Homekeeping Happenings

Things around here have been very quiet. It is a dreary, rainy day...even week around here. The temps have risen to the 50's and the snow is all melted. The boys had to go from snow sledding to mud sledding. Currently, they are wittling sticks on the kitchen floor.

School is going well. We are studying Jamestown and the Pilgrims. I really enjoy this time in American History so that makes the study especially enjoyable for me. I taped some educational shows from that time period off the History Channel and we watched one this afternoon (about the building of the GodSpeed - ship that brought settlers from England to Jamestown). The boys really enjoyed it.

Baby Bear is a little fussy. I think that he may be teething. Shortly I will bathe him and spend some time with a lotion massage. That always seems to calm him down. We watched the first part of a new Baby Einstein video about sign language today. The older boys picked up the signs for baby, mommy, daddy and kiss very quickly. I hope that we will be able to naturally work them into our daily lives so that Baby Bear will pick them up quickly in due time.

I have got to finish cleaning my closet and find the rest of my material. And I am still working on the LONE sock.

I am reading through the Bible and am in Deuteronomy. There is a lot of good stuff in there. I hope to share by the end of the week some of the things that I have learned. If you haven't already noticed, I did manage to finish my article on biblical submission and have posted it below. I will add another post with links to websites that promote biblical submission.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week. Spring will be on its way soon enough!

HomeKeeping

Today is a homekeeping day.

I woke up at 5 this a.m. and showered....donned a cute turtleneck with hearts and bears on it and a tan jumper; ate breakfast, fed baby, talked to mom. I spent a few minutes decluttering the hutch countertops in my dinning room. They are next to the door that we all use and tend to pick up lots of clutter. That accomplished and laundry started, I baked chocolate chip cookies. While they were baking I loaded the dishwasher, cleaned out the fridge and got frozen egg rolls out for lunch. The boys have been playing outside in the snow and are now eating warm cookies and hot cocoa. I am taking a break now, sipping tea and reading some wonderful articles that Miss Peggy posted on her blog. Her writing is inspiring me to apply myself as a better hommeaker.

I am gazing out my window.....looking at the snow and thinking of all the possibilities for spring. I am also mentally planning our 3rd annual 4th of July cookout. We always have it on the Saturday following the 4th and invite all of our friends. We have the most wonderful time and I am really looking forward to it this year. Most of all, I am looking forward to warmer weather! And that little groundhog in PA saw his shadow so I guess we get 6 more weeks of winter......I sure hope that they are mild!

Anyway, better get off here and get back to work!

Updates

First, I have updated the Sites I Visit and Homeschool Links on the right-hand sidebar. If you are inclined check out some of my favorite sites. There are many helpful and godly sites out there to glean from!

Now, we have been snowed in. Not really, but we have about 4 inches on the ground. The boys have been sledding all afternoon. Chicken noodle soup and hot cocoa have reigned supreme around here!

We have all been feeling better. That truly is a blessing. We had a windstorm on Tuesday night that wrapped our trampoline around an old light pole. We didn't suffer any other damage though so God was very gracious to us!

I am still working on the lone sock. Hopefully I will get it finished next week. I am having a very dear friend over on Monday. We will have a wonderful day catching up and sipping tea.

Homekeeping duties will keep me busy tomorrow and then on Sunday my grandparents celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. It is a blessing to me to have such a wonderful example of a dedicated marriage in my family. I will be enjoying spending time with my family then. I hope to check back in on Tuesday!

Sick and Tired

I am sick and tired.....and sick and tired of being sick and tired. HaHa!!!! That probably wasn't near as funny as my tired brain thought it was. Oh well......

Anyway, today was a productive day even if I was sick and tired. We got homeschooling done, plus a rough draft of Lee's very first ever history report done. All but 2 of my daily housekeeping chores are done. We went to my mom's house to borrow encyclopedias for the report and she made us supper. We had a lovely visit.

Little Bear and I have the worst ends of the cold. It is just a cold but it makes a 3 month old horribly miserable. And that makes momma very miserable. I am praying that tomorrow will be a better day.

On the projects lists....I finished the 2nd baby hat. I love this little pattern and it knits up pretty quick. I started the LONE sock yesterday. I am hoping to have it done by the weekend and then I can wear it and its mate.....maybe to church Sunday. The colors on it are pretty funky.... I will have to work to make it match something subdued enough for church. Tomorrow I will be beginning the cleaning of my sewing area. My sewing area is in a corner of our master bedroom. Some of my sewing/knitting stuff is in my huge master closed (which doesn't seem so huge when it is filled with JUNK). I have alotted all of my free time this week to cleaning up the area and supplies. Then I am hoping to cut out my favorite jumper pattern in a floral corduroy on Saturday so I need to get this area cleaned up.

Thanks to my new friend Tilly I have the fantastic idea to make some new bedding for my older boys. I was wanting to update their bedrooms but finances just hadn't allowed it. I think that I will just make most of it and take care of that problem! So my mind is busy churning out ideas and plans.

I have an article on biblical submission started and saved. When my head clears up I will polish it and post it. I hope that everyone has a fantastic week!

Planning and other Happenings

My mind has been making plans. Normally that is very scary. I have yet to decide if it is this time.

I think that I have most of the plans for the garden ready. I know what seeds/plants I am ordering from Burpee and when I need to place the orders. I have the whole shebang broke down into 4 separate orders to make it easier on my budget. We are going to try okra this year! I also need to set up (and use) a gardening notebook so that I have a record of sucesses and failures. So far we have been muddling along with my memory and that just isn't working. LOL

I have a list, somewhere, of knitting projects that I want to complete by the end of the year. I hope that I haven't lost that list. (((sigh))) I got my new Knit Picks catalog yesterday and have about 4 more projects that will probably need to be added to that list. I need to start saving some yarn money. I also got my new Connecting Threads catalog. There is some fantastic fabric in there that would make a wonderful jumper (or 2 or 3). Their fabric is reasonably priced so I guess that I need to save some fabric money.

I am also thinking of making some new curtains for the living room, a tablecloth (or table quilt) for the dining room table, some placemats and maybe, just maybe quilts for my bed and the boys. I made a quilt 9 years ago for Lee (it was tied rather than quilted) and it finally gave up the ghost this year and had to be discarded (so sad). I need to get some quilts made for my boys!

I think that is all right now. My mind is just a whirring and there aren't enough hours in the day!!!!!

Here's to creative planning!

A Wonderful God-Given Day

Every single day is a gift from God.

Today we had a good day. From the outside others might not see it that way. It is 5:30 p.m. and I am still in last night's jammies, but that is ok. My wardrobe doesn't indicate the happenings of a day.

I got up at 6 a.m. with Little Bear. He took his bottle while I watched the news. I am sick of the election talk already. I spoke with my mom via phone and the woke up the older boys for school. We have been starting at 7:30 with breakfast, bible reading and discussion and prayer. That has been a wonderful way to start our days. We seem to be able to maintain our focus and we all have goals. Our memory work has been much for profitable also.

The boys clean up breakfast and get themselves ready for the day. Little Bear was asleep by now and we started school. All of our school subjects have been going very well. Lee has resisted writing assignments but hopefully as he gets used to doing them there won't be so much "debate" :)

Lunch was meatloaf, mashed potatoes, rice and broccoli with cheese. Norman woke up just before lunch was ready, fed the baby, showered, dressed, ate quickly and then went to work early to get his hair cut. The older boys and I finished up schoolwork while Bear slept again. Everything seemed to be timed just right today! Then I practiced taekwondo and did housework while the boys practiced.

I got a new quilting catalog and knitting catalog that has so many fabulous projects in it. I am wanting to do so many of them and I know that there isn't new enough time! I am taking a few minutes to bop around the internet while eating some gumbo that my mom made for lunch today. She was very kind to bring me some leftovers. I love gumbo but nobody else here appreciates cajun cuisine like I do so I never make it.

We finished reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond this evening. It was a wonderful book. At first I didn't know if the boys would like it but I think that they enjoyed it more than I did. Sonlight has done a wonderful thing for our homeschool. It is such a blessing to me to see my boys with a book on the couch or hanging on my every word during storytime.

God has been so gracious to us today. May all the praise be given to Him!

Submission

I have encountered many women lately who I believe are in rebellion toward their husbands. This makes me so sad, as I was that woman 6 years ago. The difference in my life and in my marriage today is so remarkable that I want to shout it from the rooftops. However, I am frequently met with criticism and doubt. Many women don't want to believe that following their husband will help to make him a better husband. But ladies....it DOES!



Seven years ago my 2nd son was born. My husband and I barely co-existed together. I despised him.....he had a terrible work ethic and was frequently out of work, refused to help around the house, etc. After the birth of my 2nd son I was fired from work and decided to stay at home with my boys. My husband agreed at least temporarily. He started a new job (the 3rd in 12 months) about 3 month later and had to do 6 weeks of training away from home. Then he was working 3 hours from home and was only able to come home 2 days a week. I had plenty of time to think about our relationship.



At the counsel of several godly women from many different sites I learned about biblical submission. At first I didn't want to believe that God wanted me to submit to my husband. He wasn't even a Christian. He made wrong decisions every day! I just knew that if I left any major decision up to him that we would be in the poor house. What good would that be for our family???? I decided (because, of course, I know better than God!) that I would submit in the small things. Token submission. That way I could feel good about obeying God's command without actually giving up control.



My husband took the little bit of leeway I gave him and ran with it. He became responsible! He started expecting that I follow his lead. Now mind you, he had no idea what I was doing (and as far as I know he still doesn't). He just began taking control of our family. At first, I fought him some and we argued a lot. I felt justified in saying that this submission thing just wasn't working. We didn't fight this much before so why should I put my family in the middle of one constant fight about EVERYTHING??? Finally I got tired of fighting and just let it go. Everything. Almost instantly our marriage improved 110%. And my husband changed some more.



