Tamara at Branch of Wisdom (One of the blogs that I enjoy reading) is hosting a give away for some great products including a subscription to the Old schoolhouse magazine. Here is the link for anyone who would like to enter.



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Christmas time has arrived at our house! It has been so good to have a break from college, we have taken a few weeks off from homeschooling as well. I have used the extra time to get ready for the holidays.. We all went out and picked a Real Live tree this year, we got a HUGE one too, 10 ft'er it goes all the way to our ceiling. I love it, and I love the wonderful smell of a real tree.

This is the entry table this year & the Christmas train my mom gave me fits right on the shelf along with my lighted Santa lantern.

This is the piano top in our room with snowmen and snowflake lights a glow (these are the new LED lights, I am not wild about them)... a vintage Santa found a home in my master bath

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My kitchen counter has a super sweet pics of my boys in a Santa frame beside a Christmas cookie jar

above the sink some country angles have landed. Merry Christmas!!

A thankful heart..

Oh it is so easy for me to get caught up in the stress of life each day. I am to easily caught in the struggles of life between the challenge of diabetes, and trying to manage and come to grips with Autumn's behavior. Just trying to stay on top of getting my degree, educating my children, keeping food in the pantry and the dishes clean.. it is often all consuming. I feel lacking in most areas many days. I long to be a better christian ( I want to be a light for others), a better wife (more supportive and less critical) , a better mother ( more patient, more joyful, my children are a blessing and I hate it when I give mine the impression of being a burden instead), a better nurse ( so often I feel unable to do enough for patients to ease suffering, to educate, to just have a more compassionate attitude toward some). So in the mist of all these worldly cares and burdens I wanted to stop and be thankful for a recent night of fellowship we had at our church.

Our church is struggling in some areas and we have felt scattered and lost for a while ( just like the lost sheep). We hosted a community thanksgiving dinner inviting other local churches for singing and fellowship last week. I am so thankful that we were able to attend, since I started working weekends I have missed our monthly potluck dinner and the fellowship so much, this dinner was such a blessing for me. I felt such peace and love in my heart for everyone there. I am blessed to live in a wonderful small town with loving christian neighbors all around me. It really was wonderful to have that evening with Friends and family. I know the spirit of God filled that building that night and I am thankful. I feel renewed to start the Christmas season with a grateful heart and joyous attitude. Blessings to all..

What deer meat does to blood sugars..........

Z got his first deer today, he is so proud. However I will say that the thrill of the hunt wrecked havoc on his blood sugars. He ranged mid 300s during the hunt and after the kill even with multiple corrections. I knew that adrenaline can increase blood sugar but I never knew how much it can affect them. Hopefully he won't battle lows tonight from all the activity and extra insulin. We're so proud of our little hunter..

November is national diabetes month so to help raise awareness of what life is like living with this disease I have made a short film about Zach's story. Please watch his story and please keep praying for a cure to be found. thanks Lisa

WOW time is flying, this year is almost gone and Christmas time is upon us. I am doing a poor job of keeping this blog up to date so let me update on the happenings around here...

First in line is the homeschool department, we are finishing week 6/7 in our studies

Caden- * starts unit 7 in HOD next week
* reading is going very well, he is able to read books like cat in the hat, and most early readers on his own.
* he continues to do copywork for handwriting
* we are continuing to study phonic and spelling rules
* in math he can add, subtract ( simple without borrowing) he can write math sentences, can count money and we are currently working on telling time and place values.
* he enjoys Bible quizbowl each week during homeschool group.

Zach- * has completed 34 lessons in his grammer book covering usage of commas, run-on sentences, apostrophe, contractions, colons, hyphen, semicolon and underlining.
* almost finished with lifepac #2 in math
* has finished 6 lessons in spelling and vacab. (each lesson takes 4-5 days)
* we are finished with ch 4 in geography, this is taking longer than I planned, there is just so much good info in these chapters. We have covered the earths surface and landforms, maps, climate, and industry. The kids are also making a map project this semester.
* we have completed studies or experiments in the following areas of science.. air pressure, light, (color, refraction, shadows) and wind. We are ready to begin weather, clouds, and water. We all took a tour of a hydro-electric dam also.
* reading - has finished one biography (sitting bull) and is halfway into the second Gengis Khan
* music each week taking guitar lessons
* Bible quizbowl each week at homeschool group.

Autumn - * has finished 16 lessons in vocab/spelling. study of word root, prefixes & suffixes
* finished 25 lessons in editor in cheif for grammer review
* 104 pages in world literature
* Geography ( see above, both she and Zach are doing this subject together)
* science - finished ch 5 in exploring chemistry ( study of metals and gases)
* math - geometry- finishing ch 2 this week, this is slow but we don't move on if she is not understanding the concepts. The chalkdust DVDs do a great job of teaching, and she likes them alot more then the math-u-see we used last time.

We are back at school here in the Lewis home. This week we finished our second week of homeschooling, all in all it's going well.
Autumn started chalk dust geometry late, we had to wait on the book I had e-bayed, so she has completed a weeks worth of lessons. She loves the chalk dust series and is very happy to watch the teaching DVDs :) She is working through a lesson 4 x week in her editor in chief book, I love it for teaching grammar and attention to detail. Reading/ vocab and spelling are going very well. In science she is reading Exploring the World of Chemistry, she had covered two chapters on metals. Geography is going slow, we have covered a weeks worth of lessons in two weeks, mostly due to some time issues with the need to go into town so often right now (Zach's PT, both boys having had mono, ect..) I just started dictation with Autumn and Zach to work on writing skills. Here at home her mood has been very stable, she is helpful and pleasant to be around. (although she has had issues with behavior while out of the home).
Zach is half way through his unit one life pack in math mostly it is review work. He has almost finished his first biography Sitting Bull, he is on track in his grammar workbook, reviewing comma usage. He has completed two lessons in spelling workbook, this is the hardest for him, (using the dictionary to look up parts of speech, usage, ect). We are a bit behind in geography & science we just competed week one's lessons. He started guitar lessons this week & is really excited to learn more.
Caden finished unit 1 in HOD, he was sick several days so we broke week one into two weeks. We will start unit 2 on Monday. We are almost finished with his first biography read aloud, Helen Keller, he really loves this story. He is continuing to improve on his reading skills and doing very well. In math he has mastered counting money & counting by 5, 10, 2's.
Everyone (mom included) is finding it difficult to stick to their routine & chores, this is the area where MOM needs more SELF DISCIPLE (and prayer) to get us all to stick to it...
Next week we are adding BIBLE study each day, also Tuesday school starts soon.

