Lot of things going on.

It has certainly been awhile since my last post. My days have been filled with a lot of busy things.

As most people know we currently run 2 family business ventures. We are getting ready to take one to the next level so to speak. We are launching a website with a store front for the doll clothing. This is a super exciting and scary time for us. We have prayed extensively that if this is to be that the Lord would make everything fall in line and so far he has. I found a great local web design team to work the website out. I am excited however this will mean much more dedicated time to sewing for me. If you know any other home school moms who really do run a full time business also let me know please I would love to pick their brain.

Mike is off for the next 10 days and we will enjoy some wonderful family time together without a doubt. As we head into the new year we are revamping the way everything works in our home and as a family. As many know when Joshua was an infant we took the Financial Peace series. We were humming along and Mike's job moved downstate. We added little Micah and we rented our home out to some people who failed to pay rent and pretty much destroyed the place. We also had a medical/dental procedure done with Noah to the tune of $13,500 YIKES! Here we are 6 years later. We totally lost focus and should be done by now.

Satan is a great distracter.... however God is better at reminders of how to get back on track. We will be restarting our financial freedom plan on Jan 1st. It will be hard and ugly and not something we want to do. However I know this is what God wants from our family and will bless it. My blogs this next year will most likely be about our journey towards financial freedom and how things are going with homeschooling and running a business. I hope everyone has a super ending to 2011 and knows the peace of the Lord God Almighty heading into 2012. If not give me a call it is never to late.

Homeschooling

Do you home school your children. We do. The great advantage is that all my kids have different learning styles and they don't have to be boxed into one method of learning or teaching.

My daughter who is now in college worked very well on the conventional model currently used in schools today. Her 10 year old brother not so much. He does well with work books but it definitely sticks better if he visually sees it first. The 6 year old..... well we are still trying to peel him off the ceiling to get learning done. We are required to do jumping jacks while we shout out the alphabet. Everything is done loudly with lots of movement. The 4 year old just rambles along with the rest of them at this point.

Some days I get worn out. Everyone does. The fact remains that my children would not be as well off if they were in school. For art we bring out the crayons and glue and tape and markers and scissors with unabashed enthusiasm. Yesterday we made paper chains. Yes it was a big hairy mess but they had fun for more than an hour doing this activity.

Most days my living room floor is covered with legos and once the snow flies the school day looks like this: Eat breakfast. Feed the outdoor animals, grab the sleds, slide down the hill for an hour, come in and drink hot cocoa. After this then it is time to start school. My boys literally go sledding every morning for an hour once there is snow on the ground. Sounds like gym class to me.

They get alot of work done and alot of play and alot of fun. This is the blessing God has given them through homeschooling. While somedays leave me feeling worn out. I would not change it.

Being Thankful

This week I have been been reminded to be thankful.

Not in the ordinary way but in many small and subtle ways. We have been enjoying incredible food around our house the last couple of weeks. Almost all of which we preserved or grew or raised at little to no cost. My grocery bill for this two weeks was literally $100 for a family of 6 people and a good chunk of that was non food items. I am thankful to know that if it became a real issue I have enough to provide for my family because I was faithful to do the work this summer and will reap the rewards this winter.

I am thankful once again that I have been blessed enough to have my boys home. I really feel like I need a break however I have seen huge growth in the way they interact and cooperate with one another. They are also showing more responsibility in several areas as well.

I am thankful for my newer vehicle. It has been such a blessing since May to be able to do so many things knowing that the car we are driving is dependable.

I am thankful for my husband. He hit a deer last week and ruined two main pieces on his vehicle. He went to Genes and bought both the pieces for under $80 and replaced them himself. This is an early 90's saturn kept for great gas mileage and not great looks. However everything now matches and looks like it did before he hit the deer. What a blessing.

I am thankful for my home and my incredibly low house payment. Way lower than we could ever rent and to be paid off shortly.

