So, this is Heaven on Earth!!

2012-01-27T14:17:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure how I feel about trips down memory lane. I used to keep every card I or the family was given. I just stumbled over the boxes while decluttering and figured Id go through them one last time before I threw them away. There was the first card Id ever gotten from my mother, I was 21. Those awkward words written by someone whom I should have known so intimately. The many cards that followed over the years......I try to learn who she is. Its been almost 5 years sense we've spoken to each other.....to much damage-to much time gone-honestly too much distance to fill, I had to say goodbye. I heard myself laugh the other day and it reminded me of her....how can we have the same laugh, that's not genetic... is it?

I found letters from old church friends, such a tight bunch we all were. Encouragement, thank you letters. I came across one signed Lila...she went home many years ago, way to early, but in His time.

Hilarious, Silly cards from my dad and step mom on my birthday or anniversary. That was back when we did that sort of thing.........

Congratulations on your new little bundle, too many to count!

I read a card from my husband written 14 years ago, signed Mine. Memories flooded my mind, remembering that he used to call me "mine", how did I forget that? Time I guess.

So, I tuck the letters back in the box....not able to throw them away.

The Lord Provides

2011-09-04T16:53:00.005-06:00

Her birth was short and sweet and to the point. Had my first contraction at 1:10am, had 3 more easy contractions after that and I knew it was time. With my history of fast deliveries, I knew she'd be in my arms very soon. Called the midwives and they raced to my house, also knowing how quickly my babies come. Water broke at 1:50 and her head delivered into my hand. Midwives ran in at 1:54 and she was born at 1:55. Thats it! See I told ya, short and sweet and to the point.

She was and is perfect, weighing 9 pounds and 21 inches long.

Her birthday was one of healing, completion perhaps, but not replacement. You see, she shares a birthday with her sister born 1 year earlier. Lost to miscarriage. The days were almost identical. May 7 2010, I woke up, went to the Homeschool bookfair, came home and lost Heaven Grace.

May 7 2011, I woke up, went to the Homeschool bookfair, came home and had Elianna Rayne.

I didnt want her born on that day, but The Lord had her birthday already decided sense before there was time.

Her name Elianna means "the Lord will provide" and Rayne means "Royalty" because she is the daughter of The King!

Alot Can Happen

2011-08-26T08:10:00.003-06:00

In 14 months! Its been a full couple of years, some of the hardest Ive lived through so far, but here I am on the other side. A little worse for the ware, but here none the less. The Valley is a place were you are brought to your knees, stripped bare and if you are strong enough to survive you come out the other end into an wide open green pasture. You can see a little clearer and a bit farther.

In all honesty, I miss my old life. The days at the park with my family, watching The guys fish together and Rob pushing the girls on the swingset. I miss it terribly. The hardest part of this whole experience was watching as the Devil stole our families closeness, convictions and peace. But alas he did not get our family. We still have that. Your view will be different if you look through our window today, but we're all still here and I am believeing with all my being and seeing some progress that we will one day have more time to spend together and that hearts will be turned toward one another once again.

So, a years worth of birthdays have passed, all the children are a year older. Devon will get his license in a few months. We are still homeschooling and now have 6 participating. All the children are healthy and wonderful. Rob is still running his mma gym and doing well. It takes up most of his time and energy, but it cant last forever...he is getting older ;-)

I left the best for last! We welcomed another precious little girl into our family on May 7th. Shes perfectly delicious! Elianna Rayne. Her story is sweet and I'll tell it soon.

The header picture is only a month old (July 2011). All of my treasured family. I was SO sick when we took this pic, but I wasnt going to miss the shoot, we hadnt had a family pic done in 5 years and I was determined. So I let everyone dress themselves (including my hubby, lol) pulled my hair back and tried not to get sick in the horrible heat, but I think it turned out just fine.

So, there ya have it. ;-) Talk to ya soon!

Happy Birthday Jordan!

2010-06-19T10:16:00.003-06:00

I officially have a second teenager. Happy 13th birthday Jordan. You are precious to me and I am blessed to have the opportunity to watch you grow into a sweet young man!

Sad News

2010-05-12T17:24:00.002-06:00

I was excited about the idea of you!
I loved you although I had never met you!
I will miss you always, my sweet little one!

I am sad to share that little Stucker #9 will not be joining our family here on Earth.
I lost her the day before Mothers Day. But she is not lost and I will see her again!

Thanks to all who congratulated us and shared in our joy and also those who have shared in our sadness.

Warning

2010-05-12T09:08:00.002-06:00

To anyone who may have received an email from me saying that I was in the UK and needed help, it is untrue! My email and facebook sites were hacked. I am working with the providers to resolve this problem, and contacted the authorities.

Sorry friends for any worries you may have had, I am fine!

Announcement

2010-04-02T16:19:00.001-06:00

We are happy to announce that we are expecting our 9th child in November!

Poncho Precious-ness

2009-12-12T15:50:00.002-06:00

I made these ponchos for the girls and they are deliciously cute!! If you are interested in getting your own let me know and I would be happy to sew one for your little "red riding hood".

Treasures

2009-10-09T09:41:00.001-06:00

Can you believe....

2009-10-02T11:01:00.002-06:00

.....I'm still here? This is the longest I have ever gone without posting I do apologize! I wanted to tell all those that write to me from time to time that I miss y'all and thanks for checking on me. The kids are growing so big even though Ive threatened them with banishment to the island of perpetual tickling! They must not think I'm serious. Here we were yesterday at the park enjoying the last days of summer.

Silas is 9 months old now. This picture was taken about 6 weeks ago when he had his first experience with feeding himself. He had a great time and hasn't stopped sense, that boy loves to eat. He weighs 20 pounds now and is 30 inches long. Hes a big boy! Such a precious little man!
I'll talk more later. I do want to catch everyone up on life around here. Soon, I promise!

Nothing more......

2009-06-23T21:07:00.001-06:00

....fun than gummy mustaches!

Six Flags 2009

2009-06-20T10:31:00.002-06:00

Jordan turned 12 yesterday and we spent it at Six Flags riding roller coasters and trying to stay cool. Heres the Stucker Brood!

Howdy!

2009-05-16T12:38:00.004-06:00

Hi All. I thought I should stop in and update those few folks who might still stop in from time to time. I went from blogging almost everyday to only posting once a month. I'm not sure why, really I guess it was a bunch of stuff. The biggest reason is that this has been the hardest 6 months of my life. To be quite honest everything has been at stake at one point or another, from the possibility of loosing our home to my marriage hanging by a thread. So I thought it was best that I just stayed quite. My Lord has brought me through quite alot and I am forever grateful that I know Him, or this would have been unbearable. Things are looking up in both areas, financial and marriage wise. We'll just have to see where HE leads us, after all He's already wrote the story!!

On the home front, we have been very busy. First of all my hats off to every single mother out there, what a job you have, bless you all. Taking on my responsibilities as well as handling Robs usual responsibilities for 3 months has been exhausting. Thank God he gave me two wonderful older sons to carry alot of the load. We have planted a mammoth garden this year. To give you an idea we have over 100 tomato plants as well as all the other garden goodies we could plant. We fenced off half of our backyard about 1/2 acre and planted it. Our goal is to start a neighborhood farm stand and sell much of our harvest.

We have 19 new chicks, well they are 9 weeks old now, not so new anymore. They keep us laughing!

We have had 2 birthdays so far Ava turned 2 and Elijah turned 6. We have three more birthdays coming right around the corner. Its birthday season around here. Eve, Jordan and Ethan will soon be a year older, Sigh!

My precious baby boy is so awesome! He has kept me smiling these past few months. A true gift from above. The Lord new I would need him just at the time he was sent.

Robs gym is starting to do really well, I am happy for him. I am still training to be a midwife and hopefully will be done in 16 months. Things are starting to look up. School keeps us busy, the boys are chugging along. Just wanted to say hello and let yall know we are doing alright. I leave you with some pics!

Jordan and Silas, inseparable!
Only half of it!

Elton John, when I need to laugh outloud I just go find this chicken and watch her for a few minutes, hilarious!

Some of the other girls.

Chicken Chase!

The lot of a boy born after two girls!

Blue Bonnets 2009

2009-04-14T22:08:00.003-06:00

I will be glad

2009-03-20T09:06:00.005-06:00

Joy and Sorrow

I will be still, my bruised heart faintly murmured,
As o'er me rolled a crushing load of woe;
The cry, the call, e'en the low moan was stifled;
I pressed my lips; I barred the tear drop's flow.
I will be still, although I cannot see it,
The love that bares a soul and fans pain's fire;
That takes away the last sweet drop of solace,
Breaks the lone harp string, hides Thy precious lyre.
But YHWH is love, so I will bide me, bide me--
We'll doubt not, Soul, we will be very still;
We'll wait till after while, when He shall lift us
Yes, after while, when it shall be His will.
And I did listen to my heart's brave promise;
And I did quiver, struggling to be still;
And I did lift my tearless eyes to Heaven,
Repeating ever, "Yea, Yeshua, have Thy will."
But soon my heart upspake from 'neath our burden,
Reproved my tight-drawn lips,
my visage sad:"We can do more than this, O Soul," it whispered.
"We can be more than still, we can be glad!"
And now my heart and I are sweetly singing--
Singing without the sound of tuneful strings;
Drinking abundant waters in the desert,
Crushed, and yet soaring as on eagle's wings.--
S. P. W.

More, cutie pies

2009-03-10T20:30:00.001-06:00

Feeding a Large Family

2009-03-09T17:22:00.002-06:00

I was blessed by a sweet MOMYS with funds for a weeks worth of groceries (actually it will cover more than a week) and I wanted to share my shopping trip as well as the menu for the week including the cost of each meal/day. Take a look at what I am feeding my family. I hope I can encourage some in their quest to feed their families. Also if you see where I might need to change things or could improve I would love your ideas.

Store receipt:
Vit D Milk $2.00
Vit D Milk $2.00
Buttermilk ½ Gal. $2.28
5 Dozen Eggs $6.54
Butter 1lb $2.14
Butter 1lb $2.14
Grated Cheese 2lbs $6.98
Noodle Shells $1.58
Noodle Elbows $1.72
Ramen large box $1.88
Ramen large box $1.88
Quick Oats $2.36
Brown Sugar $1.00
Flour 25lb $8.58
Rice 25lb $13.68
Baking Soda $1.12
Lentils 1 lb $.94
Lentils 1 lb $.94
Red Beans 1 lb $1.22
Navy Beans 1 lb $1.24
Black Beans 1 lb $1.18
Mayocoba beans 1lb $1.74
Spag Sauce (Veg) $1.08
Spag Sauce (Veg) $1.08
Diced Tomatoes $.63
Diced Tomatoes $.63
Grape Jelly 2 for $3.00
Crunchy PB 2lb $4.32
Ground Beef 5 lb $8.00
Turkey Franks 3lb (24) $3.78
Chic leg Quarters 10lbs $5.96
Broccoli Frozen 5 lbs $6.12
Gala Apples 2.56 lb $2.56
Bananas 6.25 lb $3.57

Total $105.83

I will be using what I have in my cupboards as well as the above to create my weeks menu. The cost after each meal is the total cost, not per person. Everything is made from scratch unless noted. I add a lot of garlic and onions to the dishes and as many herbs as I can to get some added vitamins and nutrients. I also add butter to many dishes to increase fat.