Today was a great day for the lake.. Yep Z got his cast off yesterday! so for the first time this year we headed to sandy beach. It was a really good thing too, since he has yet to straighten his leg out, it proved to be excellent therapy for him. So good in fact that we may go back tomorrow.

I am enjoying having a week off from classes. Dd is home and although it has taken some adjusting on both of our parts things have settled down the past couple days. I needed to sit on the sand and relax, just to take a breather and process things. Some already know this but Caden has been getting yearly lab tests as part of a study for siblings with type 1 diabetes, We were notified this week that he has tested positive for antibodies, three to be exact (gad65, anti insulin & ICA512) So what does it mean??? well we are having further labs and tests ran, but the reality is that he is most likely developing or will develop type 1 diabetes. We have no way to predict when though and it is possible that he might not. The doctors really don't have the answers as this is very new territory in predicting risk factors. It may be that we are catching it early ( even years) before any symptoms show up, for now his blood sugars are normal. I am not sure that I have even taken the time to process the thoughts of this yet, today I am just glad that for now at least he doesn't have diabetes, every day that we can say that is a blessing. And I am really thankful for the beach...

We will be very busy in the coming weeks, college starts again, home school starts next week, Dd will need to see her therapist once a week & will see the Doctor week after next. Z goes back for follow up on the leg in a month and to see endo in October. And Caden has more testing that we will be doing at children's next week and he will be followed closely. Blessings Lisa

She is coming home to stay !!! :)

Dd is coming home Tuesday, I am so glad. I can't wait to have all my children home every night. I am prepared for a time of transition for a while, it has been hard with her not here, but to be completely honest it was a break from having to deal with the issues she has day to day, and the worrying about her safety at times, so it will take some getting used to for both of us I'm sure. Praise the Lord she is coming home.

I can't wait to finish summer classes, It will be wonderful to have a couple of days each week to be HOME. Dishes and clothes can be kept up and ORDER can be restored around here. Oh sweet day! We have survived the summer only because of the help from my mom, she has been coming to our house to watch the kids each day since Z broke his leg & she takes care of lots of the cleaning for me. What I would do without her I just don't know, and my hubby is great to cook at night while I do homework. He is great! I am sure both of them will be glad when mom takes over her duties again. But for now its time for class... blessings Lisa

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:20

Hubby took some photos of the thunderstorm last night from our front porch. I am amazed more and more at God's wonderful and powerful creation. Having spent the better part of a year in detailed study of molecules, cells, human anatomy and now the design of mathematics I find it hard to believe that anyone could truly believe it all ' just happened' (evolution.)

God's universe speaks of his attributes. The singular universe is composed of three elements: space, time & matter. Space is a tri-unity composed of width, depth & height. Time is a tri-unity of past, present and future. Matter is a tri-unity of solid, liquid and gas. We are one person made up of three parts, a body, a soul, a spirit. The atom is composed of protons, neutrons & electrons. This phenomenon of one entity that is divided into three parts goes all the way through creation and screams of the special Trinitarian God of the Bible. ( from the Evolution of a Creationist by Jobe Martin)

Teaching my children that evolution is only a theory (the fact is it's never been proven) and teaching them that creation science is real science (not make believe conjured up by desperate Christians) is one of the backbone reasons that I am choosing to home school. How can our children possibly defend their faith in the Bible as the solid word of God if they are taught in public schools for years that so much of what is written in the Bible about the creation of the world and man is false? I have been shocked at how much evidence that contradicts evolution has been left out, covered up and willfully kept out of textbooks that our children are given. There really is an agenda being carried out, and christian parents must make it a priority to educate themselves about what's really going on in our schools and colleges.
blessings, Lisa

Sometimes the best laid plans.....
See all the plans in my previous post? Well they came to a screeching halt the next day when Z broke his leg while at the 4th of July parade. We spent the weekend at children's hospital, going through surgery, managing diabetes pre and post op. Came home Monday but he has continued to feel bad, run high blood sugars and run fever off/ on, today reaching 101.3 so off we went to our ped where he was dx with strep throat! How I hope the antibiotics take care of this and the fever and he is not getting an infection in his leg. So no church camp for us, diabetes camp is more than likely out also. He is so down hearted right now. Last night he told me this "mom, I am going to cry for a little while, but its not because my leg hurts, ok" I said "ok sweetheart" and I lay in bed and listened to my son sob, as quietly as he could under the covers, not from pain but from the limits he is facing right now. It broke my heart and I wished It would have been me. I know that I need to remember my blessings right now and I do have many, but I am having such a wonderful pity party for us right now... prayerfully Lisa

Summer is certainly in full swing, our garden is providing a few yummy squash every day.The tomatoes are really starting to produce and within a day or two I plan to make a pan of fried green tomatoes. ( we all love them) Today I picked several cucumbers and I plan to make a jar of pickles with them. I had one mess of green beans but they just haven't done well and I doubt I will get any more. I have never been able to get a good harvest from my green beans or peas? I plan to try a fall crop and see if I get better results. We are getting a few peppers now also. These photos are how the garden looks now.

