Thursday, November 30, 2006

Rob stayed home yesterday so that he could reskirt the bottom of the house before the winter storm rolled in. We had ripped all the old off during the summer so that we could level the house. He completed one side and now we have the other side to finish. Then it will get painted and look great!


The weather was 80 again yesterday and will be 27 as the high today. BRRRRR!!

I finished the bloomers yesterday. They were rather big on Eve, she is so tiny. So after these pictures I took them back to the machine and took them in and up another 2 inches. I like the longer size though especially for winter.



Monday, November 27, 2006

A bit of this and some of that

It has been a nice, long weekend. Lots of food was involved and I am stuffed. Yesterday I turned 31, I guess its not so bad! By the grace of God I made it through the first 18 years of my life and the last 13 years have been such a blessing! I have a wonderful husband a housefull of awesome children and we all have our health and a bit of sanity. Its a great life!

I sewed my first sleeved dress this weekend. This week I will attempt to sew this dress. The long sleeved one. I just love dresses like that. I am also going to sew some bloomers. I had a great time at Joanns on Friday. Browsing all the fabrics and patterns, it is so much fun. I have to really push myself through the learning curve though, as I can get discouraged that things are not turning out as perfect as I want them to.

Here is my sewing corner in the spare craft room, hopefully some day soon this will be a fully functioning sewing/craft room. As you can see we havent done anything to this room yet. It still has the unfinished wood floors and the 60 year old wallpaper. Ughh!


My birthday present is on the left of the table ;-) and the dress is hanging on the wall.

Super Grover was attacked last night by the 4 legged beast that roams the house in the late hours of the night searching for lonely stuffed animals and de-stuffing them. His insides are laying next to him. Devon said he's in the emergency room awaiting surgery. LOL

Here's Hog Dog enjoying the beautiful 80 degree weather and Devons freshly raked pile of leaves. He's such a sweet dog! And to clear his name he is not the de-stuffer of all things stuffed.


Household tip:

One last thing before I forget. I bought some OUT Pet Stain and odor remover from the pet section of the grocery store. It is supposed to be good for fabrics and such to get the "dog" smell out, naturally.

When this morning as I was cleaning the bathroom it struck me, its great on urine smells. So I sprayed it around and on the toilet as well as the floor and surrounding walls, let it set for about two minutes and wiped it clean. It works great! For those homes with little boys who sometimes just seem to miss the potty, this is a great solution.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Noticed the new ticker???

Yep, its a GIRL! Only one and she is perfect. I was measuring big because I am 2 weeks farther along than I guestemated. Her due date is Jan 28th. I guess the Good Lord decided I had put in my "boy time" and is now filling our home with dresses and bows! YAY!

*********Cant wait to meet Miss Ava Rose**********

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We have been enjoying a most gorgeous day today with highs in the 70's!
I am not a cold weather fan, so these warm days are fabulous to me.

We ate until we could eat no more, then we took long naps, needless to say it was such a restfull, peaceful day!

I will be hitting the bed early tonight sense I am getting up and out the door by 5:30am to head to Joanns and get my birthday present! Yes, I'm crazy like that!

I pray you all had a blessed and lovely day!


Wednesday, November 22, 2006

The store has a few dresses in it

I am trying to find the best way to present the dresses on the website, in section 1,2,3,4. I am not completely happy with the layout. Have any suggestions? Should the pictures be larger, smaller, are they clear enough that you can see the material, do you like the smaller pictures that are a bit closer, or is that just in the way? As a customer what would you like to see?

I have been thinking about it and I believe I will have a small amount of dresses ready made, but put a bit more time into creating a section that gives the customer a place to make custom orders, with designs and fabric to choose from. What do you think? Thanks for all your suggestions! And yes, Tiany if you could tell me how to create a button (or could do it for me;-) that would be fantastic! www.sewingtheseamsoflove.com

Does this only happen to me?