Monday
B- Oatmeal with cinnamon and organic flame raisins $0.77
L- Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches $3.12
D-Spaghetti with veg-meat sauce $5.26
Total $9.15
Tuesday
B- Pancakes and homemade syrup $2.16
L- Pinto Beans and Mexican Rice w/corn $2.29
D- Chicken Gravy and Biscuits w/Kale from garden $4.29
Total $8.74
Wednesday
B-Oatmeal with fresh apple slices and cinnamon $1.17
L-Shells and Cheese with Broccoli $2.32
D- Chicken Fried Steak w/mashed pot & green beans $6.05
Total $9.54
Thursday
B-Eggs with Biscuits & Gravy $3.09
L-Ramon Noodles with Turkey Franks & Peas $2.89
D-Red Beans and rice with Spinach $2.76
Total $8.74
Friday
B-Oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins $0.77
L-Homemade Pizza x3 $4.85
D-Chicken and Egg noodle casserole w/broccoli $4.78
Total $10.40
Saturday (Our Sabbath)
B- Muffins Apple/raisins (made the day before) $1.12
L-Crock Pot Stew & Cornbread (cooked the day before) $6.97
D- Leftovers from Lunch $0.00
Total $8.09
Sunday
B- Eggs with Biscuits and Gravy $3.09
L-Elbows and Cheese with Broccoli $2.46
D-Black Beans with Rice and corn $3.37
Total $8.92

That makes a total of $63.58 for the week for 10 people, a dollar a person per day!! We have cut out most snacks, though they might have a banana/apple/carrot from time to time. I also might make whole wheat bread to snack on a few days a week. We drink 80% water the other 20% is milk or grape juice (special treat for Sat.) As you can see, much from my shopping trip will be left to use for the following week and our menu will be about 60% the same as this weeks.

Cutie Pie

2009-02-16T10:21:00.004-06:00

How can anyone resist that smile?

Eight weeks old already!

Homemaker's Creed

2009-02-11T18:57:00.004-06:00

I believe that the home is woman's natural environment.

I believe that there is as much art in making a barren house into a glistening, comfortable home as there is in painting a picture or in writing a poem.

I believe that there is dignity and beauty in service, that as a career for woman, homemaking offers greater opportunity for leisure, for growth of mind and spirit, for exercise of the body, than any other occupation.

I believe that one who has the intelligence to keep her own house in order is wise enough to be a force in any community.

It is my desire to be one of the countless woman of the world to make life sweeter and better because I live and do my work well.

**Woman's Home Demonstration Club of Dallas County Year 1948

Little Darlings

2009-01-08T20:42:00.003-06:00

Silas, three Days old

Silas, 7 days old

Silas, 14 days old, getting acquainted with Elijah

Cuddling on Mommy's lap!

Eve and Ava looking "oh so cute!"

Our Son

2008-12-26T18:19:00.000-06:00

Welcoming.......

2008-12-20T19:51:00.003-06:00

Silas Josiah!! He was born Friday Dec 19th. After having 5 boys in a row, we have had 5 years time of welcoming precious little pink bundles, so to have a boy again after so long is quite a joy!

If you dont want to here the "details" of the birth than stop reading now, although I will try to not be too graphic.

I knew Friday morning that it was the long awaited day. I had a few errands I had to run and about half way through them I was ready to go home, when labor starts for me it gets going quick and hard so home sounded really good! Around 3:00pm it kicked in with contractions about 1 minute apart, there was no turning back now LOL.

I found that the best position was on my knees with Rob pushing in hard on my lower back this is basically how I stayed for 45 minutes of contractions coming one after the other. Finally I felt the head descend and then go back up, I dont think Rob believed me because he looked and said "theres no head" I told him "the next push will be the head" and sure enough out it came. I heard Rob say" Oh, my gosh Audrey this kids head is huge" Thats good to say AFTER the birth....not during LOL.

Heres where things get a bit hairy. I got his head out, but his shoulders were stuck. It sounds worse than it was, it took me about 2 minutes to get him out with me pushing and Rob pulling (gently) but out he did come. He is perfect and handsome just like his daddy and brothers before him. He was born around 4:00pm weighing in at a whopping 9 pounds and 21.5 inches long. Elohim was so good to us and was with us through the whole delivery. With great Joy we add another eternal soul to our family for the Glory of Our Father.

Photos to follow soon!

Need A Hug??

2008-11-24T13:49:00.001-06:00

Taking Time

2008-10-07T08:36:00.004-06:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I might return to blogging after the first of the year. Its time for me to take a break from this Internet thing for a while. Life is busy, and though I so love to stop by yalls blogs and check in I just need to take a while to "get away"

I am praying for all those who I hold dear to my heart, those expecting babies soon....I am soooo excited for yall. May the Lord bless you and your families with healthy happy deliveries. Please play for me if you think about it, during the first few weeks of December as we should have a new little bundle.

Blessings to all of you!! With Love!
Audrey

Prenatal Stats....

2008-09-24T07:00:00.000-06:00

....already? Gosh time is zooming by! You can read the previous states here, here and here.

We are nearing week 29 only 11 more to go. My due date is Dec 14 but that could be off as much as 14 days, although I think I am pretty close this time. So we can safely say that baby should be here anytime between Dec 1 and Dec 14th. I am in the "wonderful" stage! Past all the morning/noon/night sickness, yet not quite to the miserably big stage. Life is good!

So what are the numbers?

Date: September 24th
28.4 weeks gestation
weight: still not any real weight gain 181 pounds, my goal is to not exceed 190 during this pregnancy.
Pulse: 93
Blood Pressure: 118/63
Fundal Height: 30
FHR (fetal heart rate) 144

So there they are. Nothing out of the ordinary. I have been so blessed with healthy, uneventful pregnancies and deliveries. My Father has been so good to me and I am eternally thankful!!

Day of Joy!

2008-09-23T09:08:00.003-06:00

Thirteen years ago today, my true love became my husband. I was nineteen and he was twenty four. Our life has been blessed!

Then on the same day four years later, we welcomed our third precious son Seth.
Happy 9th birthday my sweet young man.

The garden.....

2008-09-15T18:11:00.004-06:00

.....and some new additions.

This is my new favorite way to garden, It is a mix between a raised bed and a row bed. The rows are 2.5 feet wide and about 20 feet long. They are a bit higher than an average row. The benefits of gardening this way are that you can get so much more harvest. I have 32 plants on these rows, when a standard row may only hold about half that. Weeding is less and I have made the walk spaces virtually weed free by placing newspaper down them. I am very pleased with the garden.
I have planted two varieties of Kale, I LOVE kale!
Brussels Sprouts and not pictured are broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.
The new planting of lettuce is doing well, just a few weeks away from salads. I have also planted cilantro, mint and spearmint in some containers. The weather has been fantastic and everything is growing well.
I also hand hatched my first eggs today. For whatever reason they were not hatching well under Broodie (momma hen). We lost one that had made it halfway out but the membrane dried up before it could get all the way out. There were two more eggs under Broodie that were chirping (there is nothing more amusing than an seemingly normal egg that chirps) so we brought them in and I helped them hatch. The above picture is of them after I had removed half of the shell.
Here they are just minutes after hatching
Here they are a few hours later. I suspect we will have hatching chicks for the next few days. I hope the rest of them have a better time....it took me an hour to get these guys hatched and doing well.

The day I could have....

2008-09-06T20:48:00.005-06:00

......done without. It started out on the wrong foot to begin with. The girls were into everything. The moment I would turn around to grab something off a counter, Ava would spill a cup on the floor. I spent alot of time being anxious as well, just all the things that are going on right now with Robs gym has been stressful, it just all seemed to pile up on me yesterday.

Then it happened. The day I had hoped to never see. The moment I prayed would never come........

I sobbed as I saw the soft hair I used to run my fingers through when she was a little baby, the hair that I put up into a pony-tail when she was 2....all laying about me in a pile on the floor. To many it probably sounds silly, but it was truly horrible.

I called Rob up crying and he came right home so that I could take her up to the beauty salon to get her very first haircut. They did a pretty good job, as well as could be expected. She now has a very cute bob with layers in the back that the hair dresser assured me would grow out very well.

Truth be told I think she likes her new shorter hair. Sighh!

Today was better!

Rag Quilt

2008-08-28T22:55:00.003-06:00

I found a wonderful tutorial on the most adorable rag quilt. It will be my next adventure. I love the simpleness of it as well as the fact that you do not have to add large backing, which is the hardest part for me when quilting, as it is hard to baste on a basic sewing machine.

Provision

2008-08-28T08:34:00.004-06:00

The world would have you believe that you are in charge of your life and all that you acquire through it. Its YOUR effort, YOUR hard work, YOUR decisions and the things you choose to do or not do that will make you a success. How will you know your a success? Well of course you will have money and many of the best possessions. You will have prestige and be well known among many.

The Word says...... do not worry about what you will eat or drink or ware.....The Lord will provide! It is also very clear that if you do not work you will not eat. To sum it all up, we as believers should work and do our very best to provide what we can, but when times of hardship come along you need to trust that He will provide your basic needs. When you are in specific need, He knows and will work through others to provide for you.

This summer has been a testament to His provision for us. Through the troubles, we have been truly blessed. We have had groceries delivered to our home when Robs business partners would not pay us...when customers did not pay us. Within two months we were owed 8,000 and not one penny did we receive. The Lord saw Robs honesty and his hard work and He sent many to fill in the gap with groceries, I went an entire month without having to purchase food. That was a lean month, but we didn't starve.

His provision is such a comfort. We will have grown out of our car when this little one arrives, and had planned on buying a fourth seat to put in our suburban, as we do not want a car payment and our vehicle is still in great condition. The seat was $800 and we have been trying to save up for it, but do to the above circumstances had not gotten far on that. So what happens?
The Lord placed before us the same exact seat (make, model, color) as our suburban at 1/3 the price. The family who has it will allow us to pay on it as He provides.

We have stepped out in faith with regard to our children and giving Him sovereignty over our fertility, that if we will obey Him and have faith, even when it doesn't look right to us, He will provide!

And, He does!! I am one of the richest people I know. There may not be much money and no named brand shoes; but I have peace, a house full of little precious people, a loving hard working husband, a Father who loves me and a Savior that stood in my place!

Pregnancy Stats

2008-08-24T17:38:00.003-06:00

Its time for pregnancy stats again. You can see the first two here and here.

Date: August 24 2008
24.1 weeks gestation
weight: 180, still no weight gain this month, but remember I started off a bit higher than I should have been. Life these past three months has just not leant itself to weight gain. Busy! Busy!
Pulse: 97
Blood Pressure: 117/83
Fundal height: 24.......right on time.
FHR: 155

All is well and going along nicely. I havent had much discomfort, ahhh but yes....discomfort belongs to the last three months. Baby is moving and seems very healthy! I still am leaning towards a girl. I guess we'll know for sure in about 111 days!

Theres a......

2008-08-18T18:48:00.003-06:00

......new man around the house!

But I'm afraid that those riveting red eyes and that golden tan arent getting him anywhere with these ladies. After all this has been an all girls club for the past two years.

The head mistress, made it very clear to him that he was not wanted, they fought for a few minutes, she won and he went off into the corner. Poor guy! He went from being man of the house having plenty of lady friends to being all alone in his new home.

I'm sure after a few days they will warm up to him....I hope so....I was hoping for baby chicks!