I am happy to be finished with my first summer math course, I will start the second course on Tuesday of next week. Church camp begins Monday, this is the first year Z gets to go (since it's not the same week as diabetes camp this year.) I will be going to camp to keep an eye on his blood sugars and be a cabin "mom'. I will have to leave each day to go to class but I can return every afternoon. Then diabetes camp starts the 12th, Z always has a great time & looks forward to going each year.

Autumn is working hard on her treatment plan and could possibly be coming home before the end of summer. I am planning on picking her up while I'm in little rock on the 12th, for a 3 day pass. She has grown up a bit & is showing a little more maturity. Praise be to God.

I would like to find time to spend a day at the lake with the kids, have a yard sale, plant a flower bed.... oh well, Happy 4th everyone! God bless.

Quick update, I am so busy every day I hardly have time to wash a load of clothes or cook a meal. I am taking intro to algebra during summer I session, this breaks down to a semester of algebra in 18 days! Class is every day Mon- Thurs and we a moving at the speed of light.. In the first five days we have covered solving equations for x, percent (rb=a) problems, mixture (dry & wet) problems, distance and value word problems, literal equations, & solving inequalities. Plus a quiz each day. This is an area that I struggle in, pray for God to continue to help me see the info in a way that I understand & can use it. It is very hard for me.

My baby girl turned sweet 16 Monday. I had hoped she would be home by her birthday, it looks like we are still a ways from that. So a few of her best friends and I drove to little rock for a surprise b-day lunch at shorty smalls then some shopping at the mall. She was very surprised to see her friends when we got to the restaurant. She was so happy, it was a great time. I miss her so much.
The boys are spending lots of afternoons at the pool & loving it. It works out while I am in class for them to be swimming, Ashley is watching them two days a week for me, Gran takes them on Thursdays. This week is VBS at our church, It has been hard to keep up with the crafts while in class ( I didn't think math would be so hard or I would not have taken crafts this year) Last night I had to miss so that I could meet with our study group to prep for todays test. Poor mom, I left her all alone to wrangle 20 pre-k kids! Good thing she loves me so much or she might hold that against me :) What a great helper she has been ( I think truth be told I have been the helper and she has been the leader) THANKS MOM
The garden is doing well, we haven't harvested anything yet but lots of blooms and tiny squash & tomatoes. I will try to post pics soon.
I haven't had time to do any coupon shopping in a few weeks, I need to soon as I am running low on some staples. Blessings Lisa

FOR TODAY ... May 26th, 2009

Outside my window... it is overcast & mild temps 60's - 70's for today. We are having a wet spring ()not to hot, I am thankful we haven't needed to turn on the AC yet this year. Most days we have the windows open and use fans to enhance the breeze. nice

I am thinking... how peaceful and quite the house is this morning, C is still asleep.

I am thankful for... How the Lord has taken care of us this month, money has been tighter than normal ( and normal is tight) I really was worried how I'd get all the bills paid this month, God has been good and once again things are working out even though on paper it looks impossible. Praise Him. He has always taken such good care of us and I love him so.

From the learning rooms... Caden is home with me today, we are learning about day 6 in creation science, the beast of the earth. In history our lesson comes from the growing up where Jesus lived storybook. Phonics reading is from one fish two fish by Dr Seuss, copywork lesson for handwriting, and in math we are working on counting by 2's & 5's using pennies and nickles.

From the kitchen... this weeks menu..

hamburger & mushroom pizza, salad

stew with crusty bread

magnificent pasta w/ veggie

cowboy beans, roll, veggies

chicken & rice

chicken mac/ salad

(out of town sunday- tuesday)

I am wearing... one of hubby's shirts, pj bottoms

I am creating... a rag rug for my master bath (can't wait to see it completed)

I am going... to town this afternoon (to the bank and to get a few grocery items)

I am reading... the evolution of a creationist ( very good book )

I am hoping... to get my housework done today

I am hearing... C getting up and giving Z the third degree about why he is still here and not at school today

Around the house... the garden is really loving all the mild wet weather, several tomato plants have blooms on them.

One of my favorite things... The wonderful creatures designed by God, such as this tiny hummingbird which, by the way, is one of many animals that defy evolution.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Getting VBS craft supplies ready, a trip to Branson for hubby and me :), starting college summer courses on June 2nd.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9: 13

to join the simple womans daybook click here http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Our home schooling plans...

I have finally worked out our home school schedule for this coming year. I am blessed to have most of the books for the older children, Cadens total curriculum will cost around $140.00, very well priced for the quality of the program. I have chosen beyond little hearts for his glory for him. I recommend anyone looking for a Christ centered, complete, engaging & hands on program that's easy for mom to use to check it out.
so here's what it is looking like...

dd- 10th grade
language arts:
World literature - abeka
Editor in chief - critical thinking co. (grammar skills)
Spelling & vocab. - abeka (this is under grade level for her but is plenty challenging for her skill level.)
Writing lessons in structure & style - institute for excellence in writing.
math: Geometry - BJU
history: Geography - BJU
science:
Exploring the world of chemistry, will still need addition chemistry with labs. I will most likely go with apologia science. I may look into what is offered at the local community college.
Knowing creation a nature study
she will also be working on life skills: household management, banking, cooking & shopping.

ds - 7th grade
language arts:
God's gift of language - abeka ( used for grammar instruction)
Spectrum reading workbook - chosen for the strong use of vocab. instruction
Spelling & usage - hearthstone curriculum
Writing lessons in structure & style ( I will be combining writing )
He will also have daily reading time covering selections from the following genres: biography, adventure, historical fiction, fantasy, mystery, nonfiction, humor, realistic fiction & folk tale
math: Life pac 7th- alpha omega
history: Geography - BJU ( I will combine this subject )
science:
Considering God's creation
106 days creation study
We are looking into at least one of the following: karate or music lessons, boy scouting.

ds - 1st grade
using Heart of Dakota, beyond little hearts with daily lessons in: history, poetry, geography/ science, bible, copy work/spelling, reading & math.
history resources are - American pioneers & patriots, Stories of the pilgrims, Boys & girls of colonial days. ( all christian liberty press)
science resource - God's wonderful works ( christian liberty press)
reading made easy for phonics instruction.
math: Horizons - alpha omega

Also we will be attending our local home school co-op each week for Tuesday school activities.
It looks like a busy year, I am so happy that I will have them all home next year :)

Need to update...