So far there have been two times in the past 6 months that while walking through the parking lot of the grocery store, I and my children have almost been plowed over by someone backing out of their spot and not looking behind them.

It happened around 6 months ago, I had a basket with the two little ones in it, and the rest of the kids walk very close around me....yet an elderly woman put it in gear and started to backout before I even could yell at the children to get out of the way. Luckily a lady that was walking behind me started screaming as loud as she could (I think she was petrified at what she was about to see) and the lady driving the car heard her. She came within 5 inches of the basket I was pushing.

I have always been very vigilant at watching tail lights in parking lots as well as listening for cars starting or already running. Yet it happened again today. I was once again pushing a cart with the children all in their places, this lady puts the car in gear and begins to back out, I yell to the kids to move grab Seth by the shirt because he's my straggler and try and pull him while pushing the cart and babies out of the way. I guess I yelled for her to stop or maybe she heard me shout at the kids to move. But she slams on her brakes and opens her door, I was still walking fast to try and get out of the way, so I just say to her "watch what you are doing." She proceeds to get out of the car like she is about to come after me and then yells at me that she saw me and that I walked right in front of her. Ya, last time I checked pedestrians had the right of way in a parking lot, and if she saw me then why did she continue backing out. Anyway, I think it just scared her and she was shooting off at the mouth.

Does anyone else have this problem? Perhaps I need a bull horn to blow as I am walking through the parking lot "COMING THROUGH!!!"

Isaiah

I am halfway through the book of Isaiah. I started about 5 months ago reading the Bible all the way through from start to finish. My favorite book of the OT is Deuteronomy. Not sure why I just love it. My favorite books of the NT are Ephesians and James.

I came across a verse today though that I want to share. I have a yearning in my spirit for Peace, it is something I am drawn to. The mear thought of complete peace gives me such Joy.

"The fruit of righteousness will be peace: the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisterbed places of rest. Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely, how blessed you will be, sowing your seed by every stream, and letting your cattle and donkeys range free. " Isaiah 32:17-20

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Just because its cute!

This is one of the things she likes to do. Silly girl! She also has learned to smile and say CHEESE!

Saturday, November 18, 2006

The Sewing Corner

Here are a few dresses almost ready for the store. I am excited! I am finding that I can comfortably sew about 4 in one week, working about 2 hours a day.


If you have any fabric or accessories suggestions let me know. Next year I hope to be more on top of the seasons with dresses made from appropriate colors for each season. I am working on sewing pantaloons or bloomers as we call them here, to match the outfits.

I am hoping to get a new sewing machine for my birthday ;-) And eventually a serger so that the clothes will look more professional!

Friday, November 17, 2006

Some exciting possibilities!!

I have found a wonderful midwife in my area, who will be as hands off as I want her to be, but still be there to support us through the delivery of our baby. I went to see her last night for an "lets check you out visit"

Everything looks great! She measured my belly, which measured 32 weeks (um wait a minute I should be right at 28 weeks) but, no big deal really, a mom who has had as many kids as I have can begin to measure larger.

So then we listen to that wonderful, glorious heartbeat....that says I'm OK in here! We find a heart beat on the far right side of my tummy where the body of the baby seems to be. We listen and all is great. Then she jokingly says "so when are you going to have twins and moves the heart beat monitor over to the far left of my stomach and there was another heartbeat. I laughed and said you are probably just hearing it through the other side of my stomach, although this one was much clearer. She moves it back to the other side where we heard the first heart and we listen then quickly move it back to the other side...gasp....they have different rhythms, they sound like two different heart beats. Could it be TWINS?!?

So, I am not getting my hopes up but I told her I would go ahead and get a sonogram so that we can be prepared in case there are two little angels in there. She said she will still assist us but would like to bring in a second midwife to assist if infact we are having twins.

So today I will call the sono place and make an appointment. We will soon know what we are in store for. YES, twins scares me...it would be fun, but I am good at one, not sure if I would be good at two. ;-)

I'll keep you posted!