In the Moonlight

2008-08-18T08:31:00.004-06:00

"Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.
Jeremiah 29:5

Pregnancy/Life induced insomnia sent me out into the moonlight last night. I transplanted all the seedlings from the peat pots in to larger cells so that they can continue on growing and getting ready for the garden.

The sound of crickets and the cool breeze were so relaxing! All the broccoli seedlings and a few cabbage are resting happily in their new homes, though there is still much more to finish today.

I pray you all have a blessed week!

Nurturing

2008-08-15T19:55:00.006-06:00

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11

We had a beautiful day....the weather was a lovely 80 degrees and the soil was wet from last nights rain. We took advantage of this pleasantness and worked in the garden, preparing it for the seedlings that are growing stronger each day.

Ava sinking her little chunky hands into the damp soil next to me as we pull out the weeds and grass. Smiling up at me as we worked side by side.

I am blessed!

This and That

2008-08-10T07:40:00.003-06:00

So what else is a pizza cutter good for? Cutting up food for a bunch of little ones! Its quick and Simple!
I have not taken many pictures lately and I surely have not posted pics of Ava like I did of Eve. So in honor of my goofy girl, here are a few. The top one she was laying on my tummy feeling the baby kick her noggin. See how she sucks her arm? I have never seen a child do this before. She started it the day after we stopped nursing, she was 15 months when we stopped.
I could not decide which picture to post they are all so adorable, so I picked many LOL!

I am SOOOOOOOO excited about this next picture. I have wanted/needed a serger for over a year now and I FINALLY have one. It will make sewing clothing so much faster and the finished product will be so much nicer. I sewed up a cover for it the other day and it took me about 5 minutes to sew it, it was great! Thanks to Robyn, whos need for a new wardrobe for her girls made it possible! I will soon be adding clothing back to the website, so stay tuned!

Sweet Childhood

2008-08-04T09:26:00.003-06:00

107 degrees to an adult is dreadful. To a child its an opportunity to fill a bucket with water and enjoy it with a friend. I looked outside my window and saw the heads of Elijah and Eve bobbing around. What a glorious life I've been given!

Blossoms

2008-07-31T06:44:00.002-06:00

Okra Blossoms are some of the prettiest in the garden. They open up at first light and sing to the sky for hours, even in the hot, hot heat of the day! They are a reminder to me that even as the day sinks in and all that entails to look up and smile.

Around the house

2008-07-29T20:11:00.004-06:00

How I went for posting upwards of at least 14 times a month to a meager 6 I just dont know. I think that there is so much to say, that I just dont say anything. Or it could be this heat. Who knows, I do apologize though and I promise to do better!

So what have we been doing lately......

Tuesday thru Friday we painted the library and rearranged it, I like it much better now. The boys got to tear out the old closet in there so that was tones of fun. What boy does not like to beat down walls with a hammer?

106 year old wallpaper, hidden and protected nicely in the closet...your jealous arent you?

We spent most of the day Sunday working on the gym, the whole family up there cleaning and doing what ever little hands can do. We have moved the open date back to September 1st, isnt that the way it is with new businesses, there is always something pushing the open date back.

Monday I held the final summer sewing class at my home. We made cloth dolls and I think everyone has a good time. I enjoyed hosting that this month for our homeschool group moms and their daughters.

Today I spent about 4 hours sewing and will spend a few more this evening once the kids go to bed. I needed to sew some restock of the Extend-A-Bibs, geesh thats time consuming work! I look forward to adding more to my website in the near future. A few things I am working on designing right now are "babies first haircut keepsakes" containers. The other is a clothes pin holder. I know what your thinking. Even if I only ever make one (for myself) it will help out alot. When I hang out clothes I take the clothes pins and pin them in lines down my shirt. Yes....it looks funny, but it works great. I am not reaching into a bag around my neck or walking back and forth a hundred times to the bag hanging on my line, I just reach down and grab a pin, simple. So I want to make something that will allow me to clip the clothes pins to it in that manner and maybe ware it like a side bag. Dont know yet still thinking it through.

Lastly we worked in the garden this evening. I had been ignoring my weeding and hoping that the weeds would not grow in 104 degree weather....silly me! So all the kids came out to help. The pictures are cute, they look like they are just working happily, but in the spirit of keeping it real I heard more complaining in that 20 minutes to last me a while. I finally told them that for each complaint I heard they would work an additional 5 minutes...lets just say that did the trick.

Pregnancy Stats

2008-07-25T12:03:00.003-06:00

Its already been a month sense my last stats post. So here are the new numbers.

Date: July 25, 2008
19.6 weeks Half way there!!!
Weight: 179 down a pound from a month ago. This does not concern me because I started out this pregnancy already about 15 pounds over my normal and I have never weighed more than 195 at the time of birth so, I am watching what I eat and keeping the weight off.
pulse: 93
Blood Pressure: 106/71
Fundal height: 20 centimeters (20 weeks)
FHR (fetal heart rate) 155

Everything is still right on track and doing well. I cant wait to meet this new little person. I am putting my money on another girl, I just have a feeling. I had said I wanted 5 boys and then 5 girls in that order, maybe He heard me.

He is good!

2008-07-21T22:04:00.002-06:00

I have been meaning to post for a few days now and just haven't made it here. Our prayers were answered!! Rob had a bid accepted on Thursday and we were able to put enough money in the bank to cover our bills for June and July!!!! Isn't that awesome?

I want to thank you all so much for your sweet words and many prayers! He has heard and He is good!

Rob is still working away on the gym and should have it open in a few weeks, its still iffy that he can have it ready by August 1st, but we'll see. He has other businesses counting on him to have it ready, as they will be subletting space from us and have canceled there leases with their current leasees. Prayers would be appreciated for Rob. He will be working the construction company 9-5 and heading to the gym in the evenings to work. Funding is still needed and is another opportunity for prayer.

I hope that things will get back to "normal" around here soon and I can start posting about non eventful things like school and gardening...you know, the fun stuff!

Worry....

2008-07-16T09:13:00.002-06:00

....is an interesting thing. Usually when I am worried about something my heart will beat faster and I will feel very anxious. I thought I was handling this trial without worrying. Funny thing is its surfacing in different ways. Although my spirit doesnt "feel" worried my body seems to be reacting all on its own. I cant sleep at night. I lay there starring at the ceiling and watching the clock. Two nights ago I succumbed to my insomnia and decided to do some sewing. Today I have this rash on my arm and I cant remember ever having a rash.

Today though I "feel" worried mostly because we are hitting our deadlines on a few bills, namely our mortgage. We have to have it paid by Friday. Even though there is the promise of money in the next few days, I am having a hard time believing it. Rob has had two bids put in and both we were told we had, then poof there gone. So I'm a little gun shy at this point. Rob is putting his motorcycle up for sale today, he was supposed to do it two weeks ago...but again we had a promise of money and I think he was hoping he wouldnt have to sell his bike.

We have been so blessed with the little things, food, money to pay smaller bills as they have come up. I see His work all around me...now we need His Miracle!

Mail man just left and there was no check....I think panic is starting to set in.

I'm still alive

2008-07-10T09:52:00.002-06:00

Its been a week sense I have posted anything, sorry about that. We are still hanging on and still waiting. Ethan's birthday was fun, thanks to a lovely lady that anonymously stopped by my home the day before his birthday and dropped off a walmart card for us to specifically use for Ethan and any extras we needed. Isn't that beautiful! Thank You So Much!!

I have to tell you its been a very special time and a time of heartache these past few weeks. Folks that I don't even know have pitched in to help pay this bill or buy some groceries. My sister in law whom we really never spoke with a whole lot until these past few months, has come over the past two weekends (she lives an hour away) and takes me to buy milk and bread and cheese. What a blessing! My dear friends father whom I had never met, showed up at my door with the money to pay my utilities bill last month. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about the love and support that has been given to us. So whats the sad part you ask? Well, lets just say that in times of trouble you know very quickly who has your back and for us its not who we thought. So I want to thank all of you who have helped us and prayed for us, you are greatly appreciated and loved! We are still not out of the woods but we serve a Glorious King and I trust Him!

VBAC Triplet Birth at Home

2008-07-02T11:27:00.004-06:00

The medical community has woman so scared of their bodies and giving birth that its no wonder woman either put it off all together or stop at one or two. I was watching the new show Deliver Me on Discovery Health last night and it was awful. So far I have seen only one woman give birth without having a C-section, it was really quite alarming watching how much fear these Dr's put into the minds of the woman under their care.

Then I came across this beautiful story of a mom who delivered triplets (thought to be twins) at home, a full seven days after her due date, all average singleton weights. Enjoy!!

By A. Midwife
Here is the story of Eleanor and her triplets. I was her midwife and have been inclined to be pretty quiet about it for a couple of reasons: 1) what I am doing in this town is clearly illegal, and I don't want to draw attention to it, and 2) although it may not seem so from this story, I think of myself as a relatively cautious midwife and don't want to encourage other to do high risk births lightly.When I first started seeing Eleanor, she seemed quite low risk to me. She's a healthy, active woman, and she and her husband seem very solid and reliable. Her first child had been born by C-section after a positive herpes culture at term. I don't encourage VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) home births, but will help with them if the parents are very clear about their decision. With a healthy mom, I don't think there's any significantly increased risk after one lower segment transverse C-section, but there is no medical backup available. Obstetricians here treat VBACs as a "trial of labor" and do a repeat C-section as soon as the mother varies even slightly from textbook "normal." Family practice doctors are not even allowed to deliver VBACs at the local hospital. It looks to me that the odds of actually having a vaginal birth after a C-section with local obstetricians are not all that good.

Early in pregnancy, I thought Eleanor's dates were wrong because of how big she was getting. By 25 weeks we were sure it couldn't just be an earlier baby--she was growing so fast her belly looked like 32 weeks, but her arms and legs were still thin. So, Eleanor and Gary, her husband, and I talked for a long time. I told them I had never caught twins before and wasn't entirely comfortable with the combination of VBAC and twins. I had helped with unexpected breeches often enough that it wasn't the chance of one being in there butt first that worried me. As we talked and gathered information, we realized that no local obstetrician was likely to allow her to even attempt to have the babies vaginally. The standard treatment for twins in a mother with a previous cesarean (locally) is repeat C-section at 38 weeks (so the uterus doesn't grow too big and rupture).So I agreed to help them do their prenatal care and see what things felt like when she got closer to term. I didn't feel right sending her off for a lot of obstetric technology she didn't want and a C-section she didn't need, so we started looking for ways to make it feel safe at home.

First, we discussed adding even more protein and calories to her already excellent diet. I gave her The Brewer Medical Diet for Normal and High Risk Pregnancy, which she read and followed. Then we decided to ask the other local midwife to help, so we'd have two experienced people at the birth. Later we decided to call another ex-midwife we knew out of retirement so that we were sure we'd have plenty of minds and hands for whatever developed.We all studied what we could find about twins. After reading one book, Gary asked if I thought there could be more than two. I thought it was a joke: triplets are pretty rare [outside IVF], and by that time, I could clearly feel two babies and hear two heartbeats. I told him an ultrasound might show, but they didn't want one and I really didn't take the possibility of more than two babies very seriously. We all watched the Farm video of a twin birth. It seemed a bit more conservative than we were being. I wished we had a nice out of hospital birthing center staffed by midwives. But since Eleanor had Gary couldn't travel for the birth, it seemed our choices were either home or the whole technological obstetrical scene. I began to feel more certain that we were doing best by choosing home.