I haven't kept up with my posting as of late, things have been so busy. I am thrilled to be finished with another semester of college. Finals were the first week of may, yesterday I took the CLEP test for English comp I & II..... I passed!!! Praise God that I was able to get credit for these classes because I have no idea how I would have fit them into our summer/ fall schedule if I had failed the exam. Now I have 3 weeks off :) during which I plan to prepare the crafts for our VBS and missions trip. Harry and I are taking a mini vacation to Branson on the 31st ( for 2 nights) then I return to college for summer classes June 2nd.

I have made the decision to home school my children next year. This has been heavily on my heart this year with them not being home schooled. I am certain (along with her therapist) that it is in Autumns best interest to home school (both for academic and behavior reasons.) Z would have been going up to jr high this year, and although I dearly love the teachers and staff at our small elementary sadly I don't feel the same about the high school. There is a lot of things going on up there that I just don't want him exposed to yet. Also we are having trouble in the blood sugar department, due to his forgetfulness in giving boluses and checking BS. It will be easier to manage with him at home. Caden is having a miserable time in his kindergarten trial, he is hating the long days, he's board, he's whiny and worn out by the end of the day, he is looking forward to returning to homeschooling. I have most of the materials for them already but will need to purchase Caden's 1st grade supplies. I am leaning toward beyond little hearts for his glory by heart of Dakota, the more I look at this program the more I like it. I have decided to apply for the online RN program at UACCB for next year. Taking the online course is the best way to manage the clinical days and my weekend job while still allowing me to be here to home school my children.

I haven't posted any coupon deals in a while but I have been staying on track with our grocery/ household budget of $75 weekly. Last week I got some really good deals at walmart ( shocking because I usually don't get very good deals there) here's what I got...

bounty paper towels 2-wheat thins artisan crackers

2- kraft dressing 2- kotex liners

2- pk light bulbs sure for men deodorant

frenchs mustard kraft BBQ sauce

halls cough drops lint roller

2- graduation cards trial size Colgate toothpaste

altogether I paid $8.?? some change (half of this was for the light bulbs and cards.) Several items were free or just a few cents. Next I stopped at kroger and at Walgreens and spent 1.60 at each of those stores for the following items

That's quite a bit of stuff for around & $10 all together. :)

Autumn is coming home this weekend. I can't wait to see her, I miss her so much. She is doing ok, I hope our visit goes well. She sprained her ankle this week and is having to use crutches to get around. :( I hope she comes home to stay in the next month or two, I think she is ready & am seeing some positive changes in her coping skills. I know it will be a transition for her and for us. I feel like she is much more receptive to God's love now that she had seen first hand girls that have never had love, or someone to care for them. Continue to pray for her. I praise God for what he has done for her so far. Blessings Lisa

I hate it when Autumn is having a bad day,
today was a phone family session with her, harry & me, and her therapist. During the session Autumn felt like she didn't have the answers to some of the questions we talked about. She became so stressed that she had a panic attack?? & couldn't breath, the nurse was called and our session ended. I just talked to her and she said it happened again for no reason during supper. This time she felt sick, felt like her throat was closing, started shaking and had to have the nurse come again. She is better right now but I am worried. Autumn has never had anxiety problems so I have no ideal what is behind these. I want to being her home! I feel so helpless not begin able to go and get her. I pray she will feel ok tonight & be able to rest well. I am asking for prayer that she will be able to be released soon. She needs her family and to know how much she is loved. I am holding to the truth of Gods words knowing that he will be with her and help her to cope with her emotions & fears. I KNOW THAT HE WILL NOT FORSAKE HER FOR SHE IS HIS CHILD AND HE HAS PROMISED THIS.

Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

This week the topic for the making your home a haven challenge is setting a wake up time. I have been trying to continue the morning routine from the first post here //http://lhazclewis-life.blogspot.com/2009/03/tammy-httpwww.html but early to rise is an area of struggle for me. I am going to continue to set my goal of getting out of bed between 6 - 6:30. Reminding myself that by doing that the day will go so much smoother & it allows me to have a quite moment to study my bible at the start of the day.

Our daughter has 'heart disease'..

Taking back what the enemy has stolen..


Lord, help me to not dwell on all the negative I see. Give me your strength to cross over from feeling helpless to believing you are able and willing to intervene in Autumn's life. Forgive me for the wrong things I've said or done that only added to the problem. Show me how I can extend love and forgiveness to Autumn and pray more effectively. Thank you, Lord for your comfort. Amen.

This is my prayer, it is from a book titled Praying Prodigals Home.
I have long prayed for Autumn, this is nothing new. But I am stepping up my efforts, The enemy has a strong hold on her, issues came up over the Easter weekend visit. She has all the reason to believe that she might discharge soon (as soon as next month) she has been doing so well in the program she's in, then over the weekend she messes up, her drug screen was positive when she returned. ( for oral morphine!!) She also lied about the why and how she got it ect... even told them that I gave it to her....! We don't even have that medication in our house, we never have. The truth is still not clear, I just can't figure out where she got it, she did have a couple of visitors but her entire visit was supervised.
I am just so disappointed. I had really been getting my hopes up as of late. I don't understand why she chooses the wrong path. I used to think it was her slight neurological delays/ her chemical imbalances that were to blame, I don't believe that anymore. Even a severely delayed person can choose right or wrong. The stark truth is that my precious, beautiful daughter just chooses to do wrong, she turns her back on what is right in favor of what is "right now" this is a disease of the heart, not the mind. Only God can cure this, I pray he will bend her heart to his voice.