Edited later: I have the sonogram scheduled for Nov 25th, the day before my birthday LOL
That would be a great b-day present!

Thursday, November 16, 2006

My thoughts.....

.....so far on Chapter 1 are many. But I will try and keep it lite. There were some things that disturbed me as to my own walk with The Lord, which is truly lacking! but I will start with the obvious message of the chapter.

" What is happening is justification in Christ is preached alone, at the expense of holy living; and the hearers of this one-sided gospel are left in the dark as to Gods requirement of the necessity of a holy life, Gods grace has been turned into lasciviousness; the attitude of most has been: "A little sin wont hurt-I'm just a 'carnal Christan' you know."

The false teaching of carnal Christianity has so permeated our churches that no one ever questions his interest in Christ, no matter how he lives. People are told that if they have believed, that is all that is necessary, and therefor all is well with their souls, but the Holy Word of God declares no such teaching, but in fact declares just the opposite! Hebrews 12:14 "Follow peace with all men, and holliness, without which no man shall see God"

Christs life is now his life, this saved soul now desires to put to death the things of the flesh, that he might sow to the spirit and walk after the spirit.

This was the passage that I loved reading...."a gospel that gives no new heart or new nature, a gospel that does not break the power of sin, but allows one to live on in it, a gospel that knows nothing about holiness of thought and action , a gospel that will let you indulge the flesh, and put no restraint upon your passion, pride and evil heart!"

I feel like this is what the majority of Christians think. They do not hold themselves responsible for their actions. "Its a fallen world you know" they say. Have they forgotten that we are called to live in this world but not be "OF" this world. I have many christian friends who party, drink, go out act like fools, I know christian folk who are living an "alternative" lifestyle. I know christain woman who ware things that make my husbands head turn, as well as make me feel like maybe I should look sexy too, just so that I can keep my dh's stares my way. I know christians that speak to others as if they are dirt, with no respect of themselves or anyone around them.

It almost makes you ashamed to say you are a christian...when that is what you are up against.
( I am not ashamed!)

In my experience as I have tried to set myself apart from this world in dress and certain family decisions I am mocked, made fun of and tolerated, even by those who I trust the most. Does this hurt me, yep....does it make you want to just blend in and be like everyone else....almost!

I guess that I am saddened the most, to think that "the above" is what our Saviour died for. He gets no more than that from most. Where is the respect, where is the awe and reverence and wonder? Where is the gratitude and life change? Where is the holliness...?

I am not perfect!! I have slid so far backwards from where I once was in Christ. I am not the person that I want to be. As much as I know it is all my doing...I can honestly say that it also has alot to do with those around me. I do not want to be an outcast...who wants to be the crazy "religious lady?" who doesn't know what birth control is and dresses like a Volkswagen. It is truly hard to be different, holy, like Christ, in this world of Christians...because many believe a false gospel.

OK my rant is over....can you tell these are fresh wounds and real heart ache! I am an all or nothing kinda gal. I want to do something all the way or not at all. I want to be that peculiar person that the word says I am supposed to be. I want to hear "well done...my precious daughter (good and faithful servant) you have made me proud, you have lived a life worth my sacrifice. "

Quadruple decker sandwiches

This is what my 9 year old son made himself for lunch yesterday


No, this is not the first time or even uncommon around here, and yes he ate it all in about 3 minutes. Feeding these boys is like walking up an icy hill....you will never get to the top....they will never be full.

Thank you Lord for my healthy, hungry boys! And girl!


Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Cuty Pie!

I know 3 posts in one day.....Audrey, are you ignoring your duties? ;-)

I had to share this: My 7 year old walks in and says "mom I want a concusion" I said " do you know what a concusion is?" He says "yes, its were you get knocked out" I say "Um, OK, why do you want to be knowcked out?" and he sweetly says " because I want to wipe my memory, so that I can stop sucking my thumb"

I wish I knew how to help this little sweety. He wants to stop so bad, but just cant in his own will.