Eleanor's belly grew enormous! At almost every visit, we would marvel at how big she was getting and tell her to eat even more, because her arms and legs were still very thin. The two babies we could feel and hear were obviously active and healthy. One was head down, with the head nicely in the pelvis and that baby was obviously coming first. Another, very active baby was head up, in front and a little to one side of the other one. Both babies felt big, so we guessed she was going to have 8 1/2 to 9 lb. twins.In her last month, Eleanor's blood pressure stared to creep up, and she was spilling a little bit of protein in her urine. We visited her at home and found her blood pressure was normal lying on her side, and her reflexes were all normal. We sent a 24 hour urine test to a local lab, which came back all right. We advised her that she spend most of her time lying on her side, getting 200 grams of protein a day, and eating almost constantly. We visited every other day and always found Eleanor's blood pressure all right. Her husband took off from work the last few weeks and spent all his time feeding her*.

Eleanor called me at 1:00 am, one week after her due date*. She wasn't sure it was labor and wanted me to come over and check before calling out the entire crew. She hadn't timed contractions yet and could still talk through them, but they'd been intensifying for about one hour. When I got there (about half an hour later), two babies' heart tones sounded good, Eleanor's blood pressure was normal lying on her side, and her cervix was 6-7 cm, completely effaced, with the water bag bulging. Contractions were harder, and she breathed with them. It didn't seem like there was any need to get her up to make things go faster, so she stayed in bed, except when she had to pee. She had had her third dinner at about 11:00 pm and was drinking tea with honey. I called the other midwives.

The babies and Eleanor continued to do well as contractions intensified. She started to feel an urge to push around 3:00 am, and we were glad to see the rest of the crew arrive. She was completely dilated with the head in occiput posterior position. A half hour or so of pushes and the head rotated, the water bag broke and the baby came down slowly. A healthy, nice-sized baby boy was born just before 4:00 a.m. (we made up exact times later). He was alert, with an Apgar of 10. I cut the cord and checked for the presentation of the next baby. One of the other midwives was taking care of the first baby, who was calmly looking around. The second baby was confusing; I thought I could feel both head and feet up pretty high through intact membranes. But as I checked, the head started coming down and a baby girl just squirted out, with the membranes breaking as her shoulders emerged. I cleaned the fluid off her face, and she breathed and turned pink and looked at me, obviously fine--another Apgar 10.

I was a little behind Eleanor, and her friend, who was holding up her leg, obstructed my view of her belly. After the second term size baby came out, Eleanor said her belly was still big. She was looking at her babies. I didn't realize right away how big and thought about blood collecting from a detached placenta. Then she bled about a quarter of a cup of blood all at once. I put on clean gloves to reach in and see what was going on and felt a foot way up high. I told Eleanor and Gary there was another one and asked Eleanor to feel her belly and be sure it felt longitudinal. It did. I pulled the foot down gently (still in bag) and found the other foot and brought that down. My partner couldn't find fetal heart tones, so I reached in (the baby was face up), turned her to face down and brought her bottom down to the perineum (feet out). Then a 7 lb. girl was born with Eleanor pushing and my partner putting pressure on the head to keep it flexed and me freeing the arms all at once. She was a little depressed, with a good strong heartbeat, starting to breathe, but a little pale and floppy. I handed her to my partner with instructions to get her going (instructions weren't needed). A little stimulation got her pinked up within a minute and crying and active by five minutes.

Eleanor was bleeding, so I worked with the cords while she pushed and got out one single and two stuck together placentas. Bimanual compression of the uterus and 2 amps pitocin, IM, stopped the bleeding before she had lost enough to bother her. With all the fluid and blood and meconium all over everything, it was hard to tell exactly how much she bled, but she felt fine when she sat up.There was a small, first degree midline tear.

All three babies nursed within the first hour. When we finally settled down enough to weigh them: the first boy, 6 lb. 7 oz.; the first girl, 6 lb. 14 oz.; and the second girl, 7 lb.Eleanor had a little trouble peeing right at first, which cleared up within a few hours after birth. She also had trouble getting her balance to walk for a week or so, because her skin was so loose that her belly swung around back and forth when she moved, which felt weird.Four months later, all three kids are still alert and obviously healthy. They are entirely breastfed and are growing and developing better than average.

Is that a light I see....

2008-07-01T09:05:00.002-06:00

....at the end of this tunnel? Well of course it is, tunnels just don't go on forever, do they?.We finally received a phone call from the person who owes our company money. This is a huge step sense we have been trying to contact him for two weeks. He has said that he will have our money for us this week. PRAISE THE LORD!

In all fairness to my already tired and emotionally drained psyche I am not holding my breath or jumping up and down, but its a positive step in our favor. Rob also was given the opportunity yesterday to do some remodel work in a building down town, it will be two blocks from our home instead of the usual 1 1/2 hour drive to and from. What a blessing. If these two money sources do not fall through then he will be able to finish the Gym on time and our Grand Opening will still be August 1st. He will also be able to postpone taking any jobs for August and focus completely on ironing out the kinks at Combat Sports and Fitness.

Thank you for all your prayers, they must be reaching the Heavens. Please continue as we are not out of the tunnel just yet.

Homemade Birthday

2008-06-29T17:53:00.002-06:00

Ethan turns 7 on July 3rd. So I made him this Space boy cloth action figure and I am still working on the Robot that goes with him. Rob thinks its pretty neat but has a feeling that Ethan is going to be a bit disappointed. He may be right. It seems that the last two birthday celebrators made out rather well gift wise. I feel bad but there is really nothing more I can do. His is lucky that I had this material already on hand.

Lets just say things have been tight around here for the past 6 weeks. Rob did a bathroom remodel for someone we knew in June. They are and have been for the past 2 weeks ignoring/running from and dodging us completely. They owe us $6,000 dollars and we haven't seen one penny. Its looking rather dim that we will be paid for this job and will have to place a lien against the home, problem is we are broke. I haven't paid the bills for June and yes its almost July. My friend paid our electric/water bill earlier this month so it would not be turned. off.

Its been really hard going through this. We have never dealt with someone who would not pay. It was a set up from the beginning and we realize now he never intended to pay us. We do have a contract to back us up but the truth of the matter is it will cost a few hundred dollars to file the judgments and then time, both of which we just don't have. Thank the Lord we planted a garden this year because that has been keeping us fed as well as eggs from the chickens. We have tried to take meals from 3 down to 2 a day, eating breakfast at 9:30 and eating Linner or Dunch (whatever you want to call it) at around 3:30. This works for the most part, its amazing what kids will eat when they are hungry ;-)

Any way, not here to cry on your shoulder just wanted to tell you that if I suddenly disappear from Internet land for a while its because my phone has been shut off. Life sometimes throws hardball's and we are on the receiving end this time. All I know is He is in control. If you feel led to pray for us and for this to be resolved rather quickly, please do.

Garden

2008-06-27T17:59:00.002-06:00

I can not wait to bite into these babies! We will have about 4 ready in a week to pull off and eat. The rest are in various sizes/stages of growth and will provide us with Cantaloupe through out the summer.

Todays harvest. I planted way to many sweet peppers this spring, they are coming out of my ears. I will dry half of them and freeze the rest. There is a beetle critter getting to my tomatoes, so I pulled a few to see how well they will ripen on the vine in my window seal. The green beans should be ready to pick in about a week as well. I am ready for something new to harvest!

Everything

2008-06-26T17:12:00.003-06:00

Lord I'm tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I'm so alone
And Lord the dark Is creeping in
Creeping up To swallow me
I think I'll stop
Rest here a while

And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give, thats my everything.

And didn't You see me cry'n?
And didn't You hear me call Your name?
Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You'd remember Where you sat it down

And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
And this is all that I can say right now, I know its not much
And this is all that I can give, thats my everything!

I didn't notice You were standing here
I didn't know that That was You holding me
I didn't notice You were cry'n too
I didn't know that That was You washing my feet

And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
And this is all that I can say right now, I know its not much
And this is all that I can give, thats my everything!

....thats my everything!

David Crowder Band "All I can Say"

This song is so very special to me. I'll never forget the time my Sweet Savior spoke to me so clearly. I have always believed in God, but due to my childhood/teenage years I was mostly just angry with Him. I was baptised when I was 23 and began my journey with Him.

I had alot of issues to deal with though, my mother leaving me as an infant, abuse, molestation, a step mother who loathed me as a young girl, so much loneliness. One day as my two children where sleeping and I was all alone on the couch reading scripture, I became so overwhelmed with emotion, so much grief and sadness. I asked Him flat out "why me, why did you allow all of that to happen to me?"

I will never forget His response. It was a clear, hot summer day. As I sat there I heard rain begin to poor down as hard as it could poor, and He said to me, as clear as day, " Everytime you cried, I was crying with you!" Then as quickly as it came the rain stopped. I forgave Him that day and everyone that had ever hurt me, it was all washed away.

I learned so much about Him in those few moments, His sweetness, His Love...so pure.

Pregnancy Stats

2008-06-26T08:39:00.003-06:00

I said I would keep a running log of my prenatal care record, so here is the first official entry.

Date: June 25,2008
Weeks gestation: 15.5
Weight : 180, ya I know this is not good, I am working on it not raising much higher.
Pulse: 90....my resting pulse has always been really high, does any one else have that?
BP: 122/68....great BP though, I have never had a BP issue, Praise the Lord!
FHR (fetal heart rate): 166 a nice strong heart beat.
Fundal Height: 16cm, measuring right on schedule, so we can pretty safely rule out twins!

There you have it, so far everything is wonderful. I usually dont start checking my urine until I am about 25 weeks. The nausea is pretty much all but gone. Still super exhausted though and need my hour long nap around 1:00. I have started riding my stationary bike 30 minutes a day to build up my cardio.

Indigestion abounds with this little one. I had a salad last night for dinner and afterwards had horrible indigestion, from salad....go figure. I still feel like I have to force my self to do anything, I just have no desire to get up and do anything....kinda like I am living in a fog. So everything that gets done is because I forced myself to do it. I hope it lifts soon!

Giveaway!

2008-06-23T10:31:00.002-06:00

Kelly at Hearts for Family is hosting a wonderful Vision Forum giveaway. You can read all about it here. Go on over and take a look at the fabulous prize!

Encouragment?

2008-06-22T18:33:00.006-06:00

I often come across posts on the blogs I frequent that talk about their children and how they welcome them as the Father gives them. These folks are just excited about what The Lord does in their lives and love sharing it with others. Yet it never fails that someone gets defensive and throws out accusations of said blogger pushing this way of life down other peoples throats. Although that never really is the case.

Lets say you are a Dr of some sort and you LOVE your profession. You often talk to others about how wonderful your life is, all the exciting things you did that day...and how you feel its one of the best jobs in the world.

Many would probably agree with you and commend you for your dedication and hard work.

I'm not sure anyone would say " well thats great for you, but I just dont see why you have to force it down peoples throats, I could never do that. Its each individuals choice as to what they become".......you get my point?

Why cant people just be happy for you? Why do they think its always about them? I may feel it is the best way for my family and enjoy sharing those thoughts with others, but that in no way means I am saying you must follow in my footsteps or you are wrong.