My husband has held that same job all these years. He diligently goes to work and fullfills all his responsibilities there. He became a better father. He takes pride in spending time with his family rather than out with the "guys". His whole outlook on life has changed. Is he perfect? Absolutely not, but then again, neither am I. Every once in a while I feel the old me rise up and want to fight about something (usually trivial) just to get my way. God is gracious in letting me take one day at a time.



Many women I meet assure me that they should be allowed to make decisions in their marriage just as much as their husbands are. I agree. I voice my opinion (and most the time my husband asks for it) on almost everything of importance. I make many decisions in areas that my husband doesn't want to deal with. He has delegated that responsibility to me. If I have questions about anything, I take it to him and he has the final say in the matter.



I hope and pray that my boys see their dad taking the lead in our family and understand that this is the way that God made families to operate. Our family has been so blessed because I took the first very difficult step and submitted....wholeheatedly!

The most important part of a wife's biblical submission is her attitude. If you begrudgingly submit, then you might as well not. Submission needs to be done with a meek spirit, a smile on your face and joy in your heart. I ask God every day to give me that joy and if I feel that I am missing it then that is a prime indicator of my need to spend more time with Him.



I pray that you will also seek God's word and consider submitting to your husband. Submitting to God's will for your life will always lead to bountiful blessings!

Quick Catch-Up

It seems that I am always checking email while holding baby bear and that makes it very difficult to post to my blog. He is sleeping in his swing right now so here goes a quick update about the goings on around here!



We started school back up last Monday. It went well and the older boys adjusted to the new schedule and routine well. We are starting earlier; 7 a.m. up and breakfast and devotions. That also means that most of the time they are getting done earlier in the a.m. for lunch break. If not, at least we can get stuff done before lunch. Baby bear is adapting to not being the center of attention :)



Baby bear and Greg both have colds. This makes Bear very grouchy :) And he sleeps a lot. I find it ironic that he would be irritable when we restart school. I am learning patience!!!!



I have been keeping up with the housework pretty well, but if you miss a day it all goes downhill. I have some catchup to do tomorrow. I am usually home all day on Tuesday, but Baby bear is scheduled to have his 2 month shots tomorrow. I scheduled it for around lunch time so that it wouldn't interfere with school. I hope the shots don't make him more irritable than he already is.



I guess that is all here for now. I will try to be more diligent in posting :)

Knitting Again

I have been waiting to say this for quite a while..............I am knitting again!

Somewhere along the line this summer I lost all desire to create. I guess that creating a new little life inside of me was enough! So I have been anxiously waiting for the desire to knit or sew to return and it has. With a vengence! I just finished the cutest little knitted hat for a friend of dh's whose wife is having a baby girl. I made it white with a baby pink drawstring tie along the top. It turned out so sweet!

On the sewing front.....I have a million ideas in my head that want to come OUT! I have some cordouroy for a jumper that I think I will try to get made up within the next week or so. I have made the pattern before, but I am wanting to play with it a little bit.

I wish that I could post pictures. Dh is thinking of getting us wireless internet. That would be such a blessing! Then I could post some pictures!

Creative blessings to you!

Catching Up

I am finally getting some things under control around here. Today I did quite a lot of housework and laundry. Tomorrow I will finish my housework and laundry and then I have to get a handle on school work. I have some high goals for us (me as teacher and boys as students) and I need to get a map to keep me going in the right direction. When I get that hashed out I will try to post. I have some thoughts about some things I want to write about. Hopefully soon I will be able to get everything straightened out in my mind and out onto the keyboard.

Also, I started a new exercise/weight loss/healthy eating blog HERE. I am by no means the "know all" on the subject, but I thought that sharing my struggles would keep me accountable and maybe encourage someone else.

Have a Happy Homemaking Day!

Living, Loving and Learning in 2008

Welcome 2008!!!!

We had a lovely time last night (and early this a.m.) at a friend's house bringing in the new year with our dearest friends. We had a wonderful time and are bumming around the house today recuperating.

As of today we are LIVING in 2008. I want to spend this year LOVING my family and friends. I also want to LOVE others as Jesus loves. LOVE isn't only an emotional feeling....LOVE is an action. God wants us to show LOVE to everyone we meet. That is one of my goals for 2008. We will also be LEARNING in 2008. LEARNING about God and His will for our lives. LEARNING in our school subjects, new hobbies and about those around us. We are excited to be LIVING for God, LOVING for God and LEARNING about God in 2008! I hope that you will decide to make that one of your top priorities this year as well :)

Happy New Year!!!!!!

I am the Most Protected Woman in the World

Most of you know that my 10 year old son is a 1st degree black belt. My 7 year old son achieved his 1st degree black belt in Oct. On Dec. 20 my dh also earned his 1st degree black belt. I am not sure that there is another woman on the planet that is as safe as I am :)

Gearing Up For the New Year

I am planning for the new year. I usually enjoy that task, but this year I am feeling overwhelmed. I am anxious about starting school back up with the baby in tow. If you really knew me, you would know that something like this wouldn't normally bother me at all. I have worked school around much larger distractions than a sweet little baby.

I suspect that part of my anxiety is due to the fact that my house is a disaster. I am not just saying that, this place is trashed. I am embarrased to have anyone over, but unexpected guests have arrived the last 2 days. And I felt as tall as an ant. I don't know what kind of character flaw I have that has allowed this to happen......and don't try to tell me that I can be excused because of the new baby.....this place was in bad shape before then. And pregnancy wasn't an excuse either because it wasn't all that clean before that. I admit it....I am a messy person, who happens to live with people who are also messy and don't care about the results. I am also lazy (which is a main character fault that I need to work on with God's grace).

I also need to start working on healthier eating. So far that isn't going well, as I have been eating every BAD thing that I come into contact with.....in large quantities. And I feel bad about it. Just not bad enough to STOP.

I fear that maybe I am depressed. I know that a good dose of exercise would probably help my outlook on life, but I don't have the energy to even think about that. I need to seek out time with God and His word, but I crave sleep so badly that I don't get around to it. I need to clean, but I want to snuggle with my baby. I struggle to see where to drag myself out of this hole that I have created.

So I am getting ready to go to God in prayer and ask his assistance in all of this. I am going to seek out his promises in my life. I am going to ask for help to conquer my lazy tendencies and for guidance in my housekeeping duties. I will listen for his leading in our homeschooling schedule. I am grateful that God is available to me through his son Jesus Christ.

Send on the New Year......I think that I will be ready to face it!

Ladies Against Feminism

There are some really great, new articles over at Ladies Against Feminism. I was especially blessed by the one about going from a messy to a neat person and the ones about modesty. I needed the encouragment of these articles today!

Time Marches On

Can you imagine that my baby is 6 weeks old today? I am only to aware of how quickly they grow up, evidenced by the 10 year old and 7 year old building a fort in the bedroom. For now, Little Bear is asleep in his bouncy seat; safe, warm and comfortable under a veggie tales blanket.

I am sitting now typing this in my blue jumper, blue t-shirt and grey/black sweater; gazing out the window into the fog. At 3:30 it is just as foggy as it was this morning. A dreary day, if not a cold one.....Norman said it was 54 degrees. But I can still feel the chill.

Today was productive. I worked on laundry, fixed lunch and worked on Christmas cards. I actually managed to get them done too! For lunch I fixed Creamy Italian Chicken. I thought that it was yummy served over rice, but we will wait for Norman's verdict before I put it on the menu rotation. Even the boys like it and I liked that it quickly went into the crockpot.

If Little Bear isn't grouchy this evening I may knit a little. I have one sock of a pair done and it would be a wonderful pick-me-up to have the other done....they are my favorite color....pink :)

I am happily settled into my home for the evening. God has truly blessed me with this winter season to rest and regain control of my household duties. God is merciful and always gives help when asked. I am a blessed woman indeed!

Passionate Housewives

Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald have written a wonderful book called Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God. This is a wonderful book that gives a Godly perspective on what our job as home makers truly is.....God given and God ordained. I have been blessed by this book so much as I get back into the swing of things after the birth of Norman. It is available from Vision Forum Ministries.

A Little Bit About Me

Candy posted her autobiography and urged that we share a little about ourselves as well. Most of my readers are also my friends in "real life" but maybe they will learn a little something about me that they didn't already know :)

I am the oldest of 3 children, I have 2 younger brothers. My parents are farmers. My dad is something of a "renaisance man". He has done a little bit of everything. When it isn't time to farm they currently travel around the US on their Harley Davidson Motorcycle. My parents are conservative and did a good job raising me and my brothers. They always did what they thought was best for us and I will always be thankful for their guidance, even if I didn't always follow it. I was a budding feminist.....I wanted to grow up to be a lawyer, astronaut, doctor and even the president!

I developed a rebellious attitude in my heart during adolescence. Although I was outwardly obedient, I was inwardly disrespectful and hateful toward many people in my life, particularly my parents and brothers. I dated a nice boy throughout high school and I suppose that many thought we would marry, but I resented the fact that he wanted to wait until I was through with college. I finally knew what I wanted to do with my life....be a stay-at-home wife and mom and that didn't jive with his idea of a working wife. We parted ways soon after my high-school graduation.