I have very much felt like God has been distant lately. Like he is not there. However as I look around at these blessings and much much more I am reminded how much he is with me and how thankful I need to be.

Living Like no one else?

Dave Ramsey fans understand this phrase... Live like no one else so that eventually you can live like no one else.

Lots of people are talking about this and it is great but are we really doing it. Do we still have to have the $50 jeans? I have heard a thousand excuses on why we can't bring our budget totally in line because some one will say I have to have this or that. Really? Will you die without it. Probably not.

Are you teaching it to your children? Are they financially responsible and ready to handle themselves by the time they are 18. Did they buy their car? Do they provide for some of their clothing. Are they responsible for college? If not my guess is we missed the mark. In wanting to bless our children we enable them to still be children rather then letting them stand on their own two feet.

I think in the end whatever excuse we have is made up to justify what we want, is to make us not feel bad instead of admitting I don't want to do it. I am not willing to give it up. With our children it is just the same. Things are so much harder for kids these days is a common excuse. If we teach our children to have a real job the 2 years prior to graduation they will be better equipped for life. If we make them pay for all or a significant portion of their college they are more likely to chose a job set that will result in a payoff rather than an "underwater basket weaving degree" as my husband likes to call it. If we make them pay for their car insurance won't they attempt to be more careful with that car they had to purchase.

It is all about teaching responsibility and we cannot complain when they are not making progress in their life because they have not been taught to do so. We can not send them into the world or out to be married if they are not fully understanding of all the financial responsibilities that go with it. We will have our children and their spouses and their children living in our basement otherwise. Teach them, guide them and make them responsible and they will thank you one day.

Seasons are changing.

Seasons are making a shift here in Northern Michigan. The weather is getting cooler and the trees are showing a bit of change as well. The apples are ripening with the first frost that came early this year.

Is God changing seasons in your life as well? I know he is in mine. Maybe it is a new arrival in your family. Maybe it is the graduation of a child creating an empty nest. Maybe a new opportunity for you. It all is wonderful to look around and see the changes in our world as well as in our life. Our family is being pushed in some very specific directions as well as each individual person.

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the cooler weather because I am a jeans and sweatshirt kind of girl. I love the sunny days and the cooler nights. I love the beauty of the changing leaves. I think it is a wonderful time to see the planet getting ready for a period of rest.

Think about all the positive things that come from the changing seasons instead of focusing on the negative things like: I don't like the cold, I hate snow...etc. etc. God created this planet perfectly and so we must have faith in his creation that it is all good, maybe even the parts we are not so fond of. Try this year to be amazed and humbled by all his creation instead of a chronic whiner about the parts we don't like. I will be trying this as well.

Be blessed.

Observations

Well it is Labor Day and in Northern Michigan it looks like fall and the cold have officially moved in. These are some of my observations I have since my last writing on August 12th.

School. For most people and their families school is starting. We have been working for a month now. The other day my children were at the school playing on the playground and this is the conversation that occurred.
Noah: Mom how many times do the kids get out for recess.
Mom: Once a day when I was a girl we had 2 recesses and also out at lunch.
Noah: No wonder kids are overweight today.
Mom: Noah they eat more junk food then when I was a kid I don't think recess has all to do with it.
Noah: Josh would pop if he had to sit that long.
Mom: probably
Noah: hmmmmm

I think my kids are thankful that when they need to burn off a quick burst of energy they can run out and do it and come back in and continue with their work.

Weather. The weather is getting chilly early this year we had several cool days in August. We are heading into what I believe is going to be a cold winter and possibly long as well. I am so thankful for Gods provision that my family will be taken care of. I know he is the one who has lead me to preserve an abundance of food this year and he also made sure we had the money to purchase the wood we needed. I have concerns this coming winter for many possibly not so fortunate people and I do not know why. My mission will be to praise God even if I don't like the weather and try to help those who are not so fortunate.