Another Birthday

2008-06-20T11:06:00.002-06:00

Its birthday Season around here. Two weeks ago Eve turned 3. Yesterday it was Jordans turn to become another year older (11 to be exact) and two weeks from now we will have another to celebrate.

During these two months it becomes all to clear to me how quickly time goes by. I wish I could say I have used all these years wisely, but I have missed the mark on many occasions.

Every day is a new day, a new beginning. Another chance to sit and read to them, to have silly conversations, to talk about the wonders of our Creator and His Creation. Every day is a gift!

I have the best job in the world. There is no other occupation more rewarding than being a mother. Its not just a dish washer, laundry folder, floor sweeping job. Its a boo boo kissing, heart shaping, big squishy hugs job. Talk about employee benefits.......eternal benefits!

Casualties

2008-06-13T19:19:00.003-06:00

If I have learned anything through gardening, its that there are going to be casualties and more than you would prefer. So far I have lost my row of peas due to the heat (planting them too late). I lost my black eyed peas and black beans because of bugs. You learn though as you go along.

I learned that I need to plant the beans after my other plants have become established, because at that point you will have a nice family of Lady Bugs to eat those pesky bean eating bugs. So I will plant them next week and see if they do any better.

I have learned that gardens will not be safe if you have animals or children, even if you have it fenced off. I planted four rows of corn yesterday, yes late but corn is a fast maturing crop and if you live in an area with a long growing season you can pull it off. I go out this evening to "tuck in" my garden and read it a bed time story, OK kidding about the bedtime story......and I find that feet have visited the freshly planted corn.

If my tracking skills serve me correctly this little animal must be freshly 3 with pig tails and a deep love for freshly mound dirt. Luckily I still have enough seeds to replant them and she is now very aware that she is to stay off of the corn rows, all four of them.

Another tip that I have observed these past few days is that a pristinely weeded and clean garden may not be the best scenario for establishing a healthy bug environment. Those good bugs like lady bugs and spiders need pollen from flowers (i.e. some weeds) they also need the cover from surrounding grass, weeds, plants to lay eggs and hide out from the heat.

What I have been doing is allowing the grass to grow in the walkways of my rows, this has helped alot. Our lady bugs are flourishing and working hard for us. I have lots of little spiders that catch flies and gnats. I have really enjoyed watching the echo system of this garden.

Around the garden

2008-06-10T08:35:00.004-06:00

Acorn Squash

Yellow Squash
Grape Vine
Onions
Bell Peppers
Zuccinni
Tomatoes
Todays Harvest
Cantalope
Okra
Cabbage

We have had some rain over the past two days and the weeds have taken off, but so have the plants. I Love walking out there every morning to see what The Lord has for us. Today it was squash and zuccinni.

Conversations with Eve

2008-06-06T20:25:00.005-06:00

As we sit in the garden watching the lightening bugs dance around our heads......

Eve "mom, wheres the moon....wheres the cheese?"

Mom "I dont know maybe its still sleeping"

Eve "Its mommy needs to wake it up"

.....running off to catch fire flies.......

Eve "mom, I found it, theres the moon! I'll share it with you, do you want some cheese?"

T-Shirt Link

2008-06-04T18:13:00.001-06:00

Some have asked for the "birth control is for sissies" T-shirt link, so here it is!

Happy Birthday!

2008-06-04T06:46:00.004-06:00

Today you are 3. Happy Birthday my dear. I couldn't begin to even relay the things you have brought into our home. Theres the obvious pink ruffles and bows, but you have brought so much more! I love your sweet kisses on my cheek and the way you cuddle with me on the couch during nap time. I love how you want to help me with dishes. Oh, how you watch my every move.

"Whats your name?" you will ask me......"Audrey Joanna", I reply
"Whats my name?" you ask smiling...."Audrey Eve" I say. Then we giggle together.

I love you, sweet Eve, more than you will ever understand! Happy Birthday!

My Crazy Summer Sale!

2008-06-03T12:27:00.004-06:00

I wanted to start the summer off with a crazy sale. For the next 10 days you can take 25% off of The Extend-A-Bibs (thats a 3$ savings) All Fancy Shmancy Bows and Ensey Tensey Clips as well as all bow holders. Use coupon code BLOG. Sale ends June 13th at midnight.

Extend-A-Bibs

Flutter Bye Bows

Fancy Shmancy Bows

Encey Tensey Hair Bows

Youve got to be.....

2008-05-30T11:21:00.002-06:00

....kidding me!! Wheather you agree with the FLDS or not on there religious beliefs and practices, what we should all be able to agree on is that the way this went down was wrong on so many levels. So much so that the courts said "give the children back"

Now, I read this:

AUSTIN -- With the price tag of providing care for more than 400 children seized last month from a polygamist ranch in West Texas expected to reach the tens of millions of dollars, a legislative panel suggested Tuesday that the state explore garnisheeing the religious organization's assets to recoup the costs.

"That compound didn't grow out of fairy dust," Sen. Robert Deuell, R-Greenville, said after a Senate Finance Committee hearing in which he urged state health officials to determine whether members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or even the sect as a whole, should be held responsible for the cost of care. "Why should we be footing the bill when they've got assets?"

Really are they serious? It takes alot to shock me these days, but I must say I am shocked. You can read the rest of the article here.

How does your garden grow?

2008-05-29T12:50:00.002-06:00

We had some great rains the past few days, but with rains come lots of weeds and grass. So my goal was to spend about an hour or so out this morning weeding. It was supposed to be super hot today, but my wonderful Father kept the sun at bay and the temperatures down, what a gift that was! So what are we growing?

a variety of tomatoes
bell peppers
acorn squash
yellow squash
zucchini
peas
green beans
red onions
yellow onions
okra
cabbage
cantaloupe
lettuce

I had black eyed peas and black beans growing but I had to pull them out because apparently they attract some pretty fears bugs. I will grow them later in a plot by themselves. We should have yellow squash abound in about 10 days. Let me tell ya gardening is hard work. I know I keep saying that, but its true. What I realized is we have become a people who stand or sit in most everything we do. Squatting and being bent over is a whole other set of muscles. I come in after an hour of working out there and I am so sore. I know Here's a few pics, its hard to get the whole garden in so its just portions.

I saw this tee shirt on a website that sells maternity shirts with sayings. I loved this one! Its kinda a running joke between my two oldest and myself. In an episode of SpongeBob they are visiting Sandy for the first time in her waterless bubble and while they are sitting in there trying to ignore the fact that they needed water, Spongebob says "we don't need water, waters for sissies" trust me it was funny. So when I saw this shirt it cracked me up.

My Girls

2008-05-28T09:01:00.004-06:00

Playing with photos is alot of fun. I like to enhance eyes and age photos, these are two of my favorites!

Summer Fun

2008-05-28T08:44:00.003-06:00

These were from a couple of years ago. They were playing in the field across the street. It was a beautiful day and perfect for flying a kite! I adore the expressions on their faces.

Its all uphill from here

2008-05-27T07:43:00.004-06:00

You know that when you open the door to that nursery and see your little one diaperless and finger painting with her morning offerings that it really is all up hill from here. Now some might say "what a horrible start to the day" I prefer to swim for my life in a glass half full!

This day can only keep getting better, yes indeed!!!

Edited 30 minutes later:
So, hubby just called to let me know that he got a ticket this morning because our son who was going to work with him today was wearing the shoulder part of the seatbelt behind his back and for not having insurance (which we have, I just hadnt given him the new card yet, the old card was only about 10 days expired) So he assentially just got a ticket for not having insurnace that we have and for my son not wearing a seatbelt that he had on?

Its all uphill from here, right?

This & That

2008-05-23T10:47:00.002-06:00

Devon was switching laundry from washer to dryer when I turned around from the sink and no longer saw Ava standing there...this is what I found. She is the biggest goofball around, always doing silly stuff. I weaned her last week because she was only nursing every couple of days and I was tired of being sore all the time. Well, I guess she is missing it because she started crawling up in my lap and sucking on her forearm. She is giving herself hickeys all up her arm.

We have squash and zuchinni peeking out! I love watching things grow!
This was a coy pond that you can burry in your yard and put fish in, my neighbor gave it to me when she moved. I turned it into a lettuce container garden. In a few weeks we should have lots of fresh lettuce at the table.

10 wks & 5 days

2008-05-22T06:30:00.003-06:00

Boy time is flying by. I found this great website that has a sono of a baby at this stage. That little kiddo is a regular jumping bean....I love it!

"The brain will continue to grow at an amazing rate and nearly a quarter of a million new neurons are produced every minute! The embryonic heart is completely developed."

Miraculous? Why yes indeed!

Finding Pleasentness

2008-05-20T16:24:00.002-06:00

I find myself these days searching for things that are pleasant, trying to focus on something other than feeling horrible. There is nothing worse than standing over cooking meat preparing dinner for your family, when you are white as a sheet.

This has to be the hardest part for me the first 3 months. It seems that without much effort life can come to a grinding halt during this time. I have to force myself to even walk across a room sometimes. Along with the icks my brain shuts down...as I sit here my eyes wish they could shut tight not to open again for 3 more weeks.

I know I'm pouting, I have to pout to keep from falling asleep though ;-) Sorry for being so sporadic in my blogging lately. I am spending quite a bit of time in the garden....they are alot of work, aren't they? Things are growing well, so its worth all the work!

Its getting pretty warm here, it was 98 two days ago....which is the reason I am sitting here typing this out. This is the only room with the air on today (trying to save money) so I am in here cooling down, wishing Franky hadn't torn up the couch that used to be in here, now that would be lovely a nap on a cushy couch right in front of the air. Ahhh......see pleasantries, I found some!

Still Surprised

2008-05-15T09:18:00.002-06:00

Its not new news that the Duggars are expecting again, it was announced on Mothers Day that she will be having baby 18(19) on January 1st 09. What I thought was cute was how her children still get excited...some even shocked at the news of a new baby coming. Very Cute! Another interesting fact, Michelle Duggar drinks two pots of coffee a day? Wow, and I felt guilty with drinking my one cup once or twice a week LOL.

You can see the announcement here and another here.

UC Home Birth and stuff

2008-05-14T07:20:00.004-06:00

Wow, its been a weird couple of weeks for me. I think my hormones have really done a work over on my state of mind. I'll be very translucent here and say I have been having a hard time getting excited about this pregnancy. Just a feeling of blah has been over me this whole time. All I can figure is it has to be hormones because if you know me even a little bit you know that I LOVE babies and LOVE having them. I am sure it will pass soon.

Some have asked about being my own care giver during pregnancy and what that looks like. I'll give you a short history. My first 4 children where born in a hospital, the last two with a fabulous Dr whom I adored. BUT, I always left the hospital with baby in arms feeling like a protocol like another one through the cattle gates and out the door. I was never fulfilled or happy with my experience. I just knew that it had to be easier than that, that surly babies didn't require all that to make it into this world safe.

I have been studying midwifery for over 3 years now, just as a passion of mine. One day when my children are grown I will put my knowledge into practice with others but for now I use it for myself and a few close friends. I marvel at the miracle of the birthing process, our Creator is truly Awesome. A woman's body in unison with her and our Father can deliver a baby beautifully with very little to no assistance.

So upon being pregnant with my 5th baby we lived in an area of CO that was pretty remote and I decided it was my time, we would do this with no outside help. He was born healthy, my biggest yet at 9 pounds and 22 inches in less than 45 minutes. It was my easiest birth, it finally felt "right" for me. The last two have been also home births and both were super quick and easy with labor and delivery on both lasting less than 3 hours.

