THE MOORE FAMILY

Feldpausch Family Pictures Fall 2011

2012-01-21T16:05:00.004-05:00

We had our family pictures taken at Bertha Brock Park in Ionia when my brothers came home this fall. Or Martha Brock Park as my sister would call it....

More Family Pictures

2012-01-21T15:45:00.003-05:00

Cute Drawings

2012-01-21T15:14:00.002-05:00

I love when my kids make me pictures! These are some of the cute ones they have done for me lately. You can bet they earned a place of honor on the refrigerator!

Celeste drew this picture of her and I canning green beans.

This is a school paper Trevor did. The picture that he drew to go with the story made me laugh. I love the arrows he added.

Shiloh said this was her family eating dinner together.

Another Year Goes By....

2012-01-13T09:38:00.001-05:00

Many friends who were never able to meet Peyton have asked me to share the events of his life. It’s a difficult thing to remember but I felt that it would be a wonderful way to honor him and hopefully be a blessing to others. This is the story of Peyton Lee Moore.

Peyton was a sweet boy with soft blonde hair and a quiet disposition. He had parents that had no idea what they were doing but inspite of their lack of wisdom he loved them anyway. When I think of his life I try to remember the sweet moments of reading him books, singing and holding him close while we danced around a room. I think of how much he loved trucks and the day we took him to the Discount Tire and he HAD to touch all the tires in the showroom.
He was daddies boy without a doubt. My sisters could make him laugh and smile like nobodies business. For fun he would shut off the TV while Uncle Chad was watching football and he would never allow Uncle Jason to touch his toys. He had a family that loved him.
January 14, 2000 we had planned to have his first birthday party at Pizza Hut. His birthday was on the 13th but we waited to celebrate it on a Friday. I dropped him off at daycare that morning and he was very upset with me leaving him there. My last memory of him alive is his crying little face and outreached hands. The day care provider shooed me out the door and insisted he would be fine.
Shortly after I arrived to work I received a phone call. The voice on the other end told me that my Peyton wasn’t breathing. I felt like my whole body had been shocked and I was numb with fear. Racing down the halls of the school all I could do was scream. I remember running into a house and seeing a man working on his little body. I was hysterical and begging him to hurry up. I had never felt such terror. The ambulance took him away and I wasn’t allowed to ride along because of my distress. I rode with a volunteer EMT and we followed the ambulance to the emergency room. The team there did all they could while I sat back feeling helpless and alone. And then the final news…I heard the Dr. expressing his condolences and saw the nurses looking at the ground with tears rolling down their faces. The pain I felt was all consuming, paralyzing pain. There would be no birthday party that night.
The days to follow were agonizing. I cried myself to sleep and woke up to tears streaming down my face. We had to make decisions that I never imagined would have to be made. I remember going to the funeral home and being taken to a room lined up with little caskets and sobbing uncontrollably as Shawn hugged me tightly to him. You cannot imagine the brokenness.
The autopsy report that came back stated that Peyton was found by the day care provider lying face down on a couch cushion with a blanket coving his head and body. The cause of death was determined as natural causes. But year’s later studies are now showing that many infant/child deaths are being misdiagnosed as natural causes or SIDS when in actuality they are suffocations, be it accidental or homicide. When an adult suffocates they will show signs of distress such as popped blood vessels in the eyes or other obvious signs. Dr.’s are now saying that a child can suffocate and show no signs at all and that the only way to be sure is an investigation of the scene of death. The leading causes of suffocation in infants/young children is, soft sleeping surfaces, excessive use of blankets and sleeping position. Peyton had all three.
At the funeral and the months to follow, the outpouring of love and acts of kindness received from family, friends, and even strangers was amazing to me. It’s moments like these that make you realize how much people do love and care and its moments like these that will change you forever. I felt God during this time so strongly. I felt Him telling me its ok, he’s with me and I’m taking care of him now and I believed that with all my heart. I had a dream one night after the funeral that I was looking for Peyton and then I realized he was gone and I was crying. I looked out a window and saw him there in Gods arms and he looked so peaceful. That dream gave me so much comfort.
It was in this valley of my life I realized how much I needed the Lord. I realized that without him I was weak and nothing. I understood what He had done in sacrificing his own son and how much he wants us to turn to Him for everything. God loves us so much that he sent his son to die and pay for the sin that we commit. Think about that! What an amazing sacrifice. I stopped trusting in myself and put all my faith in Jesus. I asked Him to take the reigns of my life. Because of that, I am not the same person I used to be. And while my heart aches for my little man, I find immeasurable comfort in knowing that because of my faith I will see him again.
Since Peyton's death God has blessed me and blessed me over again. He has given me a life with so much peace and joy attached to it. I have a husband that adores me and four more beautiful children to love on. I have a family that I wouldn't trade for anything and I have friends that encourage me and a church family that loves me. God is so good to me and faithful in all his promises. I am thankful.

Shiloh At The Dentist

2012-01-11T14:26:00.002-05:00

My little girl had her first trip to the dentist. She was so excited to have the dentist count all her teeth and let her pick out a special toothbrush. It was so sweet to see her sitting in the chair like a big girl:)

Annual Moore/Hodgkiss Christmas Party

2012-01-01T14:24:00.002-05:00

Every Christmas my friend Carly and I get our kids together for a small party. It's a fun tradition I hope we always keep up! This year the kids decorated graham cracker houses and had a small gift exchange.

New Year 2012

2012-01-01T14:21:00.002-05:00

2011 is over. This past year certainly has been a whirl wind for me and full of many trials and blessings. It started out with an unexpected surprise that we would have another child to love and watch grow. Then with the pregnancy came health issues like anemia, back pain, and a new allergy to adhesives. We also had a scare with the ultra sound that something may have been wrong with baby. This year also brought reconciliation between myself and two family members that I love dearly. I thank God for that. Along with the blessings came times of sadness. I think about our friend Pete that took his own life. What a sweet and funny person he was and loved by so many. I also think of my sister and her husband and the loss of their baby girl Alayna. She is buried next to our own little guy. I hurt for her and know the pain she is experiencing. It's a pain that only those who have experienced the death of a child would understand. It's a pain that cuts deep and never really completely heals.
Then along with the hurt came the joy of bringing Kodah Jack into this world, but also knowing that this would be a difficult thing for my sister to endure. I am sure it made her arms feel just that more empty seeing our baby and wishing hers was here to hold. Nothing I could say would be a comfort. All I can hope is that she knows how much God and the people around her love her.
The end of 2011 brought yet another very difficult and personal trial that I am going through. It's one of those valleys in life that for a moment really tested my faith. I found myself questioning God...WHY would he allow me to go through this, doesn't he KNOW I've been through enough trials in my life??? For a fleeting moment I actually considered throwing the towel in...but then I got into God's word and he comforted me and encouraged me in a way only he can. I read in 1 Corinthians 13.

1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

For 2012 I have decided to memorize these verses and keep them hid in my heart for the valleys that may come in life. God never promised he wouldn't send the trials, but he does promise to get us through them if we seek his face. It's a promise I am clinging to.

My hope for anyone that took the time to read this post is that you too will seek His face in all things in 2012 and if you have never trusted in Christ, that you will come to a point where you realize your need for Him. He died for our sins, took our punishment of hell. It is our faith in this truth alone that will set us free from our sin. May you believe this truth, claim it for your own and allow Jesus to transform you.

God bless you in 2012!!

Time to Paint

2011-12-27T18:10:00.003-05:00

The cutest little artists.

These ice cube trays are perfect for holding paint.

Christmas with Grammy and Poppy

2011-12-27T17:54:00.002-05:00

We had such a great time at my parent's house this year. My mom made a great spread of food and we gorged ourselves all day long. They of course spoiled all of us, just like they do every year. Celeste got her first American Girl Doll from them, something she had been wanting for two years. She told me she almost cried when she opened it:)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T17:37:00.002-05:00

My mom and sisters.

Baby Stalker

2011-12-27T17:24:00.002-05:00

Can you guess who loves baby? Shiloh cannot get enough of her little brother. I have been tripping over her ever since we brought him home. She is right there at all times wanting to help burp him, change his diaper, give him a bath and of course hold him. Our Kodah clearly is not lacking in attention at this house!

Mr. Grumpy Pants

2011-12-20T15:30:00.004-05:00

Kodah is doing so well now that his shoulder is healed up. He has been my most content and easy baby to take care of. I laugh at him all the time though because he can make the grumpiest faces!! Love my little grumpy pants:) Can you tell he is a good eater??