We finally watched the movie Fireproof last night. I loved it, I love all three of the movies they have made. What a wonderful work God has done through those movies, for years to come lives will be touched by those films. Anyone who hasn't seen them, run to the nearest rental store and get Flywheel, Facing the giants, & Fireproof. I must say that my favorite is the first one Flywheel, the film quality is not quite as good as the others but the message is so strong.

Autumn is home for the weekend she is doing very well. I let the boys stay home from school today to spend time with their sister. I am looking foreword to Easter, having the family get together. Today we must get some housework done, Tomorrow we plan on dying eggs.

We have a new batch of kittens this week (5) tiny gray & white, the boys are just loving it. Even I have to admit that there's not much cuter then little kittens. The recent cold weather may have killed some of my garden :( I'm not sure what will bounce back & what is gone, I plan to get new seeds started this week to replace any plants that are lost. Caden has a book that he loves called the Oak inside the acorn, while I was digging some dirt for my lettuce plants we found an acorn that had rooted, I showed it to Caden & transplanted it to a container, explaining that some day when he was grown up, it would be a big oak tree, he can plant it & have his very own tree. It has really grown the past few weeks. What a great opportunity to show how just like God has a plan for the tiny acorn to become a big strong oak, he has a plan for each of us to become

the person God designed us to be. Happy Easter

I really enjoyed spring break, having the boys home from school made me really miss homeschooling. We are unsure what we will be doing next year. Dd is talking of wanting to homeschool again & her therapist thinks it may be a good ideal. Caden begs to "do homeschool again" every day & spent a good part of spring break working in his old workbooks. Zach is thinking about homeschooling again but not sure. I am thinking we may give it a trial over the summer and see how it goes, if I can manage with my college classes ect..

Sadly, I planted my squash over the break & it appears that the cold weather got to them, they are all limp and seem dead. My peas are doing great though, the green beans are holding their own, but the radish also seems gone :( I plan to start a new batch this week maybe planting in the warmer weather will be the key. I also put out strawberry plants, I don't expect them to produce fruit this year, it is really just bulbs that I planted but we will see.

Also over spring break Caden got a new friend... Yes, someone dumped a mutt puppy on our doorstep. Of course he " just loves caden so much, and minds him so good, and caden promised to take good care of him and love him...." so he's our new family member. His name is Marty.

Today I read a post over At the well http://www.titus2atthewell.com/2009/03/are-you-born-supervisor.html that I want to share. Please visit the link above to read the entire post but the essence was being thankful for our husbands. I want to list some of the things I am thankful for toward Harry,
1. he loves to spend time with me
2. he can make me laugh
3. he is a good dad, he loves to do family stuff
4. he is kind hearted
5. he's always willing to help others
6. he never criticizes my homemaking skills (no matter how lacking they may be)
7. I believe he loves me, I can trust him.
8. he works hard to provide for us

Now those of you that know me know that I can be very strong willed and even hateful at times. He somehow puts up with me and my sharp tongue, and for that I am thankful. I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world.

Tammy @ http://www.tammysrecipes.com/ is hosting a weekly blog post called Making your home a Haven. This week is about putting together 5 things that make up your morning routine to get your day off to a peaceful start. This is something that I have attempted to do in the past as part of the Flylady's http://www.flylady.net/ home program, which I love but have trouble keeping up with. So this blog post is just the thing that I need to help me to get back on track with my routines. I find it really does make a difference in my day if I will stick with it. So my morning routine is


1) awake between 6 -6:30 - this is the hardest for me, I prefer to sleep until 7:30, but I feel better about myself if I get up and fix the boys a cooked breakfast and not just let them eat cereal.



2) empty dishwasher, start a load of laundry



3) have a cup of coffee & read my Bible, pray



4) shower, swish & swipe bathroom



5) dress for the day & make my bed

Links to coupon blogs

Some of you are asking where I look to find coupon matches for my shopping trips.
First I always check the Sunday paper & the local grocery store fliers for sales. I also
always check a few blogs that list coupon matches before my grocery & walgreens trips. The two sites that I love are
http://savingourcents.blogspot.com/ and
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/
there are LOTS of other great blogs that list coupon matches and tips for saving but these are the two that I depend on to help me find the great deals.
Stop in and visit the above blogs for great money saving tips.

Yummy & EASY rice pudding

Ok so in the past my ideal of rice pudding was to cook rice and add it to instant vanilla jello pudding mix. Then I came upon this great recipe on allrecipes.com

I've made some adjustments and have found the perfect easy rice pudding that our whole family loves.

In sauce pan put 2 cp cooked rice, 1 1/2- 2 cps milk,

1/2 cp sugar, dash of salt.

cook approx 15 mins until creamy

then add 1/2 cp milk & 1 egg beaten ( I mix them together and temper this mixture before adding it to my rice mixture. cook 2 minutes

remove from heat add 1 capfull ( approx 1 teaspoon) vanilla, scoop of butter

serve warm

very yummy and comforting

Savings on groceries at Kroger

Did the weekly grocery shopping yesterday at Kroger, they are having another mega event this week. Here is what I got

2- 2lb riceland rice ( had a buy one get one free) I have an awesome rice pudding recipe
3- pasta noodles
3- canned kroger diced tomatoes
kellogs apple jacks cereal
kroger refried beans
pickled banana peppers
2- duncan hines brownie mix
chicken bouillon cubes
3 boxes breakfast bars (fiber one & nature valley)
canned mushrooms
2- franks hot sauce
5- koolaid mix
Pillsbury pizza crust
4- Johnson's bath buddies soap
2- Tropicana OJ
gl skim milk
2 -6 pk danimals drinkables
3 lb bag oranges
pk tyson steak fingers
48 ct mrs pauls fish sticks
4- 4pk green giant just for one broch/cheese
16 ct pk frozen waffles
quaker rice cakes snacks bag
pk pepperoni

total cost was 50.94 ( not my cheapest week but still in budget)
total coupon savings was 54.54 (including store savings)
so far this month I have spent 150.00 on food, that is under budget for the month. (That doesn't include what we spent when we have eaten out during our trips to visit dd or birthday party food.)