When I was 18 I met the man that I would marry. I moved into his mother's house 3 months before we married (the time between when we met and married was less than 6 months). My dh and I contintued to live with is mother for a while and then finally rented our own house. His idea of our future and mine didn't always coincide. My dh wasn't and still isn't a follower of Christ. He believes but he chooses not to follow Christ and his will for dh's life. I pray for him every day. At our first house we conceived our first son. We felt moved to go back closer to home so we moved when I was 6 months pregnant. For a while after Leland was born I stayed at home with him and enjoyed it, but felt satan's pull to be something more. I returned to college to get a degree in History. Dh lost his job so we moved again....into a trailer near my parents. I had a miscarriage about 6 months later. I was devasted. I got a job as a legal secretary and then conceived our second son. I worked all through that pregnancy while my mom and others cared for Leland. I was a wandering soul....searching for what I needed in my life. I had been baptized when I was 14 but had fell away from Christ. I had begun attending church again after Leland was born but still hadn't developed a personal relationship with Him. That began to change as I searched the internet for something.....I don't think I knew what I was looking for....but I began researching homeschooling and was led to other sites that embraced biblical womanhood. Finally a breath of fresh air!!!! After Gregory was born I didn't go back to work. I decided that no matter what our circumstances that I would stay home with my sons. My dh agreed that this was acceptable and even approved my homeschooling for a year! Praise God!!!!

We continued on in this fashion.....life changes as you go.....we bought a new manufactured home in 2003. We are still homeschooling. In 2005 the boys began taking taekwondo lessons. Within a year, dh and I were also taking classes. Both boys are now black belts and dh should be by the end of the year.

During these past few years I have done some "flip-flopping" in my walk with Christ. I tend to wear dresses only for a few months and then decide that I am being legalistic so I quit. I have since decided that I wear dresses because I want to honor God by being lady-like....like he made me. I love to wear dresses and am a real "girly-girl" so this works good for me. I struggle with teaching my boys everything that I feel that I should. I struggle in my daily walk with God. I am inspired by other homemakers that I know and the ones that I have "met" on the internet. God teaches me and leads me more every day.

All during these years we have been confronted with secondary infertility. I was diagnosed with PCOS in Oct. 2006 and we pursued fertility treatments shortly thereafter. We were very blessed to conceived our third earthly child in February of 2007. Norman Matthew was born on Oct. 30th 2007. We are truly blessed indeed!

My walk with God has its ups and downs almost on a daily basis. I am discouraged some days and don't know how I will have the strength to continue. Other days I am encouraged and blessed to know that what I am doing will have an impact on those around me. Every day has new struggles and challenges that I know God is using to grow me closer to him. I want others to know that I DON'T have everything all together. I am striving to be closer to God just like everyone else.

My worst struggles appear to be with scheduling and housework duties. I wasn't trained properly in the management of the home. I knew how to do cleaning and such but I didn't know how or why certain things were done that are intregal in the running of a home. I am learning as I go. God is faithful to teach me.

I enjoy many hobbies in my spare time. I love to knit (especially socks). I sew, garden, scrapbook and love a good mystery. I also love to sing. I try to be frugal in the money that dh's entusts me with. We are striving to be debt-free. I wear dresses and skirts because I love to. I sometimes wish that I had been born 150 years ago. Times and circumstances were more difficult but women knew how to be women and they knew what God wanted them to do. If I travel back in time I would take my washing maching with me :)

I hope that you have enjoyed this little glimpse of my life. I am a woman seeking God.....hear me roar!

5 Things I Am Thankful for Today

1. disposable diapers
2. my mom and grandmother
3. yesterday's beatiful, warm weather
4. dog kennels so I don't worry about Sadie when we travel
5. that I don't have to fly this weekend!

Probably won't post again till we get back. Happy Thanksgiving!

5 Things I am Thankful for Today

1. the internet (makes shopping and information gathering so much easier)
2. a reliable vehicle
3. clothing (packing makes you realize how much you have)
4. the funds to make this trip
5. extended family and friends

James 1-2

In addition to my bible reading this morning, I am also doing an indepth Bible study of the book of James. This was begun with my Sunday School class, but since we are in limbo about where we will be attending in the future, I decided that I would finish it myself. Today I just looked at the background of the book (using Halley's Bible Handbook) and read chapters 1 and 2.

The verses that really spoke to me (actually they hit me over the head, repeatedly!) were James 1:22-25, James 2:10-11, 14:26

The theme of these verses can be summed up by James 1:22-25
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves, for if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was, but whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therin, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

The part of the passage in chapter 2 is discussing how faith without works is dead.

On this past Sunday, Doug reminded us that people are watching what we are doing, not necessarily what we are saying (we also discussed this in sunday school). How do my actions measure up? I know that I tend to talk the talk.....I know all the "right" things to say, but are my actions those of a mature Christian? Are the things that I say and profess reflected in my daily life? How about in my though life? Do my thoughts line up with the things that I say are true?

I think that as a Christian I have fallen very short in this area of my life. Like I said, I have attended church all my life. I know what I am "supposed to say". I have the right words and I fear that in certain situations I have the proper actions. But what about in my day to day life? I know that I don't always read my Bible every day (although I know that I should). I don't always speak with love to everyone I see (my children must be included in that everyone, no matter how irritated I am at them). I let laziness rule my day sometimes (even though I know that slothfullness is a sin). My heart isn't always into being a "keeper at home" (that is my mandate from God!). I let fear rule my life sometimes (fear isn't from God). That is just the beginning! What about the way that I treat those that aren't "loveable"? Or those that I disagree with? I know that my behavior is probably deplorable in the eyes of the Lord.

So that is my challenge as I live my life today....and the rest of the week. I am going to pray before I speak/act/think and ask God to guide my ways. I pray that what the world sees of me will glorify God.

Psalms 1-9

Since the baby was born I have been very apprehensive about some things. I tend to suffer from post-partum depression. Thankfully this time around it wasn't as severe as previous times. However I am still very anxious about the baby, especially his health. I have become like a Nazi about people being in his presence.....even my other children. I, myself, and Greg have cold so that doesn't make my anxiety any better. I am just positive that Baby Norman is going to fall ill and require a hospital stay....or worse. I know in my heart that this fear isn't from the Lord. I began praying every day for his health whenever these thoughts would overwhelm me. Today I started reading the Psalms, looking for verses that would encourage and comfort me.

Psalm 4:8
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

Psalm 5:11
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Psalm 9:10
And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

I am going to continue to read through the Psalms and post here when I find verses that encourage me. I hope that someone else will find encouragement in them as well.

Blessings,
Carie

5 Things I am Thankful for Today

1. a washer and dryer that WORK (even if the dryer is on its last leg)
2. boys that help with the housework
3. my baby sleeping on the couch
4. my little dog Sadie that loves me unconditionally
5. cool fall weather

Happenings Around Here

I am typing this while holding a sweet cuddly baby. He is swaddled up in a flannel blanket. I am so glad that I made these blankets last spring for him. They are flannel on one side and cotton on the other. Really cute and warm. Baby Norman likes to be snug when he is sleeping so they come in very handy.

Baby Norman is a wonderful baby and we have all enjoyed getting to know him. He stays awake for longer periods now; babbling and cooing. The boys love to hold, sing and talk to him. They are great big brothers.

My husband Norman (we haven't figured out a good way to distinguish between the two!) has another couple of weeks off work. We (especially ME) are very grateful for his paternity time. He has been such a blessing to me during my recovery and it was wonderful for him and baby to have some time to get to know each other. Since we didn't have that time with the other 2 we realize how very blessed we are.

Due to some changes at our church the boys and I are now looking for a new church to attend. I hate "church shopping" so you must realize how difficult this decision was for me. We have several options that don't require going somewhere totally unknown.....but still......I fear change. I honestly feel that this is what God is calling us to do so I am going. I just don't like the unknown. We will be slowly feeling the whole situation out and see what we think would be best. Norman was going to talk to the boys today about different options and their feelings about them to see where they stand. They always talk better to him than me.....maybe because my emotions tend to get in the way. We have only been at this church for about 3 years......I was hoping to not have to change again so soon.

On a more cheerful note, we will be making our annual "pilgrimage" to visit Norman's family this Thanksgiving holiday. I am looking forward to a change in scenery :)

We are studying James (today chapter 4) in Sunday School class and the last verse in that chapter said something to the effect of "if you know what you should do and you don't do it, then you are sinning". That really hit home with me. I know that there are many things in my life that I SHOULD be doing......actions and activities that I KNOW should be part of my daily life......my inaction is a SIN. It isn't simply I didn't do it.....I choose not to do it. And that is sin. I hope to examine some of those areas of my life in the next few weeks.

Since Thanksgiving is upon us I am going to post some things that I am thankful for. I should do this more often. I have so very much to be thankful for.

1. healthy children
2. loving, hardworking husband
3. our home and the things in it
4. my husbands job that provides for us
5. my health and the ability to care for my family

For the rest of the week I will try to post more things that I am thankful for. I encourage you to think about what God has blessed you with and thank Him for those things! God is Good all the time!!!!!

Norman Matthew

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Norman Matthew was born on Oct. 30, 2007 at 11:42 a.m. He weighed 7lbs 15ozs and is 20 inches long. Delivery was relatively quick.........the doctor almost didn't make it to catch him!!!! I have some recovery issues, but otherwise we are home and doing good!

Just Gabbing

I have spent the last half hour or so looking through my blog archives. That is an interesting endeavor. I realize how much I have really been slacking during this pregnancy! I know that there is a season for everything, but I hope and pray that I am able to overcome my tendency for laziness after this baby is born! That is something that I will really have to work on.

Even though I am not running at anything near full force, I thought that I would post what we did today and what I have on my list for tomorrow.

Today
went to church services
fixed lunch (leftover pork chops, cornbread stuffing, sweet potatoes)
walked in the Halloween parade at a neighboring town with our taekwondo school
Home to REST
Trick or Treating to Grandma's, Great Grandma's, Aunt Marge's and Uncle Buck's. Norman will take them into town on Wednesday night for the big event.
Reading blogs and email

Tomorrow
up/showered/dressed
pay bills
fix lunch (don't have any idea what)
work on laundry (mom may do it for me, but I will still need to put it away)
change sheets on my bed so I come home to clean sheets
double check baby's bag and my bag
help the boys pack their bags to stay at friend's house

I think that is it. I am hoping to be in bed early Monday evening cause we have to be at the hospital by 5:45 a.m. so we will be getting up very early (probably 4 a.m. for me). I have no idea why I need to be there so early......I wonder if there are even doctor's or office staff there that early??? Oh well, I am hoping that maybe after they hook me up to everything that I can go back to sleep for at least a little while.