O.K. I will get back to work now. I have sewing to do and reading to finish with a few more boys and it looks like lunch is around the bin.

Thanks Kyle!

Grab a box of tiisue and watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
I have never been a big carseat person, my 3 and 1 year old are the only ones that are in car seats. The rest just use regualer seat belts. I have to say this has changed my mind.

Wednesday Studies

I am starting a study on the book below. The book is published free online here
I am going to dive into one chapter a week. I thought maybe you would be interested in it as well. So, each Wednesday I will post a new chapter until we are finished!
So far I am really enjoying what I am reading and this is a much needed teaching among Christians. I personally have many friends and family who live, in hopes, that His grace will cover their blatant sin, with no repentance.
I am not blameless by any means, and want to grow in The ways of the Father and turn away from this world. Many think that there is nothing wrong with this world and that we should just do the best we can in it, for those people I quote this:
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I John 2:15).
Thats pretty clear, if you love the world you cannot love the Father!
So copy and paist the chapter below into word, print it off. You will be glad you did!
The True Gospel of Christ vs. The False Gospel of Carnal Christianity
by L. R. Shelton, Jr.
Chapter 1
The False Gospel of Carnal Christianity
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” - Galatians 6:7
A False Gospel
There is rampant in this age a false gospel of carnal Christianity which has deceived many souls. The vast majority of Christendom today have not bowed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. These are on sinking sand and are an easy prey to such a teaching which has permeated our land and our pulpits. So our purpose is to bring out the true gospel and the false, showing clearly the warnings from God’s Word that we should not sow to the flesh, but rather to the Spirit. May you have an open heart and an open Bible, as we pray that God will deal with us all by His Spirit.
We are warned concerning this false gospel of carnal Christianity in Galatians 6:7,8: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” This to me is a most solemn warning to all of our hearts, and especially in this day of free-believism and carnal Christianity which is preached on such a large scale. You see, the vast majority of Christendom today is deceived as to the state of their never-dying souls before God. What is happening is justification in Christ is preached alone, at the expense of holy living; and the hearers of this one-sided gospel are left in the dark as to God’s requirement of the necessity of a holy life. God’s grace has been turned into lasciviousness; the attitude of most has been: “A little sin won’t hurt-I’m just a `carnal Christian’ you know, and besides, doesn’t grace cover it all?”
Holiness Required by God
But my prayer is that God would so work by His Spirit as to make blind eyes to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, that there would be a mourning over it, for this is our only hope. Oh, how our hearts should cry to the Lord for the truth of His Word that appeals not to our fleshly desires or to our fleshly emotions, but to that which cuts off our flesh and lays us bare before God in confession and repentance! We should cry to Him to so work in our hearts by His Spirit, that holiness of thought, word and action would characterize our hearts and lives.
This false teaching of carnal Christianity has so permeated our churches that no one ever questions his interest in Christ, no matter how he lives. People are told that if they have believed, that is all that is necessary, and therefore all is well with their souls. But the Holy Word of God declares no such teaching, but in fact declares just the opposite! For we read in Hebrews 12:14, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Yes, holiness must characterize our lives, “for God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (I Thess 4:7). “He hath chosen us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Eph 1:4). Again, He “hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling” (II Tim 1:9). This is the same One Who says to be “obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy” (I Peter 1:14-16).
Our warning text from Galatians 6 declares the same thing. God would have us to understand and not to be deceived about this false teaching, that no matter what false preachers and teachers say about it: “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” My friend, if you sow to your flesh, you shall of your flesh reap corruption. I don’t care how many professions you have made or whose church you may belong to; you cannot mock God! He is no respecter of persons. Each and every one who sows to his flesh shall of his flesh reap corruption.
Repentance Is Given