So how do I know throughout pregnancy that baby is OK? Well. lets start with what we can control and monitor. Many things you can do yourself. After 12 weeks you can pretty much (not always) assume that you are past any place where you might loose the baby. So the first 12 weeks are spent resting, eating well, and praying for baby. Nothing else is needed. After 12 weeks you can begin to keep a journal of your pregnancy. Begin measuring your fundal height and do it regularly to keep an on going tally. Use this tool as a "common sense" guide. If you are 25 weeks and measuring 33 weeks than perhaps you are carrying twins, maybe you are way off on your due date. If you are measuring that large and rarely feel the baby move, you may have to much amnio fluid. Etc, Etc.

Purchase urine sticks. This will help you to chart any problems or lack thereof just as the Dr office would do. A doppler can be rented or purchased. This will be my first year to use a doppler and I am excited about it. Seeings how this is number 8 I wanted a little bit more control over monitoring this pregnancy and a doppler just feels right. I can monitor babies heart throughout pregnancy and delivery. Check your blood presure at least once a month at the grocery store if you dont have a BP monitor.

Common sense and prayer/listening are the key. We live in a knowledge NOW society. Sometimes just waiting out something and listening to your body and trusting The Lord are the answers. Here's an example, I have a friend and we are due at the same time. She has been super sick with sinus and stuff for a few weeks, she went in to get antibiotics and should be fine shortly. But, she began bleeding a few days ago...not alot but enough for her to be sent to bed and wait it out for the rest of the week. If her bleeding gets heavier, then she is probably loosing the baby, but I think she just needs rest due to all the sickness and coughing etc. She will wait it out for the next few days and watch her body to know what is happening with her. She could run to the Dr and have them poke and prod her to give her an answer or she can wait out the week and let her body give her the answer.

Please don't get me wrong, Dr's are important. There are some cases where it is a must to be under Dr care and if that's the case then so be it. Safety of mom and baby is key. Common Sense comes into play when you know something is absolutely wrong and you seek a physicians help. Its a fine line of not jumping to conclusions and worrying over every little thing and knowing when you need help. Listening to our bodies and our Lord will give us that knowledge.

So there you have it, nothing stellar ;-) I will keep my pregnancy journal on the blog as I take stats and asses each month. So you can get a feel of what it looks like played out. One thing notable this time around is I have already felt the baby move. Last night and the night before I was sleeping on my stomach and could feel pouncing around. It was very strange in deed. Hmmm..... wonder what that could mean? LOL

Take me......

2008-05-12T19:26:00.004-06:00

.....and pull me through.
Cause I can’t move without You.
I won’t leave you alone, You say.
It will be ok.

Its not all roses and cherry pie, is it? Often life requires that you step out of yourself completely and just let Him pull you through.

........my heals can sometimes leave deep trenches in the sand.

I close my eyes and sing ...."I wont leave you alone, You say.......

......it will be OK......

.....Great is Your glory as You go before me!

This and That

2008-05-09T11:48:00.005-06:00

We are all feeling better now and I am almost completely well. Still feel a bit queasy from early pregnancy but its totally manageable. I am really more in a fog than anything, just like my brain is in a daze half the time. But at least I am not on the couch unable to do anything. Due to these oh so familiar symptoms of feeling like a "lazy summer day" I am going out on a limb here at 8 weeks and 6 days to forecast a boy is on its way.

The garden has really grown this past week. We have added (yes even while I was feverish I was out gardening) 5 more rows of veges. If the birds will leave it alone we should have a great harvest.

I finally figured out the problem with my camera software and can now upload pictures once again. So I'll share a few now.

9 chickens + 7 days = 43 eggs! They've been busy girls.

I had to take this picture the other day, aren't those boys cute!

My new favorite thing, 10 grain cereal.

170 pounds and he still has to sleep with a stuffed animal.

Have a great weekend!!

Money Exchange

2008-05-09T08:03:00.002-06:00

I have seen this around blogland for a few weeks and being the slow to jump in person that I am, it has taken me this long to claim my 25$. Its easy though, you just open an account with them (they are like PayPal) and they will start you out with 25$. FREE MONEY....that happens almost never!

If you refer other you can receive 10$. I heard it through the grape vine that Crystal Pain from Biblical Womanhood, actually made $500 in referrals. Not bad!

So if you are interested head on over there and open up your account and get that 25$, you have until May 15th before the offer ends though....so hurry up!

Sick

2008-05-05T14:21:00.003-06:00

Sickness has come to our home. Last week the 4 little ones got sick, then the next two oldest came down with it and now it is my turn. So far the only ones spared are Rob and Devon. I feel like I have bronchitis. So needless to say I am tired and taking it easy. The morning sickness has subsided rather quickly I only had a few days of feeling bad.....we'll just have to see if it returns.

Due Date

2008-04-29T08:17:00.002-06:00

Some have asked when I am due. My handy pregnancy wheel says December 14th 2008. We dont have a Dec. baby yet so we are excited to have a new month on the Birthday list.

I need to order a new fetal dopplar and a few other things, I love being my own caregiver...who knows you better than, well.....you ;-)

I know.....

2008-04-28T11:55:00.002-06:00

.....whenceforth it got its name. You have to sit "en" the middle of it and "Gard" it.

Feeling Green

2008-04-28T07:35:00.002-06:00

Thank you Father for this morning sickness, for it means a new life grows within!!

Well, I was waiting for it....the yucks. They have arrived, although not as bad as they could be. I tried the bean cure and well, as much as I would have liked for it to work, it really doesn't. It works for a few minutes then your back to feeling bad. The sheer amount of beans I would have to eat in order to keep the yucks at bay would be more than I could stomach.

I am a bit foggy brained too. So if I make no sense its the hormones talking ;-)

I wanted to let everyone know that the Dress Kits are ready. My camera is not working for me to retake pics of the fabric and upload them right now. I hope to have it fixed in the next few days so that I can get them listed here and in the store. The cost will be $17.00 (postage paid). If you want to go ahead and order using the fabric I have listed here go right ahead. Some of those fabrics have been spoken for, so ask me and I'll let you know if they are still available.

Oh, I almost forgot....Ava's Dr appointment went fine and her bump is nothing serious. It apparently is where a piece of fat breaks off of the bodies fat layer and lodges somewhere its not supposed to be. I forget the medical term. It should dissolve on its own. Thanks for your prayers!

Because.....

2008-04-23T12:21:00.004-06:00

....the one thing that keeps me up at night is having a brand new paint color just sitting, waiting for me to put it on the walls so I can say, "geesh, I don't think I like it"

I was supposed to be taking it easy today so that my back will heal, but I am feeling a bit better and that darn 5 gallon bucket yelled at me every time I passed by it.

I don't think I like it, it is way to yellow for my taste. I am notorious for picking out a color, loving it on the swatch and committing to 5 gallons (because our rooms are big and its cheaper to buy 5 gallons instead of 3) then hating it when I get it in the wall.

My problem is the trim. It is very dark, original wood. I don't want to paint it because I could not imagine having to clean white and I love how the dark hides all the finger prints and nicks that come with many mud/peanut butter covered boys. Everything looks different up against dark wood as opposed to white trim. The color is Sugar Cookie, but on the wall it looks much yellower (thats Texan for more yellow ;-). I intended to also use this color in the library, maybe it'll grow on me, well, honestly it will have to grow on me.

If you had dark trim what colors would you choose?

Garden Woes

2008-04-21T10:17:00.003-06:00

(not my garden...but inspirational indeed!)

How one ever survived before the advent of grocery stores is a real mystery to me. As I strolled outside this morning to look at the bountiful harvest a growin, I see that Maverick (the dog I will pay someone to take) had made a bed in my lettuce box. Its a big plastic coy pond that I turned into a planter for my lettuce because I naively thought it would be high enough off the ground that chickens would stay out of it, and they do....but apparently it makes a great dog bed. So much for all my little lettuce sprouts. I replanted them covered it with chicken wire and am hoping for the best.

Not all is lost...I think to myself. At least the main garden is fenced. I walk off into that direction and hoist my leg over the fence, which sends shock waves up and down my back....but I press on because to see the garden growing will bring me much happiness. I glance down with joy as I see that the beans and squash are starting to pop through the ground, I was worried that they weren't going to come up as it has been over a week sense I planted them. Walking along I smile at progress and hard work paying off.

Blinking a few times just thinking that my eyes haven't focused in just yet, I wonder where are my tomato plants? WHERE ARE MY TOMATO PLANTS!!!!???? The first 8 in the row are gone...or more accurately had their leaves plucked off all the way down to the ground. It happened between yesterday midday and this morning. Last I checked the smaller kids couldn't get over the fence without help and the older ones know better. I'll never know who the real perpetrator was. All I know is that its a good thing that the grocery store is around the corner. Sigh

A force to be......

2008-04-21T08:53:00.003-06:00

.......reckoned with! This girl is a mess. It feels like all I do is follow her around from room to room as she tears up stuff. Smart as a whip, she is too. She figures out how to open up security gates, how to climb on top of "everything" even though you have secured it as well as Fort Knox. She comes into the office and turns my computer on and off. She takes off her diaper at every chance she gets. She grabs things off of counters and spills it all over the floor. Her Spidey senses alert her to when a child has left the bathroom door open..... from across the house she will come runnin, because the toilet is an awesome place to play. Ughh!! Did I mention that a 14 month old can have a pretty well developed temper, and use it accordingly to promote her self centered agenda? My sweet little pink tornado!!!!

Please pray for my little Tornado. I am taking her to the Dr next week (her very first Dr visit) to have a lump under her skin looked at. It is the size of a BB and is on her chest close to her colar bone. We are not sure what it coulde be. It doesnt bother her and it seems to be fairly recent....I began noticing it around two weeks ago, waiting to see if it would go away on its own, it has not.

Please if you would pray for my back. I wrenched it last week and it hurts so horribly bad. If it were simply a pulled muscle I could deal with that, but when the nerves begin to pinch the pain gets pretty bad. I have to make sure I dont sneeze or sit or stand or laugh or yawn or it shoots lightening down my legs. I am simply miserable and after 7 days of it I begin to whimper.

Please also pray for a fellow mother of two and expecting another. She found out that her husband has been unfaithful and is heartbroken and crushed.

I pray that you all have a blessed and wonderful week. Ladies fall on your face for your husbands. I am hearing of many instances this last week were good husbands are falling into sin and hurting those around them.

New Fabrics!

2008-04-19T10:01:00.003-06:00

I still have the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of these fabrics available.
These are available except the 3rd and 5th ones.

Shirting material, has metalic thread running along some of the fabric.
Seersucker Material, no ironing needed!
Cotton Fabric
Cotton Floral Fabric
I will have the Dress Kits ready by Monday. I am still working up the instructions that are included with them. Have a great weekend!

Permanent Birth Control

2008-04-15T21:38:00.002-06:00

This is nothing new....or is it? We are well aware of the typical permanent birth control options....a tubal ligation or a vasectomy. These have been available to individuals for years, I know many family and friends who have opted for these methods. You kinda always have an out with these methods though because they are reversible with high percentages of pregnancies afterwards.

I was skimming through Country Living magazine today and came across an add for birth control. What caught my initial attention was the head line "What if I got pregnant again? What would we do? Everything would change. Will I ever stop worrying" I bit and kept reading. I was shocked with what I found.