All of your prayers are appreciated. I will post when we get home!
Blessings,
Carie

Teach Magazine Reviews

I have been asked about how I got started doing reviews for Teach Magazine. I answered an ad on an email group I was a part of several years ago. Not very helpful for the rest of you, since I am no longer a part of that group......I don't even know if it exists anymore, I just didn't have time to participate anymore. I would assume that you could contact someone from their website (see sidebar for correct link) and submit an application from there if they are looking for new reviewers.

Baby update

******Sing along to the tune of We are Going To the Chapel******

We are going to the hospital and we're gonna have a baby.......We're going to the hospital and we're gonna have a baaaabbyyyy........

Anyway, sorry, I have been wanting to do that for 9 months so I decided that now was as good a time as any :) My doctor's appt. went well. Little guy looked fabulous on the ultrasound. He weighs 7lbs 5 ozs. My amniotic fluid went from 28 (something - I don't know the unit of measurement) to 32. My doctor says that's still ok.....but regardless, with too much fluid and a bigger baby there isn't any room in there for him to grow. So I am scheduled for an induction at 5:45 a.m. on Tuesday Oct. 30. I was 50% effaced and dialated to 1.5 centimeters so I could go before then.....but that is d-day if I don't.

I know that I should be frantically nesting, but I am not. I am tired and I am resting. We have a busy weekend and fall has hit with a vengence here, so all I really want to do it huddle under the covers and drink cocoa.....so that's probably what I am going to do.

I will probably be online some this weekend, and I will need to post my Walgreens deals tomorrow. Rest assured that I will post baby's birth announcement as soon as we get home. I appreciate all the prayers that have been answered even before I got pregnant this time. All of my blogland friends are very, very precious to me.

With that said, I hope that everyone has a wonderful day!
Blessings,
Carie

Supplemental Income

As a stay-at-home wife and homeschooling mother, I am always on the lookout for ways to supplement my husband's income. Most of the time the money that I make is used for "extras", ie. dinners out, treats for the kids or me, or gifts for dh. Crystal at Money Saving Moms has encouraged us to post about the things that we do, or have done in the past, to earn some money from home.

Here are my ideas:
babysitting

ebay (I tend to sell school books and the money goes back into the school fund)

handmade knitted items (For a while I was selling knitted shawls on a group that I was a part of. I am no longer part of that group, however they could be easily sold on ebay if I had the extra time to knit right now! I also do specialty knitting for family and friends. Word of mouth is a great way to get this started!)

cleaning homes (I will admit that I don't do this. I can barely keep up with my own house. I have a friend that does this and is able to make money to help her family financially. If you clean offices - like a family member of mine - you can do that late at night when your dh is home to care for the kids. Like I said, I don't do this, but it is an option for those of you who are cleaners!)

product reviews (I do homeschool product reviews for TEACH magazine. I don't get paid, persay, but I do receive for free the item that they would like for me to review. After the review is completed I am free to resell that item if I wish. Most of the stuff I keep, because I really like them, but it is an option and a wonderful way to try out all that great new stuff out there!)

That is all for now. I hope that this might encourage some of you to think outside the box in terms of supplemental income.

Fall

I am soooo enjoying fall this year. My body temp is all messed up with this baby and I am HOT all the time! So the cooler weather has been a relief for me.....while most people are in jackets, I am in shirt-sleeves!

Yesterday I finished working on the baby bib. It is really cute. My grandma made the baby blanket. It is really cute.

We are going to another cook-out tonight. This one is local so we won't have to drive far. And it is mostly people that I only see once or twice a year. So that should be fun.

Laundry is on the line........fleece sheets are on the bed - they are so soft!

Baby has his little butt up against my rib cage. I have to sit almost straight up to keep from being uncomfortable....there isn't any room to lean over at all. I guess that maybe my posture will improve. LOL

All in all, things are good here. We are just waiting in anticipation for baby's arrival. We can't wait to hold him and kiss him and love him :)

Have a good weekend!
Blessings,
Carie

Walgreens Savings This Week

I did this transaction on Monday but laziness struck and I apologize for not posting it sooner. Due to faulty technology on my end I can't post pictures so I will itemize what I purchased. It wasn't the best that I have ever done, but it wasn't bad and we got stuff that we needed.

Tylenol Quick Release (100 count) $7.50
Motrin IB (100 count) $7.50
Tylenol PM (100 count) $7.50
(for this purchase I had a $2 coupon and 2 $1 coupons - plus it made me eligible for RR)

Joy Dish Soap $0.89 (I got 2)

Pantene Conditioner
Pantene Shampoo
Infusion Conditioner (2 of these)
The sale was 3/$20 (I paid $4.99 for the smaller conditioner) plus I had coupons - $1 off 2 Pantene and $1.50 off 2 Infusion. This also qualified me for $10 RR

Vicks Hand Sanitizer (2 of these)
Vicks DayQuill Liquid
These were 3/$15 plus 3 $1 off coupons. This also qualified for a $5 RR

Trident Splash Gum - I had a store coupon making it $0.59 and a $0.50 coupon making the gum $.09

My total after sales and coupons was $49.91 but I got $25 in register rewards for next time so my total out of pocket was $24.91. I will be glad when I start getting my rebate rewards back.....should be sometime in November for the first one. Then I can completely stop spending out of pocket at Walgreens....that is the hope anyway! But I have register rewards for next week. Hopefully the sales are good!

Blessings,
Carie

36 Week Appointment

Hello everyone!

It is time for my weekly doctor's appt. update. I think that it is sad that this is the only thing of note I have to write about. I guess you now know how very pathetic and boring my life really is LOL.

Anywho......the doctor's appt. went well. Baby looked good. Amniotic fluid was at the same level as last week which I guess is good (if it would have gotten higher that would have been bad). They didn't take measurements of the baby this week, that will be done again next week.

Doctor said that if I didn't go into labor on my own in the next couple of weeks that he would induce 1-1.5 weeks before my due date to try to avoid a HUGE baby. I really appreciate that! I hope and pray that I go into labor on my own before then though.

I have another appt. next Wednesday so as long as nothing exciting happens around here before then, I will update after the appt.

Blessings to All!

35 Week Appointment

Off we went to the doctor this morning for my 35 week ultrasound and doctor's appointment. The ultrasound went well. Baby weighs approximately 6lbs. 12ozs (that is way above the 5.5lb average). He has an above average sized head and stomach and below average size femur bones. What that means is that he is short and chubby LOL The other problem that they found was that I have way too much amniotic fluid. Apparently, this poses no problem for the baby or me, but it could cause me to go into labor early. At this point I don't think that it would hurt anything, but they are going to monitor me more closely. Therefore, I will have another ultrasound at my appointment next week. The 3-D pictures that we received of little guy are so cute!!!!! He is adorable! I know that I am biased, but I can't wait to meet this handsome little fellow.

My mil found use a crib mattress so now we have the crib all set up, sheets on, and ready to go. She also found us a high chair. Hopefully we will pick up the rest of the "must haves" after payday on Monday. My mom gave me a Walmart gift card which we will use to get the rubbermaid dresser for little guys clothes. Soon enough we will be all set!

Blessings,
Carie

Just Another Day

Today, I have accomplished:

2 loads of laundry (on the line)
made my bed
school (morning only)
picked up the kitchen
made lunch (steak, mac and cheese)
swept the kitchen
mopped most of it :)

I still need to bring in and fold my laundry and then I am going to try to finish cross stitching the baby bib that I started 6 months ago.....I shouldn't be such a dawdler :)

I hope that you all have a fantastic day!

What I Accomplished Today

Here is what I have gotten done today:
laundry (4 loads washed and hung on the line - getting ready to fold)
school (morning and afternoon)
lunch (tacos)
changed the sheets on my bed
ran the dishwasher
Grandma came to visit (she made me a cute maternity top and brought it down)

All that I have left to do is fold laundry, feed the boys supper and take the trash to town on the way to taekwondo. I am sure that I will be exhausted when we get home tonight cause I haven't been sleeping well, but that is ok, it will all be worth it in the end.

Thanks to Mrs. Brigham for reminding me that it is always better to look at what got done rather than what still needs to be done!

Grocery Shopping

I did my main "payday" grocery shopping yesterday and found several really good deals. I haven't been budgeting, couponing, ad-watching and deal finding as well as I should have been over the last year and I intend to change that. I have been inspired by a great blog call Money Saving Mom. I encourage anyone that is looking for budgeting help to check it out.

In total I spent $117 for $158 in groceries. I could have done better I am sure, but mega buying usually takes a month or 2 before supplies in the pantry are high enough to only be able to by the GREAT deals. I look forward to that time coming. When I worked really hard at my deal-watching and coupon clipping before I almost never spent more than $50 on groceries each week and that included all household items, dog food, tolietries and diapers. I would love to hit that mark again.

Family Dollar
We made a special trip to this store for 1 item. Normally I probably wouldn't have done this, but it was on the way and you will understand why in a minute. We needed Snausages (a dog treat) for Sadie (we didn't need them, but she loves them). They are $3-4 at Walmart and Kroger for 1 bag. They are a $1 a bag at Family Dollar and I had a $1 off coupon so we paid $.07 for her dog treats. I think that made it well worth the 5 minutes that it took to stop there.