God has brought me into a new season in my life. I have much that he is working on with me. I am so thankful for some very key people he has placed in my path that are here to help me through the outworking of some areas of hurt. He is good and has clearly revealed a few things to me that I will be taking on for project. New seasons are a very interesting thing to go through. Sometimes you are sad to see the old ones go but happy to move onto exciting new adventures.

Be blessed.

Family Economy

I have been reading quite a bit about a family economy lately. I have even considered downloading an 18 hours audio series for $25 off of bluebehemoth. We have always tried to somewhat run a family economy but have come to the conclusion lately after some books and audio I listened to that we really don't do it fully. Providing for our family by our own means would be best without a doubt.

Step one. Get completely debt free including the house. Think about this. At my home my taxes run $1200 per year that is $100 per month. Electric averages $150. Cell phone $48. Heat in the winter is about $150 I am guessing between wood and propane. Food we spend $500 per month and eat well. Insurance is about $150 for the cars and gas not quite sure. Less that $1500 per month. That comes to less that 20k per year. That is the equivalent of $10 per hour at McDonalds if one must find any job. The heat portion of that is only for 6 months as well. My point is it does not take lots and I am sure we could trim that more by working on more gardening.

A family economy is truly having the whole family work at your business or ventures. If you farm, lets say, everyone helps farm. If you own a store everyone can help at the store. This is for the benefit of the family not the individual. You can pay your kids but I would believe from what I have read that that is a minimal amount because they are helping the family and this is what the family does to keep it going.

So step two for my family would be to get our businesses going to a level where it is self sustaining and able to provide for our family. We have handling the email clubs for small businesses. The boys could go with to visit clients, pick up slips, drop off information. Doll clothes. While the boys could not sew they could attend craft shows, help set up, stock shelves and run the cash register. We could do more with our small fruit farming as well. Having the boys help weed, pick fruit, wash and package and help deliver to market or sell at roadside.

In the end I am not totally sure of how you handle all this but I do believe it is something to look into much more heavily. I am feeling pressed by the Lord that over the next 2 years that we need to make some serious changes because there are serious changes coming in our country. I am not an alarmist or worry about these things. God has just been preparing my heart for changes.

What do you do with your family? Does everyone have to participate and help with things that benefit the family? I am not talking strictly about house cleaning. My daughter used to have to go lift wood put it in the splitter and stack it. An only house cleaning daughter she is not and I believe it will make her better as she knows what really serious work is.

Maybe just rambling but I think this is a subject that deserves serious consideration from all families.

Be blessed.

Are we using our things wisely?

Sunday at church we had a guest speaker. He talked about Luke chapter 16 where two parables appear that are not seen in any other of the Gospels. The parable of the shrewd manager and the rich man and Lazarus. I was seriously enlightened and God pressed many things onto my heart.

In the end when we go to meet the Lord we will give an accounting before God for our use of our time, money and possessions. Wow that is pretty intense. Not of our sins those have been wiped clean. But how we used these gifts God gave to us. How we handle our money and worldly possessions is a test of our character, values, life, stewardship and his Lordship. I knew all this but it came to a whole new light.

John Wesley at first was making 30 pounds a year and his necessity spending was at 28. Then he was making 60 kept his spending at 28 and gave the rest away then was making 90 and still only used 28. 150 still only spent 28. Later in life in the thousands and still kept it at 28, how amazing is that. We tend to keep increasing our spending with our pay increases. This man had it right on.

We live in the wealthiest nation in the world. If you are at poverty level which I believe is around 20k you are in the top 2% of income earners in the world. If you are at half of that you are in the top 7%.

Regardless of our dropping retirement or investment funds we are such a blessed people who participate in the practice of chronic whining. I want to give God a good accounting of my time and money and have to make that change now! What will you do? Will you make an effort to be a good steward in every area. Time, money and possesions. Or will you continue to go on living the American way. Alas my heart has been convicted and I cannot go on same as always.

Be blessed.