Fun Pictures

2011-12-11T10:33:00.004-05:00

My friend Lois came by on Saturday and took some really cute newborn pictures of Kodah and some pictures of the girls dressing up. Trevor was to busy helping Dad cut wood to be bothered with pictures:)

Check them out at:

www.sunshineportraitstudio.photoreflect.com

Fun with Boxes

2011-12-08T22:16:00.004-05:00

I remember as a kid loving to play with boxes! I gave this to the kids yesterday and they came up with so many fun things to do with it. Shawn found them in the basement all sitting in it while watching a movie together. Who needs a couch when you can sit in a box?

Sigh of Relief

2011-12-08T22:01:00.003-05:00

Things are going much better at the Moore house! Kodah was released from his bili blanket yesterday and his shoulder doesn't seem to be bothering him nearly as much. With those two things pretty much squared up he has been the easiest baby to take care of! He can actually sleep now without having to be held and for the most part is very content. Now if my hives would just go away....

God Knows

2011-12-04T16:46:00.002-05:00

Have you ever had one of those days where it seemed like NOTHING could go right? I sure had one of those days yesterday. If you read my post about Kodah then you know that he had broken his collar bone during delivery. I also had a minor mishap while in the hospital because of my epideral. It had been a long time since I had an epideral being that I delivered Shiloh and Trevor completely naturally, and the two pior times I had an epideral went perfectly fine. Well not this time. Shortly after they administered the epideral I became itchy all over. And I mean want to crawl out of your skin itchy. I told my nurse and she said it was normal and that many women experience that. The next day after delivery I was still itchy all over my back and it was driving me bonkers! I finally looked in the mirror and was horrified by what I saw. There was a perfect outline of welts where ever they put tape on my back. They were bright red, swollen and SO itchy. I was having an allergic reaction to the adhesive in the tape. By the next day the rash had spread and now my back was about 80% covered in hives and it was wrapping around my stomach. I am still covered in hives today and just waiting for this thing to run its course. No more band aids or materials containing adhesive for me. I get to use something called paper tape. Awesome! Now for the day of discharge at the hospital. I am sitting in a chair covered in hives holding my newborn with a broken clavicle and the pediatrician comes in to tell me that Kodah's biliruben levels are high and they want me to have him rechecked the next day. You have got to be kidding me? Ugh. So the next day we have more blood work done and a few hours later I got a call from the doctor. Kodah's levels had raised even higher and he was going to need a special light treatment. I had to do my best to fight back tears while the doctor explained to me that Kodah would have to be wrapped in a special light blanket that was plugged into the wall 24/7 until his levels were normal again. I was feeling so overwhelmed. It is hard enough nursing a baby with a broken bone, but to add this "blanket" which actually is more like a plastic pad covered with thin cloth that has to be wedged into his onsie and plugged into the wall at all times...double UGH! I was feeling so discouraged and was doing all I could to fight back tears. Then wouldn't you know it, my friend Lois calls and wants to know how things are going and if I needed any help. I told her what was going on and how stressed I was and she reassured me that everything was going to be fine. That night her and her husband dropped their kids off at his parents and brought dinner over to us, which in itself is nice enough. Then they set the table, served us, cleaned up the mess, washed my dishes and cleaned
my kitchen. After that she was asking to do my laundry and get my kids ready for bed. She even gave me a pedicure while she was over. I could just cry thinking about it now. God knew exactly how I was feeling and he sent a selfless friend over to lift me up and encourage me. I am blessed beyond measure and surrounded by friends that love me and care for me. I thank God for them. Today is a better day. As I was holding my little guy hooked up to a light with my hives and his broken bone he gave me his first big smile, and I thought if he can smile through this I can too.

Kodah Jack

2011-12-02T20:54:00.002-05:00

Kodah Jack was born November 30, 2011 at 7:31am a week over his due date. He weighed in at 10lbs 4oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. One more ounce and he would have tied his big brother Trevor. I knew he was going to be a big boy, but I must say I was suprised to have another baby over 10lbs! Kodah had a bit of rough start coming into the world as his clavicle bone was broken during delivery. The doctor has assured us that it will heal on its own in 2-3 weeks and that he shouldn't have any problems with it later. It has been a bit of a challenge trying to nurse a newborn with this kind of injury, but he has been a trooper and been pretty tough about it. We are all loving the new addition to our family and the kids are so excited to have him home.

Pictures

2011-12-02T20:38:00.002-05:00

The Sullivan Family

Big sister holding Kodah for the first time.

Pictures of Kodah

2011-12-02T20:15:00.004-05:00

Ok crazy lady, enough with the pictures already.

Looks like your walking mom, I got here first.

Heading out for my first car ride.

Happy Belated Birthday Kelly Glupker!

2011-11-27T04:00:00.003-05:00

I know this post is late, very late, but I had been saving this picture especially for your birthday so you can imagine my disappointment when I realized that I had missed the date by almost two weeks. So here is my Happy Belated Birthday to you! I hope it was a great one, you deserved it! Thank you for always being there for me and for the example you are to me. God has blessed you with so much wisdom and you have such a heart for the Lord. I love you like a sister and am so thankful for you!

Breaking News....

2011-11-26T15:14:00.002-05:00

Baby has NOT arrived nor showed any signs of wanting to arrive. Bet you thought this was going to be a birth announcement didn't you?? Well it's not. I am still pregnant and patiently (ahem, cough, cough) waiting. Maybe tonight??

Pinterest.com

2011-11-23T15:27:00.002-05:00

Who loves Pinterest.com??? My friend Kate got me addicted to his site. Thanks Kate. It has the best craft, decorating, cooking ideas and just random cool things. I learned from this site that if you are boiling something on the stove you can place a a wooden spoon across the pan and your liquid will not boil over. I tried it and it actually works. Isn't that awesome?? No more cleaning up burnt milk for me.

Will Today Be The Day?

2011-11-23T15:13:00.002-05:00

November 23...my due date!! No signs of baby coming yet, but hoping it will be here any day now. I went over anywhere from 2 - 6 days with the other kids, except for with Celeste, in which I cheated and was induced early for her. This baby feels like a line backer, and I'm hoping he doesn't break Trevor's record of weighing 10lbs 5oz! Although the utlra sound tech already commented that he had a large head:) We are all very excited to meet this little booger and I am ready to have a maternity clothes burning party:) Thanks to everyone that has called and texted to see how things are going!!

Parenting Book

2011-11-19T12:25:00.002-05:00

I finished reading the book "Don't Make Me Count to Three!" by Ginger Plowman this week. It is now one of my favorite parenting books. I loved this book because it wasn't just about getting your child to obey and act right, but how to get to the heart and lead them to do right because of Christ. We have been dealing with TATTLING at our house lately....I know, shocking right? And it has been driving me nuts. It's like nails down a chalk board every time I here one of my kids say to the other in a not so kind way "I AM TELLING!!". I started implementing some of the ideas from the book and I have already noticed a change and decrease in the "tale bearing" as we call it. This book is definitely worth the read and full of awesome advice from a Christian mom.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Thank You

2011-11-18T14:37:00.000-05:00

I wanted to thank everyone that has prayed and expressed concern for my sister and her husband. They buried their little girl next to our little guy last Saturday. I would ask that you would continue to pray for them. Lindsey was 39 weeks along in her pregnancy when she lost the baby and as you can imagine this has been a very difficult & sad time for them.

Alayna Marie

2011-11-09T07:13:00.001-05:00

I got to hold an angel yesterday. Her name was Alayna Marie and she was one of the prettiest babies I had ever seen. She had a tiny button nose and perfect lips. I think she was a mini version of her mama. Her fingers were long and graceful and soft. She had the most peaceful look on her face and the moment I saw her I loved her.
She is in God's arms today. He is holding her tightly while the angels sing to her. She is happy and surrounded with more love than we could ever imagine. Her cousin Peyton is there too and he is holding her beautiful hands smiling at her. Together they will never again have to know pain or hurt or fear, for Heaven is a place of pure love and joy. It knows no sadness.
Her family aches for her. They are empty inside and wanting so badly for her to be here with them. The pain is almost unbearable but God is calling out. He wants us to turn to Him. He is the comforter, a shelter in the time of storm, and a refuge. He will be there in the valleys of life if we ask him to.

Lord help me today to trust that you have a reason for everything. Be with my sister and her husband as they mourn the death of their little girl. Bring them the comfort that only you can bring and the peace that passes all understanding. Draw them close to you and may they feel the love you have for them. Thank you for all that you are. Thank you for your son Jesus and for what he did for us all on the cross. I love you and I need you not only today, but everyday. Thank you for being my rock.