I dont know why I was shocked, it just seemed so dark those words I read "This procedure is not reversible" Not only is it not reversible it only takes about an hour in a Drs office to have the procedure done. The add raved about how there was no surgery involved, no cutting, no hormones. What in the world could they be doing to these woman?

So I went to the website and found the disturbing answer.

Now I want to say loud and clear that I am not against others using birth control weather it be temporary or permanent....that is every ones individual choice. But I truly wonder what the medical, physical, repercussions of a procedure like this could cause....not to mention there is no turning back....ever! Scary stuff!!

What are your thoughts?

Thank You

2008-04-14T08:17:00.003-06:00

I wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes and congrats! I get very few of them from family, so to hear it at all is wonderful! Thank You!

The three dresses I had for sale are sold! Plus a few more, so thank you so much....you know who you are!

I had an idea the other day. Many have asked me what patterns I use to sew the dresses and I have given an explanation on how I compiled a few patterns and techniques from different sources to create the dress I wanted. Would anyone be interested in buying the fabric already cut out to the size you needed with simple instructions as to sewing them? A kind of Dress Kit. I don't think I have ever seen anything like that available and I wonder if there would be an interest? It would also be a great project for young girls to learn to sew their own clothing. Let me know what you think.

I pray you all have a blessed and beautiful week in our Saviour!!

hehehe

2008-04-11T09:47:00.001-06:00

GUESS WHAT?!?!?

HI!!!

2008-04-10T10:24:00.008-06:00

I missed you guys, so I thought I would come say Hi!! Its been a busy time around here with lots going on.

Elijah turned 5 yesterday! I was lamenting the other day that I had 5 boys in 7 years...it was boys boys all the time, and now my baby boy is 5! Seasons really do change, time really does sweep by! Sigh

We have most of the garden in but the weather is not being very cooperative. It has been raining cows and chickens for days. We got hail the other day, like I have never seen before. Luckily it was two days before I put out out my baby tomatoes and peppers, or else we would have lost them.

We had a storm last night that blew over the fence around my garden, now I have to replace that. Or else the chickens will have a hayday in there. We had weather like this all last summer. I think it rained every day for weeks then we would have a break and then more rain. We stayed in most of the summer last year because of the rain. The beach that we frequented had its lake levels rise so much that the beach was gone. I do hope we have a drier season this year. Or at least normal rain and not deluges would be nice!

I am going to put up for sale some of the dresses I made for Eve for this summer, as well as fabric that I have hanging around to make dresses or skirts from. Rob had a pretty big job fall through and well, we still have to pay the bills....so I am hoping you gals need some cute dresses for summer.

(you can click on any of the pictures below to get an up close look at the fabrics)

This is a patchwork dress. Very cute! I cut all the squares out and patched them together. all the seams are finished. This dress is a size 3 with a S/H (shoulder to hem) length of 24" There is plenty of room for an undershirt. This dress will come with a pair of matching Boutique Bows all for $25.00 ppd (if you live in a high zone or out of the country I will add a little extra to help cover shipping costs. I also have enough of this material to make a few more dresses so if you would like matching sets or a larger size just let me know.

It was really hard for me to part with this dress. I LOVE this fabric and had been saving it especially for Eves summer dresses this year. Alas I had some help letting go when the gas company called this morning and said that I have 7 days to pay my bill. I figured Eve (and the rest of us) would rather have warm baths and cooked food then have her looking adorable in this dress. Its also a size 3 with a S/H length of 23" It will come with a Red pair of Boutique Bows for $25.00 ppd. Same rules apply as stated above regarding shipping costs.

This too is a very cute dress (food, cute dress, food, cute dress....I'm out numbered, they all choose food....dratts) A floral bodice attached to a light weight denim skirt. Its a bit longer than the other two with a S/H length of 26". Comes with a set of navy Boutique Bows. $25.00 ppd (see shipping rules above)

I have these fabrics on my shelf, so if you see some you like shoot me an email letting me know what size(s) you need and I'll let you know if I have enough.

The forth one over is a lite weight corduroy, very soft. The second one over is seersucker material (great because they need no ironing) The last one with the umbrellas is a "real" vintage fabric. It was given to me and I thought it would make some adorable sundresses!

If you are interested in any of these email me !

Stepping away.....

2008-03-22T19:57:00.002-06:00

....for a little while. Its a beautiful time, Spring and I want to soak it in. I have 7 little people whom I want to dig in the dirt with...picnic in the park with and so many other things to enjoy.

The computer tends to suck me in. I use it for so many things. Homeschooling, businesses, keeping in contact with others, paying bills, researching and on and on the list goes. I enjoy reading the goings on of my blogging sisters. All of these things pull me away.

I am going to step away for 30 days and focus on my husband, children and home. Enjoy the sunshine on my face. Soak in the presence of my Savior. Loving!!

Some things I will be doing are:

Sewing summer dresses for the girls.

Planting my largest garden yet.

Planting herb gardens around the yard.

Painting my kitchen and master bedroom.

Spring Cleaning.

Reading more to my children.

I am at the N.T. in my Bible readings and plan on reading through it during these 30 days.

keeping my dishes done and my laundry put away.

Loving!!

I will miss visiting with yall, but we all know how quickly 30 days passes so you will hear from me soon....you can always email me!!!

Blessings and Shalom

PS Jaimie, I would be happy to sew Faith some dresses, just email me and let me know what you want!

Dresses, how to

2008-03-20T11:39:00.003-06:00

New Look 6850

See & Sew B4488
I have been meaning to post this info for about a month now. For those of you who have asked me, I am very sorry it has taken me so long to get to it. Here is how I make the dresses for my girls.

First, I used two patterns. See & Sew B4488 and New Look 6850. The First pattern only comes in smaller girls sizes 1-4. The later pattern comes in sizes up to an 8. If you need larger sizes you can still make this work (I'll tell you how in a second). So here's what I do. I LOVE the See & Sew B4488s look. It has a lovely square neck and a high empire waist, which produces a dress that can be worn for a long time. So I use that pattern to cut out my fabric. I sew the bodice of the cut fabric from B4488 with the sewing instructions of pattern 6850. It is easier and looks better. So that is why I use the two different patterns. I also add buttons instead of a zipper. You will have to sew up the closer if you add buttons before you turn it right side out. (hope that makes sense)

Now what about making larger sizes. You can do this. What I do is use the pattern 6850 because it comes in larger sizes, if I want that square neck and high empire waist then I just cut it like that. You'll be a pro after you have a few dresses under your belt. I use Kwik Trace to design my patterns and swear by it, it allows me to make those size and design changes that I want for each dress and then I have that pattern forever.

Some fun things to do are to make the bodice lining(inside layer) a different fabric pattern than the bodice (outside layer).

Make the bodice and skirt two different fabric patterns/colors.

Add lace or a home made ruffle to the hem of the skirt.

Add a strip of different colored fabric to the base of the bodice, to make that cute easter dress/50's type of look.

I hope that is a little clearer than mud, if not please ask me your specific questions and I promise to get right back to you!!

Post in Pictures

2008-03-20T07:58:00.004-06:00

Breakfast...He has always provided!

Secret Egg laying

Secret egg laying...the big picture.
Where the eggs are supposed to be laid!
Passing along his fire starting skills to the two year old.

His best side....
My apple tree is blooming!!!!!!!!

The beginnings of the fort Rob and the boys are building in the backyard. The boys LOVE it!

Yahweh

2008-03-17T12:50:00.001-06:00

Cathedrals have tried in vain
To show the image of your face
But we are, by your design
The signature of divine

We’ll always sing your name
Forever and today

Yahweh, Yahweh
Great is your glory when you go before me
Oh, we sing
Holy, Holy
Your ways are lovely. So high above me.
Yahweh

The fortunes of kings and queens
Are wasted chasing what we’ve seen.
Cause we are, by your reprieve,
The beauty framed by your suffering

We’ll always sing your name
Forever and today

Yahweh, Yahweh
Great is your glory when you go before me
Oh, we sing
Holy, Holy
Your ways are lovely. So high above me
Yahweh

Take me, and pull me through.
Cause I can’t move without you.
I won’t leave you alone, you say.
It will be ok

Yahweh, Yahweh
Great is your glory when you go before me
Oh, we sing
Holy, Holy
Your ways are lovely. So high above me.
Yahweh.
Yahweh, Yahweh
Great is your glory when you go before me
Oh, we sing
Holy, Holy
Your ways are lovely. So high above me.
Yahweh

Ancient of Days
Yahweh!

Family

2008-03-17T07:53:00.003-06:00

We went to my sisters yesterday for a crawfish boil. My dad came to town (he lives in Mississippi) and his dad came as well. It was nice to see them. I hadn't seen my grandfather in over 4 years even though he lives about an hour away. So, he had never met a large percentage of my children.

I just can not fathom living so close to my children/grandchildren/greatgrandchildren and never seeing them. My mind just doesn't wrap around it very well. Yet that is the story of my life. We enjoy them when we do see them, and dread the next days grouchiness from blood sugar irregularity, due to massive amounts of candy and cokes having been consumed.

My Papa whom I actually lived with as a baby off and on while my dad was working. Can you believe he is almost 80 and has had different cancers and illnesses...you just cant seem to kill an Adams though. His mother just died last year and she was 103.

My dad

Ava Rose enjoying her visit with family.

I tried.....

2008-03-13T19:05:00.003-06:00

....to talk myself out of writing this post, I really did....but I kept coming back to it over and over again the past few days. I want to talk about something I have heard referenced on a few blogs lately. Andrea Yates. She has been created into the poster child for what can happen to a mother that is "forced/coerced/tricked into/insert implication here" into having many children.

I get upset because many dont KNOW what really happened in Andreas life and the things that led up to the tragedy that day. Many have made assumptions that she was naively led by her husband and others to continue having children even while she was sick. This was not the case. Andrea was a very involved, loving mother of her boys and loved being a mom and wife. After the birth of her 4th child she became very mentally ill. After attempting to kill herself she was admitted to a mental hospital and after trial and error they found the right combination of medications and she was once again herself.

Here is where people insert their judgment upon this couple without truly putting themselves in their shoes. She was well and had a great longing to have more children. She slowly weaned herself off the medication and even after having been off them for a while she was still well, so she became pregnant with Mary. Rusty and herself knew now what meds worked and felt confident that she could be "brought back" with these same meds if they were needed in the future. They put thought into their decision to have more children and had a plan in case things got bad again.

She had Mary and was still OK until her father died, which threw her back into a psychotic state. Rusty had her admitted and told the new Dr. what meds she needed to be on, but he did not listen. She declined very rapidly mentally after that. The Dr finally put her on the meds they asked for but then took her off again a week later, a few weeks after that she killed her children.

Now dont miss understand me, what she did was horrific. So horrific that you never think a mother would be capable of such evil. My point in all this is only to say that Andrea was mentally psychotic, off of the correct meds. I know many will throw rotten fruit at me, but she loved those babies, the REAL Andrea loved those babies. She loved being a mom and wife. The sick Andrea was delusional and wanted to keep her children from going to Hell.

This families tragedy has been used as a "see we told you so" "too many children" "crazy religious folks" type of story. When the truth is much less dramatic. So there....I'm sure I have lost all my readers....but I had to speak up.

DO NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. Matthew 7

.....here I go, I'm pressing publish....I know I will regret this.