Jam , Jam , Jam

So today I made jam! Blueberry, strawberry, raspberry. Now one must know that I do not encourage alot of sugar eating in my house however homemade jam is different for me. I am well aware that it takes a boatload of sugar to make it. However I also know this. My homemade jam consists of 3 main ingredients. Fruit, sugar and pectin. Depending on the fruit sometimes lemon juice. Not many times can you say that about anything that is store bought and I can pronounce all of it.

Homemade jam is not inexpensive to make. Strawberry for example: 5 cups of berries, 7 cups of sugar, 1/3 cup pectin and all that makes only 5- 8oz and 4- 6oz jars. However these make such a wonderful gift for someone who is having a birthday, having a bad day or at a holiday. It can add up to a small fortune. I have been blessed with my own strawberries and then neighbors have let me get the rest of the fruit off of their plants. I think between what we eat and what I give as gifts it is well worth the expense and effort.

God reminds me that even though we run on a budget and taking care of a family our size is not cheap that I must share what he has blessed me with. He is the provider and takes care of my family. He will make sure we have exactly what we need to have. Sometimes we can take things too far and want to keep it all for ourselves. Several years ago a had a friend who hit quite a rough spot. She literally could not hardly get her hands on food even. I would pick her up and let her come shop through what we had and take her back home. I could have said... "here is some cash" and left the rest up to her. God made sure we had enough to provide for her and for us. At the time I did not realize what that meant to her.

I share this not because I want to feel grand. I share it because when you are blessed with extra please don't be afraid to share it with someone who might be in need. The Lord may have provide you with just that little bit extra for the time when that person was coming and needed it. Not just in food. Maybe it was $5, maybe it was that extra pair of pants or that second winter coat. Be ready, be prepared and make sure you are willing to give to others if God calls on you to do so. In the end it is not mine or yours it is all his. He just is using us to get it where it needs to go sometimes.

Be blessed.

Making your school schedule work for you.

Have you ever noticed that even if you home-school people want to put you in a box. It is just the way we work. In the end there is usually no harm intended. Set your school schedule to what works for you. Seriously! Do you want to work in the evening? Then do so. Is Saturday a great day for you. Go ahead. There are no hard and fast rules as to what days or times you need to work your schedule. As long as it gets done.

Example, My family works 6 weeks on 1 week off and we start the first of August each year and we take the entire month of July off. In June a lot of what the kids do is book work, poster and demonstration prep for fair but still has a ton of learning associated with it. In August we start out lightly and move in more full force by the end of the month.

Some families work Monday - Thursday pretty heavy and take a 3 day weekend. Some start in September and are finished by the end of April. I read a post from a gal one time who's family worked from January through September and were off the last 3 months of the year. You can tailor your schedule to work with your needs. In the past we have reserved some stuff for evening that dad can do with the boys but now due to Cub Scouts and Archery those are the activities he does with them.

Remember each child has a peak time of day. If you pay careful attention it won't take you long to figure out when that is. Do the most important work that child needs to get done during that time. This is why we keep them home. To tailor the environment to what works for them and our families. Don't feel bad about running on a non conventional 9-3 school day. Make sure the work gets done and God will bless it!

Fruits of the season.

Summer is such a wonderful time to prepare. God has provided this season for us to prepare for the long winter season ahead. Sometimes this is hard. We want to go lots of places and do lots of things. Its hot and preserving food whether by getting ready for freezing or actually canning makes you hotter.

It does not matter if you do a little or a lot but anything helps reduce your food budget during the winter and gives you things to eat that are healthier for you and your family. I would really encourage you to find a friend or a neighbor that you can do your production with. Ecclesiastes 4:9 says : Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor.
I miss my friends Brandy and Joan whom I used to do all my food prep for canning and freezing with. We would put out an unimaginable amount of stuff in one day. I do it on my own and still get the rewards but it is nicer if you can find a friend.