A man who sows to his flesh continually has never been saved; he’s never been born again. Why? Because under Holy Spirit conviction we are given the grace to repent, and in repentance we learn to hate sin, to abhor it, to loathe ourselves, and to flee by faith to Christ for deliverance from sin. We know that sin has not been eradicated, for it is still the plague of our hearts; but sin is no longer the practice and rule of our lives. It cannot be, for the soul whom God saves has had a new nature and a new heart put within; and he now desires holy things and walks in the way of righteousness. He knows in himself that this is true, because the Holy Spirit has worked in him the things found in God’s Word. He reads in Ezekiel 36:26 about the new heart that God has given him; and in II Peter 1:4 about the new nature he has been given. He finds in I John 3:9 that he has been born of God, and that he who is born of God does not make sin the practice and rule of his life.
Why? Because His seed (the seed of God) remaineth in him, and he cannot make sin the practice and rule of his life anymore. He hears the Word say, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I John 2:15). Having been taught by the work of the Holy Spirit that he is a lost, hell-deserving sinner, having laid at the feet of God in repentance, having looked by faith to Christ as his Lord and Savior, having seen that his sin put Christ to death, then he wants no part of the world. The love of God has been shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Spirit’s work in him.
He learns well that “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh [the desire to indulge]...is not of the Father,” so he hates it and cries out against it because it put Christ to death. Again, he learns, “all that is in the world, the lust of the eyes [the desire to possess]...is not of the Father,” so he hates it and cries out against it because it put Christ to death. He learns that “the pride of life [the desire to attract to oneself]...is not of the Father, but is of the world”-the Satanic world system of sin -so he hates it and cries out against it because it put Christ to death on the cross. He also learns that “the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (vv. 16,17), so he desires by grace to do the will of God, which is to walk in “righteousness and true holiness” (Eph 4:24).
A New Nature
Therefore, since God gives every sinner whom He saves a new heart and a new nature, and puts His Holy Spirit within him to guide him into all truth, that saved sinner now searches the Word of God, not to find things that will justify him in his sins, but to find that Word which warns him against sin and tells him how to flee to Christ from sin. He reads Romans 8:6: “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace”; so he begins to cry to the indwelling Holy Spirit to deliver him daily from a fleshly, carnal mind, and to give him that spiritual mind of life and peace in Christ. No, he is not seeing how close he can walk to the world and sin, but how he can walk close to God in Christ by His Spirit. He is not searching the Word of God to find out the sins of others recorded there so he might use them as a means of justifying his walking in sin, but he reads these things as warnings to him not to walk where others have walked and failed.
You see, the man or woman, boy or girl, whom God saves, and unto whom He gives eternal life in Christ, hears these words from Colossians 3:2-5: “Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify [put to death, reckon as dead] therefore your members which are upon the earth.” How then could any soul justify living a life to the flesh? No, for because of what Christ has done for him and because Christ’s life is now his life, this saved soul now desires to put to death the things of the flesh, that he might sow to the Spirit and walk after the Spirit. Beloved, this is the way God deals with our souls-I know first hand: I know what the difference is between carnal Christianity and the life which is lived by faith in and upon the living God by the Holy Spirit, for I have lived them both. The only difference between me and the carnal Christian is the grace of God, and I praise Him for it!
Therefore, when the saved soul hears God’s Word: “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry”; and “put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another”-now he desires to mortify them, and why? Because he has “put off the old man with his deeds” and “put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Col 3:5,8-10). So his desire is for Christ and His life, to walk in a way pleasing to God and not after sin, because he has been born of the Spirit of God and has a new heart.
Also in Colossians 3:6 the Holy Spirit gives us another reason for walking in the Spirit and not after the flesh. He says we are not to walk in these sins, “for which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.” Yes, those who walk in such a way of disobedience to God’s revealed will, shall find themselves under His curse and wrath.
A Holy Life Follows Salvation
My friend, I would not have you deceived! A holy life, a sowing to the Spirit, must follow the salvation that God gives in Christ, or it is not God’s salvation; for Christ came to save His people from their sins, and not in their sins (Matt 1:21). A holy life, a sowing to the Spirit, must follow the salvation that God gives us in Christ or God’s purpose in saving us would be defeated, and this cannot be. Did we not read that God has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Eph 1:4). We cannot thwart the purpose of God toward His people. Listen again to this definite and positive statement-”For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness” (I Thess 4:7). Yes, a holy life must follow the salvation that God gives in Christ, or God’s will would be turned aside, and this cannot be-”For this is the will of God, even your sanctification” (4:3). Sanctification is your being set apart from sin by the progressive work of God’s Spirit in your heart and life.