Church Activities

2011-11-06T14:13:00.002-05:00

It was crazy hair day for the girls at church today. Celeste took 2nd place!!

Trevor looked soooo cute up there singing in the choir. Wish I could have gotten a better picture though.

Next Moore Baby Almost Here!!!

2011-11-06T14:09:00.002-05:00

So excited to meet the newest addition to our family. Just a couple more weeks to go...I hope!!

Humbled By Carrots

2011-11-01T09:27:00.003-04:00

My friend and fellow canning buddy Danelle, called last week to let me know she had gotten me some carrots to preserve. I had asked her a few weeks ago to let me know if she came across any at a good price and she finally had. At this point in my pregnancy canning has become out of the question though. The strain it puts on my back is not worth it anymore and the last time I canned something I suffered for the next two days with horrible back pain. I thanked Danelle and told her that as much as I would love to take the carrots, my body is telling me no more canning this year. Without hesitation she told me to bring her some jars and she would can them for me! Danelle has twin five year old boys, works as a Christian school teacher AND is very involved in the RU ministry at church. I KNOW she has to be very busy. I told her I appreciated the offer, but I knew she was very busy and I couldn't have her doing that for me. She flat out insisted and wouldn't take no for an answer!
Sunday morning the back end of my suburban was loaded up with 48 quarts of carrots. If you have never canned before, you probably wouldn't understand how much work would go into something like this. It's a lot.
I titled this post Humbled By Carrots, but in actuality I was humbled by a friend's willingness to do something so nice for me. God has blessed me with some great ladies in my life that are constant blessings and encouragements. I am so thankful for the examples they are and they make me want to strive to be a better friend as well. Love is the sacrificial giving of oneself for the benefit of others without the thought of return. God help me to love more.

Make Him Your King

2011-10-30T13:38:00.003-04:00

I love being married to Shawn. There was a time in my life when I wasn't able to say that. We have been through some really tough times in our marriage and have both done things we are ashamed of and wish we could erase. But I am so thankful for the way the Lord works and how we made it through the tough times because of His guidance and love. God gave us a handbook for a heavenly marriage. It's called the Bible. If you read it and obey it you can not only have a marriage that lasts, but a marriage that is full of joy and peace.
We attended a couple's day at our church on Saturday and it was a great time. Shawn and I both agreed that we needed to have a day like that. He has been working an insane amount of hours this summer and we haven't been able to have much fun as a couple. The days events included hearing a Pastor speak on God's plan for marriage, then the ladies and guys split up for separate speaking sessions. Afterwards we had a fabulous dinner and played games as a group. The best part about the games were the prizes. I am now the owner of a purse size lint brush. What more could a girl want??

It was a blessing to hear the Pastor and his wife speak. Most of what was said are things that I have heard before, but it was good for me to be reminded and have my little brain refreshed. The couple that spoke seemed so in love and happy. It encourages me so much to see people that have stuck it out and really strive to have a Godly marriage and to hear that their children have gone on to love God and have marriages that were centered around the Lord as well. I want that for my own family. I was reminded last night about making my husband the king of my castle. I love that saying. When we used to live in our little pink trailer I would call Shawn the king of my castle and Celeste would laugh at the thought. I am sure in her 6 year old mind that a tin can trailer really wasn't what she envisioned as a castle!

This is a small list out of the many things we can do to make them the king of our castle:

*Greet him everyday with a smile.

*Have your house clean and dinner cooked/cooking when he arrives home from work.

*Be an encourager. Your husband needs a cheerleader. This world we live in can beat a man down. He needs to come home to someone that will lift him up!

*Don't put your children before him. Your kids are important, but he needs to know daddy is #1.

*Meet his physical needs. Men need intimacy. If you aren't willing to do it, I can guarantee their is someone out there who is. And not only meet his needs but be the initiator, your husband wants you to want him. Make him feel like THE man.

*Let him lead the home. God designed marriage to be this way.

*Choose to be thankful and positive. Can I tell you that every Sunday morning I get up before everyone else does and I feed the animals. Then I come inside and take a shower and make a hot breakfast for everyone and put together a meal for us to have when we get home from church. After that I get all the kids showered and ready for church and lastly I get myself ready. I wake Shawn up about 30 minutes before it is time to leave and he drinks his coffee sitting in the chair and then makes his way to the shower a few minutes before it is time to leave. I could choose to grumble about this situation. I could say to myself, wait a minute here, I am 8 months pregnant and he should be helping me. I could choose to get in an argument with him and tell him how selfish he is and we could have a horrible morning. I could choose to pout and act like a self righteous baby. But I CHOOSE to be thankful and remind myself that Shawn works around 60 hours a week and while I am sleeping at 5:30am M-F, he is out busting his tail to meet the needs of our family. He needs a day of rest and time to sleep in. He is a great husband.

We live in a society today where I am sure most women would laugh at what I have written. Men have become the joke of the family while women are ruling the roost. And it's a sad thing to see a weak insecure man being bossed by his overbearing wife. Let me tell you from personal experience that life and marriage are much more pleasant if you stop trying to tell you husband how to do everything and sit back and let him make his own choices. Let him lead.

Like the speaker said yesterday, if you make him the king of your castle he will treat you like a queen. My husband would do anything for me and tells me all the time how much he loves me. I am 8 1/2 months pregnant and look like a whale, but he tells me almost daily how beautiful I am and how lucky he is to have such a hot wife! We laugh together often and honestly enjoy being with one another. We are best friends and it's only because of the work God has done in us. There was a time in my life when I honestly hated my marriage and now I couldn't imagine ever wanting to be without Shawn. He is my king.

Enjoying Fall

2011-10-28T06:33:00.003-04:00

These pumpkins are from our garden!

Hey Trevor, do you want to race?

You bet I do.

Hand painted by God.

Less Than 4 Weeks To Go!

2011-10-27T22:08:00.006-04:00

Less than four weeks to go before Moore baby number five is due to arrive!! My parents dropped off a crib for us to use today, as I sold mine in a garage sale last summer. I seem to be following the same pattern my mom followed. She had a boy/girl pattern with her kids, she gave birth to ginormous babies, and she too thought she was done after her 4th and she sold all of her baby items in a garage sale. Oh, and she also has had five kids and still looks super hott. I definitely see a pattern here....:) Ok, maybe I'm not so super hott, but my mom sure is!

I also wanted to update that my hemoglobin levels are rising and I have been feeling so much better! I have to continue on with the iron infusions until delivery and hopefully everything will go smoothly.

The really cool think about this crib is that it's the same one my mom used as a baby. Does that make it an antique?

Who Likes a Deal? I Do! I Do!

2011-10-27T21:47:00.004-04:00

If this doesn't get you excited I don't know what would.

Everything at the gargage sale is name brand and priced at .25 a piece? Put away that sack, I'm going to need a garbage bag.

Not just one, but two Jeep strollers that look brand new for $60? SOLD!

Shredded Beef Aujus

2011-10-24T13:59:00.003-04:00

I am always looking for quick and easy slow cooker meals to make for our Sunday after church lunch. I found this shredded beef recipe that is so flavorful and super easy to make. You must try it!!

Shredded Beef Aujus

1 Boneless Beef Chuck Roast 3lbs.
2 Cups Water
2 tsp Beef bouillon
1 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Garlic Salt
1/4 tsp Rosemary

Put roast in slow cooker. Combine all other ingredients and pour over roast. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred and serve on buns.

(I served it on a garlic bread loaf and we ate it as open faced sandwiches.) YUMMY!!

THIS is why I love little girls.

2011-10-20T13:17:00.001-04:00

School Activities

2011-10-20T09:30:00.003-04:00

Part of our weekly school calendar involves going to the library. The kids love this place! We usually leave with two large canvas bags stuffed to the rim with books. Our favorite librarian, Miss Sally, is so great. She always makes time for our family when we come in and will sit down with the kids and read to them or give them special treats.

Every other week Celeste gets a lesson on riding and handling our horse from Miss Cindy. Miss Cindy often comments on how confident Celeste is on a horse. She thinks someday she would like to be a barrel racer. I don't think their is anything Celeste wouldn't try!