In Northern Michigan Strawberries are about finished. However blueberries and raspberries and starting up. Find a place to go pick. Your aunt probably has raspberries behind her house that don't get used. Ask around. This year our apple and pear trees are loaded. My friend Brandy has 200 acres with apple trees on them she just wants them picked by anyone. Lots of people are willing to share the extra harvest of vegetables and fruits.

Think about the long term payoff. One day a week spent on putting away food in the summer once harvesting starts can have a huge financial payoff towards your groceries in the winter. Even if you can't find what you want for free just look around at local farm markets and roadside farm stands. I met a lady at fair this year that their family spends the summer doing farm markets. She is opening her farm up to allow you pick tomato's this year. Much less expensive then purchasing by the bushel.

And if you have extra find a family, maybe not a friend of yours and bless them with your excess. You will be amazed at how God will bless that simple act.

Thoughts on viewing habits we have changed.

Wow.... sometimes things just seem so obvious and other times it takes awhile to see the obvious. 2 weeks ago we moved the television from the living room to the bedroom. The boys have not been allowed to watch TV pretty much for any reason. On Saturday night Mike rented a movie while Amanda and I were gone and him and the 3 boys really enjoyed watching it. It was so very enjoyed because it has moved from a normal everyday activity to a special activity.

My boys have learned to cooperate much better. We still have some normal children bickering but it has been cut by at least 80% since doing this. I believe the behavior of the people on TV were affecting the behavior of my boys! During the last 2 weeks we have started reading classic books, went on many walks, went to the beach more and enjoy each other so much more than we ever have.

Am I saying blow up your television....NO. What I am saying is that we found by tightly controlling it we have more family harmony, more imagination and more enjoyable time together. It has challenged and stretched me as well as a mom to make sure all three have productive things to do when the others are doing chores or school work. We have also started daily memorization of bible verses. Big big bonus. Think about what takes away from your family and find away to replace it with something meaningful.

Be Blessed.

Books worth reading.

I truly believe that the books I am currently reading God has led me to. The first book is Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young.

This book really unpacks what it is all about in raising this boys and how God created them. In this book first thing off she says "we hear the negative wisecracks from our fellow Americans, and far too often, from our fellow Christians" We live in a culture that holds up girls over boys. It holds up girls as better and young men as less even within the Christian culture. Yet the people who do, want the daughters to have someone to marry. Do not get me wrong I have daughters one at home and one with the Lord. I have been blessed with 3 sons but spent a lot of time feeling that I was less because fellow Christians emphasized girls over boys and showed disdain for young men. Psalm 127:3 says Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children are a reward from him, Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Wow. I love little girls the are cute, my favorite color is pink but I now realize I have been given a heritage. What a gift. I believe with all my heart that all children are a blessing from God. This book really unpacks it all from hero's to chivalry. Homeschooling your young men, work and proper role models and how to teach them to respect each other. Even if you have only one young man it is a great read.

The other book I am reading with women from church is Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst. Subtitle is satisfying your deepest desire with God, not food. It talks a lot at the start about what we let pass through our mouths in the realm of food that make us unhealthy and or overweight. However as you work through this book you understand that every area in our lives requires us to lean upon the Lord. It is packed with all kinds of scripture and healing. I am only through the first six chapters but it is she talks about how brick by brick and prayer by prayer you can lead a path to victory in your life. It does not really matter what your struggles are you can have victory over all areas in your life with God.

While I have not completed either of these books in whole I would recommend them as a great read to anyone.

Be with the Lord and Be blessed!

Do we put all our eggs in one basket? Multiple income streams!

I have been reading many things lately. All have confirmed what I have been doing and did not realize that I was doing it. We have several small income streams to aid our family. Just some different things here and there. I used to think that it was because I am unfocused. I now realize this is a gift from God.

When times fluctuate up and down different things do well and others do not so well. By having several things we are protected from all things going down the drain. No you do not have to do this but it is a nice cushion. I am going to give several different things our family does. Each one of these things on there own is great but they give our family diversity.