Again, a holy life, a sowing to the Spirit, must follow the salvation that God gives in Christ, or the grace of God would not reign in the believer’s life; and this cannot be, for we read in Titus 2:11,12: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” I want you to pay particular attention to these verses and pray that the Holy Spirit will write them upon your heart. When the grace of God that brings salvation appears to all, it teaches them the same thing. And what does God’s grace teach us?-that we will be self-denying ones. In what way?-saying no to the world and denying ourselves ungodliness and worldly lusts, because we hate sin, self, Satan and the world of ungodliness. “All” learn this lesson, not just some of God’s children. “All” of them are taught by the Holy Spirit to hate sin and deny self. If this self denial and hatred of sin is absent from the life, then God’s salvation is absent (John 16:13,15; Isa 54:13).
But this Scripture does not end only in giving us the negative; the Holy Spirit shows the grace of God that brings salvation will teach us something positive as well-how to live soberly, righteously and godly. Where? in heaven? No, in this present evil world, right at home, on the job, or wherever we walk! For by His grace and blood He has delivered us from “this present evil world” (Gal 1:4).
Remember this: the same Holy Spirit teaches all of God’s children the same lessons. What are they? He trains us to reject and renounce all ungodliness, and worldly, passionate desires; and He also trains us to live sober, temperate, self-controlled lives in an upright, devout manner (Titus 2:12). In other words, He teaches us to live spiritually-whole lives controlled by Him, here in this present evil world.
The False Gospel - no power over sin
What a far cry this is from the present-day gospel that is preached-a gospel that gives no new heart or new nature, a gospel that does not break the power of sin, but allows one to live on in it, a gospel that gives only an insurance policy against hell and knows nothing about holiness of thought and action, a gospel that will let you indulge the flesh, and puts no restraint upon your passion, pride and evil heart! Oh, this is not a gospel, but a false thing! I say false because it says that all one has to do is say “yes” to the four spiritual laws and believe in a historical Jesus; and after he “believes” he is saved and saved for ever, no matter what he does.
Did you know that the average individual tells you that he made a profession when he was 6, 8, 12, or 15 years of age; but he drifted off into sin, and after 10 years or so he came back and rededicated his life and now gives himself to religious service? It is from this group that the majority of our missionaries, teachers and preachers come, and they know nothing of heart-felt repentance or standing before God as a guilty, lost sinner! If you are in this group, I tell you in love, you have mistaken the call to salvation -to come to Christ as a guilty, needy, lost sinner-as the call to service; and therefore you have become two-fold more the child of hell than you were before, unless the Holy Spirit by His Word and grace gives you a heart to see your desperate need of Christ. You see, you have mistaken the call to a broken heart and a contrite spirit, to repentance and faith-the call to break with sin and to walk in holiness of life in conversion-as a call to the ministry! I know this does happen, for I have heard so many testimonies given along this line. It even happened to me! I mistook the call to salvation as the call to the ministry, and only by the grace of God was I awakened to see that I had missed true repentance and faith, and was still in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.
Therefore, let me proclaim today that I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for that Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth (Rom 1:16). This salvation is the deliverance from the power of sin, which I have experienced by the grace of God in Christ; and beloved, I praise the Lord that Romans 6:18 is true: “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness,” servants of Him Who has delivered us from the law of sin and death! (Rom 8:2).
C. H. Spurgeon has said it so well:
Each creature brings forth after its own kind: the old nature being radically evil continues to produce and to send forth swarms of sins; it is not reconciled to God, neither indeed can be, and therefore its thoughts and acts are those of rebellion and hatred toward God. On the other hand, the new nature “cannot sin because it is born of God”; it must have its fruit unto holiness, for it is holiness itself. Out of a dove’s nest we expect only doves to fly. The heavenly life breeds birds of paradise, such as holy thoughts, desires, and acts; and it cannot bring forth such unclean birds as lust, and envy, and malice. The life of God infused in regeneration is as pure as the Lord by whom it was begotten, and can never be otherwise. Blessed is the man who has this heavenly principle within, for it must appear in his life and cause him to abound in holiness, to the glory of God. Reader, have you this divine seed within you, or do you remain under the dominion of a corrupt nature? This question deserves a present and thoughtful reply.