Every other week Celeste also takes piano lessons from our friend Miss Ashley. Celeste LOVES Miss Ashley and all that she is teaching her. Celeste loves music and singing and I found out a couple weeks ago she asked our music director at church if she could do a solo. He told her she needed to practice in choir a few more years to get ready for something like that:)

My Little Girl is Turning 3

2011-10-17T20:48:00.003-04:00

Jason and his family and Chad were in town from Texas this month and it was SO great to see them. It had been almost two years since we had seen them last and it was the first time we were able to meet Rivers! The girls have gotten so big and each one is absolutely adorable. Our tearful good byes were said last Friday. Seems like each time it gets harder to see them off. I think part of it is seeing the kids growing up so fast and knowing that I can't be more of a part of their lives. Celeste bawled her little head off as we drove home that night. She really loved spending time with her cousins.
Because of the boys being in town we decided to have Shiloh's party a week early so we could celebrate it with the entire family. It was great having everyone together to share in her day.

I don't think she could be any cuter.

Happy Birthday Shiloh!

My mom and the three best looking guys I know.

My sister Lindsey and I get to be pregnant together! Waiting on you Sarah and Ryan....

Shanks for the preshent Uncle Jashon, but I am still upset that you made fun of my speech impediment.

Gender Revealed

2011-10-17T18:17:00.004-04:00

Most of you know that I did NOT want to know what the gender of our baby was, but a mistake was made by the ultra sound tech and so we "accidentally" found out. I was super bummed about it, and yes even cried. I have been extremely hormonal this pregnancy, and am going to blame it on the anemia. You would probably point your finger and laugh at me if you knew some of the things I have cried about. All I can say is poor, poor Shawn.
Anyway, we were going to keep the gender a secret from everyone else until the baby was born, until my great friend Carly offered to throw a "Gender Reveal Party" for us. I thought it sounded like fun! I had never heard of one before, so they must be fairly new.
Carly put so much work into the party!! The decorations were amazing and the food was yummy too! The girl's even surprised me with a gift card and some cash....totally not expected, but definitely a bonus:) At the end of the party everyone was given a cupcake to bite into. If the frosting in the center was pink it was a girl and if the color was blue it meant boy.

Sorry, I could not get this picture turned. Each guest would write a note to me and hang it on this tree. Too cute!

Do you like the cheesy smile?

I am blessed with some really great friends!

Love this idea!

Here is Shiloh feeding her baby at the party. HA!

The frosting was BLUE!!!

Making Apple Sauce

2011-10-15T16:02:00.007-04:00

My sister Lindsey came over one day a couple weeks ago and I showed her how to make apple sauce. It was a good day in spite of a few burns from the volcanic sauce cooking in the pot. One of us complained more than the other about the burns...and her name starts with an L. :) I had big plans to can lots of applesauce this year, but my body told me otherwise. This back can't take all that standing and lifting anymore...but I WILL be an applesauce canning machine next year!

You can tell from the picture she is already a skillful apple masher.

Quest

2011-10-15T15:52:00.002-04:00

Meet the newest addition to our hobby farm. Quest was delivered today to our house and we already love her. She is so sweet and such a pretty little pony. As you can see from the picture she is trained to pull a cart. This is going to be fun!

Quest during her cart training.

School Pictures

2011-10-08T16:39:00.002-04:00

The kids and I spent the day in Grand Rapids last week running a million errands. We started out the day with having the kids pictures taken and ended it with all four of us crammed into a little room with me hooked up to an IV for an iron infusion. It was the craziest busiest day and the kids were great! They did so well at the portrait studio and I was so happy with how the pictures turned out.

More School Pictures

2011-10-08T16:32:00.000-04:00

Trevor's First Gun

2011-10-08T16:02:00.002-04:00

My parents bought Trevor his first bb gun for his birthday. Here is Shawn teaching the the kids how to shoot. They were so excited!

Happy 5th Birthday Trevor!!

2011-10-05T22:22:00.003-04:00

We celebrated Trevor's 5th birthday last Saturday. I teased him all week long that he wasn't allowed to turn 5 because I don't want him to grow up. I was only half kidding. I love watching him grow, but it makes me so sad to see how quickly it goes by. He is such a sweet little guy and I couldn't imagine life without him. I am so thankful to be his mom. I am blessed.

Hmmm....Something Looks Familiar

2011-10-05T21:52:00.003-04:00

I was looking back at the last three years of Trevor's birthdays and realized something funny about the pictures. His best buddy Andrew is next to him in almost all the pictures. These two are inseparable! I think they will look back at these someday and laugh!

3rd Birthday Party

4th Birthday Party

5th Birthday Party

I've Rounded 3rd and Headed For Home

2011-09-27T21:45:00.000-04:00

I am now at 32 weeks pregnant and I wish I could say I'm feeling great and everything is running smooth. For a few months now I have been feeling ugh and just thought it was part of pregnancy and the fact I am in my 30's having baby number 5. Two weeks ago I had some routine blood work done and found out that my iron levels are at a 7 (between 12-16 is normal). The nurse from my OB office called and said she didn't want to alarm me but that this can be dangerous for me and went on to explain all it meant. She ended the conversation with "Haven't you been tired??". You could say! Now that I know I am so anemic it explains a lot! Extreme fatigue, dizzy spells, leg cramps that would make a grown man cry for his mother and grumpiness (yes, I am admitting it) are all signs of extreme anemia. I thought I was just having a rough pregnancy! So now I have the pleasure of extra blood work, extra trips to Grand Rapids and this lovely thing called Iron Infusions that I have done through an IV. Can anyone say good times??
In addition to that I am taking extra iron supplements and trying to eat food rich in Iron. A friend of mine dropped off liver and onions for a meal tonight for our family (liver is high in iron). You can bet the kids wouldn't touch it, but I did, and was thankful for it:). Speaking of friends I need to say a BIG thank you to my friend Carly who is like a second mom to my kids and has had them way more than she probably wants lately. Thanks Carly and see you AGAIN tomorrow!!!

My Sweetie

2011-09-19T14:29:00.005-04:00

This weekend our family had/and still has a yucky cold getting passed around. I had to play nurse to everyone including Shawn who had gotten it the worst. Poor guy doesn't have his spleen, and when he gets sick it is really hard for him to fight off infection. Anyway, by Sunday afternoon I was exhausted. Celeste must have noticed because she told me I should go rest and she would do all my work. Oh man, that would be wonderful! I took her up on the offer and went to my cozy room and fell fast asleep. When I woke up a couple hours later she had cleaned up the mess from lunch, washed all the dishes, swept the floors AND picked flowers that she arranged in a glass on the table. I was amazed and so proud that she had done all that for me. My little girl is growing up so fast!

Who Is Ready For Fall??

2011-09-19T14:16:00.003-04:00

Ahhh, I am happy to announce that we picked the last of our harvest from the garden, with the exception of the pumkins. The kids were so proud of all the corn we picked and the size of some our giant watermelons. I will post pictures of our pumkins when they are done growing. We have a couple whoppers in there!

Here we are with the last of the corn. I didn't realize until after I put the pictures on my computer that Shiloh was holding up the spray bottle. Not sure why she even had that? What a goon.

This watermelon is sooo juicy and tasty. I cut up a couple today and froze some for later use.

After we took the remaining ears of corn off we decorated the house with the stalks. Doesn't it look cute?! I love fall!

School Year In Full Swing

2011-09-13T12:44:00.003-04:00

Our 2011-2012 school year is in full swing and we are having a great time! Celeste is most excited about finally being able to learn cursive writing and Trevor is excited to learn to read. Shiloh loves when it's her turn to have mommy time and her favorite is doing stories on our flannel board and puppet shows. I love being a mom!

Fun Times

2011-09-13T12:26:00.003-04:00

Aunt Sarah and Cousin Chloe came by last week and we headed out to pick some fall rasberries and blueberries. Afterwards we played at our house and had some laughs.