First thing is that since 1991 I have held my manicurist license. A couple of times a year I do a large spa weekend and make really good money. It helps out with several things. I have tried to work in a salon but there is a lot of wasted time sitting and takes a long time to build a client base. I am better on my own not wasting time. (this is a personal preference)

Second thing is our small farming activities. We raise meat birds (chickens and turkeys) sell eggs, and strawberries and other small items off our farm. This does 2 things for us. It provides great food for us to eat and brings the cost of what we raise for ourselves down to free or sometimes even puts some money in our pockets. The benefit in doing this is health and a good portion of what we eat at no cost. 2 wind turbines are going up a quarter of a mile from the house this summer with tons of people traveling our normally quiet road. This will be a great benefit for our little roadside stand. Is it permanent... no .... but will raise our income stream from this year.

Third, I handle email clubs for small businesses that want to bring customers back into the store and give them exclusive offers. Simple, high revenue for time invested income. Starting a proper internet business can be lucrative and actually take little time for the money it brings in. I could not make what I get per hour doing this at any job. My husband who is an engineer does not make this per hour. That being said if the internet blew up tomorrow this is not my only income stream.

Fourth, doll clothes. It seems like everyone and their sister had an American Girl doll or a similar 18 inch doll for their daughter. A friend and I make doll clothes and sell them like hotcakes where ever we go. The company sells them at obnoxious prices and we sell them reasonable so it brings in a nice income as well.

Do not be overwhelmed these are just ideas. The first 3 things, in all honesty, require very little of my time. With the food, we are producing it anyway, so it is not a hassle to grow some extra to bring the cost of ours down. We are a people who count on only one thing, these days it can be a detriment when things cycle downwards. God has blessed all of us with many abilities. Maybe you can tutor, babysit, grow some grapes, design a webpage or do clothing alterations. Whatever it is you can have things that are a part of your daily life that will enhance it. We give away a ton of items as well which makes us happy to be able to bless people with extra items they need. Train your children to learn how to do more than one thing and they will call you blessed. I truly believe it!

Life gets busy!

Sometimes and some days in spite of our best efforts time and life can get away from us. My dryer quit last week. I could not call the repair man because on Monday I was gone all afternoon. On Tuesday I was gone all morning. On Wednesday I had to wait for Mike so we could tear it apart and make sure it was not something we could take care of ourselves. It is now Thursday morning.

These things happen and we should not be unkind to ourselves when life gets a little out of hand. I would not have missed the opportunity for my kids on Tuesday morning. I have plenty of friends, neighbors or a laundry mat that I can dry clothing at. Is it inconvienent? Absolutely!!!

We have Easter on Sunday and we always have a huge egg hunt on our property for our kids on Saturday. Due to the current state of snow I think for the first time in 11 years it may have to be changed. We have an 18th birthday next Tuesday and a 10th birthday next Wednesday. A graduation in 4 weeks and an open house in 6 weeks. Life is about to hit full tilt with fair animals arriving weekly as well. God is good. He gives us the down time when we need it and carries us through all the chaos. As long as we don't lose our focus everything will be all right.

Gardening?

Well, it is April 5th and thoughts are turning to spring and gardening. In 2 weeks I will be running several homeschool students ages 0-13 through a heavily condensed version of the Jr. Master Gardener Program in 2 hours. This is normally a 6-7 week course so I am trying to decide which information is the most important to give to this wide age grouping.

I myself am having gardening thoughts and wishing for warmer days in which to work outside. I find myself gazing in the seed isle trying to decide which are the most desired for my planting this year. As I stare at all the seed packets with the pictures on it I can envision the meals I can make with the fresh food as well as the produce I can preserve for future use.

Many people would argue with me but I feel like planting, tending, growing and harvesting a plant is one of the most intimate expereriences you can have with God's planet. Next to having a hand in bringing life into the world if that be through your own children or through animals that have been put in your care. Some projects we take on are long to the finish to see the end results. Raising our children is one of those. It takes lots of time and patience and we dont see the results of what we do for many years. Planting a fruit tree takes time and patience put produces seen results much faster than children, normally within about 3 years. Still time but not near as much. Crocheting or knitting a scarf, much faster, maybe a few days. maybe a little less or more but the end comes quickly along with the satisfaction of a well done job.