Walgreens
I really think that Walgreens is the best store to shop at when you are deal shopping. I bought a 16 pack of Kotex pads for $3.19. I used a $1 off store coupon and a $2 off manufacturers coupon so I paid $0.19 for them. I bought a 20 count bottle of Advil PM for $3, minus the $2 manufacturers coupon for that, so I paid $1 for that. I also bought a fancy toothbrush for full price ($3.99) but I will get a full rebate on that. So I paid $5.50 and received $2 in register rebates, a $1 coupon for another bottle of Advil PM and I will get $3.99 rebated later. So, they actually paid me about $1 to shop at their store :) Cool huh???

Walmart
Here is what I bought for $78.02. I used a $1.50 coupon for diapers and $1 coupon for cereal.
10 lbs. ground beef
2 boxes of margarine
1 tub of margarine
44 lb bag of dog food
2 24pks of water
1 gallon of milk
1 small bag of cough drops
1 bag of Honey Nut Scooters (small one)
1 jumbo bag of newborn Pampers
1 flannel pj set for my hospital bag

Kroger
Here is what I bought for $34.75. I used a coupon for the Tyson Chicken Breasts. I saved $25.02 by shopping for only sale items.

5 cans Grands biscuits (98 cents each)
10 Banquet dinners (59 cents each)
6 2 liter bottles of Pepsi ($1 each)
Tyson chickens breasts ($1.77 lb)
10 bags of Lipton rice or noodles ($1 each)
3 lbs of red seedless grapes ($1.28 a lb)

I hope that this encourages someone else to work and lower their grocery budget as much as possible. Lowering your grocery budget doesn't mean that you have to eat beans and rice or that you have to make everything from scratch. I love to buy our favorite convenience foods at a greatly reduced price so that we can enjoy our busy lives :)

Blessings and have a great weekend!
Carie

33 Week Checkup and Other News

I had my 33 week appointment yesterday morning. Baby looks good, is head down and head a nice heartbeat. At my next appt., in 2 weeks, I will have my group B strep test and another ultrasound done. Then I will have weekly appts. until the end. It is almost here!!!

I have been very emotional lately. My optimal goal in life for today would be to lay in bed and cry all day. For no apparent reason. But I have decided that would be no way to live so today I am going to try to:

unload and reload the dishwasher
finish making my grocery list and categorizing coupons
show Greg the basics of learning to knit (he has been begging for months)

Not a very ambitious list, but if I can manage that at least I will have accomplished something. Maybe tomorrow I will be more "together".

We have taekwondo tonight so maybe being around other people will help.

I hope that everyone has a great day!
Blessings,
Carie

Whats going on around here

Good afternoon!

I have been online for over an hour searching/seeking/perusing dress patterns. The sewing bug has bitten me again. I am definately needing some new dresses. I am having a "creative attack"....I am feeling a great desire to create something. Maybe with payday coming soon I will have some money to order a couple new patterns and purchase some material. I could use a new dress or 2 that has nursing accesses. I was looking at the patterns HERE. The patterns are soooo very cute. I am just begging to sew up a few from various patterns.

I think that I will go knit something this afternoon. I have 1 sock of a pattern done and I really need to finish the other :) 1 sock takes me about 6 hours I think, but course, I never have 6 continuous hours.....I usually finish one in a week if I apply myself. I also have a Christmas gift started that I really should finish before baby comes.

Gregory has a hat that needs a stitch put in to fix the back band so I will try to get that done as well.

Sadie (the cute little black cocker spaniel) is laying at my feet snoring. She had a busy, tiring day today. She went to the soccer games with us this morning. It is a lot of work sitting next to mom getting petted by all the kids that think she is "soooooo cute" :) LOL So now she is resting. It is a lot of work being cute I guess. It definately gives her a big head :)

I have a chicken that I cooked in the crock-pot this a.m. that I need to pick off the bones and 2 loads of laundry to fold. Then I need to prep my lesson for youth group tomorrow night. It is still very hot here, but at least today the wind is blowing. Mr. Weather Guy says that it should cool off next week, unless he has changed his mind :) I am looking forward to some more cool fall weather. The boys painted 2 little pumpkins today so I guess that it is officially fall. I am going to find the kitchen table and use them as centerpieces :)

Have a wonderful Saturday!

Fall

I am so glad that the fall season is finally here. This year fall means different things to me than usual, with the upcoming arrival of baby, but fall still has to be my favorite time of year. I enjoy the beautiful days and crisp cool nights, football games (our team won last night!), cookouts and hayrides, pumpkins, apple cider (I bought my 1st gallon today), soccer and the seasonal slowdown that seems to occur as everything gets ready for a winter rest.

This year, fall means that baby will be here in a very short time. Fall this year is a new beginning for our family as God blesses us with a new member. God is gracious and God is always good. We are very thankful for his many provisions!

I urge you to take a minute and think about the things that you are so very thankful for this year. Have a wonderful fall weekend!

Blessings,
Carie

Our New Black Belt

Gregory successfully completed his requirements to test for his 1st degree black belt in taekwondo and successfully completed his testing last night at Master Newberry's Black Belt Academy in Champaign IL. We are so very, very proud of him and all that he has accomplished! Now I am the very proud momma of 2 1st degree black belts :)

We are proud of you Greg! Keep up the good work!

Friday To-Do List

Today the boys and I are going on a special end of summer outing. We didn't take much time this year to do the fun simple stuff that we used to do during the summer so I thought that this evening would be the perfect time to do that.

Today I need to:
Shower and dress
do Bible study
pay bills
do at least 1 load of laundry
school
lunch prep/lunch/lunch clean-up
library
park to play
football game at high school

Have a great weekend!

Thursday To-Do List

Here is my list of things to do today:

Shower and get dressed
Bible study
school
lunch prep/lunch/lunch cleanup
work on baby bib if there is time
Gregory has his 1st degree black belt testing in Champaign tonight so we will have to leave plenty early to get there in time for that. Good luck Gregory!!!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Doctor's Appointments

Yesterday was my 31 week check-up. On the way into town I commented to dh that my doctor had never had to deliver a baby during any of my appointmets.....he was always there, on time and ready. I spoke too soon!!!! We got back into the exam room and were the next up and we could hear him in the hall giving instructions. He had to go do an emergency c-section! So I got to see the physician's assistant. She is a very nice lady. Baby is head down, but transverse at this point. Gregory was transverse when I went into labor with him and the nurses manually turned him straight down. I don't want a repeat of that procedure....it is very painful. So hopefully the little tyke will settle fully head down sometime in the next few weeks.

Norman also had an appointment. The doctor is scheduling an MRI to see if they can find the source for the back pain he has been sufferering with all summer.

Otherwise we are both healthy as horses :)

Wednesday To-Do List

It looks like I accomplished everything on yesterday's list. I did cut out one of the pieces for the diaper bag. I think that it will be easy to sew together, but I hate cutting out the pieces and then I will have to find the sewing machine......it tends to get buried with lack of use :) The UPS man brought some books that I had ordered from Rainbow Resource so I was easily sidetracked. Lee is having some trouble with Spelling. We have been using Spelling Power and Greg may continue with that, but Lee needed something different so I ordered A Reason for Spelling. From looking at the book, I think that it will be a perfect fit! I ordered book B but I am sure that we will zip through it pretty quick and begin work on book C sometime in the spring. I am going to give Greg the option of switching over or staying with Spelling Power. He would also be using Book B, but probably at the normal pace. I also ordered some math workbooks from Mindware. The title were Addition Adventures, Subtraction Adventures, Multiplication Mosaics and More Multliplication Mosaics. Greg already did one of the activites. They are going to be a hit too. I didn't work on the baby bib. I was watching TV in bed and fell asleep sometime after 8. I guess that I was tired. Today is a busy day with doctor's appointments and all that so I don't imagine I will get any housework done today. I am so thankful that I had the energy to do a lot of it earlier this week.

Showered and dressed (done)
Bible study (done)
Take TV to repair shop
My doctor's appt.
Norman's doctor's appt.
Spend the afternoon at mil's house
taekwondo

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Blessings,
Carie

Tuesday's To-Do List

I am so very pleased with myself cause even though I was suffering through a major case of the grumpies I accomplished everything on yesterday's list PLUS I vaccumed the living room and master bedroom :) I also wanted to mention that Dh and I (mainly dh) put together the new crib Thursday afternoon, so the master bedroom is completely ready for the baby :) I am very excited and relieved about that. On Tuesday's I don't HAVE to go anywhere so I am hoping to accomplish more homemaking and handworking :)

Get showered and dressed (after I get done here)
Bible study
School
Laundry (probably 2 loads)
lunch prep/lunch/lunch clean-up (I don't know yet what is on the menu)
finish decluttering living room (I have dh's end table left - it is the worst)
declutter the master bath and sweep in there
work on diaper bag (I am adapting a purse pattern for a diaper bag, we will see how it goes)
work on baby bib (if there is time)
supper prep/supper/clean-up (probably sandwiches again)

I think that is all that I will have time for. I hope to get all of this accomplished and then my list will be down by almost half :) YEAH!!!!! Course I am already thinking of new things for a new list, but that's alright. I am taking it one day at a time. I have a doctor's appt. in the morning so I probably won't post a list or update. I will do that on Thursday. Have a great, blessed, Lord-filled day!

Blessings,
Carie

Monday's to-do list

I tend to feel overwhelmed on Monday's. The nesting instinict is in full force and my house is a disaster so that isn't helping things. Here are the things that I hope to accomplish today:

Bible study (done)
School (working on it- they are reading right now)
laundry (one load on the line, one in the washer)
sweep and pick-up the kitchen
declutter living room (this may take a few times)
dust master bedroom
lunch (some kind of steak with some kind of potatoes)
lunch cleanup
fold and put away laundry
supper and clean-up (usually sandwiches on the run)
taekwondo

I will try to post in the morning so that I can be accountable for how I did and also to post tomorrow's list. I have several projects that need to be done before baby gets here and I am hoping that the accountability will help get the projects done!