Our Home

2011-09-13T10:56:00.001-04:00

We have been in our house for one entire year. The time has flown by. I never in a million years thought that I would be able to live in the country and have a house like the one we live in. God has richly, ubundantly and beyond measure blessed us. We have made many sacrifices along the way to get here, and it was a long road, but one that was worth taking. We knew that in order for us to be able to build a house we were going to have to do some major saving and cheap living. Shawn came up with the idea of getting a used single wide when we first found the property and I thought it was a great idea. It didn't matter to me what I lived in as long as I could be out here in the country and I knew that it was only temporary. When we first moved the 1980's pink trailer onto this property we certainly raised some eyebrows. I am sure some friends and family members thought we had finally completely turned nuts. I had to endure a lot of trailer jokes for the two years we lived in it and tried to be a good sport about it. I have to admit that it was embarrassing at times and humbling to show people where we lived, but I did my best to make it feel like home and tried to keep it as nice as possible. The "beast" as I liked to refer to it as was not exactly filled with the latest comforts that we take for granted now. The kitchen didn't have an oven or stove top so I had to do all my cooking in a crock pot, on a hot pad or in the microwave. It didn't have a dishwaher and the sink leaked so I had to stuff a rag in it while I did dishes and fill up the sink 2-3 times before I was done. The refigerator was midget size and just a few bags of grocery filled it to the brim. When we moved in, Shiloh was one month old and all the kids had to sleep in the same room, which by the way had a blanket for a door. The bathroom was hilarious, more like the size of a broom closet and the bathtub was DISGUSTING. Wind storms were seriously scary. Our trailer wasn't anchored down to anything, just sitting on some cement blocks and when a bad storm would come the trailer would literally shake. I can remember several storms that I stayed awake praying that our house wouldn't tip over. And the mice. Oh my word. But we had a plan and knew that if we stuck with it, it would all be worth it....and it was!! Today we are happily and thankfully enjoying the home and property of our dreams. Raising our kids in the country and loving every minute of it. God is so good. I honestly think to myself everyday that I love our home.

Don't Buy Jet Dry!

2011-09-12T16:30:00.002-04:00

I have grown to love vinegar!! It has soo many uses and is very cheap. We have been using it in place of Jet Dry for a couple weeks now and I have to say it works just as well if not better than that expensive rinse stuff. I keep an old dish soap bottle full of vinegar under my kitchen sink and that makes for easy pouring.

Butchering Chickens

2011-09-10T13:02:00.004-04:00

This spring we purchased 28 chicks with the intention of butchering half and keeping the other half for laying hens. When choosing hens to buy you have three choices. You can get a broiler (a VERY ugly large chicken), which is a chicken specifically designed for meat, a dual purpose bird, which is a chicken you can use for meat or as a laying hen or you can get a layer which is a hen that is smaller in size and high in producing eggs. I decided to get Barred Rocks which are a dual purpose bird. They are black and white speckled and are kind of a pretty chicken, if you can call a chicken pretty.
A few weeks ago Shawn and I prepared to butcher some of the roosters. We knew that it was going to be a big job so we wanted to butcher some at a time instead of all at once and overwhelming ourselves. We prepared the kids for what was going to happen and explained about having to take off the heads and all the gory. I figured it was just part of farm life and that it wouldn't be that big of deal for them to watch. I figured WRONG. Shawn had me holding the chickens body while he stretched out the head and did the whacking. I wasn't exactly thrilled about this part of the job, but I could tell when I suggested he did the holding and the whacking that he wasn't going for it. So I was a good wife and held and closed my eyes hoping that Shawn was a good aim and when I heard wack I let go. Instantly the headless chicken starting bouncing around the yard and the girls starting screaming and crying. They were absolutely horrified and I felt terrible. I took both of them to our swing set and made them stay until the worst part was over. Trevor on the other hand watched the entire process, and only said that he felt bad for the chickens. What a diffrence between boys and girls!
Our plan was to butcher the rest of them this weekend, but Shawn ended up getting another side job that is taking up all of his extra time. This left me with two choices. I could either butcher them myself (insert laughter here) or find someone to butcher them for me. I opted for option B and found an Amish family in Carson City that would do it for $2 a chicken. The kids and I loaded up the chickens today and took a very stinky drive to Carson City. We pulled into the farm and all these cute little Amish kids come running out with their dad to take the chickens from us. The Amish man pulled the cage out of the back with all the chickens and sat staring at them for a minute before saying anything and then he commented on how nice of chickens they were and asked if I would be willing to sell them to him instead of having them butchered. What?? I wasn't expecting that at all. I really wanted chicken meat that I knew wasn't pumped full of hormones and antibiotics from the store and explained that to him. He then offered to trade me some broiler chicken meat that he had raised and already had cut up in his freezer for my live birds. We figured that the combined weight of the birds I brought was going to be around 30lbs and he offered me 38lbs of the meat in his freezer and no butchering fee in exchange for my chickens. Sweet! I ended up with 8 more pounds of meat, saved myself $20 and I didn't have to wait around 2 hours while my chickens got butchered! That is my kind of deal. I guess it paid off to take such good care of my birds:)

Who Do You Want To Please?

2011-09-10T06:06:00.001-04:00

Have you ever heard someone say "You can't please everyone, so might as well please yourself"? I was thinking about that worldly philosophy and how it goes against everything the Bible teaches. I would rather have the attitude "You can't please everyone, so stop worrying about it and keep a close walk with the Lord". I have learned in my life that what people think about me matters far less than what God knows about me and that true joy come from believing that truth. God knows our heart and our intentions. I know that if I stick close to Him, make time to read my Bible and to sincerely come to Him in prayer on a daily basis that He will guide me in all areas of life. And while I cannot please everyone in the choices that I make, I can have peace in knowing that I am doing my best for God.

Celebrating a New School Year

2011-09-05T22:15:00.000-04:00

To celebrate the beginning of a new school year we took the kids to Craig's Cruisers in Grand Rapids today. They were running a special for unlimited rides and a buffet for $20 a person, which was a great deal! We all had a really fun time and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the tastiness of the buffet. They have the best bread sticks EVER.

Two very happy kids!

Mmmmm...cookies.

Celeste got off of this thing and said it was the scariest thing she had ever done in her entire life.

Nice face Shawn.

Trevor couldn't get enough of the race cars.

Anyone Care For Some Beans?

2011-09-05T22:07:00.000-04:00

Finally finished canning beans! Celeste and I cut and canned 3 bushels last week. We had sore, dry hands by the time we were done, and both of us were glad when it was over. My little girl is such a hard worker and she sure does help to make the time go by as we work. I am blessed to be her mom!

The Best Daddy

2011-09-05T21:58:00.000-04:00

Shawn had me laughing pretty hard this week when he hooked up an old cart to the back of the lawn mower and gave the kids rides around the yard. He will do just about anything for his kids. I love this man!!

Girl Trip to Mackinac

2011-08-29T10:39:00.000-04:00

This weekend Celeste and I were treated by my mom to a trip to Mackinac City and Island along with my Aunt Karen and Grandma Thelma. It was a great time in spite of having a head cold and aching back. We all shared many laughs, ate a ton of food and shopped shopped shopped. Some of the highlights from the trip were calling room service for a plunger, sampling fudge, hot flashs, laughing at Celeste and the need for bean-o by an unnamed person. I am so glad I was able to go and spend some time with some very fun ladies!!

More Mackinac Pictures

2011-08-29T10:18:00.000-04:00

Trying on some fun hats.

Grandma Thelma getting her hair done.

Karen's turn. That is beautiful.

Mom never looking more beautiful.

Trevor's Surprise

2011-08-24T22:00:00.000-04:00

One thing I love about Trevor is that he can be so sweet. I think about today when I was looking out the window at him jumping on the trampoline and little Shiloh was trying to climb up and jump with him. I watched as Trevor jumped down from the trampoline, got on his hands and knees and let Shiloh climb on his back so she could jump too. It was one of those mommy moments that my heart felt like it could burst. He is growing up to be a thoughtful boy.
It's fun to do special things for him because he is sincerely thankful. He gets so excited and has the biggest smile. Shawn was able to do something so great for him tonight and I wish you could have seen the look on his face when they got home! He surprised his little side kick with his very own go-cart. We gave it to him as an early birthday present! It needs a little work, but Trevor thinks it is awesome that him and his Daddy are going to work on it together. He was already pointing out the parts to me and what him and Shawn were going to be doing to it this weekend. I love that Shawn takes the time to do things like this with his son. He is a great dad.
As we put Trevor to bed tonight he told us he was going to dream about his go-cart and tomorrow he was going to give his sisters rides. Looking forward to seeing him in action!!

Peaches Are NOT My Friends

2011-08-22T22:01:00.000-04:00

For anyone wanting to start canning peaches let me tell you from first hand experience, it is a huge pain. I made the mistake of buying two bushels of peaches on Friday unaware of the misery I was going to be putting myself through. The thing about this fruit is that it has to be just the right ripeness for canning. I did a half bushel today and was ready to pull my hair out. Some of the peaches weren't ripe enough so the skin had to be hand pealed and then other peaches were overly ripe so when we went to take the pit out the entire thing turned to mush. And then the mess. An OCD's worst nightmare. Juice is everywhere. Everything is sticky. Peaches are very slippery when you take the skin off and they were flying out of my hand left and right. I am getting a pretty large belly on me these days so it isn't the easiest thing climbing off a stool to chase down a fly away peach. **Insert big sigh here**. I still have a bushel and a half to complete tomorrow. Anyone else had as big as a problem as I have had with this delicious but very annoying fruit?