In 90 days give or take I can have wonderful healthy food for my family that takes a little time a little patience and gives great results. When digging in the garden or weeding or watering I get a close up look at lots of things I would never pay attention to otherwise. Yes even those completely disgusting tomato hornworms that make my toes curl up in a ball as I type right now. If nothing else put a pot on your porch, drop a seed in it and see what comes up. You might be suprised. Then take time to enjoy the beauty in it even if only for a short time.

Bunny Crazy ?

Bunnies, bunnies , bunnies....we have 11 in the barn. My kids love bunnies but even more they love to breed and sell bunnies. So we have been working with Holland Lops and English Angoras and while these are lovely breeds we are looking for a bred that is different for us to work on.

At the ARBA show this weekend we found just that. The tiny little Polish rabbit. Space requirements are much smaller...we can probably divide the angora cages into 2. Amanda talked to a top breeder and she passed on much information. Now we must decide what rabbits to disperse and which ones we are keeping just because we love them.

By the way if you are a mom with much on your plate I would encourage you to look at bulk cooking/freezing. I find I am doing this more and more. I take a day every so often and make multiple meals and freeze them for a future dinner. I also have incorporated a whole new method to this as well. When I make a meal for dinner....lets do this on the easy ...say tacos I cook enough for at least 3 meals. I freeze all the extra and then that is one less thing to do on dinner night. I do this with several dishes..... lasagna, chicken brocolli and rice, manicotti and others. I did this when I had babies with their food as well. On a day I have been busy and don't want to follow the menu I have other options available.

This can be a huge blessing by saving time and money(not eating out on the fly) and keeps things rolling along. Any questions feel free to contact me.

Kids, farm and business.

Today is April 1st which starts birthday month in our house. Mike is on the 6th , Amanda on the 26th and Noah on the 27th.

Amanda will turn 18 this month. It is amazing to me that time has passed so quickly and now she is a young lady about to head into the world to make her own way. I am not sure what the future will hold for her, however, I believe it will be good. The last 13 years of her journey have been at home being home schooled. She attended the Career Tech Center and solidified by running the highest grade in the class that it does work and she can cope in any environment. We will graduate her on the 21st of May. The day after what would have been her sister's 7th birthday.

Noah is moving into 5th grade and we are still on the fence as to if Josh will move onto 1st or spend a little more time on Kindergarten work. Yesterday while at the Amish store (one of my favorite places to shop) I picked up preschool books for Micah. It is hard to believe I will be graduating one and just starting another.

We are still waiting for baby bunnies and I am beginning to believe that we may not get any this round. This is sad because we bred 6 rabbits. We will try again in a few days and maybe get some to sell at fair. The turkeys are getting big already! Chickens will arrive in a few weeks.

We are going back on forth on where we take the next level of my business for emailing for small businesses. I can add more clients and that is great however, the question on if I add services such as managing facebook accounts for them and twitter is a possible next step and income stream. I will have to pray on this because I do not want to be tied to the computer quite that much with summer coming on. I am thankful for this income just need to decide how far to extend my services.

I hope everyone has a truly blessed day.

Fun things

So today I am at home with Micah and Noah. We are anxiously awaiting a litter, any litter of baby bunnies. We bred 6 rabbits. 3 English Angoras and 3 Holland Lops. I hope something pans out with at least one of them. There has been a bunch of fur pulling in the barn so we will see.

It is always exciting to my kids when new animals arrive and sad when old ones leave. I can honestly say I would not trade them getting the experience for anything in the world. I stand on my hill in spring, summer, fall or winter and can see the beauty of God's design for literally miles. It is one of the best views in the world. I think we sometimes get caught up in all the craziness and forget to stop. Out here in the peace and quiet with the birds singing it reminds me to stop once in awhile.