Blessings,
Carie

What we have been up to lately

I feel badly for my few readers cause most of my blog posts have been about the baby or baby related items. I am sure that most of you are sick of hearing about it. I will admit that since conception this baby has been an all-consuming passion of mine. I have been over-preparing ever since LOL. I don't know what I will do with myself once he finally gets here.

Anyway, there is life going on here that doesn't really have anything to do with the baby. Although I will say that I am getting fat and he is getting heavy.....all of a sudden my belly popped and he is all out front LOL

School is going nicely. I get the boys up at 8 and they eat breakfast while I read from the New testament and Old Testament (Sonlight scheduled readings). Then we work on character studies that I took from the Plants Grown Up Book from Doorposts. The boys are required to work on 1 memory verse and 1 "project" at a time. Lee is really wanting to do the memory work and no projects but I am refusing to let him select a new verse until he does a project :) I am a horribly mean mother, I know. We are also memorizing Psalm 8 together and I am working on Proverbs 31:10-31 personally. Then they go brush teeth, get dressed and pick up their bedrooms. "School" starts at 9. They are allowed to work on subjects in whatever order they please and it varies every day. More often then not, Lee chooses to read first and that really warms my "Mommy heart". Until this year he hated to read. I confess that I am paying them $1 for every 100 pages that they read independently, but whatever it takes right??? We stop for lunch at 11. Greg is almost always done. Lee is almost never done. He really is a dawdler....we are working on that. At 1:30 Norman goes to work and we do science, history and read alouds (Sonlight again). That usually takes until around 3 and then sometimes I require that Lee finish up his assignments depending on the amount of dawdling involved in the delay that day. The routine is working well for us and I am so glad that I choose Sonlight this year. I am convinced that if I was putting stuff together on my own again that I would be a basket-case by now.

Norman bought a trampoline and a 51 inch TV. So far this summer he has bought 2 dirt bikes (for the boys) and the corresponding paraphenalia (helmets, goggles and gloves). Now the trampoline and this huge TV that is taking up half of my front living room wall. I will admit that it is impressive even if it is HUGE and kinda tacky looking. That's alright. He is very pleased with himself and I know that he (and probably the boys) will get much enjoyment out of it. I am watching the History Channel right now.....the cars and people's heads are very large on this TV. My little dog is afraid of it LOL

So now the living room is in shambles until Norman has some time to help me rearrange furniture. I could probably move it myself but I can hear everyone I know throwing a fit when they find out that I did it......especially Norman......man would I be in trouble. We will see how long I can stand it like this.......

I am working on cleaning carpet spots made by my little dog Sadie. Sometimes we over-estimate the amount of time we can leave her home alone :) I got some great cleaner from Walmart that seems to be taking up the "set-in" stains and I am sure that if I keep it on hand for "when it happens" then things will be a lot easier.

I am working on a bib for the baby.......sorry, this isn't a post about the baby is it? Anyway, it is almost done. I decided that I wasn't going to knit a baby blanket cause I have already recieved one (from Norman's grandmother) and I know that my mom is making one.....probably my grandmother too. I made some little knitted hats this spring and some cotton/flannel receiving blankets and now the bib so I can be content that he isn't being neglected by his mother.

My bedroom is also in shambles cause the old TV and entertainment center is going in there. I guess that it is good that we don't have the crib up yet :) I am hoping to get it soon though.

In the evenings the boys and I have been doing Bible speed drills. I call out a verse and they see who can look it up the fastest. Lee is faster, but he lets Greg win sometimes which keeps everyone happy. I am thrilled that they thought this up themselves. It is wonderful to have this activity to end our days together.

Taekwondo is going good. We had several classes off for Labor Day and that was wonderful. I sometimes forget how nice it is to stay at home in the evenings :)

I guess that is all that is going on around here. If you want to know what is up with my spiritually see my post below. I can't promise that the next few posts won't be about baby but I will try to do better in the future :)

Blessings,
Carie

Implementing Romans 12

Our Sunday morning speaker presented a message that was taken from Romans 5 and Romans 12. It was a wonderful message about the Holy Spirit and the hope that he brings to our lives through Jesus. While scanning the rest of the Romans 12 text I decided to study further this week.

I took 3 pages of notes yesterday while reading/studying. I don't intend to share them because I am sure that they don't make sense to anyone but me :) I will however share some ways that I am going to try to implement Romans 12 in my life. These are convictions that I feel God has placed on me, after much prayer. I encourage you to study Romans 12 and see what plans God has for you!

1. My body is a living sacrifice
A. I need to eat nutritious foods in moderation
B. I need to exercise or at least stretch out daily

2. Be not conformed to this world
A. Study topics that I need clarified (partial list: modesty, prophecy, laziness and gossip)
B. form my own beliefs about those studied topics
C. follow those beliefs
****Stay in God's word everyday****

3. Pray about and follow God's leading regarding my gifts (I am sharing what I believe my gifts to be at this point.....I am open to following God's leading in this area though)
A. encouragement (send at least 1 card to someone that God places on my heart each week)
B. teaching (develop my 5 fat files, starting with the above mentioned studies)
C. singing (prepare 1 song a month and SING it at worship services)

4. Work on laziness (at home and elsewhere) - keep my eyes open to ways I can serve God's kingdom

5. Pray constantly

6. Be willing to open my home to others - to do this I must be prepared! I don't expect my home to be spotless or a showplace, but it needs to be moderately clean and I need to be prepared at a moments notice for guests. This also returns to my need to overcome my laziness!

7. Avoid arguing at all cost - be humble in all situations

This is what I am learning. I will probably reread Romans 12 at least once this week. I am praying that God will continue to work on me and in my life. I know that there is much to do - this is just a starting point!!!!!

29 Weeks

Today was my 29 week doctor's appointment. Everything is going well. From now on I will be having my appointments every 2 weeks. I guess that will make things go faster :) The downside is that the doctor said that I couldn't travel farther than 1 hour from my hospital after 32 weeks. I was hoping to go on an overnite trip to a taekwondo tournament in Edgewood, KY (south of Cincinnati, OH). I guess that is out now :( But that's ok. While the guys are gone I guess that I will keep myself busy around here.

Physically, I can definately tell that the pregnancy is progressing. I always get carpal tunnel when pregnant and it is in full swing. My sciatic nerve is also making it very difficult to sleep, sit and walk. I am uncomfortable, but it isn't anything that I can't handle.

We heard the baby's heartbeat on our home doppler today for the first time! That was exciting. I was beginning to think that it would never work. So we have something to entertain us now. The baby was still feet down, but the doctor said that we had until about 35 weeks for him to turn. I sure hope he feels inclined to do so sometime soon.

Guess that is it. I am having a lazy day today. I think that I will work on a cross stitch bib that I started this spring. Have a good week!
Blessings,
Carie

Sunday - Minute by Minute

This concludes my minute by minute week. I hope that you have enjoyed or been encouaged by the look into our daily lives.

On Sunday morning I woke up, at 6, and had cereal for breakfast. I remembered that I needed the last egg for the meatloaf :) I mixed up the meatloaf and peeled potatoes and got that ready to cook once we got home from church. Then I checked email, showered and dressed. I dozed on the couch till time to wake the boys up. They were hard to get up after our late night the night before.

Our Sunday services were very uplifting. We are studying Matthew 24 in Sunday school. I am going to be working on that more in-depth this week. We had a substitute preacher, a young man still in Bible college who did a wonderful job speaking on the direction of the church.

After services, I made some copies and we went home. Thankfully Norman had stuck the meatloaf in the oven so I started the potatoes and broccoli and mixed up the cheese sauce. Then I vaccumed the living room, hallway and air conditioner door vents. Then we had lunch (meatloaf, mashed potatoes, broccoli with cheese). After lunch I cleaned up the mess and got Norman off to work. I cleaned off the kitchen table, put on a clean table cloth, made tea and Kool-Aid and mixed up an apple cobbler. The other parents involved in the youth group came for a meeting.

We enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship together.

After they left, I fed the boys supper and cleaned up the kitchen. Then we went to evening church services. Tonight we had a meeting about the direction of our church.

When we got home, late again, I went to bed!

Blessings,
Carie

Saturday - Minute by Minute

On Saturday I was up at 6. Ate an egg for breakfast (the baby is sitting on my stomach so I am having to limit what I eat at one time to keep from feeling ill). My niece got here at 6:45 (I am babysitting today). I showered, dressed and checked on the internet/email.

I woke Norman and the kids around 8. The kids ate breakfast and got dressed. Norman just got dressed :) We gathered up our taekwondo stuff and headed for town. Today is rank testing :)

I dropped Norman and the kids off at his vehicle (we had left it in town) and I ran to Walmart for some last minute items that we needed for the cookout. It rained while I was at Walmart, but it didn't rain across town at the park (where the testing/cookout was being held). I met everyone at the park and testing began. Everyone did great!

After testing we enjoyed a fine cookout of hot dogs and hamburgers with all the salads and desserts you can imagine. Everything was fabulous :) Then we sat and visited while all the kids played with water guns/ballons/buckets/hoses. They were all very wet!

Norman left for work. About 1 hour later I got a call from him that he had a blown tire and I would need to come and get him (he didn't realize this vehicle didn't have a spare). We are so grateful to God that his tire blew while sitting at a gas station. If it would have went while he was driving he would have probably wrecked. While he was waiting on me to get there a good Samaritan showed up with a spare tire for him to borrow. What a blessing!!!!! By the time I got there all I had to do was follow him home. He had to call in to work because it was so late by the time I was able to get there. He will be driving my van the rest of the week until he has time to take his truck to get new tires.

