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!!!!!
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
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
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
Monday, August 27, 2007
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
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
Sunday, August 26, 2007
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
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
Saturday, August 25, 2007
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
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
Friday, August 24, 2007
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
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
Thursday, August 23, 2007
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
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, August 21, 2007
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
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, August 20, 2007
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
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, August 11, 2007
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
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
Friday, August 10, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
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
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
Saturday, August 04, 2007
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
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
Sunday, July 29, 2007
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
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
Friday, July 20, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
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
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
Friday, June 01, 2007
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
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
Saturday, May 12, 2007
8 Random Things About Me
I was tagged by Candy so here goes:
1. I always wanted to have 10 children
2. I LOVE being pregnant
3. I love to do laundry (wash, dry, fold) but I HATE to put it away.
4. I can read over 300 pages of an interesting book in one day (assuming I do NOTHING else all day)
5. I love history, both studying it and anything historical.
6. I really want to wear a hoop skirt with all those petticoats and stuff one day
7. I clean when I am mad
8. I love to bake bread (and eat it straight out of the oven too)
Most of you probably aren't surprised by this list.......but maybe some of you are!
Blessings,
Carie
1. I always wanted to have 10 children
2. I LOVE being pregnant
3. I love to do laundry (wash, dry, fold) but I HATE to put it away.
4. I can read over 300 pages of an interesting book in one day (assuming I do NOTHING else all day)
5. I love history, both studying it and anything historical.
6. I really want to wear a hoop skirt with all those petticoats and stuff one day
7. I clean when I am mad
8. I love to bake bread (and eat it straight out of the oven too)
Most of you probably aren't surprised by this list.......but maybe some of you are!
Blessings,
Carie
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Baby Clothes and Stuff
Beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine have greeted us today. It truly is a beautiful day.....straight from the hand of God.
After worship services and a pie social this a.m. we came home. I have zig-zag stitched some fabric that I bought at JoAnn's to make receiving blankets. It is now in the washer and heading to the dryer to be shrunk. After that is done I am going to iron and sew the blankets together. I ventured out into the garage after that was started and fetched 2 rubbermaid boxes of baby clothes that I had stored. About 2/3 of them were definately boys clothes, sized 0-6 months, but the other 1/3 was "universal" clothes (yellow/green/white sleepers, gowns and onesies), receiving blankets, a crib sheet, burb rags and a few pair of socks. That is all going into the wash next. I will probably wash the load of boys clothes also and then return them to the rubbermaid tote. That way they will be ready if I need them and if not I can go ahead and donate them to the crisis pregnancy center.
I am beginning my 14th week of pregnancy and really feeling everything coming together. My tummy is tender in spots where it is starting to grow. I may make it into my maternity clothes yet :)
I will try to be more diligent about updated! I have a doctor's appt. on May 14th and will try to update everyone then :)
Blessings,
Carie
After worship services and a pie social this a.m. we came home. I have zig-zag stitched some fabric that I bought at JoAnn's to make receiving blankets. It is now in the washer and heading to the dryer to be shrunk. After that is done I am going to iron and sew the blankets together. I ventured out into the garage after that was started and fetched 2 rubbermaid boxes of baby clothes that I had stored. About 2/3 of them were definately boys clothes, sized 0-6 months, but the other 1/3 was "universal" clothes (yellow/green/white sleepers, gowns and onesies), receiving blankets, a crib sheet, burb rags and a few pair of socks. That is all going into the wash next. I will probably wash the load of boys clothes also and then return them to the rubbermaid tote. That way they will be ready if I need them and if not I can go ahead and donate them to the crisis pregnancy center.
I am beginning my 14th week of pregnancy and really feeling everything coming together. My tummy is tender in spots where it is starting to grow. I may make it into my maternity clothes yet :)
I will try to be more diligent about updated! I have a doctor's appt. on May 14th and will try to update everyone then :)
Blessings,
Carie
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