And yes, I know that I am breaking house rule number one.

House Rules

2011-08-18T15:18:00.001-04:00

In preparation for the new school year that is FAST approaching I made a list of house rules that we hung in our "classroom". A few of them I copied, some of them the kids and I came up with together. It has already been revised twice as we will think of another rule to add or tweak. Just today at breakfast, Celeste began talking over Trevor and Trevor shot her a look. Then I heard, "We need to add do not interrupt others to our list!".

Our House Rules

*No grumbling. Be thankful.

*Put away what you are using before you get out more.

*Speak in a kind respectful voice; even if you are upset.

*Never hit or hurt others out of anger.

*Never speak ill of others or be a tale bearer (gossip). If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

*Be helpful. Are you a sluggard or an ant?

*Obey right away, without arguing.

*Always tell the truth.

*Remember your manners.

*Use the Bible order. 1)Jesus 2)others 3)you

It's amazing to me how when something is put in writing and hung up (at least for us anyway) that we are more apt to stick to it. Already the kids have referred back to the list when they have done wrong, and it's humbling to admit, but the list has been a little convicting for myself as well. I know that I need to be a right example for my kids. I love that saying "more is caught than taught"!

Canning Beans with Sue

2011-08-16T22:04:00.000-04:00

I bought a bushel of beans from the produce auction on Monday and my favorite neighbor Sue came over today to help the kids and I preserve them. Sue is such a sweet lady and I am so thankful God gave me a friend like her. She is a wealth of canning, sewing, cooking, you name it knowledge and has helped me in so many ways.
We sat and cut beans for almost two hours and altogether we came up with 21 quarts of beans, minus the one that broke in the pressure cooker. Not sure what happened there?? It was such a sense of accomplishment to see all the finished jars lined up on my counter and to here the sound of *ping* as each one sealed.

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Celeste hard at work chopping.

Shiloh "helping" Sue.

Trevor was a chopping machine!

Shiloh throwing the unwanted parts of the bean to our chickens.

Ahhhh....

Amish Auction

2011-08-16T21:49:00.001-04:00

I recently began attending a weekly auction in our area where Amish farmers sell their fruits and vegetables in large quantities. It's a great way for people who want to preserve for the winter get some deals on produce. The first time we went the kids were amazed at how fast the auctioneer talked during the sale and they thought he was speaking a different language!

You want me to do what?

2011-08-14T15:24:00.000-04:00

I have a friend named Therese who is the craziest funniest girl and so sweet. She lives on a farm and one of her goats had triplets a week ago and offered to let us come and see them. I was more than willing to come as we are thinking about getting a couple in the spring to use for milking (yes, you read that right...I might milk goats). She even offered to get some milk off of the doe for us to taste, which made me assume that this particular goat had been milked before. I should have learned by now, never assume anything.
We got to the farm and went into the goats pen with mama goat and her kids. They were so cute (the babies that is, mama not so much). I was surprised to see that they never had cut her horns and they looked big and sharp and kind of scary. Therese said "Ok, this is what we are going to do. You are going to hold mama goats rope around her neck and pin her to the barn wall with your body while I try to milk her". "You want me to do what?? Um, you do it first and I'll watch." I said. Apparently this goat had never been milked and didn't appreciate being pinned to the barn wall because when Therese tried it the goat speared her hard in the fanny with her sharp horns. Ouch! And then bit her. You could say I was glad Therese tried it first.

Garage Sale

2011-08-14T15:14:00.000-04:00

I had a garage sale this past week with my Grandma Thelma during Mint Festival week in St.Johns. I pretty much sold everything I brought and it was really nice spending time with my grandma, that is when she wasn't mowing lawn, pacing her house or going out on runs for the blue bus she drives part time. Phew, she can make my head spin. I hope I have 1/2 the energy she does when I'm 75 years old! She is one of the most unique grandma's you would ever meet and I love her to pieces.
The kids had a great time too. They were spoiled with lots of junk food and enjoyed having a cookie/vegetable stand. Celeste is such a little sales lady. Anyone that came to the sale was pounced on immediately with a "Would you like to buy some cookies or vegetables from my stand?". She made me laugh towards the end of the sale when all her cookies were gone and most of her vegetables were still there on the table. She said "Mom, I think there is going to have to be a famine in the land for me to sell these squash." HA!

My Month of Blessings and Bartering

2011-08-11T14:37:00.000-04:00

Have you ever had a month where you just had heaps of blessings coming your way? This month has been one of those month for me! It all started out with undergarments for Celeste. That girl was in desperate need of some new ones and I had them on my list to buy, when my mom called and said hey I picked up some clearance panties for Celeste at Walgreens, does she need any? Well yes, actually she does. Blessing. Then comes canning jars. I had been praying for cheap canning jars to come my way and was contemplating buying them new at the store (rip off) when I got an email from Shawn's grandma asking if I would be interested in purchasing her jars for 10 cents a piece. I picked up 170 of them. Blessing. Then I was at my Grandma Thelma's house this week having a garage sale with her and she asked me if I wanted any toilet paper, not just any toilet paper, but Scott brand - my favorite. She loaded up two bags for me. Blessing. Next comes the largest tote you can buy and another medium tote filled, I mean stuffed and packed full of baby clothes from someone that is not going to be named for secret code reasons (haha). Blessing. Then my good friend Janice called and asked if I would like to look through all her school supplies and take what I wanted. I left her house with a stack of books and writing tablets for the kids. And while I was there I traded her some of my couponing stock pile for a bag of her wonderful made from scratch goat milk soap. Blessing. Next comes furniture for our basement. We never watch TV here, but we do have a movie day at our house on Saturday where each child gets to pick out a movie and we watch them together in the basement. At the present time we have a large rocking chair and a few hard kids chairs to sit on and it isn't' exactly the coziest set up. My mom texted me and asked if we wanted their living room furniture as they were getting new. Why yes, we do! Blessing. I could go on and on with all of the ways I have been blessed this month. I love how God knows each and everyone one of my (and your) needs and is able to meet them if we just ask. He doesn't' want us to come to Him for just the big stuff, but for everything! I am so thankful for a God that loves me and sends people my way to be a blessing. I just hope that He has and will use our family to be a blessing and encouragement to others as well!

2 Down 1 To Go

2011-08-08T17:24:00.000-04:00

Here I am at 25 weeks. I am now in my third trimester. This pregnancy is going by so quickly, and for the most part I feel really good! I do miss my old energy level though and it seems like I take an awful lot of breaks these days. I have already gained 25lbs. Oops. My goal is to stay under 35lbs like I did with Trevor and Shiloh but the way things are going I'm not sure I'm going to make that goal. Maybe I should think about putting away the tubs of ice cream and busting out some goods from the garden. And it probably wouldn't hurt me to get on the treadmill a couple times. I recently read that babies born to mom's that exercised regularly during pregnancy were found to have higher IQ's. If that is the case this baby is in big trouble!

All Organic and Heirloom Seeds

2011-08-08T17:14:00.000-04:00

The gardens we have planted in the past have all been organic but this is the first summer we have used heirloom seeds. I am happy to know that not only are the foods we are growing chemical free but the seeds we use have not been altered in a laboratory by scientist trying to come up with the super fruit. God made seeds perfectly just the way they are!

Here are some reasons you should use heirloom seeds:

*Hybrid seeds are produced through cross-pollination, the mixing of plants of two different breeds for a specific reason, such as bigger fruit, a different look, etc. But the problem with hybrid seeds is you won't be able to harvest further seeds from the fruit they produce.

*Commercial growers, interested in the bottom line, only want those vegetables that produce a large yield. That means fewer types of vegetable available at the supermarket.

*Hybrids have been developed to produce vegetables that can travel long distances without bruising or spoiling. The downside of these vegetables is they have less taste and nutrition. Heirloom seeds will provide you with vegetables that taste the way they are supposed to.

*Not satisfied with what hybrids can produce, agriculture is now turning to genetically modified organisms, also known as GMOs. Breeders are now splicing the DNA of different plants (or just about anything else they see fit) with the vegetables we eat, hoping to "improve" the food. But it's not necessarily safe.

*In a recent study released by the International Journal of Biological Sciences, researchers have found that genetically modified corn is linked to organ damage in rats. The damage occurred in the kidney and liver functions of the rats, two major diet detoxification organs. There was also effects on the heart, adrenal, spleen and blood cells of the rats.