We got home and I went back to town to Walmart to get school supplies for the kids. We had leftovers for supper and then enjoyed our unexpected "family" evening with a trip to the drive-in movie theatre. We watched Rush Hour 3 and Bourne Ultimatum. Well, some of us did! I fell asleep in the van about half-way through the first movie!!!!!! I knew that I was tired.

We made it home after midnight and I fell into bed.

Not really a typical day here, but maybe more typical than not. Things don't seem to always go as planned around here :)
Blessings,
Carie

Friday - Minute by Minute

On Friday morning I woke up at 7 and ate my eggs while checking my email. Afterwards I showered, got dressed and started a load of laundry.

I woke the boys and we did our Bible reading, character training and memory work. They did their chores and got dressed while I emptied and reloaded the dishwasher and changed around the laundry.

****Side note **** Leland is loving his reader from Sonlight Core 3. He is reading A Lion to Guard Us and can't hardly put it down. He begs to do his reading first and has been consistantly reading more than required every day!!!!!! With an attitude like that from "he who hates school" school has become a joy :)

Once we are done with our morning assignments, I fixed lunch (tacos) while we danced to some 80's music CDs that Norman got in the mail. The kids were suitably embarrassed by their parents :)

We ate lunch while the boys played chess and I checked the internet again. I decluttered the living room. Norman left for work and we finished school then the boys picked up their stuff from the living room.

Once that was finished I sat down and made up a supply list for next week's science assignments and wrote 2 cards/letters to be mailed. I had just sat down to take a little siesta when it was time to leave for a planetarium exhibit that we were attending. So off we went!!!!

The exhibit was cool. The boys really liked it and now we know what to look for with Greg's telescope.

We got home late and I collapsed in bed.

I am getting ready to hit the shower now for Saturday :)
Post more about that later.
Blessings,
Carie

Thursday - Minute by Minute

Once again, Thursday didn't go exactly as I had planned...or even hoped for that matter.

I got up late because I had another night of really bad sleep. The phone woke me up. I hate when that happens. So after prying my eyes open I fixed myself egg burritos and ate while talking to my mom on the phone (she wasn't the call that woke me up, but she was right behind it!). After breakfast I checked email and spent way to much time on the internet. I also talked to a dear friend on the phone and then finished my internet stuff.

After dragging myself off the computer I took a shower and got dressed. I woke the boys up an hour later than usual. My mother-in-law called and needed dh to work on her car so I woke him up and then we started school. We skipped Bible reading, character study and memory work. Norman left. The boys finished up their schoolwork while I decluttered the kitchen. You can actually see both ends of my bar now :) When the clock struck 11 I dismissed the boys to do their chores and I fixed lunch, tuna helper, which I know isn't the best (and I won't tell you what they had for breakfast) but I figured that it was something.

I sat down and read my mail.

By then dh had made it back home. He and Lee played a couple of games of chess while Greg and I watched then the boys and I finished school. After school was done Norman and Greg went outside and fixed the door on my van (the drivers side sliding door hasn't opened in close to 2 years). I talked to my brother briefly on the phone and then laid down in my chair and took a nap. I have no idea what the rest of them where doing :)

We left for town about 3:30 and went to the bank and medicine shoppe to get prescriptions filled. We also went to Dairy Queen and had peanut buster parfaits :) Yummy!!!!! Then we went to taekwondo.

I do almost all of the bookkeeping and secretarial work at taekwondo so I am usually pretty busy while we are there. When I am not actually busy I work sudoku puzzles. We got home very late, again, and I collapsed into bed.

Here it is Friday morning and I up only slightly earlier than yesterday.....but I am almost done on the internet. We might actually get school started when we are supposed to today.

Have a good day!
Blessings,
Carie

Wednesday - Minute by Minutes

Wednesday is always my day "off" cause dh is home and we do things with him. I got up late, around 7, cause I didn't sleep worth a hoot. I ate an egg/potato scramble, checked email and got in the shower. Dh got up early, picked the garden (I am done canning so all the leftover tomatos are going to his mom's) and then we got ready to leave. We usually spend Wednesdays at my mother-in-laws house. We played scrabble most of the day and visited while the kids played. I had a funeral visitation to attend and then we went to town for Taekwondo. While in town I picked up some cat food (the cat had been out of food for all of about 8 hours, but he thought he might starve) and played with our instructor's son while they had class. We ate supper at McDonald's and then came home and I collapsed into bed.

I didn't sleep good Wednesday night either and I have gotten an even later start for this Thursday. I really, really need to get in the shower now :)

Blessings,
Carie

Tuesday - Minute by Minute

Today is one of those days when I have been busy all day but didn't manage to accomplish much!

I got up at 6:15, sat down to watch a little FNC and went back to sleep. Woke up at 7, jumped in the shower and got dressed. I grabbed a load of laundry (sheets) and got that started and then made myself egg burritos. While they were cooking, my mom called. We visited and then I ate breakfast and hung out the sheets. I started the next load (towels) and then woke the boys up.

We did bible reading, character training and Bible memory then they went to get dressed and pick up their rooms while I hung out the towels. They decided to do reading first so I quick checked my email. I prepped other school stuff while they finished reading and then we worked on math assignments. Lee is really having trouble with double digit multiplication. Greg worked through most of his schoolwork while Lee and I worked on math. At 11 I dismissed them to do their chores while I fixed lunch (pancakes). I also mixed up some brownies :)

After we ate lunch, I read the mail and then cleaned up the kitchen. Then I sat down to rest and visit with dh. He left for work a little early today. At 1:30 we finished up schoolwork. The boys brought in the laundry and I folded it and put it away. Then I mixed up banana bread (my bananas were very brown) and put it into the oven. The boys rode their bikes to grandma's house.

I rested (and almost went to sleep) while the bread baked. I am so tired lately!!!!! When the bread got done I took half a loaf and went to my mom's for supper. The boys played while she and I visited. We had grilled chicken, potato salad and fresh tomatoes for supper. We just got home a little bit ago. The boys took their baths and are watching an episode of Monk that we had on the DVR. I am on the internet :)

I hope that everyone had a good day!
Blessings,
Carie

Monday, Minute by Minute

Candy recommended that we post about our daily activities this week as part of a self-improvement exercise. I agree, so here goes:

I get up at 6 a.m. most days. I got up and flopped on the couch and watched about 15 mins. of Fox News Channel. Then I showered, dressed and started laundry (colors). I fixed myself breakfast (egg and sausage burritos with cheese) and ate. Hung the laundry on the clothesline and started another load (jeans). I got the boys up (around 8) and fed them breakfast while I read our new testament and old testament Bible readings. We also worked on memory work and character training. While I hung out the jeans the boys got dressed, brushed teeth and picked up their bedrooms. School officially starts at 9. They decided to read first so I began making bread dough (Honey Wheat recipe from More With Less Cookbook) and got out meat for lunch.
I also started a load of whites and put them in the dryer (it was sprinkling outside).

We worked on school work until 11 when I started lunch. The boys did their chores (feed dog and fetch mail). We had round steak, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese for lunch. Then I did lunch clean up, put the bread in the oven and visited with Norman until he left for work at 1:30.

Once Norman went to work we did our history, read aloud and science assignments (Sonlight Core 3) and Lee finished the assignments that he didn't get to in the morning. When we got that finished and my planner up-to-date I swept the kitchen floor while the boys brought the laundry in from the line. I folded it and we all put it away. Now the boys are playing while I am reading on the internet.

We are having grilled cheese sandwiches for supper and then we are off to town to run errands and go to taekwondo. I work at the front desk answering the phone and doing paperwork while the boys take classes. When we get home (probably around 9) I will collapse in bed :)

I will post again tomorrow. I am already finding gaps in my use of time......I could really use my time better. I need to work on that before this baby gets here :)

Blessings,
Carie

Saturday Happenings

Officially the 3rd trimester begins TODAY for me and Baby!!!!!! Yeah!!!!! We are 2/3 of the way there.

Currently my servants (dishwasher and washing machine) are working on their duties. I have canning jars and other dishes in the dishwasher in preparation for the 12 quarts of spaghetti sauce I will be working up this afternoon. My washing machine is on its 3rd load of laundry (the first 2 are on the clothes line) and has one more to do before it is done. After I get done with this post (I logged on to do some online banking and check email) I will be doing the quiet cleaning of the house. Dh worked OT last night and will be working another 16 hours tonight so he needs all the sleep and quiet that I can give him. After he leaves for work at 1:30 I will get the tomatoes ran through the food processor, get the sauce cooking and then do the vacuuming of the carpets and clean-up of our room and bathroom.

I am praising God today because the governor and state courts reached an agreement to cut the Aug. 15th and 31st checks for state employees. Hopefully by the 31st they will have the budget voted on and everything can return to normal. I am so glad that we have at least this little bit of a reprieve. I reworked out budget yesterday and was very pleased to see that we had a little bit of money left over each paycheck. I guess that usually that money was just "disappearing". Now I have it assigned a "job". I am still working on this budgeting thing, but with God's help I will get it all figured out.

Better get to work!!!!! Have a great weekend!
Blessings,
Carie

My Home Management Binder

I am working on my Home Management Binder (HMB) and thought that I would share how I have mine set up.

Cover Page
Picture of the boys taken in 2004.

Front Pages
Emergency contacts. The first page is a list of emergency numbers, mostly fire, doctors and hospital. The next page contains our address, directions to our house and names and numbers of family/friends to contact in cause of emergency. This is basically a "babysitter" page with all the important information in one place.

Home Section
This section contains all of the home making stuff.

Routines
all routines are works-in-progress :)
Before-Bed Routine
shine my sink
lay out clothes for tomorrow
brush my teethc and remind the kids to do the same!