Babies and Sleeping

2008-03-12T18:26:00.004-06:00

".....to my question. I was wondering with 7 children, could you possibly do a post on "babies" and how you get them to sleep in your family?"

Why sure! This is quite a diverse area in that it will look very different from family to family. But per your request I will share with you what works for us. I have never been able to embrace the family bed. I am a busy sleeper, tossing and turning most of the night. Plus it has just been that one place that belonged to my husband and myself....our little retreat that we dont have to share. Now having said that our infants until about 6 months old stay in their crib right next to my side of the bed, so that I can check on them often throughout the night.

I have had really great babies, less the first one ;-) who cried most every night until he was 3. So looking back what was the key factors in getting them to sleep through the night? Training. Heres my rule of thumb. Any baby less than 4-6 months depending on their "maturity" (I know that sounds weird) will be tended to pretty quickly if they awake in the middle of the night. I will nurse them in the same room, quietly (we do not get up and walk around or turn on lights, this only arouses them more) then I lay them back down, generally at this age they will be asleep from nursing.

A baby a bit older and more aware...by aware I mean that they want to get up at night just to visit with you, gets moved in to the nursery...we have been able in all the houses we have lived in to make this room only for baby and no other siblings. I think this is important in training your little one for good sleep habits, because lets face it a baby that is woken up through out the night by a sibling is just not going to be able to form solid sleep habits. Another reason we have them sleep solo is because this is the time that they are aloud to cry it out from time to time. Which would not be appreciated by a sleeping sibling.

First off to get a good night time pattern you need a good day time pattern. ALL of my children have had the same exact day time sleep patterns (I'm curious if others have found the same thing) they sleep most of the time from birth to 3-4 months, then from 4-9 months they take 2 two hour naps during the day. From 9mo to around 2 they take one 3 hour nap a day. Then our naps go by the wayside around age two. We have always made it a point to not run errands during nap time so baby gets their sleep.

I just laid my 13 month old down for the evening. She did not lay right down but instead will fiddle around until shes ready to lay her head down. She didnt cry because she knows it will not change the fact that it is bedtime. I kissed her, put her in her crib, turned out the light and shut the door. I do not linger, talking and chatting with her, because this only makes her think I am going to pick her up. We save the chatting and laughs for morning, when I burst into her room with a big smile and greet her with much excitement.

So what does this look like starting from the 4-6 month mark, I talked about earlier? After making sure baby is full, and dry and kissed all up, I lay them down and walk out. I will let them cry (loud or hard) up to 20 minutes, if they do not calm down then I will go in and pick them up and we will walk around talk for a while, then I will again lay him down and walk out. If the crying is lite I let them go on until they fall asleep or they begin to cry harder. You will get a feel for your baby and learn when they are in distress or just not getting what they want. Let them cry when they are just not getting what they want. Once your baby realizes that you are not going to come a-runnin at every coo and caa they will learn to rest.

I know most of my readers are smart cookies, but as a disclaimer....letting a baby "cry it out" is an art. Its not black and white. Babies will have bad nights, where their tummies hurt, or they just NEED to be held. When that happens hold those babies. But the next night lay them down walk out and start over again. They will slowly build good sleeping patterns, it doesnt happen over night....but it will happen. Just for fun here is our sleep history:

Baby #1 Cried most nights until he was 3.
Baby#2 Slept through the night at about 4 months old
Baby #3 Was the best baby ever, he would lay down with no qualms and would play in his crib until I came to get him in the mornings....for those of you who are jealous....lets just say that he was not perfect past the age of 2.5 and still is my "challenging" child.
Baby #4 Slept through the night from about 3 months on.
Baby #5 Slept through the night from about 3 months on.
Baby #6 and first girl. Slept through the night from about 5 months on, we did have a 3 week span at about 8 months where she was waking and refused to go back to sleep for a few hours each night. This passed (not quickly enough) and she again resumed to sleeping all night. During that 3 week span I continued to let her cry for up to 20 minutes before I would get her up.
Baby #7 Has been my only child to NOT sleep through the night from an early age. She has woken up 5 out of 7 nights to nurse. I nurse her in a dark room and lay her right back down (I dont talk with her or rouse her other than nursing) Most of the time she goes right back to sleep, sometimes she cries it out. Even at 13 months...if she cries longer than 20 minutes I go get her nurse her again and that usually does the trick.

So as you can see each child varies, but the technique stays the same.

Window Mis-treatments??

2008-03-09T10:14:00.006-06:00

I dont think that I have the same talent as The Nester when it comes to this kind of thing. She takes an old piece of fabric, throws it up there, finishes it off with some old fringe and Voila...it looks fabulous!!

I do it and, well....this should tell you something. My husband who, wouldnt notice if I were walking down the street dressed like Pippy Long Stocking, walked into our room and said "ah, honey we'll get you a real rod and some fabric for you to sew, like you did the ones down stairs....because the ones downstairs look great"

What am I missing, besides raw talent and cool fabric laying around the house?

Before

After
After, After,

I found a different piece of fabric and thought I would give it a try, I dont think I like it either. I am going to pick up some tassle-fringe at WalMart and attach it to the inner verticle part of the red curtains and see if that helps.

Schools

2008-03-07T22:31:00.003-06:00

John Taylor Gatto on State Controlled Childhood Consciousness. Dont forget to pause the music on my sidebar.

Stuff and Things

2008-03-06T22:01:00.006-06:00

We have been on the weather roller coaster this week.

Monday 82
Tuesday Snowing
Wednesday 75
Thursday Snowing

Devon my oldest has caught a cold, and to tell you just how often my children are NOT sick, in his 12 years he couldn't "remember feeling this bad" Poor guy!

It has been a whirlwind around here this week. New horizons, dreams being full filled, stepping out in faith. We have leased a building downtown where we will be opening
Greenville Combat Sports and Fitness in about 6 weeks. Rob is sieked! This (MMA fighting) has been his passion and everything is falling into place in a huge...crazy way!
We have alot of work ahead of us, but it is exciting!

(Robs in the black trunks)

I had 30 bows to make this week....so my finger tips are singed ;-) If you are waiting on an order they all went out this morning.

I attended the precinct meeting for our area this Tuesday and served as a delegate for Ron Paul. I will be attending the convention on the 29th, lets just keep praying that The Lord moves in a powerful way this election.

Morning Sickness

2008-03-03T11:03:00.003-06:00

I found this little tidbit of AWESOME information at In A Shoes place. The cure for morning sickness...no joke? Can it really be that simple? So I extend to any of you that are in this season to give it a shot and let us know if it really works!

Ballerina

2008-03-01T10:18:00.005-06:00

I had made this dress for the store, when I still sold clothing, over a year ago. It is technically a size 3 but Eve is pretty tall for a 2.5 year old.....so we tried it one today. It is a bit big, but fits fine. The first thing she did when she put it on was twirl. Oh...you'll have to turn your head to the right, just lay it on your desk and take a little rest while you watch. ;-)

More, things I love

2008-02-27T14:02:00.003-06:00

There is another website that I can browse over endlessly. I LOVE the clothing that they have. Let me say right up front that I am NOT Islamic, just in case any one wondered ;-) I just happen to really like, for lack of a better description, romantic, old clothing. They are so flattering, yet cover well and are just very pretty. They have fabulous skirts on this website. I aim to make my own replica of the dresses below. Not sure how they are going to turn out...but I'll give it a shot.

Head Scarf Q&A

2008-02-27T13:11:00.004-06:00

I had a few questions about my head scarf regarding how I tie it that way and were I got it.

I actually make my own from material in the $1.00 rack at Wal-Mart. I buy cotton stretch material and then cut it in a large triangle. You do not have to stitch the edges of t-shirt type material so its a cut and go process ;-)

One of my favorite sites to browse all the lovely head coverings is here. If you would rather buy than make one this or this is the one you would want, they will tie exactly like the one I am wearing. The second is a bit larger and will give you a more full bun.

How to tie it? You place the triangle on your head like below.

Tie along the bottom Then pull up to the top and tie and continue like this until you are at the end of your ties, then tuck whatever is left into the bun somewhere. Its that simple. Your next!!

Theres always a first time.....

2008-02-25T15:53:00.004-06:00

....for everything! I have been a mother for over 12 years and can say with pride, I've been through about all that a mother can go through on a day to day trek through life. Ive been here, here and who can forget here? This is the first time I have ever been here..........

Now I am not a squeamish person by any stretch ...I use cloth diapers....nuff said, but this really was more than I wanted in a root beer. Im pretty used to UFO's in my drink, but an entire chewed up and spit out cookie? Now come on yall....thats just gross. So I did what anyone would do.....right??!!??

Homeschool post up over here. Its a little less gross over there.

Things I Love

2008-02-25T10:15:00.003-06:00

Where I put ALL my hair.

I always feel so pretty in this... its very romantic I think.

Out of the Skillet....

2008-02-24T09:21:00.002-06:00

.....and into the Frying Pan!!

Children

2008-02-22T19:09:00.002-06:00

I have been asked to write on my blog why we are QF (Quiver Full) and what that means to us.

We are quiver full for two reasons:

I believe that our Creator and Father knows more than we do. He knows the end from the beginning and therefor who better to give this area too? Life is His "forte", He created it and I trust Him to do all things good!

The second reason is completely a selfish one.....I am addicted to babies!!!! I know that Heaven will smell like roses and newborn babies sweet heads....I just know it!

Quite honestly our story is not that cut and dry. Many things have happened as we have walked down this path. There are many details that really aren't important. What needs to be said is that Our Lord has blessed us, covered our fears, hurts, mistakes. He has given us more than all the treasures in the world, seven wonderful children and we pray that He will bless us with many more!

One of my greatest heros was my great great grandmother. I posted on MOMYS her legacy and what her willingness to give her life for His will means to me. I'll share it with you now.

""I thought I would share my great great grandmothers maternal history. She is one of my favorite people although I never met her. Her name was Cornelia Sullivan. She had 20 children that began with her first born Noah Frank when she was 16. For those of you who like to look at numbers and facts I'll go into detail below.

First child at age 16 in 1906, Noah

16mo later she had Joe

15mo later she had William

15mo later she had Manie Emily

16mo later she had Lewis

16mo later she had Millie

18mo later she had Fannie Mable my "Mamie"

13mo later she had Mattie

21mo later she had Bonnie

15mo later she had Gracie

15mo later she had a still born baby girl

15mo later she had Jack

16mo later she had a set of "twins" that did not survive

10mo later she had "twins" Ruby and Ruth

23mo later she had Mary Etta

19mo later she had Murline

35mo later she had "twins" Elaine and Duane

Her last two were born at the age of 42 and she had no more after that. She lived to be 61 when she her husband and Elaine one of her last twins was killed in a tornado in 1950 that ripped through Caster LA and killed quite a few people, many being my family. Anyway I thought some might like to see the numbers of one QF family. Although that term meant nothing back then. LOL If she would have stopped at 3,4,5 or even that huge number 6 (grin) I wouldn't be here today, neither would my 7 precious children!!

Thank you Cornelia, Love your great great granddaughter Audrey""

The interesting thing to me is that those folks that think that I should not allow The Lord to take hold of this area, don't realize that they would not be here today.....if it hadn't been for a QF family two generations back.

I want to also say that my heart goes out to those precious families I know who's hearts so long for another little one. Know that you are on my heart often and that many a prayer has been lifted on your behalf!