Here is the menu plan this week
tonight we are having turkey frame soup & cornbread, warm rice pudding for desert
tomorrow is veggie fajitas w/rice & beans
saturday- steak fingers w/gravy, taters, broccoli & cheese, rolls
sunday- homemade pizza
monday- mac & cheese, fish sticks, fruit slices
tuesday - ? will be dads choice, I will be going to pick up dd for a home visit.

breakfast are - breakfast bars (Z loves these), cereal, biscuits w/sausage, waffles
lunches are sandwiches & fruit, pasta salads, & leftovers ( now that the boys are in public school I am the only one here for lunches) :(

Walgreens deals this week

We stopped at a couple of walgreens on the way home from taking dd back. At the first I picked up 3- glade sense & spray for 9.99 each and 2 Colgate toothpaste on sale for .99 each.

-wags easy saver coupons on the glade minus 4.00 each

- MF coupon on the glade minus 4.00 each

-MF coupon on the Colgate minus .75 each

ended up paying 1.99 each for the glade, my total was 6.oo something!

At the next wags I got 4 crest pro health toothpaste (on sale for .95 each)

- 3 MF coupons for 1.00 & .75 off of one

ended up paying .35 (yes that's cents) WOW!

Oh and on Friday last week on the way to pick up dd I stopped at wags and got (see photo)

2- garnier shampoos on sale .99 after ES coupon

1- garnier hairspray on sale .99 after ES coupon

1- garnier gel on sale .99 after ES coupon

1- garnier moose on sale .99 after ES coupon

2 Colgate total advance toothpaste also on sale after ES coupon ( don't remember the price)

minus 1.00 MF coupons for the hair products and toothpaste

ended up just paying the tax, was like 2.00 something WOW!!!!

With so much going on these days I am having difficulty finding time to blog. To update on things going on around here the past week or two.. First off, I am so glad spring has arrived, I have a bath tub full of tender little plants sprouting up getting ready for the garden.

tiny seedlings awaiting their home.. Speaking of the garden, Paw Paw came and tilled us a large place for this year, I am so excited to have a big garden instead of my postage stamp size place that was last years. Zack and I went over to the horse lot yesterday afternoon and brought back a big ol' bucket of horse doo that we worked into the garden soil last night. I have started peas (sugar snap & canning), lettuce, spinach, radish, squash, peppers, onion, collards, and green beans. I am looking forward to adding tomatoes.

Autumn came home over this past weekend for her first 48hr visit, it was nice to have her home, although she struggled with some transition issues. She is doing very well, her grades are pretty good. She has done so well with the structure at this facility, she's afraid of getting out and not being able to cope again. I'm not sure what her future holds but I know the Lord will always be with her, She has been reading her Bible again ( PTL) I am comforted in that she is happy, that's all I ever want. Of course my hope is for her to come home and be able to live happily and have the experiences that most young girls have, I believe that it is possible. She will be coming home again next week for another 48hr visit. Pray all goes well.

This week was a great week for wags and grocery deals, I will post on these separately.

FOR TODAY Monday March 9th, 2009

Outside my window... a nice warm night, today was warm in the 60's sunny. felt like spring.

I am thinking... about gardens, seed starting and spring

I am thankful for... my job & the chance to attend college.

From the learning rooms... I took 2 tests today, (so far my grades are A+) I have a BIG test coming up next Monday

From the kitchen... tonight we had hamburgers, I will post menus for the week tomorrow

I am wearing... jeans, pull over, tennis shoes

I am creating... a small chicken coop for keeping 4-6 hens on pasture here for eggs

I am going... to go to bed soon (I am still tired from the time change)

I am reading...barnyard in your backyard, hobby farms

I am hoping... to get to Walgreen's tomorrow to get some freebies

I am hearing... the TV hubby is watching a law & order type show

Around the house... paw pa is coming out this week to break up our garden spot

One of my favorite things... looking forward to spring break

A few plans for the rest of the week: Autumn gets to come home for the weekend this Friday, and our baby turns 6yrs on Friday. We plan on having a party and going out to chucky cheese's this weekend

Here is picture thought I am sharing... I will post later

Ways I can be a blessing...

I ran across this blog site today, http://www.titus2atthewell.com/
one of the lessons really hit home for me. I want to be a blessing to my husband and children, a 'keeper at home'. So I've started a list of things that by doing I will be a blessing to them...

I will be a blessing to my husband by keeping our home tidy & welcoming, keeping things organized where he can find them, by cooking a home cooked meal each night, keeping laundry put away, by saving money on the things we buy, by keeping a garden to provide fresh veggies and canning & preserving the gardens bounty. I can bless our pocketbook and our earth by using a clothes line this spring & summer to dry our clothes, using simple earth friendly cleaning products, taking more showers (not long soaks in the tub)
I will be a blessing to my children by getting up in time to cook a healthy breakfast (this is a big one since I tend to like to sleep in, and the kids often prefer cold cereal)
I will bless my children by teaching them what I can about growing your our food, preserving food, saving money and cleaning house so that they will be able to provide blessings for their own families some day. It seems so simple yet each of these things makes a big impact for your family. I hope you will stop by the above mentioned website, the devotionals are wonderful & really help keep focus on being keepers at home.

FOR TODAY... March 2nd

Outside my window... It is windy and bitter cold (around 30 degrees) It looked warm with the sun shine today but it was deceiving.

I am thinking... of spring time, I have been itching to get my garden seeds started over the next 2 weeks.

I am thankful for... my husbands help with the dishes tonight.

From the learning rooms... both my boys are in public school at the moment, dd is attending school at the RTC she is at, I am in the middle of the semester up to my eyeballs in human anatomy and growth, development and labs.. I miss homeschooling.