*By growing food from heirloom plants, you help ensure a healthier lifestyle.

Sweet Little Princess's

2011-08-08T17:00:00.000-04:00

Celeste and Shiloh were playing dress up together and were showing off their beauty to me. Love these two!!

Drain Cleaner Works Awesome!

2011-08-08T16:53:00.000-04:00

Someone in our house (me) likes to cut their own hair over the bathroom sink and wash it down the drain. The drain gets clogged. I buy drain-o. It's a viscious cycle. I keep telling Shawn that I will stop, but then I forget...sort of. Any who, I did it again, but this time I remembered the drain cleaner recipe from my previous post. It worked perfectly!! Water is now flowing down the drain as usual and I didn't have to buy expensive drain cleaner! And seriously, I have learned my lesson. No more cutting hair in the sink.

Miserly Mom

2011-08-03T22:46:00.000-04:00

I was at the library last week and I found a book called Miserly Mom. It was a book that gave tips on how to live on one income in a two income world. After flipping through the chapters I decided that it might be worth the read and checked it out. I have to admit the title kind of stinks, I prefer "Frugal Mom" or "Wise Mom" to Miserly Mom, but to each his own! It ended up being a great book that gave LOTS of helpful tips. I would recommend anyone trying to save a buck here or there to read it. Here are some recipes that I am going to try...

Cheap Finger Paint

Put a few drops of food coloring with inexpensive shaving cream and mix.

Drain Cleaner

1/4 Cup Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Vinegar (Vinegar seems to have a million uses!)

Pour baking soda down drain. Pour vinegar in drain. Tightly close the drain. Let rest a few minutes. Flush with boiling water. Repeat until clear.

Wall Cleaner
1 Gallon Hot Water
1/2 cup borax

This will really come in handy if it works. My kids can really grub up some walls.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Sprinkle with baking soda, then pour in a little vinegar. Scrub with a brush. For tough stains make a paste of borax and lemon juice and let set overnight.

This got me thinking of a time that my Grandma Thelma asked me to come and clean her house because she had been working so many hours. I went to clean the toilet and couldn't find a brush anywhere. When my grandma got home I asked her about the brush and she said I didn't need a brush and that she scrubbed her toilets with a wash cloth. My grandma must have loved the look on my face because she laughed and laughed. Sorry Grandma Thelma, I love you with all my heart, but NO WAY am I cleaning the toilet bowl with just a cloth!

Window Cleaner

2 Cups Water
2 Table Spoons Ammonia

Back to Couponing!!

2011-08-01T21:01:00.000-04:00

I took a very long break from couponing, but I am back in business again. I picked up 4 Sunday papers yesterday and went to "work". All of the items in this picture were purchased for only $14! I totaled up the price tags on the things I bought and figured that if I would have bought these things not on sale and with no coupons I would have spent $109. One of the items was an electric toothbrush with $11 on the price tag. We have had trouble getting Trevor to really spend time on brushing his teeth and now that he has this toothbrush he loves brushing. Boys and motors....HA!

Canning Cherry Pie Filling

2011-08-01T20:48:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures from the day we canned cherry pie filling and I soaked my feet in boiling hot water. I had the kids pose for a picture pretending that they were helping and then I kicked them out of the kitchen.....JUST KIDDING!! I like to have them help and they always have fun doing it. It makes a much larger mess for me and it definitely takes me longer to get things done, but it is worth the mess and my time. Some day, probably much sooner than I would like, these little munchkins will be grown and gone. I want to make as many happy memories during their childhood as I can, and hopefully teach them a thing or two while doing it. Oh, and if anyone was wondering, my feet are doing much better and I am able to wear shoes again!

And Can It Be

2011-07-31T21:49:00.000-04:00

We sang this song today in church and it is one of my very favorites. Such a powerful message of God's love and redeeming grace. I love to sing it at the top of my lungs! My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him, is mine; Alive in Him, my living Head, And clothed in righteousness divine, Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

So thankful for the day my chains fell off and I was given a new life in Christ. There is no better life than one that is lived for God.

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

More Laundry Savings

2011-07-28T21:36:00.000-04:00

In my constant quest as a stay at home mom to find ways to be more frugal I came across another way to save in the laundry department. I learned today that on average it cost $.70 to dry one load of clothes. Our family typically washes and dries 2 loads of laundry a day. That is an average cost of $504.00 a year. Yikes! I found some great ways to make indoor clothes line for the basement. I also read about a family that just hangs all of their clothing up straight from the washer and lets it air dry in the closet. These sounded like good ideas to me, but I love the soft feeling a dryer gives to clothes and towels I don't really care for the crispy line dry feeling at all! But good news people, supposedly adding a 1/2 cup of white vinegar to your laundry load just as you would fabric softener gives your clothes the soft feeling regardless of how you dry. I will definitely be giving this a try! I love finding ways to save money....it makes me say ahhhh.

Ouch!!! That HURT!!

2011-07-27T20:02:00.001-04:00

I did something really stupid today...I mean REALLY stupid. I was just finishing up canning cherry pie filling as Shawn got home from work. I also had dinner on the stove and three little munchkins running around the kitchen. The house was chaotic and loud as Celeste and Shawn were talking to me at the same time, Shiloh was singing at the top of her lungs and Trevor was going around the kitchen picking things up with my jar lifter. The timer went off for my cherry jars and I shut off the burner and then I did the unthinkable...I didn't wait for the pressure to relieve from the pot of jars and I took off the top as soon as I shut the stove top off. You seasoned canners know exactly what happened next, but for those of you who don't use a canner, let me tell you what happened. The lid to my canner exploded up as did all the STEAMING SCOLDING water and landed on my bare feet. Hot water was everywhere and I was hurting BAD. Shiloh was so startled that she sat on the floor sobbing and I ran up to the bathroom to put my feet in cold water. Two hours later here I sit at the computer with my feet still soaking in cold water while everyone else is at church. I cannot believe how bad my feet are throbbing and burning. Dumb, dumb, dumb! I have a feeling I won't be wearing shoes for a few days.

The Garden

2011-07-27T14:27:00.000-04:00

We have had a pretty disappointing garden this year, which is completely our fault. Shawn has been working nonstop crazy hours at work and Mrs.Doughtfire (that would be me) doesn't really enjoy pulling weeds at 5 months pregnant or ever for that matter. We also put it in late and didn't till it up enough times before planting. But in spite of all that we are starting to get some goodies. We have corn, summer squash, winter squash, green beans, watermelon, grape tomato and pumpkins growing. I don't think we will harvest enough for me to preserve anything, but we will enjoy some tasty meals this summer.

Composting

2011-07-27T14:10:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to make a compost pile for my garden and found an idea in a magazine for using recycled wood pallets. We had several behind our pole barn to use and so today the kids and I set out to build one. It was pretty hard work dragging those things across the yard to set up next to the garden, but what a sense of accomplishment when I dropped the last one! After setting them in place and nailing them together I let the kids have some fun with them and paint whatever they wanted on the sides. They painted for at least an hour and had so much fun doing it! Afterwards Celeste and I started to fill one side. I shoveled in the horse manure (good times) and Celeste threw in old straw and plant waste. She is such a little worker bee and almost never complains when I ask her to help me with chores. She made a game out of our job and was racing back and forth to see who could fill the most!
I think my not so cute but free compost bin is going to work very well and I am looking forward to putting my organic fertilizer on our garden!

Cheap Weed Killer

2011-07-26T14:01:00.001-04:00

Weeds love to torture me and grow up around the rock border of my flowers and they also poke up all over our gravel driveway. I detest picking weeds. It is a chore that I always put on the bottom of my list. I would rather shovel manure than pull weeds. As much as I detest weeds, I detest putting chemicals on my property more and so I pull....until now!! I found a safe and cheap way to remove weeds. Yippeee!!

Mix together:

1 gallon white vinegar
1 pound salt
8 drops of dish soap

Put these ingredients into a pail and mix. Pour mixture into a spray bottle and squirt away. Be careful of what you get the spray on, it will kill all plants. Don't expect immediate results, it does take a couple days for the weeds to completely die.

Cinderella Play

2011-07-26T13:52:00.000-04:00

Last Friday my friend Carly and I took our girls to see the play Cinderella performed by the Greenville Community Center. Celeste wanted to dress up for it like she did for Disney Princess's on Ice and I was happy to let her. Our crew was the only ones dressed up at the show besides the performers and they got a lot of attention for it. I love being able to take Celeste and do these special things with her. I hope they are memories she will always cherish. I know I will.

