math, science and philosophy.
    
    This is not the whole list either.
    
    Now, am I saying homeschooling is without fault? No. There is no perfect education. I would say though, that homeschoolers seem to be getting a better education then their public schooled peers. The evidence is all there, for you to look up and read yourself, and what I wrote here is not even half of the evidence out there...
    
    Be Blessed!
    ~Morgan
•  

Girlie!

Today we found out we're having another girlie baby! It's been 7 yrs since our last dd! All of our girl's are 7 yrs apart. An interesting little tid bit..:)

Meet our newest blessing!

Chicken fun!

There has been alot going on here at our home.

My man and children have been busy at work on our chicken coops and nesting boxes. We found some old wood on the property that my husband used to build nesting boxes for the laying hens we're prepping for.

The children hard at work, nailing together the boxes.

 Josiah cutting wood.

John working on a nesting box.

Nesting boxes made out of used wood. Our laying hens will be happy!

A little extra:

Baby Bump!!