From the kitchen...

tonight we had chicken & dressing, green beans, carrots, salad and peach cobbler.

Tuesday - pork chops, rice, salad

Wednesday - tacos, rice, beans

Thursday - pork BBQ sandwiches, slaw, baked beans

Friday - roast with veggies, rolls

Saturday - hamburgers, home fries

Sunday - veggie/ beef soup, cornbread

breakfasts will be sausage & biscuits, cereal, pancakes, yogurt w/ granola

lunches are sandwich, leftovers, pasta salad, or the like.

I am wearing... jeans, light wt. pull over, socks

I am creating... A jumper, I bought fabric and pattern today to try a simple jumper, I am trying to teach myself to sew modest simple dresses.

I am going... to clean house tomorrow, I am getting the spring cleaning bug

I am reading... my Bible, my textbooks, and the harvest homestead newsletter

I am hoping... for warm weather to arrive soon

I am hearing... the bachelor on TV in the other room

Around the house... Z got a new dirt bike today, soon hubby & the boys will be spending Saturdays riding at the track

One of my favorite things... working to finish projects on the house, I still have to pick knobs for the cabinets, finish putting shelves in the closets, ect... I love doing projects on the house, I still feel so amazed to have our new house ( even though we have been here 9 mts) it still feels brand new to me.

A few plans for the rest of the week: study my A&P ( I have slacked off on my studies and I must get back to the books..)

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Never thought I'd be upset with Children's hospital....

Cause I've always loved them, they were wonderful with the care and teaching when our son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes... but I found out yesterday that dd had been to the clinic for a routine check up & I guess when the nice folks at the clinic saw that she was from "youth home" that translated into " parents who don't give a hoot" so they proceeded to give her every immunization that she could get..... NO ONE NOTIFIED OR ASKED ME, HER LEGAL GUARDIAN (AKA MOTHER.) The thing is she was not behind on her shots at all... the things given to her are some that are recommended but not required. She was given hep A, menactra, and daptacel. (sp?)
When did they start giving these to our children without our permission?? Just because she is living at youth home doesn't take my parental rights away! I am mad about this and you better believe I will be talking to the folks at children's. Autumn didn't need these shots and they should have never been given. Gurr..

Wow! we've had a busy week. On Tuesday hubby and I took both the boys to our state capital for home school day (hubby kept reminding me that technically we weren't homeschooling at present..) anyway it was great. We took a tour of the building & had a wonderful tour guide that told lots of stories. The boys got to see the Senate and House chambers along with the Governors office & reception rooms. After having lunch at the capital cafe we headed to the inland maritime museum to take a tour of the USS Razorback submarine. This was great! our tour guide served over 11 yrs on a sub just like her, he was very friendly and good with the kids. What a great way to bring history to life. They are getting ready to start giving overnight parties on board the sub. Z's already got his sights on having his 13th there. I can't believe how cramped the service men were on these submarines, they sure earned all my respect for giving so much of their lives to protect us. We took lots of photos. Here are the highlights...

our state capital building

over looking the house chambers, flags from all 50 states sitting at the Governor's table

Then on the Razorback... going down into the sub...

you can just make out the plastic cots along the sides in the second photo, can you imagine living for months at a time here, with 60 or more of your buddies!!!

the Razorback was named after the razorback whale ( all submarines were given names from marine animals.) The sign below shows the 12 battles she was in, the 6 Japanese ships she sunk (the larger middle sunburst stand for battleships) the five flags above them represent the 5 downed U.S. pilots she rescued. We are Lucky to have her here in Arkansas, (we were chosen because of her name.)

After our tour we all went to visit sissy, she was going to go out to dinner with us but she started coming down with the stomach bug and was vomiting.. :( So we had to cut our visit short. We are planning on going back Sunday for dinner with her. She is doing really well and seems to be learning coping skills for changing her behavior. We all miss her so much, I can't wait till she comes home.

I am proud to say that I have stayed in budget this month on groceries. Some of you may not know but I have set a goal to keep our grocery/ household items at < 75.00 weekly. This has been a challenge as our amount was usually 150.00 or more. This $75 includes all stuff like toothpaste, paper towels, shampoo, razors, dish soap, ect.... everything except pet food. So far for February I am just under $300 and I have everything needed for meals the rest of the month, except I will have to replace milk as needed.
Here is what I have planned for suppers.
-Spanish rice (hubby's fave.)
-BBQ meatballs, taters, green beans
-pizza (homemade)
-chowder
-fajitas with homemade tortillas, salsa & chips
-fish patties, mac & cheese, broccoli, warm vanilla pears over ice cream
-chicken & dressing, taters, gravy, carrots, green beans
-pasta with meatballs, salad
-SDC skillet
-pork chop, rice, broccoli slaw
-sauerkraut (sp?) & weenies

lunches are soup & sandwich type or leftovers ect..
breakfasts are cereal, oatmeal, eggs with biscuit & gravy, breakfast pockets, french toast or pancakes with sausage.

Even with this budget I have been able to stock up on supplies that we use by using coupons and doing walgreen's sales. I feel very blessed to be able to do this for my family. I have even been able to bless friends and family with items that I had several of. The Lord is so good to bless us even when we forget so often to be thankful. :)

Feeling a little down these days, Caden started public school this week. I feel really mixed up about it and I honestly don't know if this is going to work out or not. I truly feel in my heart that homeschooling is the BEST way to teach my children. But I also am being real in the fact that for that last statement to be true mom has to be able to put effort into it. College classes and studies take up a good bit of time from my school planning, but the biggest problem I think we face is that I don't like Caden being the only one homeschooling, if Z decided to homeschool again it would make it better. As it is I feel caden gets board most of the day, with no one to play with.. he is such an active boy, he loves to run, wrestle and romp outdoors. It's just not so great when your the only one... he misses his brother. Once a week homeschool groups just aren't enough. I won't force Z to come home though, he is very social and enjoys public school very much and at his age (12) he doesn't want to be 'different' from everyone else. I will be taking this to the Lord in prayer very often over the next few weeks and seeking his direction in this matter. I hate being home ALONE. I MISS MY CHILDREN! :(

Great walgreens deals this week....