Blueberry Muffin Recipe

2011-07-26T13:44:00.001-04:00

If you have a bucket list (things you want to do before you die), you must put on the list to try these muffins. They are THAT good and I am not kidding. I just got done eating two of them and I can feel my back fat increasing as I type, but I don't care, it was worth every scrumptious bite.

Ingredients
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 egg
2/3 cup milk
2 cup fresh blueberries

Crumb Topping
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. In a seperate bowl mix vegetable oil, egg and milk. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

A Thankful Heart

2011-07-25T14:39:00.000-04:00

One of the things I want to instill most in my children is a thankful heart. I believe that people that are truly thankful for what they have are the most happiest and joyful people to be around. It is so sad to see a spoiled, complaining kid pouting because they are not thankful. I remind our kids often to say thank you. We also talk about the nice things others have done for us and how we should always try to show our appreciation. We have a rule at our house that if you start to complain or get negative you have to name five things you are thankful for. I am always amazed at how this can transform a rotten attitude. It is hard to complain when you remind yourself of all the great things God has done!

I Love Garage Sales!!

2011-07-22T14:43:00.000-04:00

The kids and I ventured out today for some garage sales and found some really great deals!! We got Celeste a new bike, piles of clothes, shoes, t-posts, a baby pool floaty, fabric and toys. My favorite finds were 3 pairs of rubber barn boots for the kids that looked brand new (with some scrubbing) for only $2 a pair and a pair of riding boots for Celeste that were only $0.75!! The more I garage sale and shop at Goodwill the harder it is for me to spend money at a "real" store unless it is on clearance for 75% off or more. Seriously, why pay retail when you can get almost new for so much cheaper???

Cut Your Fabric Softner Cost

2011-07-19T15:57:00.000-04:00

I found this idea on another blog and thought it was a great idea. Cost efficient and good for the environment.

1 Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener
4 Inexpensive sponges, cut in half

Pour entire container of softener into a bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet.

Answer To Prayer

2011-07-18T22:02:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago I had a routine ultra sound for my pregnancy. The day after it my midwife called and explained some things they saw on my test that might have been potential problems. One was an issue with the baby's major heart artery and another was a cluster that looked to be forming on the brain. MaryAnn (my midwife) asked me not to panic (easier said than done) but that she wanted me to have some further testing done by people that specialize specifically in prenatal ultra sounds.
So the past couple weeks we have prayed and trusted that God would take care of any issues that might be there. My second ultra sound was today and we received great news. The brain looks perfectly normal as well as the heart. Baby is growing right on schedule and everything looked great. Thank you Jesus for a healthy baby.

Coon Down

2011-07-17T06:59:00.000-04:00

Last year our little hobby farm was being terrorized by coons. They would sneak into our coop and either totally demolish a chicken or just tear a head off and leave a wasted body laying there (which was SO annoying...at least eat the thing if you are going to kill it). I think we ended up loosing 8 or 9 hens before we ended up trapping and shooting two of the little boogers. Things had been pretty quiet around here this summer and I was feeling pretty happy about that, until this Monday. I had a laying hen that just decided one night that she was not going into the coop at night. I chased her and chased her and she wouldn't relent. Fine, I thought..it's your death sentence and I finally locked up the coop to keep the other 30 chicks and chickens safe.
Sure enough, the next morning a pile of feathers lay on the ground and I knew the hen had become coon cuisine. I knew that once a coon got a taste, he would be back for more. That night we tied the chicken entrance door shut but forgot to lock it and a coon must have been on his way for seconds because the door was pried open, but THANKFULLY, Abby (our old grandma dog) scared it away before it got in. The third night we wised up and locked the door and in the morning found chunks, literally chunks taken out of the door from a coon gnawing on the wood to get in. This meant war. I had been wanting a coop like the one I have for a long time and no way was I going to let a raccoon tear it up. Not to mention the fact that I have a lot of time into the meat chickens inside the coop, and they are going to be MY dinner! I set out a bowl of fly bate (super deadly poison) mixed with RC Cola on the outside of the coop, a trap that could chop your hand off in the inside of the chicken run and if that didn't work Shawn was going to sit out in a chair with his gun and wait. You would have to be the Indiana Jones of coons to get past this obstacle course!
Today when I got up at 6:00am the first thing I thought of was my chickens (yes, I have become that girl) and I got on my boots to see if we had gotten anything. Oh joy when I saw the dead coon laying next to the fly bate with blue drool coming out of its mouth!! My chickens are safe again....for now.

Good Bye Facebook

2011-07-15T21:07:00.000-04:00

For those of you who actually look at my blog, you may have noticed I am doing a better job of keeping up on posting! The reason....I am off of facebook! I didn't realize until I stopped using it just how much time I WASTED on that site. It sure does free up your time when your not constantly looking to see who updated their status or to see who commented on yours. This week the kids got more of me, I was able to find some great ideas for making my own cleaning supplies, and I learned from some awesome blogs on how to can peaches (my next adventure). I have to admit that facebook does have some good and that it could be fun at times, but it also has tons of negative. Too often I read a status update that was perverted, or mean or some type of gossip. Friend's pages would get a virus and nasty video clips would get posted on their page without permission. People type things they might not have felt so bold to say out loud and feelings get hurt. I know I hurt family members by some of the posts I made because I didn't think before I typed. The only regret I have about leaving facebook is that I didn't take the advice of my husband, my dad and my pastor sooner. Life does go on without facebook and in fact it's better!!!

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:15-16

Dress Up

2011-07-15T20:56:00.000-04:00

They claim to be princess's but I thought the look resembled more of a bag lady....

Blueberry Pick'n Time

2011-07-15T20:17:00.000-04:00

The kids and I picked about 25lbs of blueberries this week! We ate some, made a pie and froze the majority to have them on hand for pancakes and muffins though out the year. I am planning on going again before the season is over, but I think I'll wait until this HOT weather simmers down a bit.

He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame. Proverbs 10:5

Windy Day Fun

2011-07-12T21:43:00.000-04:00

We took advantage of the windy day yesterday and made streamers out of an old plastic table cloth and craft sticks. The kids had fun running with them and jumping on the trampoline too.

Laundry Soap Success!

2011-07-12T21:32:00.000-04:00

I love how the laundry soap turned out! I didn't end up putting any extra fragrance in this batch and it smells great just the way it is. It seems to do a great job getting the clothes clean and the best part is that it cost less than $2.00 to make 10 gallons of soap. Whoot Whoot!!

Here is the recipe I used:

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Making Laundry Soap

2011-07-08T15:41:00.000-04:00

I have read several blogs about making laundry soap and finally decided to give it a try. It was much easier than what I thought it would be and was actually fun to make. I had two great helpers that assisted in grating the soap and mixing it together. We have to let it set over night and then will be testing out tomorrow. If it works as well as everyone says it does, I will do it again as it is a big money saver!

Summer Fun

2011-07-08T15:22:00.000-04:00

I found Shiloh and Trevor sitting in this chair and sharing a blanket. I thought it was precious. That evening we were trying to catch all of our chicks and clip their wings so they would stop flying out of the fenced in area. Celeste had me laughing so hard I was almost in tears. I could hear her talking to herself while she was in the coop....oh my, that's a fresh one, or wow, this is really creepy were some of the things she was saying. I have thought to myself several times how blessed I am to be able to raise our kids in the country. We have so much fun together doing the silliest things!

4th of July

2011-07-08T14:56:00.000-04:00

The 4th of July weekend was a blast! We attended a birthday party on Friday that we were able see a fireworks show at and we had a small party at our home on Saturday and we let off fireworks and did sparklers. Our church put on a meal and a fireworks show after the Sunday evening service and it was spectacular! I love summer!!!

Best Friends

2011-07-06T09:35:00.000-04:00

This summer Shawn and I have been together 16 years! That means I have spent half of my life with him! We have had some tough times, but because of the Lord we made it through all of them. I love him so much and our relationship just gets better and better. I am so thankful that we have a marriage centered around Christ and that we have the Bible as our marriage handbook.

My little stinker:)

2011-07-06T09:29:00.001-04:00

Making Words

2011-07-06T09:18:00.000-04:00

Trevor was playing with the frig magnets and wrote these words all by himself. The second one is supposed to say Mom you are pretty. He is really excited to start kindergarten this year!

Flower Girl Dress

2011-07-06T09:09:00.000-04:00

I wore this dress as a little girl in our babysitter's wedding 21 years ago! I found it in a storage tub and gave it to Celeste to play with.

Mackinac Trip 2011

2011-07-06T08:54:00.000-04:00