Morning Routine
get out of bed
get showered and dressed
while in the bathroom, swish the toliet, wipe the counters and put things away
scoop cat liter box (not while I am pregnant - that is dh's job)
empty the dishwasher
check calender
made sure the assignments are ready for the boys
start laundry
bible study
set out lunch to thaw

Afternoon Routine
decide on supper
clean as I go
deal with mail
check on laundry
check the daily duties or target zone for cleaning

Daily Duties
Monday - Errand/grocery day
Tuesday - Zone cleaning
Wednesday - Office day
update planner and HMB
mail cards, letters and bills
declutter desk area
Thursday - Project day
clean out purse and van
outdoor work
Friday - Kitchen Day
mass cooking, bake bread and desserts
clean fridge
update menus and make grocery lists
Saturday - Weekly Cleaning Day (ala flylady)

Zone Section
This is where I keep my checklists for my zone cleaning, ala flylady. I will be doing one zone each week with most of the cleaning for that zone to be done on Tuesday and Thursday.

Menu Lists
I made up these menu list a year or so ago. I chose 6 meals for each week with a 4 week rotation. Then a made up a grocery list for each week (including everything needed for those meals). That way I can look at my menu list and the check the grocery list and see what is needed that week. I also have an extras list with things like household goods, dog food, kool aid, etc. I try to have a variety of foods each week.

Here is a sample from week 1:
Day 1: chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes
Day 2: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
Day 3: tenderloin steaks, mac and cheese, carrots
Day 4: grilled/broiled chicken breasts, diced/baked potatoes, broccoli
Day 5: tacos
Day 6: sausage/bacon, eggs, toast

I am out of time this morning. We are having our last Fabulous Friday for the summer! Have a great weekend!
Blessings,
Carie

Today is a beautiful day!

The weather here is absolutely beautiful! Hot, but beautiful :) I am working in the house due to the heat. I worked very hard today cleaning and reorganizing the school stuff in the living room. I was able to make room for the newly cleaned changing table and I stocked the shelves with receiving blankets, burp rags, bibs and diapers. I am pleased with the results.

Norman and the boys are at his mom's house working on his sister's car. I have been researching Home Management Binders online (see Candy's website). I am going to work on re-organizing my binder the rest of this week. Some of the categories in my HMB contains are:
Schedules
Menus
Cleaning
Homeschool
Children
Budget
Gardening
Sewing

I may add more sections later also. I will try to post about each section as I get it done. If this is something that interested you, I urge you to check out Candy's website and set up your own HMB!

I am feeling very, very tired (we were up late last night and I got up early this a.m.) so I am thinking of taking a nap while it is so quiet here.

Have a wonderful day!
Blessings,
Carie

26 Weeks

Hello everyone!

My doctor's appt. on Wed. went well. When I commented to the doctor that I has having many slightly painful contractions he ordered an ultrasound to make sure that everything was ok. Everything is ok and we got some more wonderful pictures of our darling baby boy. He is still a boy for those of you who were wondering LOL! He weights 2 pounds, which is a little big for his age, but everything looks great.

I haven't got back the results from my gtt test yet, but I did get a card from the doctor's office that said I was low on iron so now I am taking supplements in addition to everything else. I feel compelled to eat a large breakfast so that all those pills aren't swimming around in there by themselves!

As a side note, the state of IL hasn't balanced their budget yet. Norman, and all other state employees, got notice on July 31 that they may not be getting their Aug. 15th paychecks on time. They could delay payment indefinately until the budget is balanced. In 2003 I think, it took until Oct. althought they continued to pay us during that time. So we are in limbo. We have some in savings and a good payment history with all of our bills so we will be good for at least a month and various friends have offered assistance if it goes beyond that. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends! They are more like family :)

This is our wake-up call I guess that we need to get our financial affairs into better order. So I guess we will be working on that as soon as the paychecks start coming back in. I know most of the tricks for frugal living, but I am open to more suggestions and any ideas on how to bulk up that savings account. I know that I have a few blog readers................................any ideas anyone???

We are getting ready to leave for a taekwondo tournament in Lawrencevile IL. This will be a nice short drive. I hope that everyone else has a great weekend!
Blessings,
Carie

The prodigal son and character training

Our guest speaker at morning services spoke about the prodigal son. He spoke from experience, having been a prodigal and having a son that was still a prodigal. His testimony was very eye-opening.....and heartbreaking.

One of my worst fears, I think, is that my sons will turn their backs on God. I live with this daily since their father hasn't made a commitment himself to Christ. I want them to know God and to enjoy a daily relationship with him. I wasn't taught how to do this as a child either, so I find it very difficult to instill this in them. I feel like I am floundering in the water sometimes. I am frustrated that I feeling like I am failing at something that is so very, very important to their lives.

This year we are reading the Bible together every morning. I tend to want to rush through this, but I am trying to open the table for questions and discussion. I want them to feel able to discuss things with me and for us to be able to seek the answers if I don't have them. I know that I don't have all the answers!!!!! We are also going to start character training. I am using Plants Grown Up from Doorposts for this. I want as much of our focus to be on how our behavior and attitudes look like in God's eyes. This includes ME as well. On that front I have been reading Beauty in God's Eyes by Elizabeth George. This book is touching me on many fronts. It is an in-depth study of Proverbs 31. If I am able to process all the information in that book I will have developed a lot of wisdom. Wisdom is from God and I hope to be able to obtain God's wisdom for me and my life.

On the baby front.......
I have an appointment Wednesday morning. I will have my gestational diabetes test then. I have been having TONS of braxton hicks contractions. By evening my stomach area HURTS. I don't really remember braxton hicks hurting this bad. It isn't unbearable but it is uncomfortable. I am hoping to be reassured by the doctor that all is well. At 25 weeks it is WAY too early for this little one to be making his appearance. He sure is kicking.......all the time. I am so thankful that I am able to enjoy feeling this little angel move inside of me.....that is the biggest privilege of impending mother-hood I think :)

We are still off school this week. Norman starts vacation on Wednesday so I didn't see any point in starting again for 2 days. We will begin again the Monday after he goes back to work.

I hope that all of my readers are well. I will try to update after my appointment.
Blessings,
Carie

Time is Flying By

We have been so busy and time has been flying by, but sometimes the days seems to DRAG........I just don't understand it.

Right now I am concentrating on moving school from the back of our living room (I had it set up like a little school room with desks and everything) to our kitchen. I thought of doing this a while back but figured that the boys would revolt at losing their desks..........they brought it up a week or so ago and so now we are moving! In lieu of desks I bought sterilite 3 drawer units on rollers. I get the top drawer of each and the boys get the bottom 2. We have trays and tubs set on top to hold stuff that we all use. It will be a couple of weeks before we use these though.....Lee is leaving for a week of church camp on Sunday. I am hoping to convince Norman to either build or buy another set of bookshelves to put additional school stuff in the living room and then I will probably contemplate how to reorganize the living room furniture to maximize space before the baby arrives.

Speaking of the baby..................I am getting ready to register at Walmart, probably next week. We bought the cutest little pair of blue puppy dog booties the other day. I just love them. I can't wait until baby gets here........I am overjoyed with anticipation :)

The weather is delightful here today and I am so glad that it isn't sooooo hot again. I know that it is still July and it will be hot again, but I am enjoying it while it is here.

Well, I suppose that I should find something to fill my time. I seem to be at a loss of things to do today.....I don't want to do what needs to be done LOL. I suppose that I could go eat some more sweet corn now :) Baby would like that anyway!

Blessings,
Carie

And our baby is a............

Boy!!!!!!


The ultrasound made our baby's gender VERY obvious......the ultrasound tech wasn't even looking and saw his "private parts" LOL

I have to admit that I am a little disappointed.....I had truly hoped that this time would be a girl, but we are very excited about our new little one and so very grateful to God that he seems to be healthy. He is head up, which explains all the kicking in my pelvic region. I really wish that he would flip and kick at my rib cage for a while :) His growth seemed to be right on track for his gestational age. We have several pictures to keep us content until he decides to make an appearance. Now we just have to come up with a name!!!!!

Blessings,
Carie

Back to School

We are back to school again already :) Our first day was July 2nd. We completed 2 days last week and 2 days so far this week. Since we are doing 4-day Sonlight that means that we have officially completed a week of school! Those 4 days went fabulous. Our days seem to be longer but that is to be expected, I suppose, with a 2nd grader and a 5th grader. The boys are liking Sonlight. I am surprised that there haven't been any moans from the "peanut gallery" but they are loving the books. Absolutely loving them :)

We have tomorrow off due to our ultrasound appointment. I will post about the baby after the appointment tomorrow. Have a great evening!

Blessings,
Carie

What is new with us

I have been bad about updating. Please forgive me.

I am 4 months pregnant.....officially. Morning sickness is still here and I am still losing weight and I DON'T look pregnant, but that's alright. I have an appt. in the morning so I will be very glad to hear that baby's heartbeat :)

We finished school today. We are taking the month of June off and I have a LOT of work to do. I just placed my order with Sonlight for the majority of next year's books. We are switching from My Father's World to Sonlight mainly because I can't rely on the library for our reading books......not this year with the baby on the way. I have got to get the school area fixed up for the new year. I really dread this job. And I have less than a month to do it.

A friend came over today and we cleaned up my bedroom and made room for baby stuff. I am hoping to get it here at least before the first of July when we will start school again. I am afraid of getting overwhelmed with too much to do.

We are busy in June. The boys are playing baseball and still have taekwondo 2-3 times a week. We will be going on a 3-5 day vacation to Little Rock, Arkansas towards the end of the month and there is still a lot of things to be done before that. Busy, busy, busy :)

I have been feeling the baby kick a little bit every now and then. I forgot how cool that way!!!!! What a blessing from God!

I will try to update again after my appt.
Blessings,
Carie