These are the things I got this week (2 razors and the shout spray are not in the pic, long story)

2- Drano max gel (yeah the bathroom sink drains again !!)

Windex multi-purpose spray cleaner

Shout stain remover

2- Joy dish washing liquid

2- Colgate toothpaste

5- Bounty basic paper towels

3- Gillette fusion razors

3- Schick disposable 4pk razors

paid with a gift card (previous rebate)

my out of pocket cost was $10.50

got $12 RR to spend next week and a rebate of $4.50 to put back on my card.

I will also send in for a Windex rebate and get back $2.50

:)

FOR TODAY... FEBRUARY 11TH

Outside My Window...drizzle, rain, maybe some t-storms today. Lots of mud in the yard & drive.
I am thinking...about seeing dd at court tomorrow, looking forward to the visit. She is doing ok, I am hopeful for seeing a positive change in her.
I am thankful for... my aunt (AJ) is going to be ok. 2 weeks ago she was in a car wreck and suffered severe head trauma, among other injuries. GOD has shown mercy and PRAISE HIM she is going to be ok. She will remain the sweet lady we all know and love. (So often this is not the case with head trauma). All indications point to a complete recovery!! My family is so thankful to still have her with us.
From the learning rooms...Caden will start kindergarten class this next week. I am sad that I won't be homeschooling for a little while. I truly feel this is best for now, while I finish my nursing degree. I am so blessed to have a tiny local school & to know that the teachers are wonderful christian ladies. Caden is reading CVC words and most blends, adds & subtracts, we are planning a trip to our state capital next week. science is about the oceans, land & plants (day 3 creation)

From the kitchen...we had sausage, eggs, toast this morning. tonight is meatballs, mashed taters and veggie. (we are all tired of chicken)
I am wearing...gray cotton pant, green top, bare feet

I am creating...3-5 index cards for each of the homeostatic imbalances in my A&P book.
I am going...to clean house today
I am reading...textbooks!!
I am hoping...to get my house clean and in order today, then I need to work on my truck (its a mess)
I am hearing...Caden play on the piano (bang on it really)
Around the house...I have to get the stairs rails stained this week.
One of my favorite things...a rainy day to stay home and relax.... :)
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: study, visit with Autumn, take Caden to the valentines party at school
Here is picture thought I am sharing..

. samples of leaves Caden collected from the yard during science.

Heartbreak & Hope


We took dd Wednesday and left her at her 'new home' it is very much like an acute care psych center. For those who have never been to one it is very strict. The first week she is on what they call eyeball restriction, must be seen by staff at all times. She can build up freedoms and even get overnight visits home after a while. She was very angry when she realized what it was going to be like, we left her crying, trembling, and cursing us... I thought it would kill me. She called last night and sounded much better. She asked if we were coming to visit Sunday. I feel so much better since I talked to her. Maybe this will help, she is living with trained counselors that are on shift night and day. She will not be able to use the coping skills she is used to using, no cutting herself, no scratching herself, no music, ect.. she will be forced to learn new healthy coping skills for dealing with stress. She will get group therapy daily and individual therapy with her therapist and doctor. Maybe, just maybe she can begin to understand ways to make better choices and express herself. I have hope.
I have been so sad with her not here, my thoughts were tortured, (the enemy knows my weakness is my children) thinking of her stressed and alone, living in utter misery. I truly couldn't see any difference in this place and being in Guantanamo bay, I still believed we had done the right thing but it I could find no peace, but last night the Lord spoke to me. I opened the new issue of The old schoolhouse magazine reading part two of homeschooling the rebel, how at times they had to put their child out of the home to live with other family, so to have peace and order restored, (I see now that the Lord has given me a window of much needed peace and calm with hubby and the boys. I am not going to allow the devil to take this by keeping me preoccupied with worry about dd. The boys deserve some time with mom and dad without dd causing stress and being hateful, God is allowing us to have a breather, while he works on her heart.) and how it helped the rebellious child to realize that they must change their behaviors. What a comfort to know that the Lord finds ways to speak to me even when I am so wrapped up in my sorrow that I'm not listening, he finds a way. God is so good. The average stay for this place is 8 mos, it will not be easy but I am hopeful today that it can make a positive difference in her life.

Finally .... here are photos of our house.

Here is the front, the garage is on the right just out of sight.

Then the back as seen from the field.

This is the living room: from standing inside the front door in the foyer

looking to the front door, & from standing in the breakfast nook.

this is my kitchen & breakfast nook, I really, really love it.

I realized in these photos that I have yet to get the stickers off my windows & my fridge is covered with stuff from the kids and ect..

Here is the dining room it's RED, I love my square table, I need to get drapes on the windows. right now we use the corner hutch to hold school books.

My utility room is great! Larry did a great job building these cabinets to make this room just what I wanted, the wall not seen in this pic has a small closet for cleaning supplies and also a coat rack. Someday I want to put a bench here and add a wall calender/message center.

This is the 1/2 bath just off the living room. I added the photo with the potty so you can see how pretty the stained concrete floors are.

Our bedroom & master bath (Harry called this color turd brown, I like it though) As you can see the window trim is missing from the glass block window above the tub, they sent the wrong size and have yet to replace it gurrr!

this is Caden's room, note that there's no bed in here, because he is still sleeping with us!! (well beside us anyway.) He uses this as a play room.

Here is Z'a room, he is into army stuff can you tell?

Autumns room is not getting photos because it's a disaster. but here's the upstairs bath.

I truly love our home, all the work we did was so worth it, so far I haven't found one thing I would have done differently. I even love cleaning it. I feel amazingly blessed that we were able to build and have things turn out as well as they did, with no major problems. Now if only I had some nice flower beds :)