Monday, November 13, 2006

A Sneak Peek!

I have been working on something. It is in the beginning stages but I want to share it with you. I am looking for comments and any ideas that you might have to make it better. I still have alot to add, such as pages for pricing and sizes and a fabric page, but the framing is up!

Tell me what you think! www.sewingtheseamsoflove.com

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Saturday Sunshine

I thought it would be fun to post on Saturday, pictures of the things that fill my life with joy and light!









Friday, November 10, 2006

Comfy Couches

For some reason we stayed up kinda late last night, including the boys. They normally have a prompt 9:00 bed time, but something about last night we just were hanging out and enjoying each others company. So by about 10:00 this is what we had laying around.


This is our library/second living area. Seth had come in here while I was on the computer and fell asleep. We cant leave out Franklin or "Hog Dog" as I lovingly reffer to him. ;-) He is the size of that love seat Seth is asleep on.

Then there is the dazzling duo asleep in the main living room. Arent they adorable!! I also woke up this morning to these two in Robs spot in the bed. When he leaves for work in the morning I usually get a visitor or two.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

My finished drapes


I finally took pictures of the drapes I sewed last weekend. I made matching ones for both the living and dinning rooms. My goal here is to have the two rooms somewhat blend together as you walk through from one to the other.

Living room


Dinning Room

I still need to sew a center section in the dinning room, a piece that will only come down about 2 feet. They were out of my material, so I have to wait until they get more in.

I also have my wall of babies put back up. The wall color was supposed to be a bit more orangish but it turned out a little pinker than I had anticipated. ;-)


It is coming together nicely!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Giving up control

There is a great entry over at The Maxwells Family Blog that talks about the blessings they received after having had there vasectomy reversed. It is a real testimony to how we block the blessings of The Lord. Let me make it clear that we never block His will....He will just give those blessings that could have been ours to another family to raise for His Glory!

We have a similar testimony, yet we never went through with the surgery. After our 3rd child was born we believed what everyone had to say and that was that we had a big enough family and should "do the right thing" by calling it quits. Rob agreed and I went along with his decision. After Rob realized that I wasn't completely convinced he backed out of the surgery. (I have always wanted a big family, that was not a dream of Robs) doesn't the Lord have a great sense of humor! So we had 3 more children after that with the sixth being a girl. So what most thought was that we finally had our girl and surly we were done. I think even Rob felt that way!

I still was not convinced, but told Rob to do what he had to do. Once again he went to the DR for the initial visit only to not go through with it. As you know I am now about 2 months away from having our 7th child. :-) I am not sure what the future holds. I know in my heart that we should allow the Lord to control this area of our lives and that he will end it when he sees fit. I will be honest and say that my flesh gets ahold of me from time to time as I think about the fact that I could have another 7-11 children if I continued on my every other year delivery schedule ;-)

All I know is this...there is nothing in this world that could have replaced the joy that my last 3 almost 4 children have brought me. I cant imagine life without them....some might say I never would have known what I was missing....but a mother always knows. There is a longing there for a reason. Will a day ever come that I am free from that longing? I don't know. I have been telling myself that if this is a girl, perhaps I will be content and our family will be complete. I look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store.

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate" (Psalms 127:3-5).