By the way the trees are loaded with Robins. It is very amusing because there is so much snow on the ground. I am sure they have to believe they headed back way to soon. I am hoping all the snow melts soon. I think I realize why I enjoy all these things. When I sew and I am finished it is something I created and I feel satisfaction in that. When I grow food , not only does my family get great things to eat but I helped go from seed to finished product as well. When we chose to bred an animal in our barn I get to see new life come into the world and all the smiles that it brings to my kids faces to see that just new born baby.

God is so good he knows exactly how to fill and satisfy my soul. Not with big fancy things or expensive stuff but with all the wonder of his world.

Hannah's Prayer of praise.

I am not going to type the whole thing just a little bit. This comes from 1 Samuel 2:1,2

Then Hannah prayed:

My heart rejoices in the Lord!

Oh how the Lord has blessed me!

Now I have an answer for my enemies,

as I delight in your deliverance.

No one is holy like the Lord!

There is no one besides you!

there is no rock like our God.

I was reading this for my quiet time. Hannah's prayer is much longer than this. Hannah petitioned the Lord for a child...a son to be specific. She even promised the Lord that when he was weaned that she would give him to God. Not an easy task for someone who never had kids and was going to give the one up at such a young age.

Hannah realized that God was good and loving and would fulfill her. She talks about Gods judgement and our behavior.

I think that we need to be thankful and praise God for what we have instead of whining about what we don't have or feel like we are missing out on. I was listening to the radio yesterday and they said muslim conversion is at an alarming rate in our country. We have forgot the basis our founding fathers gave us. We have allowed people to scream separation of church and state for so long we created a valueless, moral free country.

We need to petition God and be a light to those who would otherwise be caught up in the lies of the world.

God's grace is enough.

Wow, last night at our home school meeting just wowed me. We watched at couple of video clips and the resounding message was powerful. God loves us no matter what we do. Yes I know this, yes I have known it for years but never really heard it this way.

With all my junk and garbage and brokenness he still wants me. Jesus said he came to help those who were sick, heavy laden. Not all those who had it nailed down just right. These videos about made me cry and I am a very stoic person.

I have felt so broken the last year. Years of suppressing the pain I have felt from losing a child has been way to much for me to handle. I have questioned why me and does God really love me if he let me go through all that. The one speaker said in the midst of a storm God is there whispering....I love you buddy...we are going to make it through this ....over and over again as you go through the storm.

He really does and this is something that struck a cord with me last night. God will send us a message at the time we most need it. He is always there. I think sometimes we are so distracted and deceived by Satan (this is what he wants) that we can't clearly see God's love or grace.

Things to be done.

So many things that need to be done now that spring is starting to spring so to speak. Every year there is an initial serious barn cleaning. While it is maintained in the winter some things just can not be done until the weather breaks.

Today a friend of my posted on facebook that a friend of hers delivered her baby still born last night. This really does grieve my heart. Losing is child is such a surreal process that only those of us who have walked the walk can understand. Many well intentioned comments to make people feel better usually miss the mark and in some circumstances bring more pain. God is good and gracious. Time will ease the pain but it never goes away completely. You go from being a family that is whole to one that has a hole in every family picture that only you can see. I pray for this family to have peace and comfort that only God can bring them. That their hearts will quickly heal from what feels like a constant pain.

Be thankful for the blessing you have and try not to complain about the things you don't.

Keeping on eye on the right things.

Lately I have been highly distracted. I let everything else get in the way of where I am going and what I am supposed to be doing. I must remember the tasks set before me and follow them.

For example.... I was sure that Noah had a dentist appointment in Grand Rapids tomorrow but it is on the 23rd not the 17th. I have planners and calenders. The problem is I lost my focus. After reading a friends blog today I realize I need to do 2 things:

1. less time distracted by games on facebook

2. make sure I spend time in the bible daily.

Simple enough and my new reorganized journey must begin!