Have you ever picked this verse apart and "really" read it? Here is the verse with the Strongs concordanc reference numbers. Look it up, it is eye opening to say the least. If you dont have a Strongs concordance one of my favorite bible tools is E-Sword.

Psa 127:3 Lo,2009 children1121 are a heritage5159 of the LORD:3068 and the fruit6529 of the womb990 is his reward.7939
Psa 127:4 As arrows2671 are in the hand3027 of a mighty1368 man; so3651 are children1121 of the youth.5271
Psa 127:5 Happy835 is the man1397 that834 hath (853) his quiver827 full4390 of4480 them: they shall not3808 be ashamed,954 but3588 they shall speak1696 with854 the enemies341 in the gate.8179

Monday, November 06, 2006

It is finished!

Well, it came to a head today and it is now finished. The ties are severed. Yes, I am sad that things are the way they are and not the way I wish they were. She will tell all I'm sure, that I am a horrible person who tried little. But I know the truth! I gave all that I could give and even some that I couldnt emotionaly afford to give, yet it would have never been enough. Then as my children were drug into this, the camels back was broken and all had to end.

I am sure that I will not see her again in this life...this breaks my heart, but the refief my spirit feels now that she is gone is tremendous.

Ladies if you have a mother who truly loves you, hold it dear.....count it as a precious gift.

The word on the street is......

I was throwing together a quick batch of sugar cookies this morning. My 6 year old came in and asked what I was doing, I told him "making cookies"

So he runs off and yells to everyone that I was making cookies. Then my 11 year old comes in the kitchen and says "so, the word on the hallways is that you are making cookies."

Where do they come up with this stuff? Needless to say I was laughing outloud at that one.

Kids are a BLAST!

Friday, November 03, 2006

Tools for school

Someone asked that I tell about our school bins, so I thought I would do a quick post on the tools we use to make things a bit more organized.

These bins have made life SOOO much easier, they have been the best investment so far in my arsenal of organizational purchases!



I purchased them at Lakeshore Learning Materials . They are built to last and come with plastic file folders that have also revolutionized school around here. As the boys were young I always pulled everything out for them in the morning and told them what they needed to get done that day, as they have gotten older this was becoming time consuming and I wanted a way for them to be more "in charge" of their work. So now we have this:

Every Sunday I get all there work together and print out there lesson plan sheet for the week and stick it all in their ToDo folder. They are in charge of pulling it out of their bin by 9:00am and getting started. Then when the work is completed it goes into the completed file and is put back in their bin. On Sunday while I'm preparring for school I empty out their completed file and place it in their three ring binder:


Some other benefits of the bins is that it is all there for them, no more searching through the school shelf to find so and so's math workbook, while trying to keep the other books from toppling over ;-)

They each have their own color which I will need to improvise on as other children are added to the mix!

One other thing I will throw in there (not school related) but at Lakeshore Learning they have a wonderful bathroom product for those of us with many children! Check it out HERE They also have one for 12 children. I LOVE this! Its a bit pricy but their products are made to last! Not to mention all the other things they have that "I" would love to have!

Alright back to sewing my drapes for the living and dinning rooms.

Have a BLESSED day!


Thursday, November 02, 2006

Another B-day passed

We have had a fun two days. We had family night on the 31st where we went and ate dinner at CiCi's. It was kids eat free night!! Where else can you feed a family of 8 for 12.00. I love that part! Then we stopped at Blockbuster on the way home and picked up Over The Hedge to watch later in the evening. All in all it was a good night.

Then yesterday (Nov 1st) Devon turned 11. We always make birthdays a big deal around here. Lots of presents and decorations. I let Devon put up streamer paper all around the house early in the day and we decorated the house with banners and balloons. Then He opened two of his toys...because its a long time to wait until 7 in the evening to get presents and cake.

When dad got home from work we had cake and opened presents and had a great time! I cant believe my baby is getting so old. He is a great kiddo!


Happy Birthday Devon!!


Oh that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! Duet 5:29